BethanyThe night had been filled with laughter and wine, the stories everyone told embarrassing to someone in the room. Each of them got their turn in the hot seat. Damon hadn't stayed long, but gave her a long kiss at the door and promised to be in Jamaica as soon as he could.Bethany worked hard not to think about it as she moved into the airport the next morning, her mother beside her. They walked to the long line of people already there for check-in. Kent and Matthew had stayed back with the driver, pulling out luggage and checking it all on the curbside check in."I'm so nervous. Tell me this is going to be great." Her mom pressed her shoulder against Bethany's, her smile tight.Bethany wrapped an arm around her mom and smiled down at her. "This is going to be a dream come true. We'll get checked in and get us a good magazine and a coke.""You're right. I just feel so jittery.""That's a good thing. This isn't just a vacation, Mom, but a huge change in your life. I'm so proud of
BethanyThe flight to Jamaica was much quicker than Bethany imagined, but most of that had to do with the fact that she had fallen asleep.Matt pushed softly at her shoulder, waking her. She jerked up and looked around as everyone began getting up and pulling their bags from the overhead bins. Finally gaining awareness of her surroundings, she grabbed her magazine from the seat pocket in front of her and slipped it into her handbag."Come on, sleepyhead. No more rest for you." Matt moved back and made room for her to get out.The seats in first class were large and worn leather, so incredibly comfortable. She didn't remember even hearing the safety announcements before she had passed out. Moving out in the aisle, she lifted to her toes and spotted her mother and Kent getting off the plane in front of them."I didn't even realize I was tired. I slept good last night." She glanced back at Matt. "Are we going to baggage claim next?""Yeah. We'll get our stuff and load it up on the resort
BethanyErica wasn't in the room when Bethany finally got the door open. Cold air hit her in the face as she walked into her room, the layout mimicking Matt and Damon's room. Erica had taken the bed far from the door from what she could tell. It almost seemed odd not to be rooming with her mom, but with her Aunt Patty coming later that day, she wasn't surprised. Her mom rarely got to spend much time with her younger sister. This would be good for both of them.Bethany checked her phone and smiled, a message waiting on her from Damon.Damon: Have fun for me. Text me when you get there, and I'll call you tonight.Bethany: I'm here. It's beautiful, and you're sorely missed.Damon: Matt losing his shit over Erica yet?Bethany: How did you guess?Damon: Welcome to my world. I'll call you tonight, baby. Be in your room by nine.Bethany: So bossy.Damon: I am your boss and your man. 9 on the dot.Bethany: Yes Sir.She shook her head and searched high and low for a plug for her phone. At leas
BethanyBethany woke Erica just before one. The pretty blond changed quickly, and they were on their way to locate the wedding reception room. The wind blew through the open ends of the hall, sweeping in behind and in front of them. The warmth caused Bethany's skin to break out in chill bumps. She wrapped her arms around herself and breathed in deeply."Oh man. I need this serenity so much. Everything has been moving far too fast in my world for my liking." Bethany glanced toward Erica, a flash of red catching her eye behind her."You'll have to tell me about it sometime."Bethany nodded and turned, her eyes locating the source of the brilliant color. Matt."Hey, you. Come up here with us. We're going to decorate. I bet you and Erica could get it done in half the time of the rest of us." Bethany stopped and waited for Matt to join them. His bright red shirt had blue and yellow birds decorating every inch of it. It would have been tacky on anyone else, but on Matt it was fitting. He ha
DamonThe make-out session the night before was just enough to set his nerves on edge. Maybe it was more than that. Maybe knowing that the whole family was flying out to Jamaica without him was part of it."Get over it." Damon leaned toward the mirror in his large bathroom and pulled the razor down the side of his face as he eyed himself. How nice it would have been to let his sexy girl sit on the countertop in front of him and help him get ready for work.Knowing the two of them, it would turn into something hot quick, and he'd be calling in - every day. A smile lifted his lip, and he accidentally nicked his chin."Dammit." He set the razor down and grabbed the towel beside the sink to press it tightly to his face. He couldn't help but wonder what everyone was up to. The quick text to Bethany had him thinking more and more about his family than he would have before meeting her.Matt was terrified of Erica, which was almost humorous. They were a perfect fit for one another, and if Mat
DamonDamon sat down in first class on the plane and let out a soft grunt as he stretched his legs out. The older woman beside him glanced over and smiled."I love it up here. I never thought I would be able to afford this, but my Fred finally made it big just before he passed." She shrugged and leaned back in her seat."I'm sorry to hear that." Damon buckled his seatbelt and pulled the blind down on the window. "What did he do for a living?""Oh, don't be sorry. He was a mean old bastard."Damon smiled, unable to help himself. Would Beth tell a similar story when he died of old age? Always sweet and loving to her, but a cock and a half to everyone else.The woman crossed her arms over her thin frame and chuckled. "He worked in the shoe business. Built up a small chain of shoe stores around the nation.""Very interesting. What's the name of the place?" He turned his head a little to focus on her. She was pretty and must have been a looker back in her time. Soft spoken, but there was a
BethanyThey wrapped up the decorating after a few hours of moving quickly and following Erica's vision to the smallest detail. The room looked incredible, the vision of it bringing tears to Bethany's eyes. She moved toward the door and stepped out into the hall, wiping her face and walking in to take it all in once more."Looks good?" Erica called to her."I've honestly never seen anything so breathtaking. Great job to all of you."Bethany's mom walked over and pulled her into a tight hug. "Thank you, baby. There's only a little clean up left to do. Go grab you a magazine and hit the beach. Enjoy yourself, and I'll come find you in a little bit.""You sure?" Bethany squeezed her mom tightly once more and moved back."Yes. Go. I'll watch out for Matthew. I know he's a little nervous around Erica.""Can you blame him? The woman's a beast."Her mom chuckled and shook her head before walking back toward the rest of the crowd who seemed eager to keep going. Bethany let out a soft sound of
Bethany"He just told me that we're both a blessing to him and that he's not Dad. He promised to never hurt either of us, and he told me to love him enough to come talk to him if I felt like he was slipping on those promises."Bethany's mom lifted her hand to her face and let out a soft cry. Bethany reached over and rubbed her mom's leg, the years of pain and agony having been a common sharing between them for so long."I'm so glad you found him, Mom," Bethany whispered and removed her hand from her mom. She reached out and took the magazine and tossed it behind her, not wanting to watch Bridget smiling up at her any longer."Me too." Bethany's mother sniffled once before reaching behind them. "Who is this?"She held the magazine up and turned it to Bethany."It's Damon's ex. I've seen her around the last few weeks, but finding out that she was, or is, a model is a little deflating.""Why? What she does has very little to do with who she is as a person.""Yeah, I guess, but she's insa