The warm Hawaiian breeze drifted across a hammock that swung gently on the back decking of a beautiful plush suite at the classy beach-side hotel. And in that gently swinging hammock lay Chloe Beale, a soft smile on her face as she dozed peacefully, dressed in nothing but a white bikini. Her long red hair was loose and dry from the warm salty sea water that she'd been swimming in earlier that day. Her skin was tanned and sun kissed and covered in freckles.
Laid lazily on top of her in the swinging hammock was her fiancée, Beca, also dressed in nothing but a black bikini. The brunette had the back of her head rested on Chloe's stomach, her back resting along the older woman's hips, her own hips and lower body nestled between Chloe's legs. Beca's left hand lay limp on her bare pale stomach while her right hand hung above her head, her fingers entwined loosely with Chloe's left hand, Chloe's right hand resting behind her own head.
The two women had arrived at the beautiful hotel three days ago with their best friends, having enjoyed catching up on the flight from LAX to Hawaii. Chloe had been stunned by the attention they'd received the moment they'd stepped foot into the reception area. All members of staff had lined the entrance to greet them warmly. And the actual manager of the establishment had shown each of them to their rooms.
"This is literally the most incredible , most swankiest hotel I've ever stepped foot in." Emily could be heard gushing at the back of the group of Bellas as they wandered down a long wooden walkway that led from the main hotel area to each 'hut' where the Bellas would be staying for the week. Chloe couldn't believe it. She was here with her very best friends ready for what would be the most amazing and memorable week of her life. And it was all thanks to the woman whose hand she held right now.
She squeezed Beca's hand excitably, beaming at her fiancée while the brunette chuckled, looking back at her with a big grin, "I can't believe you organised all this!" Chloe said brightly, motioning to the Hawaiian environment around them then to their best friends behind them.
Beca simply shrugged, "You're worth all of it Chlo ." and the younger woman's cheeks flushed pink slightly when Chloe bent over to her and kissed her firmly on the cheek while they walked. The Bellas behind them all let out loud giggly "woo!"'s and wolf whistles, and Beca rolled her eyes, "Alright, alriiiiight !" she replied, looking over her shoulder at them with a small smile, which only made the women giggle louder.
The group paused at a circular piece of decking, with five platforms stemming from it leading to five luxury 'huts' and a sixth 'platform' continuing the walkway further on. The manager of the hotel turned to look at all of them, with keys in her hand. "Okay in this section is Aubrey?" Aubrey rose her hand, looking at Chloe with a confident smile, "Jessica?" Jessica unlooped her arm from Ashley's and rose her hand, " Florencia ?" Flo rose her hand, "Emily?" Emily rose her hand with a huge beaming smile, "And bride number one, Chloe."
Chloe swallowed loudly, turning from the manager to her friends, then to Beca with a furrowed brow , "Are we not sharing a hut?" she asked in a confused tone but her fiancée shrugged.
"Aubrey insisted we had separate huts." Beca mumbled back to her, "And who am I to argue with Aubrey..."
Chloe turned to her oldest friend, but Aubrey rose her eyebrows, her smile wavering, "It's bad luck to see the bride on the day of the wedding."
"We're not getting married for another five days Bree! I want to be able to share a bed with my fiancée before then ! We've been apart for six days!" Chloe cried out a little louder than she'd initially intended, but before Aubrey could respond Stacie stepped in front of the blonde, holding her hands out towards Chloe.
"Chloe, it's just for Thursday evening." Stacie said calmly, "You guys can share one of the huts until then. Either your one here or Beca's one over there." a nd the tall brunette motioned to the next set of huts that lay further up, the next circular decking boasting six 'platforms' leading to six luxury 'huts'. Chloe followed her friends' gazes up to the other huts. They were further away than she'd want them to be. But if it was only for Thursday night then she supposed she'd be okay with that…
Beca stirred slightly in her dozy state on Chloe's body, and the redhead smiled gently, opening her eyes to look down at her beautiful fiancée. Chloe brought her right hand down from behind her head, and ran her fingers gently through Beca's long brown hair, pulling it back off her face, loving the sound of Beca's soft hums. This kind of tranquility was what the couple lived for. Just the two of them and their dog.
