With These Four Rings - Book Five: Wedding Bonus (Billionaire Brides of Granite Falls 5) (34 page)

Eventually, Pastor Kelly raised his hand to silence the audience. “Husbands, you may kiss your wives,” he said, grinning from ear to ear.

With excited shouts, the men picked their grinning wives up off the floor, gathered them into their arms and kissed them deeply and passionately, and as Ed Sheeran “Thinking Out Loud” spilled from the built-in surround sound system, they placed them back on the floor and the couples enjoyed their first dance together, right there under the sacred pulpit of Granite Falls Community Church.

Okay, it was official, Lester Cobbs was jealous. He, like everyone else watching the couples waltz to that beautiful song of everlasting love wanted that kind of love, romance, and Happily Ever After.

When Ed Sheeran’s voice faded out, the couples motioned for their eleven children to join them. They hugged and kissed them relentlessly, and as the orchestra began playing Sugarland’s “Stuck Like Glue,” they danced down their respective aisle with their children, and with their parents and other immediate family members in tow, and out the door to four white limousines that would take them to Hotel Andreas.

There they would enjoy some food, more dancing, and good old down-to-earth fun with their family, friends and guests, before leaving for Granite Falls Regional Airport, where they would kiss their children goodbye before boarding their jets to their honeymoon locations.

Where they were headed? Well, only the husbands and the pilots knew.

* * *

Baia Dell’amore – A Private Island – Saturday P.M…

“Can we take off our blindfolds?” Kaya asked as the eight-seater, twin-engine plane took off from somewhere. She turned and batted her eyelashes at Bryce, then sighed when she remembered he couldn’t see them.

“Yeah, can we?” Michelle added from the opposite front row. She squeezed Erik’s hand. “We’ve been blindfolded since we left the Fontaine jet. I mean what’s the point of having the window seat if I can’t enjoy the view.” She tapped annoyingly on the windowpane.

“Amen, sister,” Shaina said directly behind her. “We’re supposed to be going on our honeymoon, not to some Italian Don’s secret hiding place.” She elbowed Massimo in the gut. “We have a right to know where we’re going.”

“Soon, ladies.” Across the aisle, Adam came up for air from kissing Tashi who seemed to be quite content in her present situation. She was used to it from the myriad of games they’d been playing. “Perhaps if you blindfolded your wives once in a while, they wouldn’t be complaining now,” Adam said with a depth of authority.

“Yeah,” Tashi said, backing up her husband. “Live and learn.”

“Well, lookey here who’s talkin’,” Massimo drawled as he turned sideways to stare at his cousin and his wife. “The couple among us who’ve been married for the shortest period, and except for Erik, the man who’ve had the least amount of sexual conquests.”

“You, of all people should know that when it comes to sex, it’s quality not quantity that counts, cousin.”

“Oh, you want to go there, huh?”

“
Ragazzi. Ragazzi
. No need to get into a competition.” Bryce turned and eyed them.

“One of these days, we should put gloves on them, toss them into a ring, and let them duke it out. The one left standing is the infinite champion. Then we won’t have to listen to their squabbles ever again,” Erik said.

“Blindfolded,” Adam declared as everyone laughed at the childish rivalry the Italian cousins just couldn’t seem to shake.

“We did it.” Kaya hugged Bryce. “We pulled off the wedding of the decade.”

“Despite the odds.”

“Desire is a real mistress of her art.” Michelle smiled. “Everyone was talking about those motorized trellises. Now every bride wants one at her wedding. She was taking orders left and right at the reception.”

“It was nice of Galen to come through for you, Mass,” Shaina said, toying with the duplicate copy of the ring that her three dearest friends in the world also wore on their right ring fingers.

“That was a surprise after what went down between you two,” Bryce added.

“A surprise, indeed,” Massimo said sarcastically. “But I know a con when I see one.”

“What do you mean?” Erik asked.

