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HER HUSBAND GAVE HER A RING
 (originally posted April 2, 2011)

Her husband gave her a ring
To keep her a virtuous thing.
But the fellow to whom I’m referring
He gave her an earring for erring.
He also gave her a necklace
For being so sinfully reckless.

Spending six days at the Disney World Resort in Florida turned out to be a fantastic idea.  The idea of six adults and seven children spending so much concentrated time together made more than one of them a little nervous but, thanks to some great organizational skills, it all worked out perfectly.

 

All three families spent one day together and another day each family went off on their own to explore.  On three successive days, each couple got to have an afternoon and evening to themselves while the other two couples watched over all the children.

 

The kids, of course, went full tilt all six days of the vacation, on severe sensory overload from the moment they had first seen Cinderella’s Castle from their rooms at the Polynesian Resort.

 

Now it was the last day of their vacation.  As promised, the men got the morning to themselves to go golfing and have lunch before taking charge of the children, leaving the women to spend their afternoon relaxing by the pool and enjoying the spa amenities the hotel offered.  That evening, their last in Orlando, they would all gather together for the parade and fireworks show at the Magic Kingdom.

 

“I have to hand it to Mart,” Diana Webster said, lowering her sunglasses and smiling at Sally Belden on the chaise lounge next to hers.  “He did a great job making this all come together so smoothly.”

 

Sally, in her fire engine red bikini, laughed softly as she slathered on more sunscreen.  “We’ve still got this afternoon and evening to get through, as well as the long drive home.  Let’s not jinx it, okay?”

 

A chuckle drifted out from underneath the floppy straw hat that covered Hallie Drake’s face.  “If my husband hasn’t jinxed us already, I think we’re safe.”

 

Simon had forgotten to pack the foul-weather gear for the group.  It had been added to the list of things to bring with them for the express (if slightly superstitious) purpose of warding off bad weather.  Feeling guilty about the oversight and certain it foretold a miserable vacation, Simon had obsessively checked the weather reports online several times a day, anxiously pointing out every approaching cold front and ominous cloud formation in the sky.  But despite his pessimism, the weather had been gloriously perfect all week long.

 

“So, I say we stay out here sunning for another hour,” Diana suggested, “and then go make use of the spa.  I’m dying for a massage and a mud wrap.  How about you two?”

 

“Ooh, a massage sounds good,” Hallie agreed with a groan.  “My feet and legs are killing me.  One more day of Disney and you’d have to take me home on a stretcher.  I might do the jacuzzi or sauna first just to get that total limp noodle sensation.”

 

Sally giggled. “I’m up for a massage too, but instead of a mud wrap or the sauna I want to get a complete mani-pedi and a facial.”

 

“And then,” Diana said, “since we won’t have any picky children eating with us, I think we should go to that sushi place for dinner.”

 

“Oh,” Sally said, looking a little guilty.  “I don’t think I’m in the mood for sushi tonight.  Why don’t we go to the hibachi restaurant?  Then you can still get sushi if you want.  I think I’ll just go for a chicken and rice dish.”

 

“Simon loves hibachi.  He’ll be very upset if we go without him.”  Hallie lifted her hat and grinned wickedly at her friends.  “So, yes, I’m in.”

 

All three of them laughed in anticipation of retribution. They had slept in that morning and their husbands, disgruntled that their morning off had included making sure the children were fed first, had given the kids every sugary thing they could think of for breakfast—doughnuts, pancakes, waffles, French toast, and chocolate milk.  And once they were bouncing off the walls, they dropped them off with their wives and headed out to the golf course.

 

“This week has been so wonderful,” Diana said, sighing with happiness.  “It’s just so nice that everything worked out and we all got along so well all week.”

 

Sally smiled at her.  “We’ve all been friends for a long time.  Why wouldn’t we get along?”

 

“I don’t know.  We all want to do different things at the spa.  You don’t want sushi.  And I guess I was also thinking of my wedding.”

 

Diana and Tad had celebrated a milestone anniversary barely a month ago.

 

Hallie rolled onto her stomach and turned her head to give her best friend a quizzical look.  “Who wasn’t getting along at your wedding?”

 

“Nobody.  I just meant that I was thinking of my wedding and your wedding and Sally’s wedding and how different they all were.”

 

“Not to mention the proposals and the bridal showers,” Sally put in.

 

Hallie laughed.  “You had two proposals, Sal, if you count the promise rings you and Mart exchanged a year and a half before he gave you the engagement ring.”

 

“I had an uber-traditional bridal shower, complete with silly games,” Sally went on.  “You had a lingerie shower—”

 

“Which Simon really appreciated,” Hallie interrupted.

 

“—and Diana had an elegant afternoon tea.”

 

“See?  I’m amazed that we all get along because we’re all so different,” Diana said.

