Waikiki Wedding: Unforgettable Nights in Hawaii Read online

  Yeah, well, she'd certainly done that all right. Followed the flow to orgasm heaven. And, if it weren't for this crazy party, she'd still be happily in Ray's arms.

  The iconic hit song from the seventies "YMCA" blared around them, and spotlights above shone on six men onstage. All half-dressed, muscular, and costumed—an Indian chief, a construction worker, a soldier, a policeman, a biker, and a cowboy.

  "Looking good." Courtney whistled.

  The men moved and gyrated. Cheers sounded from the audience. Fanning out to different points on stage, the hulking men continued their separate routines, the Indian in front of Emily and Amy.

  "Not bad." Her future sister-in-law smiled up at him. "Not bad at all."

  Just then the man spun about. In a G-string loincloth, his bare butt cheeks stared them in the face. Firm and muscular, his backside matched the strength of his well-displayed body.

  Emily was right. It was a mighty fine ass. "But it doesn't hold a candle to Ray," Amy mumbled.

  Emily's eyes widened into perfectly round circles. "Oh, my God. You've already slept with him!"

  Chapter Thirteen

  Nursing his second beer, Ray had run through a few options in his mind, pulling out his phone from time to time and checking the feasibility of his plans. So far so good. Of course much of what he'd been thinking depended a great deal on a pretty blonde.

  "This must be Emily." Doug swiped his phone, then reading the text, nodded. "Yep. They're on their way. Should be here shortly." He pushed to his feet and retrieved his wallet from his back pocket. "You staying?"

  Ray fingered his beer. "I'll finish this and then head upstairs."

  Slapping a few bills on the bar, Doug nodded. "I'm sure we'll run into each other tomorrow."

  Ray laughed. "No doubt." The way the two groups of friends kept intertwining their wedding plans, anyone would have thought they'd all been friends for years. The nice thing, of course, was that, if not for everyone's familiarity, he wouldn't be sitting in the bar at this hour waiting to talk to Amy.

  Once Doug was out of sight, Ray shifted to a seat with a clear view of the lobby and elevators to the rooms. If Amy was too exhausted to talk, then he'd hold off on what he had to say until tomorrow, but, excited for the first time in ages about his future, he couldn't wait to see her.

  Laughter floated in his direction. Women's laughter. At this hour it had to be the girls. Sure enough, his sister, Tish, led the pack of cackling women. They all looked to have had a lot of fun, maybe too much fun. He counted, one, two, three more women, including Emily, but no Amy. Just then his sister looked up and caught his gaze. She turned to her friends, hugged each of them, and, as they stepped into the elevator, then spun around and headed in his direction. The laughter and fun mood slid from her face. What was that all about?

  Ray wasn't the only one watching Tish saunter into the bar. Except for him, one other guy and the bartender, the place was empty. Both the hotel guest and the bartender followed her every move all the way to the table. Ray resisted the urge to tell them to put their eyeballs back in their heads before he shoved them down their throats. He'd have never survived her teenage years if she'd been such a knockout back then.

  Tish slid into the seat beside her brother. "I was wondering if I would see you again before the wedding."

  "The wedding's not 'til Saturday."

  "You and Amy are getting pretty cozy."

  That was one way to put it. "She's nice."

  "Yes. She is." Tish blinked. "I like her too, but, if you don't reel it in, she's going to get hurt. Every time your name came up, she lit up like the North Star on black velvet. For once in your life, you've got to think ahead."

  "I am."

  "I don't mean until Saturday. She's a permanent kind of girl, Ray."

  Another wave of women's chatter burst into the air.

  "That's the second cab load." Tish pushed to her feet. "Think carefully. Please."

  Thinking was all he'd been doing for the last three hours. Tish met up with the rest of the wedding gang. This was the moment he'd been waiting for. He stood up, the chair scraping underneath him. The sound echoed into the lobby, and all the ladies turned their heads. Amy, the only one he cared about and with a bright smile that spread across her face, had him ready to crow like a territorial rooster.

