Chapter 46: The Wedding

It was a simple ceremony, with only a small contingent of guests in attendance: our parents, of course; Allison ... sorry, 'Charlotte', and Molly, who were bridesmaids; and Rod and Selena, who were using the trip as an excuse for a second honeymoon – the kids were flying out the following week for a family vacation. Rod was also standing in, along with Bob, as one of my groomsmen to balance out the girls standing up for Lizzy. Lizzy had asked Amber to be her maid of honor; my Dad was standing up as my best man.

Several of the major players – me included – were also standing in at Bob's wedding. I was completely blown away when he asked me to stand up as his best man. I figured he would go with Rod, but I guess that would have been difficult since he was giving the bride away. Amy and I would be the only attendants for Bob and Rebecca.

There were more people in our wedding but more guests for theirs – primarily because we didn't actually send out invitations. Christine was there; having finished flight school and taking a break before moving on to the more advanced program which would qualify her on larger aircraft. Mel and Lynn were coming, of course, as well as Susan and Roxy, who were originally going to pass due to the cost, but then Bob and Rebecca had explained that it was a small wedding and they were picking up the travel expenses. In truth, they were splitting them with Warren Street, my new father-in-law, since they were all guests at both weddings – we just weren't advertising ours. Duke figured he was still saving a fortune compared to what it would have cost him to have the wedding closer to home, since half of Fresno would be on the guest list. Besides, he and Betty had wanted to Hawaii for years. The option of a separate reception in Fresno for all of her friends – after we returned from our honeymoon, of course – was still on the table.

Lizzy's parents hadn't been happy at first; they wanted us to wait until after Lizzy graduated, and they were worried about the stress that living in different states would put on a newly married couple. The subject came up again at dinner – barbeque, of course – when they met my parents. I hadn't been looking forward to explaining that my family was in hiding – or that our names were different because of things I had been involved with in the past – but that part at least went better than I expected.

"I understand, David," Duke had said. "Some of the men I served with had to do the same thing when they came back to the States because of the people they had dealt with on missions. They were good men, and I miss them, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do, and if that's what it takes to keep your family or other innocent people safe, then you do it. It won't be a problem for us. So how do your folks feel about you two getting married so soon?"

I blushed and grimaced when I said, "I haven't told them yet, but I don't think they're going to be any happier about it than you are."

"It's not that we're unhappy, David," Betty interjected. "We just think it would be better if you waited. We don't want you to rush into marriage and regret it later."

I started to answer, but Lizzy interrupted by stepping forward and hugging her mother.

"Thank you, mom... ," she moved over and hugged her dad as she continued, " ... daddy. I'm so lucky to have parents that love me so much. We understand your concerns, and we thank you for expressing them. This is one of those issues I think we just need to agree to disagree about because there is no such thing as a convincing argument on either side. All we can do is wait and see, and I promise not to get upset if everything falls apart and you say, 'I told you so', later."

"Elizabeth!" Betty exclaimed, scandalized. "I would never!"

"I sure as hell would," Duke managed to say through his laughter. "Easy, you know I love you, and I've got a pretty good idea just how much this young man loves you, but I'm still your daddy, and worrying comes with the job." He looked at me, "One day you'll understand that. I know you understand what we're saying, and hope to God you understand just how much I hope we're wrong, but if you kids start to have problems, I want you to promise me you'll come to us before you do anything hasty. Lord knows we've had our share of problems, and it would be a shame to let everything your mom has learned along the way go to waste because..."

"Everything I've learned!" Betty said, scandalized again. "You arrogant..." she started pinching at his ribs, then pinched his arms even harder, as he tried to cover up, "self-centered ... You take that back or..."

Lizzy grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet.

"That's our cue to leave, lover; I feel make-up sex coming on. Why don't we go pick Molly up from school and take her to the movies or something? You guys want to meet at Scooter's for dinner?"

Duke was still busy trying to defend himself as he replied, "That sounds ... OW! Damn it, woman, that hurts!"

