THE WEDDING
NIKKI
The Oahu sunrise was beautiful. Nikki had seen many a sunrise in many a country, but never in the state of Hawaii. It certainly didn't disappoint.
As she prepared to go back inside hers and Isaac's hotel room, her eyes fell on the walkway below her, three floors down. Her eyes widened at what she discovered. "Mel!" She scolded. She couldn't believe her eyes. There she was, underneath Jason's arm, on their WEDDING DAY!! This woman was a glutton for punishment for sure!
The couple stopped and looked up at her. "Uh, we were just uh..." Mel called up to her.
"I don't care, are you crazy? Your wedding is practically doomed! It's gonna rain now, you know! It's gonna rain right down on your perfect wedding because you just couldn't stay away for one night!"
"That's pretty much the moral of the story," Jason called up as he smiled.
"The moral of the--to rain on your WEDDING?"
"No. The, uh, just couldn't st--you know what, it's fine. It's just superstitious bullshit."
Nikki's eyes glared into the both of them even though she knew they probably couldn't tell it. "You two get back to your rooms this instant before the rest of your day is ruined!"
"I'm coming up right now, I promise!" Mel called up to her.
"Well hurry up before you two draw attention to yourselves!" She looked around the couple frantically before she darted back into the hotel room.
She hadn't realized Ike was awake until she witnessed him sitting up in the bed, flipping channels on the television. "What the hell are you out there doing?" He asked her, yawning.
"Jason and Mel were down there! Together!"
He raised an eyebrow. "They aren't supposed to see each other, are they?"
"Exactly! I bet they even--" Her eyes widened in realization. "Oh, Ike, they even spent the night together."
"I think you're over-reacting. Do you really, truly believe all that mumbo jumbo?"
"Now you sound like Jason," she muttered.
"Seriously."
She sighed as she crawled in bed next to her husband. "Ike? Is it weird that I want this wedding to be perfect? I mean, am I the enemy? Are Kate and I enemies for being bridesmaids?"
"Well...I mean, we're all here, so...hell, even Tay seems to be okay with it."
"Do you think he's REALLY okay with it?"
"At this point, does he really have a choice?"
She let out a breath in thought for a moment. Then she turned to look at him. "What do YOU think?"
Ike sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Um...well, ultimately, other people's personal lives are none of my business--"
"Seriously."
"I mean--of course I wanted Mel and Tay to get married. Everybody did. But in the end--I mean, look what it did to them. It just wasn't right. You can't force something to be right that just isn't."
"But they loved each other so much. And now all of a sudden she's marrying Jason--"
"Nikki, to be honest, I think Mel has been in love with Jason all this time. All of these past few years. And I think Tay knew it, too."
"Then why continue to--?"
"I'm not saying Mel didn't love my brother. I know she did. But I think the love they tried so hard to keep went away a long time ago. They're better friends than they are lovers. Would you really want them marrying anyway? Her in love with another man, him crazy out of his mind over it? It's a recipe for disaster. I think this last time they split up, it all came out in the open."
"Yeah, but--but Tay was so--"
"With or without Mel, Tay was eventually going to lose his mind. Literally."
Nikki bit her lip and pondered her husband's words for a moment. "If she was in love with Jason, why wouldn't she just--be with him?"
"I don't know all the details. I think she did what she felt was right. I think somewhere along the line her emotions may have gotten crossed or mixed up. I think she tried with Tay as hard as she could--I think she really wanted to. I think--I think maybe in some instances she pushed Jason away because he ultimately wasn't supposed to happen. So she molded her life into what she thought it was supposed to be like instead of following her heart. I think that was the deep root of most of hers and Tay's relationship problems."
"Ike. Do you--? I mean, do think she ever...you know..."
"No," he said abruptly. "If I know ANYTHING about that woman over the years, I know she would never be unfaithful, no matter the situation. Not ever. And Jason wouldn't have allowed it to happen."
"He is a good guy," she admitted.
"He really is," Ike agreed.
She smiled over at him. "And he really loves her."
"He'd have to, to voluntarily put himself through what he put himself through for her all this time."
"He waited for her..."
"Which is something my brother never did."
"That was a little harsh."
"I didn't mean to be harsh, but it's the truth."
"So you're okay with it, then?"
"Of course I'm okay with it. Everyone seems to be happy. Even Tay seems happy lately. And besides, did you see them at the rehearsal dinner last night? They belong together."
Nikki smiled, flipping her hair off her shoulder as she leaned into her husband, allowing him to put his arm around her shoulder. "They are adorable together." Then she looked at him. "When we renew our vows, let's do it in Hawaii."
Ike smiled and nodded at her. "I think that's something we can definitely look into."
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MEL
Mel's mother was the first one in her suite that morning. She had barely gotten a shower in before she heard the knock on the door. Smiling, she let her mother in, who already looked like a million bucks. "Mother, look at you this early in the morning!"
Susan blushed. "Well, your father and I got up early to watch the sun rise on the balcony and then we went downstairs for breakfast."
"That seems like what everyone is doing this morning," Mel muttered.
"Have you eaten? Do you want me to get you anything?"
Mel shook her head. "No thank you. I'm too excited to eat right now."
Susan smiled warmly as she crossed the room and cracked the sliding glass door open before sitting in the desk chair. "So this is it, huh? This is what makes you happy."
Mel frowned at the comment. "Of course it is. I love him."
Susan smiled at her daughter. "I know." Then she took a deep breath. "So, I'm surprised to see Taylor here this weekend."
"Yeah," Mel agreed. "Me, too."
"Have you had the chance to talk?"
"Yeah. We've spoken. We're, uh--everything's okay. Everything is...as it should be."
"Do you have any regrets? That it didn't work out with him?"
"I did at first. When we first split up. But then--I don't know, Mom, I thought it was just pregnancy hormones at the time but--yanno, Tay told me to call Jason. I wasn't going to. At all. But Tay told me to call him. It took forever but I finally did and he happened to be in New York and--and, Mom, when he walked in the door of my apartment it was like everything was okay. I was safe, I was secure. It wasn't hormones. I missed him. I always missed him. I missed him more than I knew I should have. I hated when he was out of the country, I hated how he could only sweep in for twenty-four hours and then be gone again for weeks and months at a time. It tore my heart up every time I watched him leave. And when he left my apartment in New York I just--I missed him. I missed him and Tay hardly crossed my mind and I realized--it hit me like a ton of bricks--but I realized that I love Jason. I always have. I've loved him this entire time, from the moment I ever laid eyes on him. You don't ever expect these things to happen. It wasn't in--in my fucked up version of a plan. So I pushed him away. But, Mama, I'm free. I'm so free and I'm so happy and I'm so content. This is right. Being with Jason is RIGHT. And I can't WAIT to go right out there on that beach and marry him."
Susan was silent for a moment before another smile crept across her face. "I'm so glad to see you this happy, sweetheart. I've wished this for you for a long time."
Mel smiled back at her mother. "Thank you."
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Mel wasn't expecting Nikki, Kate, and Leona for at least another hour. She and her mother exchanged curious glances before Mel tied her robe around her tighter and peeked through the peep hole, her eyes widening. She turned and glanced at her mother and grinned. "Mother, you shouldn't have."
Susan looked bewildered. "Shouldn't have what?"
As Mel opened the door, she was taken aback by the room service cart. Complete with the silver covered plate and mimosas in champagne flutes, she stood aside and let the man push the cart inside. Susan's eyes widened. "Melody, what is this?"
"I don't know. I didn't order anything."
Wordlessly, the server lay a white tablecloth over the small table by the balcony and began to take the silver plates off the cart and position them on the table. Once the place was set, he began to take the tops off of the plates. "Here, we have eggs with rice and a side of bacon, not too crispy, just chewy enough."
Mel interrupted with a giggle.
"And then we have a fruit bowl with the freshest Hawaiian fruit, without 'all the fancy salad stuff.' "
Now she covered her mouth and smiled.
"We have cinnamon sugar bagels with cream cheese and strawberry yogurt with granola. You have your choices of water, black coffee, or the finest mimosas on this side of the island."
"Oh my god," Mel giggled. "Thank you so much. Oh! Here!"
She ran to the desk and began rummaging through her purse. "There's no need," the server interrupted her. "It's my pleasure."
"Um, okay...thank you..."
And with that, the server and his cart were gone.
Susan's eyes widened. "What is all this?"
Mel grinned and looked at her mother. "Jason."
"How do you--?"
"Because he was obviously instructed to say what he said about the fruit." She looked over the table and smiled. "I can't eat all this!"
"I'll definitely help you out with those mimosas," Susan said.
Grinning, Mel handed her mother one of them and she sat at the desk, picking through the many breakfast options. "Rice for breakfast?" Her mother asked.
Mel grinned again. "It's a Hawaiian thing. Jason's still trying to get me used to it. It's not bad, I think I might come around." Then she looked up at Susan. "What do I do? I can't even thank him! If I so much as text him, Nikki will have my head!"
"What if I thank him for you?"
"I don't know, I guess you could..."
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JASON
Kona was already in Jason's suite, along with Andy and David. The men flipped channels and talked as they sat around the room. It would take no time at all for them to get ready and the ceremony was hours away. Jason was happy to sit and chill out before everything turned hectic.
As he sat and bullshitted with the guys, his text alert went off. He opened the picture that Mel's mother sent and he smiled. It showed Mel, from the neck down, sitting in her white robe at the table in front of the smorgasbord he had delivered to her room. He knew she would waste no time on the alcohol and, judging by the picture, he was right. That was his woman. "She knew it was from you the moment the server opened his mouth," the text read.
Jason chuckled at his phone as he looked at the picture a second longer. Then, a devious smile spreading across his face, he searched a number and dialed it. When they picked up, he asked, "How long would it take to have twenty balloons delivered?" Unsatisfied with the answer, he scowled into the phone. "Well how much would it take to find someone who CAN?" Suddenly, the voice on the other end changed their tune. Jason smiled. "That's better. Have them come to my suite first before they get delivered. Make sure they're white."
As he hung up the phone, he realized the room was silent. "Man, what are you doing?" David asked him.
"What?" Jason smiled. "I'm just...being my normal, charming self."
David smoothed a hand over his dark hair. "First breakfast and now balloons..." he shook his head. "You're something else, man."
Jason stretched his body out in his chair as he crossed his ankles and rested his hands behind his head. "It's all about keeping your woman happy, my friend. That's it."
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MEL
Within the hour, it was a mini estrogen-filled reunion. Nikki and Kate made it to Mel's suite, followed by Leona, and lastly, Mel couldn't mistake the flaming red hair as she looked through the peep hole. "Sarah!" She smiled when she opened the door. "I'm so glad you could make it."
Sarah looked confused as she pointed behind her. "Um, I apparently didn't come alone. This guy looks like he's about to fly away."
Mel's eyes widened as she spied a hotel staffer behind Sarah with about a million white balloons. "Oh my god!" Mel smiled in shock.
Sarah stepped into the room and Mel stepped aside and allowed the poor guy into the room. The women immediately chattered and laughed at the sight as Mel attempted to take them off the man's hands. When she could finally see behind the balloons, she realized that it was the same one who had brought her breakfast. Calling over her shoulder, Mel said, "Hey, will someone get in my purse--"
"No need," he said once again. "It's my pleasure."
Mel pouted in defeat. "Come on. I gotta give you something."
"No need," he smiled.
She looked up at the balloons, only now to notice the black writing on them. "What is all this?"
"A message."
Mel grinned. "From Jason?"
"I'm not at liberty to say."
She laughed until she cried.
"That's practically the same as texting!" Nikki called from the doorway of the other room. "You go right back there and you make sure you tell him that sending messages like that is still communicating!"
Mel scowled at Nikki over her shoulder. "He already sent me breakfast. I think the damage has been done." Then she turned to the man. "What is your name?"
"Tua," he smiled.
Mel smiled back. "Tua. Why don't you come in here and help me get all this sorted out?"
"My pleasure, madam."
As Tua followed Mel with the balloons, Mel turned and looked at the other women. "This is Tua. He delivered breakfast, too. And if I know my Jason like I think I know him, I'm sure we haven't seen the last of this lovely gentleman today."
"What in damnation is going on in this room?" A voice bellowed suddenly.
Mel's face lit up as Barb entered the open door to her suite. As Mel crossed the room and hugged her future mother-in-law, she smiled. "Your son happened."
"Well what the hell is he doing?"
"He apparently has way too much time on his hands. He already sent breakfast. And now...this..."
Barb walked around Tua and eyed the balloons. She took a moment to greet the other women in the room and introducing herself to Sarah for the first time. In the meantime, Mel remembered what Tua said about a message. "So how many balloons are here, Tua?"
"Twenty," he responded proudly.
Upon further inspection, she saw that each balloon had a letter on it. Jason was apparently intent on keeping her busy today. Mel turned around and counted the women in the room. "Okay. If five of you hold four balloons apiece, I can maybe get this accomplished."
"I call video!" Sarah called, jumping behind Mel. "This is too good not to film."
The rest of the women looked like game show contestants. They lined up, from left to right, Leona, Kate, Nikki, Barb, and Susan and Mel started taking balloons from Tua and handing them to the ladies, two in each hand. It took a few minutes for Mel to turn them all where she could see the letters and then she stood back and contemplated.
As she examined the letters, she stifled a giggle. "There's a comma," she said. "He even put a damn comma in there."
"Probably to use up balloons," Susan said.
With the letters that were given, it took no time at all for Mel to figure it out. She had always been sort of a whiz with word scrambles. She knew she looked like an idiot as she traded and re-traded balloons, but she finally got it and when she stepped back, a tear sprang to her eye as she covered her mouth and smiled. "God, I love that man," she muttered out loud.
Leona peeked around at the other balloons. "So, what does it say?"
It was simple. Sweet. Perfect. "Hey gorgeous, I love you," she read out loud.
A series of "Awww's" rang out amongst the women as Mel grinned like an idiot at twenty white balloons. Then she checked the time. Late morning. She widened her eyes and turned to Tua. "Tua, I don't know what he's paying you, but I'll double it if you'll help me, too."
Tua grinned. "Of course. Anything you wish, ma'am."
Mel's grin widened.
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ZAC
Isaac and Taylor had gone to lunch and boredom was getting the best of Zac. Actually, it wasn't boredom. The truth was, he felt awkward as shit being around Tay. And feeling something like that around your brother wasn't exactly normal, as far as Zac was concerned. It wasn't like Tay was brooding or moping or anything like that. It was quite the opposite, actually. Tay was happy and smiling and every bit of it was real. Thinking back on what his brother had recently been through, the entire thing just made Zac's head spin and he had to get out of there.
And, besides, Jason was his friend, admittedly. He and Jason had things in common. They got along. He was closer with Jason than Ike and Tay were and he felt bad when he turned Jason down to be in the wedding. Thankfully, Jason understood. That was the thing about that guy. He understood too much to be upset. Didn't mean he didn't have feelings like everybody else, but his easy-going, laid back attitude made life so much easier.
When Zac knocked on Jason's door, he was greeted by a Hawaiian with long, frizzy dark hair. He remembered him from last night but he couldn't remember the name...
"Zac, right?" The Hawaiian asked.
"Yeah," Zac smiled.
"Kelani," the Hawaiian answered. Then he smiled. "Welcome, bra. Come in."
Thanking him, Zac walked in the door of the suite, passing through the kitchenette and stopping short when he saw an unexpected sight in the sitting area. Jason was a tall man. 6'5" of hulking Hawaiian mass. So when Zac spied the brown heap of testosterone with a man at his feet and a man at his head, he had to cock his head a little. As the man below him busied himself with Jason's feet, the man at his head was at his beard with a comb and scissors in careful concentration. The trim, Zac could understand. The other part...
"I have a manicurist coming right after this," Jason said, smiling as best as he could through his trim.
Zac walked in and sat in a chair off to the side of him to stay out of the workers' way. "Gotta admit, this is the last thing I expected to see."
"It's my wedding day," Jason said. "I will not be anything less than perfect when she meets me at that altar."
"So it's for her..."
"It's always for her."
Suddenly, Kona walked in on their conversation. "All about keeping your woman happy, right?" He laughed.
Zac raised his eyebrows in question.
"I've been a little busy today," Jason said.
"Busy ain't the word, bra," Kona said. "He's been sending her gifts all day long. Breakfast, balloons..."
"Okay," Jason said, shutting Kona down. "Hey, can Zac and I have a minute?"
"Yeah, sure," Kona said.
One he had disappeared from the room, Jason said to Zac, "I've been sending her gifts to keep my mind from wandering off. I'm nervous as shit, man. I'm scared to death. And I wouldn't be admitting it if I didn't trust you and if you weren't already married. I don't--I don't DO that, you know?"
Zac nodded. "I know."
"And it's not that--it's not that I have doubts or cold feet or anything. Nothing like that. It's just--I want her to be happy. You know? I don't ever want her to regret marrying me. And besides that, I've never been in a serious relationship before. And the first one I get in, I jump in and take the plunge altogether! Who does that?"
"THAT sounds like cold feet."
"That's not--I mean--I just don't want to fuck it up. I feel like I have so much to--sorry, I shouldn't be telling you this."
"You feel like you have a lot to make up for," Zac finished.
"Yeah."
"Look," Zac said, resting his elbows on his knees and lacing his hands together. "I know Mel. I've known her for years. She's like my sister. And to be honest, despite who my family is, I've never seen this side of her before. She's--she's smiling. And she's caring and she's nurturing and she's--I mean, not that she's never been any of this before, but--it's just different. It's good. You bring out the best in her. I really don't think you have anything to worry about. She worships the ground you walk on. I don't know if you know that or not, but she does. You're like--nothing short of a god to her. You always have been. I know it, I can see it. For you to fuck anything up would take--well, no pun intended, an act of god."
"Were you like this when you married Kate?"
"I think I actually fainted at one point in the day."
Both men laughed and Zac continued. "Marriage is as easy or as hard as you make it out to be. Nobody can tell you what it's going to be like. That's something that each couple has to work out themselves. My advice to you is to just relax, get ready, and enjoy the day."
Jason was silent for a moment as the barber worked around his mouth. When free again, he said, "Thanks, man. Thanks for letting me get that out. It helped."
Zac smiled. "Hey, no problem."
There was a knock on the door of the suite, followed by the other men in the room nearly having a fit. "The fuck is going on out there?" Jason asked.
Before anyone could get it out, a cart was rolled into the room where Jason sat. As the barber finished up his face and dusted him off with a brush, Jason sat up on the chair, careful not to mess up his pedicure still in progress. Zac's eyes widened and Jason muttered, "What the fuck...?"
On the cart sat two, enormous metal beer buckets, packed full of fresh ice and a variety of beer. Attached to the handles of the buckets were a set of eight balloons.
"I'll be goddamned," Jason muttered. "She sent my balloons back..."
"Looks like just the I love you ones," Kona spoke up. "And look at all this beer!"
Suddenly, Jason burst into laughter. "I send her breakfast and sweet love messages and she sends me beer. This is fucking classic! Hand me one of those bad boys," he said to anyone who was listening. Opening the bottle, Jason looked at the server and said, "Tua. How many women are in that room?"
Zac rolled his eyes and smiled as he shook his head.
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MEL
"Leilani said she's parking and then she'll be up here. I should probably ask her if she needs help..."
Leilani was Leona's best friend who was also a stylist. Apparently she was popular on the island and came highly recommended by Leona, so, blindly, without seeing her work, and because she wanted Leona to know she trusted her, Mel allowed her to be her stylist for the day. Now she grew nervous about her decision.
All she wanted was to look perfect. She wanted to be flawless with not a hair out of place. Leona showed Mel pictures of her wedding day with Kelani and she had looked beautiful in the photos, Leona pointing out that Leilani was her stylist. "Trust me," Leona said. "She's fabulous.'
"How hard was it for her to get in?" Mel asked.
Leona texted fiercely on the phone and within seconds, answered her question. "Said she had no trouble at all."
No trouble meant there WAS trouble. Mel glanced at Kate and Nikki, who then glanced at Barb and Susan, and then Sarah's head whipped around at all of them. "Who's on security today?"
"The head of hotel security is supposed to--"
"No," Sarah said, cutting her off. "No. Hotel security isn't enough. Even though you're getting married on a little patch of sand out there, it's still a public beach. It's going to take more drastic measures than hotel security if you want a private wedding."
Mel was suddenly in panic mode. "What kind of drastic measures?"
"I don't have to tell you how big a celebrity Jason is," Sarah said. "People will be crawling out of the woodworks to get pictures of this wedding--"
"Provided anyone actually knows about it."
"In the Hollywood world, there's no such thing as a secret."
"So what do you suggest I do?"
"They're more or less gonna have to lock down the peninsula that this hotel sits on."
Mel shook her head. "That's impossible."
"It's only for, what, an hour? You're gonna need police, hotel security--you're gonna need men at every entrance and every corner--including on the beach."
The more Sarah talked, the more Mel panicked. Why hadn't she thought of this? She knew how big of a crowd Jason drew, but she guessed--she guessed she hadn't quite had to go through anything of this magnitude with Taylor. Now she only prayed she could fix it in time.
Suddenly, Kate stood up. "Come on, Sarah. We'll take care of this. By the time we're finished, this place will be shut down like Fort Knox. No getting in, no getting out.
After Kate and Sarah left the room, another knock came on the door. This time Barb answered it, expecting Leilani, but instead was met by Tua again, pushing another cart inside the suite. "I'll say, Jason is really outdoing himself today," Barb said.
On the cart were several bottles of champagne, chilling on ice, and enough glasses to go around. Tua's white-gloved hand gave Mel a small sheet of paper. "For you, ma'am."
Mel smiled and took the note from him, unfolding it and smiling. "A toast to my gorgeous bride," she read out loud. "And to all the beautiful ladies in her life." She looked up and smiled as she pouted. "You guys! He's not supposed to make me want him right now!"
"He's so romantic," Susan smiled.
Mel frowned. "And I sent him beer. Wow, how romantic of me, huh?"
"You sent him something he likes," Nikki said. "That's what counts."
Mel smiled at the plethora of champagne in thought. She needed a few minutes to think on her response to him, so she sent Tua away with a promise that she would check back in with him.
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JASON
"Sarah, what the hell are you doing?" Jason heard David ask his wife over the phone. David was a model. Dark hair and blue eyes. But his facial expression at the moment certainly wasn't magazine quality. It was real.
Jason tried not to be concerned. What went on between his friend and his wife was their business. But, unfortunately, he also knew that Sarah had been with Mel and that automatically made whatever they were discussing on the phone Jason's business.
"I'm not--I mean--I don't think you're authorized to do that," he continued.
Jason, who had since been through with the barber and his pedicure, now sat with the manicurist across from him. He glanced at Zac, who was still in the room, with concern. Something about this didn't sound right.
"Kate? Who's Kate?"
Now it was Zac's turn to pay attention.
"You two are what? You're gonna get yourselves banned from this hotel! Or--or something!"
Suddenly, Zac was furiously typing into his phone and Jason had had enough. "Hey," he called over to David. "What the hell is going on?"
David sighed and he moved the phone from his ear enough to say to Jason, "Apparently the stylist didn't get checked before she came on to the property and now Sarah and Kate are on some kind of warpath to get the place closed down."
Confusion filled Jason in a second. "The hotel was supposed to be closed down anyway. Are you saying it's still open to the goddamn public?"
"You can't just shut down an entire goddamn public resort," David said. Jason wasn't sure if he was directing that at him or Sarah, but Jason let out a breath in response anyway.
"All I wanted to do was marry my girlfriend in fucking private," Jason lamented. "Is that too much to fucking ask?"
"Did you have a contract with the hotel?" Zac asked.
Jason was bewildered. Fuck, he didn't know. "Shit, I gotta call Mel," Jason said, scrambling for his phone. "She handled all this."
"Don't," Zac said. "I'll call her."
"You know, I'm getting really sick of this stupid, superstitious bullshit," Jason said, his temper quickly rising. He was losing control and keeping himself in check was becoming increasingly difficult. "If I want to fucking talk to my woman, I should be able to fucking talk to my woman! It's NOT gonna keep us from fucking getting married!"
"Hey," Kona said from his silence across the room. "Calm down. This is your wedding day. You have people on this, just chill."
Jason looked hard at Kona across the room and then he let out a long breath. "You're right," Jason said more quietly. "You're absolutely right."
However it didn't keep Jason's ears from perking up toward Zac as the manicurist had him trapped in his own seat. "Hey," Zac said into the phone. "What's the deal with security?" Jason's eyes bored into Zac as he sat and listened. Then he said, "Well it's my understanding that my wife is out there somewhere storming the property and making demands...Oh, okay. That makes sense...Well, yeah, everybody seems to be in an uproar because they think security isn't doing their job...That many? Damn...But it's taken care of, right?...Yeah, okay..." Zac paused and glanced up at Jason and smiled. "Yeah, I'm looking at him right now...What? No, I'm not gonna say that shit to another man--"
"Say it," Jason demanded through is teeth.
Zac rolled his eyes and shook his head. "She says thank you for breakfast, the balloons, and the champagne and she loves you and she can't wait to see your gorgeous face--wait, what?" He said into the phone. "I'm not saying THAT!...No. You're on your own there."
Jason smiled. "Tell her 'Nau ko 'u aloha, mau loa, no kau a kau.' "
Zac narrowed his eyes. "What?"
"Just say it."
Struggling, Zac repeated the Hawaiian phrase into the phone. Then he looked up at Jason. "She wants to know what it means."
Jason smiled and shrugged, sitting back in his chair. "Guess she'll just have to figure it out."
Hesitantly, Zac said into the phone, "He's not gonna say."
As Zac wrapped up the call, he looked up at Jason. "So apparently there's been some type of misunderstanding? There's a list for guests and people associated with the wedding and that's why the stylist got in so easily. They ARE closing down any incoming traffic and checking people as they drive up, only allowing wedding guests and other hotel guests. They can't help the people who are already staying here. Both hotel security and a large chunk of the police are running security for the wedding, securing all entrances of the hotel and parameters around the wedding site."
"I gotta get out there and look at this for myself."
"I'm on it!" Kona piped up suddenly. "I'll go check out the beach and the areas we're going to be in."
"You know, the more you bastards keep me cooped up in here, the more fucking money I'm going to spend. Which reminds me. Zac, while you're sitting there, will you find me a florist? See if the hotel has one? I can't use my hands or I'd call them myself."
Jason sat back in his chair and smiled across the desk as the small, older lady worked on his manicure. If nobody was going to let him talk to his bride, then he sure as hell was going to make sure she felt like a queen.
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MEL
"Have no fear, ladies! Leilani is in the building!" Leilani entered the suite, pushing a hotel cart stacked high with plastic bins and rolling luggage. She was several inches taller than Mel and...very voluptuous...in every place one could be voluptuous. She wore her natural black hair in a high pony tail, showing off her streaks of pink and her black tank top showed off her thick, dark arms full of tattoos. Her face, however, looked like she'd just stepped out of Vogue magazine and Mel was instantly sold on this woman's talent.
"Where are the bridesmaids?" Leilani asked as she began to unpack and take over an entire corner of the suite's sitting room.
Nikki stood and Mel introduced her. "This is Nikki Hanson, she's my matron of honor. Kate is...milling about somewhere...and Leona, of course."
"Okay, that's cool," Leilani said. "I'm fast, but I'm good. And I love doing beach weddings--they're so...easy breezy!"
Before long, Leilani had Nikki in the chair and Mel had nearly finished off a bottle champagne by herself. "You think maybe you should pace yourself?" Susan asked her.
Mel smiled at her mother, admittedly feeling just a tad tipsy. "Mother, I assure you, Jason could very possibly be as drunk as I'm getting right now and then we're both going to think it's hilarious when we see each other."
"You don't want to be drunk on your wedding day."
"It's okay," Mel continued to smile. "I got this."
No sooner had the words flown out of Mel's mouth, there was a knock on the door. She exchanged glances with the women in the room and they all burst out in laughter. At this point, there was no telling what would be on the other side of that door.
Mel's eyes widened when she opened the door. All there were, as far as the eye could see, were flowers. Shocked, Mel silently stood out of the way as she counted one, two, three, four...ten. TEN people entered her room, each carrying some semblance of flowers. Small bouquets, vases, large displays. And every flower imaginable--roses, gerbera daisies, plumeria, hibiscus--SO much hibiscus. It was apparent that Jason had a favorite, which was something Mel had never given any thought to. It was amazing and all anyone could do was gape as they all found any place they could to stash them all.
As everyone left the room, Tua stood, smiling at her. "Tua," Mel smiled. "What is he doing? What is all this? You poor thing, you've been running all morning!"
"It's my pleasure," he said to her.
Mel scowled impatiently. "Please say something else. That's all you ever say."
He looked at her in thought. "Um...congratulations?"
"Oh, Tua," Mel said in defeat. "Here..." She went over to the desk and began searching her purse.
"No need," he repeated.
"No," Mel said. "It's not that, it's--just sit tight for a second, okay?"
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
JASON
Jason sat alone in the suite. It was the quietest it had been all morning. David had left to have lunch with Sarah, Kona was gone on his mission seeking out hotel security, Zac had to take a phone call, and Kelani went back to his room to shower and get ready.
He sat on the balcony and stared out at the ocean. Just across the way, he could see hotel staff setting up for the wedding. Just some chairs and a portable gazebo. Nothing major, nothing fancy. He spied a couple of officers on four wheelers along the sand. They were already amping up security and they still had a couple of hours.
A couple of hours. That was it. In a couple of hours, he would be married. If you asked him just a few years earlier if he would ever be married, the answer would have been a resounding "Hell no." But now...well maybe now he was just older and more mature. He WAS different from the person he was then. Not by much, but still different. He was ready. He was ready to settle down. All he ever wanted to do, since he'd laid eyes on Mel--and was extremely out of character for him at the time--was take care of her. That was it. Just take care of her. But it seemed that, most of the time, it turned out that she was taking more care of him than he was of her. Maybe he was still learning what it was all about. Hell, who was he kidding, he was learning every day. He didn't know shit about relationships and marriage. Not a damn thing. All he knew was that he loved her and he wanted to take care of her.
At this rate, Tua stopped knocking. Jason had given him the key to his suite. The only reason he didn't give him a key to Mel's was because hers was a room full of women. That, and--well, primarily, why in the fuck would he give another man the key to his woman's room?
Tua crossed the room, seemingly empty-handed. However, he was there, and Jason hadn't called him. So he was obviously there for a reason. "Tua," Jason smiled, stretching his limbs as he turned around in his chair. "I haven't ordered anything else..."
"For you," he simply said as he handed him a small piece of stationary that was folded in half.
"Uh, thank you," Jason replied. With that, Tua was out of the suite before Jason could even open the note.
Sitting back in his chair, facing the ocean once more, Jason opened the paper to...a poem? No. Lyrics. Song lyrics. Classic, timeless song lyrics.
"Love me tender
Love me sweet
Never let me go
You have made my life complete
And I love you so
Love me tender
Love me true
All my dreams fulfilled
For my darlin' I love you
And I always will
Love me tender
Love me long
Take me to your heart
For it's there that I belong
And we'll never part
Love me tender
Love me dear
Tell me you are mine
I'll be yours through all the years
Till the end of time
When at last my dreams come true
Darling this I know
Happiness will follow you
Everywhere you go"
He stared at the paper, in her left-handed handwriting, and his eyes filled with tears. He was glad he was alone. Music was her mana and she was sharing it with him. He had never been a very musical man. He listened to it to work out to or even driving down the road, but that was the extent of it. But this simple, classic, timeless song pierced his heart like no other song ever had. Maybe it was her handwriting. Maybe it was because the lyrics mimicked everything he felt for her. He didn't know. But in that moment, he'd had enough. He had to see her. He had to kiss her. He couldn't wait any longer.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
NIKKI
Giggling, Mel finally made it to Leilani's chair. Kate had managed to make it back when Nikki was finished and Leona had just gotten finished when it was time for Mel to start the official process. Susan and Barb had left the suite to get ready in their own rooms and Nikki was currently helping Leona into her bridesmaid's dress.
The dresses were long and mint green, made of chiffon. The empire style was high-waisted with a subtle twist along the chest and one ruffled strap went around the left shoulder.
Nikki had just finished zipping Leona when there was a pounding on the suite door. Not knocking, but pounding. The room fell silent and the women looked around. Quietly, Mel said, "That's Jason."
