InHap*pily Ever After (Incidental Happenstance) (31 page)

“So
as a businessman, he sees big opportunity here. Obviously, we’ll want wedding
pictures and videos…”

“Definitely.”

“So
we’d sequester them, basically. We’d have our own people, or Tony’s, and they’d
have to agree to give up their cell phones when they arrived. Actually, there
won’t be phone or internet service on the island except for hard connections in
the main house. That way, no one could leak any of the pictures or the location
to the press. Then, after all is said and done, Tony would have exclusive
rights to the pictures. He’d be the first one to air bits and pieces on his
late night show, then the next day he’d have exclusives on his tabloid show and
for the magazine. He stands to make a ton of money off of it, but we’d have
final say in what gets aired and printed. Or Jessa would,” he added. “I’m going
to be much too busy with my new wife to worry about those kinds of details.” He
leaned over and planted a tender kiss on her lips. 

“So
the public wins in that deal too,” he said. “They’ll get an inside look at our
day without anyone intruding on it. Oh, and Tony has a deal with the Travel
Channel to do a documentary about his resort, so we’d agree to let some of our
footage be part of that show too. We may do a couple little interviews along
the way, and maybe some of the guests who’d like to be on television would do a
couple as well. That’s another moneymaker for Tony—it’d be great advertising
for him that we were the first guests.” He paused, and let her soak it all in
for a moment. “So, a lot of wins, and no real downside, from what I can see.”
He pulled her close and nuzzled the top of her head. “It’s pretty crazy, but it
could just be the perfect answer for the perfect day. Think about it…”

“I
don’t know that I need to think about it much at all, Dyl. It does sound
absolutely perfect, and it may be the only way we can have our day to
ourselves! But what about your parents and your London friends? It’s an awfully
long way for them to go…”

“My
parents are overdue for a holiday anyway, and they have an anniversary coming
up. I’ll get them and the rest of my family here and send them on a cruise or
something afterward. Considering that our wedding is being given to us, the
least I can do is get our guests here. I can charter a plane from London for
those guys pretty easily.  The wedding’ll have to be fairly small, though, Tia.
Remember, the resort only has room for about 150 guests.”

“That’s
not a problem for me—I don’t have a big family, and I’d much rather have a
small and intimate wedding anyway. Oh my gosh…we’d be able to spend the whole
weekend with everyone we care about.  Do you know anything about the island? I
mean, will there be activities for the guests?”

“Oh
yeah. It’s going to be a full service resort, so there’ll be beach activities,
wave runners, hiking, zip lining, snorkeling, diving, and a whole host of other
things to do. I was thinking that we’d fly everyone in on Thursday and
Friday—at least a few of them would be able to get an extra day off.  My
thought is that we’d have a bonfire on the beach party on Thursday night,
bachelor and bachelorette parties on Friday, rehearsals on Saturday, the
wedding on Sunday, and fly everyone home Monday. Tony’s even offered his yacht
for the girls’ party. You could do a sunset cruise or something.”

Tia
was nearly climbing out of her skin, and she jumped off the couch and started
pacing the room. It was coming together in her mind, and all the pictures in
her head were perfect. How could she say no to an offer like that? She would
get the wedding of her dreams, and everyone she cared about most would not only
be able to share the whole weekend with them, they’d be part of something they
could brag about for years to come. What wasn’t to love about the idea?

She
watched Dylan watching her. She knew he could read her mounting excitement and
although he tried to keep a stoic face, the corners of his lips kept twitching
where he was trying to tamper down a smile. He was enjoying watching Tia fit
all the pieces together in her own mind, and was pretty sure she was going to
go for it. She was whispering to herself under her breath as she paced, and her
smile was getting close to splitting her face. He waited as patiently as he
could for her to reach a conclusion, and he knew the exact moment she decided
to say yes—it was like a light came on inside her and she was positively
glowing with excitement.