Alba lay snoozing beneath the hammock and Chloe had her left leg hung over the side, her bare toes stroking through the Labrador's soft fur, causing the hammock to swing gently from side to side. Chloe let out a happy sigh, closing her eyes again. Alba hadn't left their side since she'd arrived with Chloe's parents on Tuesday lunchtime, and had slept protectively at the bottom of Chloe's bed with both of her owners on Tuesday and Wednesday night.
Chloe let out a squeak of delight as she immediately released Beca's hand and darted down the wooden platforms that led from The Bellas huts to the main body of the hotel. " Albieeeee !" She called out loudly as she headed for her white Labrador who was bounding excitably towards her. Chloe crouched down then let out a loud " oof !" when Alba collided with her and knocked the woman backwards onto her butt. The dog's tail wagged like crazy as she licked her owner's face excitably, and Chloe had no choice but to take the affection while laughing loudly.
Jerry & Sue Beale joined shortly after the collision , with huge beaming smiles on their faces, loving the sound of their only daughter's laughter. Beca quickly joined her fiancée, her smile as broad as Chloe's, over the moon to be seeing their dog again, having personally been away from Alba for a week.
" Wah !" Beca yelped then chuckled as Alba realised her other owner was here too and lunged for her, also knocking the petite brunette ove r before proceed ing to lick her face while frantically wagging her tail. "Haha alright dude, I know I know, I missed you too!"
Chloe stood up and brushed herself down, then threw herself into her parents arms. She closed her eyes and let out a happy sigh. She hadn't seen them in weeks but it always topped the love in her heart up whenever she did.
"Surprised Twinkle?" Jerry asked his daughter kindly as he and his wife unwrapped their arms from around Chloe's body, and the young woman nodded her head with a sweet smile.
"The most wonderful of surprises. I can't believe I'm getting married on Friday!" Chloe exclaimed and her parents both smiled.
"Only three days to go!" Sue said excitably, grabbing her daughter's hands and squeezing them affectionately.
Chloe let out a little squeak, bouncing from foot to foot for a moment, then looking over her mother's shoulder curiously, "Are the boys here yet too or…?" she asked, wondering where her older brothers were at.
"They'll be here with the kids tomorrow sweetheart, and with the girls of course , in time for your bachelorette par-" Sue Beale began but she froze when she saw Beca behind Chloe waving her hands frantically, "-um…never mind!" she added, and Chloe's eyes lit up as she turned to look over her shoulder at her fiancée whose face had turned bright red. The brunette cleared her throat awkwardly, looking down at their dog. Chloe had been wondering if they'd be getting bachelorette parties or not, and it looked like they were…
Beca let out a small groan, her mouth feeling dry while she lay in the hammock with Chloe. Hangovers were the worst and the older she got the heavier the hangover. She wasn't cut out for drinking with The Bellas any more. Back in the day she could've easily sunk whatever had been handed her way, had a 'tactical throw up' in the middle of the night, and then woken up fairly okay the next morning. Nowadays she wasn't so lucky.
She brought her left hand to her forehead, picking up Chloe's hand that had stilled on there, and let out a gentle whine, encouraging the redhead to continue running her fingers through her hair. Chloe let out a light giggle and continued the motion as Beca let out a relieved sigh, her eyes remaining closed the whole time. She didn't have a headache any more, thank God. But she still felt exhausted. Not the best way to feel the day before her wedding, but she had nobody to blame but herself. And her best friends.
The Bellas all sat around a large fire on the dark beach down the way from the hotel they were all staying at, and with them sat Chloe's mother and three sisters-in-law, as well as Beca's step-mother Sheila. All sixteen women had been together for a few hours now, having enjoyed a beautiful meal as part of Beca & Chloe's joint bachelorette party.