“Come on guys. He wasn’t there for me. He’s an Andretti,” he said, almost with a level of respect. “He knows how to manipulate a situation. Before we left the church, and all during the reception, he was busy introducing himself as Luciano’s son to the board members and executives of Andretti Industries who were present.” Galen had done his homework in the two weeks since he and Mass had last spoken. Mass hadn’t even seen him until he walked into the dressing room at the church and asked if he could honor him by being his best man. “He’s laying his ground work.”

“For what?” Bryce turned to look at him.

Massimo stared past Shaina’s head out the window to the blue ocean below them. He hadn’t told anyone about Galen’s threats yet. They weren’t significant enough to discuss. “He thinks he can take me to court and win half of my company.”

“If you knew what he was up to, why didn’t you ask him to leave? It not as if you didn’t have a Best Man. Steven was already dressed.” Adam pointed out.

“Because I love a challenge, especially one I know I will win. It’s always good to know your opponent’s moves, know what cards he holds. Galen was exposing himself in every which way today, and I was watching.” He squeezed Shaina’s hand. “I will give my little brother all the rope he needs to hang himself.”

“Just like he did to me.” Shaina chuckled with the two-year-old memories.

“Okay, this is supposed to be a happy time for us. No more morbid talk, no work-related talk, just good-vibes talk for the next week,” Michelle stated. “I didn’t begin drinking liquor today for this. I just want to have fun.”

“I agree, Michelle.” Bryce smiled across the aisle at her even though she couldn’t see him. “Can we talk about that pole dancing show you ladies are putting on for us?”

“Nope.” Kaya waved his question away. “That you’ll have to wait for, just as we have to wait to see where we’ll be honeymooning.”

To cool their anticipation, the men changed the subject and they spent the next half hour of the flight reminiscing events of the wedding ceremony and the reception, especially Paul’s show-stopping request to dance with Tashi to his and her mother’s favorite song: Sting’s, “They Dance Alone.”

“I never knew my dad was so romantic,” Tashi said from the back row. During their dance, pictures of her mother and her as a child were displayed on the ballroom walls. Everyone just stood back and watched as father and daughter honored her mother and the one true love of his life. “I felt her presence. It was as if she was watching me being happy and fulfilled.”

“That was a beautiful tribute,” Adam murmured.

The Andreas pilot announced their descent and then they were on the ground and taxiing.

“Remember, only our parents and the guardians of our children are to know where we are. And be sure you’re back here in two days for my son’s meals,” Adam said to the pilot when he took off his headset.

“Yes, Mr. Andreas. I will be here Monday afternoon at three, sharp.”

“So, LaCrosse will be pumping, huh?”

“Shut up, Erik!” Adam glared at him.

“I’m just saying…” Erik said amidst the chuckles as the plane came to a complete stop and they were plunged into quiet.

The men unfastened their seatbelts and then undid their wives’.

“Now can we get these stupid things off?” Michelle asked when the door was opened and a fresh blast of air entered the cabin.

“I smell the ocean,” Kaya said. “Are we on one of our islands?”

“We weren’t in the air long enough. So I’m guessing from experience that we’re on a Caribbean island.” Shaina turned her face toward Massimo. “Are we on Dulcina?”

“Patience, my dear. Patience. And no peeking.”

The ladies were lifted from the plane, carried for a short distance, placed into an open jeep and driven along a paved path. After a few minutes, they were lifted from the jeep and placed on the ground under a tree with instruction to stay put. They listened to the roar of the ocean and breathed in the salty refreshing air as the men unloaded the luggage. They didn’t have many bags since they were told that everything they needed had been provided. They’d only brought along the necessities they couldn’t do without.

Finally the plane engine started up and the aircraft taxied away, until all they could hear was the low hum as the pilot retraced his sky route. The ladies waited, biting their lips and wringing their hands. They couldn’t do anything else.

Shaina frowned when a few minutes went by and they still heard nothing from their husbands. “Hey, guys,” she called.

No answer.

“Where do you think they are?” Tashi asked.

“Why are you asking us? We’re just as blind as you.” Michelle’s irritation had returned.