 

“Hmm,” Hallie mused.  “I guess you’re right.  But we’re probably more alike than different, don’t you think?”

 

But Diana, ever the romantic, was still focused on weddings.


“Hal, if you had to do it all over again, if things were different this time around, do you think you and Simon still would’ve eloped?”

 

Hallie didn’t answer for a long time, her eyes closed as her friends waited silently for her answer.  The circumstances that had led to Hallie and Simon’s island wedding were still sobering, even years later.


Finally she opened her eyes and smiled softly at Diana and Sally.  “There were a lot of reasons that Simon and I decided to go away to get married.  There wasn’t one that was the deciding factor, really.”  Her smile widened and her dark eyes grew bright.  “And, yes, I’d do it all over again.”

 

“I remember how worried you were that I’d be mad at you for eloping,” Diana said with a chuckle, sitting up to adjust the top of her white and purple polka-dotted swimsuit.

 

“Well, I’m glad I told you about it before we left, anyway.  I would’ve fixated on it the whole trip and it would’ve ruined everything.”

 

Diana snorted.  “Yeah, I’m sure all that sex in the tropics would’ve been tainted by your concern for our friendship.  I bet you couldn’t even remember my name after Simon banged you all day and all night after your wedding.”

 

“Diana, please!” Sally cried in dismay, covering her ears so as not to hear such things about her brother.

 

Hallie chuckled and turned her head away from her girlfriends, closing her eyes and remembering her wedding day.

When she opened her eyes it was still dark out.  She and Simon were getting married at sunrise and he had dutifully awakened her in plenty of time to get ready, doing so in a most pleasurable manner.

 

“Hallie, darling,” he murmured, his lips moving tenderly across her face and neck.  “You look as pretty as the morning.”

 

“Is it morning yet?” she grumbled facetiously.

 

“Hey, you were the one who wanted to get married at sunrise,” he reminded her, crawling out of the bed and combing his fingers through his slightly damp hair.

 

“We got engaged at sunrise,” she returned.  “And it seems more … optimistic than getting married when the day is over.  I like the idea of starting today as your wife.”

 

He turned and gave her a lazy grin.  “I like the idea of spending an entire day in bed with my wife.  Sunrise is good.”

 

Hallie chuckled and stretched her arms over her head with a groan, trying to muster the energy to get out of the bed.  She needed a cup of coffee.

 

“I’ve already showered and dressed, so I’m going to go down to the breakfast room and get us some coffee,” Simon said, reading her mind.  “That’ll leave you time to beautify yourself.”  He leaned over the bed, kissed her soundly and added, “As if you need any time for that.”

 

Hallie clutched his powerful bicep, holding onto him for another kiss before releasing him.  “I’ll meet you downstairs in half an hour,” she promised.  “I’ll be the one in the white dress.”

 

Simon grabbed his room key and wallet and started toward the door.  He had just cracked it open when he snapped his fingers and turned back, the devilish smile on his face betraying his feigned absentmindedness.

 

“I forgot, I have something for you,” he said, reaching into the pocket of his crisp, white linen pants and pulling out a black box.  He sat down on the edge of the bed and offered it to his bride.

 

Hallie smiled, her cheeks literally aching from the expanse of it, and opened the box.  Inside was a silver chain.  At the end of the chain was a silver teardrop and nestled inside the teardrop was a brilliant blue aquamarine.

 

“Oh, Simon,” Hallie breathed.  “It’s gorgeous.”

 

“I wanted us to match and if you wore that carnelian and onyx necklace I know you snuck into your carry-on bag when you thought I wasn’t looking, we would clash quite dreadfully.”

 

Simon’s casual button-down shirt, open at the throat, was the same ocean blue as his eyes and the aquamarine necklace.

 

He grinned and added, “And it can be your something new and something blue.”

 

Hallie smiled back.  “I borrowed Diana’s sandals and I’ll be wearing a hair barrette that belonged to my great-grandmother.”

 

“Sounds like you’re all set then.  Except for coffee.  I’ll go take care of that now.”  And with a final parting kiss, he left her.

 

Less than thirty minutes later Hallie was poolside, admiring her soon-to-be husband as he sipped coffee near the edge of the terrace, watching the ocean roll gently to the shore.  She came up behind him and slipped her arms around his waist, resting her chin on his shoulder.

 

“Wanna get married, handsome?” she asked.

 

Simon shrugged.  “Eh, sure.  Why not?”

 

He turned to her, a boyish grin on his face, and offered her a second insulated foam cup.  “Mucho au lait,” he murmured teasingly.

 

Hallie took a grateful sip, though she didn’t feel she needed it anymore.  The ocean air, the warm tropical breeze and the anticipation of getting married all woke her up without a need for caffeine.

 

Seagulls and sandpipers were scouring the beach, seeing what goodies the ocean had left them as the tide ebbed.  One or two beachcombers were doing the same thing but otherwise the white sands were deserted.