“Let
me see if I have this all straight,” she said, sitting back down. “I just want
to make sure I have all the details correct.”

“Absolutely,”
he mused.

“So,
your mega-rich friend is loaning us his private island resort for the weekend,
all expenses paid for us and all our guests, including food, drinks,
activities, a wedding reception, his private plane and his private yacht…”

“Yup,”
Dylan said, his own smile growing.

“…and
in return, we just have to let him put some of our wedding pictures and
videos—pictures and videos that
we
choose-- on his TV show and in his
tabloid, and maybe do an interview for a documentary about the island?”

“
That about sums it up,” Dylan smiled. “So, what do you
think?”

“What
do I think?” she sang, pulling Dylan up from the couch and dancing him in a
circle. “What do I think? I think, how could we say no to something like that?
It’s absolutely perfect!”

Dylan
swung his hands under her legs and swept her into his arms. “I thought you’d
say that, and I agree completely. It’s going to be brilliant! And to think, I
didn’t even have to pull out the big guns to convince you!”

“There
are bigger guns than the ones you already mentioned?” she asked.

“There’s
a spa on the property too,” he said, smiling. “And all the girls are going to
get the full treatment before the wedding. I figured I’d pull that out if I
needed to, but…”

“Oh
Dylan, I’d marry you any time, any place—I hope you know that. But this
setting, and the timing and the…oh, I love you so much, and I just can’t wait
to marry you!”

He
set her down and slid his hands up her hips. “Let me show you how much I want
you to be my wife,” he murmured in her ear before pushing her back down onto
the bed and covering her body with his own.

“Yes,
show me,” she whispered. “The rest of the phone calls can wait.”

They
slept in on New Year’s Day, and had a wonderful breakfast in their room before
heading out to see the city. After stepping out onto the balcony that faced the
Harbor Bridge, Tia opted for a short skirt and a tank top, carefully tucking
her hair into the blonde wig Dylan had given her at breakfast. “It’s just
easier to be proactive,” he said as he pulled it from his bag. “This is the big
city.”

Tia
took it in stride. “Should I take this as an insult, Miller? Barely got a ring
on my finger and already you’re wishing you had a blonde.”

Dylan
grabbed her from behind and tossed her on the bed, rolling her over and
studying her. “Who are you,” he teased, “and what have you done with my
fiancé?” Tia giggled, and he leaned down and kissed her. “I wouldn’t change one
hair on your beautiful head; unless I’m taking you out in a crowd. I don’t want
to share you with anyone.”

“Remember
our second date?” she asked. “The first time I saw
you
without the wig?
I said you’d be wonderful no matter what hair you had.” She smiled, adding,
“But I don’t miss the mullet. Please tell me I don’t look like the mullet.”

“You
would be perfect for me even if you were completely bald,” he said
affectionately. “This,” he said, twirling one of the blonde locks around his
finger, “is just to keep the wolves at bay. You’re still the woman I love
underneath, and I’ll never forget it. Neither should you.”

They
spent the afternoon wandering the city, touring the Opera House, and doing some
shopping. After an early dinner, they headed to the bridge to meet with the
guide that would lead their climb to the top to see the amazing views of Sydney
and the harbor at sunset.

They
suited up in their official gray and blue tour jumpsuits, and joined the rest
of their group to do some practice climbs and get used to the harnesses that
would connect them to the bridge during the climb. Tia had never been afraid of
heights, per se, but standing at the bottom of the monumental structure and
raising her eyes to the top gave her a bit of a flutter in her stomach.

“You
ready?” Dylan asked. Tia could see the flash of anticipation in his eyes, and
couldn’t help but share in his excitement.

“Let’s
do this thing,” she said confidently, raising her hand for a high five.

It
was over two hours before they stood at the top, tiny boats sailing beneath
them on their way out to sea and toy cars gliding over the bridge below them.
They were rewarded with a magnificent sunset; the huge orange ball sinking into
the sea in the distance and setting the smooth waters of the harbor aflame.