Nikki made her way out of the doorway of the sitting room and through the kitchenette to open the door. Sure enough, Mel's intuition had been spot on. He stood there in workout pants and a t-shirt. "Where is she?" He said upon sight of Nikki.
"She's in the chair, Leilani's doing her hair."
"Let me see her."
"Jason, you know I can't let you see her."
"Why? Just give me a second--"
Nikki shook her head regretfully. "I'm sorry. You can see her in less than two hours. Right now she's getting ready. And you should be, too."
"Nikki, come on--this is stupid."
Mel's voice rang out from the sitting room. "Is that him?"
Jason's eyes lit up. "It's me, gorgeous!" He called in there.
"Jason!" Mel shrieked.
Quickly she was followed by a female chorus of "SIT DOWN!"
Nikki eyed Jason. "She's drunk, I hope you know that."
A sparkle sprang to his eye and his lip twitched into a half smile. "Seriously?"
"Yeah. You really did a number on her with that champagne. She's been through a bottle of it already. We had to cut her off and give her water to sober her up for the ceremony."
His smiled widened. "She loves champagne."
"Well she loved it a little too much today."
His expression changed to one that was defiant. "Well, you know, maybe she wouldn't have taken to drinking if you guys would just let her see me."
"I think she wouldn't have taken to drinking if you hadn't delivered four bottles of champagne."
Jason huffed in response.
"Look, I gotta go--"
Nikki was interrupted by Mel's voice. "Nikki! Nikki, wait!"
"What?" She called over her shoulder.
"Give him something for me!"
Nikki sighed, exasperated as she looked at Jason. "See what you've started?"
Jason raised his eyebrows and flashed her a million dollar smile.
Nikki scowled and cracked the door. "Don't move. Don't even step over this threshold." Then she turned on her heel to tend to Mel.
Leilani stopped on Mel's hair long enough to let her wriggle out of the chair and lead Nikki into the adjoining bedroom. From the closet, Mel pulled a large, wrapped, rectangular gift that was nearly as tall as her. "If he wants to see me that bad, give him this."
Nikki narrowed her eyes at her. "What is this?"
"I was going to wait till later--much later--but I think he needs it now. It's his wedding gift. But tell him to open it in private. It's for his eyes only."
"Uh, okay," Nikki said. "Sure."
Then she handed her a gift bag along with it. "Here, this goes with it."
"Okay..." Nikki agreed.
Mel grinned. "Thanks. You're the best."
"That's why I'm your matron of honor." Nikki did as she was instructed and carried the heavy gift and the bag to the door, opening it to still find Jason standing there. "I was instructed to give you this. And that these go together. And that you are to open it alone."
"What is this?"
"Your wedding gift, apparently."
As Jason left the doorway, Nikki went back to the sitting room where Mel was happily babbling away about Jason, same as she'd been doing all day. Nikki knew the alcohol wasn't the reason for this. Nikki knew she could talk about Jason all day long, even sober.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
JASON
When he walked back into his suite, gifts in hand, Jason found that Kelani and Kona had once again made themselves at home in the sitting room. Making his way through and into the bedroom, he walked in and started to close the door. "Where you going, bra?" Kelani asked.
"I need a minute to myself," Jason answered simply. "Just a minute. Then we need to start getting ready. Either of you heard from Andy? Haven't seen the bastard all day..."
"I think he's been dealing with stuff downstairs all day," Kona spoke up.
Not caring for an elaboration, Jason closed the bedroom door behind him. He sat on the floor, his back against the edge of the bed, letting the package rest against the dresser across from him. He stared at it for a moment. Should he open it now or wait? Would she have given to him had she not intended for him to open it immediately?
Curiosity got the best of him and he slowly tore the paper off. Seeing a foot, he got excited and realized it was upside down. Turning it around, he tore the paper off with a little more vigor this time. It took him seconds to open it, and moving the paper off of it, he could only stare in awe. It took a moment to register before he could take it in, in all its glory. It absolutely took his breath away.
It was Mel. In the form of a drawing. It looked like pencil. Could have been ink pen, but most likely pencil. In simple gray and white, she sat naked, one knee bent to her chest, the other leg tucked underneath, her private body parts strategically covered by her arms and her legs. Her hands crossed underneath her bent leg, her hands hugging her ankle close to her body. On top, her loose, free hair fell in defined layers and seemed to blow back in a breeze as it fell listlessly down her arms. Her face was defined just so, from her heart-shaped lips, to her defined, pointed nose, and her eyes--her gorgeous eyes. The artist had obviously drew them as she wore her makeup that day because her eyes looked the same as they always did. The eyeliner only slightly heavy on the outsides of her eyelids, her eye shadow subtle, and her eyebrows shaped and perfect. She wore no discernible expression, though her face was deliberate. The artist did an impeccable job. Jason couldn't believe his eyes.
The only splash of color on the entire work was the red-orange hibiscus in her hair. He was sure she had insisted on her own accessory. To his surprise, Jason suddenly wept. Silently, he wept. Not of sadness, but of joy. He wept because he was moved; touched. Besides her in the flesh, he had never seen anything more perfect in his entire life. This--this woman--this dream woman, who sat before him, naked with the sexy hair and the bedroom eyes, and who seemed to beckon to him from this drawing--she was real. And she was about to marry him. A dream woman who almost hadn't married him. A dream woman who almost married another man. A dream woman whom he had nearly lost forever, was marrying him today. He knew every man on the planet thought he was the luckiest man alive to marry the women they married--but Jason knew the truth. And if these men knew the journey he'd taken to get to this moment, those men would agree with him.
As he dried his tears, he reached for the bag and peeked inside. The first thing he noticed was the card. It was a simple, blank wedding-style card and she had written a note inside. "I did pose for this," it read. "But the artist is female, so don't freak out! I had the appointment while you were out surfing all day. I hope you like it. In the bag is a manila folder. Inside, you'll find smaller prints of this, laminated and not. That way, I can be everywhere you go, no matter what. By the way, the large one is the original. I love you so much more than you could ever know and today I finally call you my husband. I'm so excited! Love always, your wife, Melody Kamealoha."
Jason must have read the note a million times. Especially the ending. He was obviously not supposed to get this till after the wedding. He found himself mouthing her new name repeatedly. She had been right. It did roll right off your tongue, like an exotic foreign language. He smiled when he remembered the night they met and he'd told her what his name meant. "Kamealoha means 'the beloved one,' " he'd said. And then she had responded with, "That's nice. Jason The Beloved One. I mean, it seems a bit pretentious, but it's nice." Jason chuckled out loud at the memory. Who was the pretentious one now? He'd have to remind her.
Suddenly, he was okay. Not that the drawing had necessarily tided him over, but it helped calm his nerves. That and the note. The name. Just over an hour now and he could call her that himself, out loud. He had waited years for this moment. What was one more hour?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
NIKKI
Mel's water glass shattered against the wall. Nikki's eyes widened in surprise. "Mel! What the hell was that all about?"
There was murder in her eyes. "This is fucking BULLSHIT!" She yelled. "I've been married before and you see where this bullshit tradition got me?"
"Well you already spent the night with him," Nikki retorted. "I think you've spent up all your free passes. And you're acting like a child, I suggest you check your personality and let Leilani finish your face."
"I want to see Jason," Mel said defiantly.
"In an hour."
"No. Now. I want to see him NOW. I need him."
"I think you need to drink some more water."
"I THINK YOU NEED TO GO FIND MY FIANCEE AND LET ME SEE HIM!"
And then all of a sudden, it started. As if the devil himself had released a pack of hungry, rabid, wild hell hounds, rage flew out of the bride in a matter of seconds. She was crying, screaming, and probably still a little drunk. Leilani and Leona stood bewildered, not knowing what to think.
Mel was having a nervous breakdown.
Kate ran out of the adjacent room immediately and called it. "Shit, she's having a meltdown. I knew this was only a matter of time." She glared at Nikki. "It's not like this is Tay. You can't just keep people from--"
"They're fucking adults, Kate," Nikki said, surprising even herself with her choice in words. "It's only been, what, seven hours since they've seen each other? Like you said before, what the hell are they going to do once he leaves at the end of the week?"
"At least then they'll have a choice," Kate retorted.
"Mountain out of a mole hill," Nikki muttered.
At Kate's futile attempt to calm Mel down--at everyone's futile attempt to calm her--nobody knew what else to do. Give her more alcohol? Subdue her? That wasn't even an option.
"Find Taylor," Kate said suddenly.
Nikki looked at her, eyes wide. "Are you kidding?"
"I am totally serious. If anyone can make any sense of her bat crazy bullshit, it's him."
"But she wants Jason--"
"Yeah, and he doesn't need to deal with this stress right now. Go call Tay and tell him to get up here. Now."
It took Tay less than two minutes to make it to the door of the suite. When Nikki answered it, he reminded her of Jason when he blurted, "Where is she?"
"You can't hear her?" Nikki replied.
As she let him in the door, Mel was crying and screaming obscenities from the other room, amongst other things. "HE WANTS TO SEE ME! HE SENT ME FLOWERS! LOOK AT THIS ROOM! PLEASE JUST LET ME SEE HIM, THIS IS SO STUPID! IT'S NOT FAIR, GODDAMMIT! IT'S NOT FUCKING FAIR!"
When she saw Tay across the room, her eyes widened and her screaming subsided to sobs as she held her arms out to him. He crossed the room and hugged her tightly in her chair as she sobbed into his shoulder. "What's going on?" He asked her gently.
"It's not fair," she sobbed repeatedly into his shoulder. "It's not fair. It's not fair."
He pulled away and looked at her, squatting down in front of her chair. "What's not fair?"
"Nobody will let me see him." She hiccupped as she tried to dry herself up and talk at the same time. "Look what he did. He sent me breakfast and balloons and champagne and flowers. And I can't even thank him. They won't let me--they won't let me see him. Or even talk to him. They won't even let me hear his voice. He came by here just a little bit ago, wanting to see me and they--they wouldn't let me see him and it's not fair and this is stupid and I wanna go home!"
"Home?"
"I mean--if I can't see him, I don't wanna be here anymore. This is just taking way too goddamn long. This wedding was supposed to be quick and simple--"
"And only an hour away," Tay interrupted.
"What the fuck am I supposed to do in an hour?"
He paused and looked up at her hair and face. "Finish your face. Put on your dress. The hour will fly by, I promise. Remember, you're marrying him. You're getting ready for him. You don't want to disappoint him."
Slowly she nodded, sniffing her tears back. "You're right," she whispered. "I don't want to disappoint him. I want to look perfect."
"You smell like a winery."
"It was good champagne."
Tay chuckled as he reached up and wiped a tear with his thumb. "Look. Word on the street is, he sent you all this stuff today to keep him from doing this very thing right here. He's as nervous as you are."
"I'm not scared," she objected.
He nodded. "You are. That's why you're acting like a crazy lunatic right now. Because you're scared. But he's scared, too."
"He's not scared of anything," she whispered.
"Even the strongest of men are scared of something."
"Why would he be scared?"
"Same reason you are. You don't want to disappoint him. You don't want to give him a reason to regret marrying you. You don't want--you don't want a repeat performance of--of you and me. Or even you and John. But, Mel, you and Jason are different. You put that poor man through hell. You left him high and dry on so many occasions, knowing how he felt about you. But yet, he waited. All this time, he waited and he had faith and he was patient and he did everything you wanted him to do, without question--which was something I certainly couldn't do. I mean, shit, I ended up marring Natalie. But spend this hour getting ready for your wedding. Today is supposed to be the happiest day of your life. Once you get married, then the two of you can be scared together. But don't sit here and be scared alone. Things manifest from that and the outcome can be--well, not good. Okay? Am I getting through in there at all?"
She nodded, wiping her cheeks with her hands. "I'm so embarrassed."
"Don't be embarrassed."
"I promised I wouldn't be a bridezilla today."
"You're not a bridezilla."
"I'm so glad you're here. You're my best friend."
"You're my best friend, too. I wouldn't miss this for the world."
"Thank you."
Tay winked at her. "Anytime."
Suddenly, Mel looked up and around the room. "I am so sorry, you guys. Really, I am. I think all the--the stress and the emotions--and the alcohol--just all came to a head. I didn't mean to offend anyone. To be honest, I don't even remember half of what I said."
Leilani pulled no punches. "Well if you're done having your tantrum, we need to get you finished and into your dress."
As Nikki walked Tay to the door, she thanked him. "We were all at a loss. We didn't know who else to call."
"Kind of interesting how the tables are turned now, huh?" Tay smiled nervously.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah. I'm great, actually."
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely. Everything is as it should be." Then he smiled at her and turned and walked down the hallway.
----------------------------------------------------------------
TAYLOR
Taylor walked next door to the adjacent suite and knocked on the door. Kona, who Tay had befriended at the rehearsal dinner the previous night, was the one to answer. "Hey, man, what's up? Come on in." He opened the door and Tay stepped into the small kitchenette area. "I don't know if disturbing him is such a good idea right now," Kona continued. "He said he needed a moment to think."
Tay couldn't help but smirk. "He's running out of moments, isn't he?"
"That's what I said."
Taylor walked through the kitchenette and into the sitting room to find Jason sitting at the desk by the sliding glass door, his chair turned toward the open door, facing the ocean through the balcony bars. He sat with his ankle crossed over his knee, his elbow propped on the arm of the chair, clicking his pen repeatedly. As Tay walked around him, he noticed the blank page on the desk beside him.
Tay leaned his back against the doorway of the balcony, shoving his hands in his pockets and crossing his ankles. The breeze blew lightly into the room. At his presence, Jason glanced up at him and stopped clicking his pen. "Tell me you're not just now writing your vows," Tay smirked.
To Tay's surprise, Jason took a deep breath and sighed, tossing his pen down on the desk in defeat. He looked up at Tay, helplessness all over his face. "Dude, I don't know what the fuck I'm doing."
"In regards to what?" Tay asked suspiciously.
Jason turned his head and faced out the door again. "I've never had a problem saying anything to her. It's always been so easy to tell her exactly how I feel, what's on my mind...and now? When it's the most important goddamn time and I'm drawing a goddamn blank? How the fuck hard can it be to tell her I want to spend the rest of my life with her? I think--I don't want to make any promises I can't keep."
The more Jason came out with these cryptic lines, the more uneasy Tay felt. "If memory serves me correctly, that's never been a problem for you."
"No. I don't mean--I mean, shit happens in life. You know? I don't want to stand up there and tell her I'll never leave her or tell her how perfect life is going to be--I'm fucking leaving her to go to Europe in a few days! And I can't promise her the perfect life because nothing's ever perfect. And, to be honest, I'm scared to death that I'm gonna get up there and say all this shit and then turn around and drop the ball. I don't wanna drop the ball."
Tay sighed and turned his head looking out into the ocean in thought. "I just left her room."
"Of course you did," Jason retorted. "Why else would you be in mine?"
Tay scowled at Jason, choosing to ignore the snide remark. "She had a bit of a meltdown. They called me in to talk her down."
Jason shifted in his seat and shook his head, smiling sarcastically at him. "My, how the tables have turned."
"She's afraid. She's a little drunk and she's afraid."
Jason's face softened as he furrowed his brow. "Afraid of what?"
"Because of me," Tay said, letting out a breath. Hard as it was to admit out loud, it was the truth.
"I'm not you," Jason responded coolly.
"I know. That's why she loves you."
"Look," Jason said. "I never set out to have a pissing contest with you. I never set out to steal your girl or make your life difficult. I did my part, I stayed out of the way. I practically handed her to you on a silver platter on so many occasions--so many occasions, your head would spin. I sat there, on the outside looking in, watching you rip her to shreds over and over and over again, and what could I do? Pick up the pieces and send her right back to you. Do you have any idea what it feels like to be so goddamn in love with someone--so bad it hurts--and to sit there for year after year, watching her cry as she pushes you away and tells you to leave her alone? Knowing--just KNOWING--that all she had to do was simply open her eyes and look at what was in front of her and she could be free? And now you're standing here in front of me--the fucking enemy--telling me that MY girl--who was never yours--is afraid to marry me?"
"She was always mine," Tay said quietly.
"Well she's not anymore. I'm not like you. I know the two of you are close. I know what you mean to her. I'm not gonna sit here and tell you to stay away from her or put her through half the bullshit that you did. But don't you dare ever utter a word to her about how much you miss her, how much you still love her--because I know you do--or about anything pertaining to past or present feelings for her. Don't you dare ever utter a word to upset her."
"Oh, so don't do what you did. That's what you're saying. I mean, it worked for you. Are you afraid it's gonna work for me?"
Jason sucked in a breath, his nostrils flaring. Tay didn't care. He hadn't come here to fight either, but it was obvious that both men had things they needed to get off their chests. "She doesn't love you," Jason responded carefully. "Not like that. Not the way she loves me."
"I know."
"She never did."
"I know."
"The tables have turned. But it won't be with the same results. She's not fighting her feelings for you like she did me. She won't push you away or remind you repeatedly that she loves me. She won't have to convince herself. She won't run to you every time she has a problem or we have a fight because I know how to take care of her. I know how to make her feel safe and secure. I always have."
"I didn't exactly come here to discuss every fucking way I failed in my relationship with her."
"She won't beg you not to disappear on her," Jason continued. "She won't beg you to stay. She won't drunk text you in the middle of the night, raging with jealousy over your newest girlfriend. She won't say or do or feel any of the things for you that she did with me. She's not fighting anymore. She's not hurting and she's not confused. I know her soul, I know her heart, I know her spirit. And I knew that she belonged to me, and only me, the first time I met her. THAT is why I stayed. And the only reason she stayed with you was because I needed to let her take that journey. Regardless of all that you'll still be her best friend. After me. But it will NEVER be more than that. Not even a chance. You will never take her away from me. Never again."
"She made her decision," Tay said quietly. "I wouldn't do anything to stand in the way." He was silent for a moment as he looked out into the ocean and he took a deep breath. Then he looked back at Jason. "You should put some of that in there."
Jason looked at him, confused. "Some of what?"
"Some of that stuff you said. Knowing her heart and soul and stuff. That's good stuff. I mean, you're an actor, right? You should be able to prepare a monologue at a moments' notice."
Obviously grateful for the subject change, Jason looked up at him. "You think she ever thinks that?"
"Thinks what?"
"You think she ever wonders if anything I say isn't true? Because I'm an actor? I mean, I'm fucking trained to fake it, you know? I never thought of that..."
"No," Tay said, shaking his head. "You know her heart and soul and shit, but so do I. And that woman can smell bullshit a mile away before bullshit itself even knows it's bullshit."
At that, Jason laughed, and instantly the tension eased up in the room. Tay cracked a smile at his own joke and crossed his arms over his chest. Then he looked at Jason again. "I think you'll find that when you're standing there in front of her, looking the way she does, I think the words will just roll right off your tongue."
"She looks amazing, doesn't she?"
"Um..." Tay smiled sheepishly. "She wasn't exactly ready when I went in. In her rage, she looked like she'd just walked out of a tornado or something, so..."
Jason smiled proudly. "That's my girl."
"I bet she drives you insane," Tay joked.
"Life's been interesting, I can say that."
The men were silent for a moment when, suddenly, Tay heard the sliding glass door on the adjacent balcony open and close. He turned his head to listen closer. He heard female voices around the same time Jason's ears perked. He stood up from his chair and whispered to Tay, "Nobody's been on that goddamn balcony all day..."
After a second, Tay whispered quietly, "It's Mel and Nikki."
"It's such a beautiful day," Nikki said. "Your wedding is going to be gorgeous."
"This is turning into the longest hour of my life," Mel said.
"Look," Nikki said. "I'm sorry I've been such a--well, I mean, this is your day. You should be the bridezilla, not me."
Mel laughed. "Trust me, I WAS the bridezilla."
"I know, but--you only reacted based on my actions all day. I think maybe I went a little overboard, got caught up in the spirit of it all. I could have handled things differently, I know. But I just want so bad for your wedding to be perfect, you know?"
"I understand what you were trying to do. And I appreciate everything you've done today, honestly. You've been a godsend. That's why you're my matron of honor. But what I don't think you understand is, even if everything that could go wrong went wrong today, everything would still be okay--because I'm marrying Jason. That, by itself, makes today perfect."
Taylor looked at Jason, who's face read a series of emotions. The women had no idea they'd heard every word. While hearing those words come out of Mel's mouth stung Tay for a second, it warmed his heart to hear her voice filled with such bliss and contentment. The truth was, he had never, ever, seen her look at him the way he witnessed her looking at Jason at last night's rehearsal dinner. Sure, Mel and Tay had had their times--they'd had their moments. But it was nothing like what she had with Jason. Tay couldn't help his jealousy, but he was learning to deal with it effectively.
Suddenly, before Tay could move out of the way, Jason stepped onto the balcony and against the brick wall that separated the two suites.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MEL
Mel stood on the balcony with Nikki, her hands hanging off the railing. "Half an hour," she said, breathing in the Hawaiian air. "Half an hour."
"It's a good thing your dress is so easy to get into," Nikki joked.
Mel looked up and down at Nikki, the mint green chiffon stunning against her tan skin and model figure. "I should have gotten a white one of those. I really love that dress."
"You could always get yourself one," Nikki said.
As Nikki giggled at her own statement, Mel felt skin on her hand as it dangled off the balcony railing. Startled, she looked down as an arm, from the other side of the brick wall, hooked its finger around her pinkie before sliding the hand underneath hers. "Jason," Mel managed to breathe, the surprise more than welcome.
"Hey, gorgeous," his voice came around the wall. She couldn't see him, but his hand in hers was enough to send her emotions running wild. She longed to peek around the brick, but she knew she couldn't. So, instead, she simply dangled her arm over the railing and blindly held his hand.
"This has been the weirdest day," she said.
"I know."
"It's not much longer now."
"Nope. It isn't."
"Are you afraid?"
"Of what?"
"Tay said you were afraid."
"Taylor said--" Jason stopped himself and sighed. "I'm not--I'm just--I feel like a caged animal today, that just keeps getting poked and poked and poked and--Mel, just promise me something."
"Anything."
"Let's not ever get married again."
Mel giggled. "I'm gonna want to renew our vows eventually."
"Fuck that. Can't I just fucking buy you an expensive as shit anniversary ring and then skip to the party or something?"
Mel giggled again. "We'll cross that bridge when we get there."
They were silent for a moment before Jason's voice came back across. "So what are you wearing?"
Mel blushed and on that note, Nikki went back inside and closed the sliding glass door. Mel smiled. "Are you alone?"
"Um..." Mel heard the sliding glass door close on the other side of the wall. "I am now."
"Well," she said deviously. "I'm NOT wearing my dress..."
"Go on..."
"What do you want me to be wearing?"
"Surprise me."
"Well, if I were going to start from the bottom, up, I would start with thigh-high fishnet stockings..."
"You're just gonna go straight for the jugular, aren't you?"
She smiled. "How do you feel about garter belts?"
"I'm listening."
"Attached to a corset."
"What color?"
"Don't know yet."
"I should have never asked."
"If it makes you feel any better, I lied."
"I know. But it didn't stop the visual from being hot as hell."
"Jason?"
"Yeah, gorgeous."
"When we get married, you don't think--I mean, do you think maybe you won't be so..."
"What?"
"Like I'll just become your frumpy old wife or something?"
"What? Are you kidding? That'll never happen."
"Even when we're old and gray and--"
"Especially then. I'm not marrying you just because I think you're going to put my dick through hell for the next few years. I fully expect you to wear me out for the rest of my life."
Mel grinned as she held his hand and looked out into the ocean. Finally, she said, "Jason?"
"Yeah, sweetheart."
"It's time."
"So, it is."
"So, then, I'll meet you at the alter?"
"I wouldn't miss it for the world."
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JASON
After finally getting to at least hear Mel's voice, Jason suddenly felt at ease. He was ready. He was excited and he was ready. He walked back inside the suite to find Taylor still there, along with Kona, Kelani, and Andy. "I don't know what the fuck I was so worried about," Jason said. "I'm ready to do this."
Taylor glanced at the desk and back at him. "You don't wanna finish that?"
"Are you kidding? I don't need that shit. I got this."
Jason looked around the room at his groomsmen, all dressed in white and khaki and then his eyes fell on Taylor--the odd one out. "Why are you still here? Shouldn't you be down there, grabbing a seat?"
"Yeah," Taylor said. "I'm going now. Hey, if you don't mind, I'd like to take a few photos of the wedding here and there. Maybe some of the reception."
Jason's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Wasn't aware you were a photographer."
"It's a hobby."
Jason nodded. "Yeah. Okay. That's cool."
As Taylor left the room, Jason heard his name from the balcony. "Jason!" Mel called.
He couldn't help but grin at the sound of his name. The other men shook their heads. Headed to the balcony, he stepped up to the railing and smiled into the air. "Yes, dear."
"Here," she said, handing a fresh hibiscus flower across their brick barrier, obviously plucked from one of the many bouquets he'd sent her. Her subtle French manicure looked great against the brightly-colored flower and Jason wished he had a camera just then. "Wear this," she finished.
Confused, he reached over and took the flower from her hand. "Do what?"
"Wear it. On your shirt. Trust me."
He furrowed his brow and he smiled, rolling the stem of the flower between his thumb and forefinger. "Anything you want."
"I promise it won't make you girlie or anything," she said hurriedly.
He chuckled. "I know. Go get dressed so you can marry me already."
He heard her giggle as the sliding glass door on her side shut with a slam and he couldn't help but lean against the railing one more time and smile. This was it. He was getting what he always wanted--what he always wanted even before he knew he wanted it. The feeling was so surreal.
Walking back into the suite, he stood and faced his best man and his two groomsmen again and plastered a million-dollar smile on his face. "Well. Here we go."
He turned and looked at himself in the mirror. He was glad Mel wanted a beach wedding. He didn't think he had it in him to stay cooped up in a penguin suit for so long, no matter how much she liked it. He was comfortable in khaki and his loose-fitted white button-down. Looking himself over one more time, he unbuttoned two more buttons on his shirt and rolled his sleeves up to his elbows. Spying the flower on the desk that Mel had given him, he turned around to the guys. "Anybody got a safety pin or something?"
After a couple of minutes, Kona had managed to get the flower pinned on Jason's shirt, creatively, and stood there, looking at him expectantly. Jason looked over at him and narrowed his eyes. "Um...thank you?"
Kona rolled his eyes. "I need the ring."
"Oh. Um..." He looked Kona over once more. "You don't have any holes in your pockets or anything, do you?"
Impatiently, Kona turned his pockets inside out for proof, satisfying Jason. Jason crossed the room and unzipped his suitcase, revealing the small box. "Just keep it in the box," he said. "Humor me."
"Yeah, no problem," Kona said, shoving it into his pocket.
The idea that someone else had Mel's wedding ring made Jason's heart pound. He knew Kona was responsible and wouldn't lose it. But there was still that fear...
Hotel security met the men at Jason's suite and the four men were escorted by three guards all the way down to the beach. Jason stopped for a minute to take in the sight. They were first met by large, tall, temporary wooden walls that seemed to hide the wedding space from general hotel view. Unless they had viewers from the balcony. Instinctively, Jason turned around and looked up. Would that actually happen?
In the middle of the temporary walls stood a pair of white double doors that were apparently built and hinged onto the walls just for this occasion. With handles on them, they didn't latch and they swung out both ways, making getting in and out of them easy. As two of the hotel staff opened them for the men, Jason took a deep breath before he stepped through. This was it. Shit was getting real.
He faced the small congregation as they milled around and began to turn their heads to see what was going on. The ukelele player began to play upon sight of the men and Jason had to wonder for a second if this was actually the official start of the ceremony? Making his way up the aisle, abandoning his flip flops at the door in favor of walking through the sand in his bare feet, he stopped to approach his mother who sat in the front. She wiped tears from her face as she stood up and hugged him. "I'm so proud of you, my sweet boy," she said through her tears. "You've made your mama so happy."
"I wouldn't be who I am today without you," he told her as he hugged her back. "Thank you for always believing in me."
"Sweetie, I always knew this day would come. Even through all the years you said you would never take the plunge, I always knew the right one would come along and change your mind. Mama knows best, you know."
He pulled away and smiled down at her. "I know."
Clearing the emotion away from his throat, he made his way toward the front, in front of the officiant who stood underneath the gazebo, Kona, Kelani, and Andy lined up behind him. He took a deep breath and rubbed his hands together. "Okay," he said. "So, uh, this is the part where we wait?"
A light murmur of laughter came from those that heard his statement. He chose that moment to be silent and look around, taking it all in. Staring at the temporary double doors, which, on this side, had been painted a beautiful, rustic off-white, he imagined what his reaction might be when she came through the doors. He had no way of knowing what his reaction would be at this point. He just knew that any minute now, his bride would walk through those doors and change his life forever.
Suddenly, the officiant blew the ceremonial conch shell, signifying the start of the wedding. Jason's heart had never pounded so hard in his life.
-------------------------------------------------------------
MEL
As Mel took one more look at herself in the mirror after her dress was zipped up her back, she turned from side to side. "What do you guys think? Do you think it's cliche? Is it too casual? Leona, is this dress an insult?"
"The dress is amazing," Leona said. "It's hand-made and it's beautiful and Jason will be so proud to see you in it."
"I just--I don't want people to think I'm trying too hard, you know? I don't want them to think I'm being fake."
Leona laughed. "You're really worrying about this too much. In these past few weeks that I've known you, you have so quickly become a member of this family that seeing you in that dress just looks natural. It's not like you're 'converting' or 'being fake' or anything. You're embracing a part of Jason's life, accepting it. I'm sure when he's in New York with you, or wherever you are, there's nothing Hawaiian about him."
Mel had to smile. "Well...he doesn't really get along with most cab drivers we end up with."
Leona had to giggle at the statement. "But he knows the best bars in the city, doesn't he?"
"You better believe it!"
Letting out a breath, Mel looked at herself in the mirror again. The dress was so clearly Hawaiian, but it was beautiful and she fell in love with it at first sight. When she stepped through the doors into the ceremony, most of the guests there would agree that this was not a conventional choice for her. Mel liked sophisticated, designer dresses, right off the pages of Vogue or a Vera Wang runway. Besides her most recent car purchase, Mel's most expensive habit was fashion. That was no secret.
But this dress--this one was locally hand-made from a small dress shop she'd found downtown. It was a slim-fitted A-line design with a small train in the back. The neckline was heart-shaped with ruffled, elastic shoulders that could be worn on or off the shoulder. Naturally, Mel wore hers off her shoulders. The dress itself had a nearly silver tint to it, with large, white tropical flower designs curling all around it. To Mel, it was perfection. And with as light and breezy as it was, it felt like perfection as well. She felt soft and free--nothing like the bogged down and heavy feeling her first dress with John had given her.
Leilani had insisted on styling her dark hair into a low, loose up-do and Mel had argued about it. "I like it, but Jason's going to hate it."
Her statment was met by a chorus of "No he isn't" and Mel had to insist, "Yes, he will. He hates when I pull my hair up." And then she blushed. "He always says he doesn't understand why I would want to hide something so beautiful."
Nikki, Kate, and Leona all smiled, but Leilani wasn't having it. "Screw him, he'll get over it. Does he have long hair? No."
"Well, not anymore..."
"Do you really want the wind blowing your hair all over the place when you're trying to exchange your vows? Think how annoying that would be. Besides, he should appreciate you, no matter what."
Mel was sold. Leilani had a point. As she had finished her hair, Mel thought about what she had said. Jason liked short dresses and long hair. Was this his way of controlling her? Or was this her trying to overcompensate and keep him happy? He'd seen her at her worst and he'd seen her at her best and he'd loved her just the same either way. Why was she suddenly worried about the way she looked to him lately?
As a finishing touch, Mel slipped a fresh hibiscus flower into her hair. She made sure it was the same color as the one she'd given Jason. She looked in the mirror and smiled at herself. What was she worried about? She looked great. Jason would love her either way.
In spite of herself, she stopped the women as they attempted to walk out the door of the suite. "You guys. I'm scared."
Several pairs of concerned eyes looked back at her. "Of what?" Kate asked.
"What if he doesn't--I mean, what happens when--we're in our thirties, you know? In just a few short years--I'm--I'm going to get old. You know?"
Kate furrowed her brow. "Yeah. And so is he."
"Yeah, but--well those Hollywood girls are just getting younger and hotter, you know, and--yanno, time's gonna pass and I won't look the same and what if he gets tired of me? What if he finds something better? What if I can't keep my looks up for him? I've already changed since we've met and..."