 

She turned to find Simon’s eyes on her.  “What?” she asked, a small, soft smile on her lips.

 

“Hallie, darling,” he replied breathlessly as he took her in.

 

Her wispy, halter-top gown was just long enough to brush the ground and her seashell pink toenails could be seen peeking from underneath.  The aquamarine necklace was at her throat and her long hair was pulled back loosely from her face with a mother-of-pearl barrette.

 

“You’ve been calling me that the last couple of days,” Hallie commented.  “I knew it was a mistake to let you bring Lonesome Dove on the plane.”

 

“Actually, McCrae only said that in the movie.  Duval came up with it.  Something about Gus and Lorie’s relationship—book and film—always touches me.  Does it bother you?”

 

“No,” Hallie admitted with a subtle blush.  “But if you say ‘Yee-Haw!’ during sex, I’m going to have to object.”

 

Simon grinned and leaned toward her, slipping an arm around her waist and pulling her close for a lingering kiss.  When they parted, his lips still lightly against hers, he mumbled, “Yee-haw indeed.”

 

“Dr. Drake?”

 

Hallie flushed and stepped back out of Simon’s embrace, allowing him to greet the man who had approached them.

 

“Reverend Marchand, I presume?”  Simon shook his hand.  “Please call me Simon.  This is my very soon to be wife, Hallie Belden.”

 

Reverend Marchand shook Hallie’s hand, his smile brilliantly white in the coal-black face.  “I am very pleased to meet you,” he said, a trace of the islands in his voice.  “This is my wife Beth.  She will be acting as witness.”

 

Simon glanced at his watch.  “According to the Weather Channel, sunrise will be here in exactly twelve minutes.”  He held out his hand to Hallie.  “Shall we?”

 

Hallie placed her hand in his and the quartet made their way to the beach.

 

 

“Hallie!”

 

Hallie shook out of her reverie to find her two best friends staring at her with teasing smiles on their faces.

 

She made a face and said, “There was at least one disadvantage to eloping.”

 

“And what would that be?” Diana asked doubtfully.

 

“No pictures, no video, nobody to tell me what happened.  I really don’t remember much after we got to the beach.  I could feel Simon’s hand in mine—holding me to earth, I guess, so I wouldn’t float away with the clouds.  I must have said ‘I do’ but I don’t remember it.  I don’t remember anything but the pure happiness and the absolute certainty that we were going to be together forever.”

 

Sally and Diana swooned.

 

“I don’t remember having that moment,” Diana said as she stood to gather her things before they all retreated to the spa.

 

“What, pure happiness?” Hallie joked.

 

“No, silly.  A specific moment when I knew Tad and I would spend the rest of our lives together.  Once we started dating it just seemed like we’d already been together forever.  I guess we both just took it for granted we’d stay that way, without any real revelation of ‘this is the person I want to marry’.”

 

“Is that why it took so long for you two to actually get engaged?” Sally asked with a smile as she folded her towel and placed it in her beach bag.

 

Diana shrugged.  “Maybe.”

 

They all knew that Tad had made plans to propose to her just before—

 

“Anyway,” Diana continued hastily, “the engagement is what I really remember more than the bridal shower or wedding or even the wedding night.”

 

“No wonder,” Hallie said with a snort.

 

Sally added a giggle of agreement.  “Tell us the story again.”

 

“With all the juicy details?” Diana asked, waggling her eyebrows at her girlfriends.

 

“Why not?” Sally replied, her cheeks pinking.  “We can’t share Hallie’s details because Simon and I are family, and we can’t share my details because Mart and Hallie are related.  You and Tad are the only family not related to us.”

 

Diana laughed as the three of them walked away from the pool area.  “I swear you sound more like Honey every day, Sally!”

 

 

She was a little annoyed that Tad had gone into the office on a Saturday.  Then she worried that he was arranging something special that might end up interfering with her plans.  A quick call to Wheeler International to confirm he was there working eased her anxieties in that regard.  He apologized for forgetting it was Valentine’s Day and she brushed it off, telling him she would pick him up at three for their celebration.

 

When she tried to rent a limo she found that all of them were already booked for the special date, so she called her father and asked if their Lincoln Town Car and driver were available.  It wouldn’t be as private as a limo but the expectation of seclusion when they were finally dropped off would make the drive that much more delicious.

 

When Tad came out of the Wheeler building he looked happy and relaxed and Diana shivered in anticipation.  Whatever had caused him to have to go in on a Saturday wasn’t a crisis—or was a crisis that had been satisfactorily resolved.  For perhaps the first time in many months nothing was hanging over their heads and they could fully enjoy their evening.

 

She waved as he approached the car, waggling his eyebrows in approval of her extravagance.

