The Suite Life (The Family Stone Book 1)

by Brooke St. James

  "Nice costume Blue," Vi said, yelling at me from the kitchen.

  "You too, Mulan," I said, smiling at her. She had gone with my mother to the costume shop this year and had rented a gorgeous samurai costume complete with an authentic looking sword.

  Vi did some kind of pre-planned hand gesture combined with a bow when I complimented her, which made me laugh.

  "You too, Mom," I said. "You look really good."

  She was also in character when she thanked me, giving me a silent, gracious nod and looking every bit the historical queen she was dressed as. She had beautiful, complex dress, a huge wig, a velvet cape, and a scepter.

  "Mom bought three-hundred packs of Big League Chew," Vi said.

  I acted a little surprised even though I already knew.

  "I hope that's enough," Indie said, looking out the window at the crowd that was already growing on the street. "It's packed out there."

  "I have other candy for back-up," Mom said. "It is packed. Taylor's having trouble getting through on Myrtle. He had to go around."

  My head whipped around and I regarded Mom when she said that… how would she know where Taylor was or what kind of traffic problems he was having? I was about to ask her that, but just then the door opened, and I turned to find Taylor standing there. He wasn't alone. If he had been, he likely would have knocked on the door rather than opening it.

  There he was, looking like a dream come true, a scene from a movie, an A-list Hollywood actor on the red carpet. And standing next to him was Captain Jack Sparrow.

  It was a good costume with dreadlocks and eyeliner and everything. If I didn't know my dad so well, I never would have recognized him—he looked just like the real pirate from the movie. My dad came into the room like nothing was abnormal about him being there. "Yo, ho, ho!" he yelled, lumbering toward Leo, who squealed and ran through the living room.

  All of us headed toward the door as Taylor came inside and closed it behind himself.

  "It's a madhouse out there," Taylor said, smiling at me with wide eyes when I walked up to him. I came to his side and he put an arm around me, leaning down to kiss the side of my forehead through the veil. I breathed in the woodsy smell of his cologne before pulling back to look at him. His costume had not come from a plastic bag. He was wearing a tuxedo, and it was one hundred percent real, tailored and fitting him like a glove. He looked like a prince, a billionaire movie-star, a famous Hollywood hunk.

  His hair was meticulously styled and there wasn't a thing out of place. I felt alive with desire and attraction as I snuggled up to him and was thankful when he squeezed me back.

  "Mom didn't tell us you were coming." Vi's statement was directed toward my dad. He had captured the little lion and was now holding him. Leo was intently focused on my dad, staring at his face and wig with wide eyes as he held onto one of the dreadlocks.

  "It's just paw-paw," Dad assured him sweetly.

  "Why's paw-paw here?" Violet asked, looking at my mom with a stunned expression.

  She wasn't being rude or anything, she just hadn't expected him to come. None of us had—except for Mom and Taylor, obviously.

  Mom shrugged. "He hitched a ride with Taylor. We figured he could come over and take Leo trick-or-treating. He didn't get to see him dress up last year."

  "Nice costume," Kai said, going over to high-five my dad. "Thanks, you too," dad said. He reached out to hug Indie who had walked up to them. "Are y'all some kind of performers?"

  "Lion-tamers," Kai said.

  "Get it?" Indie asked, gesturing to Leo.

  "Ahhh," Dad said, nodding.

  Leo reached for Indie, and Dad handed him over to her.

  "Nice," Dad said. "You guys have a whole theme going. I like it."

  He looked at Vi. "And here's an Asian warrior of some kind…" he said, hesitating as if he wasn't sure of himself.

  "Samurai," Vi said, looking dead serious and doing that same bow with a hand gesture, which made Dad laugh and bow back at her.

  "And, of course, the queen," Dad said, moving down the line to my mother who gave him a solemn, queenly nod and extended her scepter. Dad took her hand (even though she wasn't really offering it) and kissed it. "My lady."

  "Your majesty," Mom corrected.

