MATTHEW FALLS BACK on the luxurious mattress next to me. His dark hair is mussed, and he has the slight stubble of a beard that has scratched and tickled almost every inch of my nude body.
“I’m thirsty,” he says, regaining normal breaths.
“I’m starving.” We’ve had nothing but room service since arriving two days ago. Our pale skin has yet to see the beautiful Hawaiian sun. “We really need to get out.” I roll over and swing my legs off the side of the bed. “I’m gonna shower first. Alone,” I add quickly. Every effort we’ve made to go explore this magnificent island has been interrupted by naked encounters. Not that I mind, but it would be nice to actually see some of this beauty surrounding us before leaving.
Matthew covers his face with a pillow to doze, and I take advantage, sprinting naked over to the bathroom.
One long, hot shower later, I’m dressed in shorts and a tank, ready to go. Matthew sits up, stretching, finally ready to emerge from bed for a shower of his own. The deliciously tight muscles of his firm chest almost lure me back over. Images of our last few days tangled in the sheets flash before me. I decide the best way to avoid temptation is to get out while I can. Slipping into a pair of sandals, I grab my purse, all set to bounce.
“I’m going to the gift shop while you shower. I’ll be back in a few.” I turn back to say goodbye just as the sheet drops from his chiseled body. I know it’s because I’m watching that he lifts his arms up and this time does a full-body stretch. Every muscle tenses, and the semi he’s sporting adds to his spectacular godlike stance. I really should be sexed out by now, but the ache in my lower stomach says otherwise. I swallow down the lust lump rising in my throat and exit the door quickly.
Downstairs, I opt to step out of the hotel and have my choice between 4 different, yet all the same, ABC stores. I’m drawn to a rack of Hawaiian print dresses and start rummaging through them for a print that I like. A strapless off-white dress embellished with white flowers and a tie at the waist jumps out at me. I remove it from the rack and hold it up to the front of my body.
“You can try it on.” A woman offers and points in the direction of a small curtained dressing room in the back of the store.
I grab two different sizes, just in case, and go back to the privacy deprived room and slip into the cute white sundress. It’s adorable. I love it.
“Are you on your honeymoon?” The woman’s voice carries over the curtain.
“I am,” I answer proudly with a gleeful giggle. “How did you know?”
“Most honeymooners opt for that print. I have the man’s shirt to match if you’d like.”
A matching shirt and dress. That’s so cheesy.
“I would definitely like that,” I say excitedly. Cheese away! Honeymooning in Hawaii is a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and matching Hawaiian wear is an Instagram gold mine.
The woman rings me up for the white sundress and matching shirt for Matthew. Close to the register is a refrigerator with fresh leis, and I choose a vibrant strand of purple orchids to wear with my new sundress. I even grab an orchid hair clip and use it to pull back one side of my brown locks right there in the store. With my new purchases swinging in a plastic bag, I enthusiastically rush back to the room.
I open the door, breathing a sigh of relief to see Matthew in clothes.
“I got you something.” I tear at the price tag, breaking the plastic barb, and hand him his new shirt.
He takes the shirt, holds it up, and chuckles. “I love it.” He slides the stiff shirt over the tee he has on and starts to button. I shake off my shorts, kicking them to the side, and search through the suitcase for a strapless bra. I know I packed one. Success. I pull off my tank and bra, switching it for the strapless one, and slip into my white floral dress.
He walks across the hotel room and wraps his arms around my waist. “You look gorgeous. This could be a wedding dress.”
“You like it?” I give a sexy shoulder wiggle. If he thinks this dress is nice, wait until he sees the real one in a few days. A few days! A shiver of excitement runs through me at the thought.
“Mm-hmm.” He steadies my shoulders and places a delicate kiss on my neck. The spot where his lips land is like pressing a button that leads directly to my vag. I straighten out my arms and push him away.
“What?” He laughs.
“You know damn well what. Breakfast, let’s go.” I step behind him and give him a push toward the door but get him back by pressing a firm finger in a forbidden zone of his own.
“You play dirty, Mrs. Daniels,” he teases.
“You better watch out, I’m not Mrs. Daniels yet,” I tease back.
“Well, maybe we should do something about that,” he says, and stops me dead in my tracks.
