“I missed you. It was too quiet here,” I replied, pulling him into my arms. “Want to eat here or go out to dinner?”
“Let’s do something easy here. I just want to be with you,” he said as I grinned.
“Leftover chili?” Hayden nodded, heading back to change into something comfortable.
We were home.
We had sex like we were in a house without family, but living near them. We let go and even made a little noise. We got rough.
After dinner, when we were relaxing, we looked up various resorts in Hawaii. We wanted something that would work for the family and a ceremony, all in one. Everything was gorgeous, of course. It was Hawaii and the surrounding islands, but we decided that Kauai was where our wedding would be. We just needed to choose where, but real life called for normal sleep.
Hayden had a couple touring the theater the following Sunday to see if it was a good fit for them. He dressed in black slacks and a white button-up shirt. Hayden fixed his hair in the mirror as I watched with a smile. “You’re nervous.”
“I know they’re not there for me, but I feel like I need to present myself as well.” Hayden looked at me with wide eyes.
“Don’t worry about it. It’s obvious that you love that job and the theater. That’s going to show.”
“I hope so,” He told me with one final look in the mirror. “I’ll see you later for dinner.” He kissed me longingly, and I wrapped my arms around him.
“Okay. Good luck.” He walked out of the building, and I returned to work. I’d been trying to save some money for Jackson’s idea since he was serious about it. He hadn’t yet started looking for anything, but I wanted to be prepared.
I headed down to dinner at five after a shower. Hayden should be here soon, and I tapped on the door before being called inside. Everyone was already there, and Ava ran over to me for a hug. “Where’s Hayden? Did he have an event?” Becca asked as she realized that I was alone.
“He had an interested party that was getting a tour.” I smiled, walking over to kiss Gram on the cheek. “How are you?”
“I’m good, Gray. It’s nice to see you.” Her blue eyes were bright, and I hoped that Gram would remain this healthy for years to come. “I made a turkey for dinner. I’ve made chickens in the past, but you boys eat a lot. I thought a turkey might be a better idea.”
“It’s a fabulous idea. You know how much I love Thanksgiving.” I smiled, glancing at Amy. Gram didn’t quite understand the new rules from the doctor about food, and Amy didn’t bother her about it. Gram cooked so much food that she got by but always joked that she might become a vegetarian after this.
There was a knock at the door, making me look over as everyone said to come in. Hayden walked in, still dressed for the theater as my mouth watered. “Look at you. I hope they booked it,” Mari said as he grinned, walking over to me for a kiss.
“They did. It’s going to be a Winter wedding in December, but not Christmas. I won’t have that.” Hayden went to hug Gram, moving around to everyone else before carrying Ava over to me.
“Good job, Hayden. You’re bringing new life to that place.” Gram smiled.
“Jackson and Amy were the ones that started the idea, then pulled it off. I’ll be sending you a commission,” Hayden joked as I slipped an arm around him. “It smells like Thanksgiving.”
“Gram decided that chickens were a waste of time. She now cooks a turkey for the men.” Jackson walked over to clap him on the back. “Save that commission for a house, buddy. We’ll have something by the summer.”
We plated our food and took the usual seats as we filled the apartment with voices and laughter. Gram asked about the house plans, and Jackson filled her in.
“We’ll have a place to go in the summer, Gram. Big enough for all of us, located on a beach, and it will have a chef kitchen for you.” She laughed. “You can go with your friends and party.”
That made Gram laugh, and she dropped her head back. “How far will this place be?”
“I’m hoping for a couple of hours at most,” Jackson told her as she nodded.
“I think one of us could make that drive,” she mused as Jackson wrapped an arm around her.
“I’ll hire you a car.”
“How soon will you be going after the baby is born?” Gram asked, and he smiled at his wife.
“Pretty quick. He’ll be in a car seat. Once Ames feels better, we’ll take short trips. We are going to Gray’s wedding.” He looked at me. “When is that being booked?”
“We found a place that we liked. It’s in Kauai.” I pulled up the web page to the resort and showed everyone.
“Look at that water. That pool is incredible.” Becca said with a smile on her face. “The ocean is right there.”
“It is an oceanfront resort,” Hayden teased her as she threw a roll at him. “They have a few places that they perform ceremonies at, depending on the guest list. Ours is small, so we have our pick with an attached space for a reception. We’re thinking of a late afternoon wedding, with dinner and drinks through the evening. What do you guys think?”
“I think it’s beautiful and perfect,” Gram said as I kissed her cheek.
“It won’t be a wild, late night. Just family. We can have a great meal and just enjoy the day.”
“We’re thinking of booking five rooms. A week for you all and two for us. You will have a suite with a room for Ava since she’s getting so big now.”
“Yeah, well, she likes to sleep with us right now. We go to sleep in separate rooms, and like magic, she’s there in the morning. We don’t even hear her come in.” Mari explained with a wry smile. “You never know what might happen. Thank you. She’s going to have fun.”
“We’ll watch her so you can have fun, too.” Amy smiled as Mari looked at her.
“You’ll have a baby to look after.”
“Why not add a toddler to the mix?” Amy asked as Becca widened her eyes in horror.
“You don’t know what you’re saying. The idea of a newborn both terrifies me and fascinates me.” Mari laughed as she looked at Ava. “She was a bigger baby when we… we got her. She already did a lot of the milestones.”
“I’ll be a zombie. You can help him.” Amy smiled, and the girls collapsed into laughter.
We went home that night and took one final look at the resort before booking the rooms. We made sure we could get refunds should anything happen, but reserved our wedding venue for the date and time. I’d call the resort tomorrow to talk to them with Hayden since he was off.
“We’re getting married,” he told me in bed as I chuckled.
“You’ve known that since I proposed, I hope?”
“Of course, you ass. We just picked a day, a time, and a gorgeous place. It’s official now.” He smiled and kissed me.
I got a call from a fellow editor the next day, asking me if I’d like to tour a new building with him. It was just opened and set up for every kind of media that one could need. It had studios for what we did that had all of the equipment, and it all came at a monthly cost that included an office for me to work in.