  "Pardon me, your majesty."

  "I don't make a habit of letting pirates come this close," Mom said.

  Dad grinned. "You can make an exception for this pirate, can't you?"

  Mom gave him a coy shrug, and Dad turned to focus on me since I was the only one he hadn't talked to. He walked my way, and I let go of Taylor long enough to hug him.

  "I'm happy you came," I said. "You look just like Johnny Depp."

  "Who’s Johnny Depp?" Dad asked looking offended and making me laugh. "A pirate, I mean. You're a really natural looking pirate."

  Dad smiled squeezing my shoulders. He gestured to Taylor. "I assumed Taylor was just trying to look good for the occasion—I thought he got mixed up and thought we were just going to a black-tie affair, but now I get it. I see what y'all did. Bride and groom, huh?"

  "Oh, I get it," Vi said, nodding as she stared at us.

  "You look good like that," Indie said. "You should do it for real."

  "Yeah, you should just go ahead and get married," Kai added.

  "We are," I said. "I held up my hand, flashing the very real diamond engagement ring. Taylor had given it to me a couple of days before. We thought about telling my family the news right when it happened, but we kept it to ourselves. We planned our costumes (based on knowing Taylor already had a tux he could wear) and I thought it would be funny to let them figure it out on their own once they saw us dressed like that.

  "Wait a minute," Mom said, coming toward us with renewed interest and trading her queen's demeanor for motherly curiosity. "Are you serious right now? Is this real, Blue?"

  She approached me with her hand out like she wanted to see my ring. My hand was shaking as I held my hand out for her to inspect. She gasped, and everyone else gathered around, coming closer to us.

  "Blue, are you serious? This is so beautiful, baby." She stared at me utterly stunned, and I smiled and nodded at her. She was surprised and sincere, but I couldn't help but find humor in the whole scene with all of us in costumes.

  Mom's powdered wig and crown were huge, and her costume and makeup was completely accurate for the time period, so everything felt a bit surreal. Taylor was still standing next to me, and I reached out with my other hand to hold onto Taylor.

  "Are you getting married right here? Tonight?" Violet asked, seeing us make contact.

  "Oh, my goodness, no," I said. "I wanted to surprise you guys, but not that much. We just wanted to tell you he asked me. Of course we're not doing it tonight. I didn’t even know Dad would be here."

  "So, this is a real ring?" Indie asked, reaching out for my hand.

  I nodded as I let her see. Violet stepped forward, looking at it from over Indie's shoulder.

  "It better be, huh, Taylor," Dad said, joking with Taylor about how much it must have cost. "I knew about it before all of y'all did," he added, proudly as he checked out the candy Mom had bought.

  We all turned to look at him, and he shrugged.

  "I knew before Blue did," he said.

  "How?" I asked instantly.

  Dad gestured at Taylor. "Because Taylor came to me and asked my permission to ask you," he said.

  I looked at Taylor, who just gave a little shrug before leaning in to kiss me. Mom let out a whimper at the sight of us.

  "Oh, my goodness. I can't believe it. My baby girl. Is this for real? Have you talked about setting a date? When are you thinking about—"

  "We're doing it next month," I said before she could say anything else. "Taylor's moving into the hotel after Thanksgiving, and I'll be going with him. That way I can help him with the opening and we can focus on that. We won't do anything big. Probably just friends and family at Dad's house or maybe even the hotel. We're talking about it."


  "So, you're moving into the hotel with him after Thanksgiving, and you're getting married before that?" Mom asked, still a little stunned.

  I nodded. I knew this was all a little shocking to them, but I had never been more confident or sure about anything in my life.

  "And you're wearing a different dress than this one, right?" Vi asked numbly, causing us all to laugh.

  "I'd marry her in this," Taylor said, looking at me.

  "Oh, no you won't," I promised, staring at him through that plastic veil. It was a little broken, which made it even funnier.

  "I knew you two were gonna get married," Kai said.