Mel had begun rambling before Kate cut her off. "He doesn't look the same, either. And he's the one who had a heart attack, so if anyone's feeling the stressors of age coming on, it's him. Look, I don't know the guy that well. But I know him well enough to know that if he--one of Hollywood's most eligible bachelors--is ready to settle down and marry you, you really have nothing to worry about. Honestly."
"You think so?"
"I know so. You should see his face when he looks at you."
Mel smiled and took a breath. "Okay. Yeah. You're right. He's never given me reason to worry. Not once. I think this is just wedding day jitters. Yeah. That's it."
As Nikki handed Mel her pre-prepared wedding bouquet, Mel looked at it in her hands and then looked around the room. The bouquet was beautiful, but...she handed them back to Nikki. "I changed my mind."
Alarm filled all the women's faces. "Changed your mind?!" Nikki objected. "You can't just leave him there! You just can't! You're meant to be together!"
Mel smiled. "No! Crazy! I mean the flowers." She looked around the room. "I'd rather carry the ones he sent me."
All of the women looked around the room as Leilani spoke up. "It's past time for you to be out there..."
"Quick. Everyone grab a few flowers from each vase," Kate said.
Swiftly, the ladies all had a hand in throwing together Mel's new, makeshift bouquet. Without time to pay attention to detail, a hair tie was quickly tied around the stems to hold them together and a ribbon was tied around to hide it. A quick snip to the stems to even them out finished them off and within minutes, Mel had a fragrant collection of Hawaiian flowers in her hands.
"They'll wilt before the ceremony is over," Nikki commented.
Mel smiled again. "It's okay. There's plenty more where those came from."
Once downstairs, when they had hit the outside air and Mel could see the barricades that had been built for the ceremony, Mel's nerves picked up again. She couldn't tell if it was nerves or excitement or an even mixture of both but she knew she felt like a teenage girl in love for the first time. Actually, she remembered what that felt like for a split second--and the feeling was different, it seemed. More acute. More intense. She had loved Taylor. Truly loved him. He was her first love. But the way she felt about Jason couldn't compare to any of that. It was that feeling that you got when you knew for certain that you'd found the one you were meant to spend the rest of your life with. Your sense of meaning. Your sense of purpose.
Leilani stepped through the door quickly to take her seat. As her bridesmaids lined up to begin the ceremony, Mel's father approached her in full suit and tie. She looked Paul up and down and smiled. "Just couldn't do it, huh? Couldn't be without your jacket and shoes."
"Come on, Melody. Who gets married with bare feet and no jacket?"
She giggled. "It's a beach wedding, Daddy."
"It's still not proper."
Mel let the comment roll off her back. She knew what he was doing. He wasn't typically an emotional man and his complaints kept him from being so. However, his face grew serious and he smiled at her. "I'm proud of you, honey."
She smiled at her father, tears welling up in her eyes. "You are?"
"Of course I am. You're my little girl. I'll always be proud of you."
"I was afraid you wouldn't approve of my marrying him. Especially considering...you know."
"I'll be honest, when you brought him home, I thought you'd lost your mind. I didn't trust him. I was prepared to wash my hands of everything. But then I got to know him a little and I saw how happy he makes you and--well, I've never seen you like that before. And I figure, whatever it is that puts that smile on your face when he walks into a room must be worth keeping around. He's a good guy, Melody. He was dealt a crap hand in life but he was able to overcome it and come out on top. He knows who he is and he knows what he wants. I respect a man like that. And I trust a man like that to take good care of you."
She nodded. "He does, Daddy. And he will."
Paul smiled and touched her cheek. "I know. You look so beautiful, sweetheart."
"Thank you," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I love you."
"I love you, too, sweet girl." Then he pulled away and smiled at her. "You ready to do this?"
Mel grinned. "I've never been more ready."
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NIKKI
Nikki stood in the sand, bouquet in hand. She looked over into the congregation of guests and smiled as Isaac winked at her a couple of rows back. Zac sat beside him and Taylor had his camera in front of his face, taking pictures. Nikki knew this was a defense mechanism. She felt sorry for him until she looked over at Jason, whose eyes bore intently on the wooden doors the bridesmaids had just come out of. It was probably the least relaxed she had ever seen him.
Finally, the tune of the ukelele changed and she wanted to watch Mel walk out, but she couldn't keep her eyes off of Jason, either. He was so adorable in his excitement. When the doors finally opened, and Mel and her father were standing there, Mel in her Hawaiian wedding dress and fresh flowers, Nikki stole a glance back at Jason and she smiled. He was beaming proudly, a smile so wide she knew his face had to hurt but she was sure he hardly noticed.
Looking back at the aisle, watching Mel with her father, Nikki's eyes teared up. Mel covered her mouth and giggled in excitement at the sight of Jason and Nikki's heart melted. A smile matching Jason's, Mel never took her eyes off of him.
As Mel and Paul stopped in front of Jason and the officiant, the smile spread across Nikki's face. "We are gathered here today to celebrate one of life's greatest moments," the officiant started. "The joining of two hearts. In this ceremony today we will witness the joining of Melody and Jason in marriage. Is there anyone present who has just cause why this couple should not be united, let them speak now or forever hold their peace."
Nikki's eyes darted toward her husband and his brothers. Taylor lowered his camera all of a sudden. Everything was quiet, everything but the sound of the ocean behind them. Nikki stole a look at Jason. His body had stiffened, his eyes bored into Mel's as if he needed her to keep him in check. Everyone who knew what was going on knew that Tay had one last chance to stake his claim. Nikki knew the effort would be futile, but if he was ever going to have one last say to try to get her back, this was it. After the moment passed, and it looked like Tay was going to stay silent, the officiant finally smiled and said, "Who gives this woman to this man?"
Seemingly more relaxed, the smile returned to Jason's face and he straightened up in preparation to take his bride's hand. "Her mother and I do," Paul said. He then lifted Mel's hand and Jason took it, but not without Paul adding, "You take care of my daughter. You get me?"
The smile never left Jason's face. "Yes, sir. Always."
----------------------------------------------------------------
MEL
As Jason led Mel to stand in front of him, she quickly turned around to give Nikki her bouquet and then she stood there and looked at her, waiting. Apparently Nikki was lost in the moment because Mel raised her eyebrows and nodded toward Nikki's feet. Finally realizing what was going on, she raised her eyebrows back. "Oh!" Reaching around her and bending over, she put both bouquets of flowers in one hand and picked up the tiny, white step stool that had been reserved for Mel.
As Mel took the stool and placed it in front of Jason, he laughed. The entire congregation laughed. Mel could understand how it was humorous, but anyone with their eyes open could see it was necessary. Mel hiked her dress up enough to reveal her red toenail polish and stepped up onto the stool, dropping her dress and covering her bare feet again. She looked up and smiled at a grinning Jason, happy to be much closer to his face now. "Hey, gorgeous," he said softly as he winked at her.
"Hi," she answered quietly.
"You look absolutely breath-taking."
Mel blushed. "So do you."
After the exchange, the officiant began to speak. "The Hawaiian word for love is Aloha. Today, we've come together to celebrate the special Aloha that exists between Jason and Melody and their desire to make their Aloha eternal through the commitment of marriage. Jason and Melody, you are entering into marriage because you want to be together. You are marrying because you know you will grow more in happiness and Aloha more fully as life-mates. You will belong entirely to each other, one in mind, one in heart, and in all things. No greater blessing of happiness can come to you than to have this devoted Aloha, which you now publicly affirm. Keep this understanding of your marriage alive in the days ahead. May your aloha continuously grow truer and more wonderful with each day you enjoy together."
Mel and Jason smiled at each other as the officiant reached for two leis and presented them to the couple. One made entirely of green leaves, the other a mixture of green with white flowers. "At this time I would like to have you present to each other these leis. In Hawaii we exchange leis as a symbol of our love. The beautifully crafted lei with its hand-picked flowers and twine, carefully bonded together with love, is a reflection of your love and Aloha for one another. As you exchange these leis you will begin to weave your lei in life together with love. And now, with loving aloha, please present your leis to one another with a smile and a kiss upon each other's cheek and an Aloha."
"Not a problem," Jason said as he lifted the floral lei from the officiant's outward arm. "Didn't even need the instruction."
As Jason gently placed the lei around Mel's neck, he kissed her gently close to her ear and breathed a rich, "Aloha," into her ear. Shivers ran down her spine and her mind instantly raced back to the first night they met. He had started talking in her ear in the cab and, to this day, his voice never ceased to turn her on.
As she placed the lei of green around his neck, she kissed his cheek and greeted him with her own Aloha. As she pulled away from him, he turned his head toward her and she could feel his breath on her face. It was tempting. God, it was so tempting. But she smiled and looked into his eyes, placing a finger over his lips. "I know what you're trying to do," she said softly. "Be patient."
Light laughter came from the guests as Jason grinned. "Damn. You caught me." Then he looked up at the officiant. "Can't blame a man for trying, right?"
The guests laughed louder and the officiant smiled in response. "A good marriage must be created," he said. In marriage, the 'little' things are the big things. It is never being too old to hold hands. It is remembering to say 'I love you' at least once a day. It is never going to sleep angry--"
"Yeah, that part is NOT going to be a problem," Mel interrupted. Jason chuckled and nodded and the officiant blushed.
"It is standing together to face the world," he continued. "It is speaking words of appreciation, and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways." At that, Jason raised his eyebrows at Mel and winked at her, grinning. Mel giggled. She was so glad nobody could detect their silent conversation, though she knew their faces said it all. She knew they would never make it to their wedding night. "It is having the capacity to forgive and forget," the officiant continued. "It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow. It is a common search for the good and the beautiful. It is not only marrying the right person--it is being the right partner."
By this point, Mel couldn't stay still. In her nervousness, she fidgeted by letting her hands run listlessly up and down Jason's bare forearms and back down to his hands. She'd hold them for a few seconds before she started her route again. She couldn't help herself and Jason didn't seem to mind.
"You've exchanged leis," the officiant said. "Now you will exchange your vows. If you will repeat after me..."
As Mel's hands drifted back down to Jason's, she held onto them tightly. Jason stepped a step closer to her, so close she could nearly feel his heart beating. She wished she were tall. She wished she could stand this close to him all the time. His eyes gazed into hers, his lips turning up a small smile as he repeated the words the officiant instructed, in his own deep, rich voice. That voice Mel would love forever. "I, Jason Kamealoha, take you, Melody Banks, to be my wife, my partner in life, and my one true love. I will cherish our friendship and love you today, tomorrow, and forever. I will trust you and honor you. I will laugh with you and cry with you. I will love you faithfully through the best and the worst, through the difficult and the easy, whatever may come I will always be there. As I have given you my hand to hold, so I give you my life to keep."
A tear fell down Mel's cheek. She knew what these standard vows said. The officiant had joked at the rehearsal that she'd gone over them with a fine-toothed comb and he wasn't lying. However, to hear them come out of Jason's mouth, so tender and full of emotion, staring into his eyes as he said them to her, was something else all in its own. Just when she thought she'd fallen as deeply in love as she could get, she always seemed to fall just one more time.
But Jason wasn't finished. Taking in a breath and letting it out, he squeezed her hand and said to her quietly, "I'm a simple man. I can't recite poetry or sing you love songs or deliver obscenely grand gestures of love." Mel raised an eyebrow in objection and Jason blushed. "Well, I mean, today's a little different." Then he grew serious again. "But I can dedicate my life to you. I will dedicate my life to you. I already have. I can and will spend the rest of my life telling you how beautiful you are, every single day, and never tire of it. I will spend the rest of my life falling deeper and deeper in love with you every single day, I will spend my life taking care of you, and I will spend my life keeping you safe. You are my dream come true. Everything I've done, everything I do, and everything I will ever do, is for you. And only you. You are the sun in my sky. I love you, gorgeous."
Mel didn't realize the extent of her tears until she sniffed. Nikki handed her a tissue over her shoulder and she took it, laughing sheepishly through her tears. "I'm sorry," she said, putting the tissue to use.
She was at a loss with her used tissue now, not wanting to hold it in her hand while she was holding Jason's and she couldn't give it back to Nikki. He must have sensed her confusion because he then took it out of her hand and shoved it into his pocket. "Just let me know when you need it back," he said, smiling.
Mel could have melted right there.
Except that now it was her turn. She pulled him closer to her by his hands. They couldn't stand any closer now. Her body pressed against his and she didn't care. In just a few short minutes, they would be married, and if she wanted her husband's body against hers at their wedding, then dammit, who was going to stop them? As she looked up at him, their faces so close, she glanced at his lips, longingly, wanting so desperately to kiss them. But instead, she repeated her vows. "I, Melody Banks, take you, my Jason Kamealoha, to be my husband, my partner in life, my one true love. I will cherish our friendship and love you today, tomorrow, and forever. I will trust you and honor you. I will laugh with you and cry with you. I will love you faithfully, through the best and the worst, through the difficult and the easy, whatever may come, I will always be there. As I have given you my hand to hold, so I give you my life to keep." Mel swallowed and took a deep breath, reaching up to touch Jason's face as she spoke, her voice now nearly an inaudible whisper. Not on purpose, but not exactly by accident. "Jason. You take my breath away. The first time you ever smiled at me, I forgot how to breathe and I haven't breathed ever since. Every single time you look at me, smile at me, or even say my name, it feels like the first time all over again. You have taught me so much over these past few years. How to laugh, how to see--how to live life. But the most important thing I've learned from you is how to trust and follow my heart. You taught me what true love is. And I haven't been the best student, I know, but I've had the best teacher that anyone could ever have. You're my inspiration. You inspire me to strive to be the best person I can possibly be. Jason, I love you so much. So much more than I could possibly say. Today is the first day of the rest of our lives. And I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life taking care of you, making you happy, supporting you, and continuously falling deeper and deeper in love with you. I can't wait to grow old with you, to learn with you, to go through life with you, one crazy adventure at a time. You are the breath that I breathe, the beating of my heart, the spirit that keeps me alive. You are my life. My everything. And I've never been more proud, a single day in my life, than I am right here in this moment, about to become your wife."
Jason stared down at her. She heard the breath catch in his throat for a second before he started blinking his eyes, but he wasn't fast enough before Mel observed the tears that had welled up in his eyes. He was speechless for a moment more before he finally cleared his throat and smiled at the officiant. "Can I kiss her NOW?"
Smiling, the officiant shook his head.
"Dammit," Jason said impatiently, to the light chuckle of the guests.
"Jason and Melody," the officiant said. "I would ask that you always treat yourself and each other with repect and remind yourselves often of what brought you together today. Give the highest priority to the tenderness, gentleness, and kindness that your marriage deserves. When frustration and difficulty assail your marriage--as they do to every relationship at one time or another--focus on what still seems right between you, not only the part that seems wrong. This way, when clouds of trouble hide the sun in your lives and you lose sight of it for a moment, you can remember that the sun is still there. And if each of you will take responsibility for the quality of your life together, it will be marked by abundance and happiness. "Jason," he said, focusing his attention on him. "Do you take Melody to be your wife? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish, and protect her, forsaking all others and holding only unto her forevermore?"
Jason grinned at Mel. "Absolutly. No question."
"And do you, Melody, take Jason to be your husband? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish, and protect him, forsaking all others and holding only unto him forevermore?"
Mel's grin matched Jason's. "I do," she said, excitedly. "I always have and I always will."
"May we have the rings, please?" The officiant asked. Taking a moment for the bride and groom to collect themselves, he spoke again. "The ring is a symbol of the unbroken circle of love. Love freely given has no beginning and no end, no giver and no receiver is the giver and each is the receiver. May these rings always remind you of the vows you have taken."
As Jason repeated the words instructed by the officiant, Mel stood ready to receive the band that was about to go with her engagement band. Shock, however, ran through Mel's body when she observed the ring he slipped onto her finger. "Jason," she whispered, stunned at the thin rose gold band with the over-sized diamond. She nearly fainted at what looked like at least three carats. And while she enjoyed a fine piece of jewlery just as much as the next woman, this was just--"Jason!" She repeated again, quietly, with a gasp. "This is too much..."
He lifted her chin and smiled at her. "Nothing is too much for my girl."
"But--" She knew this exchange wasn't customary, but she just didn't understand the boulder that now adorned her hand. She loved her little engagement band..."But this--"
"Is beautiful," he finished. "Not near as beautiful as you, but I did the best I could. Look, I feel like I kinda dropped the ball on that sorry excuse for a propsal--"
"It was perfect--"
"But my wife is going to have a diamond. If it were up to me--and it is--you'd be dripping with diamonds."
Sometimes she was certain that he had forgotten that she even had a bank account, but she chose to question it no further. She felt guilty about his ring after she'd seen her own. She didn't even know if he liked gold, but she'd bought it because she knew it would look great on his hand, but--
Her heart pounded as she repeated after the officiant and slid the gold band on his finger. The two small diamonds it boasted were puny compared to the one he'd given her. She didn't tell him she'd had 'Melokia' engraved on the inside. She figured he'd find it eventually.
When she looked up at him, his eyes sparkled and his smile was warm and charming. She hadn't disappointed him. She grinned up at him in relief and then he winked at her.
She melted.
"Jason and Melody," the officiant said. "You have just sealed your relationship by the giving and receiving of rings and this is a pledge between two people who agree that they will commit themselves to one another throughout their lives. Today this relationship is also symbolized through the pouring of these two individual containers of sand. One is representing you, Jason, and one is representing you, Melody, and all that you were, all that you are, and all that you will ever be. Please blend the sand."
Mel and Jason each took a small container of sand and poured it into an empty container that sat on a small table in front of them. Everyone laughed again, including Jason, when Mel had to step off the stool to do it. She couldn't help it when she got teary-eyed again as they emptied their containers, blending into the new one. There was something so moving, so powerful, so symbolic and meaningful about it. It was--them.
"As these two containers of sand are poured into the third container, the individual containers of sand will no longer exist, but will be joined together as one. Just as these grains of sand can never be separated, our prayer for you today is that your lives together would be blended like the seven seas and may your love swirl around each other like the changing tides."
As Mel stepped back on her stool, she pulled Jason by the hands close to her again and smiled. They were nearing the end and she couldn't have been more excited.
"To make your relationship work will take love. This is the core of your marriage and why you are here today. It will take trust, to know that, in your hearts, you truly want what is best for each other. It will take dedication to stay open to one another and to learn and grow. It will take faith, to go forward together, without knowing exactly what the future brings. And it will take commitment to hold true to the journey you both have pledged to today."
Mel started to giggle and she did a little dance on her stool. Jason smiled in amusement and the guests laughed, but she didn't care. "This is it," she whispered excitedly.
"I know."
"Today you have exchanged vows, leis, I dos, rings, blended the sand, and have pledged your Aloha to each other. So, by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. The officiant looked at their eager faces and smiled. "Okay, you can kiss her now."
Without wasting another second, Jason hooked his arm around her waist and pulled her tight against him, taking her face with his other hand, and kissed her feverishly. Her arms wrapped around and her hands hooked tight over his shoulders and her body began to shake in his arms from both laughter and tears. As the officiant introduced the couple as Mr. and Mrs. Jason Makoa Nohea Kamealoha, Mel finally let loose and cried.
"Baby..." Jason smiled at her, wiping her tears.
"I'm so happy." She smiled through her tears.
"I'm happy, too," he replied gently.
Then, to her surprise, she giggled as he scooped her up and carried her up the aisle. "What, you don't trust me to walk myself?" She teased quietly.
He smiled at her. "Baby, I'm not ever letting you go."
-----------------------------------------------------------
ZAC
As the wedding party made their way up the aisle, and the parents and guests began to follow, Zac caught the quick eye exchange between Taylor and Mel's father. Zac didn't really know what to make of it, but it made him slightly uneasy. Awkward, even.
Letting his camera hang from his neck, Tay shoved his hands in his pockets. He looked back at his brothers nervously. "Well. That's it, I guess. It's done. It was a, uh, a beautiful ceremony."
"Are you okay?" Isaac asked.
Zac just went straight for the throat. "You're still in love with her, aren't you?"
Tay looked back at his brothers, pain and confusion in his eyes. Hesitantly, he answered, "I don't think I know how to stop."
Zac glanced at Ike, who shoved his own hands in his pockets, following Tay's lead. "It'll be okay," Ike said.
"I know," Tay answered. "I'll always love her. But did you see her up there?" He looked back at the now empty gazebo as the waves crashed behind it. "Nobody else existed but him today. I loved her to the best of my ability, but I just couldn't give to her what he can. Not the way she needs it. Not even the way she deserves it."
Zac placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. "I'm proud of you. It takes a strong man not to say anything when you were given the opportunity. It takes an even stronger one to let her go."
"Didn't have much choice, did I?"
"Look," Ike said. "They're probably through receiving guests, so I'm gonna go and find Nikki."
"I'll be right behind you," Tay said. "I just need a minute."
Reluctantly, Zac walked with Ike as Tay sat alone in the empty ceremony space.
--------------------------------------------------------------
JASON
They knew they were finished receiving guests when Isaac and Zac came through the doors. Jason was glad. He was eager for the officiant to sign the marriage license and then get his wife alone.
The thought of Mel as his wife caused him to smile at her as she talked with the rest of the wedding party, who had since gathered around. Nikki took Ike by the arm and said, "Come on. We need to make sure this cocktail hour gets underway while the staff gets the reception area ready."
"Oh, hey, where's Tay?" Mel spoke up.
Zac and Ike exchanged a glance that made Jason a little uneasy. He guessed that, deep down, he would always feel a little threatened by Taylor Hanson. Nobody, not even his wife, would ever learn that truth about him, but how could he not? He was Mel's first love. And even though she had been married before, and it wasn't to Taylor, Taylor would always feel like a threat. But he couldn't keep Mel away from him. It would be wrong of him.
"He, uh, hung back to take a couple more pictures," Zac said. "He'll be along."
"Oh," Mel said. "Okay."
The reception was to be held on the beach, under a couple of very large, white tents. Hard, wooden dance floors were to be put down, specifically so Mel could wear the heels she'd bought specifically for the wedding. Jason had shaken his head at the requirement. It was like laying concrete in Malibu all over again. She had, however, also arranged for a small fire pit so that guests could still have fun in the sand. Jason planned on spending a majority of the party there.
When they were finally alone, Jason pulled her close to him. "You look so unbelievably beautiful today."
Mel blushed and he smiled. Her modesty was adorable. "Thank you. I tried to be perfect for you."
"Come on, gorgeous, you're always perfect to me." Then he grinned and lowered his voice. "I got a manicure and a pedicure today."
She covered her mouth and giggled. "Really? Just for today?"
"Just for today."
She lifted his hands and looked down at his feet. "Well they did a great job."
"They did. We're not even going to discuss what I shelled out in tips today."
Mel's eyes widened. "Oh! Poor Tua! Please tell me you took care of him. He wouldn't let me tip him, no matter how hard I tried."
Jason threw his head back in laughter. "He was under strict instruction not to accept anything from you. He was to report to me every time you tried to tip him and I paid him every time you tried. I paid him double the last time when you gave up and didn't offer."
"Jason, that poor man--"
"Don't worry. I probably paid his rent for the next three or four months."
"Jason!"
"I know," he said, already knowing what her next statement would be. "I was in rare form today. What I spent today is probably the most I'll spend in one sitting for at least the next year."
"Because we're not those people. We're not flashy people."
"I know. And I'll remember that when my accountant calls me about your outrageous credit card charges. Or when I come home to a new addition on the house specifically for your wardrobe."
Mel tucked her head and blushed again. "We still have a lot to talk about."
"I know." Then he nodded back toward the doors. "Why don't we go and make that conversation legal?"
Mel grinned as he opened the temporary door for her and they were met face-to-face with Taylor as he had prepared to come out.
"Hey," he said nervously. "Thought you'd be having cocktails by now."
"No," Mel said. "We're about to go and get our marriage license from the officiant and then I'm going to change. What are you--I mean, are you headed to cocktail hour?"
"Uh, I don't know. I'm a little tired, I might skip cocktail hour."
"But you're coming to the reception, right?" Mel asked hopefully. Jason's body stiffened.
"Um, yeah. Yeah, I'll be there." Then Taylor looked at the both of them and held his hand out to Jason. "Congratulations. The ceremony was beautiful."
Jason took his hand and shook it. "Mahalo. Thank you for coming."
"I couldn't miss it," Taylor said. Then he looked at Mel and smiled. "You looked gorgeous today. I'm so glad you're happy."
Mel smiled and hugged Taylor, causing Jason's skin to crawl. He was so glad they bought a home in Hawaii. He was glad she no longer owned one in Tulsa. He was glad she'd cut her ties with 3CG Records and he was glad that he planned to fly her out to Europe in a few weeks after he started filming. He wasn't insecure, and he didn't purposely want to keep Mel separated from Taylor, but Jason knew he was still in love with her and he didn't need those kinds of feelings hanging around.
When Mel pulled away from Taylor and thanked him, Jason took her by the hand. "We better go get that license now," he said gently. Then he nodded at Taylor. "Taylor."
Taylor looked back at Jason, the realization of their positions crossing his face. "Jason," he returned.
And it was like they were suddenly back at square one.
------------------------------------------------------------
MEL
"Oh, shit, I don't have my room key!" Mel said as they stepped off the elevator and onto their hallway.
When they reached Jason's suite, he pulled his own room key out of his pocket. "It's okay," he said, matter-of-factly. "You don't have your own suite anymore anyway."
Mel gaped at him. "Excuse me?"
As she followed him into his suite, she stopped and looked around. All the flowers he'd sent, the balloons, her own luggage...had all been moved into his room. She would have melted at the gesture had she not been hyperventilating over her own belongings. "You're sure everything made it in here?"
"Every last item."
"You let strangers move my personal belongings?"
"Um, well...when you put it that way..."
She felt bad, but she had to do it. Her conscience wouldn't let it go. She searched all her things, the entire suite from top to bottom, making sure everything was accounted for. When she was satisfied, she turned around and looked at Jason and her heart broke at the expression on his face. "Oh, baby," she said to him. "I'm so sorry. I just--I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, I just--you know how paranoid I can be."
"Mel, I--" Jason sighed and sat on the sofa in the sitting room, Mel sitting down beside him. He looked at her. "I'm happy. This is the greatest day of my life. I've gotten everything I ever wanted today. But I feel like such an asshole."
Mel's eyes widened in alarm and she turned her body toward him, taking his hand. "No. Jason, please, I didn't mean to make you feel--"
"No, it's--it's not--I just--I don't want to leave."
Her heart melted. "I know, sweetie. But you have to work."
"I know, but--what, I marry you and then I take off? I can't even take you on a proper honeymoon? What kind of a husband is that?"
Mel couldn't help but smile. Was he really letting this bother him that bad? It was sweet. Cute, even. She turned his face toward hers. "A honeymoon isn't really that big a deal to me."
He narrowed his eyes at her in confusion.
"I knew we weren't going to have a honeymoon right after the wedding. We both did. It was common sense. But we have our entire lives to go on a honeymoon. Right? And if you think about it, all this time we spent in here has kinda been like one. You know?"
"So...sleeping at my mom's house and sneaking around to have sex on the beach has been a honeymoon to you?"
She raised her eyebrow flirtatiously. "Think about it." She let him stew on it for a moment as she stood up. "By the way, I need you to unzip me. I need to get ready for the reception."
---------------------------------------------------------------
JASON
He sat up and did as she asked him, reaching up and unzipping the back of her dress as she stood with her back to him, her hair over one shoulder as to not get in the way. The farther he unzipped, the more his heart began to pound. He hadn't expected this...
"Shit," he whispered under his breath as he saw the black laces against her skin. His heart began to pound. All that talk on the balcony just before the wedding...How had he not noticed this? HOW had he not felt any of this underneath her dress?
Just like that, Mel held her dress up against her and thanked him simply, making her way to the bathroom. 'No,' he screamed on the inside. 'NO!' He shifted his body around in his seat to watch her walk across the room. "Um, you know, it may not be TOTALLY necessary that we show up for cocktail hour is it?" He asked her. "I mean, it's not like you have to change clothes RIGHT this second or anything..."
His lame attempt was futile. She had already closed the bedroom door. Damn.
He sat there, his knee bouncing impatiently. He actually hadn't thought about changing for the reception, but now maybe he wondered if he should. He was comfortable in what he was in, but if she was changing...
Dammit, she was taking forever. What the hell was she doing? Her face and hair looked great, all she had to do was change her clothes. He needed a distraction. He needed to get out of there before--
"Jason?"
She called him from the bedroom. Holy shit, what does this mean? He calmed himself. Probably nothing. She probably needed something zipped or she needed him to find something or bring her something. No biggie. "Yeah?" He called.
"Can you come here for a minute?"
His heart sank. Her voice was complete business. Oh well. He couldn't get his hopes up yet anyway. After all, it wasn't technically their wedding night yet.
However, when he opened the door, he nearly fell to his knees at her mercy. He had only been joking when he asked her what she was wearing earlier. But she--well she had since upped the ante. Maybe she said she had been lying at that moment, but she sure as fuck didn't lie now.
She wore a simple, black corset with ruffled edges lined in red. Below the waist were a pair of tiny black panties and, as promised, a pair of thigh-high fishnet stockings. On her feet? Patent leather platforms. She had let her hair fall down her back and she stood before him, perfectly posed with her legs apart and her hand on her hip. His first thought, as he drank her in, was how in the hell was he going to get that damn thing OFF?
"Surprise," she said.
"It certainly is..."
"I mean, I know it's a little early, but..." She paused to adjust her stocking, Jason intently watching her every move. "I just couldn't wait any longer."
"We're gonna be late to our own reception."
"It's our party, right?"
"That, it is," he repeated as he walked in the room, looking her up and down. He took his time. He wanted to make sure he got the full effect. He looked up at her face. She had darkened her eye makeup and he smiled. Holy shit, this was the real deal.
He sat on the edge of the bed in front of her and looked at her a little more. As he unbuttoned his own shirt, the corners of his mouth turned up a little. "Turn around," he said.
As she did as he told her, turning around slowly, he smiled and shook his head. Goddamn, she was hot as hell. He knew those shoes were good for something, as often as she liked to wear them. He could have bounced a quarter off that ass. She may have been his wife now, and the day may have been romantic and emotional, but right now, romance didn't even exist. This was an entirely different woman standing in front of him right now.
Reaching for the end table, he picked up his phone and held it up in front of her. "Jason, what are you doing?"
"I want this for Europe," he said as he took the picture. Then, looking up at her face, he smiled again. "Don't worry, nobody's ever going to see it. This is for my eyes only. I promise." Then he sat his phone back down and peeled his shirt back off of his shoulders. "Come here," he said as he deposited his shirt onto the floor.
She walked across the room and stood between his parted legs. Looking up at her, he leaned over and ran his hands up from her ankles to her thighs until he stopped at her panties and hooked his fingers into the tops of them, gently pulling down, careful not to disturb the fishnets, until he let them drop around her ankles and picked them up off the floor as she stepped out of them. Then he stood and shoved them into his pocket. Mel's mouth dropped open and her eyes widened as he unbuckled his pants and held a finger to his lips. "Shh," he smiled. "It'll be our little secret."
He stood and stripped his pants off down to his gray boxer briefs, then made himself comfortable on the bed, sitting up against the headboard, his bent knees parted in front of him. "Come here," he said to her as he picked up his phone again.
He didn't tell her he was filming her as she crawled onto the bed and looked at him the way she did. Goddamn, she knew how to work an outfit. When Mel dressed, it was like she became the ensemble. She dressed for an occasion and she conducted herself for the occasion and damn if she didn't radiate complete sex right now in this moment. He was the luckiest bastard in the world.
As she sat up on her knees between his legs, he put the phone down on the bed beside him and looked up at her. Finally, he touched her, his hands running up and down the length of her corset. Her small breasts were pushed up to the top, revealing a teasing amount of cleavage and suddenly, he wanted it off. As his eyes darted over it, still not able to figure it out, he picked up his camera and positioned in front of her and commanded softly, "Take it off."
Confused, she furrowed her brow and ran her hands the length of it herself and objected, "But--"
He lifted his eyes from his phone. "Take it off," he repeated. "And look into the camera when you do it."
Realization coming over her face, she flipped her long hair to one side and slowly began to unbutton the corset from the top. His heart raced with anticipation at every button and his dick only seemed to get harder and harder.
