Epilogue
Erin
When the party starts to wind down around eight, Mack and I head home to pack what we’ll need during our stay at Shane’s Kenilworth estate. I’m giddy with excitement on the drive back to The Gold Coast.
“Are you sure you don’t mind us staying close to home for our honeymoon?” It’s the third time I’ve asked him.
“I don’t mind, honey.” The man with infinite patience reaches over to squeeze my hand. “Not one bit.”
“Because if you do, I’d understand. It’s probably not too late to stick to the original plan and go to Hawaii.”
He brings my hand to his mouth to kiss. “I promise you it’s fine. Now, please stop worrying.”
“All right. If you’re sure.”
Mack gives me a look that’s bordering on exasperation. “I’m sure.”
“Haley sure looked happy today,” I note. “She and Philip danced up a storm.”
“I noticed,” he says dryly, sounding less than enthused.
I laugh. “You can’t go back on your word now. You told them they could date.”
Since Mack had given them his blessing to date, Philip and Haley came to the wedding together, and they left together, right before we did. Philip will be the one to drive her back to her mom’s house.
“Phil’s a good guy,” he says begrudgingly, “and I trust him with my daughter. If I didn’t, they wouldn’t be dating—ever.”
We arrive back at our apartment building and head upstairs to change out of our wedding clothes and pack our bags.
I call Layla to let her know we’ll be leaving tonight, and I explain our change of plans.
She and Jason will stop by our apartment twice a day to feed Lizzie and give her fresh water and cuddles.
We pack our bags and carry them to the door.
Lizzie follows, rubbing our ankles and purring loudly.
Feeling bad we’re about to leave her again, I pick her up and nuzzle her furry face.
“We won’t be gone too long, sweetie,” I tell her.
“Aunt Layla and Uncle Jason will take good care of you, I promise.” I almost choke up when I realize this is the first time we’ve ever left Lizzie for any extended period of time.
“She’ll be fine, honey,” Mack says as he gently takes Lizzie from my arms and sets her on the floor. She scampers away and jumps on the back of the sofa. “It’s late. We need to get going.”
Before I know it, we’re on the road again, heading back to our honeymoon destination.
When we arrive at the estate, it’s dark outside.
The circular drive and the front of the house are well lit with strategically placed landscape lighting.
Mack parks in the first spot by the front door.
All the other vehicles are gone. Even Shane and Beth’s.
“Looks like we have the place to ourselves,” Mack says as he opens his door and hops out.
While he’s getting our luggage out of the back of the SUV, the front door opens and out walks Elly with a welcoming smile on her face.
She clasps her hands together. “I’m so happy you’re honeymooning here. We don’t often have company, so having you here will be a real treat for me.”
Mack carries our suitcases inside.
“I’ve prepared a suite for you upstairs,” Elly says as she leads the way up the curved staircase and down a long hallway.
She stops at the second door on the right.
“This is one of my favorite rooms.” She opens the door wide and motions for us to enter.
“You have a lovely view of the lake from your balcony.”
The balcony drapes are wide open, as are the glass doors. There’s a gentle breeze coming in through the screen door.
“Please make yourselves at home. The closet is over there, and the private bathroom is through that door. If you need anything at all, don’t hesitate to ask. Now, do you know when you’d like to have breakfast?”
“Oh, please don’t go to any trouble for us,” I say. “We can make our own breakfast if you don’t mind us using the kitchen.”
“Don’t be silly, dear,” Elly says. “Of course I’ll make your breakfasts. I’ll be making all of your meals. Tomorrow, if you like, we can sit down and plan a menu for the entire week.”
We end up suggesting something basic for breakfast in the morning—eggs, bacon, toast, and coffee.
“How about nine o’clock?” I suggest. As it’s my honeymoon, I plan to sleep in.
She gives us a card with her mobile number on it. “If you need anything at any time, day or night, just send me a text. I’ll get it.” And then she leaves us to settle in.
We unpack first, hanging our clothes in the closet and putting our underwear and socks in the dresser drawers. When Mack’s not looking, I slip my newly purchased pajamas into a drawer. Our toiletries go in the bathroom.
Once all that’s done, I check out the centerpiece of the room—a four-poster, king-size bed. There are lots of pillows propped up against the tall mahogany headboard. The mattress is covered in cream-colored sheets and a bluish-gray comforter with a faded floral pattern on it.