  "I knew it too" Dad said.

  "Yeah, because he called you," Vi said.

  "No, no before that," Dad said. "I knew it from way back. I called it back in Boston. You can ask Nick."

  "Well, I, for one, could not be happier," Mom announced.

  She said it boldly and with a slight English accent that made us all look at her. It was with a completely serious expression that she closed her eyes and gave Taylor and me a nod. "You have the blessing of the queen," she announced dramatically, making us all laugh.

  Then, the sound of the doorbell caused us to look at each other with wide eyes.

  "The trick-or-treaters are here!" Dad announced in a silly voice, raising his eyebrows as he zeroed in on Leo.

  My nephew didn't even really know what that meant, but he shrieked with excitement and wiggled in his mother's arms.

  "I thought it wasn't supposed to start till six," Indie said.

  There was a clock on the wall that clearly stated it was 5:45.

  "Once the sun goes down, it's a free-for-all out there," Vi said.

  She stooped down and grabbed several bags of Big League Chew, tossing one to my father as they went to answer the door.

  Chapter 20

  Roughly another month later.

  Thanksgiving was my marker.

  Our wedding was planned for the first of December, and I just kept thinking once Thanksgiving rolls around, the big day will be right around the corner.

  The weeks passed quickly.

  My days were full, so each one seemed to pass slowly, but now that I was on the other side, looking back, I realized that the whole chunk of time went faster than I thought.

  I continued working with investments, but most of my days were spent helping Taylor prepare the hotel for opening. My dad's house was much closer to the hotel than Mom's, so I spent nights there and made the short drive into Beverly Hills every day.

  Taylor moved into the suite a week before Thanksgiving, and even though I hadn't moved in yet, I still considered it my home.

  It was incredibly difficult to leave him every night. We got the place all situated how we wanted with art, furniture, and accessories, and after a long day of working in the hotel, we would snuggle up on the couch and watch a movie together. It was so comfortable that I dreaded leaving him every night. I absolutely couldn’t wait to marry him.

  I didn't have to wait any longer because tonight was the night.

  It was official.

  As of about two hours ago, my new name was Mrs. Blue Patterson, and I was now truly the lady of the place—the lady of our beautiful hotel. I couldn't think of any role I'd rather play in life.

  We decided to have the wedding at the hotel, which only added to the sentimental feeling of it all. We tried to do it small, but we kept thinking of people we didn't want to leave out, so there ended up being about a hundred and fifty guests.

  We did the wedding and reception right there at the hotel, and I had absolutely no regrets about it. Everything was beautiful—the stuff of fairytales. My dad would have paid for a really elaborate wedding in some exotic location, but Taylor and I both loved the idea of doing it at the hotel.

  Dad spent money on decorations and catering, and everything was absolutely beautiful. The hotel was gorgeous anyway, but the planner my dad hired had transformed it into a scene fit for a movie.

  We had the ceremony and reception in the ballroom, which was on the first floor. In addition to a few guest rooms, the sixth floor had some common areas such as the pool, a small theater, and a conference room. We opened the whole floor for guests to tour after the wedding since we knew they'd be curious about the rest of the hotel.

  The other floors still had some small finishing projects going and were locked for the occasion. Guests had come in through the grand lobby, making their way into the ballroom.

  My dad walked me down the aisle, and I cried the whole time. I honestly couldn’t believe the way my life had changed.

  I never knew I wanted to own a boutique hotel, but walking down that aisle in our gorgeous, marble-floored ballroom felt like the most natural thing in the world. Taylor was wearing a sleek grey tux that absolutely took my breath away. I honestly had a hard time looking at him. My dress was simple and comfortable but elegant—straight cut with a little flair at the bottom with long sleeves that were made of lace.

  After the short ceremony, we sat for dinner. My dad had a few of his musician friends playing live music while we ate. They played quiet jazz tunes during dinner, but I knew they were about to kick it up a notch now that we were finished eating and everyone was ready to dance. Taylor had just excused himself to use the restroom when my dad got up to make a speech.