“I’m
queen of the world!” Tia said, raising her arms in victory and leaning just
slightly over the railing.

Dylan
wrapped his arms around her waist and took in the view over her shoulder.
“Definitely the queen of mine,” he whispered in her ear.

Tia
did feel on top of the world. She glanced down at her left hand; the brilliant
diamond sparkling orange in the fading light of the sun. In the distance, the
lights of Sydney came twinkling on, and the glow around the Opera House
reflected off the water, casting a soft shimmer on the ripples of the waves.
The air was cool, and the sea breeze left a slight taste of salt on the back of
her tongue. She’d never in her life been so happy, and she turned toward Dylan,
holding her camera in front of them as she puckered her lips for a kiss.

“And
you are my prince,” she whispered before joining the rest of their fellow
climbers for a group shot with the city in the background.

She
woke up with a start, sweat beading on her forehead. Throwing off the covers,
she slipped gently from beneath Dylan’s arm, careful not to wake him, pulled on
her robe, and stepped out onto the balcony. The nightmare had left her shaky,
and she placed her hands on the rail, leaning on her arms and letting the cool
morning breeze slip over her skin and slide into her lungs.

It
had been the same dream on and off over the past week, and Tia knew it was her
subconscious trying to wake her up to a hard realization. She usually only had
school nightmares in the weeks leading up to the start of a new year, and she
didn’t need an expert to interpret the meaning of this one; it had been clear
for a while now, but she had been pushing it to the back of her mind. It was
time to face reality, and do what she knew was the right thing, regardless of
the teeter-totter effect it had on her heart.

She
held her left hand up to the approaching sunrise, devoid of the sparkling
diamond that she didn’t dare sleep in for fear of injuring herself or Dylan
with its sheer size and weight. But already, after just a day of wearing it out
in the hot sun of the Sydney summer, she could see the faint line; lighter than
the skin around it; that outlined where the ring sat on her finger.

Life
had taken yet another turn. A wonderful, glorious turn, no doubt, but it was a
sharp one, and it greatly changed the path her life would take in the future.
She’d come back from Europe a different person, but she’d worked so hard to
hide that new side of herself; to keep up the façade that she was still the
same Tia who’d left in June to spend some time ‘studying’ abroad. Having Dylan
so far away and falling back into her old routines made it easier to cope with
his absence and to maintain the charade—but this new development changed the
game completely, and she could no longer play by the same rules.

It
was hard enough to go back to her life as a school teacher after spending the
entire summer with InHap; staying at the most luxurious hotels, buying clothes
and handbags that cost nearly what she’d make in two weeks at her job, and
falling in love with the ‘Sexiest Man on Earth.’  But there was no pretending
anymore.

Some
of it she’d miss—Friday nights at Paddy’s with impromptu calls to the stage to
sing with Sean and whoever he considered part of his “band” at the
moment…lunches with Lexi at Spartan’s Deli, sitting street side and spending a
summer afternoon people-watching…walks through the park with Bonnie, her
elderly neighbor’s adorable mutt who never got tired of sniffing tree trunks
and the back ends of other dogs. The list went on, but there was another list,
perhaps nearly as long, of things she’d be glad to put behind her; first and
foremost, the country club snobs with their better-than-you attitudes that had
irked her from the very first day she went. None of those things, however, came
even close to what she felt about giving up her job.

She’d
wanted to be a teacher for as long as she could remember, and she believed in
the work she did with children…but she knew—had known for some time but had
refused to fully admit—that she couldn’t just go back to her job and pick up
where she’d left off. The time had come to put it behind her and move forward.
It wouldn’t be fair to anyone involved; including herself; to even attempt to go
back to work. School would start back up in less than a week, and she owed it
to her kids and her coworkers to make sure that her situation didn’t interfere
with their primary responsibilities of teaching and learning. She needed to
resign from her job, and she needed to do it soon.