A party full of surprises!
Steffy and Thomas have planned a welcome party for their parents. In agreement with them, they want to announce that Taylor and Ridge were now husband and wife and so the welcome party would also be their wedding reception. Taylor and Ridge left all the planning and organization to their children. They had been busy with the preparations for weeks. They had chosen the day after their parents' arrival. It was all relatively short notice, but the day was convenient since Brooke was in Paris and couldn't interfere with their plans. Steffy claimed this would be a 'Logan-free' party. Besides, that way they could be sure, the surprise wouldn't come to light beforehand. Steffy and Thomas also invited RJ for the party to please their father. At the wedding, he had come up with the wish, they and RJ would become closer in the future. After all, they were siblings and all his children. RJ already knew his father had married Taylor, but he didn't care relatively. He had expected it someday and as long as his father didn't put a wedding band on his mother's finger again, anything was fine by him. RJ had arrived a day earlier than his father and Taylor. He was, frankly, pretty jittery about meeting Steffy and Thomas. Even though they were his siblings, he basically didn't know them at all. Most of what he knew about them he had picked up from his mother and Hope. He had been so small when the family broke up back then. From that day on, he had had virtually no contact with them. But Steffy and Thomas made every effort to reach out to him. After a short time, the three noticed that they actually had a lot in common. Especially Thomas and RJ found a direct connection to each other, they realized they were interested in the same things. Steffy and Thomas wanted to create a video with pictures from the wedding to show it at the party. RJ, who was very interested in photography and film and also took a class at school, was a great support for them. He helped them to put their ideas into practice technically. So they spent a fun afternoon together, gradually getting closer.
The next day they prepared everything for the arrival of their parents. Taylor and Ridge had landed and were on their way to their mansion.
"I wonder if we'll even recognize the house, or if Thomas and Steffy have finally turned everything upside down."
"Well, since I know you, I'm sure soon you'll take the reins again."
"You can count on it! I want those two to realize immediately that I'm back in charge now!"
"Hey, I still thought I'm the leader of this family!" Ridge was well aware of the way she bit her tongue to stifle a laugh and that she was avoiding his gaze. In toddler fashion, she stroked his cheek.
"Of course you're the master of the house, who else?!"
"Why do I just get the feeling you don't take me seriously at all?"
"Ridge, how do you get that idea?" He looked at her piercingly. "Okay, let's agree on the following. At work you're the boss and at home I'm in charge!"
At home, they were warmly greeted by Steffy, Thomas and RJ. Ridge was very happy to see his son again. Steffy and Thomas had kept RJ's visit quiet to surprise their father.
"But how did you manage to get a leave of absence from the school? Your mother?"
"No! Mom has no idea I'm here."
"You know Dad, we have a very similar voice on the phone?" Thomas grinned at him.
"Now don't tell me you pretended to be me to get RJ out of boarding school?"
"Well, otherwise it wouldn't have been a surprise."
"Actually, I should be busting your chops for that, but I'm just way too happy!" Ridge gave his two sons a hug. RJ turned to Taylor.
"Hi Taylor, or should I call you 'Stepmom' from now on?"
"For God's sake don't! I always think there's something threatening about that name!"
"Oh Mom, real life isn't like fairy tales!" teased Steffy her.
"Anyway, I'm glad you're here RJ, you're welcome anytime, but only if you don't call me 'Stepmom' ever again!" She winked at him. To celebrate Steffy, Thomas and RJ had cooked. Ridge and Taylor were quite surprised by the delicacies their children had prepared for them.
At night, Ridge popped in RJs room to say goodnight.
"I'm really happy you're here! I hope it's okay for you that I married Taylor?"
"Of course Dad! It's not a big deal. I like her and Steffy and Thomas are pretty cool. I hit it off with them immediately."
"I'm glad to hear this. Because I would really like it to see the three of you finally get closer like real siblings!"
"Speaking of which, Steffy gave me these two posters. Would it be okay if I put them up here?"
"Of course!" That's when Ridge had a spontaneous idea.
"What do you think about this room becoming your own room?" "My own room, but...?
"Don't worry, I don't want to take you out of the boarding school, and of course you still have your home with your mother. But I think you should have your own room here with us too, so you know you're always welcome. And if we have other visitors, we have more guest rooms."
"That would be great, but don't you have to ask Taylor first?"
