The Lily (The Flowering Series Book 1) (7 page)

Of course I agreed and I am happy to say that I did not think about my family during those few hours at all. For the first time I allowed myself to be full of happiness. Carmine was the closest thing I had to a real father and I wanted to give him the chance to fulfill a dream of his as well.

The ceremony was touching and from the heart since neither of us had prepared any vows. Love, respect, honor, trust and loyalty were the themes in both of our vows and there was not a dry eye in the chapel.

After an amazing kiss from my new husband everyone headed to a small reception dinner. As we neared the tables set on the beach Jake quickly pulled me behind a small shed. Within seconds his mouth was on mine and my body burst into flames. There was something amazingly sexy about kissing your husband.

If we had not overheard everyone wondering where we were, I am positive we would have dropped to the sand and made love right there. Jake grabbed my hand and whispered in my ear the plans he had later for his new wife as he pulled me blushing from head to toe onto the beach.

The dinner was delicious and simple but the sweet ending was my favorite, vanilla cake with buttercream icing. I confess I may have eaten two or three pieces of that delicious cake but if you cannot overeat at your own wedding when can you?

Just as everyone finished up dessert Jake called everyone’s attention. While holding my hand and looking me lovingly in the eyes he announced that were we expecting our first child in December just in time for Christmas. The uproar from that small group was enough to turn heads around the resort.

Immediately Jake’s mom and Nancy began planning a baby shower so that we would have everything they would need when the baby came. Lily of course was talking Mike’s ear off about the color of the nursery and Jake’s dad called for toast after toast.

I could not have planned a wedding that perfect. I not only married my best friend, but an amazing man with a wonderful talent of always keeping me on my toes. I never knew how much I liked surprises until I met Jake. Now I do not think I can live without them.

We were both exhausted but as a brand new wife I fully intended to reward my new husband for all his hard work. We spent several hours worshipping each other and snacking on the leftover cake. I did not leave a doubt in Jake’s mind how I felt about him. He was the center of my universe and when the baby came I knew our bond would only grow stronger.

After a brief few hours of cuddling we were set to meet everyone for a post-wedding brunch and then the guests would stay through the weekend and Jake and I would spent the rest of our time alone.

While I had been looking forward to the alone time with Jake I loved every minute of our time with our guests. We saw volcanoes, swam in lagoons and even attended a luau where Carmine and Jake’s friend Mike danced with the hula girls one of which was Lily dressed in a coconut bra and grass skirt. It was quite a memory to watch Mike and Lily dance amongst flamethrowers and a drum circle.

Even though I successfully made it through the wedding without thinking about my family I started to wonder if Jake had just not bothered to invite them at all. I was not sure how I felt about the whole situation but it was something I felt that I did need to know.

One night when Mike had a few of the hotel’s signature Volcano drinks I casually asked him. He took my hand and told me that Jake had reached out to my mother but she was not able to make it and Jake did not want to ruin the day by telling me. I told him I understood, thanked him and ordered him another Volcano so he would forget the conversation ever happened.

I did not expect my family to want to participate in my wedding but I would be lying if I said it did not hurt a little. I allowed myself to feel sad for ten minutes but when the tears did not come I shook off the gloom and remembered the people I did have in my life.

When Sunday rolled around both Jake and I had mixed feelings about the group leaving. It was a special time with them, which would be limited after the move to Japan. Although at the same time we really needed the time by ourselves.

There were tears at the goodbyes but I was so grateful that they had come to share this special occasion with us. I used to believe I was destined to be in a group of people that never felt wanted or loved. Now as I watched my new family board the shuttle for the airport I knew that I no longer belonged in that group.

The rest of our honeymoon was spent exactly as it should be, wrapped up in each other completely. I was finally over the first trimester so I was feeling a lot better and my belly was beginning to round out a little more each day.

Jake was insatiable. Every time I put my hand on my belly the man wanted me. I will admit to using that trick as a signal when we were in public that I wanted to take the party private. Most of the time we made it back to the room but as all good stories need we had once close encounter by the snack bar after midnight.

We had been wickedly teasing one another throughout a late dinner with talk of fantasies involving whipped cream and blindfolds. You could feel the intensity of our desire radiating off us as we walked back by the pool to our room. Being the brat that I am I starting describing my favorite fantasy from our trip to Las Vegas and by the time I made it to the window part Jake had me up against the snack bar and was reaching for my panties.

Unfortunately at the moment his fingers found my G-spot and I was moaning into his mouth, the security guards were walking by and talking about a disturbance. We quickly snuck away and giggled like teenagers all the way back to the room where we could pick up where we left off. We soaked up the memories and filed them to use later when we might need them during the move.

The flight home was long and I was extremely uncomfortable. I was very anxious about the baby and I got up more than necessary to make sure everything was ok. It did not help that I also was worried about landing and beginning the packing for Japan.

Airplane seats are historically uncomfortable but being pregnant was a whole other layer of pain and suffering. As soon as the seat belt sign went off in New York I relaxed and Jake gathered our luggage as we headed to Jake’s parent’s house for a few days.