Beca had insisted she HADN'T wanted anything embarrassing to happen to either herself or Chloe. And that meant that Aubrey and Stacie's biggest challenge hadn't been planning a joint bachelorette part y . No, they knew the brides-to-be very well. The challenge had been trying to keep any eye on Amy and make sure that she DIDN'T book a surprise stripper for Beca and/or Chloe.
Aubrey had had to make three separate stripper cancellations, much to Amy's aggravation , and in the end had assigned Lilly the task of using 'any means necessary' to ensure the Australian didn't book any more.
Even though a stripper WOULD have been embarrassing, Beca was fairly certain that had she hadn't have had as much alcohol as she'd had over the past few hours, then right now she would be VERY embarrassed. Because the women around her had decided to start a round of "When did you know that Beca & Chloe were going to end up together?"
"I think we figured out something was going on three Christmas's ago," Laura, Chloe's youngest sister-in-law said with a light chuckle, taking a sip from the glass in her hand. Chloe's other two sisters-in-law let our light chuckles of their own, grinning over at the youngest redhead from across the bonfire before them. Chloe smiled a little sheepishly but Beca simply furrowed her brow.
"But we weren't together three Christmas's ago."
"No but Chloe was so miserable during it until you called her." Sue Beale added kindly, a tipsy grin on her face as she looked at her daughter affectionately, "She was bright as a button as soon as she'd spoken to you."
"Mom, you thought Beca and I were dating three years ago?" Chloe managed to pipe up, her mouth open slightly in surprise, but Sue quickly shook her head.
"Oh, no darling. I knew something was THERE – I'd seen it for years, ever since we first met Beca actually. But I didn't think you were dating per say because I figured you would have asked if Beca could stay for Christmas. And you hadn't."
"Freshman year." Amy declared proudly , interrupting the Beale family revelation , and many of The Bellas jumped at the sound of her voice, then cried out with several boos, objecting to the Australian's words.
"No way did you know in freshman year! None of us did!" CR said loudly, rolling her eyes with a shake of her head and a chuckle.
"I did! I saw the way Shortstack looked at Red!" Amy slurred, nudging Beca and giving her a wink as though she'd been the only one to know their secret. But there hadn't been a secret. Because Beca didn't think she'd been looking at Chloe in any specific way other than perplexity as Chloe had been so forward and...weird back then. The brunette looked to her left, grinning at Chloe who was giggling merrily by her side, rocking slightly thanks to the amount of alcohol they'd all consumed so far that night.
" You definitely didn't look at her in any special way back then, Beca ." Aubrey said with a light giggle on Chloe's other side, grinning at the two brides-to-be, "Chloe was CRAZY about you ! Talked about you nonstop. It was REALLY irritating!"
Chloe playfully slapped her oldest friend with the back of her hand, pretending to be offended, but she wasn't. Yeah she'd been absolutely besotted with Beca almost from the first moment they'd met, but she hadn't talked about her nonstop…right? The Bellas all laughed loudly, and the additional members of family chuckled happily, loving the small anecdotes of their loved ones.
"And then she used to cry and cry and cry down the phone to me in your sophomore and junior and senior years because she was so in love with you and you didn't feel the same way." Aubrey slurred, and she took another sip of her cocktail before falling quiet, looking into the fire , a smile still on her face despite the sad situation she'd just revealed.
The women all fell silent, looking over at Chloe with sympathetic expressions. Chloe picked at the label on her beer bottle, a sad smile on her face. It had been a very long time since she'd thought about those days. None of it really mattered any more. She'd kinda won her own battle. She made it. She was now in a relationship with the woman she'd pined after for so long. Now able to kiss her and hug her and hold her hand and have sex with her and share a life with her. They were getting married in a couple of days time. She'd won.