As she unhooked it, she looked directly, with purpose, into the camera. He prayed that this would be enough to get him through in his trailer until she joined him in Europe. But for now, he was turned on as hell to be in the moment in person. When she finally opened it up and revealed her soft, tan skin, he let out a breath and muttered, "Goddamn." He liked the corset. He did. But he was more interested in the fishnets. There was nothing hotter than a pair of thigh-highs.
He let the camera film her for a few seconds more until he finally turned it off and laid it on the bedside table. "It's about time," she flirted. "I was wondering when you were going to stop taking pictures and take me instead."
His hand reached out and slid softly down the front of her torso, cupping her breast in his hand as he made his way down. When he'd reached the bottom, he flipped his wrist around and slid two fingers inside her and watched her jaw slack and her head fall back. He smiled at her reaction. When he pulled his fingers out, she looked at him in disappointment and he pulled her naked body close to him. He hooked his hand around her knee and bent it up beside him as his mouth covered her skin. Her breathing grew heavier and light moans escaped her throat and he pulled her face close to him and kissed her mouth. He let his hands fall to her hips and he gripped them as he pulled her body against his. He loved the way her hands felt against his chest, but, even more than that, he loved the way his own hands felt all over her body.
He leaned forward with her, finally, and laid her out across the bed in front of him, splayed out on her back in nothing but fishnets and stilettos. It was a hard decision to make at the moment, taking off his underwear or grabbing up his phone, and she looked so hot laying there in front of him that his phone won. Quickly, he sat on his knees above her and snapped a picture of her before tossing his phone on the bed beside him and scooting her body further up the bed. He then lowered his head between her legs and his tongue tasted her as, suddenly, the most erotic of sounds came from her mouth above him. He knew she loved when he did this. He knew he was good at it and he knew that he'd never once failed at getting her off. It was an ego boost if he ever got one.
He didn't normally look up at her as he went about his business. He was usually all about getting her off. But when she got quiet, curiosity got the best of him, and he looked up, his dick instantly getting hard again. In her hand, was his phone, positioned off to the side, just so to get a view of what was going on. She had objected at first, but now she was getting into it. Jesus, she was kinky as hell and he loved it.
When he started again, she began moaning and writhing once more, and he built up his intensity purposely to get her off quicker. In spite of himself, he was dying to see how much of this would actually end up on his phone and if she actually recorded her orgasm, that would be the fucking jackpot.
When she came, he was ready. On his knees again, he pulled her by her legs back toward him and entered her, as she lay sprawled out underneath him. He took his phone from her and turned on the video camera again. For a moment, he let it record as he fucked her before finally needing his full attention to be on her. Tossing his phone to the side, he lifted her fishnet-covered legs and lay them over his shoulders as his hands ran up her legs. He watched her pick up his phone again and this caused him to pick up his pace. He couldn't help it. The idea that she actually wanted to be the star on his phone was enough to send him over the edge.
When he felt her second orgasm pulse around him, he came immediately after. After a moment, he pulled out of her and collapsed down on top of her as she wrapped her arms around his body. He kissed her. He kissed her neck, her shoulder, her face, her lips. When carnal lust finally gave way to his emotions, he gazed down at his blushing bride and smiled. "Is this what married life is like?"
She smiled back at him. "I have a feeling it's what OUR married life is going to be like."
"Then damn, why the hell did we wait so long?"
"Because an entire two week engagement was too long?"
"You know what I mean."
Her voice softened. "But you're my husband now. And that's all that matters."
"I'm so glad you married me."
She cocked her head to the side and looked at him curiously as her fingers trailed his arms. "Jason? I just--I gotta know something."
"What's that?"
"Back then--in New York--you know when you found out I was pregnant and Tay and I and--and you wanted me to marry you instead. Was that--? I mean, were you serious?"
Jason sighed and hung his head, his face brushing hers. "I was caught in an emotional moment then. Please do not take it as a formal marriage proposal. Please. Don't. But--I mean, yeah. Yeah, I wanted to marry you then. I've always wanted to marry you."
"Tell me about Melokia."
"I already did."
"No. You said I wasn't supposed to know about it."
"Mel. We just had sex. On our wedding day. Is it really important that we bring this stuff up now?"
"I just wanna know."
"I got it soon after Taylor proposed to you at Drew and Gerard's wedding. I wanted something--some part of you--to have forever. So I got the tattoo. And that's where you stayed, never to leave me."
Tears welled up in her eyes. Goddammit, he knew this shit wasn't necessary right now. "Jason..."
He kissed her cheek and swept a strand of hair from her face. "Baby, when I say forever, I mean forever. I was gonna have you forever any way I could get you." Then he smiled. "And now here you are. My wife. And I still have to check myself and make sure I'm not dreaming."
"I love you," she whispered.
"I love you, too, gorgeous. But we should probably get ready for our reception. I'm sure we're already late."
------------------
Momentarily relieved of the sexual tension, Jason was still proud as hell as he walked outside to the reception with his arm slid around Mel's waist. She looked fucking spectacular, as always, and he hoped he would never get used to it. After her shower, she'd freshened up her hair and her makeup. Her dress was simple, white, strapless, tight, and mini, exactly the way he liked it. Her platform heels were white with little bows on the heels. Cute, but just sexy enough to make her ass look incredible in the dress. Her dress glowed against her golden skin and dark hair and he had decided early on that he loved the way Hawaii looked on her. It was as if as soon as she stepped off that plane, the islands just opened their arms and welcomed her in, making her their own. She may have been a city girl at heart, but island life suited her. He was so proud of her.
"There they are!" Nikki called out as applause followed her. "Only, what, thirty minutes late?"
Jason looked down at Mel and he caught her blushing underneath the low tent lights. Could anyone tell? Shit, judging by their timing, it wouldn't take a rocket scientist to know that they'd gone ahead and consumated their marriage ahead of schedule.
"Ladies and gentlemen," the emcee announced, shaking Jason back to reality. "Finally introducing the happy couple, Mr. and Mrs. Kamealoha!" He let the applause and cheering go on for a moment before speaking again. "If everyone will kindly clear the floor, the pair may then have their first dance as husband and wife."
The guests milled about, clearing space on the dance floor that was built under the tents on the beach. As the sun set and the sky darkened, the lights dimmed and a blue spotlight shined in the middle of the floor. Mel's eyes widened as Jason smiled down at her and held out his hand. "How about a little Moonlight Serenade?"
"Jason," Mel gasped as she took his hand. She was obviously shocked that he'd remembered when they danced to it in New York earlier that year. The music played as he led her to the dance floor, pulling her close and holding her hand against his chest. "Jason," she whispered again. "I can't believe you--in New York..."
He smiled down at her, his face close to his. When he'd insisted on picking their first song, he already knew what he was doing. And the surprise had paid off. "Would you expect any less?" He asked quietly. "It's the first time we ever danced together in the place you love the most--ultimately the one thing you love more than me."
She smiled at him, her smile making him weak in the knees. "I'm not so sure New York is my favorite place on Earth anymore."
"Oh?"
She nodded. "Yeah. My favorite place is wherever you are."
He grinned. "That's sweet. But--"
"It's true. I love New York. I truly do. But it's nothing without you. New York is where we met. Where we first kissed. Where we first danced. Where I first told you I was in love with you..."
"New York brought us together--"
"Malibu brought me home--"
"Hawaii married us--"
She smiled again. "I've loved you all over the United States. And all over the world."
He raised his eyebrows. "The world?"
"Ireland nearly killed me."
"Not as much as it killed me."
"No. I wanted you so bad. I loved you so much. But I was blind. I was blind and I loved you."
"You could have had me then."
"I know. But I have you now. And everything happens for a reason."
"Well this conversation seems to be coming full circle."
"How so?"
"The morning after we met, we had that conversation--about everything happening for a reason. We talked about why we came into each other's lives."
"You were wrong, you know."
He furrowed his brow in defiance. "About what?"
"You said Tay was my mana. But you were wrong."
"Actually, if I remember correctly, I said music was your mana. And I was right."
"And then you changed your mind."
"Maybe I was drunk."
Mel giggled. "You weren't drunk."
"Maybe I should have been."
Then she grew serious again. "It was you all along."
"Are you happy?" He asked gently.
"So happy."
As the song ended, he hated to separate from her and he stopped himself when he heard the simple familiarity of an old acoustic guitar. As Elvis Presley began to sing "Love Me Tender" through the speakers, Jason's heart melted onto the floor. His wife pulled him close to her again and began to sing the words softly to him.
"Oh, sweetheart," his said quietly as he swayed slowly with her.
She smiled. "You're not the only one who has something up their sleeve here, you know."
And then she continued to softly sing the lyrics to him. He realized then that, after all this time, he had never heard her sing before. He always knew she could but he guessed the occasion never came up. Her voice was beautiful, soft as she sang, and his chest hurt as he swallowed the lump in his throat and the tears sprang to his eyes. She was going to cause him to cry right here, in front of all these people. She was going to cause his emotions to get the better of him in front of everyone. This wasn't him. He didn't do this. He was a man, not a crier.
But she was just too beautiful in that tender, private moment.
Before he knew it, his forehead was pressed against hers and he whispered the words along with her. He wasn't a singer, but the lyrics rang true and he couldn't help but say them back to her, as well. As they danced, the most perfect first dance, which was technically their second, he began to have flashbacks. The way she ran her fingers through his then-long hair the night they met; the time she sat next to him in the tattoo chair and got her first tattoos right along with him; the way he fought his feelings hard in Cabo when he told her he couldn't be with her; in Ireland, when he first saw her walk past his trailer, and the way she smiled at him when he called her out; the first time he ever saw her in an evening gown at the first benefit she put together--which was ultimately the night he let her go; how beautiful she was every time he took her to dinner; the night she drunk texted him when she was kicked off an event committee in LA--the way she begged him to kiss her that night and he couldn't do it; the day she finally did kiss him in the hospital, the way she'd cried for him, the way she took care of him, and the way she let him go. Everything. Everything up until now flashed through his brain. Some of it--a lot of it--was hard. It was a rough road. But there wasn't a single bit of it he would have changed. That was the road that had ultimately put her here, in his arms, on their wedding night. It had been a long road, but it was worth it.
When the song ended, he kissed her gently and smiled at her. He couldn't seem to let her go and so they ended up in the same position as the first bars of the third song started, as well. "I love you so much," Jason whispered to her as the lyrics to the old song, "Till There Was You" began to play. It was corny and cliche, but it was a perfect wedding song and it wasn't like Jason was really listening to it anyway. His bride's arms were wrapped around his neck and there was nowhere else he would have rather been than in her arms in that moment.
Except maybe on their own, private island.
Jason pulled away from her just enough to look into her eyes. "I unwrapped my wedding gift today. It's amazing. I love it."
She smiled up at him. "You do? I'm so glad because it took hours!"
"I do. And I'm gonna take the smaller prints and pin them all around my mirror in my trailer next week."
She giggled. "All of them?"
"All of them. Except for the one I'm keeping in my pocket."
"Jason. You don't have to--"
"I want you with me, always. Any way I can get you."
She wrapped her arms tighter around his neck and he could feel her hips gently swaying to the music underneath his arms. He smiled at her and continued, "I got you a wedding gift, too."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. Except I can't give it to you here."
"I'm intrigued..."
"Actually, I can't give it to you at all."
She jerked her head back and furrowed her brow. "Now I'm concerned."
He chuckled. "Don't be concerned, it's just. It's something I wanted to do for you."
"Okay..."
"I didn't, uh, I didn't think you'd embrace Hawaii quite as much as you have...I thought it might be just another location, like, 'Oh it's pretty' and move on, right?"
"I love it here. It's not like that for me."
"I know. I love the way you've embraced the culture and my family...I never thought I'd see you belong anywhere else but New York."
She smiled. "Well, things change. And then we find ourselves."
"Right," he smiled back. "So, anyway, I bought you your own island."
Mel stopped swaying and stared up at him, wide-eyed. "Excuse me? My own--what?"
He chuckled. "It's not inhabited or anything like that. It's literally just--it's really not even inhabitable. It's tiny. Only just big enough to walk around on. But it's good for sunning or picnicking or something like that. No biggie."
"An island," she clarified. "An entire island..."
"A tiny island. Very tiny. But yours."
"What did you name it?" She asked in a small voice.
He narrowed his eyes at her. "What the fuck do you think I named it?"
"I'm beginning to think I should just change my name to the Hawaiian version."
Jason laughed. "Don't do that."
"So where is my tiny island?"
He wrapped his arms tighter around her and smiled. "Tonight, when we're spending our first night in our new home, as husband and wife, I'll find it on a map and show you."
"You're too much," she whispered. "I think I love you more and more every hour of the day."
Their moment was interrupted halfway through the song when Mel's father's voice cut into their personal space. "Mind if I cut in, son? Your first dance has lasted nearly three songs."
Mel and Jason separated as they smiled at Paul. "Of course," Jason said. "As long as your lovely wife has saved a dance for me."
Paul winked at him. "I'm sure that won't be an issue."
Smiling, Jason went off to offer his mother-in-law a dance.
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MEL
Mel couldn't keep her eyes off of Jason as they ate dinner. Namely, off of his hand and the gold ring. She had to take a moment to get lost in her own mind and revel in the surrealness of it all. She looked up at Jason's face as he laughed and talked with his cousins and then she looked down at his hand again. She couldn't keep her eyes off of him. Just a few short years ago, he was in her bed in New York, feeding her life-changing words of wisdom and telling her how he didn't want to hurt her, but that he couldn't commit because work came first. Of course, she'd only recently learned that was a crock, but it felt like yesterday, nonetheless. She'd emotionally pushed him away, fought her feelings, cried for him, defended him, and fought against all odds to keep him in her life, always afraid of losing him--and now he was her husband. Honestly, she never thought she'd see the day. She never thought she'd know the feeling of true, pure bliss. Until right now.
Mel knew she loved Jason in Chicago. When she'd seen him laid up in the hospital bed. When she'd chalked it up to fear and emotions, but she knew the truth. When she laid eyes on him and wanted nothing more than to be there and take care of him; when leaving to go home pained her more than she knew it should have; when she'd kissed him, she knew. However, if you'd asked her then, or even a couple of years prior, she'd have said marrying him would have never even been an option. Not only would it never happen, but he just didn't seem like the marrying kind.
Except that apparently he was. Living with Jason these past few months had been such a drastic change from her life with Taylor. Life with Taylor had been--well, it had been good. Never a dull moment. Rocky at times and a lot like business. They had both been workaholics to a degree and it had bled into their home life at times. Life with Jason, however, was comfortable. And fun. Mel was always smiling, always laughing. And he was so good to her. So caring and attentive, just like he always had been. It was almost eerie how he was so attuned to her every need, and she to his. She loved taking care of him. She loved being there when he came home, she loved cooking for him, keeping track of his schedule, shopping for him--for the first time in her life, Mel was a fully-domesticated woman. And she liked it! Maybe it was because it was him. Maybe John and Taylor were just wrong for her, in general. Maybe she just needed a man that she WANTED to take care of. Not that she didn't want to take care of John and Taylor. But those two tended to, well, let Mel get her way. If she didn't want to do something, she didn't do it. But Jason was different. He kept her in line and there were things he wasn't willing to tolerate. He gave her her freedom but he knew when to pull back the reins. Maybe THAT was why Mel had absolutely no problem taking care of him and being his woman--because he took such good care of her. Had John and Taylor taken good care of her? Looking back, she really wasn't sure of the answer.
She tried not to think about the fact that Jason was leaving in just a few short days. All she wanted to do was hole up with him in their new home, never to see the light of day until time for him to leave. She wouldn't join him for several more weeks, as she had business to tend to at home first. It would be a very long month.
Mel's thoughts were interrupted by the thumping of a microphone. The sound startled her out of her trance and Jason looked over and grinned at her as he caught her staring at him. On the other side of him, Kona stood nervously and looked around the tent. "Uh, hello, everyone. Um, my name is Kona. I'm the best man and Jason's cousin."
Kona paused to look down at Jason and Jason beamed up at him. This caused Mel to smile as well. "I grew up with Jason," Kona continued. "Neither of us had siblings, so we became like brothers. I always thought Jason was so cool. I wanted to be like him and I copied everything he did. I wanted to do everything he was doing. I looked up to him. I still do. But, growing up, Jason was what you would call 'unlucky in love.' " He always had girls after him all the time. They flocked to him. He was always nice to them, but he would hardly ever date any of them. Never. So I asked him one day, I said, 'Jason. You hae all these beautiful women to choose from. Why aren't you out there taking advantage of it?' And I'll never forget his answer. He said, 'I don't connect with them. And if I don't connect, why would I waste my time? I will find her. And when I do, I will do right by her. And it will be magic.' I never heard Jason talk like that before, it was so out of character. But he meant every word. Jason was patient. Resilient. And he had his heart broken a couple of times--"
"Hey," Jason warned him. "Get it right. I never had my heart broken. What was it that I said to you?"
Kona paused and thought for a moment and then he blushed. "Oh yeah. This girl dumped him once and he didn't act phased by it and I asked him why and he said, 'Because when the day comes that my heart is broken, I want it to be worth it.' " Kona paused and smiled at Mel and Jason. "Guess she broke your heart pretty bad, huh?"
Mel smiled and Jason chuckled and patted his own chest.
"I never heard about Mel," Kona said. "All this time he's known her, I never heard about her. When Jason isn't a nonstop chatterbox about something, you know it's serious. But when they arrived on the island a few weeks ago and I saw Jason for the first time in a long time, I could tell he was happy. He was almost serene. Quiet. Domesticated!" Kona paused and laughed. "The wild beast was tame! But seriously, I've seen Jason's best these past few weeks. And I know that it was Mel who brought it out of him. So, a toast to Mel, for being the one who was worth it. A toast to the mister and missus for a long and happy marriage!"
Applause filled the tent and Jason and Mel stood and hugged Kona as Jason took the microphone from him. Jason looked around and smiled. "I know you guys are sick of hearing me talk," he said. "But Kona's right. This one right here broke my heart so many times...she was the only one I couldn't have. I've never had a problem with women turning me down until I met this one. Sure, we had some fun times, but I was after the ultimate grand prize--her heart. Which was, honestly, something I'd never set out to attain before. ANd it was hard. Goddamn, was it hard. I can't begin to tell you how many times I lost her. And this last time--this last time I lost her was the worst. Because that was when I knew that she actually felt the same way that I felt about her--and she knew it, too. And then she was gone. And my heart truly broke and I gave up the fight because she asked me to." Jason paused and cleared his throat, causing Mel to tear up. He looked down at her and smiled. "But now here she sits. As my wife. So beautiful. So caring. And so mine. She does bring out the best in me. I don't know who I ever was without her." He raised his glass. "So here's to my wife, Melody Kamealoha."
When he finished his toast, Mel couldn't resist. She stood and wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, her heart heavy with emotion. She never believed it was possible to love someone this much, but then she looked at Jason and it was real. Every single time.
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JASON
As the party wore on, Jason found himself sitting around the fire pit across from David and Andy, with Kelani beside him. "Late for your own reception," David said, shaking his head. "You are never one to be late for a party."
"I know," Jason replied. "You're never gonna believe what happened to me." He raised his eyebrows and turned up his beer.
"Couldn't make it till later, huh?" David said.
"She didn't leave me much choice."
"Well, shit, man, spill it, what happened?" Kelani asked.
"Let's just say I think I'm gonna enjoy the married life."
"Famous last words from someone still we behind the ears," David muttered.
"Come on. I know Mel. I picked a good one." Then he looked around and lowered his voice. "Okay, fine. So she calls me into the bedroom, right? Catches me completely off guard. So I walk in and she's wearing this hot pair of black--"
"Hi, boys," Mel's voice scared the shit out of him as he looked up and saw Mel and Sarah standing there over them. The blood drained from his face as she smiled down at him. "What are we talking about?"
Jason glanced around at the men, who remained tight-lipped. "Um, just, uh, telling the guys how lucky I am that you married me."
"Uh-huh," she smiled, knowingly. Had he been busted? He had no idea.
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MEL
Taking her by the hand, Jason pulled Mel down, side-saddle into his lap, and she looked around as Sarah sat next to her huband across from them. He wrapped an arm around the back of her waist and allowed the other hand to rub her smooth, bare legs. "Where are your shoes, gorgeous?"
She smiled at him. "I couldn't wear them in the sand."
"I know," he replied, craning his neck and looking around. "But I don't want them to get messed up or lost or something."
Mel melted at his concern for her shoes. He always expressed concern for the things that she loved, no matter how big or small. It was one of the many reasons that she loved him. "They'll be fine. I trust everyone here."
"Okay," he replied. Then he kissed her and they shared a private moment.
As Jason kissed Mel and whispered sweet nothings at her, Kelani's voice interrupted them. "Ah, newlyweds. Enjoy that phase while it lasts."
Jason turned to look at him. "Why do people keep saying shit like that?"
Kelani laughed and shook his head. "I'm not dogging it, bra. I'm just saying. After awhile you get used to it."
"You mean you take it for granted."
"Uh--well, not--"
"I will NEVER take my wife for granted," Jason said sternly.
In an attempt to lighten the mood, Sarah spoke up. "So, what's on the agenda after tonight? Where are you honeymooning?"
Mel shook her head as the fire crackled in front of her. "No honeymoon. Jason leaves in a couple days to start filming."
"Oh, no! No honeymoon?"
"We're spending the night in our new house for the first time, if that counts for anything."
Sarah looked up in thought. "Yeah, I guess that's acceptable." Then, all of a sudden, she smacked her husband on the knee. "David! Are you seriously watching porn right now?"
Poor David looked up, his eyes wide in bewilderment. "What? I don't even have my phone."
"What?"
Jason had been having a very loud conversation as Mel had talked to Sarah and he seemed oblivious to his surroundings. It was only when there was a lull in conversation when Mel could hear the horror that Sarah had accused David of. Horror because the sounds were extremely specific. The groans. The sighs. And then the words. "Jason!" She heard her own voice moan in desperation. "Yes, Jason, just like that. Don't stop!"
Mel wanted to die as she quickly patted Jason's arm. "Jason!" She hissed. "Make it stop!"
He looked confused. "What?"
When he heard his own voice growling how good she felt, coming from his pocket, his eyes widened and he scrambled for his phone. "Fuck!" He muttered, the sounds of sex only growing louder as he took his phone from his pocket to turn it off.
When Jason had finally succeeded, the circle around the fire pit grew quiet and all eyes were on them. Jason's attempt at an explanation had failed when all he could get out of his mouth was, "Um..."
At that, Kelani lost his mind with laughter and David grinned. "So. She was wearing what, again?"
Mel looked into Jason's eyes, mortified.
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JASON
Things had only gone from bad to worse. Goddamn David and his big fucking mouth. And now the look on his wife's face read pure shock, hurt, and betrayal. "How could you?" She whispered. Then she stood up off his lap. "I can't stay here."
"Baby, come on--"
But she was already making her way down the beach in the opposite direction of her own reception. Glaring at David, Jason stood from his chair and followed her. It took a second to catch up to her, as she had walked briskly away. He caught her by the elbow, feeling the chill bumps along her arm. Turning her around, he began unbuttoning his own shirt. "No," she said sternly. "I am NOT having sex with you right now and probably not ever again."
"Shut up," he muttered as he peeled the white button-down back from his shoulders. He placed it around her as she angrily shoved her arms through the sleeves and she shoved the long sleeves above her wrists as he began to button it for her. "There's a chill in the air."
"I'm humiliated."
"That makes two of us."
"Really? Because David apparently got an earful."
Jason huffed, annoyed. "David didn't get shit."
"Yeah, right. Because he just randomly starts a sentence with 'She was wearing what?' "
"I didn't actually tell him.
Mel's jaw dropped. "Is THAT what you were talking about when we walked up?"
Jason sighed and looked around, guiltily. Fuck. Maybe Kelani was right. Only a few hours in and he was already having to save his own ass. "Look. When men get together they, you know--talk."
"So you swap sex stories? And videos?"
"No, we don't--"
"Really? Because what we recorded on your phone earlier just magically decided it wanted to start playing?"
"Maybe I shifted in the chair wrong or something--"
"No. Phones are NOT that sensitive!"
"Goddammit, Mel, have we not fucking talked about this? About you jumping to conclusions all the time? Just shut your mouth and stop interrupting me!"
"You hurt me," she said in a small voice.
Fuck. There it was. The H word. Goddammit.
"I wasn't trying to hurt you," he said softly. "The phone in my pocket was an accident. I promise."
She looked up at him. "We stay in the public eye all the time now. Constantly. There are just some things that are private, that I'd like to keep private. Especially our sex life."
"Here, look." He fished his phone from his pocket. "I'll delete it. Okay? I'l delete it all."
Catching him off guard, she reached out and lowered his arm. "I mean, you don't--you don't HAVE to delete it..."
"What?"
"You're going to be in Europe for a month...alone...and, well--I mean...you know."
He felt the corners of his mouth starting to twitch and he wanted to smile but he kept his composure. "So you don't want me to delete it."
"I don't think that's really necessary...and my issue isn't really even the phone, it's the fact that you were about to tell everyone what we did."
He sighed and shoved his phone back in his pocket. "I'm sorry. I just--I got caught up in the moment. I thought about it and I wanted to brag a little. You know?"
"Brag?"
"Yeah." He flashed a small smile and pulled her close to him. "I like to brag on you. I'm proud of you. I want people to know how gorgeous and amazing you are. Maybe in some ways it's me convincing myself that this is finally a reality. I don't know."
"But is it necessary to brag about what goes on in our bedroom?"
He shook his head and swept her hair off of her shoulder. "No," he said softly. "Absolutely not."
"I can't face them again. Not tonight." Then her eyes focused on something behind him and they widened. "And I especially can't face HIM."
Jason turned around to find David walking toward them up the beach. The breeze blew right through Jason's tank top as he waited for him to approach. "Look, I just wanted to apologize for back there," David said. "I've had a little bit to drink and I was rude. I didn't mean to ruin your night or cause any problems."
Jason shook his hand and shook his head. "It was all me, man. I'm the one who messed up. I'll probably never live this one down."
David looked around at Mel, who stood halfway behind Jason. "I'm sorry if I said anything rude or out of the way to you or about you. YOu and Jason are dear friends of mine and Sarah's. I would do nothing to intentionally disrespect you."
Stepping out from behind Jason, Mel accepted David's apology. "Well, Jason's right, you know. He IS the one who fucked up here, not you."
"Wow," Jason muttered up at the sky.
"Apology accepted. I know how loose a pair of lips can be after a few drinks."
David smiled. "Thanks. Really, thanks. I'm glad we cleared this up. So, uh, I'll leave you guys to it, then." And with that, he turned and walked away.
Jason turned to Mel. "I'm really not gonna live this down, am I?"
"Not for awhile, at least." Then she stepped closer to him and ran her hands up his bare arms and slipped them around his neck. "Take me home," she whispered. "I want to go home."
"Take you home? We haven't cut the cake yet."
"Then let's cut the damn cake and go home."
He smiled down at her, amused. "Someone's anxious."
"I just want to go home. There are too many people here and all I want is you. Alone. Nothing else but you. Please, just take me home."
Her words sounded like heaven. There was something in the way she leaned on him for support. Depended on him. Needed him. It was a feeling he couldn't describe and he loved it. But, shit, what would happen when he was in Europe and she needed him? What then? He tried not to think about it as he smiled down at her. "Absolutely, gorgeous. There's nowhere else I'd rather be than at home with you."
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MEL
Walking into their brand new house in the dark was like unwrapping a gift. They'd been in and out of it all week, having rooms painted and furniture delivered. And the furniture was still a little sparse, but that was okay. They had a bed and running water and, for the next two days, that was really all Mel cared about.
As her heels clicked against the hard wood floor, she reached up to flip the light switch, only to be stopped by Jason's hand. "Leave it off," he said. "Wait here."
Confused, she watched him cross the nearly empty living room, save for a sofa and an entertainment center built into the wall, and he picked a remote control up off one of the shelves and clicked it on, a roaring fire lighting up on the television screen, providing dim lighting in the room. Mel giggled at the novelty of it and his eyes sparkled in the fake fire light as he smiled back at her. Pressing another button, the sounds of George Michael's Careless Whisper filled the room and she stifled another laugh as he crossed the room and took her by the hand. Pulling her to the middle of the living room, he pulled her close to him and he swayed to the music with her. "What is going on here?" She smiled.
"It sounds awesome, doesn't it? I had the sound system put in a couple days ago. It's fucking fantastic. But, honestly, I just like dancing with you."
Mel's eyes looked around in thought and she smiled. There had been a lot of dancing in their past. As if reading her thoughts, he leaned into her ear and his rich voice breathed quietly, "The first time I ever held your body close to mine like this, we were dancing. Remember?"
"Of course I remember."
"I love dancing with you. I love the way your hips feel under my hands. I love the way you get lost in the music sometimes and your hands can't stay still--I love the way you touch me as a result of it. But mostly I love dancing with you in private like this. Because like this, I can do anything I want..." His hands drifted up her back and stopped at the top of her dress and he took hold of the zipper. "I can undress you for real, instead of undressing you with my eyes."
Mel looked up into his eyes and rested her hand against his cheek. "I'm extremely turned on right now. But I'm also so happy. I love you so much, Jason. You were mine from the very beginning. From day one. And I was so stupid but I'm glad I got past that. I'm so proud of you and so proud to be your wife. You're my entire world. I hope you know that."
His hands paused and abandoned the zipper for a moment, opting to pull her tight against him and lean his face close to hers. "You have no idea what it means to me to hear you say that. Sometimes I still think I'm dreaming, that this can't be real. That this couldn't possibly be happening to me. And then you start to speak and you tell me how much you love me and how much you want me and I can feel you, like you're in my veins or in my blood. I know that sounds, I don't know, fucking morbid and shit, but you get what I'm saying, right?"
Mel nodded. And then she smiled. "But it is real. And I am here. And I do want you."
He smiled. "I love the hell out of you. So much it hurts sometimes."
"Take me to bed."
"Damn, woman. Take me home, take me to bed. Getting awful demanding, aren't we?"
"Take me to bed," she repeated.
"I'll take you anywhere you want to go, gorgeous." Then he leaned over and scooped her up off the floor, causing a giggle to escape her lips. "Sorry, I, uh, didn't do the traditional thing and carry you over the threshold there. Will the one in the bedroom work?"
Mel scoffed. "The threshold in the bedroom. Story of our lives, huh?"
At that, Jason threw his head back and laughed.
As her husband carried her to the bedroom, through their house, on their wedding night, Mel stole another look into his eyes before the darkness of the hallway took over. She was content. At ease. Safe. In love. As long as she was with Jason, nothing could hurt her, trouble her, or drag her down. The feeling of putting one hundred percent of your trust in someone else's hands, and feeling comfortable with it, was one of the most euphoric feelings there ever was. Being in his arms was pure bliss. Just like he had said to David earlier, Mel could never take him for granted. Not ever.
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JASON
After making love to his wife, Jason lay in bed, his arms wrapped around her, holding her close to his body. They talked about random things. Reminisced about the past and about the wedding. They talked about what his new movie had in store for him and when she would be joining him in Europe. He'd said it out loud already, but he couldn't help thinking it as he stroked her hair and her shoulder. He couldn't believe it was real. He couldn't believe he'd married the woman of his dreams. He thought he'd lost her for sure. And when she told him she was in love with him, that she actually returned the feelings he had for her, it was the best moment of his life. Well, next to this day, of course.
He always wondered what it would be like if she loved him back. Would everything still be the same? Would their relationship change? No. The truth was, their relationship only got better. Stronger. More beautiful. She wanted to keep him close before, but now they were inseparable. It would take an act of god to take her away from him now. She was his woman now and he would fight to the death for her.
He hadn't realized that they'd actually stopped talking until he heard the steady, even breathing coming from her nose as her content sighs lightly heaved against his chest. He smiled at how soundly she seemed to be sleeping. As he hugged her a little tighter, he closed his eyes to the darkness. For the rest of his life he would see her before he went to sleep and in the mornings when he woke up. And for the rest of his life, the reality would aways be there, her body pressed up against his, or her beautiful face close to his. For the rest of his life he would hold her and love her and be grateful every single day that it was him that she chose. That the man she fell in love with was him. That she was his, his Melokia.