 

He slid in and leaned over to kiss her cheek.  “You went all out for Valentine’s,” he commented.

 

She had had her hair and nails done and, judging by the appreciative murmurs from Tad as he nuzzled her neck, she smelled great, too.  She was wearing a pure white faux mink coat that came to her knees.  Tad put his hand on one exposed knee and rubbed it in a tantalizing way.

 

“You look like Cruella de Vil in that coat.”

 

“Is that supposed to be a compliment?” she asked, arching one eyebrow skeptically.

 

“Sure.  I bet ol’ Cruella is an animal in bed.”

 

Diana chuckled as Tad glanced downward.

 

“Love the shoes,” he commented, her murder red stilettos the only part of her outfit he could see at the moment.

 

As his hand wandered under the hem of the coat, she slapped him away.  “No privacy screen in this car, Tad.”


“That sucks,” he replied, lavishing more attention on her neck.  “I bet your dad did that on purpose.”

 

She giggled.  “Probably.  Don’t worry, we’ll be there soon.”

 

“Be where soon?”

 

“The Four Seasons.”

 

Tad raised his head and his eyebrows.  “I love it when you abuse your father’s wealth.”

 

She smacked him again as his fingers reached for the top button of her coat.  “I’m not abusing it, simply taking advantage from time to time.”

 

“I’d like to do a little taking advantage myself,” he leered.

 

She managed to fend him off until they were dropped at the luxurious hotel and checked into their lavish suite.  But when he reached for her coat, she stepped away from him, her hand held up to stop him.

 

“Not just yet, Theodore.”

 

“But I want to see what you’re wearing that matches those kick-ass stilettos,” he said with a slight whine.

 

“All in good time.  Sit, please.”

 

Tad’s face immediately brightened and he hurried over and flopped down onto the sofa.  “Are you gonna strip for me?”

 

Diana rolled her eyes and shook her head wearily but smiled at her boyfriend nevertheless.  Standing in front of him, just out of his reach, she said, “We’ve been together a long time.”

 

“Seven years.”

 

“Seven years and three months.”

 

With a crooked grin he corrected, “Seven years, two and a half months.”

 

“And we’ve been through quite a lot together,” she said solemnly, kneeling down in front of him.

 

He nodded, bringing one hand up to gently finger her long, dark locks.  “You’ve always been beside me, no matter what,” he murmured appreciatively.

 

“Because I love you.”

 

She took a deep breath, raised herself up on one knee, and took his hand.  Giving him a demure smile, she asked, “Theodore Adam Webster … will you marry me?”

 

 

“I wish I could’ve seen the look on his face when you proposed to him,” Hallie said with a chuckle.

 

“I wish I could’ve seen the look on his face when you finally took the coat off,” Sally said, “and he discovered you were wearing nothing but the stilettos.”

 

“It was an amazing night,” Diana agreed with a blissful sigh.

 

The three of them had split up to go their separate ways in the spa and had just rejoined to take their massages together.

 

“Your whole engagement was full of fun and surprises,” Sally continued.  She turned to Hallie and said, “Remember when Diana had us convinced her bridesmaids were going to wear orange?”

 

Diana laughed.  “I had you going, didn’t I?  Well, we were considering getting married Halloween weekend.”

 

“Why didn’t you?” Hallie asked.  “I remember hearing about all those great Bob-White Halloween parties you threw at your parents’ place during high school.”

 

“Well, I had my heart set on the location for the reception and the museum was doing some really bizarre supernatural exhibit that month.  It kind of freaked Tad and me out.  We didn’t want our guests walking through all that to get to the Sky Room so we looked at the next available date to reserve the room.”

 

Sally was laughing.  “Remember when Trixie first saw the invitations?”

 

Diana quickly assumed Trixie’s machine gun, blurt-whatever-I’m-thinking style of speech.  “Who the hell is Theodore Adam Webster?”

 

All three women burst into laughter and even the masseurs chuckled along, not really getting the joke but enjoying the women’s happy memories.

 

“I’m the only one who ever calls him that and usually only in private, playful moments,” Diana went on.  “I think even his own brother has forgotten his given name, which is ironic considering we’ve all just about forgotten he used to be ‘Spider’ once.  Tad’s just Tad, always has been.”

 

Pensively, she reached up to finger one of her ruby earrings.  While she generally preferred amethysts and emeralds, the rubies were a gift from Tad in remembrance of her two closest friends and the missteps that hadn’t torn them apart but had somehow brought them even closer together.

 

“Your wedding was so elegant,” Sally sighed.  “So posh and uptown, very New York.”

 

“And your wedding was just as lovely,” Diana insisted.  “It suited you and Mart to a tee.  It was very traditional, small town and family oriented.”

 

Hallie’s soft laughter floated out from underneath the face portal on her massage table.


“What’s so funny about my wedding?” Sally asked in a contrived huff.