" Chlo ," came the soft sound of Beca's voice, and the brunette reached out to gently place her hand on Chloe's right arm, "I-I'm sorry. I swear I had no idea at the time that you-"
"-I know." Chloe said softly with a sweet smile, looking up at her fiancée , " But we're here now."
The two women held one another's eye contact, smiling gently, content that even through those years of seemingly unrequited love, they were finally together. They were going to be married by the end of the week, surrounded by all the people they knew and loved. And they couldn't be happier.
"Hold on a minute." Emily's clear voice sounded out above the crackle of the bonfire on the centre of the large circle and the crashing waves on the dark shore they were sat on, "You…you guys weren't dating in college?"
Beca and Chloe joined their friends in furrowing their brows while they looked over at the youngest member of the group. Emily sat holding a martini glass in her hand, her cheeks flush from the heat of the fire and the alcohol she'd so far consumed. The girl looked confused as she looked at the Brides-to-be.
"Wha-? No." Chloe said with a gentle shake of her head.
"Where did you get that idea from?" Beca asked, an amused smile on her face, because it seemed an odd conclusion for Emily to have assumed back when they'd been at college. The young woman had joined the group when she had been a freshman and they had all been in their senior year. She hadn't lived with them, yeah. But that didn't mean that she hadn't seen Beca and Chloe and the rest of The Bellas almost every day.
"Well , you guys were always together, and you had that thing where you were able to communicate with each other without talking, and…" Emily spoke with a tone of uncertainly, hesitating as she looked awkwardly from Beca to Chloe then back again, getting more flustered by the minute, "…whenever Chloe was freaking out about something Beca was the only person who could calm her down -"
"I just so happened to be home when she freaked out Legacy." Beca tried to reason, not that she was sure why she felt as though she had to defend herself here. What Emily was saying was actually really nice.
" Aaactually …" Stacie piped up, contorting her mouth slightly as she looked over at Beca, and the fifteen other women turned to the model, "…Chloe usually freaked WAY before you got home. It's just none of us were ever able to calm her down so we always waited for you to get home instead."
Beca raised her eyebrows in surprise, turning to her fiancée who had thrown her hand to her face in embarrassment.
"And also…" Emily added, drawing the women's attention back to her, and the youngster eyed Amy awkwardly, "…Fat Amy told me on like my first hood night that you two were dating."
"Amy!" Beca and Chloe both said in unison with equal disapprova l at their friend's bullying , both turning to the Australian who simply put her hands up as if trying to defend herself.
"Hey it's not all my fault! For starters you two DID act like a couple through most of Senior year."
"She was with Jesse in senior year, Amy.." Chloe offered with a light sigh but the blonde continued.
"And secondly…these guys were all in on it too."
Beca and Chloe looked around at their friends, all of whom were now looking awkwardly at the fire to avoid their gazes. All except for Emily, who looked over at Beca and Chloe with her big puppy-dog eyes. It didn't matter how old they all got, she would always be the baby of the group.
"Yeah they, um, kinda all told me you were both dating ? But that you weren't all that openly affectionate when you were in public."
"And you believed them?" Chloe asked in an almost sympathetic voice.
"Well yeah . I feel a bit of an idiot now though." Emily mumbled in embarrassment.
"Never mind Legacy. It all turned out good in the end." Beca said in an uncharacteristically bright voice, raising her beer bottle at the youngster with a smile before taking a swig of beer then entwining her fingers with her fiancée's.
Chloe stirred as she felt Alba shuffle her position underneath her foot and just as the redhead slowly began drifting off to sleep again, she reawoke with a start, letting out a squeal of surprise as she felt her dog lick her toes. Her body jolted and as a consequence she woke Beca from her slumber.
"Shit! What happened?" Beca croaked, trying to sit up, but her position in the hammock made it impossible. Alba had now stood up and was wagging her tail while she looked up at her owners. And Chloe had let out a sigh, settling back down but using the hand that had been stroking Beca's hair back to stroke Alba's head instead.