"It's going to hurt a lot more than that if you don't take that back. Lizzy, maybe you should pick up take out and meet us in the emergency room..."

"OW!" Duke screamed as she latched onto his left breast and squeezed. "All right, that does it!" He grabbed her hands and jerked her forward, ducking and lifting her onto his shoulder suddenly.

"No!" Betty screamed. "Duke! You put me down this instant or so help me..."

I lost the rest as Lizzy ushered me out the door. Duke was headed for the hallway with Betty kicking her feet and banging her fists on his back as the door closed.

The one that really surprised me was my mother. Knowing how I felt about Allison, and after losing Shannon ... Well, I just assumed she would be upset that I was marrying someone she had never even met.

I met her on the beach one night, so we could talk privately.

"Upset?" she had asked. "Jimmy, why would I be upset? Surprised, yes, it does seem a little sudden. Allison ... sorry, – you'd think I'd be used to it by now – Charlie says you've known this girl less than a year, and at first, I will admit I was a little, bothered, but ... Well, the way your life has been going, everything that's happened ... Okay, I'm rambling. You thought I was going to be upset because you're dumping your sister, didn't you?"

"Well, yeah," I admitted.

"Jimmy ... You know, I think part of the problem is that I still think of you as Jimmy, instead of David, and that makes me think of her as Allison, instead of Charlotte. Anyway, we talked about this when we first found out about the two of you. We knew there was a chance – a good chance – that your relationship would change over the years."

I started to speak, but she held up her hand to stop me.

"No, let me finish. I know you still love each other, but the chance of you two staying together was very small. Besides, at least this way I get to have grandchildren. That wasn't going to happen with you and Allison, and, well ... never mind, it's none of my business."

Things had apparently changed a lot in my absence. For one thing, Mom and Allison seemed to be getting along better. The one time I saw things start to get heated, Allison had reached out and touched my mom's hand and said, "Mother" – something that had always been a signal to head for the nearest fortified structure – but this time, instead of escalating the problem, the argument had stopped.

Even Jamie had been shocked, and we asked Allison about it later.

"After you left," Allison explained later, "I noticed the tension between us started getting worse. You remember how I said things around you tend to work out? I think maybe you've been ... helping us all these years without anyone realizing it. At first I thought it was just the added stress of us all having to disappear, but it seemed to be getting out of hand pretty quickly, so I sat down with mom and had a little heart to heart about what was happening. We each picked a word that the other only used when things were escalating and combined it with a touch to let the other know that we were concerned. It's been working out pretty well so far."

"Jamie thought maybe you were using your little sponge trick and sucked her anger away."

"God, I wish," she said, rolling her eyes. "So far that only seems to work with you."

"Well, either way, I'm glad it's working out," I said. "She seems to be taking the whole wedding thing pretty well."

"Don't let her fool you," Allison said. "I'm sure she put on a really convincing show, but she's not really happy about you marrying someone she's never even met – especially someone that you've spent so little 'time' with." She hung a couple quotes around 'time', and went on to explain. "She doesn't count dream time as time together, and if you take that out, you and Lizzy have been together for what? A week, maybe?"

"A little over that with Thanksgiving and the holidays," I said. "So what am I supposed to do?"

"Nothing," she said. "I told her to wait until she met Lizzy and saw you together, and then we could talk again. I think you guys should come in on separate planes, and mom should go with you to pick her up."

Jamie stepped out and said, "You want him to give her a real kiss? In public? Are you insane!"

Around us the scene at Frankie's took shape. Then a collection of images she had gathered around Lizzy's dorm after the last 'incident'.

"Allison, it's getting worse. At the least you'd be attracting attention; at the worst ... Hello, bad idea!"

Allison was looking properly chagrined as she said, "Hmmm, hadn't thought of that. Okay, change of plans. You can come in together. Apparently seeing you that way was enough for Christine, so maybe it will work with mom as well. But I think it would be better if you guys weren't as careful as you usually are once we get to the house."

"It might help if you and Lizzy were a little more honest, too," Jamie suggested. "I mean, your mom already suspected about you and Shannon; maybe she'll realize that you're not losing a brother so much as gaining a sister, you know? Unless you think she'd have a problem with you being bi."

