Chapter 45 Surprise Beth, It's a Wedding!

July 5, 2008

I’m getting married tomorrow! I’M GETTING MARRIED TOMORROW!!! OMG, I can’t believe it; I feel happier than I ever have in my life. Mom, Lani and Robbi have all been here for a week working like crazy to make it all happen and they have done a perfect job. Every single thing they have done, the choices they made are outstanding.

Some people might think that I would be upset with them making so many of the choices but I am so thankful to have them and I’m ridiculously thrilled with what they have done. They only real choice I had to make was my gown and that was fun but enough of a stressor that I was glad everything else was done.

All of this is due to Josef; I feel as if I need to do something stellar for him and yet he only smiled, graciously accepted my hug and told me to just enjoy it all. I feel so bad for him; he lost Simone and still worked with Mick to get everyone on board so this could happen.

The Bellagio Hotel is so romantic; the perfect backdrop for any wedding and I am outrageously awed by it all. Tomorrow night, Mick and I will exchange our wedding vows in front of family and friends and we’ll be married. Some might think (although no one has said it) that we are rushing things but given the fact that we want to try to have kids right away (for obvious reasons) we think the timing is perfect.

My handsome, soon to be husband vampire is beside himself with happiness and I might add a touch of smugness over the fact that they pulled it all off. I think the very fact that they are getting Logan into a tux deserves some type of reward itself. I haven’t seen him yet but it is going to be a day to remember, that’s for sure. Oh, and take pictures of.

The guests will be arriving soon and I can’t wait to see them. The boys will have a bachelor party tonight and we ladies shall get together as well. I’m not sure what is happening at either party but I’m going to cherish and love mine I’m sure. Lani is planning mine, which in certain circumstancesshould worry me but given the fact that Mom and Robbi are both going to be there I’m sure it won’t get too wild.

Tomorrow afternoon Josef has arranged for Lani, Mom, Robbi and me to have complete spa treatments including massages, facials, wraps, hair, nails, anything we want goes. I’m going to wear my hair up so they will hopefully be able to make it beautiful.

Have I mentioned that I am so excited?

Later…



OOOOOOOOOOOO



Beth gaped at everything she saw out the window as they drove down the strip in Las Vegas. She couldn’t believe that it all was so over-the-top; the signs, the hotels, all of it was incredible. It was 10:00 in the morning and they had driven hard to get here this quickly.

Josef was uncharacteristically quiet as he navigated The Big Bite down the road, cautious of the size of it and the traffic that was everywhere. As he pulled into the Bellagio Beth could have sworn he sighed in relief. As he opened the door a valet come up and if he was surprised at such a large vehicle in valet parking he never showed it. Come to think of it, it’s probably no big deal because they must have bands and stuff come in on busses all the time.

“There will be some of my employees coming to pick up the bus in a while. Please release it to them,” Josef said, giving the man the names of the employees and a large, substantial tip. Everyone walked away happy.

As they got checked in Beth asked, “So, we aren’t going on the bus back to LA?”

“Nope,” Josef said. “Heading back on the jet in a few days. Why, are you missing the bus already?”

“No, just curious.” They finished check in and their bags were put on a cart and rolled away leaving Mick, Beth and Josef to follow. As they got in the elevator the bellman said, “You have to have your room key to scan in order to get to the penthouse floor.”

Beth’s eyebrows raised at that; the penthouse floor? How extravagant and lovely. Maybe she was going to be in for a bit of pampering. No objections to that.

Mick and Beth were lead to an ultra-luxurious suite at the end of the hallway. As she walked down the hallway she saw a patio out of some double doors and a pool; sparkling crystal blue it looked very inviting. As the bellman opened the door to their suite she saw that it was huge and exquisite. She could hardly contain herself while the bellman was in the room; she wanted to run and jump onto the huge bed and roll around on the satin duvet.

As the door closed Mick picked up the bottle of champagne that was sitting in an ice bucket. He held it up to her and she nodded, laughing like a kid. As Mick popped the cork she held out the champagne flutes so he could pour. She noticed a half dozen more empty flutes sitting on the bar as well. Obviously the hotel expected them to drink a lot of champagne. She had no objections to that plan she thought with a laugh. As soon as he sat the bottle down she handed one to him; eager to take a sip.

“Hold on Beth,” Mick said as she raised her glass to her lips. “How about a toast first?”

Realizing he was right she halted her action and waited for him to speak.

Mick sat his glass down, which surprised her. She stood there looking at him, puzzled even more when he got down on one knee. “Beth, I love you so much. I realize that the night that you said you would marry me wasn’t much of a proposal or the way to start any marriage so I wanted to do things a little differently. Will you marry me Beth? Here in Vegas, especially if all your family and friends were here to wish us well?”

She laughed and replied, “Of course I would Mick. I want to marry you, whether or not all the family and friends are here. Hey, we could go to one of the little chapels around town. But be forewarned, I refuse to be married by Elvis!”

Mick leaned down and gave her a soft kiss. “Not quite what I had planned baby; maybe I should say what Josef and I planned.” He went to the door and opened it, allowing Josef, Dorothy, Lani and Robbi to walk in.