"Heyyy." Beca said, looking over at their dog with a furrowed brow while she rested her head back on her fiancée's stomach, her eyes specifically on Chloe's hand that was now running over the dog's ears, "That's my hand Alba! It's supposed to fuss me, not you."
A light giggle fell from Chloe's mouth and a gentle smile brushed over Beca's face. Because she was joking of course. Well, for the most part.
"Mama's got to make the most of it, hasn't she Alba." Chloe cooed at their dog who appeared to wag her tail in response, "Because she'll get far less attention when we have a baby in the house won't she."
Beca hesitated. Oh yeah, she'd forgotten about the drunken promise she'd made to her fiancée last night. That as soon as they got married they could start looking into how to go about starting a family. God, it was going to cost so much money trying conceive, then giving birth, then raising a child in LA, and the woman wasn't overly sure if her current salary would cover the cost of their rent, their living costs, as well as adding to their savings (which had had a major bashing thanks to this upcoming wedding..) plus having a baby on top of that. But she knew Chloe well, and she knew that nothing would make the redhead happier than for them to raise a baby together.
"Speaking of parenthood," Chloe continued, settling back into the hammock again, her hand finally resuming it's original position in Beca's hair, "I wonder how our Dad's are getting on."
Beca swallowed loudly, her eyes drifting closed again at Chloe's soothing touch, ignoring the way their dog watched Chloe's hand longingly. Beca's Dad had arrived yesterday lunchtime with Sheila. They were the only two members of Beca's family that had been invited to the wedding this weekend, despite Chloe's attempt at asking the brunette if she was sure she didn't want to invite anyone else. But Beca had been adamant: the Beale's were her family.
Both Beca and Chloe had been worried about the arrival of Cal Mitchell. Not because he was likely to ruin their wedding for them, after all Sheila had sent Chloe and Beca a long email assuring them that she would do everything within her power to make sure that he behaved himself. No, the couple had been worried because the last time Chloe's father had mentioned anything about Cal, it had been in a more threatening tone. Jerry Beale hated Cal Mitchell for the irresponsible way he'd reacted to his daughter's announcement of her relationship status with Chloe a couple of Christmas's ago. The man couldn't promise that he'd keep his fists to himself when he finally had the chance to meet Cal for the first time, and although Chloe knew her father would never fight her future father-in-law, she couldn't be certain that her father and her brothers wouldn't mess Mr Mitchell up a bit. They had all become as protective of Beca as they were of their little sister.
So Beca and Chloe had sheepishly loitered around the hotel lobby, awaiting the arrival of Beca's father and step-mother when Jerry and Sue had appeared behind them, the parents having intended on greeting Chloe's brothers who were also soon due to arrive at the venue with their respective little families. And that was when Jerry and Cal had first met…
Beca and Chloe heard a man clearing his throat behind them and they both jumped as they turned from Jerry and Sue to see that Cal and Sheila had arrived. The Mitchell's both looked tired and looked down at Alba with caution as the dog uncharacteristically growled slightly. The Labrador stepped back a pace, her ears flattening, leaning gently against Beca's leg from her position between her two owners.
"Dad!" Beca said, still stunned that Chloe's parents were going to officially meet for the first time so soon. Her heart was racing as she glanced at her fiancée, noting how nervous Chloe seemed. Beca couldn't tell though whether it was because both sets of parents were meeting for the first time or if it was because the last time Chloe had seen Beca's Dad, the man had rudely accused her of using his daughter for money. "Uh, you made it!"
"Well we did call you when we left h ome. Our arrival can't have come as a surprise, Beca." Cal tried to joke, but his nervous laugh was played to unamused people before him.
" Right." Beca responded awkwardly, already hating the dead air surrounding them. But for once she couldn't depend on Chloe to keep alive whatever scrap of potential conversation there was to be had . So the brunette continued, desperately hoping her Dad wouldn't screw the next few days up for her, "Well, uh, Dad, these are Chloe's parents." And Beca motioned to Sue and Jerry Beale.