The bed is so tall I have to use a wooden stepstool to climb up onto it. I lay back and spread my arms wide. “Best honeymoon ever!”
Mack smiles as he joins me on the bed. “You’re very easy to please, you know that?”
“I’m sorry.” I frown. “No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t bear the thought of going to a crowded hotel filled with strangers.”
He shifts to face me. “I understand, honey.” He cups one side of my face and leans in to kiss me. “Now, tell me what’s on the agenda for this evening? What would you like to do?”
My stomach does a little somersault. This is our wedding night . Our first time together as husband and wife. It’s not like we haven’t had sex before. We have, plenty of times. But for some reason, tonight feels different.
Special.
Momentous.
To my surprise, I find I’m actually… nervous.
“How about a late night swim?” I suggest, hoping for a delay. We packed our swimwear so we could swim in the pool or the lake.
I’ve seen the Olympic sized swimming pool down on the lower level.
It’s a veritable playground down there, with the pool, movie theatre, and workout facilities.
And Beth told me Shane recently added a playroom that includes an arcade, a trampoline room, and an indoor bike path—mostly geared toward entertaining the kids when they can’t play outside.
Mack glances at the wall clock. “Honey, it’s after ten. Isn’t it a bit late for swimming? We could swim tomorrow after breakfast. Or maybe ride horses? I’m sure Elly would be willing to take us horseback riding.”
“Okay.” My voice cracks.
“Erin?” Mack’s brow furrows. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing! Nothing’s wrong.” I sit up. “I guess I should get ready for bed then.”
He offers me his hand as I step down onto the stool and then onto the rug. “Hey,” he says. And when I turn to face him, he adds, “Is something bothering you?”
“No.” I laugh lightly, brushing off his question, as I head for the dresser to get the pajamas I packed for tonight. Well, pajamas isn’t exactly an accurate description of what I brought. I did something really stupid, and now I regret it.
While Mack gets undressed, I sneak into the bathroom. I lock the door behind me because I don’t want him walking in on me.
I brush my hair and teeth first, like always. Then I strip off my clothes, down to my panties and bra and stare at my reflection in the huge mirror above the vanity.
Normally, I sleep in one of Mack’s T-shirts, which are huge on me. They practically hang down to my knees. I didn’t want that for my honeymoon, though. I wanted something special , something really pretty that would make him think wow .
A couple of weeks ago, Beth and Sam and I went shopping during a lunch break at work.
We ended up in a nearby upscale shopping mall to pick out something nice for my honeymoon.
I was feeling a little bit giddy at the time, drunk with excitement, and I let Beth talk me into buying lingerie.
It’s a cornflower blue, two-piece set made of satin and lace.
Beth assured me the color made my eyes pop.
I lay the set out on the granite bathroom counter—the camisole top and the matching panties. The top is skimpy, and the panties are—well, they’re a cross between bikini underwear and a thong. In other words, there’s not much there. Certainly not enough to cover all of me.
At the time, I thought it was a great idea, but now, oh my God, no .
I can’t possibly walk out there wearing this.
I can’t face Mack without feeling utterly mortified.
But the problem is, I didn’t bring anything else to sleep in.
It’s this or ask Mack to hand me one of his T-shirts—and that’s so not sexy or romantic enough for our first night together as husband and wife.
For a second, I contemplate texting Elly and asking her if she can lend me a nightgown, but immediately I dismiss that idea. That’s just TMI. I can’t tell her I have nothing suitable to wear to bed on my honeymoon.
So, I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place. It’s my honeymoon night, my brand-new husband is waiting in the bedroom for me, and I have absolutely nothing to wear.
I stand frozen, simply staring at the frilly, see-through garment.
How in the world did I let Beth talk me into this?
I don’t have the confidence she has. Maybe she feels comfortable wearing something like this in front of her husband, but I don’t!
I hear a quiet knock on the bathroom door. “Erin? Is everything all right? Do you need anything?”
Yes, I need pajamas!
Another quiet knock. “Honey?”
I can’t stand here all night waffling. If I don’t answer him, he’s going to pick the lock and come in. “I’ll be right there, Mack! Just a minute.”
I pick up the top of the lingerie and hold it against my body, with my bra still on. Of course you can see the bra through the sheer fabric. It looks stupid. Same with the matching panties. I’d look stupid if I put them on over the top of my regular underwear.
“Erin, please. If something’s wrong, tell me. Let me help.”