“THIS IS CRAZY,” she says through a huge smile, her gorgeous brown hair blowing in the breeze. My bare toes curl in the sand under our feet. The sun sets in a slow pink haze over the ocean. No moment has ever been more perfect in my life.
“The Hawaiian word for love is aloha. Tonight on this beautiful beach, you’ve chosen to come together to celebrate the special aloha that exists between both you, Holly, and you, Matthew.” The large Hawaiian man who came highly recommended for a last-minute beach ceremony by our hotel concierge folds his hands in prayer. “You are about to begin your life where you will belong entirely to each other, one in mind, one in heart, and in all things. May your aloha continuously grow more wonderful with each day you enjoy together.”
“I love you,” Holly mouths silently, and I want to say it back but the lump in my throat and the building emotion swelling up inside prevents me. I see it in her face. She knows.
“Do you, Matthew, take Holly to be your wife? To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness, in health, to cherish with devoted love and faithfulness until death do you part?”
“I do.” It’s a struggle to form the words, and the moisture in my eyes is getting harder to contain.
“Do you, Holly, take Matthew to be your husband? To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness, in health, to cherish with devoted love and faithfulness until death do you part?”
“I do. I really, really do,” Holly sings out, and I wish this was the part where I could kiss her.
“Please take out the wedding rings.”
Holly and I look at each other. The thought of rings did not even cross our minds when we hurried to plan this impromptu ceremony.
“We don’t have rings,” I say. “Actually, we have rings, but they’re at home.”
“No rings? Hmm. But you do have a marriage license?” The officiant scratches a hand through his wavy hair.
“Yes, but we’re getting married again on Saturday and my brother is officiating, so we’re gonna have him take care of the certificate.” I squeeze Holly’s hands. “It’s just that I love her so much, I wanted to marry her today.”
“So, this isn’t actually….” He stops and reflects over the water for a moment. In his head I’m sure he’s wondering why we’re doing this if it isn’t an actual wedding. But when his gaze returns to us, there’s a sparkle of understanding in his eye. He places his hands over ours, cupping them. “You two have something very special. I want you to take the feeling you have right now, the feeling of youth, excitement, joy, and most importantly love, bottle it up, and place it in your heart. Be careful with that bottle, never let it break, and remember to open it during the bad times and return to this feeling.” He squeezes our joined hands, driving the sentiment home. We both nod our understanding. “Do either of you have anything to add before we conclude the ceremony?”
The vows I have written for our wedding, I’ll save. They’re filled with facts about love and how those facts are a reality, thanks to Holly. But right now, in this moment, I need to speak from my heart.
“Holly, you are so much more than I ever dreamed possible. I never thought I’d be this lucky. I look into your eyes and I can see my entire life with you by my side. You fill my heart and make me know for sure that I have a soul because I’ve felt it link with yours. I love you, you are my heart and soul. I will love you forever.”
“Oh, Matthew.” Holly brings our intertwined fingers up to her face, and I feel a tear slide down the back of my hand. “I love you forever, too. You are my heart. My soul. I’m lucky. Oh my God, I’m just copying your vows.” She sniffs out a giggle. “But everything you said is so true, and I feel the same way. You’re my prince, my knight, my world, and when we get home I am pushing the beds together myself and roping them up tight. I never want us to sleep apart again.”
I can’t resist; I step forward, pulling her into my arms and up to my lips. Her arms squeeze behind my neck and her lips open up for a passionate kiss.
“I guess you may now kiss the bride,” the officiant says through his laughter. My hands tighten around Holly’s waist and I lift her up off the sandy beach, never breaking from the kiss. “I now pronounce you in love,” he says, as opposed to husband and wife.
We know the ceremony isn’t legal, but it’s very real. A ceremony just for us, private and raw. A moment we will always remember, bottled up and sealed in our hearts just like he said.
“What did you call it when we met?” I ask, setting her back down. “Two one-night stands or something?”
“I said it was a two-night one-night stand.” She crinkles her brows. “Why?”
“’Cause I think now we sorta have a two-night one-night wedding thing going on.”
“I love that.” Holly giggles, and I scoop her up in my arms, her bare feet kicking in delight.
“What do you say we go back to the room for some four-time five-time wedding night sex?”
“I say—put me down so we can run and get there faster.”