Hope
A few weeks later, Laura stood by ’s side as she packed for her romantic getaway. Clothes littered the bed, going through a gruelling selection process with approval from Laura.
“I like those rompers, but maybe I should take you dress shopping,” Laura said, holding up one of the outfits.
“I do need a new swimsuit.”
“A bikini?” Laura asked, a hopeful lilt to her voice.
stopped that idea in its tracks. “You know I hate wearing a two-piece.”
“ Fine , a sexy one-piece it is. Will you be staying right on the beach?”
“Yes. Well, Decan said it’s an all-inclusive resort with a short walk to a private beach.”
“How would that work with his wheelchair?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “I guess we’ll find out.”
“Are you nervous to meet his family?”
“Peeing my pants kind of nervous.” She collapsed onto the bed and looked up at her best friend. “What if we don’t get along? They seem so… posh when he talks about them.”
“Well… They’d be foolish not to love you. You’re a catch.”
“I though t you said you’ve never had a crush on me,” laughed.
Laura rolled her eyes and pelted with the rumpled piece of fabric in her hands. “Take the damn compliment.”
“Fine. Thank you.”
“Just be yourself. The minute they see you and Decan together, they’ll know you’re meant to be.”
The night before the trip, had trouble sleeping. They had an early-morning flight so by the time she climbed out of the Uber in the drop-off lane, she was nothing more than a ball of nerves.
Inside the terminal, made her way toward Decan on shaky legs. He wasn’t alone and judging by the head count, she seemed to be the last one to arrive—what a great first impression.
“Hi,” she greeted sheepishly.
Decan held out his hand and ran his thumb soothingly over her knuckles as he introduced everyone: his mom, Cally, and his Dad, Daniel. Then his siblings, Samual and Lilly. Lastly, Lilly’s husband, Aron.
“It’s nice to meet you all.”
“Can we hug you?” Samual asked. “Mom said it might be too personal—ow!”
Cally had just slapped him on the shoulder. She had the same beautiful curls as all her children, neatly tied up with a defined bow. “I didn’t it want to be awkward that is all.” She st age-whispered to Samual. “And now you’ve made it awkward.”
smiled, opening her arms. “I don’t mind hugs.”
That seemed to break the ice. They checked in together and made their way to the security line. They had pre-check, but that didn’t seem to speed up the process for Decan. They couldn’t let him go through the metal detector, opting to give him a physical pat down and swabbing his wheelchair.
“Fucking hate it every time,” he mumbled, following his family towards the gate.
She had her hand back on his neck, soothing him with soft strokes to his hair. “Does flying bother you?”
“Depends on the staff and airline. The transfer out of the wheelchair can be a shitshow. Some let me do it on my own, others insist on helping me into the seat. It’s worth it to get to travel though.”
“I’ve never been to a resort.”
Decan turned his head and kissed her wrist. “Well, you’d better be prepared to relax and be spoiled. What are you looking forward to the most?”
“The food and the spa. I saw they had couples’ massages. I was hoping you’d go with me.”
“Of course. I think the rest of the guys will be doing lots of golfing and Mom and Lilly will be at the pool most days.”
“Do you think they’d let me golf too? I’ve always wanted to try.”
“Are you kidding? Dad will be your best friend for even asking.”
When it was time to board, Decan was luckily able to handle himself. She’d only flown a few times in her life and never in business class, so she was a little starstruck to say the least. Decan let her have the window seat and held her hand during take-off. Though the flight was short, she dozed off to Decan’s fingers massaging her neck and her hand on his thigh.
When the time came to deplane, they waited for everyone else to pass by before Decan transferred himself back to his chair. The family chatted away, but was too shy to contribute.
“So, how did you and Decan meet?” Lilly asked as they were driven to the resort in a minibus.
“I saw him reading a book that you rebound for him and needed to know where he got it from.”
“Oh gosh,” Samual groaned. “You shouldn’t have told her that. She’ll take credit for you two meeting all your life now.”
Looking back, saw Lilly roll her eyes. “No, I won’t.”
“Please,” Samuel disagreed. “It’ll be in every wedding speech you give until the end of time.”
“I’ll bet against it,” Aron said, turning to his wife. “You better not disappoint.”
Cally leaned closer and gently squeezed ’s shoulder. “You’ll fit right in.”
wasn’t sure if Cally knew how much that meant to her but if Decan’s smile was any indication, he was just as relieved.
Check-in was a breeze and when saw their room, her jaw dropped. It was a modern suite with an ocean view and a jetted tub on the balcony. There was a king-sized bed and a large marble bathroom. The spaces between furniture were large enough for Decan to fit by without having to squeeze. The best though, were the treats on the bed and the towels folded to look like swans. “Wow.”
“Told you to be ready to be spoiled.”
She dropped her backpack and walked out onto the balcony, a warm breeze and the salt air tickling her nose. “This is gorgeous.”
Decan came up behind her and rubbed the small of her back. “I’m glad you like it.”
“Like it? I love it!”
He chuckled and took her hand in his, kissing her knuckles. “Good.”
soaked in more of the stunning view before they needed to meet everyone else for lunch. She was in heaven, seeming to try one of everything. Decan’s family was wonderful as well, and she found it easy to get along with them. His mom was asking curious questions about her, from work to family and how she got him to adopt Mr. Grumps. Decan’s hand was on her bare thigh, teasing under the thin fabric of her romper. He wasn’t shy about being affectionate with her in front of his family, kissing her side here and there.
When they retreated back to their room with the intention of changing for the pool, she couldn’t hide her fatigue any longer. “Sorry. I’ve been so nervous the past few days I just couldn’t sleep.”