 

“Nothing, nothing at all.  I was thinking about your bridal shower.  And Mart.”

 

Sally giggled.  “Okay, that was funny.  I can’t believe Dan and Tad conned him into believing it would be a co-ed shower.”

 

 

Mart sulked in a sea of pink.  Coral, tea rose, blush, carnation, fuchsia, cerise, raspberry, bubble gum—not a shade among them remotely masculine.  Even Mrs. Pemberton’s homemade lemonade was pink lemonade.  And despite the fact that she had apparently used an entire bagful of sugar in her mix, it did nothing to sweeten Mart’s mood.

 

He had asked only once when the other guys were going to arrive.  Trixie had given him a scornful look for being so gullible and had thrust Will into his arms.

 

“There’s your male company,” she said before whisking away.  She hadn’t even complained about the overabundance of her least favorite color.

 

Mart had droned on for twenty minutes complaining to his godson until the two-month-old had fallen asleep in his arms.  And now, with Will safely tucked away in a bedroom for his afternoon nap, Mart was the only male at the party again.  Unless you wanted to count the Generals Lee and Grant.  And the German Shepherds were each wearing a giant pink satin bow around their neck so how could he count them?

 

“Where’s your self respect?” he grumbled to Lee, who responded by drooling on his feet.

 

“Mart!”

 

He lifted his head to meet his fiancée’s sparkling blue eyes.  She was fairly glowing with happiness and Mart had to smile despite himself.  Sally lived for this cheesy stuff.  She waved him over and he tossed the last bite of his pink frosted sugar cookie to Lee and stood up to join her.

 

“Remember the rules, ladies,” he teased as he sat next to her on the overstuffed hassock and kissed her tenderly.  “I only play non-stupid shower games.”

 

“And what exactly makes a shower game stupid?” Honey asked.

 

“Anything that makes me look like an idiot.”

 

“Like being the only male at a predominantly pink bridal shower?” Trixie asked.

 

“Predominantly?  You mean there’s something here that isn’t pink?”  He made a great show of looking around the large family room for something not draped in pink and Sally giggled and smacked him on the back of his head.

 

“Well, we’re not playing games right now, stupid or otherwise,” Sally’s sister-in-law Marie said.  “It’s time to open gifts.”

 

Mart perked up in interest.  “Gifts?  That sounds promising.”

 

Hallie handed him a notepad and pen. “And you’re in charge of writing down each gift and who it’s from.”

 

Mart promptly passed the buck.  “Honey’s handwriting is far more legible than mine.  I nominate Mrs. Belden as secretary.  The other Mrs. Belden,” he added hastily, planting a quick kiss on his mother’s cheek.

 

She reached across Mart to pat Sally’s hand.  “In less than two months we’ll have a new Mrs. Belden.”

 

Mart could see Sally’s eyes misting over with tears so he quickly grabbed a present from the stack and handed it to her.  “Let’s check out the loot, my love.”

 

He quickly lost interest in the unwrapping, his eyes glazing over at the numerous bath towels, hand towels, washcloths, and bathmats.  Even the kitchen items didn’t hold particular interest for him.  He was happy to get the pasta maker but didn’t quite see the point of ooh-ing and ahh-ing over it like it was the lost treasure of Atlantis.  It was just a pasta maker.

 

A beep behind him had Sally squealing in a very unnatural way and the high-pitched noise echoed back to her from several of the other guests, making Mart wince.

 

“Someone’s here!” she said.  “I’ll bet it’s Diana!”

 

Mart frowned, certain Diana had sent her regrets because she was going to be on assignment in Maine.  He turned and realized the electronic alert was from Sally’s laptop.  At her prodding, he went to retrieve it and found an open chat room with a new arrival, Purple4Ever.

 

He grinned, logged in, and began conversing with his fellow Bob-White.

 

Groom2B:  Hello, my fair Diana.

Purple4Ever:  Mart, what’re you doing at a bridal shower?

Groom2B:  Ask your beau.

Purple4Ever: LOL.  So, what’s going on right now?

Groom2B:  Sally is opening what appears to be ... might be a truckload of diamonds ... the Holy Grail ... nope, just another set of bath towels.

Purple4Ever:  Don’t be a pop.

Groom2B:  But I wanna be!  Someday!

Purple4Ever:  LOL!  I meant poop.

 

A short chime brought another guest to the party, JDrakeVA, Sally’s cousin Julie from Alexandria, Virginia.  Mart could barely get a hello typed and an announcement to the women in the room before another cyber guest arrived, NikkiGA, Sally’s cousin Nicole from Atlanta.  A few of Sally’s friends from college joined in and before Mart knew it, he was trapped in a chat room with giggling—LOL-ing—women, all pestering him to spill all the details of the party and keep up a running commentary of the gift opening.