Once at the house Jake insisted on taking a ride on his bike and I remembered that feeling of freedom when we first met and the world had fallen into place. I was not against riding while pregnant but there was something else I had to do.

After Jake left on his ride I called my sisters and let them know that I got married. They were excited for me but did not offer more than congratulations. My youngest sister did mention our mother but Maddie was quick to redirect the conversation, which I greatly appreciated. I felt guilty but I decided to hold on to the news about the baby until I could tell them in person.

We met Carmine and Nancy for dinner and you could tell that it was going to be tough on all of us to be apart. Nancy promised to visit Japan to help when the baby was born and those words soothed a nervousness that I had not been able to shake about having a baby in a foreign country.

Dinner was wonderful and at the end of the night Carmine and Nancy promised to come to Jake’s family’s shore house for Memorial Day Weekend. It took me about ten minutes to fall asleep once we got back to his parent’s house. Jake was always patient when I was tired but he was also thrilled with my newer stronger libido that came along with the pregnancy. So when I woke Jake up in the middle of the night with kisses down his chest he happily supplied me with hours of toe curling loving.

The next afternoon we were heading down to the shore house on the back of Jake’s bike under a sky so blue it hurt your eyes. We arrived at the house to a warm welcome and we caught everyone up on the rest of our vacation.

It had been forever since Lily and I had gotten any girl time so after dinner we made it a point to catch up on all the gossip I had missed. I also got to learn Lily’s plan for the next school year. We were supposed to be graduating at the same time but since I had sped up my studies to match Jake’s her plan had changed. She was going to move into the dorms and play life as it comes. One of the many differences between Lily and I was her ability to go with flow versus my need for controlled chaos.

After a few hours of laughing, talking and even letting Mike and Jake join in I felt strongly that the friendship Lily and I had could sustain the distance of an ocean. From the looks of things Mike and Jake were also going to be ok. Nothing long distance would be easy but friendships this special are hard to find and I for one was not willing to lose it.

Saturday was spent resting in the sun and chowing down on Jake’s dad’s amazing barbeque. I complained that I was stuffed as Jake shoveled more food onto my plate, but I knew that I needed to keep up the good eating in order to prepare my body for the baby.

Carmine and Nancy came to the feast on Sunday along with as many friends, family and neighbors they could fit in their back yard. It was an annual bash and Jake’s parents loved being the hosts. Jake’s friends Mike, Tom, Oscar and Eddie even travelled for the feast and free alcohol of course.

The night was fun and light and everyone had a tremendous time including those that slept on the couches because they were in no condition to drive. Jake and I crawled into bed too exhausted to even make out.

Of course my Jake decided to wake me up the next morning with kisses on my knee, my inner thigh…you get the picture. When we locked eyes the word forever was written in our stare.

By the time we made it downstairs everyone was ready to eat. Most gave us coy smiles or mumbled something about newlyweds than dug in to Jake’s mom’s famous breakfast. I was lucky I had the excuse of eating for two because my plate was piled high and I even went back for seconds. Jake’s smile when he saw my plate told me how much he approved of my decision.

After breakfast Jake and Mike decided to take a ride together because this was going to be the last time they had any bro time before Jake and I moved to Japan and Mike began his career on Wall Street. I knew how important it would be for Jake to keep up his friendships here in the States for when we returned.

Their little bro-time trip also allowed me to hang out with Lily and Nancy. Lily and I went to the mall and by the time we got back Jake had already returned and spent some quality time with his parents. I was so happy to see them together knowing that the move to Japan was weighing heavy on their hearts.

It was getting late and we had so much to do back at home so we said our goodbyes. Lily was staying for a few more days with her parents so it was an emotional goodbye with promises of visits and phone calls.

We finally got on Jake’s bike and Mike followed on his. I squeezed Jake so he knew I was thinking about him and we set off. The holiday traffic was insane and slow moving. We knew what to expect but that did not make it any easier for me.

Although I tried to stay calm I was having a strange feeling that I just could not put my finger on. I often thought I was claustrophobic when we were on the bike and stopped with traffic around me. The holiday congestion was boxing me in and I started to panic. Careful to keep my blood pressure on a decent level Jake told me to take a deep breath and everything was going to be fine. I closed my eyes and said a short prayer that we made it home safe.

Chapter 9:

The next memory I have is feeling deep stabbing pain through every muscle in my body.  I forced my head to turn and saw Mike sitting in a hospital room chair. I was brutally sore and my brain was foggy.

I blinked several times trying to clear my mind. I heard the beeps of the machines and I felt my heartbeat start to accelerate. Mike squeezed my hand and in a flash I remembered the crunch of metal as Jake and I were hit from behind and thrown off his bike. I had been holding onto Jake for dear life and the last memory I had was landing on top of Jake before my world went black.

When I finally found my voice I immediately asked Mike for Jake. He avoided the question looking everywhere but directly at me. My chest started to constrict and I could feel a panic attack coming on knowing that something was very wrong here.