by Lacey London
‘If you’re looking for Gina and Owen, they were on that one right there.’ Pointing in the opposite direction to where I have been looking, Oliver grabs my legs and dips me back into the water.
Letting out a squeal, I splash around like a drowning cat until I finally regain my footing. Not wanting to go down without a fight, I dive under the water and make a grab for his shorts. Realising that I don’t have a chance, I hold my hands up to surrender as he scoops me up into a ball.
‘Go on then, Mrs Morgan. You know you want to.’
Smiling wickedly, I wiggle out of his grip and dunk his head beneath the water. Squealing with delight, I stick my tongue out as he comes up for air.
The sun glares down on us as I float into his arms and plant a kiss onto his nose. ‘And that, Oliver Morgan, is why I married you…’
Next to you is my favourite place to be…
Chapter 14
Wiping a tear from my eye, I clutch my throbbing stomach and will myself to stop laughing. My sides are aching and my cheeks are actually sore. Holding up my hands in protest, I beg Gina to stop talking. Catching Owen’s eye, I find myself feeling a little sorry for him. For the past thirty minutes, Gina has been giving us the lowdown on her parasailing adventure with Owen.
‘Stop!’ I plead, shaking my head. ‘You’re killing me.’
‘Yeah, stop!’ Eve giggles, wrapping an arm around Owen’s neck. ‘I think he has suffered enough for one day.’
Finally relenting, Gina turns her attention back to her rum punch as a small cry comes out of the baby monitor. Chewing on the end of my straw, I am about to go and check on the kids when Eve jumps to her feet.
‘I’ll go.’ Smiling sweetly, she slips on her sandals and pads across the decking.
Watching her walk away, I wait until she is out of ear shot before turning to face the others. ‘I think someone might finally be feeling a little broody…’
Owen scoffs and shakes his head. ‘I don’t think so.’
‘I do think so!’ Gina teases, crossing her legs in Marc’s lap. ‘You should have seen her with the kids at the beach today.’
‘She’ll get bored, she always does.’
Oliver raises his eyebrows and reaches for his bottle of beer. ‘It’ll happen for you two. You won’t believe it until it does, but it will.’
I nod in agreement and rest my feet on the picnic table. ‘And it will be the best thing that ever happened to you.’
‘I don’t know about that…’ He laughs heartily and shakes his head. ‘My Maserati is the best thing that ever happened to me.’
A chorus of boos echo around the veranda as Owen chuckles to himself and winks.
‘Don’t let Eve hear you say that.’ Marc teases, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his sunburnt nose.
‘Don’t let Eve hear you say what?’ Squeezing her way through the chairs, Eve places a fresh jug of punch onto the table and flashes Owen an accusing look.
The group falls silent for a moment and I try to rack my brains to think of something to get Owen off the hook.
‘We were just saying… we were just saying…’ Gina attempts to cover for him, but Owen speaks up.
‘This lot are teasing me about you being broody.’ Taking a swig of his beer, he taps his knee and motions for her to sit down. ‘Can you please tell them that you’re not so that we can put a stop to this nonsense?’
Looking out at the ocean, Eve’s cheeks turn red as she shrugs her shoulders. ‘I guess a baby wouldn’t be so bad…’
Gina lets out a whoop as Marc heckles Owen. ‘I knew it!’ He yells, slapping Owen on the leg. ‘I told you!’
‘You can’t be serious?’ Running a hand through his greying hair, he lets out a sigh as Eve nods her head and reaches for her glass.
Suppressing a smile, I take a sip of my punch and rest my head on Oliver’s shoulder. Coming from a woman who has stated many times before that she never wants children, this is obviously a huge turnaround, but I always knew that this day would come. With Owen being a good way into his fifties, most of our friends had presumed that they would never have children, but deep down I had a feeling that Eve’s biological clock would kick in sooner or later.
‘So, what are you saying?’ Owen presses, unbuttoning the top button of his shirt.
‘I’m saying that I think it is something that we should seriously talk about when we get back home.’ Pursing her lips, Eve spins her wedding band around her finger and smiles.