 

Luckily, he was a fast typist and mostly accurate, although he got quite a few laughs—LOLs—for some of his more embarrassing typos.

 

He had just about figured he had a handle on the proceedings when several new chatters popped in, seemingly all at once:  DoctorB, BrosGrimm, JWF2, Tadster, and DetectiveDan.  Mart scowled and began pounding the keys, as if that alone would convey his irritation with his friends and future brothers-in-law.

 

Groom2B:  You are all dead to me.

DoctorB:  LOL.  I had nothing to do with this!

JWF2: Would *I* do something so dishonorable?

Tadster: I would!

DetectiveDan: So would I!

Groom2B: I should’ve known it was you 2.

BrosGrimm:  We encouraged it.

Groom2B:  We?  All 4 of you buttheads there?

BrosGrimm:  Yup.  Seth’s laptop.  Wallys.

 

Mart groaned.  He’d kill for a Wally’s cheeseburger.  Bridal showers just weren’t conducive to really good food, the stick-to-your-ribs comfort food he craved right now.  He’d have to eat about a hundred of those little cucumber sandwiches with the crusts cut off before he’d feel full.

 

He caught up on the gifts that had already been opened, dodged a few jabs from his ex-friends, tried to mentally figure out how to avoid adding the Brothers Grimm to his family tree while keeping their sister, and smiled dutifully at every gift Sally held up for him.  How many bath towels did one couple need?

 

He smiled broadly as Sally waved a couple of Lowes gift cards his way.

 

“Now that’s what I call a great wedding gift!” he exclaimed.  “We can put it toward the construction of the deck out back.  Thank you, Staci!”

 

He scanned the room, looking at the gaggle of women, their faces aglow with joy, radiating beauty from inside and out as they shared in Sally’s happiness.  The mothers were there and Sally’s grandmother.  All of the Drake brothers’ wives were there, Dan’s and Brian’s wives, too.

   

He turned back to the laptop and with a wicked grin typed a quick note to the men.

 

Groom2B:  I may be stuck here in a bottle of Pepto-Bismal with frou-frou eats and mountains of bath towels but I’ve got all the women, so HAH!  Mart and his harem are doing just fine, thank you very much.

 

 

“I’m not sure Mart would’ve survived the afternoon if those Lowes gift cards hadn’t popped up,” Sally sighed.

 

The three women had just been seated at the hibachi restaurant and were perusing their menus while they waited for the table to fill and the chef to begin the show.

 

“He wanted to go out immediately and spend it,” Hallie added.  “He thought he had the perfect excuse for ditching the shower.”

 

“Aw, he was a good sport about it,” Diana insisted.  “He was so charming he had all the women in the chat room eating out of his hand.”

 

“And we eventually ended up with a great deck,” Sally concluded with a smile.  The other two women nodded in agreement, having enjoyed many a picnic there over the years.

 

“Speaking of your charming husband...” Diana said, nodding toward the doorway.

 

Mart waved, then turned and waved outside the restaurant as if beckoning someone else to join him.

 

When he had made his way over to the table, Sally asked, “What’re you doing here?  And where are the children?  Did you maroon them on Tom Sawyer Island?”

 

“Oh, there’s Tad and Simon, too,” Diana said, waving them over, her violet eyes bright with adoration.  “Don’t you think Tad looks a little like Hugh Jackman?”

 

“Hugh Jackman or Hugh Hefner?” Mart snorted, dodging blows from both Diana and his wife.

 

“The kids are having dinner in the rooms, my love,” he added, placing a kiss on Sally’s cheek.  Tad and Simon followed suit with their wives and after a brief round of musical chairs, the six of them were comfortably seated around the grill.

 

“Samantha and Kobe are fully capable of watching the younger kids for an hour or two,” Simon assured them.  “They’re all watching a movie while they eat.”

 

“The Shaggy Dog,” Tad said.  “Samantha mentioned something about wanting to get a fat, hairy mutt for her birthday.”

 

“Big, fluffy dog,” Mart corrected.

 

Sally winced.  “An Old English Sheepdog?  That sounds like a lot of cleaning up.”

 

“Yeah,” Simon agreed.  “And when she goes off to college in just a few short years, who’ll be stuck with the clean-up of the fat, hairy mutt?”

 

“Big, fluffy dog,” Mart corrected again.  “Maybe we could get her to watch Finding Nemo instead.  A fish is way easier to take care of than a dog.”

 

“What are the kids eating for dinner?” Diana asked pointedly.  “Candy bars?”

 

“No,” Mart assured her with an indignant huff.  “We made sure they got something both fun and reasonably healthy and let me tell you, it wasn’t easy to find something gluten-free, peanut-free, dairy-free, and pork-free.”

 

Hallie tilted her head quizzically.  “Samantha is gluten intolerant, Jackson’s allergic to peanuts, Lily’s allergic to milk.  Who’s allergic to pork?”

