"How long is the flight again?" I ask as I'm packing toiletries into my bag, and Edward is laying in my bed, scrolling through his phone.
"Just over four hours." He glances at me and smiles. "Are you going to read the entire time?"
I toss a flip-flop at his head, and he dodges the best he can. "You'll never let me."
We're packing for a long weekend in the Bahamas for Tyler and Lauren's destination wedding. Neither of us are exceptionally close to either of them, but we're both a little perplexed on the destination. They're getting married at the Atlantis water park.
Like, on a water slide.
To each their own.
Edward tells me that Lauren's family isn't coming, and the couple is paying for everything themselves, and they wanted to have fun. I can respect that. Also, sitting in the sun in the Bahamas seems like such a sacrifice, so I'm happy to be going.
The last few weeks have been … calm. Edward and I had a long talk when he got back from Vegas, and we agreed that this is exactly what we want. I have nothing holding me back—no insecurities, no fears, no second thoughts.
And Edward only made me sweat it out for like … five minutes. Which is more than I deserve. He should have hightailed it right out of my life when he realized I was crazy, but he says he's in love with my own personal brand of insanity and has been for years.
"Did you ever imagine when we were eating ramen and spam to survive that we'd ever be flying to the Bahamas for a long weekend? Much less for a wedding?"
He's grinning at me like a loon as he paws through my suitcase and looks for my bikini. "No, but I never thought any of my frat brothers would get married, so there's that. Plus, how dare you speak ill of ramen and spam? I love that combo."
I laugh. "That's why you'll die early of a heart attack."
"I'll never leave you, princess."
We spend the night at his apartment and Uber to the airport in the morning to catch our flight. Edward dozes on my shoulder as I read, and when we land and finally make it through customs, I finally relax in the shuttle provided by the resort.
"What do you wanna do first?" Edward asks me after we check in and make it to the room.
"I could go for a drink and some exploring," I say as I grab my purse and a floppy sun hat. I'd dressed for the trip, but Edward wanted to change, so I wait for him and look at the amenities book.
"They have a sea lion interaction," I squeal, and Edward chuckles as he pulls on his shorts.
"We can ask about it, if you want."
"I think I want to try to snorkel," I tell him as he slings his arm over my shoulders and guides me out of the room.
"You can barely swim and you want to snorkel? No way, princess." He presses a kiss to my temple as we wait for the elevator. "How about I book you a massage in the spa?"
"A couples massage?"
"Let's see what they can do."
We walk around the resort, checking out the water park area, shops, cabanas, and making arrangements with the concierge for the spa. After what feels like an unlimited amount of drinks, I beg Edward to feed me, and he laughs as he leads me to a beachside restaurant.
After a ridiculous amount of food, I'm beginning to feel human again, and we decide to head back to the hotel and see if anyone else has turned up.
I can hear the twang in her voice before I actually see Alice Brandon, but her voice carries through the lobby well.
"Darlin', I love those earrings! They are just gorgeous." Alice is talking to another hotel guest, and the woman looks slightly taken aback.
Alice Brandon is all of maybe four feet ten inches and has a nasty habit of getting up in your personal space with no regard for whether you like it or not.
She's a menace, and I've always liked that about her. She doesn't even realize that she's doing it.
"Oh, thank you," the woman stutters out and slips away when Alice's attention is set on Edward and me.
"Thank God! People I know." Alice comes barreling toward us and manages to wrap both of us in a hug. "I'm so happy to see you. I'm sorry we couldn't make it for the fourth."
"Babe, get a grip," Jasper says as he approaches, and Edward pulls away to give him a hug. "She slept on the plane." He tells us as an explanation as I laugh, and Alice releases me.
"Have you guys eaten? There are a few places I want to try, but I know you need a reservation, and I was thinking—"
"We already ate, but we might hit the pool or maybe the club a little later. It's still early," I tell her as I eye Jasper over her head, and he rolls his eyes.
"Let's go get settled. We'll call you guys when we figure something out," he says as he leads Alice away.
"Bye, you two!"
Edward and I laugh as Jasper drags his fiancée away, and I turn to Edward. "She's exhausting. I love it."
Making our way back to the room, Edward opens the door and ushers me inside to candles lit on every surface, rose petals scattered around, and champagne chilling on ice.
"What is all this?" I turn to find him smirking at me.
"Well, I just thought something nice for us was called for," he says as he captures my lips, and with one swift grab of my hips, he's hoisted me up, and my legs are wrapped around his waist. "This summer has been weird and exhausting on a few levels. I wouldn't trade anything, but I thought maybe we could have a quiet night."
He carries me into the bathroom, and I see the giant tub and laugh. "Are you sure that's big enough for us?"
"Oh, it definitely is. I made sure they left us plenty of towels too." Edward grins before he captures my lips, and I sigh into his mouth.
The night is filled with bubbles, scented water, quiet sighs, and promises.
Tyler and Lauren actually marry on the beach in a casual but beautiful and short ceremony. No attendants, no long-winded sermon. Just some simple vows and a kiss to seal the deal. When I whisper to Edward that while I don't envision myself getting married so casually on the beach I do want something simple, his smile somehow gets wider.
The reception is just as casual with a buffet, open bar, and a DJ. Edward and I are laughing as Alice and Jasper do the Cha Cha Slide and share a slice of cake when we hear the unmistakable sound of glass breaking. A lot of glass breaking.
We look for the source of the noise, and I clearly see Maggie slap Jacob across his face as stands up from an overturned table. I look over at Edward as he's shoveling the last bite of cake into his mouth, and he rolls his eyes.
"Fuck," he mutters through the icing and gets up to see about the commotion.
"What is your problem, Jacob? All you were supposed to do was fuck me once, seven years ago. Can't you give it a rest?" Maggie is all but screaming, and Jacob looks shell-shocked.
"I just told you that I'm in love with you, and you push me into a table? You slap me? Are you kidding me?" Jacob is trying to keep his voice down, the embarrassment evident in his voice. "You've been using me for years!"
"I've been using you? Please, Jacob. You wouldn't be here if it weren't for me." Maggie sneers, and Tyler steps forward.
"Actually, Jacob was going to be my best man, but we decided against attendants. If anything, you're here in thin ice, Maggie. No one wants you around and yet you still manage to weasel your way in. You should count your lucky stars that Jacob asked if he could bring you." Tyler speaks to a staff member, and when security descends on the party, Maggie is whisked away before she can say anything else.
The party wraps up quickly after that. Since it's still early, the McCarty's, Newtons, Alice, and Jasper decide to hit the adventure park, and Edward and I join them. The rest of the weekend is spent in the sun, spa, and water.
No one mentions Maggie again. But no one mentions Jacob either.