"Hmmph," Allison snorted. "Not likely. I'm starting to think Jimmy was the exception, not Shannon."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I mean I'm finding myself surprisingly disinterested in all the beefcake on this rock," Allison said. "So far I'm more interested, much more interested, in their sisters. So, either you spoiled me, or it's just me. Dad actually seems a little relieved."

"That's understandable," Jamie said. "He knows you're active, and all the girls on the island couldn't get you pregnant. Have you and 'Liki hooked up yet?"

"Jamie," I warned.

"I'm just asking," she said defensively.

"Slut," I accused.

"Look who's talking!" she shot back. "I'm not the one with the harem!"

"Jamie," this time it was Allison warning her.

"Well he does!" she said.

"No," Allison said. "He has a small group of women who love him. If you're not sure of the difference, go spend some time with Autumn; I'm sure she can explain it to you. Besides, you get to spend time with all of us, too You getting bored with the current selection?"

"Nooo!" Jamie exclaimed, obviously affronted. "Allison, how could even say that?"

"Just checking," Allison said. "For a minute it sounded like you were interested in checking out my girlfriends."

Jamie blushed, suddenly finding great interest in her toenails, and I saw understanding dawn in Allison's eyes.

"Jamie?" Allison said softly. "Are you going 'big sister' on me?"

Jamie's blush deepened, and she went on, "Jamie, that's very sweet of you, and I'm flattered that you feel the need to watch out for me, but don't worry; I'm not in any hurry, and I'm perfectly happy with the lovers I already have. As for Alamea ... No, we haven't taken the plunge; I've been doing my best to keep it casual and not rush things – mostly because I didn't want to have to tell her she couldn't come to the wedding. Actually, the wedding would probably be okay; it's what comes after that worries me."

We'd all heard that story, especially the part where Brandiy had confirmed that there would be no way to shield those closest to us from the backlash of our first coupling. I just hoped it was only the first time that we had to be worried about, and not every time.

June is considered a hot month in Hawaii, but, having come from Las Vegas, it wasn't the heat that was bothering me. Living in the desert the past ... seven? ... eight? ... months, I had forgotten what real humidity felt like.

I'd heard all the usual horror stories about planning a wedding, so it was almost scary how well things seemed to go once Lizzy and I made the decision, and I found myself waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Since I was locked out of participating in the wedding costs, I took care of the reception – including dinner and dancing at one of the nicer venues on the island. For the most part, we were just a large party out for the evening, but I tipped the band an outrageous amount of money, and they were at our beck and call for the evening, even clearing the floor so we could do the traditional wedding dances. Buying champagne for everyone to toast our unions helped win the crowd over, and the evening went very well after that. I would have liked to have been able to let Walter dance with Amy, but, all things considered, I thought it might be pushing our luck a little too far.

Considering the need to prevent anything ... untoward ... occurring, the wedding had been nothing short of anti-climactic. The kiss was – of course – our greatest concern, but between me thinking of Atkins looking down at us via satellite; Lizzy thinking about the grades on her finals, and Jamie screaming at both of us, we managed to get through it without anything getting out of hand. Our first night together as man and wife wasn't going to be anything special either. Yes, we were spending the night 'together' but except for the jewelry, it wasn't any different than the nights we'd spent before.

The following morning we boarded a plane south.

Tahiti is about the same distance south of the equator as Hawaii is north, so the climate is almost identical. The middle of winter in either location means temperatures in the mid seventies to eighties in the heat of the day. The middle of June generally meant high eighties and sticky, but at the moment it was overcast and unseasonably cool, due to a killer storm churning away about six hundred miles to the south. In the Caribbean it would have been a hurricane, and I know south of the equator they are generally referred to as typhoons, but I remember reading somewhere that what you call them depends on where they are on the globe. I don't care what you call it; when it's six hundred miles away and still affecting your local weather, it's big! I was a little surprised that no one seemed concerned, so I asked, and was told that we were past the danger point, and unless the earth started spinning the opposite direction, there was no chance of it getting any closer to us. I'd never been in a hurricane – just a couple of earthquakes – but, from the pictures I'd seen, I was happy we were out of harm's way.