Sue had a polite smile on her face as she stepped up to Cal, her hand outstretched as she introduced herself kindly, and Beca recognised the awkward smile on her father's face. "Just be polite Dad.." Beca begged in her head. Fortunately the man took Sue's hand, shaking it while introducing himself. Then Sue quickly moved to give Sheila a warm hug, the two women having met a couple of times in the past and apparently had remained in touch.
Beca and Chloe both watched their fathers with held breaths. Neither of them had seen such a serious expression on Jerry Beale's face before. He was certainly taller than Cal, had broader shoulders and a slightly larger stomach. Beca must have got some of her petite figure from her father. Cal Mitchell cleared his throat as he leant forward toward s Jerry, holding his hand out awkwardly , clearly intimidated by the larger man.
"You must be Cal. " Jerry said in a serious tone, before reaching out and giving Mr Mitchell a firm hand shake. The greeting threw Beca completely off, having only ever seen Chloe's father greet people with a broad smile and, usually, a large hug. And in a funny sort of way, Beca felt a little calmer about the coming days. If The Beale's were going to protect her feelings (not that she'd really ever thought about having other people protect her feelings before meeting them) then everything was going to be okay. She was going to enjoy her wedding.
"And you must be Jerry." Cal said in an equally serious tone, "Good that we're finally meeting."
"Hmm." Jerry responded.
Beca and Chloe both looked from their fathers, to each other, to the two women who were watching the men with equal uncertainty. It was no secret that the men weren't overly keen on one another, nor that they had been too worried about having to actually meet. They probably would've happily gone through life never meeting. But their respective daughter's wedding was the exception it seemed.
"Dad!" came a loud cheery bellow and the brides-to-be turned to look over at the hotel lobby doors as a gaggle of three small families crammed their way inside , the father's of whom all had bright beaming smiles on their faces, identical to that of Sue Beale and Chloe Beale. Michael, eldest of the Beale siblings, immediately left his suitcase by the door, striding over to his parents to give them each a hug in greeting, which Jerry was more than happy to drop Cal's handshake for. Ryan and J ohnny , the other two Beale brothers , followed the eldest, giving their Dad then their Mom huge hugs, laughing while their parents gave them compliments about their health and appearance.
Then a round of hugs for Mr & Mrs Beale came from their daughters-in-law: Claudia, Julie, and Laura. Meanwhile, Beca had been surrounded by Michael, Ryan and Jo hn ny, all of whom had made a beeline for her and high -fived her 'hel lo' . That had become their thing, knowing full well the brunette wasn't keen on hugs. And Beca couldn't help the wide smile on her face as she greeted them. Because she really liked Chloe's big brothers as though they were her own.
Chloe, meanwhile, had received a greeting much like she'd received from Alba a couple of days before. This time, however, it was from her nephews and nieces. And the redhead let out a loud trickling giggle as the youngsters all tumbled against her, pushing her to the ground while they enveloped her in a massive group cuddle. "Auntie Chloeeeee !" They all cried out in delight, having always adored their favourite aunt.
Beca let out a chuckle as she watched the bundle, her heart soaring as she remembered just how good her fiancée was with children, a smile on her face when she heard little Jac k - the youngest nephew and Beca's low-key favourite of the kids - ask Chloe in a sweet voice, "Auntie Chloe , is Auntie Beca here ?" But the smile on the petite brunette's face quickly wavered when Chloe replied, "She's right over there Jack-Jack." And the eight kids' faces lit up again as they gasped and caught sight of Beca nearby.
Beca let out a bit of a yelp as they all dashed over to her and grabbed her legs and hands, silently demanding they hug her while they called out happily, "Auntie Becaaaaaa !" and the petite brunette fell to the ground chuckling loudly while her face was planted by a million kisses from the affectionate Beale kids. She couldn't believe she was soon going to officially be a part of this incredible family.