  I knew he had planned on saying a few words, but it wasn't the time we had talked about, and I hated that he chose to do it right when Taylor walked out. I tried to tell him with my eyes that he should wait, but he didn't understand what I was saying, and he just kept talking.

  "I am unbelievably happy to be here tonight," he said into the microphone. "Blue is my baby girl, and it's a trip to see her all grown up and looking so beautiful as a bride."

  Everyone cheered, and I smiled and waved shyly when my dad gestured to me. I hated that Taylor wasn't by my side—not only because I didn't want him to miss my dad's speech, but also because I missed his presence next to me. He made me feel secure, and I wished he would get back soon.

  "When Blue was little, I would sing to her. I sang constantly to all my girls, but Blue tolerated it best. She would just sit there and listen to me, watching me with that huge smile like she thought I had hung the moon. She was the best audience ever—so sweet and easy to please. She wouldn't even skip a beat when I hit a wrong note or got out of breath from dancing around too much."

  Everyone laughed, and Dad paused and looked at me.

  "There was one song that was off limits, though. Do you remember that?"

  I closed my eyes and shook my head, smiling, knowing exactly what he was talking about.

  "Blue was probably six or seven years old at the time. For years, all her life, I had been serenading her, and all of a sudden, there was this one song that she wouldn't let me sing to her. She looked at me funny the first couple of times I sang it, and then finally, she just shook her head right when I started, denying me. I'd say, 'what's wrong, baby girl, don't you like that song…' and do you remember what you said?"

  Dad paused, waiting for me to answer. I just smiled and nodded at him. He knew I knew what he was talking about.

  "It was the one song she wouldn't let me sing. She said 'only my husband can sing that to me, daddy,'."

  He said the last part in a feminine baby voice that made everyone laugh. I was so young that I barely remembered saying it, but my father had brought it up over the years, so I knew he was telling the truth.

  "So, fast forward twenty years later. I'm on a trip to Boston I meet a young man by the name of Taylor Patterson. I knew even before Blue did that something was going to happen between the two of them. I barely knew Taylor when I first heard him sing. He was being silly, and he sang the chorus of Reckless to me in my hotel room. Right then, I thought about this very moment."

  I started to get nervous as Dad's words hit me. I felt like something was about to happen, but I didn't know what.

  "Anyway," Dad continued. "I asked him not to sing in
front of Blue at all. I told him to do me a favor and not even tell her we had that conversation. Somehow, I saw this day coming, and I wanted her to have no idea. So, Baby-Blue, here he is… your husband, and the only man who can sing you this song."

  I was already tearing up when the lights went down and spotlights fell on the small stage. I hadn't even seen Taylor go over there. I was completely shocked. I covered my face with my hands, peeking out from behind my fingers. I knew what song it would be before he even hit the first note.

  Sugar,

  Ah honey, honey,

  You are my candy girl,

  And you got me wanting you.

  Honey,

  Ah sugar, sugar,

  You are my candy girl,

  And you got me wanting you.

  Taylor's singing voice left me stunned.

  It was just like his speaking voice, so it shouldn't have surprised me that it sounded good, but the boy could sing. I had spent countless hours with Taylor, and I had no idea. He was smiling at me from the stage, looking confident and sure of himself like singing into a microphone on a stage was something he did every day.

  I just can't believe the loveliness of loving you.

  (I just can't believe it's true.)

  I just can't believe the wonder of this feeling, too.

  (I just can't believe it's true.)

  Shocked.

  Stunned.

  Bewildered.

  Overwhelmed.

  In those seconds, I could not believe what I was hearing. The entire crowd joined in during the echo segment. The whole room was singing along—even the people right next to me. It was loud and very planned, and I cried instantly.

  I had to blink to clear my vision.

  Taylor smiled.

  Ah, Sugar,

  Ah, honey, honey,

  You are my candy girl,

  And you got me wanting you.