“And all of it for nothing. They adore you already.”
“I know.” She groaned and flopped onto the bed, face down. “But if you told me beforehand, I still would’ve been nervou s.”
The bed dipped as Decan sat next to her. “It’s okay to take a nap. We don’t have to do everything with everyone.”
She reached over her head and pulled a pillow closer. “Maybe just a few minutes.”
Decan kissed her head, and she felt him shuffle onto the bed before his fingers combed softly through her hair. With the weight of meeting his family gone, she dozed off, her mind feeling much lighter.
She only woke up when his lips brushed over her ear. “Little thief?”
“Hm?” she hummed, stretching her muscles.
“It’s been an hour, but if you want to sleep longer you can.”
“Oh, god,” she yawned and pushed herself up. “That escalated quickly.”
“You clearly needed it. Besides, you looked so peaceful I couldn’t bring myself to wake you.” Decan’s phone buzzed and he looked down with a grin. “Samual is asking if we’re trying to make them jealous or what could possibly be taking us so long.”
Heat trickled up her neck. “Oh, no—they think we’re having sex.”
“Yeah, they do.” He laughed and pulled his wheelchair closer, securing the brakes. “Prepare yourself for inappropriate jokes.”
“I’m guessing he won’t believe me when I say I was sleeping.”
“You’re on the money with that assumption.”
They changed, Decan’s eyes glued to her as she pulled out he r new wine red swimsuit. When she covered herself with a light beach dress, he frowned. “You look stunning. You shouldn’t cover that up.”
She twirled and tossed her hair over her shoulder. “Don’t worry. I’ll take it off once we are at the pool.”
“Perfect.”
They didn’t have to search for long before finding his family beneath three beachy canopy beds—she wasn’t even sure what they were called—that overlooked the ocean and the rest of the resort.
“Ah, the long-lost honeymooners,” Samual teased right away.
“Let them be,” Cally scolded. “Our cocktails should be here soon. You two can order then.”
took the free spot next to Samual leaving enough space for Decan to be next to her. “Oh, I hope they have alcohol free ones. I’m such a lightweight.”
Samual clapped his hands and threw her a mischievous grin. “Perfect. Time to share your deepest darkest secrets.”
“Sure. You start and I’ll join in later,” chided.
“I think is going to get on just fine,” Lilly laughed and looked over at her brother. “She seems like she can handle misbehaved brothers quite well.”
“Do you have siblings?” Cally asked.
“No; it’s just me and my parents. I think I scared them off from having more kids,” she laughed. “Apparently I was quite the handful from day one.”
“I was the total opposite. I came along and they thought, ‘This can’t be that bad.’” Lilly laughed. “Then Samual happened. Maybe they wanted nature to redeem itself and tried for Decan, but I’m not sure how well that turned out for them.”
Both men stared at their mother, who conveniently had her nose buried in the pages of her thriller.
“So much fucking support,” Decan grumbled, making everyone laugh.
After the first cocktails had been downed, Lilly insisted on pulling into the pool with her. The stairs into the heated water were out of earshot from the rest.
As soon as they dipped in, Lilly looked at her with the sweetest of smiles. “He seems so happy with you. We’ve known that he’s had girlfriends over the years, but he’s never introduced us to anyone.”
“I was really nervous to meet all of you.”
“I’m sure you were. Being introduced to the family is a big step for anyone and from what Decan said you two haven’t been dating that long.”
“A little over a month,” confirmed.
They swam alongside each other until they found some chairs in the water. “He’s been so hard on himself since the accident,” Lilly continued. “It’s nice to see him… happy again. This is going to sound mean but I have to know. You are with him for the long game, right? You’re not just going to bolt when things get hard?”
“I am. I don’t like making promises, but my intention is to get to know him for a long-term relationship.”
“I know and I’m sorry for being so intrusive. I just don’t want him to be hurt.”
“I understand. He is your little brother after all.”
“I love him, even if he can be a pain in the ass. ”
“Are they this protective of you too?”
“Oh, you should have seen Aron’s interrogation. They watched him like a hawk. I’m sure there were threats involved too, but Aron refuses to tell me.”
“I think Decan is onto you too. He’s giving us a look.”
“Just know we’re happy for the both of you and hope it all works out. You two are super cute together.”
“Don’t tell him that. He takes his bad boy image very seriously.” They both laughed, and was relieved. Getting along with Decan’s siblings was a huge milestone. After all, Lilly might as well be her new sister-in-law. “Can I ask you a favour?”
“Of course.”
“Decan gifted me the book you rebound for him, but he said you never bound the rest of the series because you hated the cover.”
“Let me guess: you want a complete set?”
shrugged. “It would be nice to have them all match.”
“Show me a picture, and I’ll try my best to make them.”
The conversation went to their love of books, and Lilly confessed how she and Decan had gotten their obsession from their mother. After a while, Aron approached with a fancy-looking cocktail in each hand. “I thought you two might want a drink. All the gossip must have made you thirsty.”
“Well, aren’t you a wonderful husband.”
“The best actually,” Aron said with pride.
took the drink and let her eyes travel back to Decan, who was smiling at her. She felt a little bad for leaving him behind , but as if Aron was guessing her thoughts he grinned down at her.
“He’s thrilled that the two of you are getting along.”
followed Aron with her eyes until he sat down next to Decan. She waved at him rather shyly, like a teenager with her first crush. Decan grinned back and blew her a kiss that turned her cheeks as red as her swimsuit.
“You two are adorable,” Lilly hushed and leaned back, sipping on her cocktail. “If you two don’t work out, I promise to torture him by keeping you around as my friend.”