"That's fine! I'll talk to her. I'm sure she won't mind." Ridge was right. Taylor agreed with him that it was a good idea to give RJ a permanent room. He should feel like he was part of the family and not just a visitor.
The next day was the big day. The party was to be held in the large showroom of Forrester Creation. After lunch, Thomas and Steffy hurried off to have a look at the final preparations. RJ accompanied them. When the door finally slammed behind them, Ridge sighed with relief.
"My God, I forgot how hectic life is here with everyone." Taylor snuggled up to him.
"Are you getting homesick already for our nice quiet penthouse?"
"Maybe a little bit. Well, there's also something refreshing about the hustle and bustle, as long as I get to enjoy some quiet time alone with you in between!" It was a beautiful sunny day, Ridge looked out the big window.
"You know what I've really missed all this time in San Francisco?" He grinned at her, Taylor let her gaze wander on the outside as well, guessing what Ridge was talking about. She gave him a gentle nudge.
"Whoever finishes first!" and they both hurried upstairs to put on their swimsuits. Relaxing, they spent the rest of the afternoon at the pool until it was time to get ready for the party. Taylor took the opportunity to put on her wedding dress once again. She loved this dress and was very happy to be able to wear it one more time. Looking for her husband, she ran all over the house. She found him in one of the guest rooms, where he was also getting ready.
"So this is where you've been hiding, I've been looking for you! I need you to help me zip up the dress."
Ridge stepped closer. But instead of zipping it up and fastening the buttons, he pushed the fabric aside a little more and started stroking her back, his lips roaming along her neck.
"Ridge, stop it..." She giggled, his lips continued to travel along her neck.
"You smell amazing!" She found it very hard not to engage in his caresses.
"Ridge, we're going to be late! Thomas and Steffy will kill us if we're not on time. This is our party! You'll have to wait until later for this!"
"You know waiting has never been my greatest strength."
"Then you'll learn it and now zip me up please!"
"You can be excruciatingly strict Doc!" But quite dutifully this time Ridge zipped up the dress and closed the buttons. She gave him a kiss.
"Thanks, that wasn't so hard!" She adjusted his tie. "You look very handsome, scrumptious!" She nibbled on his neck, but he fought her off.
"Hey, what did you just say? That I will have to wait until later, that goes for you too! And now come on, there's a party waiting for us!" He grinned at her, she screwed up her face.
"Argh, I hate you!"
"I hate you too!"
A short time later they arrived at Forrester Creation. The showroom was unrecognizable. It was beautifully decorated, to one side the caterers were setting up a wonderful buffet. There were small tables everywhere.
"Wow, this looks wonderful!" gushed Taylor, hugging her children.
"You guys are pretty late!" remarked Steffy "The guests are about to arrive!"
"Don't worry! We are here!" The first guests to appear were Eric and Stephanie joined by Pam. Ridge and Taylor were greeted warmly by all three.
"It's good to have you home at last, my son!" His father patted Ridge on the shoulder.
"Indeed, it was time you got loose from San Francisco!" added Stephanie.
"Well, I brought the essential with me." He pulled Taylor closer. The next guests were Felicia, Kristen and Tony, who had traveled especially for this occasion. Ridge was delighted to see his siblings again. Felicia wrapped Taylor in her arms.
"It looks like you're still putting up with our brother pretty well!"
"Oh yeah, most of the time he's quite tolerable."
"Hey, I heard that!" Ridge poked her in the side. While they were all talking and exchanging news, Ridge suddenly noticed Taylor froze up and got all stiff. She was trembling slightly. Concerned, he glanced at her; she had an almost panicked expression on her face. He peeked at the door and he realized why she was suddenly so changed. Thorne just entered the showroom together with his daughter Ally. Ally had grown into a teenage girl by now. She had been in long-term therapy over the past few years to deal with her mother's death. It was the first time in time for Taylor and Ally to meet again. Originally Ally had not wanted to come to the party at all. Steffy had tried everything to persuade her. She suspected Ally still couldn't forgive Taylor, but Ally rebuffed.
"No, that's not the reason. I realized it was all just a tragic accident."
Steffy wanted to know why Ally didn't want to come to the party then. Finally Ally came clean.
"I don't have anything against Taylor! But I don't want her to come back to LA. I know Dad still has feelings for her and if they see each other more often now. I just don't want that!" Steffy reassured her cousin.