Melody Kamealoha.
NIKKI
The Oahu sunrise was beautiful. Nikki had seen many a sunrise in many a country, but never in the state of Hawaii. It certainly didn't disappoint.
As she prepared to go back inside hers and Isaac's hotel room, her eyes fell on the walkway below her, three floors down. Her eyes widened at what she discovered. "Mel!" She scolded. She couldn't believe her eyes. There she was, underneath Jason's arm, on their WEDDING DAY!! This woman was a glutton for punishment for sure!
The couple stopped and looked up at her. "Uh, we were just uh..." Mel called up to her.
"I don't care, are you crazy? Your wedding is practically doomed! It's gonna rain now, you know! It's gonna rain right down on your perfect wedding because you just couldn't stay away for one night!"
"That's pretty much the moral of the story," Jason called up as he smiled.
"The moral of the--to rain on your WEDDING?"
"No. The, uh, just couldn't st--you know what, it's fine. It's just superstitious bullshit."
Nikki's eyes glared into the both of them even though she knew they probably couldn't tell it. "You two get back to your rooms this instant before the rest of your day is ruined!"
"I'm coming up right now, I promise!" Mel called up to her.
"Well hurry up before you two draw attention to yourselves!" She looked around the couple frantically before she darted back into the hotel room.
She hadn't realized Ike was awake until she witnessed him sitting up in the bed, flipping channels on the television. "What the hell are you out there doing?" He asked her, yawning.
"Jason and Mel were down there! Together!"
He raised an eyebrow. "They aren't supposed to see each other, are they?"
"Exactly! I bet they even--" Her eyes widened in realization. "Oh, Ike, they even spent the night together."
"I think you're over-reacting. Do you really, truly believe all that mumbo jumbo?"
"Now you sound like Jason," she muttered.
"Seriously."
She sighed as she crawled in bed next to her husband. "Ike? Is it weird that I want this wedding to be perfect? I mean, am I the enemy? Are Kate and I enemies for being bridesmaids?"
"Well...I mean, we're all here, so...hell, even Tay seems to be okay with it."
"Do you think he's REALLY okay with it?"
"At this point, does he really have a choice?"
She let out a breath in thought for a moment. Then she turned to look at him. "What do YOU think?"
Ike sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Um...well, ultimately, other people's personal lives are none of my business--"
"Seriously."
"I mean--of course I wanted Mel and Tay to get married. Everybody did. But in the end--I mean, look what it did to them. It just wasn't right. You can't force something to be right that just isn't."
"But they loved each other so much. And now all of a sudden she's marrying Jason--"
"Nikki, to be honest, I think Mel has been in love with Jason all this time. All of these past few years. And I think Tay knew it, too."
"Then why continue to--?"
"I'm not saying Mel didn't love my brother. I know she did. But I think the love they tried so hard to keep went away a long time ago. They're better friends than they are lovers. Would you really want them marrying anyway? Her in love with another man, him crazy out of his mind over it? It's a recipe for disaster. I think this last time they split up, it all came out in the open."
"Yeah, but--but Tay was so--"
"With or without Mel, Tay was eventually going to lose his mind. Literally."
Nikki bit her lip and pondered her husband's words for a moment. "If she was in love with Jason, why wouldn't she just--be with him?"
"I don't know all the details. I think she did what she felt was right. I think somewhere along the line her emotions may have gotten crossed or mixed up. I think she tried with Tay as hard as she could--I think she really wanted to. I think--I think maybe in some instances she pushed Jason away because he ultimately wasn't supposed to happen. So she molded her life into what she thought it was supposed to be like instead of following her heart. I think that was the deep root of most of hers and Tay's relationship problems."
"Ike. Do you--? I mean, do think she ever...you know..."
"No," he said abruptly. "If I know ANYTHING about that woman over the years, I know she would never be unfaithful, no matter the situation. Not ever. And Jason wouldn't have allowed it to happen."
"He is a good guy," she admitted.
"He really is," Ike agreed.
She smiled over at him. "And he really loves her."
"He'd have to, to voluntarily put himself through what he put himself through for her all this time."
"He waited for her..."
"Which is something my brother never did."
"That was a little harsh."
"I didn't mean to be harsh, but it's the truth."
"So you're okay with it, then?"
"Of course I'm okay with it. Everyone seems to be happy. Even Tay seems happy lately. And besides, did you see them at the rehearsal dinner last night? They belong together."
Nikki smiled, flipping her hair off her shoulder as she leaned into her husband, allowing him to put his arm around her shoulder. "They are adorable together." Then she looked at him. "When we renew our vows, let's do it in Hawaii."
Ike smiled and nodded at her. "I think that's something we can definitely look into."
---------------------------------------------------------------
MEL
Mel's mother was the first one in her suite that morning. She had barely gotten a shower in before she heard the knock on the door. Smiling, she let her mother in, who already looked like a million bucks. "Mother, look at you this early in the morning!"
Susan blushed. "Well, your father and I got up early to watch the sun rise on the balcony and then we went downstairs for breakfast."
"That seems like what everyone is doing this morning," Mel muttered.
"Have you eaten? Do you want me to get you anything?"
Mel shook her head. "No thank you. I'm too excited to eat right now."
Susan smiled warmly as she crossed the room and cracked the sliding glass door open before sitting in the desk chair. "So this is it, huh? This is what makes you happy."
Mel frowned at the comment. "Of course it is. I love him."
Susan smiled at her daughter. "I know." Then she took a deep breath. "So, I'm surprised to see Taylor here this weekend."
"Yeah," Mel agreed. "Me, too."
"Have you had the chance to talk?"
"Yeah. We've spoken. We're, uh--everything's okay. Everything is...as it should be."
"Do you have any regrets? That it didn't work out with him?"
"I did at first. When we first split up. But then--I don't know, Mom, I thought it was just pregnancy hormones at the time but--yanno, Tay told me to call Jason. I wasn't going to. At all. But Tay told me to call him. It took forever but I finally did and he happened to be in New York and--and, Mom, when he walked in the door of my apartment it was like everything was okay. I was safe, I was secure. It wasn't hormones. I missed him. I always missed him. I missed him more than I knew I should have. I hated when he was out of the country, I hated how he could only sweep in for twenty-four hours and then be gone again for weeks and months at a time. It tore my heart up every time I watched him leave. And when he left my apartment in New York I just--I missed him. I missed him and Tay hardly crossed my mind and I realized--it hit me like a ton of bricks--but I realized that I love Jason. I always have. I've loved him this entire time, from the moment I ever laid eyes on him. You don't ever expect these things to happen. It wasn't in--in my fucked up version of a plan. So I pushed him away. But, Mama, I'm free. I'm so free and I'm so happy and I'm so content. This is right. Being with Jason is RIGHT. And I can't WAIT to go right out there on that beach and marry him."
Susan was silent for a moment before another smile crept across her face. "I'm so glad to see you this happy, sweetheart. I've wished this for you for a long time."
Mel smiled back at her mother. "Thank you."
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Mel wasn't expecting Nikki, Kate, and Leona for at least another hour. She and her mother exchanged curious glances before Mel tied her robe around her tighter and peeked through the peep hole, her eyes widening. She turned and glanced at her mother and grinned. "Mother, you shouldn't have."
Susan looked bewildered. "Shouldn't have what?"
As Mel opened the door, she was taken aback by the room service cart. Complete with the silver covered plate and mimosas in champagne flutes, she stood aside and let the man push the cart inside. Susan's eyes widened. "Melody, what is this?"
"I don't know. I didn't order anything."
Wordlessly, the server lay a white tablecloth over the small table by the balcony and began to take the silver plates off the cart and position them on the table. Once the place was set, he began to take the tops off of the plates. "Here, we have eggs with rice and a side of bacon, not too crispy, just chewy enough."
Mel interrupted with a giggle.
"And then we have a fruit bowl with the freshest Hawaiian fruit, without 'all the fancy salad stuff.' "
Now she covered her mouth and smiled.
"We have cinnamon sugar bagels with cream cheese and strawberry yogurt with granola. You have your choices of water, black coffee, or the finest mimosas on this side of the island."
"Oh my god," Mel giggled. "Thank you so much. Oh! Here!"
She ran to the desk and began rummaging through her purse. "There's no need," the server interrupted her. "It's my pleasure."
"Um, okay...thank you..."
And with that, the server and his cart were gone.
Susan's eyes widened. "What is all this?"
Mel grinned and looked at her mother. "Jason."
"How do you--?"
"Because he was obviously instructed to say what he said about the fruit." She looked over the table and smiled. "I can't eat all this!"
"I'll definitely help you out with those mimosas," Susan said.
Grinning, Mel handed her mother one of them and she sat at the desk, picking through the many breakfast options. "Rice for breakfast?" Her mother asked.
Mel grinned again. "It's a Hawaiian thing. Jason's still trying to get me used to it. It's not bad, I think I might come around." Then she looked up at Susan. "What do I do? I can't even thank him! If I so much as text him, Nikki will have my head!"
"What if I thank him for you?"
"I don't know, I guess you could..."
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JASON
Kona was already in Jason's suite, along with Andy and David. The men flipped channels and talked as they sat around the room. It would take no time at all for them to get ready and the ceremony was hours away. Jason was happy to sit and chill out before everything turned hectic.
As he sat and bullshitted with the guys, his text alert went off. He opened the picture that Mel's mother sent and he smiled. It showed Mel, from the neck down, sitting in her white robe at the table in front of the smorgasbord he had delivered to her room. He knew she would waste no time on the alcohol and, judging by the picture, he was right. That was his woman. "She knew it was from you the moment the server opened his mouth," the text read.
Jason chuckled at his phone as he looked at the picture a second longer. Then, a devious smile spreading across his face, he searched a number and dialed it. When they picked up, he asked, "How long would it take to have twenty balloons delivered?" Unsatisfied with the answer, he scowled into the phone. "Well how much would it take to find someone who CAN?" Suddenly, the voice on the other end changed their tune. Jason smiled. "That's better. Have them come to my suite first before they get delivered. Make sure they're white."
As he hung up the phone, he realized the room was silent. "Man, what are you doing?" David asked him.
"What?" Jason smiled. "I'm just...being my normal, charming self."
David smoothed a hand over his dark hair. "First breakfast and now balloons..." he shook his head. "You're something else, man."
Jason stretched his body out in his chair as he crossed his ankles and rested his hands behind his head. "It's all about keeping your woman happy, my friend. That's it."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
MEL
Within the hour, it was a mini estrogen-filled reunion. Nikki and Kate made it to Mel's suite, followed by Leona, and lastly, Mel couldn't mistake the flaming red hair as she looked through the peep hole. "Sarah!" She smiled when she opened the door. "I'm so glad you could make it."
Sarah looked confused as she pointed behind her. "Um, I apparently didn't come alone. This guy looks like he's about to fly away."
Mel's eyes widened as she spied a hotel staffer behind Sarah with about a million white balloons. "Oh my god!" Mel smiled in shock.
Sarah stepped into the room and Mel stepped aside and allowed the poor guy into the room. The women immediately chattered and laughed at the sight as Mel attempted to take them off the man's hands. When she could finally see behind the balloons, she realized that it was the same one who had brought her breakfast. Calling over her shoulder, Mel said, "Hey, will someone get in my purse--"
"No need," he said once again. "It's my pleasure."
Mel pouted in defeat. "Come on. I gotta give you something."
"No need," he smiled.
She looked up at the balloons, only now to notice the black writing on them. "What is all this?"
"A message."
Mel grinned. "From Jason?"
"I'm not at liberty to say."
She laughed until she cried.
"That's practically the same as texting!" Nikki called from the doorway of the other room. "You go right back there and you make sure you tell him that sending messages like that is still communicating!"
Mel scowled at Nikki over her shoulder. "He already sent me breakfast. I think the damage has been done." Then she turned to the man. "What is your name?"
"Tua," he smiled.
Mel smiled back. "Tua. Why don't you come in here and help me get all this sorted out?"
"My pleasure, madam."
As Tua followed Mel with the balloons, Mel turned and looked at the other women. "This is Tua. He delivered breakfast, too. And if I know my Jason like I think I know him, I'm sure we haven't seen the last of this lovely gentleman today."
"What in damnation is going on in this room?" A voice bellowed suddenly.
Mel's face lit up as Barb entered the open door to her suite. As Mel crossed the room and hugged her future mother-in-law, she smiled. "Your son happened."
"Well what the hell is he doing?"
"He apparently has way too much time on his hands. He already sent breakfast. And now...this..."
Barb walked around Tua and eyed the balloons. She took a moment to greet the other women in the room and introducing herself to Sarah for the first time. In the meantime, Mel remembered what Tua said about a message. "So how many balloons are here, Tua?"
"Twenty," he responded proudly.
Upon further inspection, she saw that each balloon had a letter on it. Jason was apparently intent on keeping her busy today. Mel turned around and counted the women in the room. "Okay. If five of you hold four balloons apiece, I can maybe get this accomplished."
"I call video!" Sarah called, jumping behind Mel. "This is too good not to film."
The rest of the women looked like game show contestants. They lined up, from left to right, Leona, Kate, Nikki, Barb, and Susan and Mel started taking balloons from Tua and handing them to the ladies, two in each hand. It took a few minutes for Mel to turn them all where she could see the letters and then she stood back and contemplated.
As she examined the letters, she stifled a giggle. "There's a comma," she said. "He even put a damn comma in there."
"Probably to use up balloons," Susan said.
With the letters that were given, it took no time at all for Mel to figure it out. She had always been sort of a whiz with word scrambles. She knew she looked like an idiot as she traded and re-traded balloons, but she finally got it and when she stepped back, a tear sprang to her eye as she covered her mouth and smiled. "God, I love that man," she muttered out loud.
Leona peeked around at the other balloons. "So, what does it say?"
It was simple. Sweet. Perfect. "Hey gorgeous, I love you," she read out loud.
A series of "Awww's" rang out amongst the women as Mel grinned like an idiot at twenty white balloons. Then she checked the time. Late morning. She widened her eyes and turned to Tua. "Tua, I don't know what he's paying you, but I'll double it if you'll help me, too."
Tua grinned. "Of course. Anything you wish, ma'am."
Mel's grin widened.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
ZAC
Isaac and Taylor had gone to lunch and boredom was getting the best of Zac. Actually, it wasn't boredom. The truth was, he felt awkward as shit being around Tay. And feeling something like that around your brother wasn't exactly normal, as far as Zac was concerned. It wasn't like Tay was brooding or moping or anything like that. It was quite the opposite, actually. Tay was happy and smiling and every bit of it was real. Thinking back on what his brother had recently been through, the entire thing just made Zac's head spin and he had to get out of there.
And, besides, Jason was his friend, admittedly. He and Jason had things in common. They got along. He was closer with Jason than Ike and Tay were and he felt bad when he turned Jason down to be in the wedding. Thankfully, Jason understood. That was the thing about that guy. He understood too much to be upset. Didn't mean he didn't have feelings like everybody else, but his easy-going, laid back attitude made life so much easier.
When Zac knocked on Jason's door, he was greeted by a Hawaiian with long, frizzy dark hair. He remembered him from last night but he couldn't remember the name...
"Zac, right?" The Hawaiian asked.
"Yeah," Zac smiled.
"Kelani," the Hawaiian answered. Then he smiled. "Welcome, bra. Come in."
Thanking him, Zac walked in the door of the suite, passing through the kitchenette and stopping short when he saw an unexpected sight in the sitting area. Jason was a tall man. 6'5" of hulking Hawaiian mass. So when Zac spied the brown heap of testosterone with a man at his feet and a man at his head, he had to cock his head a little. As the man below him busied himself with Jason's feet, the man at his head was at his beard with a comb and scissors in careful concentration. The trim, Zac could understand. The other part...
"I have a manicurist coming right after this," Jason said, smiling as best as he could through his trim.
Zac walked in and sat in a chair off to the side of him to stay out of the workers' way. "Gotta admit, this is the last thing I expected to see."
"It's my wedding day," Jason said. "I will not be anything less than perfect when she meets me at that altar."
"So it's for her..."
"It's always for her."
Suddenly, Kona walked in on their conversation. "All about keeping your woman happy, right?" He laughed.
Zac raised his eyebrows in question.
"I've been a little busy today," Jason said.
"Busy ain't the word, bra," Kona said. "He's been sending her gifts all day long. Breakfast, balloons..."
"Okay," Jason said, shutting Kona down. "Hey, can Zac and I have a minute?"
"Yeah, sure," Kona said.
One he had disappeared from the room, Jason said to Zac, "I've been sending her gifts to keep my mind from wandering off. I'm nervous as shit, man. I'm scared to death. And I wouldn't be admitting it if I didn't trust you and if you weren't already married. I don't--I don't DO that, you know?"
Zac nodded. "I know."
"And it's not that--it's not that I have doubts or cold feet or anything. Nothing like that. It's just--I want her to be happy. You know? I don't ever want her to regret marrying me. And besides that, I've never been in a serious relationship before. And the first one I get in, I jump in and take the plunge altogether! Who does that?"
"THAT sounds like cold feet."
"That's not--I mean--I just don't want to fuck it up. I feel like I have so much to--sorry, I shouldn't be telling you this."
"You feel like you have a lot to make up for," Zac finished.
"Yeah."
"Look," Zac said, resting his elbows on his knees and lacing his hands together. "I know Mel. I've known her for years. She's like my sister. And to be honest, despite who my family is, I've never seen this side of her before. She's--she's smiling. And she's caring and she's nurturing and she's--I mean, not that she's never been any of this before, but--it's just different. It's good. You bring out the best in her. I really don't think you have anything to worry about. She worships the ground you walk on. I don't know if you know that or not, but she does. You're like--nothing short of a god to her. You always have been. I know it, I can see it. For you to fuck anything up would take--well, no pun intended, an act of god."
"Were you like this when you married Kate?"
"I think I actually fainted at one point in the day."
Both men laughed and Zac continued. "Marriage is as easy or as hard as you make it out to be. Nobody can tell you what it's going to be like. That's something that each couple has to work out themselves. My advice to you is to just relax, get ready, and enjoy the day."
Jason was silent for a moment as the barber worked around his mouth. When free again, he said, "Thanks, man. Thanks for letting me get that out. It helped."
Zac smiled. "Hey, no problem."
There was a knock on the door of the suite, followed by the other men in the room nearly having a fit. "The fuck is going on out there?" Jason asked.
Before anyone could get it out, a cart was rolled into the room where Jason sat. As the barber finished up his face and dusted him off with a brush, Jason sat up on the chair, careful not to mess up his pedicure still in progress. Zac's eyes widened and Jason muttered, "What the fuck...?"
On the cart sat two, enormous metal beer buckets, packed full of fresh ice and a variety of beer. Attached to the handles of the buckets were a set of eight balloons.
"I'll be goddamned," Jason muttered. "She sent my balloons back..."
"Looks like just the I love you ones," Kona spoke up. "And look at all this beer!"
Suddenly, Jason burst into laughter. "I send her breakfast and sweet love messages and she sends me beer. This is fucking classic! Hand me one of those bad boys," he said to anyone who was listening. Opening the bottle, Jason looked at the server and said, "Tua. How many women are in that room?"
Zac rolled his eyes and smiled as he shook his head.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
MEL
"Leilani said she's parking and then she'll be up here. I should probably ask her if she needs help..."
Leilani was Leona's best friend who was also a stylist. Apparently she was popular on the island and came highly recommended by Leona, so, blindly, without seeing her work, and because she wanted Leona to know she trusted her, Mel allowed her to be her stylist for the day. Now she grew nervous about her decision.
All she wanted was to look perfect. She wanted to be flawless with not a hair out of place. Leona showed Mel pictures of her wedding day with Kelani and she had looked beautiful in the photos, Leona pointing out that Leilani was her stylist. "Trust me," Leona said. "She's fabulous.'
"How hard was it for her to get in?" Mel asked.
Leona texted fiercely on the phone and within seconds, answered her question. "Said she had no trouble at all."
No trouble meant there WAS trouble. Mel glanced at Kate and Nikki, who then glanced at Barb and Susan, and then Sarah's head whipped around at all of them. "Who's on security today?"
"The head of hotel security is supposed to--"
"No," Sarah said, cutting her off. "No. Hotel security isn't enough. Even though you're getting married on a little patch of sand out there, it's still a public beach. It's going to take more drastic measures than hotel security if you want a private wedding."
Mel was suddenly in panic mode. "What kind of drastic measures?"
"I don't have to tell you how big a celebrity Jason is," Sarah said. "People will be crawling out of the woodworks to get pictures of this wedding--"
"Provided anyone actually knows about it."
"In the Hollywood world, there's no such thing as a secret."
"So what do you suggest I do?"
"They're more or less gonna have to lock down the peninsula that this hotel sits on."
Mel shook her head. "That's impossible."
"It's only for, what, an hour? You're gonna need police, hotel security--you're gonna need men at every entrance and every corner--including on the beach."
The more Sarah talked, the more Mel panicked. Why hadn't she thought of this? She knew how big of a crowd Jason drew, but she guessed--she guessed she hadn't quite had to go through anything of this magnitude with Taylor. Now she only prayed she could fix it in time.
Suddenly, Kate stood up. "Come on, Sarah. We'll take care of this. By the time we're finished, this place will be shut down like Fort Knox. No getting in, no getting out.
After Kate and Sarah left the room, another knock came on the door. This time Barb answered it, expecting Leilani, but instead was met by Tua again, pushing another cart inside the suite. "I'll say, Jason is really outdoing himself today," Barb said.
On the cart were several bottles of champagne, chilling on ice, and enough glasses to go around. Tua's white-gloved hand gave Mel a small sheet of paper. "For you, ma'am."
Mel smiled and took the note from him, unfolding it and smiling. "A toast to my gorgeous bride," she read out loud. "And to all the beautiful ladies in her life." She looked up and smiled as she pouted. "You guys! He's not supposed to make me want him right now!"
"He's so romantic," Susan smiled.
Mel frowned. "And I sent him beer. Wow, how romantic of me, huh?"
"You sent him something he likes," Nikki said. "That's what counts."
Mel smiled at the plethora of champagne in thought. She needed a few minutes to think on her response to him, so she sent Tua away with a promise that she would check back in with him.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
JASON
"Sarah, what the hell are you doing?" Jason heard David ask his wife over the phone. David was a model. Dark hair and blue eyes. But his facial expression at the moment certainly wasn't magazine quality. It was real.
Jason tried not to be concerned. What went on between his friend and his wife was their business. But, unfortunately, he also knew that Sarah had been with Mel and that automatically made whatever they were discussing on the phone Jason's business.
"I'm not--I mean--I don't think you're authorized to do that," he continued.
Jason, who had since been through with the barber and his pedicure, now sat with the manicurist across from him. He glanced at Zac, who was still in the room, with concern. Something about this didn't sound right.
"Kate? Who's Kate?"
Now it was Zac's turn to pay attention.
"You two are what? You're gonna get yourselves banned from this hotel! Or--or something!"
Suddenly, Zac was furiously typing into his phone and Jason had had enough. "Hey," he called over to David. "What the hell is going on?"
David sighed and he moved the phone from his ear enough to say to Jason, "Apparently the stylist didn't get checked before she came on to the property and now Sarah and Kate are on some kind of warpath to get the place closed down."
Confusion filled Jason in a second. "The hotel was supposed to be closed down anyway. Are you saying it's still open to the goddamn public?"
"You can't just shut down an entire goddamn public resort," David said. Jason wasn't sure if he was directing that at him or Sarah, but Jason let out a breath in response anyway.
"All I wanted to do was marry my girlfriend in fucking private," Jason lamented. "Is that too much to fucking ask?"
"Did you have a contract with the hotel?" Zac asked.
Jason was bewildered. Fuck, he didn't know. "Shit, I gotta call Mel," Jason said, scrambling for his phone. "She handled all this."
"Don't," Zac said. "I'll call her."
"You know, I'm getting really sick of this stupid, superstitious bullshit," Jason said, his temper quickly rising. He was losing control and keeping himself in check was becoming increasingly difficult. "If I want to fucking talk to my woman, I should be able to fucking talk to my woman! It's NOT gonna keep us from fucking getting married!"
"Hey," Kona said from his silence across the room. "Calm down. This is your wedding day. You have people on this, just chill."
Jason looked hard at Kona across the room and then he let out a long breath. "You're right," Jason said more quietly. "You're absolutely right."
However it didn't keep Jason's ears from perking up toward Zac as the manicurist had him trapped in his own seat. "Hey," Zac said into the phone. "What's the deal with security?" Jason's eyes bored into Zac as he sat and listened. Then he said, "Well it's my understanding that my wife is out there somewhere storming the property and making demands...Oh, okay. That makes sense...Well, yeah, everybody seems to be in an uproar because they think security isn't doing their job...That many? Damn...But it's taken care of, right?...Yeah, okay..." Zac paused and glanced up at Jason and smiled. "Yeah, I'm looking at him right now...What? No, I'm not gonna say that shit to another man--"
"Say it," Jason demanded through is teeth.
Zac rolled his eyes and shook his head. "She says thank you for breakfast, the balloons, and the champagne and she loves you and she can't wait to see your gorgeous face--wait, what?" He said into the phone. "I'm not saying THAT!...No. You're on your own there."
Jason smiled. "Tell her 'Nau ko 'u aloha, mau loa, no kau a kau.' "
Zac narrowed his eyes. "What?"
"Just say it."
Struggling, Zac repeated the Hawaiian phrase into the phone. Then he looked up at Jason. "She wants to know what it means."
Jason smiled and shrugged, sitting back in his chair. "Guess she'll just have to figure it out."
Hesitantly, Zac said into the phone, "He's not gonna say."
As Zac wrapped up the call, he looked up at Jason. "So apparently there's been some type of misunderstanding? There's a list for guests and people associated with the wedding and that's why the stylist got in so easily. They ARE closing down any incoming traffic and checking people as they drive up, only allowing wedding guests and other hotel guests. They can't help the people who are already staying here. Both hotel security and a large chunk of the police are running security for the wedding, securing all entrances of the hotel and parameters around the wedding site."
"I gotta get out there and look at this for myself."
"I'm on it!" Kona piped up suddenly. "I'll go check out the beach and the areas we're going to be in."
"You know, the more you bastards keep me cooped up in here, the more fucking money I'm going to spend. Which reminds me. Zac, while you're sitting there, will you find me a florist? See if the hotel has one? I can't use my hands or I'd call them myself."
Jason sat back in his chair and smiled across the desk as the small, older lady worked on his manicure. If nobody was going to let him talk to his bride, then he sure as hell was going to make sure she felt like a queen.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MEL
"Have no fear, ladies! Leilani is in the building!" Leilani entered the suite, pushing a hotel cart stacked high with plastic bins and rolling luggage. She was several inches taller than Mel and...very voluptuous...in every place one could be voluptuous. She wore her natural black hair in a high pony tail, showing off her streaks of pink and her black tank top showed off her thick, dark arms full of tattoos. Her face, however, looked like she'd just stepped out of Vogue magazine and Mel was instantly sold on this woman's talent.
"Where are the bridesmaids?" Leilani asked as she began to unpack and take over an entire corner of the suite's sitting room.
Nikki stood and Mel introduced her. "This is Nikki Hanson, she's my matron of honor. Kate is...milling about somewhere...and Leona, of course."
"Okay, that's cool," Leilani said. "I'm fast, but I'm good. And I love doing beach weddings--they're so...easy breezy!"
Before long, Leilani had Nikki in the chair and Mel had nearly finished off a bottle champagne by herself. "You think maybe you should pace yourself?" Susan asked her.
Mel smiled at her mother, admittedly feeling just a tad tipsy. "Mother, I assure you, Jason could very possibly be as drunk as I'm getting right now and then we're both going to think it's hilarious when we see each other."
"You don't want to be drunk on your wedding day."
"It's okay," Mel continued to smile. "I got this."
No sooner had the words flown out of Mel's mouth, there was a knock on the door. She exchanged glances with the women in the room and they all burst out in laughter. At this point, there was no telling what would be on the other side of that door.
Mel's eyes widened when she opened the door. All there were, as far as the eye could see, were flowers. Shocked, Mel silently stood out of the way as she counted one, two, three, four...ten. TEN people entered her room, each carrying some semblance of flowers. Small bouquets, vases, large displays. And every flower imaginable--roses, gerbera daisies, plumeria, hibiscus--SO much hibiscus. It was apparent that Jason had a favorite, which was something Mel had never given any thought to. It was amazing and all anyone could do was gape as they all found any place they could to stash them all.
As everyone left the room, Tua stood, smiling at her. "Tua," Mel smiled. "What is he doing? What is all this? You poor thing, you've been running all morning!"
"It's my pleasure," he said to her.
Mel scowled impatiently. "Please say something else. That's all you ever say."
He looked at her in thought. "Um...congratulations?"
"Oh, Tua," Mel said in defeat. "Here..." She went over to the desk and began searching her purse.
"No need," he repeated.
"No," Mel said. "It's not that, it's--just sit tight for a second, okay?"
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
JASON
Jason sat alone in the suite. It was the quietest it had been all morning. David had left to have lunch with Sarah, Kona was gone on his mission seeking out hotel security, Zac had to take a phone call, and Kelani went back to his room to shower and get ready.
He sat on the balcony and stared out at the ocean. Just across the way, he could see hotel staff setting up for the wedding. Just some chairs and a portable gazebo. Nothing major, nothing fancy. He spied a couple of officers on four wheelers along the sand. They were already amping up security and they still had a couple of hours.
A couple of hours. That was it. In a couple of hours, he would be married. If you asked him just a few years earlier if he would ever be married, the answer would have been a resounding "Hell no." But now...well maybe now he was just older and more mature. He WAS different from the person he was then. Not by much, but still different. He was ready. He was ready to settle down. All he ever wanted to do, since he'd laid eyes on Mel--and was extremely out of character for him at the time--was take care of her. That was it. Just take care of her. But it seemed that, most of the time, it turned out that she was taking more care of him than he was of her. Maybe he was still learning what it was all about. Hell, who was he kidding, he was learning every day. He didn't know shit about relationships and marriage. Not a damn thing. All he knew was that he loved her and he wanted to take care of her.
At this rate, Tua stopped knocking. Jason had given him the key to his suite. The only reason he didn't give him a key to Mel's was because hers was a room full of women. That, and--well, primarily, why in the fuck would he give another man the key to his woman's room?
Tua crossed the room, seemingly empty-handed. However, he was there, and Jason hadn't called him. So he was obviously there for a reason. "Tua," Jason smiled, stretching his limbs as he turned around in his chair. "I haven't ordered anything else..."
"For you," he simply said as he handed him a small piece of stationary that was folded in half.
"Uh, thank you," Jason replied. With that, Tua was out of the suite before Jason could even open the note.
Sitting back in his chair, facing the ocean once more, Jason opened the paper to...a poem? No. Lyrics. Song lyrics. Classic, timeless song lyrics.
"Love me tender
Love me sweet
Never let me go
You have made my life complete
And I love you so
Love me tender
Love me true
All my dreams fulfilled
For my darlin' I love you
And I always will
Love me tender
Love me long
Take me to your heart
For it's there that I belong
And we'll never part
Love me tender
Love me dear
Tell me you are mine
I'll be yours through all the years
Till the end of time
When at last my dreams come true
Darling this I know
Happiness will follow you
Everywhere you go"
He stared at the paper, in her left-handed handwriting, and his eyes filled with tears. He was glad he was alone. Music was her mana and she was sharing it with him. He had never been a very musical man. He listened to it to work out to or even driving down the road, but that was the extent of it. But this simple, classic, timeless song pierced his heart like no other song ever had. Maybe it was her handwriting. Maybe it was because the lyrics mimicked everything he felt for her. He didn't know. But in that moment, he'd had enough. He had to see her. He had to kiss her. He couldn't wait any longer.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
NIKKI
Giggling, Mel finally made it to Leilani's chair. Kate had managed to make it back when Nikki was finished and Leona had just gotten finished when it was time for Mel to start the official process. Susan and Barb had left the suite to get ready in their own rooms and Nikki was currently helping Leona into her bridesmaid's dress.
The dresses were long and mint green, made of chiffon. The empire style was high-waisted with a subtle twist along the chest and one ruffled strap went around the left shoulder.
Nikki had just finished zipping Leona when there was a pounding on the suite door. Not knocking, but pounding. The room fell silent and the women looked around. Quietly, Mel said, "That's Jason."