  Like his sister a few minutes before, she turned to the other women. Hugs and more giggles abounded, until Amy was the only one left in the lobby. He remained rooted to the floor, watching her make her way toward him. Her naturally blonde hair fell to her shoulders in a casual cascade. Damn, she was beautiful.

  "Hi." Amy came to a stop in front of him.

  "Hi." He felt like an awkward teen. Twice in the same week. What he wanted to do was scoop her into his arms, carry her off, and not stop until they were once again on her bed. Relief flooded him when she pushed on tiptoe and gently kissed his lips. Too soon the soft feel of her mouth on his was over.

  "Last call," the bartender announced.

  "What would you like?" Ray asked.

  "Ginger ale."

  "Be right back." All evening he'd nursed two beers. At the bar he ordered two ginger ales and brought them to the small table. "Bartender says, they'll be tossing us out and locking up shortly. Would you mind taking these out to the terrace?"

  "I'd love that. I want to suck up as much of Hawaii as I can before I have to go home."

  Ray held the door for her. "There are people who feel the same way about California."

  "True, but it's still not paradise."

  "From what I've seen so far of L.A., I won't argue with you. The traffic was insane. The horizon is more brown than blue, and a cup of coffee cost a week’s salary."

  Amy's head fell back with laughter. "I think a week's salary may be a slight exaggeration."

  "Maybe." He smiled. "But not by much."

  "Oh, look." Amy pointed to two empty lounge chairs ahead on the beach.

  Ray glanced at the pile of hotel rental loungers and over to the romantic vignette under the stars, thankful to whomever had seen fit to leave the pair of chairs there after-hours. "Shall we?"

  "Isn't this weather amazing?" Amy settled onto the empty seat and crossed her ankles. "I could stare at those waves all night."

  "Did everyone have a good time tonight?"

  "We did. Carrie had a great time. Though we had to cut her off after three daiquiris."

  "Strong drinks or a lightweight drinker?"

  "A little of both. Which is why I switched to ginger ale over an hour ago."

  "So you're a lightweight too?"

  She grinned at him. "I can hold my own."

  "I bet you can." He wasn't sure where to start. "I watched the game with your brother."

  "Oh." She didn't say anything more, but already Ray recognized the concern on her face.

  "I didn't realize he had such a hard time adjusting to civilian life."

  Amy bit on her lower lip. "He doesn't talk to me about that."

  "He didn't tell me much, but he did get me thinking."

  "What about?"

  "Plan B."

  • • •

  Plan B. Amy's heart almost stopped. Anticipation of what Ray's new plans were and whether or not she had any part of it almost made her dizzy. "What would that be?"

  "It started with this morning’s pick-up game. I had such a great time with those kids."

  "I'm glad you still feel that way."

  "Me too because it had me thinking about how Emily thought I might be a teacher."

  Amy nodded. At first that's what she had thought too.

  "Then I got to thinking about what Emily had said. I don't think I would enjoy spending all day, every day teaching history."

  If he didn't hurry up and spit out his next plan, anticipation might just send her into apoplexy.

  "But if I could also coach football …"

  The glint in his eyes made her smile.

  "So," he continued, "I did a few searches. It doe
sn't make sense to go back to school for another BA. But, … if I get a Masters in Education, I could teach history and coach football."

  "That sounds like a great plan B." Excitement thrummed through her veins. He had a plan. A sensible plan. A practical plan. And he looked honestly happy about it. "Will you return to OSU?"

  "Actually I was thinking California."

  Chapter Fourteen

  “How was Pearl Harbor?” a voice rang out from the hotel lobby, when Ray, Amy and his sister’s friends Josh and Jessica returned from a day of visiting war memorials. Courtney stood and greeted them.

  Jessica uncurled her arm from around her husband’s waist and rebalanced the baby on her hip. “It was awesome. So worth getting up early for.”

  “Very moving,” Amy agreed. Even with her hair coming loose from her ponytail and her eyes drained from a night of no sleep and a nearly full day of sightseeing, she still looked beautiful.