‘Good Lord.’ Owen laughs and kisses her cheek fondly.
‘We all know what that means!’ Oliver chuckles, as the rest of the group burst into a fit of giggles.
Joining in with the laughter, I bite my lip and grin manically. We do all know what it means. I don’t think there has been a single time in the history of Eve’s life that she has wanted something and hasn’t gotten it.
‘You guys would make great parents.’ Gina gushes, not being able to resist giving her two pence worth.
‘We most certainly would.’ Eve confirms, tucking her blonde hair behind her ear.
‘Don’t get too ahead of yourself.’ Turning a funny shade of purple, Owen finishes his drink and exhales loudly.
‘Come on, Owen. We would make incredible parents.’ Eve smacks her lips together and smiles. ‘Just think of what we could give to a child.’ Owen’s face turns serious for a moment as she stares at him intently. ‘We have an amazing home, a good support network and more money than we know what to do with.’
Nodding solemnly, Owen shrugs his shoulders. ‘I can’t argue with that.’
Knowing that she has won the argument, Eve smothers him in kisses before returning to her hosting. Holding out my glass for a refill, I squeeze her hand briefly before she moves on to Gina. Beneath Owen’s reserved exterior, I know that he would take to fatherhood like a duck to water. It’s safe to say that Owen is one of the most generous, gentle giants that I have ever met. I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that he will make a fabulous father.
‘You could take one of ours for a week.’ Gina squeals, sitting bolt upright. ‘How about Madison? Or MJ? MJ is probably the best option to ease you into it.’
Looking frankly terrified, Owen lets out a low laugh and excuses himself to go to the bathroom.
‘What about Melrose?’ She yells after him. ‘You can take her for a day or so?’ Not waiting for a response, she puts down her drink and chases after him into the house.
‘Now look what you have done!’ Oliver pokes me in the ribs and laughs.
‘Me?’ I exclaim, not wanting to take the blame for Gina’s hysterics. ‘Why is this my fault?’
‘Because you brought up the whole broody thing!’
Feeling like a naughty schoolgirl that has been scolded by their headmaster, I stick out my tongue and run my fingers through my tangled mane.
‘What about you two anyway?’ Stretching out on her lounger, Eve winks and waggles the baby monitor. ‘Will there be baby number two any time soon?’
Feeling a little flummoxed, I look at Oliver for help. Believe it or not, more children aren’t something that we have discussed before. I mean, I always assumed that we would have more children, but now that we have Noah I just couldn’t imagine having enough love to give another child.
‘I think we could handle a few more.’ Oliver says confidently, peeling the label off his bottle of beer.
Shooting him a startled look, I shake my head and sit up straight. ‘Can you please clarify what you mean by a few?’
‘A few…’ He repeats cockily, not missing a beat.
‘How many is a few, exactly?’ My heart pounds in my chest as I try to work out if he is being serious.
‘I dunno. Three… four… five?’
‘Five?’ I screech, suddenly feeling a little light headed. ‘Five children?’
Marc lets out a snigger and leans back in his seat, clearly enjoying my pain.
‘Why not?’ Shrugging his shoulders casually, he reaches over and pulls
me towards him.
My cheeks flush pink and I bat his hands away furiously. ‘Because for starters it is me that will have to give birth to this football team that you plan of having! Not to mention the fact that we are rushed off our feet with Noah.’ My mind goes into over drive as I imagine what our lives would be like if we tossed another five children into the mix. ‘We would have to hire help. I would need a nanny, a cleaner… we would have to sell the apartment!’
‘Honey, calm down. It was just a joke.’ Ruffling my hair, he clinks his bottle against Marc’s as they erupt into laughter.
Not seeing the funny side, I push myself to my feet and flounce off across the veranda. Closing the patio doors behind me, I throw myself onto the sofa and strategically place myself beneath the air conditioning. Joking aside, the thought of more children genuinely petrifies me. I know that Marc and Gina have three, so technically they’re more than half way there, but I am pretty confident that Noah is enough for me. For now, anyway.