Nikki made her way out of the doorway of the sitting room and through the kitchenette to open the door. Sure enough, Mel's intuition had been spot on. He stood there in workout pants and a t-shirt. "Where is she?" He said upon sight of Nikki.
"She's in the chair, Leilani's doing her hair."
"Let me see her."
"Jason, you know I can't let you see her."
"Why? Just give me a second--"
Nikki shook her head regretfully. "I'm sorry. You can see her in less than two hours. Right now she's getting ready. And you should be, too."
"Nikki, come on--this is stupid."
Mel's voice rang out from the sitting room. "Is that him?"
Jason's eyes lit up. "It's me, gorgeous!" He called in there.
"Jason!" Mel shrieked.
Quickly she was followed by a female chorus of "SIT DOWN!"
Nikki eyed Jason. "She's drunk, I hope you know that."
A sparkle sprang to his eye and his lip twitched into a half smile. "Seriously?"
"Yeah. You really did a number on her with that champagne. She's been through a bottle of it already. We had to cut her off and give her water to sober her up for the ceremony."
His smiled widened. "She loves champagne."
"Well she loved it a little too much today."
His expression changed to one that was defiant. "Well, you know, maybe she wouldn't have taken to drinking if you guys would just let her see me."
"I think she wouldn't have taken to drinking if you hadn't delivered four bottles of champagne."
Jason huffed in response.
"Look, I gotta go--"
Nikki was interrupted by Mel's voice. "Nikki! Nikki, wait!"
"What?" She called over her shoulder.
"Give him something for me!"
Nikki sighed, exasperated as she looked at Jason. "See what you've started?"
Jason raised his eyebrows and flashed her a million dollar smile.
Nikki scowled and cracked the door. "Don't move. Don't even step over this threshold." Then she turned on her heel to tend to Mel.
Leilani stopped on Mel's hair long enough to let her wriggle out of the chair and lead Nikki into the adjoining bedroom. From the closet, Mel pulled a large, wrapped, rectangular gift that was nearly as tall as her. "If he wants to see me that bad, give him this."
Nikki narrowed her eyes at her. "What is this?"
"I was going to wait till later--much later--but I think he needs it now. It's his wedding gift. But tell him to open it in private. It's for his eyes only."
"Uh, okay," Nikki said. "Sure."
Then she handed her a gift bag along with it. "Here, this goes with it."
"Okay..." Nikki agreed.
Mel grinned. "Thanks. You're the best."
"That's why I'm your matron of honor." Nikki did as she was instructed and carried the heavy gift and the bag to the door, opening it to still find Jason standing there. "I was instructed to give you this. And that these go together. And that you are to open it alone."
"What is this?"
"Your wedding gift, apparently."
As Jason left the doorway, Nikki went back to the sitting room where Mel was happily babbling away about Jason, same as she'd been doing all day. Nikki knew the alcohol wasn't the reason for this. Nikki knew she could talk about Jason all day long, even sober.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
JASON
When he walked back into his suite, gifts in hand, Jason found that Kelani and Kona had once again made themselves at home in the sitting room. Making his way through and into the bedroom, he walked in and started to close the door. "Where you going, bra?" Kelani asked.
"I need a minute to myself," Jason answered simply. "Just a minute. Then we need to start getting ready. Either of you heard from Andy? Haven't seen the bastard all day..."
"I think he's been dealing with stuff downstairs all day," Kona spoke up.
Not caring for an elaboration, Jason closed the bedroom door behind him. He sat on the floor, his back against the edge of the bed, letting the package rest against the dresser across from him. He stared at it for a moment. Should he open it now or wait? Would she have given to him had she not intended for him to open it immediately?
Curiosity got the best of him and he slowly tore the paper off. Seeing a foot, he got excited and realized it was upside down. Turning it around, he tore the paper off with a little more vigor this time. It took him seconds to open it, and moving the paper off of it, he could only stare in awe. It took a moment to register before he could take it in, in all its glory. It absolutely took his breath away.
It was Mel. In the form of a drawing. It looked like pencil. Could have been ink pen, but most likely pencil. In simple gray and white, she sat naked, one knee bent to her chest, the other leg tucked underneath, her private body parts strategically covered by her arms and her legs. Her hands crossed underneath her bent leg, her hands hugging her ankle close to her body. On top, her loose, free hair fell in defined layers and seemed to blow back in a breeze as it fell listlessly down her arms. Her face was defined just so, from her heart-shaped lips, to her defined, pointed nose, and her eyes--her gorgeous eyes. The artist had obviously drew them as she wore her makeup that day because her eyes looked the same as they always did. The eyeliner only slightly heavy on the outsides of her eyelids, her eye shadow subtle, and her eyebrows shaped and perfect. She wore no discernible expression, though her face was deliberate. The artist did an impeccable job. Jason couldn't believe his eyes.
The only splash of color on the entire work was the red-orange hibiscus in her hair. He was sure she had insisted on her own accessory. To his surprise, Jason suddenly wept. Silently, he wept. Not of sadness, but of joy. He wept because he was moved; touched. Besides her in the flesh, he had never seen anything more perfect in his entire life. This--this woman--this dream woman, who sat before him, naked with the sexy hair and the bedroom eyes, and who seemed to beckon to him from this drawing--she was real. And she was about to marry him. A dream woman who almost hadn't married him. A dream woman who almost married another man. A dream woman whom he had nearly lost forever, was marrying him today. He knew every man on the planet thought he was the luckiest man alive to marry the women they married--but Jason knew the truth. And if these men knew the journey he'd taken to get to this moment, those men would agree with him.
As he dried his tears, he reached for the bag and peeked inside. The first thing he noticed was the card. It was a simple, blank wedding-style card and she had written a note inside. "I did pose for this," it read. "But the artist is female, so don't freak out! I had the appointment while you were out surfing all day. I hope you like it. In the bag is a manila folder. Inside, you'll find smaller prints of this, laminated and not. That way, I can be everywhere you go, no matter what. By the way, the large one is the original. I love you so much more than you could ever know and today I finally call you my husband. I'm so excited! Love always, your wife, Melody Kamealoha."
Jason must have read the note a million times. Especially the ending. He was obviously not supposed to get this till after the wedding. He found himself mouthing her new name repeatedly. She had been right. It did roll right off your tongue, like an exotic foreign language. He smiled when he remembered the night they met and he'd told her what his name meant. "Kamealoha means 'the beloved one,' " he'd said. And then she had responded with, "That's nice. Jason The Beloved One. I mean, it seems a bit pretentious, but it's nice." Jason chuckled out loud at the memory. Who was the pretentious one now? He'd have to remind her.
Suddenly, he was okay. Not that the drawing had necessarily tided him over, but it helped calm his nerves. That and the note. The name. Just over an hour now and he could call her that himself, out loud. He had waited years for this moment. What was one more hour?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
NIKKI
Mel's water glass shattered against the wall. Nikki's eyes widened in surprise. "Mel! What the hell was that all about?"
There was murder in her eyes. "This is fucking BULLSHIT!" She yelled. "I've been married before and you see where this bullshit tradition got me?"
"Well you already spent the night with him," Nikki retorted. "I think you've spent up all your free passes. And you're acting like a child, I suggest you check your personality and let Leilani finish your face."
"I want to see Jason," Mel said defiantly.
"In an hour."
"No. Now. I want to see him NOW. I need him."
"I think you need to drink some more water."
"I THINK YOU NEED TO GO FIND MY FIANCEE AND LET ME SEE HIM!"
And then all of a sudden, it started. As if the devil himself had released a pack of hungry, rabid, wild hell hounds, rage flew out of the bride in a matter of seconds. She was crying, screaming, and probably still a little drunk. Leilani and Leona stood bewildered, not knowing what to think.
Mel was having a nervous breakdown.
Kate ran out of the adjacent room immediately and called it. "Shit, she's having a meltdown. I knew this was only a matter of time." She glared at Nikki. "It's not like this is Tay. You can't just keep people from--"
"They're fucking adults, Kate," Nikki said, surprising even herself with her choice in words. "It's only been, what, seven hours since they've seen each other? Like you said before, what the hell are they going to do once he leaves at the end of the week?"
"At least then they'll have a choice," Kate retorted.
"Mountain out of a mole hill," Nikki muttered.
At Kate's futile attempt to calm Mel down--at everyone's futile attempt to calm her--nobody knew what else to do. Give her more alcohol? Subdue her? That wasn't even an option.
"Find Taylor," Kate said suddenly.
Nikki looked at her, eyes wide. "Are you kidding?"
"I am totally serious. If anyone can make any sense of her bat crazy bullshit, it's him."
"But she wants Jason--"
"Yeah, and he doesn't need to deal with this stress right now. Go call Tay and tell him to get up here. Now."
It took Tay less than two minutes to make it to the door of the suite. When Nikki answered it, he reminded her of Jason when he blurted, "Where is she?"
"You can't hear her?" Nikki replied.
As she let him in the door, Mel was crying and screaming obscenities from the other room, amongst other things. "HE WANTS TO SEE ME! HE SENT ME FLOWERS! LOOK AT THIS ROOM! PLEASE JUST LET ME SEE HIM, THIS IS SO STUPID! IT'S NOT FAIR, GODDAMMIT! IT'S NOT FUCKING FAIR!"
When she saw Tay across the room, her eyes widened and her screaming subsided to sobs as she held her arms out to him. He crossed the room and hugged her tightly in her chair as she sobbed into his shoulder. "What's going on?" He asked her gently.
"It's not fair," she sobbed repeatedly into his shoulder. "It's not fair. It's not fair."
He pulled away and looked at her, squatting down in front of her chair. "What's not fair?"
"Nobody will let me see him." She hiccupped as she tried to dry herself up and talk at the same time. "Look what he did. He sent me breakfast and balloons and champagne and flowers. And I can't even thank him. They won't let me--they won't let me see him. Or even talk to him. They won't even let me hear his voice. He came by here just a little bit ago, wanting to see me and they--they wouldn't let me see him and it's not fair and this is stupid and I wanna go home!"
"Home?"
"I mean--if I can't see him, I don't wanna be here anymore. This is just taking way too goddamn long. This wedding was supposed to be quick and simple--"
"And only an hour away," Tay interrupted.
"What the fuck am I supposed to do in an hour?"
He paused and looked up at her hair and face. "Finish your face. Put on your dress. The hour will fly by, I promise. Remember, you're marrying him. You're getting ready for him. You don't want to disappoint him."
Slowly she nodded, sniffing her tears back. "You're right," she whispered. "I don't want to disappoint him. I want to look perfect."
"You smell like a winery."
"It was good champagne."
Tay chuckled as he reached up and wiped a tear with his thumb. "Look. Word on the street is, he sent you all this stuff today to keep him from doing this very thing right here. He's as nervous as you are."
"I'm not scared," she objected.
He nodded. "You are. That's why you're acting like a crazy lunatic right now. Because you're scared. But he's scared, too."
"He's not scared of anything," she whispered.
"Even the strongest of men are scared of something."
"Why would he be scared?"
"Same reason you are. You don't want to disappoint him. You don't want to give him a reason to regret marrying you. You don't want--you don't want a repeat performance of--of you and me. Or even you and John. But, Mel, you and Jason are different. You put that poor man through hell. You left him high and dry on so many occasions, knowing how he felt about you. But yet, he waited. All this time, he waited and he had faith and he was patient and he did everything you wanted him to do, without question--which was something I certainly couldn't do. I mean, shit, I ended up marring Natalie. But spend this hour getting ready for your wedding. Today is supposed to be the happiest day of your life. Once you get married, then the two of you can be scared together. But don't sit here and be scared alone. Things manifest from that and the outcome can be--well, not good. Okay? Am I getting through in there at all?"
She nodded, wiping her cheeks with her hands. "I'm so embarrassed."
"Don't be embarrassed."
"I promised I wouldn't be a bridezilla today."
"You're not a bridezilla."
"I'm so glad you're here. You're my best friend."
"You're my best friend, too. I wouldn't miss this for the world."
"Thank you."
Tay winked at her. "Anytime."
Suddenly, Mel looked up and around the room. "I am so sorry, you guys. Really, I am. I think all the--the stress and the emotions--and the alcohol--just all came to a head. I didn't mean to offend anyone. To be honest, I don't even remember half of what I said."
Leilani pulled no punches. "Well if you're done having your tantrum, we need to get you finished and into your dress."
As Nikki walked Tay to the door, she thanked him. "We were all at a loss. We didn't know who else to call."
"Kind of interesting how the tables are turned now, huh?" Tay smiled nervously.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah. I'm great, actually."
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely. Everything is as it should be." Then he smiled at her and turned and walked down the hallway.
----------------------------------------------------------------
TAYLOR
Taylor walked next door to the adjacent suite and knocked on the door. Kona, who Tay had befriended at the rehearsal dinner the previous night, was the one to answer. "Hey, man, what's up? Come on in." He opened the door and Tay stepped into the small kitchenette area. "I don't know if disturbing him is such a good idea right now," Kona continued. "He said he needed a moment to think."
Tay couldn't help but smirk. "He's running out of moments, isn't he?"
"That's what I said."
Taylor walked through the kitchenette and into the sitting room to find Jason sitting at the desk by the sliding glass door, his chair turned toward the open door, facing the ocean through the balcony bars. He sat with his ankle crossed over his knee, his elbow propped on the arm of the chair, clicking his pen repeatedly. As Tay walked around him, he noticed the blank page on the desk beside him.
Tay leaned his back against the doorway of the balcony, shoving his hands in his pockets and crossing his ankles. The breeze blew lightly into the room. At his presence, Jason glanced up at him and stopped clicking his pen. "Tell me you're not just now writing your vows," Tay smirked.
To Tay's surprise, Jason took a deep breath and sighed, tossing his pen down on the desk in defeat. He looked up at Tay, helplessness all over his face. "Dude, I don't know what the fuck I'm doing."
"In regards to what?" Tay asked suspiciously.
Jason turned his head and faced out the door again. "I've never had a problem saying anything to her. It's always been so easy to tell her exactly how I feel, what's on my mind...and now? When it's the most important goddamn time and I'm drawing a goddamn blank? How the fuck hard can it be to tell her I want to spend the rest of my life with her? I think--I don't want to make any promises I can't keep."
The more Jason came out with these cryptic lines, the more uneasy Tay felt. "If memory serves me correctly, that's never been a problem for you."
"No. I don't mean--I mean, shit happens in life. You know? I don't want to stand up there and tell her I'll never leave her or tell her how perfect life is going to be--I'm fucking leaving her to go to Europe in a few days! And I can't promise her the perfect life because nothing's ever perfect. And, to be honest, I'm scared to death that I'm gonna get up there and say all this shit and then turn around and drop the ball. I don't wanna drop the ball."
Tay sighed and turned his head looking out into the ocean in thought. "I just left her room."
"Of course you did," Jason retorted. "Why else would you be in mine?"
Tay scowled at Jason, choosing to ignore the snide remark. "She had a bit of a meltdown. They called me in to talk her down."
Jason shifted in his seat and shook his head, smiling sarcastically at him. "My, how the tables have turned."
"She's afraid. She's a little drunk and she's afraid."
Jason's face softened as he furrowed his brow. "Afraid of what?"
"Because of me," Tay said, letting out a breath. Hard as it was to admit out loud, it was the truth.
"I'm not you," Jason responded coolly.
"I know. That's why she loves you."
"Look," Jason said. "I never set out to have a pissing contest with you. I never set out to steal your girl or make your life difficult. I did my part, I stayed out of the way. I practically handed her to you on a silver platter on so many occasions--so many occasions, your head would spin. I sat there, on the outside looking in, watching you rip her to shreds over and over and over again, and what could I do? Pick up the pieces and send her right back to you. Do you have any idea what it feels like to be so goddamn in love with someone--so bad it hurts--and to sit there for year after year, watching her cry as she pushes you away and tells you to leave her alone? Knowing--just KNOWING--that all she had to do was simply open her eyes and look at what was in front of her and she could be free? And now you're standing here in front of me--the fucking enemy--telling me that MY girl--who was never yours--is afraid to marry me?"
"She was always mine," Tay said quietly.
"Well she's not anymore. I'm not like you. I know the two of you are close. I know what you mean to her. I'm not gonna sit here and tell you to stay away from her or put her through half the bullshit that you did. But don't you dare ever utter a word to her about how much you miss her, how much you still love her--because I know you do--or about anything pertaining to past or present feelings for her. Don't you dare ever utter a word to upset her."
"Oh, so don't do what you did. That's what you're saying. I mean, it worked for you. Are you afraid it's gonna work for me?"
Jason sucked in a breath, his nostrils flaring. Tay didn't care. He hadn't come here to fight either, but it was obvious that both men had things they needed to get off their chests. "She doesn't love you," Jason responded carefully. "Not like that. Not the way she loves me."
"I know."
"She never did."
"I know."
"The tables have turned. But it won't be with the same results. She's not fighting her feelings for you like she did me. She won't push you away or remind you repeatedly that she loves me. She won't have to convince herself. She won't run to you every time she has a problem or we have a fight because I know how to take care of her. I know how to make her feel safe and secure. I always have."
"I didn't exactly come here to discuss every fucking way I failed in my relationship with her."
"She won't beg you not to disappear on her," Jason continued. "She won't beg you to stay. She won't drunk text you in the middle of the night, raging with jealousy over your newest girlfriend. She won't say or do or feel any of the things for you that she did with me. She's not fighting anymore. She's not hurting and she's not confused. I know her soul, I know her heart, I know her spirit. And I knew that she belonged to me, and only me, the first time I met her. THAT is why I stayed. And the only reason she stayed with you was because I needed to let her take that journey. Regardless of all that you'll still be her best friend. After me. But it will NEVER be more than that. Not even a chance. You will never take her away from me. Never again."
"She made her decision," Tay said quietly. "I wouldn't do anything to stand in the way." He was silent for a moment as he looked out into the ocean and he took a deep breath. Then he looked back at Jason. "You should put some of that in there."
Jason looked at him, confused. "Some of what?"
"Some of that stuff you said. Knowing her heart and soul and stuff. That's good stuff. I mean, you're an actor, right? You should be able to prepare a monologue at a moments' notice."
Obviously grateful for the subject change, Jason looked up at him. "You think she ever thinks that?"
"Thinks what?"
"You think she ever wonders if anything I say isn't true? Because I'm an actor? I mean, I'm fucking trained to fake it, you know? I never thought of that..."
"No," Tay said, shaking his head. "You know her heart and soul and shit, but so do I. And that woman can smell bullshit a mile away before bullshit itself even knows it's bullshit."
At that, Jason laughed, and instantly the tension eased up in the room. Tay cracked a smile at his own joke and crossed his arms over his chest. Then he looked at Jason again. "I think you'll find that when you're standing there in front of her, looking the way she does, I think the words will just roll right off your tongue."
"She looks amazing, doesn't she?"
"Um..." Tay smiled sheepishly. "She wasn't exactly ready when I went in. In her rage, she looked like she'd just walked out of a tornado or something, so..."
Jason smiled proudly. "That's my girl."
"I bet she drives you insane," Tay joked.
"Life's been interesting, I can say that."
The men were silent for a moment when, suddenly, Tay heard the sliding glass door on the adjacent balcony open and close. He turned his head to listen closer. He heard female voices around the same time Jason's ears perked. He stood up from his chair and whispered to Tay, "Nobody's been on that goddamn balcony all day..."
After a second, Tay whispered quietly, "It's Mel and Nikki."
"It's such a beautiful day," Nikki said. "Your wedding is going to be gorgeous."
"This is turning into the longest hour of my life," Mel said.
"Look," Nikki said. "I'm sorry I've been such a--well, I mean, this is your day. You should be the bridezilla, not me."
Mel laughed. "Trust me, I WAS the bridezilla."
"I know, but--you only reacted based on my actions all day. I think maybe I went a little overboard, got caught up in the spirit of it all. I could have handled things differently, I know. But I just want so bad for your wedding to be perfect, you know?"
"I understand what you were trying to do. And I appreciate everything you've done today, honestly. You've been a godsend. That's why you're my matron of honor. But what I don't think you understand is, even if everything that could go wrong went wrong today, everything would still be okay--because I'm marrying Jason. That, by itself, makes today perfect."
Taylor looked at Jason, who's face read a series of emotions. The women had no idea they'd heard every word. While hearing those words come out of Mel's mouth stung Tay for a second, it warmed his heart to hear her voice filled with such bliss and contentment. The truth was, he had never, ever, seen her look at him the way he witnessed her looking at Jason at last night's rehearsal dinner. Sure, Mel and Tay had had their times--they'd had their moments. But it was nothing like what she had with Jason. Tay couldn't help his jealousy, but he was learning to deal with it effectively.
Suddenly, before Tay could move out of the way, Jason stepped onto the balcony and against the brick wall that separated the two suites.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MEL
Mel stood on the balcony with Nikki, her hands hanging off the railing. "Half an hour," she said, breathing in the Hawaiian air. "Half an hour."
"It's a good thing your dress is so easy to get into," Nikki joked.
Mel looked up and down at Nikki, the mint green chiffon stunning against her tan skin and model figure. "I should have gotten a white one of those. I really love that dress."
"You could always get yourself one," Nikki said.
As Nikki giggled at her own statement, Mel felt skin on her hand as it dangled off the balcony railing. Startled, she looked down as an arm, from the other side of the brick wall, hooked its finger around her pinkie before sliding the hand underneath hers. "Jason," Mel managed to breathe, the surprise more than welcome.
"Hey, gorgeous," his voice came around the wall. She couldn't see him, but his hand in hers was enough to send her emotions running wild. She longed to peek around the brick, but she knew she couldn't. So, instead, she simply dangled her arm over the railing and blindly held his hand.
"This has been the weirdest day," she said.
"I know."
"It's not much longer now."
"Nope. It isn't."
"Are you afraid?"
"Of what?"
"Tay said you were afraid."
"Taylor said--" Jason stopped himself and sighed. "I'm not--I'm just--I feel like a caged animal today, that just keeps getting poked and poked and poked and--Mel, just promise me something."
"Anything."
"Let's not ever get married again."
Mel giggled. "I'm gonna want to renew our vows eventually."
"Fuck that. Can't I just fucking buy you an expensive as shit anniversary ring and then skip to the party or something?"
Mel giggled again. "We'll cross that bridge when we get there."
They were silent for a moment before Jason's voice came back across. "So what are you wearing?"
Mel blushed and on that note, Nikki went back inside and closed the sliding glass door. Mel smiled. "Are you alone?"
"Um..." Mel heard the sliding glass door close on the other side of the wall. "I am now."
"Well," she said deviously. "I'm NOT wearing my dress..."
"Go on..."
"What do you want me to be wearing?"
"Surprise me."
"Well, if I were going to start from the bottom, up, I would start with thigh-high fishnet stockings..."
"You're just gonna go straight for the jugular, aren't you?"
She smiled. "How do you feel about garter belts?"
"I'm listening."
"Attached to a corset."
"What color?"
"Don't know yet."
"I should have never asked."
"If it makes you feel any better, I lied."
"I know. But it didn't stop the visual from being hot as hell."
"Jason?"
"Yeah, gorgeous."
"When we get married, you don't think--I mean, do you think maybe you won't be so..."
"What?"
"Like I'll just become your frumpy old wife or something?"
"What? Are you kidding? That'll never happen."
"Even when we're old and gray and--"
"Especially then. I'm not marrying you just because I think you're going to put my dick through hell for the next few years. I fully expect you to wear me out for the rest of my life."
Mel grinned as she held his hand and looked out into the ocean. Finally, she said, "Jason?"
"Yeah, sweetheart."
"It's time."
"So, it is."
"So, then, I'll meet you at the alter?"
"I wouldn't miss it for the world."
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JASON
After finally getting to at least hear Mel's voice, Jason suddenly felt at ease. He was ready. He was excited and he was ready. He walked back inside the suite to find Taylor still there, along with Kona, Kelani, and Andy. "I don't know what the fuck I was so worried about," Jason said. "I'm ready to do this."
Taylor glanced at the desk and back at him. "You don't wanna finish that?"
"Are you kidding? I don't need that shit. I got this."
Jason looked around the room at his groomsmen, all dressed in white and khaki and then his eyes fell on Taylor--the odd one out. "Why are you still here? Shouldn't you be down there, grabbing a seat?"
"Yeah," Taylor said. "I'm going now. Hey, if you don't mind, I'd like to take a few photos of the wedding here and there. Maybe some of the reception."
Jason's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Wasn't aware you were a photographer."
"It's a hobby."
Jason nodded. "Yeah. Okay. That's cool."
As Taylor left the room, Jason heard his name from the balcony. "Jason!" Mel called.
He couldn't help but grin at the sound of his name. The other men shook their heads. Headed to the balcony, he stepped up to the railing and smiled into the air. "Yes, dear."
"Here," she said, handing a fresh hibiscus flower across their brick barrier, obviously plucked from one of the many bouquets he'd sent her. Her subtle French manicure looked great against the brightly-colored flower and Jason wished he had a camera just then. "Wear this," she finished.
Confused, he reached over and took the flower from her hand. "Do what?"
"Wear it. On your shirt. Trust me."
He furrowed his brow and he smiled, rolling the stem of the flower between his thumb and forefinger. "Anything you want."
"I promise it won't make you girlie or anything," she said hurriedly.
He chuckled. "I know. Go get dressed so you can marry me already."
He heard her giggle as the sliding glass door on her side shut with a slam and he couldn't help but lean against the railing one more time and smile. This was it. He was getting what he always wanted--what he always wanted even before he knew he wanted it. The feeling was so surreal.
Walking back into the suite, he stood and faced his best man and his two groomsmen again and plastered a million-dollar smile on his face. "Well. Here we go."
He turned and looked at himself in the mirror. He was glad Mel wanted a beach wedding. He didn't think he had it in him to stay cooped up in a penguin suit for so long, no matter how much she liked it. He was comfortable in khaki and his loose-fitted white button-down. Looking himself over one more time, he unbuttoned two more buttons on his shirt and rolled his sleeves up to his elbows. Spying the flower on the desk that Mel had given him, he turned around to the guys. "Anybody got a safety pin or something?"
After a couple of minutes, Kona had managed to get the flower pinned on Jason's shirt, creatively, and stood there, looking at him expectantly. Jason looked over at him and narrowed his eyes. "Um...thank you?"
Kona rolled his eyes. "I need the ring."
"Oh. Um..." He looked Kona over once more. "You don't have any holes in your pockets or anything, do you?"
Impatiently, Kona turned his pockets inside out for proof, satisfying Jason. Jason crossed the room and unzipped his suitcase, revealing the small box. "Just keep it in the box," he said. "Humor me."
"Yeah, no problem," Kona said, shoving it into his pocket.
The idea that someone else had Mel's wedding ring made Jason's heart pound. He knew Kona was responsible and wouldn't lose it. But there was still that fear...
Hotel security met the men at Jason's suite and the four men were escorted by three guards all the way down to the beach. Jason stopped for a minute to take in the sight. They were first met by large, tall, temporary wooden walls that seemed to hide the wedding space from general hotel view. Unless they had viewers from the balcony. Instinctively, Jason turned around and looked up. Would that actually happen?
In the middle of the temporary walls stood a pair of white double doors that were apparently built and hinged onto the walls just for this occasion. With handles on them, they didn't latch and they swung out both ways, making getting in and out of them easy. As two of the hotel staff opened them for the men, Jason took a deep breath before he stepped through. This was it. Shit was getting real.
He faced the small congregation as they milled around and began to turn their heads to see what was going on. The ukelele player began to play upon sight of the men and Jason had to wonder for a second if this was actually the official start of the ceremony? Making his way up the aisle, abandoning his flip flops at the door in favor of walking through the sand in his bare feet, he stopped to approach his mother who sat in the front. She wiped tears from her face as she stood up and hugged him. "I'm so proud of you, my sweet boy," she said through her tears. "You've made your mama so happy."
"I wouldn't be who I am today without you," he told her as he hugged her back. "Thank you for always believing in me."
"Sweetie, I always knew this day would come. Even through all the years you said you would never take the plunge, I always knew the right one would come along and change your mind. Mama knows best, you know."
He pulled away and smiled down at her. "I know."
Clearing the emotion away from his throat, he made his way toward the front, in front of the officiant who stood underneath the gazebo, Kona, Kelani, and Andy lined up behind him. He took a deep breath and rubbed his hands together. "Okay," he said. "So, uh, this is the part where we wait?"
A light murmur of laughter came from those that heard his statement. He chose that moment to be silent and look around, taking it all in. Staring at the temporary double doors, which, on this side, had been painted a beautiful, rustic off-white, he imagined what his reaction might be when she came through the doors. He had no way of knowing what his reaction would be at this point. He just knew that any minute now, his bride would walk through those doors and change his life forever.
Suddenly, the officiant blew the ceremonial conch shell, signifying the start of the wedding. Jason's heart had never pounded so hard in his life.
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MEL
As Mel took one more look at herself in the mirror after her dress was zipped up her back, she turned from side to side. "What do you guys think? Do you think it's cliche? Is it too casual? Leona, is this dress an insult?"
"The dress is amazing," Leona said. "It's hand-made and it's beautiful and Jason will be so proud to see you in it."
"I just--I don't want people to think I'm trying too hard, you know? I don't want them to think I'm being fake."
Leona laughed. "You're really worrying about this too much. In these past few weeks that I've known you, you have so quickly become a member of this family that seeing you in that dress just looks natural. It's not like you're 'converting' or 'being fake' or anything. You're embracing a part of Jason's life, accepting it. I'm sure when he's in New York with you, or wherever you are, there's nothing Hawaiian about him."
Mel had to smile. "Well...he doesn't really get along with most cab drivers we end up with."
Leona had to giggle at the statement. "But he knows the best bars in the city, doesn't he?"
"You better believe it!"
Letting out a breath, Mel looked at herself in the mirror again. The dress was so clearly Hawaiian, but it was beautiful and she fell in love with it at first sight. When she stepped through the doors into the ceremony, most of the guests there would agree that this was not a conventional choice for her. Mel liked sophisticated, designer dresses, right off the pages of Vogue or a Vera Wang runway. Besides her most recent car purchase, Mel's most expensive habit was fashion. That was no secret.
But this dress--this one was locally hand-made from a small dress shop she'd found downtown. It was a slim-fitted A-line design with a small train in the back. The neckline was heart-shaped with ruffled, elastic shoulders that could be worn on or off the shoulder. Naturally, Mel wore hers off her shoulders. The dress itself had a nearly silver tint to it, with large, white tropical flower designs curling all around it. To Mel, it was perfection. And with as light and breezy as it was, it felt like perfection as well. She felt soft and free--nothing like the bogged down and heavy feeling her first dress with John had given her.
Leilani had insisted on styling her dark hair into a low, loose up-do and Mel had argued about it. "I like it, but Jason's going to hate it."
Her statment was met by a chorus of "No he isn't" and Mel had to insist, "Yes, he will. He hates when I pull my hair up." And then she blushed. "He always says he doesn't understand why I would want to hide something so beautiful."
Nikki, Kate, and Leona all smiled, but Leilani wasn't having it. "Screw him, he'll get over it. Does he have long hair? No."
"Well, not anymore..."
"Do you really want the wind blowing your hair all over the place when you're trying to exchange your vows? Think how annoying that would be. Besides, he should appreciate you, no matter what."
Mel was sold. Leilani had a point. As she had finished her hair, Mel thought about what she had said. Jason liked short dresses and long hair. Was this his way of controlling her? Or was this her trying to overcompensate and keep him happy? He'd seen her at her worst and he'd seen her at her best and he'd loved her just the same either way. Why was she suddenly worried about the way she looked to him lately?
As a finishing touch, Mel slipped a fresh hibiscus flower into her hair. She made sure it was the same color as the one she'd given Jason. She looked in the mirror and smiled at herself. What was she worried about? She looked great. Jason would love her either way.
In spite of herself, she stopped the women as they attempted to walk out the door of the suite. "You guys. I'm scared."
Several pairs of concerned eyes looked back at her. "Of what?" Kate asked.
"What if he doesn't--I mean, what happens when--we're in our thirties, you know? In just a few short years--I'm--I'm going to get old. You know?"
Kate furrowed her brow. "Yeah. And so is he."
"Yeah, but--well those Hollywood girls are just getting younger and hotter, you know, and--yanno, time's gonna pass and I won't look the same and what if he gets tired of me? What if he finds something better? What if I can't keep my looks up for him? I've already changed since we've met and..."