"Didn't your dad tell you that my parents are back together?"
"Yes, he did, he mentioned something like that. But it sounded like he isn't convinced it will work out in the long term!" To finally convince Ally how serious her parents' relationship was, Steffy let her in on the big secret and told her about the wedding.
"So you really don't have to worry anymore. My mother only has eyes for my father!" Reassured by this fact, Ally had decided to go along to the party.
Ridge pulled Taylor along with him. First, the two greeted Thorne.
"What a beautiful dress! You look adorable!" turned Ridge to his niece.
"Thank you! Grandpa designed it for me." She looked over at Taylor. A little uncertain, she held out her hand and forced a smile.
"Hi Taylor!"
"Hi Ally! Nice to see you!" There was an awkward silence for a moment, but then Ally pulled a package out of her bag.
"I have a gift for you. Steffy mentioned, now that you are moving back to LA, you want to redecorate the house." Taylor and Ridge unwrapped it together. It was a painting of glued grains. It showed the ocean at sunset.
"Wow, that's beautiful! Thank you so much!"
"I hope you find a nice place for it." Ridge and Taylor nodded briefly to each other, Taylor turned back to Ally.
"Maybe you'd like to stop by these days. Then we can find the most beautiful place for your picture together!" This time Ally beamed genuinely. She nodded enthusiastically, then scurried away to greet the other guests. Thorne, Ridge, and Taylor looked after her, deeply touched.
When Taylor caught sight of the next guest, she screamed with excitement.
"Dad! What are you doing here?" She gave him a stormy hug. "You'll have to ask my grandchildren! They sent me a ticket, told me to pick out my best suit and come here! It's good to see you again. You look fantastic!"
"Thanks!" Ridge greeted his father-in-law as well. They embraced warmly.
"It seems to me you've kept your promise so far."
"Well, at least I've made an effort."
"Ridge is way too modest, you couldn't ask for a better partner for your daughter!"
New guests were arriving. In addition to the family, Steffy and Thomas had also invited many close associates of Forrester Creation. Zende appeared and was especially happy to see his parents again. It gave Thomas a short sting when Dayzee showed up, together with her boyfriend Markus. Even though the two had been together for quite some time now, it was still hard for Thomas to watch them together. But he knew he alone had screwed up the relationship with Dayzee.
"Keep smiling!" Steffy patted him encouragingly on the shoulder. Eric had insisted on inviting Rick, too. After all, he was family. Bridget, unfortunately, couldn't make it. Rick appeared along with his girlfriend Caroline. The greeting between Ridge, Taylor and the two of them turned out to be very stiff and cold. Rick originally didn't want to come at all, but Caroline had persuaded him, because now that Ridge was back in charge of Forrester Creation, they should get along with him. Thomas and Steffy watched their mother with amusement, all the time she tried to hide her engagement and wedding ring, in effort not to spoil the big surprise. When all the guests had appeared, Steffy stepped up to the microphone and greeted everyone.
"I'd like to take this opportunity to welcome you Mum and Dad to LA once again!" Everyone applauded. Steffy declared the buffet open. Everyone feasted on the delicacies and there was happy chatter and laughter at each table.
Later Ridge gave Thomas a signal and he rose. He turned to Steffy and RJ.
"It's showtime!" The three began to get everything ready for the big surprise. Steffy and Thomas set up a screen and RJ sat down at the laptop. Steffy waved her parents over. Once again, she grabbed the microphone.
"Now that we're all together, I have some happy news to share with you! Because actually, this isn't just a welcome party!" A surprised wonder and whisper could be heard. "I have the great pleasure to announce that our parents are not only madly in love but recently married! A few weeks ago, they said their vows in the presence of Thomas and myself." She waved at RJ, who started the video. A hush fell over the room. Everyone looked intently at the screen. When the video ended, applause broke out and the first people stepped to Taylor and Ridge to congratulate them. Eric wrapped Taylor in his arms.
"Welcome back into the family my daughter-in-law and take good care of my son!"
"I will!" Felicia stormed toward Ridge.
"You're always good for a surprise, though!" At some point in the general commotion, Ridge noticed his mother had apparently disappeared. He turned to his father.
"Have you seen Mother, I can't find her."