Hearing footsteps heading towards me, I peel open an eye to see Gina curling up on the couch opposite.
‘Owen’s gone to bed.’ She grumbles, kicking off her sandals. ‘I don’t think he is feeling too good.’
‘Either that or you have terrified him with the offer of Madison.’ Letting out a giggle, I roll onto my side to face her. ‘Let’s face it, Madison would have Owen wrapped right around her little finger.’
‘Madison has everyone wrapped around her little finger.’ Adjusting her pink hot pants, she motions over to Owen’s room and laughs. ‘I do think they would make fabulous parents though. I wonder who will have one first, Owen and Eve or Lianna and Vernon?’
‘Oh, God!’ Clutching my hands to my face, I try to picture Lianna as a mother. As bizarre as it seems right now, I remind myself that I couldn’t picture her as a business woman either, but she has made Periwinkle into something even Richard Branson would be proud of.
‘Can you believe that Lianna is actually doing this?’ Gina mumbles.
‘After almost ten years of being her best friend, I could believe anything of Lianna.’ Rolling my eyes, I look up at the ceiling and sigh.
‘Very true!’ She laughs and starts to reel off all of the ridiculous things that we have known Lianna to do over the years.
From skinny dipping in Ibiza, to breaking down in tears over a spilt kebab at the end of a messy night on the tiles, it seems that Lianna has really come a long way.
‘I think this is exactly what Lianna needs.’ Gina says decidedly.
‘You think?’
‘I really do. She has to settle down sooner or later and where better to do it than here on Barbados?’
My stomach flips again at the thought of this being Lianna’s home. ‘You don’t think she would really move out here, do you? I just don’t think she has it in her to uproot her entire life like that.’
Gina nods and points to the koala tattoo on her ankle. ‘Nobody thought we would move, but we did.’
‘You also came back...’ Wagging my finger at her, I feel a lump in my throat as I recall Marc and Gina leaving for the land down under.
I still remember it today. The sinking feeling made me feel physically sick as I stood at the airport with Oliver and Lianna, watching the Strokers disappear up the escalator. To be fair, they did only last a year before they decided that they were going to return to England. Maybe Li will do the same.
‘I never believed in soul mates before.’ Gina whispers, resting her head in her hands. ‘But seeing the two of them together, it really makes you think.’ Nodding in agreement, I smile as her eyes glaze over. ‘It’s amazing that two people who have spent just a week together can be so certain that they’re meant to be as one. It’s pretty special.’
‘It is.’ I smile, not being able to argue with the very valid points that she has just made.
‘Like a modern day fairy-tale...’ I mumble, staring up at the ceiling.
‘Just like me and Marc…’
Before I can stop it from happening, a snort escapes my lips.
‘You can laugh, but I always call Marc my prince.’
‘So, does that mean that you think of yourself a princess?’ Trying to keep my face natural, I bite the inside of my cheek and smile.
‘Now that you say it, a few people have said that I have a look of Snow White.’
She says it so seriously that I almost feel bad for laughing.
‘What?’ She demands, shooting me daggers.
‘Nothing!’ I hold up my hands as my stomach throbs with laughter. ‘I don’t doubt that people think you’re a princess. I just wouldn’t have put you down as a Snow White that’s all…’
‘Really?’ Gina’s eyes sparkle as she starts to reel off different Disney heroines. ‘Pocahontas? Jasmine? Belle?’
‘Actually, I was thinking more Princess Fiona…’
Every once in a while, in the middle of an ordinary life, love gives us a fairy-tale…
Chapter 15
Laughing as Madison jumps up and down to the music, I accept another drink from the waitress and watch Stephanie as she dashes around The Hangout. For the past hour she has whizzed from table to table, refreshing drinks, clearing plates and chatting to the locals. Flashing her a smile as she catches my eye, she nods in response and continues on her way. Putting her dismissiveness down to the fact the she is rushed off her feet, I twist my plastic cup into the sand and take hold of Noah’s pram.