Chloe had stood up to hug her big brothers and her sisters-in-law 'hello', and The Beale's looked amused as they watched Beca still tangled up with the plethora of children. Alba had even got in on the bundle, wagging her tail excitably before licking Eva – Chloe's eldest niece – ferociously on the cheek.
"Alright, alright you lot, let Auntie Beca stand up for a minute." Ryan said, scooping his two sons up at their waists with a chuckle while the two boys let out loud rippling giggles. Eva had picked her youngest cousin, three year old Ellie, up and carried her back over to Ellie's mother, La ura. Johnny and Michael scooped up their respective sons, all of whom giggled loudly too , a delightful sound that echoed off the walls of the airy hotel lobby.
The visitors all came to a calm pause, then turned to look awkwardly at Beca's father and step-mother. Beca stood up and dusted herself down, clearing her throat nervously, "Uh, Beale's? These are my parents. My Dad, Cal, and my Step-M other, Sheila." She motioned towards the two Mitchell's as though presenting them, then looking over at her father and his wife she motioned over to the family that all stood to her left , pointing out each member , "Uh, Dad? Sheila? These are The Beale's. Michael, Hunter and Noah. Um, Jonny, Sammy, Ryan, Jack and Oliver. Then there's Chloe's parents who you've already met. Theeen Claudia, Eva, Laura, Julie, and obviously you know Chloe." Beca had to pause to take a deep breath, having rattled through the family so quickly, and she calmed as she saw Chloe looking at her with an affectionate smile, "And finally, in Chloe's arms, is Ellie. Youngest of the bunch." And the Beale's, along with Beca, let out light chuckles as three year old Ellie waved enthusiastically at The Mitchell's with a big beaming smile on her face.
Beca turned nervously back to her father and step-mother. To her relief she saw Shelia smiling kindly at them all, being sure to give a little wave back to Ellie who had suddenly become shy following the interaction with the stranger and nuzzled into her Auntie Chloe's neck to shy away. Beca's father on the other hand had a less than cheery smile on his face. It was a forced one. But a smile was a smile any way, and Beca figured it would be better than nothing.
The Beale's of course all smiled politely, waving and nodding and saying "Hello" , and before long all the new visitors began checking in with a friendly hotel employee. Chloe and Beca stood to one side, the brunette with her left hand stuffed in her fiancée's pants back-pocket, Alba sat obediently ON their feet. And all three watched their families try to organise themselves nearby.
"Hey, boys, I hear there's a fantastic golf course in the grounds somewhere!" Jerry Beale was heard calling out noticeably. Chloe furrowed her brow as she watched her brothers' faces light up. The men all began eagerly discussing when they might have time to try the course out. But the reason why Chloe was so confused was because neither her father nor her brothers had EVER shown an interest in playing golf before. Why now?
"Oh Cal loves playing golf!" Shelia piped up, and Chloe noticed the way Beca's father's face softened slightly. Huh, perhaps this could be a way for the two fathers to connect beyond the fact that their only daughters were marrying one another this coming Friday.
"Well perhaps you'd fancy a round later, Cal?" Jerry suggested with a broad smile on his face, "Make the most of it while we're here."
"Yes that sounds like a good idea." Beca's father agreed, "Uh, Beca ? Shelia and I will make our way to our room…"
"Yeah, great," Beca said, a small smile on her face, clearly pleased that her father and Chloe's father were showing signs of potentially getting along, "Um, we're all going to be having dinner out on the restaurant dining deck at 1pm if you want to join us?"
Cal cleared his throat, looking briefly at Sheila who was already nodding her head with a large smile, and he looked back at his daughter, "Uh, yes. Yes we'll be there."
"Then we'll have that round of golf, eh Cal?" Jerry said merrily to the man, giving him a thumbs up, and Mr Mitchell simply nodded with a fixed smile.
"Uh, yes. Sounds like a good idea Jerry."
And with that, Cal and Sheila Mitchell followed a member of staff out of the lobby to find their hotel room. Chloe waited until Beca's parents were out of sight before she strode over to her father and tugged his arm that was still held out with the 'thumbs up' he'd given Mr Mitchell.