  Jessica nuzzled her baby’s forehead. "On Wednesday, all the tickets for the Arizona had been sold out.” She turned to Ray. “Thanks so much for driving us.”

  “Not a problem,” he said, stifling a yawn. He glanced at the woman who’d stolen his heart in just days. Last night, settling in on the beach, they'd continued talking. For two people so different, they had much in common. Shared the same values, the same ideas about marriage and children, the same love of family. Amy’s grandfather had served in World War II, as had Ray’s grandfather and great-uncle. Their conversation had been so easy, they were both shocked to see the sun rising over the ocean.

  “Amy!” Carrie breezed into the hotel, her groom in tow. She held up a piece of paper. “It’s official. Or almost official. We just got our marriage license.”

  Courtney quirked a brow. “Why didn’t you just order it online?”

  “I did.” Carrie stood next to Courtney’s chair. “But you still have to sign for it at the marriage bureau.” Her eyes widened. “You didn’t?”

  Courtney’s face paled, accenting the red freckles on her cheeks. “Oh, my God. The wedding’s tomorrow.” She glanced at her watch. “Where’s the marriage bureau?”

  “Near the Punchbowl. I’ll text you the address.”

  Courtney took out her phone. “What time do they close?”

  “Four o’clock.”

  “Oh, my God.”

  Ray checked his watch. Courtney and her future groom had little more than an hour.

  “Oh, my God. Drew!” Courtney called to her fiancé at the bar. “We have to go now.” She hurried to the reception desk. “Are there any cabs out front?”

  “No, ma’am. But I can call Charlie's for you.”

  “How long will it take?”

  “About—”

  “I can drive you.” Ray looked out at the valet stand. “My rental car’s still out front.”

  “Oh, bless you.” Courtney threw her arms around him, then craned her head back toward the bar. “Drew! Now!”

  The navy man Ray had met briefly last night loped toward them.

  Courtney grasped her fiancé's arm. “We need to pick up, and sign our license in person. Ray offered to drive us.”

  Ray turned to Amy. “Do you want to stay here and rest or—”

  “I’ll go with you.”

  Ray tucked her hand again in his. Even after just breaking apart his hold on her, he missed her touch. “Then let’s boogie.”

  With the address in the GPS, and Ray deftly maneuvering around the crunch of, they made the ride downtown in less time than expected for a Friday afternoon. In the backseat of the rental, Courtney and Drew cuddled, exchanging endearments and loud, sloppy kisses.

  “Hey, you lovebirds,” Ray teased. “There’s so much heat back there the windows are fogging up.”

  When the couple pulled apart, Courtney didn’t look in the least embarrassed, but Drew’s cheeks turned the color of his bride’s hair. “Sorry,” he said. “It’s just that we haven’t seen each other in three months. And my shore leave is only for a few days.”

  “So you’re starting the honeymoon early. I get it.” Ray pulled in front of the Hawaii State Department of Health building. “But, if you don’t get that license, you’ll have to relabel that honeymoon as just a vacation.”

  He dropped them off right in front of the door, and they scrambled out. No sense in them wasting precious minutes while he looked for a parking space.

  As soon as he pulled into one, Amy’s head slumped against Ray’s shoulder. He kissed her forehead. “Why didn’t you stay at the hotel and nap?”

  “Why didn’t you? You didn’t sleep last night either.”

  "Sleep is overrated." He turned off the engine. “We’d better go find them. They may already be finished and outside looking for us.”

  An optimistic guess. Courtney and Drew were the third couple from the end of their line, which stretched almost the length of the room.

  “This was the shorter line when we got into it,” Courtney said when Ray and Amy walked up to them. “But I think the other line is moving faster.”

  “Why don’t we go stand in that line?” Amy suggested. “We’ll hold your place in case we get up to the front first.”

  As they moved slowly forward in the line, Ray shifted his weight from one foot to another to keep himself awake. Amy wound her arm around his waist and leaned into him.

  “Are you being romantic or just using me to hold you up?” he teased.

  “Busted.” She leaned in even closer. “You do feel strong and supportive.”

  “Lean on me anytime,” he murmured.