Ahead of the stag party tomorrow, Vernon has invited us to The Hangout to meet his friends and family and Lianna has been a skittish mess all morning. Weaving my way through the tables, I prop Noah’s pram next to the bar and hop onto a stool. Frantically polishing glasses, it takes her a couple of minutes to realise that I am sat right in front of her.
‘Do you need any help? I ask, frowning as she knocks over a row of glasses causing them to shatter on the floor.
Bending down to help her clear away the sharp mess, I pull her behind the bar out of the earshot of customers.
‘Li, you need to calm down!’ Taking her hand in mine, I tuck her hair behind her ear. ‘Why are you so worked up?’
Running her fingers beneath her eyes, she lets out a small sob before quickly composing herself. ‘I just really want his family to like me.’
‘They will like you! What makes you think they wouldn’t like you?’
‘You!’
‘Me?’
‘Yes, you!
‘What have I done?’
Curling up next to the Champagne fridge, she holds her head in her hands. ‘Come on, Clara. As soon as we got engaged you were like - What are you doing? This is insane! You can’t marry someone you have spent just seven days with!’ Looking down at her engagement ring as it sparkles under the bright lights, her bottom lip starts to wobble. ‘What if his family say the same thing to him? He might change his mind…’
Chewing the inside of my cheek, I am about to apologise for imposing my perhaps uneducated views onto her when a pair of feet come to an abrupt stop in front of us. Discovering that the feet belong to Stephanie, I fix my face into a smile and pull myself to my feet.
‘What happened here?’ Her eyes narrow as she takes in the mess on the floor. Exhaling loudly, clearly extremely annoyed, she places the plates in her hand onto the bar and motions for us to leave. ‘I’ll get it. Vernon is out front. He has been asking for you.’
Scrambling to her feet, Lianna makes an attempt to pull herself together.
‘Go to the bathroom and freshen up first.’ Grabbing my handbag from Noah’s pram, I take my cosmetic bag and shove it into her hands. ‘There’s some blush and concealer in there.’
Taking the bag, she nods gratefully and slips into the toilets, leaving me alone at the bar. I am lost in thought when Stephanie coughs loudly and I realise that I’m in her way.
‘Oops! Sorry!’ I attempt a friendly laugh, but she simply shakes her head and gets to work at clearing away the aftermath of a Lianna meltdown.
&
nbsp; Oh, dear. It seems that sunny Stephanie has well and truly left the building. Spotting Oliver and the gang monkeying around in the hammocks, I pluck Noah from his pram and make my way across the sand. Their laughter echoes along the beach as they double over in hysterics. Watching Gina unsuccessfully try to climb into a hammock it’s easy to see why. Handing Noah to a giggling Oliver, I slip away in search of Vernon.
Luckily, it doesn’t take me long to find him. Sat on a rock at the edge of the water, I couldn’t have picked a better time to talk to him if I tried. Slipping off my sunglasses, I take a look around to make sure that we are alone before tapping him on the shoulder.
‘Hey.’ Taking a seat on an adjacent rock, I kick off my sandals and allow the water to wash over my feet.
‘How’s it going?’ He asks, flipping his phone closed and popping it into his pocket.
‘Good.’ I mumble, fiddling with my wedding ring. Not wanting to lose my nerve, I take a deep breath before speaking. ‘I just wanted to let you know that you have my blessing… with Lianna. I want you to know that I support it one hundred percent. Well, ninety-nine percent at least.’
Hanging his head, he lets out a low laugh and slides onto the rock next to me. ‘And what is that final one percent?’
Glancing back up at The Hangout, I spot Lianna with Oliver and smile. ‘Being her best friend, I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t have any concerns about her marrying a man that she has known for such a short period of time.’ He nods in agreement and stares solemnly back at me. ‘A man that lives on a Caribbean island, four thousand miles away from home. A man who I spent approximately five days with before he decided that he was going to marry her.’
Not taking his eyes off mine, Vernon reaches over and takes my hand in his.
‘I’m going to be completely honest with you. I have the exact same concerns that you have.’
My stomach drops through the floor as his words hit me.