A short trip by shuttle took us from the airstrip – note I didn't say airport –to a marina, where we checked in, and our luggage was stowed for the trip to the small island where we would be spending the next week. Even under dark skies, the island was breathtaking; well worth the price – and the forty-minute boat ride.

The small break in the clouds just as we rounded the point and turned into the small cove on the lee side of the island was a nice touch, as the whole scene seemed to explode into color just as the beach came into view; the gray tree line and dark water suddenly turning to emerald and sapphire.

The skipper pulled the boat up to the long pier to let us off, handed our luggage over to me, and went over the safety procedures one last time. His last instruction was to contact the main hotel on the satellite phone under the bar. It was important that we do that right away, so they knew it was working and that we had a way to contact help in case of an emergency.

"Do you get those a lot?" Lizzy asked.

"It happens," the old man said with a smile. "Usually it is the man falling from a tree while thinking he is Tarzan." He turned to me and added, "Take my advice my young friend; you are here, and she has already said yes; you do not need to impress her further. Congratulations to you both. Enjoy your stay."

With that, he shoved off and headed back out to sea, and we made our way up the path to the cottage. At first I thought it was just a cabana, but, once we got inside, you could see that the outside was carefully crafted to give that impression while hiding the fact that it was a very modern structure with a full roof, stucco walls, and windows that you could actually close against the weather. The heavy shutters on either side of the large windows were more than just decorations and appeared have been built with bad weather in mind. After carrying my new bride over the threshold, I put the suitcases – we were traveling light, so there were only two – in the bedroom while Lizzy checked in on the phone.

Suddenly I was nervous.

"Great," I thought as I stood looking out the window at the lagoon. "I've been waiting months for this moment, and suddenly it's like my first night with Allison all over again."

"You too?" Lizzy said from behind me.

"Me too what?" I asked, turning towards her.

"Oh, come on, Jimmy, you know very well what I mean. You're nervous, and I don't even need my sight to see it. I bet I can even tell you what you're thinking. 'I've waited all this time and now... '" She stepped in close and hugged me. "I know; I feel the same way. I've wanted this so bad ... Now I'm scared."

"Scared?" I asked, pushing her back so I could see her face. "Why scared?"

"Because we're here, and we don't have to hold back, and I'm worried that Allison is right and..."

"And that's why we're here," I said, interrupting. "I'm sorry, but if this isn't safe enough, then the world is just going to have to cope. I'll admit to being nervous, even to being a little scared, but you're my wife now, and I think we've waited long enough, don't you?"

Her eyes lit, and she scrunched up her nose as she said, "I like the sound of that, say it again."

"Which part?"

"The part about me being your wife," she said, biting her lip.

I smiled and kissed her nose, "You are my wife."

"Yes," she said, kissing me back. "Yes, I am. And as your wife, it is my responsibility to see that you don't neglect yourself. I foresee a long and strenuous night ahead of you, so I think we should eat first, and then maybe take a walk and watch the sun set, what do you think?"

"I think I am just the luckiest man on earth."

"Not yet," she said with a smirk, "but if you play your cards right..."

"Ooh, I like the way that sounds. Come on, let's see what they left us."

The refrigerator was small but very well stocked, and we settled on a simple meal of fruit and some really tasty shrimp, along with a glass of a very nice white wine. The beach was quiet, and the little pier faced directly into the setting sun, so we sat with our feet in the water, our arms around each other, and her head on my shoulder, wishing we could see the sun instead of just the angry red clouds.

"Make love to me, Farm Boy," she whispered.

"As you wish," I replied, and, standing, pulled her up and swept my arm to catch her knees and lift her into my arms.

"Uh-uh," she said, dancing back out of reach. "I appreciate the thought, but I'd rather you saved your strength for when it counts. You can carry me across the threshold again when we get there if you want."