  Just ahead of them in line was a young, dreamy-eyed couple, obviously in love. “I thought this was a great idea when you suggested it,” the girl said to her fiancé, “but I’m starting to have second thoughts.”

  “Now?” the man responded. “After we’ve been standing in line for an hour?”

  “Not doubts about us.” The girl sent her man a loving look. “Just about … doing this here. Instead of at home.”

  “It was your idea to elope.” The man squeezed the girl’s hand. “You said it would be less hassle, less money, less waiting.”

  “Not to mention less drama dealing with my mother,” the girl said. “With all the people she planned to invite, arguing over the perfect venue, having her take over my wedding to make it the one she didn’t have …”

  “Sounds like Carrie’s mom,” Amy whispered to Ray. “Carrie got so overwhelmed by all her mother’s demands and expectations, she decided on a destination wedding instead. Lucky for me and Doug, she chose Hawaii.”

  “Still,” the young woman in front of them said to her boyfriend, “she is my mother. The only one I have. It wouldn’t be right to deprive her of the pleasure of my wedding.”

  Amy and Ray inched closer to the front of the line. Almost even with Courtney and Drew, who’d been three feet ahead of them when they’d first arrived. The clerk in this line must be way more efficient.

  The young man in front of them threw up his hands. “Katie, I love you, and I’ll get married in a ditch or at the Taj Mahal if you want. Just make up your mind. What do you want to do?”

  Katie pressed a finger to her lips. “I think … I want … let’s do this.”

  “Good.” The man let out a deep sigh.

  Ray wound his arm around Amy’s bare shoulder. Her skin felt so good next to his. Why did women always have to make everything so complicated? If you loved somebody, you wanted to spend the rest of your life with them. Period. All the pretty flowers and chopped-liver canapés were just icing on the wedding cake.

  “When I was a little girl," Amy whispered, "I used to dream about the perfect wedding. The right dress, the right ambiance, the right food—everything seemed so important. But now …” She looked up at him dreamily.

  “Now what?”

  “Now it seems like the only important thing is choosing the right man.”

  That’s my girl, he almost said aloud. They were nearly to the front of the line. Across the
way, Drew and Courtney had moved up ahead of them and would probably be waited on in the next minute or so. But, just to cover their bases, he stayed where he was.

  In front of them, the young woman spoke again. “On the other hand …”

  “Oh, for God’s sake, Katie,” the fiancé exploded. “I’m not twisting your arm. If this isn’t what you want, let’s just wait.”

  “You sure?” the girl asked, wrinkling her nose.

  “Absolutely.” The man crooked his arm through the girl’s elbow and led her out of the line.

  Leaving Ray and Amy in front of the window.

  “Next,” the clerk said.

  Chapter Fifteen

  "It's about time you got back." Lisa stood with her hands on her hips and her elbows flared out like chicken wings. "Didn't we decide on pale and dark blue?"

  "Yes." Courtney came to a halt in front of her maid of honor. "For the ocean."

  "Well, the hotel is setting up the hall, and seafoam green and sandy tan is all over the damn place."

  "What?" Courtney flew past Amy and Ray, her maid of honor in tow.

  "Whatever happened to getting married in the front parlor with a handful of friends and then cutting cake in the dining room?" Ray asked.

  "Queen Victoria," Amy answered, scanning the lobby and terrace for any sign of her friends or brother.

  "That was the white wedding dress."

  "What?" She looked up at Ray.

  "Queen Victoria is the reason for a white wedding dress in the Western world. Not for the big production that weddings have become."

  "Oh." Amy spotted Mrs. Clarke marching toward the front desk. "Uh-oh."

  "What?"

  "I see a storm blowing in, and I don't see Carrie." Amy ducked out of sight behind a potted plant and called her friend. "Carrie! Where are you?"

  "Upstairs, why?"

  "Your mom is down here, and she's got that storm-trooper look in her eyes." Amy peered around the corner and listened. "It sounds like she's all worked up about ice sculptures."

  "Ice sculptures? We didn't order any ice sculptures."