 

“Nobody,” Simon said.  “Kobe told Bo that they turned Babe into a Christmas ham after the movie was over.  She now refuses to eat anything pork related.”

 

“It took us half an hour to convince her that hamburgers weren’t made from ham,” Tad sighed.

 

“So what’re they eating?” Sally asked.

 

“Pizza,” Mart replied.

 

“Pizza isn’t gluten-free,” Hallie pointed out.

 

“No, but rice pizza is,” Simon said.  “The kids all made faces but after Mart promised to buy each of them a souvenir if they at least tried it, they all did.  And they all liked it.  Even Bo, once we assured her that pepperoni doesn’t come from Babe, either.”

 

“I thought pepperoni was—” Diana began.


“Don’t go there, Di, please,” Mart begged.  “Everybody else wanted pepperoni and Kobe agreed to keep quiet just so he could have his pepperoni pizza.”

 

 

The three couples enjoyed their dinner and the entertainment of watching the talented hibachi chef prepare it for them.  Afterward they returned to their rooms where the children were all waiting eagerly to head out to Main Street for the Disney parade and fireworks show. 

 

Bags were quickly packed with blankets to sit on and sweatshirts and light jackets in case it got chilly once the sun went down.  Parents wisely packed some playing cards and picture books, knowing the wait might make the older children bored and the younger children antsy, but they all knew they had to arrive early in order to get a good viewing spot on the curb for all the kids.  Mart had read a tip on the internet about stationing themselves near the Town Hall so that it wouldn’t be a long walk to the monorail afterwards when the children were tired.  Their large group was lucky enough to find sufficient space in their desired location.

 

Samantha and Kobe promptly sat on the curb and started a game of rummy.  Marcos sat close by, his worshipful eyes on the older boy.  Tad lifted Jackson to his shoulders and the three little girls sat together at the edge of the sidewalk, creating silly, little girl stories in their heads as they played with the new stuffed animals that Mart had bought them.

 

When they heard the music start up, well down Main Street, they and the crowd around them cheered.  Samantha and Kobe scrambled to their feet and Kobe picked up Marcos so he could see better. Bo was small for her age and Mart held out his hands, offering to hold her so she could see better, but she turned instead to Simon and lifted her arms up, making her wishes loud and clear.

 

Simon grinned at Mart.  “I guess Uncle Simon is her favorite.”  He swung the little girl into his arms, her inky black pigtails flying, and sat her up on his shoulders, his hands securely around her pink-stockinged legs.

 

Mart looked disgruntled.  “Only because you have the height advantage,” he grumbled.  “She’s just using you to get a better view.”

 

Lily and Emma held hands and stepped closer to the curb, craning their necks to see what was coming.  Hallie kept a sharp eye on them, her hands ready to snatch them back if they ventured too far.  Diana walked across the street so that she could get a good angle to take pictures of the family as they watched the parade, the children’s eyes aglow with delight.

 

“Hey!  Hey!” Simon shouted, almost jumping up and down in his excitement.  Bo squealed in delight and clutched her small fists into his hair.  “Look, everybody!  It’s Buzz and Woody!”

 

Hallie grinned sheepishly at a couple laughing next to them.  “Don’t pay any attention to the boy.  He’s never been to Disney World before.”

 

Kobe turned around with a broad, white-toothed grin.  “Hey, Dad, maybe you could write a Buzz Lightyear-Cosmo McNaught crossover.”

 

Tad erupted in laughter.  “You write Cosmo McNaught fanfiction, Belden?”

 

“Yes,” Mart said, shooting a scowl at his son.  “Nice job, big mouth.”

 

Kobe merely laughed and turned his attention back to the parade.

 

Sally put her arm around Mart’s waist and leaned into him.  “You’re not pouting in the happiest place on earth, are you?”

 

Mart gave her a one-armed hug.  “Of course not.  But everybody is picking on me.  Bo’s abandoned me for that blond giant.  My own son is outing my fanfic obsession, my best friend’s making fun of me—”

 

Sally put her fingers on his chin and turned his face toward her, giving him a satisfying kiss.

 

When she released him, his eyes were slightly glazed and a sloppy grin was plastered on his face.  “Okay, not everybody is picking on me.”

 

Sally muffled a giggle against his chest.  “It’s been a perfectly perfect vacation.”

 

“The best ever,” Mart agreed.

 

“Better than all those trips you went on as a teenager?”

 

“Sure.  Trixie’s not here to root up a mystery in the Magic Kingdom.”

 

Sally smacked his arm lightly.

 

“Seriously,” Mart continued.  “We had enough potential bad luck to overcome without adding my intrepid sleuthing sibling to the mix.”

 

“What bad luck?”

