Page 4 of A Happy Endings Wedding
Chapter Two
The next morning she met Josh in their bedroom and held up the pregnancy test stick.
Josh stared at it, let out a victory whoop, grabbed her, and spun her around in a dizzy happy dance. They were pregnant.
She’d thought she’d be scared or shocked, but all she felt was pure happiness. Hard not to feel jubilant with Josh beaming at her with the biggest smile she’d ever seen on his handsome face. She pulled away to set the test on the nightstand and turned back to him, her own smile so big her cheeks hurt. Everything seemed bright and light and so right.
Josh threw his arms wide. “Congratulations, new mom!”
She threw her arms wide too. “Congratulations, new dad!”
They laughed, and then he grabbed her and hugged her again.
She wrapped her arms around him, sure it would be smooth sailing from here on out. Look out, world! Here comes the pregnant bride for the wedding of the century! With Josh by her side, nothing could get her down.
Uh-oh.
She pulled away, ran to the bathroom, and threw up. Morning sickness. Right on time.
~ ~ ~
Mission wedding, get ’er done. There was nothing Josh would deny his bride. Not even a destination wedding at the royal kingdom of his former rival, Prince Phillip Rourke, the playboy prince. Never mind that Josh was a casual guy who would’ve been happy with a courthouse ceremony followed by celebratory drinks at his bar. When Hailey had said yes to his proposal, tying her life to his forever, he’d made her a promise—to always look out for her happiness. And he never broke a promise.
He wasn’t one of those sappy whipped men at their woman’s beck and call. No, sir. He was simply a man of honor. Truth was, when he finally did fall for Hailey, he fellhard. For a while there, he’d thought he might be losing his mind, but now things were on an even keel, where he liked them. He and Hailey were partners and deeply in love. She’d do anything for him and vice versa. She already did so much, fussing over him at home and at work, bringing softness to his rough and gruff. She even left little love notes around the apartment for him to discover. Naturally he’d crack skulls to ensure her happiness. That was a no-brainer.
So the day after Hailey came to him with the wedding gown problem, he’d parked his ass in that uppity bridal boutique with his pregnant teary bride until he was sure the job would be done on time and to Hailey’s satisfaction. Did he secretly bribe the designer to work overtime with a promise of future work for his famous sister-in-law Claire Jordan? Maybe. Did he charm the worker bees? Definitely. Did he scare away a few patrons to neutralize the threat to mission wedding gown? Damn right. His bride wanted a designer original and that was exactly what she’d get. No time for beadwork, but whatever. When she tried on the dress the day before they were scheduled to leave, it was beautiful and Hailey was happy. Mission accomplished.
Hailey was doing fantastic now, much calmer about the wedding as her focus shifted to the baby growing inside her. The men in his family had strong swimmers. He’d been fairly certain he’d get her pregnant quick. He loved seeing her glowing and happy, talking to her belly on a regular basis as she filled the little one in on the world. The wedding was almost here, only two days away. They’d just spent several days enjoying Paris, gorgeous in the June sunshine. He loved seeing the city through Hailey’s wide blue eyes. She was a romantic at heart and Paris was everything she’d hoped. It had been especially nice to enjoy the time with her without their constant furry companions, Rose and Max. Claire and Jake would be bringing them later by private jet, along with Hailey’s wedding gown.
Now they were on the ferry to Villroy Island. He looked over as Hailey came up from the lower enclosed deck, where she’d spent a good amount of time in the ladies’ room. She was seasick and morning sick. Her face was pale and strained, her lips drawn into a grimace, strands of her strawberry blond hair whipping in the wind, most of her long hair in a scraggly ponytail. And she’d never looked more beautiful, his pregnant bride.
He closed the distance, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and guiding her to the rail. “You okay?” He’d mostly stayed on top of the morning sickness, keeping her supplied with crackers and French baguette pieces, but the ferry’s motion had proven too much. The ferry ride was close to two hours.
“I feel like I’m going to barf up a lung.” She hung her head over the rail. “Honestly, I have nothing left in me.”
He rubbed her back. “We’re almost there. Half an hour more. Come on, it’s best to keep your eyes on the horizon.” He guided her to a bench seat, and they stared at the choppy ocean and sky. He pulled a bottled water from his backpack and handed it to her.
She pushed it away. “I can’t. I’m too nauseous.”
“Just small sips.” He tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and whispered, “It’s not good for the baby if you dehydrate.” They were keeping the baby news quiet until after the wedding. She was nine weeks along, according to the doctor, and not showing yet. In any case, the doctor had said hydration was important with her morning sickness and traveling.
Hailey dutifully took a sip of water. She was a trooper. “I can’t wait to get off this boat. I just want to brush my teeth, get into pajamas, and curl up in bed.”
“It’s afternoon.”
She stared at the horizon, holding herself very straight and still. “I’m exhausted. You try heaving for hours while a baby sucks what little energy you have left out of you.”
He cupped her head and kissed her cheek. “My warrior princess, you got this.”
She took another sip of water, grabbed his hand, and squeezed. She loved him. He got the message every day in every way—her affectionate gestures, her words, her smile full of warmth, her eyes full of love.
He stood to see if they were getting close. The island came into view. He and Hailey had been here last July for Princess Silvia’s wedding. (The princess had had both a stateside and island wedding.) Villroy Island was untouched by modern times for the most part, though they did have cell phones and internet. The coastline was rugged with cliffs. Inlets with fine sand beaches nestled between the cliffs overlooking turquoise water. Port Axel was the main commercial base for fishermen, the traditional basis of the economy. The seafood was incredible—tuna, bass, monkfish, shellfish, and more. There was an old lighthouse with a red top, tons of white boats bobbing in the water, and nestled close to the port were white buildings with red roofs. Farther inland and along the road to the palace were cottages, white with blue trim. On the far side of the island were dunes and wetlands that they hadn’t had time to explore.
And in the center of it all on a hill stood the royal palace, also called Amalie Palace. He knew the palace from the princess’s wedding and the numerous pictures Hailey had referred to during her planning. It had once been a stone circular fortress in the time of the Vikings. That crumbling structure stood to one side and a newer palace had been built next to it. Fire had taken a few of those palaces, the current one built in the eighteenth century and renovated many times. Now it looked more like a fairy-tale castle. Made of sandstone with copper roofs, it reached five stories, six stories in the two towers, with multiple spires. Two long wings stretched on the sides, forming an enormous courtyard that opened onto manicured gardens. Most of the royal family lived there, except for Princess Silvia, who lived in America with her husband.
Half an hour later, the ferry finally docked, and he let out a breath of relief that Hailey had made it without getting sick. He stood again, surprised to see a huge crowd waiting at the dock—photographers and cameramen, along with a shit-ton of people holding up their phones to get pictures. There were also three black Mercedes with tinted windows that he knew belonged to the royal family; he’d ridden in one last time. His eye caught on a huge banner: Congratulations Josh and Hailey!
He quickly sat down next to Hailey. “They’re giving us a royal welcome. It looks like the whole island showed up. Cameras, video, the works.”