"Daddy what the heck are you up to?" Chloe whispered in a low voice, her expression now a suspicious one. And her father rose his eyebrows with a shrug.
"What makes you think I'm up to something?" the man tried to say innocently but Chloe knew her father, and so she raised her eyebrows back at him, folding her arms.
"You've NEVER played golf before…" she accused and Jerry Beale opened his mouth as if offended.
"I HAVE played golf before thank you very much!"
"Since when?" Chloe asked in a louder tone and she watched as her father cleared his throat awkwardly then looked down at his feet.
"Uhh…since six weeks ago..."
" Riiight ?" Chloe was almost MORE suspicious now, and the young redhead squinted her eyes at her father waiting for him to expand on his information.
"When your mother told me that Sheila had told her that Cal was a keen golfer." Jerry added sheepishly.
Chloe didn't reply right away. Instead she stood, inspecting her father's facial expression, wondering what he was up to. Because the last she knew her father hated Cal Mitchell. What had changed his tune all of a sudden?
She noticed the way her brothers had left the luggage and had slowly wandered over to join the conversation, big grins on their faces. And Chloe froze. She knew those grins. And she knew what th ose grins meant.
"Oh my God, you're gonna prank him!"
"Not PRANK him, Twinkle…" Jerry said firmly, holding his finger up in defence, "…just…make him pay a little for how terribly he treated you and Beca."
Chloe's mouth dropped open. Just as her mother's mouth and her sisters-in-laws' mouths did too. And the five women cried in unison, "What?!". But the men turned innocently to their respective wives to try to justify why.
"Oh come on the man's a total douschebag !" Johnny exclaimed.
"Were you even IN the same room as us when you heard what he'd said to Beca?" Ryan added.
"And how shit he made Chloe feel?" Michael pointed out.
"We can't stand by and let him get away with it , Sue!" Jerry tried to explain to his wife.
" And he can't treat Beca like that . " Johnny cried.
"She's like a sister to us and we have to protect her as much as Chloe now!" Michael finished.
Beca and Chloe both stared at the other Beale's, touched by the men's protective nature. Beca in particular, having never really had anyone other than Chloe to fiercely protect her before now. Sue Beale, however, was not happy with her husband and son s' decision to 'get back' at Cal Mitchell, and the men could sense her disapproval. The eldest woman stepped up to Jerry, her arms folded and her eyebrows raised, a stern expression on her face, "Jeremy Beale, you will NOT bully anyone during your ONLY daughter's wedding week , do you understand?"
Jerry's expression dropped as he tried to defend himself, looking down at his wife innocently, "We weren't going to bully the man ! We were … just going to make him feel a bit bad!"
"How? By beating him at golf?" Chloe asked in confusion. She'd witnessed first hand the way her brothers and father had driven away her first couple of boyfriends. This wasn't exactly in their repertoire of 'ways to make a guy feel uncomfortable enough that he'd want to run away'..
But Jerry, Michael, Ryan, and Johnny all turned to the younger redhead and raised their eyebrows identically with innocent shrugs, "Yes!"
"Your Dad's plan has probably worked and he's probably beaten my Dad at golf putting my Dad in a foul mood in time for our wedding tomorrow." Beca mumbled honestly while a light warm breeze drifted across her smiling face.
"That's what I'm worried about.." Chloe mumbled thoughtfully as she felt Alba lay down underneath her foot once again, making do with that being the form of attention she was going to get from the redhead.
"It's okay babe," Beca said with a drowsy sigh, bringing her hand up to grab Chloe's hand that had still been running through her hair, "he can get as moody as he wants, but it still won't ruin our wedding day."
A broad smile grew on Chloe's face as Beca tugged her hand from her forehead down to her face and placed a kiss on her palm. She had to admit, ever since they'd arrived in Hawaii Beca had become very affectionate. And Chloe loved it.