 

“Starting our vacation on Friday the 13th, Simon forgetting the foul weather gear, and my superstitious fear of traveling with thirteen people.  Did you know that many people believe the idea of thirteen being an unlucky number is rooted in Biblical history?  Supposedly Judas Iscariot was the thirteenth person to arrive at the Last Supper, just prior to his betrayal of Jesus.  Of course, there’s no substantial evidence of this as several other religions also consider thirteen to be an unlucky number…”

 

Sally sighed and smiled.  She actually enjoyed listening to her husband ramble on with some mindless trivia or another.  She still crushed him regularly in Scrabble but he was the king of Trivial Pursuit, even when the others teamed up against him.

 

She waited for him to pause and then said, “I think you miscounted.”

 

His train of thought derailed, his only response was, “Huh?”

 

“Traveling with thirteen people,” she replied, pausing to wave at Emma and Lily as they turned with bright faces to exclaim their joy at seeing Cinderella and her mice.

 

“Listen, Mrs. Belden, you may routinely take me to task in Scrabble but there’s a reason why I’m always the scorekeeper.  My math skills are flawless.  Even if they weren’t I’m pretty sure I’m capable of adding six adults and seven children to reach thirteen.”

 

Sally sighed again, rolling her eyes heavenward.  Mart’s right arm was around her waist, so she reached across and took his left hand, drawing it toward her and placing it gently on her abdomen.  The result was instantaneous.

 

“Even if I had to count on my fingers I’d—”

 

Despite the noise of the crowd and the music and the kaleidoscope of color and light swirling around them, Mart and Sally seemed to have been dropped onto a deserted island where they were the only two people who existed.

 

The expression on Mart’s face was so dumbfounded that Sally had to fight not to laugh out loud.

 

“Are you sure?” he asked, his voice a mixture of skepticism and hope.  “I mean, are you sure you’re not just being influenced by the fact that Honey and Trixie are both expecting?”

 

She couldn’t explain how she knew.  Maybe it was the magic that surrounded them here.  It was true they had been fooled in the past more than once but not this time.  No, this time she knew.

 

“I’m sure.”  She said no more.  There was nothing else to say.  Except...

 

“I love you.”

 

It took him longer than usual to respond with their customary banter.  But as a smile of wonderment crossed his face, he whispered, “I love you more.”

 

“Whatever,” Sally replied and with a giggle fell into his embrace.

   

Like a bolt out of the blue
Fate steps in and sees you through
When you wish upon a star
Your dreams come true

 

THE END

 

Author's Notes

 

Word Count 6,622

First, I must thank my editors Annette, Ruth, and Heather, not only for their excellent editing, comments, and suggestions but, in particular, for turning this one around in record time so that I could get it posted this weekend.

Second, I must apologize to Mal for not featuring either of her favorite Bob-White men in this story (grin).  That was my first inclination when I decided to introduce this CWC to celebrate Mal’s wedding but it just didn’t work out that way. Smoochies!

Third, this story is the introductory story for Circle Writing Challenge #22.  As creator of the CWC, I felt obliged to use all 15 of the elements listed (though only 10 are required for anyone else who takes up the challenge).

The elements are:

Oh, yes, I have given you some spoilers into both the near and distant future.  But I’ve also left you (I hope) with questions and uncertainties.  I purposely wrote the story in this manner.  Because I’m evil that way.

I've never been to Disney World (and never made use of Disney hotels on my two visits to Disneyland) so please forgive any errors I have made or artistic licenses I have taken.

This is the necklace that Simon presented to Hallie on their wedding day.  This is her dress: front and back..

Lonesome Dove is a novel by Larry McMurtry set in the Old West.  It’s one of my favorite books of all time.  I do not honestly know who came up with the endearment “Lorie darlin’” (actor Robert Duval or the screenwriters) but it is true that it’s only in the miniseries not the book.

How Tad came to be working at Wheeler International will be revealed in a not-too-distant storyline.  No, you didn’t miss anything.

The Four Seasons is a well-known luxury hotel in New York City (rate for one night on the Valentine’s Day I checked, which was not a weekend, for a one bedroom suite was $1,950 facing the city and $2,250 facing the park...yowza!).

The location of Diana and Tad’s wedding reception is/was, I think, the New Museum.

If the name Mrs. Pemberton sounds familiar, it’s because she’s been mentioned in another future story, The Gift Outright, in which she was said to have made fruitcake brownies (bleh).  She’s not the best cook in the world.

Hugh Hefner is better known as the owner of the Playboy Mansion.  He’s not exactly dog-ugly but he’s no Hugh Jackman. *g*

Disney World, Lincoln Town Car, Pepto-Bismal, Lowes, Buzz and Woody (characters from the Toy Story series, in case you live in a cave), Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit, and any other copyrighted names I may have forgotten are not mine and I’m making no profit by their mention here.

Hearts background is from Background City.  Hearts divider is from Microsoft Clip Art.