"I suppose she needs a moment to digest this news!" Ridge groaned; he had already assumed she might resent his secret action. He sought out Taylor and whispered briefly in her ear. Together they went in search of her, finally finding Stephanie on the terrace outside the showroom. She had retreated there to be alone for a moment.
"Hey Mother, what are you doing here all alone?"
"I just needed a breeze of fresh air. I needed to process this news!"
"Oh come on ! You have every reason to be happy. After all, now you have the daughter-in-law you always wanted!" Taylor put an arm around her.
"I can imagine you're not exactly thrilled about our secret wedding. But we really want you just to be happy with us."
"I am rejoicing! I'm really happy you two have found each other again. I just wonder why you are excluding your family from your life? Why all this secrecy?"
"Please try to understand us Mother, Taylor and I wanted a wedding this time according to our ideas and wishes. It was important for us to have this moment all to ourselves and with our kids. I mean, everyone should have the right to have their wedding the way they want."
"Of course, I just would have liked to be there!"
"Well you're here now and you can celebrate with us now!" Stephanie conceded defeat and let her son and daughter-in-law lead her back to the showroom.
Ridge stood with his siblings and told them about the wedding.
"So where did you guys go on your honeymoon?" asked Felicia, curious.
"Well we haven't had a honeymoon yet!" confessed Ridge "We've both had so much to do and we didn't want a rushed trip. We're going to do it later when everything is settled down here and then we want to take a really long honeymoon."
"And any plans yet on where to go?" wanted Kristen to know.
"Well where do you think?" replied Thorne dryly "Saint Thomas for sure, am I right?"
"No!" Everyone stared at him surprised.
"But I thought that's the most romantic place in the world for you?!" Felicia inquired, confused.
"It is! Saint Thomas will always be a special place for us! But we don't want a trip down memory lane, we want to create new memories in a new place."
"Wow, you guys are really serious this time about your fresh start!"
"Anyway, Taylor has left the organization of the honeymoon entirely up to me. She trusts me completely!"
"Pretty brave of her."
"The only condition she made was that we don't go anywhere I've ever honeymooned with Brooke before."
"Oha, is there any place left at all?" teased Felicia him.
"Well maybe the desert or the North Pole?!" added Kristen. All but Ridge laughed. "Or I know something even better! You could hire a space shuttle and fly to the moon, that would be a hit! Honeymoon on the moon!" Again, everyone burst out laughing.
"Hey, what's so funny?" Taylor stepped toward the group. Ridge wrapped his arms around her.
"I'm glad you're here! You have to support me, they are all so mean to me and tease me all the time.
"Oh my poor boy!" Taylor hugged him and stroked him on the head. She turned to her new inlaws.
"Hey, don't be so harsh to my husband. He's having a hard time already dealing with me!"
"That's right, listen to her! Again they all giggled. Too late Ridge realized what he had just said.
"I don't mean I have a hard time with you! Every day I get to spend with you is a blessing!" He gave her a heartwarming kiss.
"You always still get the turn." Felicia patted him on the shoulder. "Ridge was just telling us about the wedding and your planned honeymoon."
"Oh,very interesting! I'm all ears!"
"Forget it my love! I haven't said a word to them and I won't. Our honeymoon will remain my secret. So you can safely forget any ideas of using them as bait or bribing them or any other tricks!" Taylor pulled a face.
"Now tell us about the most important thing, the proposal!" changed Kristen the subject. "Who asked who?" Bright-eyed, Taylor recounted the day, from the scavenger hunt to the moment Ridge slipped the ring on her finger.
"Wow Ridge, you sure know how to woo a lady." Felicia was impressed.
"Well, he has plenty of experience!" commented Thorne.
As everyone continued to talk, a pair of eyes rested on the group.
"A beautiful sight, isn't it?" Stephanie pulled up startled to see who had approached her.
"Hello Jack! Indeed, a beautiful sight. Please, sit down!" They glanced back over at Ridge and Taylor, who were just engulfed in another deep kiss. "Who would have ever thought we'd see these two like this again. For a while, it really seemed like they had lost their love forever."
"You know, when I first found out about their relationship back in San Francisco, I wasn't exactly thrilled. I was afraid Ridge would hurt Taylor again, but looking at them now; they're really happy!" Stephanie raised her glass and toasted Jack.
"Cheers to the happiness of our children!"
Little spoiler: In the next chapter Brooke finds out about the wedding!