Mel had begun rambling before Kate cut her off. "He doesn't look the same, either. And he's the one who had a heart attack, so if anyone's feeling the stressors of age coming on, it's him. Look, I don't know the guy that well. But I know him well enough to know that if he--one of Hollywood's most eligible bachelors--is ready to settle down and marry you, you really have nothing to worry about. Honestly."
"You think so?"
"I know so. You should see his face when he looks at you."
Mel smiled and took a breath. "Okay. Yeah. You're right. He's never given me reason to worry. Not once. I think this is just wedding day jitters. Yeah. That's it."
As Nikki handed Mel her pre-prepared wedding bouquet, Mel looked at it in her hands and then looked around the room. The bouquet was beautiful, but...she handed them back to Nikki. "I changed my mind."
Alarm filled all the women's faces. "Changed your mind?!" Nikki objected. "You can't just leave him there! You just can't! You're meant to be together!"
Mel smiled. "No! Crazy! I mean the flowers." She looked around the room. "I'd rather carry the ones he sent me."
All of the women looked around the room as Leilani spoke up. "It's past time for you to be out there..."
"Quick. Everyone grab a few flowers from each vase," Kate said.
Swiftly, the ladies all had a hand in throwing together Mel's new, makeshift bouquet. Without time to pay attention to detail, a hair tie was quickly tied around the stems to hold them together and a ribbon was tied around to hide it. A quick snip to the stems to even them out finished them off and within minutes, Mel had a fragrant collection of Hawaiian flowers in her hands.
"They'll wilt before the ceremony is over," Nikki commented.
Mel smiled again. "It's okay. There's plenty more where those came from."
Once downstairs, when they had hit the outside air and Mel could see the barricades that had been built for the ceremony, Mel's nerves picked up again. She couldn't tell if it was nerves or excitement or an even mixture of both but she knew she felt like a teenage girl in love for the first time. Actually, she remembered what that felt like for a split second--and the feeling was different, it seemed. More acute. More intense. She had loved Taylor. Truly loved him. He was her first love. But the way she felt about Jason couldn't compare to any of that. It was that feeling that you got when you knew for certain that you'd found the one you were meant to spend the rest of your life with. Your sense of meaning. Your sense of purpose.
Leilani stepped through the door quickly to take her seat. As her bridesmaids lined up to begin the ceremony, Mel's father approached her in full suit and tie. She looked Paul up and down and smiled. "Just couldn't do it, huh? Couldn't be without your jacket and shoes."
"Come on, Melody. Who gets married with bare feet and no jacket?"
She giggled. "It's a beach wedding, Daddy."
"It's still not proper."
Mel let the comment roll off her back. She knew what he was doing. He wasn't typically an emotional man and his complaints kept him from being so. However, his face grew serious and he smiled at her. "I'm proud of you, honey."
She smiled at her father, tears welling up in her eyes. "You are?"
"Of course I am. You're my little girl. I'll always be proud of you."
"I was afraid you wouldn't approve of my marrying him. Especially considering...you know."
"I'll be honest, when you brought him home, I thought you'd lost your mind. I didn't trust him. I was prepared to wash my hands of everything. But then I got to know him a little and I saw how happy he makes you and--well, I've never seen you like that before. And I figure, whatever it is that puts that smile on your face when he walks into a room must be worth keeping around. He's a good guy, Melody. He was dealt a crap hand in life but he was able to overcome it and come out on top. He knows who he is and he knows what he wants. I respect a man like that. And I trust a man like that to take good care of you."
She nodded. "He does, Daddy. And he will."
Paul smiled and touched her cheek. "I know. You look so beautiful, sweetheart."
"Thank you," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I love you."
"I love you, too, sweet girl." Then he pulled away and smiled at her. "You ready to do this?"
Mel grinned. "I've never been more ready."
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NIKKI
Nikki stood in the sand, bouquet in hand. She looked over into the congregation of guests and smiled as Isaac winked at her a couple of rows back. Zac sat beside him and Taylor had his camera in front of his face, taking pictures. Nikki knew this was a defense mechanism. She felt sorry for him until she looked over at Jason, whose eyes bore intently on the wooden doors the bridesmaids had just come out of. It was probably the least relaxed she had ever seen him.
Finally, the tune of the ukelele changed and she wanted to watch Mel walk out, but she couldn't keep her eyes off of Jason, either. He was so adorable in his excitement. When the doors finally opened, and Mel and her father were standing there, Mel in her Hawaiian wedding dress and fresh flowers, Nikki stole a glance back at Jason and she smiled. He was beaming proudly, a smile so wide she knew his face had to hurt but she was sure he hardly noticed.
Looking back at the aisle, watching Mel with her father, Nikki's eyes teared up. Mel covered her mouth and giggled in excitement at the sight of Jason and Nikki's heart melted. A smile matching Jason's, Mel never took her eyes off of him.
As Mel and Paul stopped in front of Jason and the officiant, the smile spread across Nikki's face. "We are gathered here today to celebrate one of life's greatest moments," the officiant started. "The joining of two hearts. In this ceremony today we will witness the joining of Melody and Jason in marriage. Is there anyone present who has just cause why this couple should not be united, let them speak now or forever hold their peace."
Nikki's eyes darted toward her husband and his brothers. Taylor lowered his camera all of a sudden. Everything was quiet, everything but the sound of the ocean behind them. Nikki stole a look at Jason. His body had stiffened, his eyes bored into Mel's as if he needed her to keep him in check. Everyone who knew what was going on knew that Tay had one last chance to stake his claim. Nikki knew the effort would be futile, but if he was ever going to have one last say to try to get her back, this was it. After the moment passed, and it looked like Tay was going to stay silent, the officiant finally smiled and said, "Who gives this woman to this man?"
Seemingly more relaxed, the smile returned to Jason's face and he straightened up in preparation to take his bride's hand. "Her mother and I do," Paul said. He then lifted Mel's hand and Jason took it, but not without Paul adding, "You take care of my daughter. You get me?"
The smile never left Jason's face. "Yes, sir. Always."
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MEL
As Jason led Mel to stand in front of him, she quickly turned around to give Nikki her bouquet and then she stood there and looked at her, waiting. Apparently Nikki was lost in the moment because Mel raised her eyebrows and nodded toward Nikki's feet. Finally realizing what was going on, she raised her eyebrows back. "Oh!" Reaching around her and bending over, she put both bouquets of flowers in one hand and picked up the tiny, white step stool that had been reserved for Mel.
As Mel took the stool and placed it in front of Jason, he laughed. The entire congregation laughed. Mel could understand how it was humorous, but anyone with their eyes open could see it was necessary. Mel hiked her dress up enough to reveal her red toenail polish and stepped up onto the stool, dropping her dress and covering her bare feet again. She looked up and smiled at a grinning Jason, happy to be much closer to his face now. "Hey, gorgeous," he said softly as he winked at her.
"Hi," she answered quietly.
"You look absolutely breath-taking."
Mel blushed. "So do you."
After the exchange, the officiant began to speak. "The Hawaiian word for love is Aloha. Today, we've come together to celebrate the special Aloha that exists between Jason and Melody and their desire to make their Aloha eternal through the commitment of marriage. Jason and Melody, you are entering into marriage because you want to be together. You are marrying because you know you will grow more in happiness and Aloha more fully as life-mates. You will belong entirely to each other, one in mind, one in heart, and in all things. No greater blessing of happiness can come to you than to have this devoted Aloha, which you now publicly affirm. Keep this understanding of your marriage alive in the days ahead. May your aloha continuously grow truer and more wonderful with each day you enjoy together."
Mel and Jason smiled at each other as the officiant reached for two leis and presented them to the couple. One made entirely of green leaves, the other a mixture of green with white flowers. "At this time I would like to have you present to each other these leis. In Hawaii we exchange leis as a symbol of our love. The beautifully crafted lei with its hand-picked flowers and twine, carefully bonded together with love, is a reflection of your love and Aloha for one another. As you exchange these leis you will begin to weave your lei in life together with love. And now, with loving aloha, please present your leis to one another with a smile and a kiss upon each other's cheek and an Aloha."
"Not a problem," Jason said as he lifted the floral lei from the officiant's outward arm. "Didn't even need the instruction."
As Jason gently placed the lei around Mel's neck, he kissed her gently close to her ear and breathed a rich, "Aloha," into her ear. Shivers ran down her spine and her mind instantly raced back to the first night they met. He had started talking in her ear in the cab and, to this day, his voice never ceased to turn her on.
As she placed the lei of green around his neck, she kissed his cheek and greeted him with her own Aloha. As she pulled away from him, he turned his head toward her and she could feel his breath on her face. It was tempting. God, it was so tempting. But she smiled and looked into his eyes, placing a finger over his lips. "I know what you're trying to do," she said softly. "Be patient."
Light laughter came from the guests as Jason grinned. "Damn. You caught me." Then he looked up at the officiant. "Can't blame a man for trying, right?"
The guests laughed louder and the officiant smiled in response. "A good marriage must be created," he said. In marriage, the 'little' things are the big things. It is never being too old to hold hands. It is remembering to say 'I love you' at least once a day. It is never going to sleep angry--"
"Yeah, that part is NOT going to be a problem," Mel interrupted. Jason chuckled and nodded and the officiant blushed.
"It is standing together to face the world," he continued. "It is speaking words of appreciation, and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways." At that, Jason raised his eyebrows at Mel and winked at her, grinning. Mel giggled. She was so glad nobody could detect their silent conversation, though she knew their faces said it all. She knew they would never make it to their wedding night. "It is having the capacity to forgive and forget," the officiant continued. "It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow. It is a common search for the good and the beautiful. It is not only marrying the right person--it is being the right partner."
By this point, Mel couldn't stay still. In her nervousness, she fidgeted by letting her hands run listlessly up and down Jason's bare forearms and back down to his hands. She'd hold them for a few seconds before she started her route again. She couldn't help herself and Jason didn't seem to mind.
"You've exchanged leis," the officiant said. "Now you will exchange your vows. If you will repeat after me..."
As Mel's hands drifted back down to Jason's, she held onto them tightly. Jason stepped a step closer to her, so close she could nearly feel his heart beating. She wished she were tall. She wished she could stand this close to him all the time. His eyes gazed into hers, his lips turning up a small smile as he repeated the words the officiant instructed, in his own deep, rich voice. That voice Mel would love forever. "I, Jason Kamealoha, take you, Melody Banks, to be my wife, my partner in life, and my one true love. I will cherish our friendship and love you today, tomorrow, and forever. I will trust you and honor you. I will laugh with you and cry with you. I will love you faithfully through the best and the worst, through the difficult and the easy, whatever may come I will always be there. As I have given you my hand to hold, so I give you my life to keep."
A tear fell down Mel's cheek. She knew what these standard vows said. The officiant had joked at the rehearsal that she'd gone over them with a fine-toothed comb and he wasn't lying. However, to hear them come out of Jason's mouth, so tender and full of emotion, staring into his eyes as he said them to her, was something else all in its own. Just when she thought she'd fallen as deeply in love as she could get, she always seemed to fall just one more time.
But Jason wasn't finished. Taking in a breath and letting it out, he squeezed her hand and said to her quietly, "I'm a simple man. I can't recite poetry or sing you love songs or deliver obscenely grand gestures of love." Mel raised an eyebrow in objection and Jason blushed. "Well, I mean, today's a little different." Then he grew serious again. "But I can dedicate my life to you. I will dedicate my life to you. I already have. I can and will spend the rest of my life telling you how beautiful you are, every single day, and never tire of it. I will spend the rest of my life falling deeper and deeper in love with you every single day, I will spend my life taking care of you, and I will spend my life keeping you safe. You are my dream come true. Everything I've done, everything I do, and everything I will ever do, is for you. And only you. You are the sun in my sky. I love you, gorgeous."
Mel didn't realize the extent of her tears until she sniffed. Nikki handed her a tissue over her shoulder and she took it, laughing sheepishly through her tears. "I'm sorry," she said, putting the tissue to use.
She was at a loss with her used tissue now, not wanting to hold it in her hand while she was holding Jason's and she couldn't give it back to Nikki. He must have sensed her confusion because he then took it out of her hand and shoved it into his pocket. "Just let me know when you need it back," he said, smiling.
Mel could have melted right there.
Except that now it was her turn. She pulled him closer to her by his hands. They couldn't stand any closer now. Her body pressed against his and she didn't care. In just a few short minutes, they would be married, and if she wanted her husband's body against hers at their wedding, then dammit, who was going to stop them? As she looked up at him, their faces so close, she glanced at his lips, longingly, wanting so desperately to kiss them. But instead, she repeated her vows. "I, Melody Banks, take you, my Jason Kamealoha, to be my husband, my partner in life, my one true love. I will cherish our friendship and love you today, tomorrow, and forever. I will trust you and honor you. I will laugh with you and cry with you. I will love you faithfully, through the best and the worst, through the difficult and the easy, whatever may come, I will always be there. As I have given you my hand to hold, so I give you my life to keep." Mel swallowed and took a deep breath, reaching up to touch Jason's face as she spoke, her voice now nearly an inaudible whisper. Not on purpose, but not exactly by accident. "Jason. You take my breath away. The first time you ever smiled at me, I forgot how to breathe and I haven't breathed ever since. Every single time you look at me, smile at me, or even say my name, it feels like the first time all over again. You have taught me so much over these past few years. How to laugh, how to see--how to live life. But the most important thing I've learned from you is how to trust and follow my heart. You taught me what true love is. And I haven't been the best student, I know, but I've had the best teacher that anyone could ever have. You're my inspiration. You inspire me to strive to be the best person I can possibly be. Jason, I love you so much. So much more than I could possibly say. Today is the first day of the rest of our lives. And I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life taking care of you, making you happy, supporting you, and continuously falling deeper and deeper in love with you. I can't wait to grow old with you, to learn with you, to go through life with you, one crazy adventure at a time. You are the breath that I breathe, the beating of my heart, the spirit that keeps me alive. You are my life. My everything. And I've never been more proud, a single day in my life, than I am right here in this moment, about to become your wife."
Jason stared down at her. She heard the breath catch in his throat for a second before he started blinking his eyes, but he wasn't fast enough before Mel observed the tears that had welled up in his eyes. He was speechless for a moment more before he finally cleared his throat and smiled at the officiant. "Can I kiss her NOW?"
Smiling, the officiant shook his head.
"Dammit," Jason said impatiently, to the light chuckle of the guests.
"Jason and Melody," the officiant said. "I would ask that you always treat yourself and each other with repect and remind yourselves often of what brought you together today. Give the highest priority to the tenderness, gentleness, and kindness that your marriage deserves. When frustration and difficulty assail your marriage--as they do to every relationship at one time or another--focus on what still seems right between you, not only the part that seems wrong. This way, when clouds of trouble hide the sun in your lives and you lose sight of it for a moment, you can remember that the sun is still there. And if each of you will take responsibility for the quality of your life together, it will be marked by abundance and happiness. "Jason," he said, focusing his attention on him. "Do you take Melody to be your wife? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish, and protect her, forsaking all others and holding only unto her forevermore?"
Jason grinned at Mel. "Absolutly. No question."
"And do you, Melody, take Jason to be your husband? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish, and protect him, forsaking all others and holding only unto him forevermore?"
Mel's grin matched Jason's. "I do," she said, excitedly. "I always have and I always will."
"May we have the rings, please?" The officiant asked. Taking a moment for the bride and groom to collect themselves, he spoke again. "The ring is a symbol of the unbroken circle of love. Love freely given has no beginning and no end, no giver and no receiver is the giver and each is the receiver. May these rings always remind you of the vows you have taken."
As Jason repeated the words instructed by the officiant, Mel stood ready to receive the band that was about to go with her engagement band. Shock, however, ran through Mel's body when she observed the ring he slipped onto her finger. "Jason," she whispered, stunned at the thin rose gold band with the over-sized diamond. She nearly fainted at what looked like at least three carats. And while she enjoyed a fine piece of jewlery just as much as the next woman, this was just--"Jason!" She repeated again, quietly, with a gasp. "This is too much..."
He lifted her chin and smiled at her. "Nothing is too much for my girl."
"But--" She knew this exchange wasn't customary, but she just didn't understand the boulder that now adorned her hand. She loved her little engagement band..."But this--"
"Is beautiful," he finished. "Not near as beautiful as you, but I did the best I could. Look, I feel like I kinda dropped the ball on that sorry excuse for a propsal--"
"It was perfect--"
"But my wife is going to have a diamond. If it were up to me--and it is--you'd be dripping with diamonds."
Sometimes she was certain that he had forgotten that she even had a bank account, but she chose to question it no further. She felt guilty about his ring after she'd seen her own. She didn't even know if he liked gold, but she'd bought it because she knew it would look great on his hand, but--
Her heart pounded as she repeated after the officiant and slid the gold band on his finger. The two small diamonds it boasted were puny compared to the one he'd given her. She didn't tell him she'd had 'Melokia' engraved on the inside. She figured he'd find it eventually.
When she looked up at him, his eyes sparkled and his smile was warm and charming. She hadn't disappointed him. She grinned up at him in relief and then he winked at her.
She melted.
"Jason and Melody," the officiant said. "You have just sealed your relationship by the giving and receiving of rings and this is a pledge between two people who agree that they will commit themselves to one another throughout their lives. Today this relationship is also symbolized through the pouring of these two individual containers of sand. One is representing you, Jason, and one is representing you, Melody, and all that you were, all that you are, and all that you will ever be. Please blend the sand."
Mel and Jason each took a small container of sand and poured it into an empty container that sat on a small table in front of them. Everyone laughed again, including Jason, when Mel had to step off the stool to do it. She couldn't help it when she got teary-eyed again as they emptied their containers, blending into the new one. There was something so moving, so powerful, so symbolic and meaningful about it. It was--them.
"As these two containers of sand are poured into the third container, the individual containers of sand will no longer exist, but will be joined together as one. Just as these grains of sand can never be separated, our prayer for you today is that your lives together would be blended like the seven seas and may your love swirl around each other like the changing tides."
As Mel stepped back on her stool, she pulled Jason by the hands close to her again and smiled. They were nearing the end and she couldn't have been more excited.
"To make your relationship work will take love. This is the core of your marriage and why you are here today. It will take trust, to know that, in your hearts, you truly want what is best for each other. It will take dedication to stay open to one another and to learn and grow. It will take faith, to go forward together, without knowing exactly what the future brings. And it will take commitment to hold true to the journey you both have pledged to today."
Mel started to giggle and she did a little dance on her stool. Jason smiled in amusement and the guests laughed, but she didn't care. "This is it," she whispered excitedly.
"I know."
"Today you have exchanged vows, leis, I dos, rings, blended the sand, and have pledged your Aloha to each other. So, by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. The officiant looked at their eager faces and smiled. "Okay, you can kiss her now."
Without wasting another second, Jason hooked his arm around her waist and pulled her tight against him, taking her face with his other hand, and kissed her feverishly. Her arms wrapped around and her hands hooked tight over his shoulders and her body began to shake in his arms from both laughter and tears. As the officiant introduced the couple as Mr. and Mrs. Jason Makoa Nohea Kamealoha, Mel finally let loose and cried.
"Baby..." Jason smiled at her, wiping her tears.
"I'm so happy." She smiled through her tears.
"I'm happy, too," he replied gently.
Then, to her surprise, she giggled as he scooped her up and carried her up the aisle. "What, you don't trust me to walk myself?" She teased quietly.
He smiled at her. "Baby, I'm not ever letting you go."
-----------------------------------------------------------
ZAC
As the wedding party made their way up the aisle, and the parents and guests began to follow, Zac caught the quick eye exchange between Taylor and Mel's father. Zac didn't really know what to make of it, but it made him slightly uneasy. Awkward, even.
Letting his camera hang from his neck, Tay shoved his hands in his pockets. He looked back at his brothers nervously. "Well. That's it, I guess. It's done. It was a, uh, a beautiful ceremony."
"Are you okay?" Isaac asked.
Zac just went straight for the throat. "You're still in love with her, aren't you?"
Tay looked back at his brothers, pain and confusion in his eyes. Hesitantly, he answered, "I don't think I know how to stop."
Zac glanced at Ike, who shoved his own hands in his pockets, following Tay's lead. "It'll be okay," Ike said.
"I know," Tay answered. "I'll always love her. But did you see her up there?" He looked back at the now empty gazebo as the waves crashed behind it. "Nobody else existed but him today. I loved her to the best of my ability, but I just couldn't give to her what he can. Not the way she needs it. Not even the way she deserves it."
Zac placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. "I'm proud of you. It takes a strong man not to say anything when you were given the opportunity. It takes an even stronger one to let her go."
"Didn't have much choice, did I?"
"Look," Ike said. "They're probably through receiving guests, so I'm gonna go and find Nikki."
"I'll be right behind you," Tay said. "I just need a minute."
Reluctantly, Zac walked with Ike as Tay sat alone in the empty ceremony space.
--------------------------------------------------------------
JASON
They knew they were finished receiving guests when Isaac and Zac came through the doors. Jason was glad. He was eager for the officiant to sign the marriage license and then get his wife alone.
The thought of Mel as his wife caused him to smile at her as she talked with the rest of the wedding party, who had since gathered around. Nikki took Ike by the arm and said, "Come on. We need to make sure this cocktail hour gets underway while the staff gets the reception area ready."
"Oh, hey, where's Tay?" Mel spoke up.
Zac and Ike exchanged a glance that made Jason a little uneasy. He guessed that, deep down, he would always feel a little threatened by Taylor Hanson. Nobody, not even his wife, would ever learn that truth about him, but how could he not? He was Mel's first love. And even though she had been married before, and it wasn't to Taylor, Taylor would always feel like a threat. But he couldn't keep Mel away from him. It would be wrong of him.
"He, uh, hung back to take a couple more pictures," Zac said. "He'll be along."
"Oh," Mel said. "Okay."
The reception was to be held on the beach, under a couple of very large, white tents. Hard, wooden dance floors were to be put down, specifically so Mel could wear the heels she'd bought specifically for the wedding. Jason had shaken his head at the requirement. It was like laying concrete in Malibu all over again. She had, however, also arranged for a small fire pit so that guests could still have fun in the sand. Jason planned on spending a majority of the party there.
When they were finally alone, Jason pulled her close to him. "You look so unbelievably beautiful today."
Mel blushed and he smiled. Her modesty was adorable. "Thank you. I tried to be perfect for you."
"Come on, gorgeous, you're always perfect to me." Then he grinned and lowered his voice. "I got a manicure and a pedicure today."
She covered her mouth and giggled. "Really? Just for today?"
"Just for today."
She lifted his hands and looked down at his feet. "Well they did a great job."
"They did. We're not even going to discuss what I shelled out in tips today."
Mel's eyes widened. "Oh! Poor Tua! Please tell me you took care of him. He wouldn't let me tip him, no matter how hard I tried."
Jason threw his head back in laughter. "He was under strict instruction not to accept anything from you. He was to report to me every time you tried to tip him and I paid him every time you tried. I paid him double the last time when you gave up and didn't offer."
"Jason, that poor man--"
"Don't worry. I probably paid his rent for the next three or four months."
"Jason!"
"I know," he said, already knowing what her next statement would be. "I was in rare form today. What I spent today is probably the most I'll spend in one sitting for at least the next year."
"Because we're not those people. We're not flashy people."
"I know. And I'll remember that when my accountant calls me about your outrageous credit card charges. Or when I come home to a new addition on the house specifically for your wardrobe."
Mel tucked her head and blushed again. "We still have a lot to talk about."
"I know." Then he nodded back toward the doors. "Why don't we go and make that conversation legal?"
Mel grinned as he opened the temporary door for her and they were met face-to-face with Taylor as he had prepared to come out.
"Hey," he said nervously. "Thought you'd be having cocktails by now."
"No," Mel said. "We're about to go and get our marriage license from the officiant and then I'm going to change. What are you--I mean, are you headed to cocktail hour?"
"Uh, I don't know. I'm a little tired, I might skip cocktail hour."
"But you're coming to the reception, right?" Mel asked hopefully. Jason's body stiffened.
"Um, yeah. Yeah, I'll be there." Then Taylor looked at the both of them and held his hand out to Jason. "Congratulations. The ceremony was beautiful."
Jason took his hand and shook it. "Mahalo. Thank you for coming."
"I couldn't miss it," Taylor said. Then he looked at Mel and smiled. "You looked gorgeous today. I'm so glad you're happy."
Mel smiled and hugged Taylor, causing Jason's skin to crawl. He was so glad they bought a home in Hawaii. He was glad she no longer owned one in Tulsa. He was glad she'd cut her ties with 3CG Records and he was glad that he planned to fly her out to Europe in a few weeks after he started filming. He wasn't insecure, and he didn't purposely want to keep Mel separated from Taylor, but Jason knew he was still in love with her and he didn't need those kinds of feelings hanging around.
When Mel pulled away from Taylor and thanked him, Jason took her by the hand. "We better go get that license now," he said gently. Then he nodded at Taylor. "Taylor."
Taylor looked back at Jason, the realization of their positions crossing his face. "Jason," he returned.
And it was like they were suddenly back at square one.
------------------------------------------------------------
MEL
"Oh, shit, I don't have my room key!" Mel said as they stepped off the elevator and onto their hallway.
When they reached Jason's suite, he pulled his own room key out of his pocket. "It's okay," he said, matter-of-factly. "You don't have your own suite anymore anyway."
Mel gaped at him. "Excuse me?"
As she followed him into his suite, she stopped and looked around. All the flowers he'd sent, the balloons, her own luggage...had all been moved into his room. She would have melted at the gesture had she not been hyperventilating over her own belongings. "You're sure everything made it in here?"
"Every last item."
"You let strangers move my personal belongings?"
"Um, well...when you put it that way..."
She felt bad, but she had to do it. Her conscience wouldn't let it go. She searched all her things, the entire suite from top to bottom, making sure everything was accounted for. When she was satisfied, she turned around and looked at Jason and her heart broke at the expression on his face. "Oh, baby," she said to him. "I'm so sorry. I just--I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, I just--you know how paranoid I can be."
"Mel, I--" Jason sighed and sat on the sofa in the sitting room, Mel sitting down beside him. He looked at her. "I'm happy. This is the greatest day of my life. I've gotten everything I ever wanted today. But I feel like such an asshole."
Mel's eyes widened in alarm and she turned her body toward him, taking his hand. "No. Jason, please, I didn't mean to make you feel--"
"No, it's--it's not--I just--I don't want to leave."
Her heart melted. "I know, sweetie. But you have to work."
"I know, but--what, I marry you and then I take off? I can't even take you on a proper honeymoon? What kind of a husband is that?"
Mel couldn't help but smile. Was he really letting this bother him that bad? It was sweet. Cute, even. She turned his face toward hers. "A honeymoon isn't really that big a deal to me."
He narrowed his eyes at her in confusion.
"I knew we weren't going to have a honeymoon right after the wedding. We both did. It was common sense. But we have our entire lives to go on a honeymoon. Right? And if you think about it, all this time we spent in here has kinda been like one. You know?"
"So...sleeping at my mom's house and sneaking around to have sex on the beach has been a honeymoon to you?"
She raised her eyebrow flirtatiously. "Think about it." She let him stew on it for a moment as she stood up. "By the way, I need you to unzip me. I need to get ready for the reception."
---------------------------------------------------------------
JASON
He sat up and did as she asked him, reaching up and unzipping the back of her dress as she stood with her back to him, her hair over one shoulder as to not get in the way. The farther he unzipped, the more his heart began to pound. He hadn't expected this...
"Shit," he whispered under his breath as he saw the black laces against her skin. His heart began to pound. All that talk on the balcony just before the wedding...How had he not noticed this? HOW had he not felt any of this underneath her dress?
Just like that, Mel held her dress up against her and thanked him simply, making her way to the bathroom. 'No,' he screamed on the inside. 'NO!' He shifted his body around in his seat to watch her walk across the room. "Um, you know, it may not be TOTALLY necessary that we show up for cocktail hour is it?" He asked her. "I mean, it's not like you have to change clothes RIGHT this second or anything..."
His lame attempt was futile. She had already closed the bedroom door. Damn.
He sat there, his knee bouncing impatiently. He actually hadn't thought about changing for the reception, but now maybe he wondered if he should. He was comfortable in what he was in, but if she was changing...
Dammit, she was taking forever. What the hell was she doing? Her face and hair looked great, all she had to do was change her clothes. He needed a distraction. He needed to get out of there before--
"Jason?"
She called him from the bedroom. Holy shit, what does this mean? He calmed himself. Probably nothing. She probably needed something zipped or she needed him to find something or bring her something. No biggie. "Yeah?" He called.
"Can you come here for a minute?"
His heart sank. Her voice was complete business. Oh well. He couldn't get his hopes up yet anyway. After all, it wasn't technically their wedding night yet.
However, when he opened the door, he nearly fell to his knees at her mercy. He had only been joking when he asked her what she was wearing earlier. But she--well she had since upped the ante. Maybe she said she had been lying at that moment, but she sure as fuck didn't lie now.
She wore a simple, black corset with ruffled edges lined in red. Below the waist were a pair of tiny black panties and, as promised, a pair of thigh-high fishnet stockings. On her feet? Patent leather platforms. She had let her hair fall down her back and she stood before him, perfectly posed with her legs apart and her hand on her hip. His first thought, as he drank her in, was how in the hell was he going to get that damn thing OFF?
"Surprise," she said.
"It certainly is..."
"I mean, I know it's a little early, but..." She paused to adjust her stocking, Jason intently watching her every move. "I just couldn't wait any longer."
"We're gonna be late to our own reception."
"It's our party, right?"
"That, it is," he repeated as he walked in the room, looking her up and down. He took his time. He wanted to make sure he got the full effect. He looked up at her face. She had darkened her eye makeup and he smiled. Holy shit, this was the real deal.
He sat on the edge of the bed in front of her and looked at her a little more. As he unbuttoned his own shirt, the corners of his mouth turned up a little. "Turn around," he said.
As she did as he told her, turning around slowly, he smiled and shook his head. Goddamn, she was hot as hell. He knew those shoes were good for something, as often as she liked to wear them. He could have bounced a quarter off that ass. She may have been his wife now, and the day may have been romantic and emotional, but right now, romance didn't even exist. This was an entirely different woman standing in front of him right now.
Reaching for the end table, he picked up his phone and held it up in front of her. "Jason, what are you doing?"
"I want this for Europe," he said as he took the picture. Then, looking up at her face, he smiled again. "Don't worry, nobody's ever going to see it. This is for my eyes only. I promise." Then he sat his phone back down and peeled his shirt back off of his shoulders. "Come here," he said as he deposited his shirt onto the floor.
She walked across the room and stood between his parted legs. Looking up at her, he leaned over and ran his hands up from her ankles to her thighs until he stopped at her panties and hooked his fingers into the tops of them, gently pulling down, careful not to disturb the fishnets, until he let them drop around her ankles and picked them up off the floor as she stepped out of them. Then he stood and shoved them into his pocket. Mel's mouth dropped open and her eyes widened as he unbuckled his pants and held a finger to his lips. "Shh," he smiled. "It'll be our little secret."
He stood and stripped his pants off down to his gray boxer briefs, then made himself comfortable on the bed, sitting up against the headboard, his bent knees parted in front of him. "Come here," he said to her as he picked up his phone again.
He didn't tell her he was filming her as she crawled onto the bed and looked at him the way she did. Goddamn, she knew how to work an outfit. When Mel dressed, it was like she became the ensemble. She dressed for an occasion and she conducted herself for the occasion and damn if she didn't radiate complete sex right now in this moment. He was the luckiest bastard in the world.
As she sat up on her knees between his legs, he put the phone down on the bed beside him and looked up at her. Finally, he touched her, his hands running up and down the length of her corset. Her small breasts were pushed up to the top, revealing a teasing amount of cleavage and suddenly, he wanted it off. As his eyes darted over it, still not able to figure it out, he picked up his camera and positioned in front of her and commanded softly, "Take it off."
Confused, she furrowed her brow and ran her hands the length of it herself and objected, "But--"
He lifted his eyes from his phone. "Take it off," he repeated. "And look into the camera when you do it."
Realization coming over her face, she flipped her long hair to one side and slowly began to unbutton the corset from the top. His heart raced with anticipation at every button and his dick only seemed to get harder and harder.