“This is ridiculous,” Kaya said. “They’re playing with us. Maybe they’re making us wait because we made them go for a whole week and a half without sex.”

“That’s it. I’ve had enough of this bull.” Shaina ripped her blindfold off. Her mouth dropped open when her eyes encountered the four men standing on a circular granite platform with their arms folded and gazing at the women speculatively. The platform was under a wooden thatched roof, supported by eight square yellow columns. An outdoor kitchen was situated in the center and wicker lounges and chairs of varying styles, sizes, and heights were placed strategically about.

Taking her eyes off the men for a moment, she took in the natural sights around her. Two cobbled stone walkways extended from the center platform and into her direction—one leading to an infinity pool and the other to a humongous hot tub. Four paths led away from her and curved behind a cluster of fruit trees. From her visits to Dulcina and other islands, she recognized avocado, mango, papaya, golden apple, and passion fruit, along with a few banana trees. About fifty feet above the thatched roof of the cabana, a flamboyant tree blossomed with deep red and orange flowers. In the background, a coral sea completed the romantic atmosphere of this island paradise. The scent of varying flowers planted along the garden paths filled the air.

“Damn!” Shaina whispered as her gaze returned to the men just in time to see Massimo hand the fob to his Lamborghini to Erik.

“What?” Tashi asked beside her.

The men silenced her with their fingers to their lips and motioned for her to join them.

“Shaina, where’re you going?” Michelle yelled, flapping her hands in front of her. “You can bump into something and hurt yourself, girl.”

“Shaina,” Tashi called.

“She’s gone. You think the bogeyman got her?” Tashi asked with a chuckle.

“Well, I gotta pee.” Kaya removed her blindfold. “Owe!” she screamed when Bryce tossed a wad of cash at Adam. She glanced at Michelle and Tashi. “You can take off your blindfolds. It’s over.” She stood rooted to the ground as she took in the splendid natural beauty around her.

“What’s over?” Tashi asked.

Michelle sucked her teeth and pulled hers off. “They were making bets on us. “Oh, my God,” she added, pressing her hands against her heart, “this place is breathtaking.”

“We won. We won.” Tashi ripped off her blindfold and raced toward the bungalow.

“Give her a chance. She’s new,” Michelle said, exchanging a wry look with Kaya.

“Hmm. In a few months, she’ll be tired of their silly games, too.”

“What did we win?” Tashi asked, jumping into Adam’s arms.

“A couple million,” he said, spinning her around. She still had no idea about Yuri’s visit to Granite Falls. There was no need to worry her since they will never again encounter any trouble from him or anyone else. He and his father had seen to that. His friends knew though, and they’d congratulated him for going psycho on the man who’d threatened his family. They’d been shocked that he’d lost his cool, but they’d been proud, nonetheless. A man had every right to protect his family in every and any way necessary. “You know we have to donate the money to charity, right?” Adam asked Tashi as he set her back on her feet.

“I know. I’m just glad I don’t have to do whatever the losers have to do.”

“We don’t have to cook tonight. But we’re very lucky that Bryce and Kaya lost.”

“We have to cook our own meals?” Michelle asked, her voice edged with anxiety.

“Yep,” Adam responded. “The pantry and refrigerator are packed with all the food we need for the week. There are a variety of fruit trees on the island, and an herb and vegetable garden. The only thing we don’t have is the catch of the day. That will arrive every afternoon in time for dinner. For today, we have mahi mahi. At least with Kaya’s expertise in the kitchen, we’ll be having something tasty tonight.” He thumped his nose at the Andrettis and the LaCrosses, the two couples who knew nothing about cooking.

“Yeah, you better hope we never lose at the same time,” Erik told him. “And Mass. I don’t want your car.” He tossed Mass’ fob to him. “We’ll work something out.”

“Oh thank God.” Mass kissed his fob. “If you knew what Shaina and I have done inside it, you wouldn’t want it anyway.”

“Eweee.” Erik made a disgusted face, the exact face Precious made when she was grossed out.