As she unhooked it, she looked directly, with purpose, into the camera. He prayed that this would be enough to get him through in his trailer until she joined him in Europe. But for now, he was turned on as hell to be in the moment in person. When she finally opened it up and revealed her soft, tan skin, he let out a breath and muttered, "Goddamn." He liked the corset. He did. But he was more interested in the fishnets. There was nothing hotter than a pair of thigh-highs.
He let the camera film her for a few seconds more until he finally turned it off and laid it on the bedside table. "It's about time," she flirted. "I was wondering when you were going to stop taking pictures and take me instead."
His hand reached out and slid softly down the front of her torso, cupping her breast in his hand as he made his way down. When he'd reached the bottom, he flipped his wrist around and slid two fingers inside her and watched her jaw slack and her head fall back. He smiled at her reaction. When he pulled his fingers out, she looked at him in disappointment and he pulled her naked body close to him. He hooked his hand around her knee and bent it up beside him as his mouth covered her skin. Her breathing grew heavier and light moans escaped her throat and he pulled her face close to him and kissed her mouth. He let his hands fall to her hips and he gripped them as he pulled her body against his. He loved the way her hands felt against his chest, but, even more than that, he loved the way his own hands felt all over her body.
He leaned forward with her, finally, and laid her out across the bed in front of him, splayed out on her back in nothing but fishnets and stilettos. It was a hard decision to make at the moment, taking off his underwear or grabbing up his phone, and she looked so hot laying there in front of him that his phone won. Quickly, he sat on his knees above her and snapped a picture of her before tossing his phone on the bed beside him and scooting her body further up the bed. He then lowered his head between her legs and his tongue tasted her as, suddenly, the most erotic of sounds came from her mouth above him. He knew she loved when he did this. He knew he was good at it and he knew that he'd never once failed at getting her off. It was an ego boost if he ever got one.
He didn't normally look up at her as he went about his business. He was usually all about getting her off. But when she got quiet, curiosity got the best of him, and he looked up, his dick instantly getting hard again. In her hand, was his phone, positioned off to the side, just so to get a view of what was going on. She had objected at first, but now she was getting into it. Jesus, she was kinky as hell and he loved it.
When he started again, she began moaning and writhing once more, and he built up his intensity purposely to get her off quicker. In spite of himself, he was dying to see how much of this would actually end up on his phone and if she actually recorded her orgasm, that would be the fucking jackpot.
When she came, he was ready. On his knees again, he pulled her by her legs back toward him and entered her, as she lay sprawled out underneath him. He took his phone from her and turned on the video camera again. For a moment, he let it record as he fucked her before finally needing his full attention to be on her. Tossing his phone to the side, he lifted her fishnet-covered legs and lay them over his shoulders as his hands ran up her legs. He watched her pick up his phone again and this caused him to pick up his pace. He couldn't help it. The idea that she actually wanted to be the star on his phone was enough to send him over the edge.
When he felt her second orgasm pulse around him, he came immediately after. After a moment, he pulled out of her and collapsed down on top of her as she wrapped her arms around his body. He kissed her. He kissed her neck, her shoulder, her face, her lips. When carnal lust finally gave way to his emotions, he gazed down at his blushing bride and smiled. "Is this what married life is like?"
She smiled back at him. "I have a feeling it's what OUR married life is going to be like."
"Then damn, why the hell did we wait so long?"
"Because an entire two week engagement was too long?"
"You know what I mean."
Her voice softened. "But you're my husband now. And that's all that matters."
"I'm so glad you married me."
She cocked her head to the side and looked at him curiously as her fingers trailed his arms. "Jason? I just--I gotta know something."
"What's that?"
"Back then--in New York--you know when you found out I was pregnant and Tay and I and--and you wanted me to marry you instead. Was that--? I mean, were you serious?"
Jason sighed and hung his head, his face brushing hers. "I was caught in an emotional moment then. Please do not take it as a formal marriage proposal. Please. Don't. But--I mean, yeah. Yeah, I wanted to marry you then. I've always wanted to marry you."
"Tell me about Melokia."
"I already did."
"No. You said I wasn't supposed to know about it."
"Mel. We just had sex. On our wedding day. Is it really important that we bring this stuff up now?"
"I just wanna know."
"I got it soon after Taylor proposed to you at Drew and Gerard's wedding. I wanted something--some part of you--to have forever. So I got the tattoo. And that's where you stayed, never to leave me."
Tears welled up in her eyes. Goddammit, he knew this shit wasn't necessary right now. "Jason..."
He kissed her cheek and swept a strand of hair from her face. "Baby, when I say forever, I mean forever. I was gonna have you forever any way I could get you." Then he smiled. "And now here you are. My wife. And I still have to check myself and make sure I'm not dreaming."
"I love you," she whispered.
"I love you, too, gorgeous. But we should probably get ready for our reception. I'm sure we're already late."
------------------
Momentarily relieved of the sexual tension, Jason was still proud as hell as he walked outside to the reception with his arm slid around Mel's waist. She looked fucking spectacular, as always, and he hoped he would never get used to it. After her shower, she'd freshened up her hair and her makeup. Her dress was simple, white, strapless, tight, and mini, exactly the way he liked it. Her platform heels were white with little bows on the heels. Cute, but just sexy enough to make her ass look incredible in the dress. Her dress glowed against her golden skin and dark hair and he had decided early on that he loved the way Hawaii looked on her. It was as if as soon as she stepped off that plane, the islands just opened their arms and welcomed her in, making her their own. She may have been a city girl at heart, but island life suited her. He was so proud of her.
"There they are!" Nikki called out as applause followed her. "Only, what, thirty minutes late?"
Jason looked down at Mel and he caught her blushing underneath the low tent lights. Could anyone tell? Shit, judging by their timing, it wouldn't take a rocket scientist to know that they'd gone ahead and consumated their marriage ahead of schedule.
"Ladies and gentlemen," the emcee announced, shaking Jason back to reality. "Finally introducing the happy couple, Mr. and Mrs. Kamealoha!" He let the applause and cheering go on for a moment before speaking again. "If everyone will kindly clear the floor, the pair may then have their first dance as husband and wife."
The guests milled about, clearing space on the dance floor that was built under the tents on the beach. As the sun set and the sky darkened, the lights dimmed and a blue spotlight shined in the middle of the floor. Mel's eyes widened as Jason smiled down at her and held out his hand. "How about a little Moonlight Serenade?"
"Jason," Mel gasped as she took his hand. She was obviously shocked that he'd remembered when they danced to it in New York earlier that year. The music played as he led her to the dance floor, pulling her close and holding her hand against his chest. "Jason," she whispered again. "I can't believe you--in New York..."
He smiled down at her, his face close to his. When he'd insisted on picking their first song, he already knew what he was doing. And the surprise had paid off. "Would you expect any less?" He asked quietly. "It's the first time we ever danced together in the place you love the most--ultimately the one thing you love more than me."
She smiled at him, her smile making him weak in the knees. "I'm not so sure New York is my favorite place on Earth anymore."
"Oh?"
She nodded. "Yeah. My favorite place is wherever you are."
He grinned. "That's sweet. But--"
"It's true. I love New York. I truly do. But it's nothing without you. New York is where we met. Where we first kissed. Where we first danced. Where I first told you I was in love with you..."
"New York brought us together--"
"Malibu brought me home--"
"Hawaii married us--"
She smiled again. "I've loved you all over the United States. And all over the world."
He raised his eyebrows. "The world?"
"Ireland nearly killed me."
"Not as much as it killed me."
"No. I wanted you so bad. I loved you so much. But I was blind. I was blind and I loved you."
"You could have had me then."
"I know. But I have you now. And everything happens for a reason."
"Well this conversation seems to be coming full circle."
"How so?"
"The morning after we met, we had that conversation--about everything happening for a reason. We talked about why we came into each other's lives."
"You were wrong, you know."
He furrowed his brow in defiance. "About what?"
"You said Tay was my mana. But you were wrong."
"Actually, if I remember correctly, I said music was your mana. And I was right."
"And then you changed your mind."
"Maybe I was drunk."
Mel giggled. "You weren't drunk."
"Maybe I should have been."
Then she grew serious again. "It was you all along."
"Are you happy?" He asked gently.
"So happy."
As the song ended, he hated to separate from her and he stopped himself when he heard the simple familiarity of an old acoustic guitar. As Elvis Presley began to sing "Love Me Tender" through the speakers, Jason's heart melted onto the floor. His wife pulled him close to her again and began to sing the words softly to him.
"Oh, sweetheart," his said quietly as he swayed slowly with her.
She smiled. "You're not the only one who has something up their sleeve here, you know."
And then she continued to softly sing the lyrics to him. He realized then that, after all this time, he had never heard her sing before. He always knew she could but he guessed the occasion never came up. Her voice was beautiful, soft as she sang, and his chest hurt as he swallowed the lump in his throat and the tears sprang to his eyes. She was going to cause him to cry right here, in front of all these people. She was going to cause his emotions to get the better of him in front of everyone. This wasn't him. He didn't do this. He was a man, not a crier.
But she was just too beautiful in that tender, private moment.
Before he knew it, his forehead was pressed against hers and he whispered the words along with her. He wasn't a singer, but the lyrics rang true and he couldn't help but say them back to her, as well. As they danced, the most perfect first dance, which was technically their second, he began to have flashbacks. The way she ran her fingers through his then-long hair the night they met; the time she sat next to him in the tattoo chair and got her first tattoos right along with him; the way he fought his feelings hard in Cabo when he told her he couldn't be with her; in Ireland, when he first saw her walk past his trailer, and the way she smiled at him when he called her out; the first time he ever saw her in an evening gown at the first benefit she put together--which was ultimately the night he let her go; how beautiful she was every time he took her to dinner; the night she drunk texted him when she was kicked off an event committee in LA--the way she begged him to kiss her that night and he couldn't do it; the day she finally did kiss him in the hospital, the way she'd cried for him, the way she took care of him, and the way she let him go. Everything. Everything up until now flashed through his brain. Some of it--a lot of it--was hard. It was a rough road. But there wasn't a single bit of it he would have changed. That was the road that had ultimately put her here, in his arms, on their wedding night. It had been a long road, but it was worth it.
When the song ended, he kissed her gently and smiled at her. He couldn't seem to let her go and so they ended up in the same position as the first bars of the third song started, as well. "I love you so much," Jason whispered to her as the lyrics to the old song, "Till There Was You" began to play. It was corny and cliche, but it was a perfect wedding song and it wasn't like Jason was really listening to it anyway. His bride's arms were wrapped around his neck and there was nowhere else he would have rather been than in her arms in that moment.
Except maybe on their own, private island.
Jason pulled away from her just enough to look into her eyes. "I unwrapped my wedding gift today. It's amazing. I love it."
She smiled up at him. "You do? I'm so glad because it took hours!"
"I do. And I'm gonna take the smaller prints and pin them all around my mirror in my trailer next week."
She giggled. "All of them?"
"All of them. Except for the one I'm keeping in my pocket."
"Jason. You don't have to--"
"I want you with me, always. Any way I can get you."
She wrapped her arms tighter around his neck and he could feel her hips gently swaying to the music underneath his arms. He smiled at her and continued, "I got you a wedding gift, too."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. Except I can't give it to you here."
"I'm intrigued..."
"Actually, I can't give it to you at all."
She jerked her head back and furrowed her brow. "Now I'm concerned."
He chuckled. "Don't be concerned, it's just. It's something I wanted to do for you."
"Okay..."
"I didn't, uh, I didn't think you'd embrace Hawaii quite as much as you have...I thought it might be just another location, like, 'Oh it's pretty' and move on, right?"
"I love it here. It's not like that for me."
"I know. I love the way you've embraced the culture and my family...I never thought I'd see you belong anywhere else but New York."
She smiled. "Well, things change. And then we find ourselves."
"Right," he smiled back. "So, anyway, I bought you your own island."
Mel stopped swaying and stared up at him, wide-eyed. "Excuse me? My own--what?"
He chuckled. "It's not inhabited or anything like that. It's literally just--it's really not even inhabitable. It's tiny. Only just big enough to walk around on. But it's good for sunning or picnicking or something like that. No biggie."
"An island," she clarified. "An entire island..."
"A tiny island. Very tiny. But yours."
"What did you name it?" She asked in a small voice.
He narrowed his eyes at her. "What the fuck do you think I named it?"
"I'm beginning to think I should just change my name to the Hawaiian version."
Jason laughed. "Don't do that."
"So where is my tiny island?"
He wrapped his arms tighter around her and smiled. "Tonight, when we're spending our first night in our new home, as husband and wife, I'll find it on a map and show you."
"You're too much," she whispered. "I think I love you more and more every hour of the day."
Their moment was interrupted halfway through the song when Mel's father's voice cut into their personal space. "Mind if I cut in, son? Your first dance has lasted nearly three songs."
Mel and Jason separated as they smiled at Paul. "Of course," Jason said. "As long as your lovely wife has saved a dance for me."
Paul winked at him. "I'm sure that won't be an issue."
Smiling, Jason went off to offer his mother-in-law a dance.
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MEL
Mel couldn't keep her eyes off of Jason as they ate dinner. Namely, off of his hand and the gold ring. She had to take a moment to get lost in her own mind and revel in the surrealness of it all. She looked up at Jason's face as he laughed and talked with his cousins and then she looked down at his hand again. She couldn't keep her eyes off of him. Just a few short years ago, he was in her bed in New York, feeding her life-changing words of wisdom and telling her how he didn't want to hurt her, but that he couldn't commit because work came first. Of course, she'd only recently learned that was a crock, but it felt like yesterday, nonetheless. She'd emotionally pushed him away, fought her feelings, cried for him, defended him, and fought against all odds to keep him in her life, always afraid of losing him--and now he was her husband. Honestly, she never thought she'd see the day. She never thought she'd know the feeling of true, pure bliss. Until right now.
Mel knew she loved Jason in Chicago. When she'd seen him laid up in the hospital bed. When she'd chalked it up to fear and emotions, but she knew the truth. When she laid eyes on him and wanted nothing more than to be there and take care of him; when leaving to go home pained her more than she knew it should have; when she'd kissed him, she knew. However, if you'd asked her then, or even a couple of years prior, she'd have said marrying him would have never even been an option. Not only would it never happen, but he just didn't seem like the marrying kind.
Except that apparently he was. Living with Jason these past few months had been such a drastic change from her life with Taylor. Life with Taylor had been--well, it had been good. Never a dull moment. Rocky at times and a lot like business. They had both been workaholics to a degree and it had bled into their home life at times. Life with Jason, however, was comfortable. And fun. Mel was always smiling, always laughing. And he was so good to her. So caring and attentive, just like he always had been. It was almost eerie how he was so attuned to her every need, and she to his. She loved taking care of him. She loved being there when he came home, she loved cooking for him, keeping track of his schedule, shopping for him--for the first time in her life, Mel was a fully-domesticated woman. And she liked it! Maybe it was because it was him. Maybe John and Taylor were just wrong for her, in general. Maybe she just needed a man that she WANTED to take care of. Not that she didn't want to take care of John and Taylor. But those two tended to, well, let Mel get her way. If she didn't want to do something, she didn't do it. But Jason was different. He kept her in line and there were things he wasn't willing to tolerate. He gave her her freedom but he knew when to pull back the reins. Maybe THAT was why Mel had absolutely no problem taking care of him and being his woman--because he took such good care of her. Had John and Taylor taken good care of her? Looking back, she really wasn't sure of the answer.
She tried not to think about the fact that Jason was leaving in just a few short days. All she wanted to do was hole up with him in their new home, never to see the light of day until time for him to leave. She wouldn't join him for several more weeks, as she had business to tend to at home first. It would be a very long month.
Mel's thoughts were interrupted by the thumping of a microphone. The sound startled her out of her trance and Jason looked over and grinned at her as he caught her staring at him. On the other side of him, Kona stood nervously and looked around the tent. "Uh, hello, everyone. Um, my name is Kona. I'm the best man and Jason's cousin."
Kona paused to look down at Jason and Jason beamed up at him. This caused Mel to smile as well. "I grew up with Jason," Kona continued. "Neither of us had siblings, so we became like brothers. I always thought Jason was so cool. I wanted to be like him and I copied everything he did. I wanted to do everything he was doing. I looked up to him. I still do. But, growing up, Jason was what you would call 'unlucky in love.' " He always had girls after him all the time. They flocked to him. He was always nice to them, but he would hardly ever date any of them. Never. So I asked him one day, I said, 'Jason. You hae all these beautiful women to choose from. Why aren't you out there taking advantage of it?' And I'll never forget his answer. He said, 'I don't connect with them. And if I don't connect, why would I waste my time? I will find her. And when I do, I will do right by her. And it will be magic.' I never heard Jason talk like that before, it was so out of character. But he meant every word. Jason was patient. Resilient. And he had his heart broken a couple of times--"
"Hey," Jason warned him. "Get it right. I never had my heart broken. What was it that I said to you?"
Kona paused and thought for a moment and then he blushed. "Oh yeah. This girl dumped him once and he didn't act phased by it and I asked him why and he said, 'Because when the day comes that my heart is broken, I want it to be worth it.' " Kona paused and smiled at Mel and Jason. "Guess she broke your heart pretty bad, huh?"
Mel smiled and Jason chuckled and patted his own chest.
"I never heard about Mel," Kona said. "All this time he's known her, I never heard about her. When Jason isn't a nonstop chatterbox about something, you know it's serious. But when they arrived on the island a few weeks ago and I saw Jason for the first time in a long time, I could tell he was happy. He was almost serene. Quiet. Domesticated!" Kona paused and laughed. "The wild beast was tame! But seriously, I've seen Jason's best these past few weeks. And I know that it was Mel who brought it out of him. So, a toast to Mel, for being the one who was worth it. A toast to the mister and missus for a long and happy marriage!"
Applause filled the tent and Jason and Mel stood and hugged Kona as Jason took the microphone from him. Jason looked around and smiled. "I know you guys are sick of hearing me talk," he said. "But Kona's right. This one right here broke my heart so many times...she was the only one I couldn't have. I've never had a problem with women turning me down until I met this one. Sure, we had some fun times, but I was after the ultimate grand prize--her heart. Which was, honestly, something I'd never set out to attain before. ANd it was hard. Goddamn, was it hard. I can't begin to tell you how many times I lost her. And this last time--this last time I lost her was the worst. Because that was when I knew that she actually felt the same way that I felt about her--and she knew it, too. And then she was gone. And my heart truly broke and I gave up the fight because she asked me to." Jason paused and cleared his throat, causing Mel to tear up. He looked down at her and smiled. "But now here she sits. As my wife. So beautiful. So caring. And so mine. She does bring out the best in me. I don't know who I ever was without her." He raised his glass. "So here's to my wife, Melody Kamealoha."
When he finished his toast, Mel couldn't resist. She stood and wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, her heart heavy with emotion. She never believed it was possible to love someone this much, but then she looked at Jason and it was real. Every single time.
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JASON
As the party wore on, Jason found himself sitting around the fire pit across from David and Andy, with Kelani beside him. "Late for your own reception," David said, shaking his head. "You are never one to be late for a party."
"I know," Jason replied. "You're never gonna believe what happened to me." He raised his eyebrows and turned up his beer.
"Couldn't make it till later, huh?" David said.
"She didn't leave me much choice."
"Well, shit, man, spill it, what happened?" Kelani asked.
"Let's just say I think I'm gonna enjoy the married life."
"Famous last words from someone still we behind the ears," David muttered.
"Come on. I know Mel. I picked a good one." Then he looked around and lowered his voice. "Okay, fine. So she calls me into the bedroom, right? Catches me completely off guard. So I walk in and she's wearing this hot pair of black--"
"Hi, boys," Mel's voice scared the shit out of him as he looked up and saw Mel and Sarah standing there over them. The blood drained from his face as she smiled down at him. "What are we talking about?"
Jason glanced around at the men, who remained tight-lipped. "Um, just, uh, telling the guys how lucky I am that you married me."
"Uh-huh," she smiled, knowingly. Had he been busted? He had no idea.
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MEL
Taking her by the hand, Jason pulled Mel down, side-saddle into his lap, and she looked around as Sarah sat next to her huband across from them. He wrapped an arm around the back of her waist and allowed the other hand to rub her smooth, bare legs. "Where are your shoes, gorgeous?"
She smiled at him. "I couldn't wear them in the sand."
"I know," he replied, craning his neck and looking around. "But I don't want them to get messed up or lost or something."
Mel melted at his concern for her shoes. He always expressed concern for the things that she loved, no matter how big or small. It was one of the many reasons that she loved him. "They'll be fine. I trust everyone here."
"Okay," he replied. Then he kissed her and they shared a private moment.
As Jason kissed Mel and whispered sweet nothings at her, Kelani's voice interrupted them. "Ah, newlyweds. Enjoy that phase while it lasts."
Jason turned to look at him. "Why do people keep saying shit like that?"
Kelani laughed and shook his head. "I'm not dogging it, bra. I'm just saying. After awhile you get used to it."
"You mean you take it for granted."
"Uh--well, not--"
"I will NEVER take my wife for granted," Jason said sternly.
In an attempt to lighten the mood, Sarah spoke up. "So, what's on the agenda after tonight? Where are you honeymooning?"
Mel shook her head as the fire crackled in front of her. "No honeymoon. Jason leaves in a couple days to start filming."
"Oh, no! No honeymoon?"
"We're spending the night in our new house for the first time, if that counts for anything."
Sarah looked up in thought. "Yeah, I guess that's acceptable." Then, all of a sudden, she smacked her husband on the knee. "David! Are you seriously watching porn right now?"
Poor David looked up, his eyes wide in bewilderment. "What? I don't even have my phone."
"What?"
Jason had been having a very loud conversation as Mel had talked to Sarah and he seemed oblivious to his surroundings. It was only when there was a lull in conversation when Mel could hear the horror that Sarah had accused David of. Horror because the sounds were extremely specific. The groans. The sighs. And then the words. "Jason!" She heard her own voice moan in desperation. "Yes, Jason, just like that. Don't stop!"
Mel wanted to die as she quickly patted Jason's arm. "Jason!" She hissed. "Make it stop!"
He looked confused. "What?"
When he heard his own voice growling how good she felt, coming from his pocket, his eyes widened and he scrambled for his phone. "Fuck!" He muttered, the sounds of sex only growing louder as he took his phone from his pocket to turn it off.
When Jason had finally succeeded, the circle around the fire pit grew quiet and all eyes were on them. Jason's attempt at an explanation had failed when all he could get out of his mouth was, "Um..."
At that, Kelani lost his mind with laughter and David grinned. "So. She was wearing what, again?"
Mel looked into Jason's eyes, mortified.
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JASON
Things had only gone from bad to worse. Goddamn David and his big fucking mouth. And now the look on his wife's face read pure shock, hurt, and betrayal. "How could you?" She whispered. Then she stood up off his lap. "I can't stay here."
"Baby, come on--"
But she was already making her way down the beach in the opposite direction of her own reception. Glaring at David, Jason stood from his chair and followed her. It took a second to catch up to her, as she had walked briskly away. He caught her by the elbow, feeling the chill bumps along her arm. Turning her around, he began unbuttoning his own shirt. "No," she said sternly. "I am NOT having sex with you right now and probably not ever again."
"Shut up," he muttered as he peeled the white button-down back from his shoulders. He placed it around her as she angrily shoved her arms through the sleeves and she shoved the long sleeves above her wrists as he began to button it for her. "There's a chill in the air."
"I'm humiliated."
"That makes two of us."
"Really? Because David apparently got an earful."
Jason huffed, annoyed. "David didn't get shit."
"Yeah, right. Because he just randomly starts a sentence with 'She was wearing what?' "
"I didn't actually tell him.
Mel's jaw dropped. "Is THAT what you were talking about when we walked up?"
Jason sighed and looked around, guiltily. Fuck. Maybe Kelani was right. Only a few hours in and he was already having to save his own ass. "Look. When men get together they, you know--talk."
"So you swap sex stories? And videos?"
"No, we don't--"
"Really? Because what we recorded on your phone earlier just magically decided it wanted to start playing?"
"Maybe I shifted in the chair wrong or something--"
"No. Phones are NOT that sensitive!"
"Goddammit, Mel, have we not fucking talked about this? About you jumping to conclusions all the time? Just shut your mouth and stop interrupting me!"
"You hurt me," she said in a small voice.
Fuck. There it was. The H word. Goddammit.
"I wasn't trying to hurt you," he said softly. "The phone in my pocket was an accident. I promise."
She looked up at him. "We stay in the public eye all the time now. Constantly. There are just some things that are private, that I'd like to keep private. Especially our sex life."
"Here, look." He fished his phone from his pocket. "I'll delete it. Okay? I'l delete it all."
Catching him off guard, she reached out and lowered his arm. "I mean, you don't--you don't HAVE to delete it..."
"What?"
"You're going to be in Europe for a month...alone...and, well--I mean...you know."
He felt the corners of his mouth starting to twitch and he wanted to smile but he kept his composure. "So you don't want me to delete it."
"I don't think that's really necessary...and my issue isn't really even the phone, it's the fact that you were about to tell everyone what we did."
He sighed and shoved his phone back in his pocket. "I'm sorry. I just--I got caught up in the moment. I thought about it and I wanted to brag a little. You know?"
"Brag?"
"Yeah." He flashed a small smile and pulled her close to him. "I like to brag on you. I'm proud of you. I want people to know how gorgeous and amazing you are. Maybe in some ways it's me convincing myself that this is finally a reality. I don't know."
"But is it necessary to brag about what goes on in our bedroom?"
He shook his head and swept her hair off of her shoulder. "No," he said softly. "Absolutely not."
"I can't face them again. Not tonight." Then her eyes focused on something behind him and they widened. "And I especially can't face HIM."
Jason turned around to find David walking toward them up the beach. The breeze blew right through Jason's tank top as he waited for him to approach. "Look, I just wanted to apologize for back there," David said. "I've had a little bit to drink and I was rude. I didn't mean to ruin your night or cause any problems."
Jason shook his hand and shook his head. "It was all me, man. I'm the one who messed up. I'll probably never live this one down."
David looked around at Mel, who stood halfway behind Jason. "I'm sorry if I said anything rude or out of the way to you or about you. YOu and Jason are dear friends of mine and Sarah's. I would do nothing to intentionally disrespect you."
Stepping out from behind Jason, Mel accepted David's apology. "Well, Jason's right, you know. He IS the one who fucked up here, not you."
"Wow," Jason muttered up at the sky.
"Apology accepted. I know how loose a pair of lips can be after a few drinks."
David smiled. "Thanks. Really, thanks. I'm glad we cleared this up. So, uh, I'll leave you guys to it, then." And with that, he turned and walked away.
Jason turned to Mel. "I'm really not gonna live this down, am I?"
"Not for awhile, at least." Then she stepped closer to him and ran her hands up his bare arms and slipped them around his neck. "Take me home," she whispered. "I want to go home."
"Take you home? We haven't cut the cake yet."
"Then let's cut the damn cake and go home."
He smiled down at her, amused. "Someone's anxious."
"I just want to go home. There are too many people here and all I want is you. Alone. Nothing else but you. Please, just take me home."
Her words sounded like heaven. There was something in the way she leaned on him for support. Depended on him. Needed him. It was a feeling he couldn't describe and he loved it. But, shit, what would happen when he was in Europe and she needed him? What then? He tried not to think about it as he smiled down at her. "Absolutely, gorgeous. There's nowhere else I'd rather be than at home with you."
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MEL
Walking into their brand new house in the dark was like unwrapping a gift. They'd been in and out of it all week, having rooms painted and furniture delivered. And the furniture was still a little sparse, but that was okay. They had a bed and running water and, for the next two days, that was really all Mel cared about.
As her heels clicked against the hard wood floor, she reached up to flip the light switch, only to be stopped by Jason's hand. "Leave it off," he said. "Wait here."
Confused, she watched him cross the nearly empty living room, save for a sofa and an entertainment center built into the wall, and he picked a remote control up off one of the shelves and clicked it on, a roaring fire lighting up on the television screen, providing dim lighting in the room. Mel giggled at the novelty of it and his eyes sparkled in the fake fire light as he smiled back at her. Pressing another button, the sounds of George Michael's Careless Whisper filled the room and she stifled another laugh as he crossed the room and took her by the hand. Pulling her to the middle of the living room, he pulled her close to him and he swayed to the music with her. "What is going on here?" She smiled.
"It sounds awesome, doesn't it? I had the sound system put in a couple days ago. It's fucking fantastic. But, honestly, I just like dancing with you."
Mel's eyes looked around in thought and she smiled. There had been a lot of dancing in their past. As if reading her thoughts, he leaned into her ear and his rich voice breathed quietly, "The first time I ever held your body close to mine like this, we were dancing. Remember?"
"Of course I remember."
"I love dancing with you. I love the way your hips feel under my hands. I love the way you get lost in the music sometimes and your hands can't stay still--I love the way you touch me as a result of it. But mostly I love dancing with you in private like this. Because like this, I can do anything I want..." His hands drifted up her back and stopped at the top of her dress and he took hold of the zipper. "I can undress you for real, instead of undressing you with my eyes."
Mel looked up into his eyes and rested her hand against his cheek. "I'm extremely turned on right now. But I'm also so happy. I love you so much, Jason. You were mine from the very beginning. From day one. And I was so stupid but I'm glad I got past that. I'm so proud of you and so proud to be your wife. You're my entire world. I hope you know that."
His hands paused and abandoned the zipper for a moment, opting to pull her tight against him and lean his face close to hers. "You have no idea what it means to me to hear you say that. Sometimes I still think I'm dreaming, that this can't be real. That this couldn't possibly be happening to me. And then you start to speak and you tell me how much you love me and how much you want me and I can feel you, like you're in my veins or in my blood. I know that sounds, I don't know, fucking morbid and shit, but you get what I'm saying, right?"
Mel nodded. And then she smiled. "But it is real. And I am here. And I do want you."
He smiled. "I love the hell out of you. So much it hurts sometimes."
"Take me to bed."
"Damn, woman. Take me home, take me to bed. Getting awful demanding, aren't we?"
"Take me to bed," she repeated.
"I'll take you anywhere you want to go, gorgeous." Then he leaned over and scooped her up off the floor, causing a giggle to escape her lips. "Sorry, I, uh, didn't do the traditional thing and carry you over the threshold there. Will the one in the bedroom work?"
Mel scoffed. "The threshold in the bedroom. Story of our lives, huh?"
At that, Jason threw his head back and laughed.
As her husband carried her to the bedroom, through their house, on their wedding night, Mel stole another look into his eyes before the darkness of the hallway took over. She was content. At ease. Safe. In love. As long as she was with Jason, nothing could hurt her, trouble her, or drag her down. The feeling of putting one hundred percent of your trust in someone else's hands, and feeling comfortable with it, was one of the most euphoric feelings there ever was. Being in his arms was pure bliss. Just like he had said to David earlier, Mel could never take him for granted. Not ever.
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JASON
After making love to his wife, Jason lay in bed, his arms wrapped around her, holding her close to his body. They talked about random things. Reminisced about the past and about the wedding. They talked about what his new movie had in store for him and when she would be joining him in Europe. He'd said it out loud already, but he couldn't help thinking it as he stroked her hair and her shoulder. He couldn't believe it was real. He couldn't believe he'd married the woman of his dreams. He thought he'd lost her for sure. And when she told him she was in love with him, that she actually returned the feelings he had for her, it was the best moment of his life. Well, next to this day, of course.
He always wondered what it would be like if she loved him back. Would everything still be the same? Would their relationship change? No. The truth was, their relationship only got better. Stronger. More beautiful. She wanted to keep him close before, but now they were inseparable. It would take an act of god to take her away from him now. She was his woman now and he would fight to the death for her.
He hadn't realized that they'd actually stopped talking until he heard the steady, even breathing coming from her nose as her content sighs lightly heaved against his chest. He smiled at how soundly she seemed to be sleeping. As he hugged her a little tighter, he closed his eyes to the darkness. For the rest of his life he would see her before he went to sleep and in the mornings when he woke up. And for the rest of his life, the reality would aways be there, her body pressed up against his, or her beautiful face close to his. For the rest of his life he would hold her and love her and be grateful every single day that it was him that she chose. That the man she fell in love with was him. That she was his, his Melokia.
Melody Kamealoha.