Beth stared at them open-mouthed; she was speechless. Josef remarked, “Hey, I did it again, she doesn’t know what to say.” He walked over to her and kissed her on the forehead and said, “It’s for real Beth. A wedding fit for a princess, brought to you by yours truly, him and these three co-conspirators,” he said as he indicated her mom and the girls with a flick of his thumb.

“Oh my God! You are all kidding aren’t you?” She was totally amazed and ran across the room to hug the women. All four of them cried as they hugged and Beth was over-whelmed by them being here. “Is it true? I’m getting married here?”

“Yes it is and what he,” Lani said, indicating Josef,”failed to tell you is that it’s happening tomorrow evening. So, we’ve got lots to do Bethy. I believe Mick gets you for an hour and then we have to get you to the bridal shop to make a decision about a dress.”

“A dress? I never even thought about what I would wear. I guess you guys took care of everything, huh?”

“As much as we could sweetheart,” Dorothy said. “We’ve gotten the caterers taken care of, the photographer, the flowers and already picked out our dresses. All you have to do is chose your dress and be pampered a bit.” Her mother hugged her tight and whispered, “And be happy”.

Josef distributed a flute to everyone and then walked around with the bottle. As he got to Dorothy his eyebrows raised a notch, hearing the tiny heartbeat. He tilted his head in question and Dorothy indicated her glass with a slight nod. He poured her the tiniest bit understanding that the others didn’t know yet. “You get none,” he said to Robbi who only laughed and shook her head and he shrugged with a laugh himself.

After he poured his own glass he raised it and said, “To Beth and Mick – my best friend and my soon to be best-friend-in-law. I am delighted to see you two make it official; now maybe Mick will stop being all brooding and mooning over you all the time. Seriously boyo, it gets to be a real drag!” He laughed and added, “Now, drink up everyone.”

Both Mick and Josef watched Dorothy as she pretended to take a drink. With her hand wrapped around the flute no one could tell how much was in it, before or after the toast and she was thankful to Josef for understanding the situation. These vampires really do have good hearing and she wondered how it would be to be able to hear that tiny beating heart.

After the toast the rest of them left and Mick and Beth stood looking at one another, both of them grinning like Cheshire cats. “So, what now Mick? Lani said you had me for an hour? Give us a chance to try out that huge bed?”

He laughed and kissed her; for a moment he was tempted, so tempted. His mouth molded against hers, dipping his tongue into the warmth of her mouth he felt as if he was falling into her. He remembered what the plans were and hastily pulled away.

“Uh no, baby. We have an appointment at Tiffany’s, to buy some rings.”

“Tiffany’s? In Las Vegas?” she asked.

“Yes, in fact, in this very hotel. It’s downstairs in the promenade. Shall we?” he asked, holding his hand out to her.

“We shall,” she said. Her laughter reminded him of softly tinkling bells and he knew that it was a sound he would never tire of.



OOOOOOOOOOOO



The experience at Tiffany’s had been amazing; Beth had decided to forego the engagement ring, fearing she would somehow lose it or break it. They found bands in platinum that they both loved and they were being sized for them and would be ready tomorrow morning.

If she were honest – brutally honest with herself she had to admit that she was more than excited about everything that was happening and even more so as she looked at the gowns that the women had chosen for her to look at.

“You do understand Beth that if you don’t like any of them there are many more in the store for you to look at?” her mother told her as the limousine stopped in front of a very exclusive and expensive looking shop. “We just picked out a few that we thought you might like; but this is your wedding dress and we want you to be totally happy with it, so please don’t be shy.”

Lani and Robbi murmured their agreement as they climbed out of the limo and waited for him to open the shop door for them. Inside it was like a fairy princess’ playground and Beth drew in a sharp breath of delight. “Oh my…”

“Ms. Turner, welcome. I am Evangeline di Marco; my assistants today are Marguerite and Misha. We’ll be taking good care of you, I assure you. ” The woman who greeted them was tall and model thin and impeccably dressed, obviously used to dealing with people who had money. Beth decided to just enjoy it as she settled into a comfortable seat and accepted a glass of sparkling wine. Her mother and Robbi both ordered sparkling water and Lani opted for the wine as well.

“Ms. Turner, when thinking about your gown how would you describe your preferences?”

“I’ve never really considered it before.” At the woman’s shocked expression Beth laughed. “I know, most girls think about this day from the time they understand the concept but I was always busy with other things it seemed. I guess if I had to describe it now I would say nothing with ruffles or bows, that kind of thing; simple, but still feminine.” She shrugged and said, “Does that help at all?”

“Yes, it certainly does. And I might add the very descriptions that your friends and mother used to describe you. We’ll let the models show you what we’ve pre-selected for you and then you can tell me if there are any you wish to try on.”

Beth watched the models parade by her; the dresses were beautiful but the models were practically walking broomsticks. Would any of these dresses look half so good on her shorter and curvier frame she wondered?

As the sixth model came out Lani held her breath; this was the dress she personally thought that Beth would choose. It was a perfect dress for her, not too frilly but softly feminine and it just had beautiful movement. She saw Beth’s eyes light up at the sight of it and she sighed, knowing that she had been right.

The other half a dozen dresses were shown and then Beth made her decision. “I want to try on the sixth dress please; and after that the ninth and tenth as well.” In Beth’s mind she already knew which one she wanted; if it would look half as good on her as it did the model she would consider herself lucky.

In the fitting room they brought in a dress in her size, definitely not the 00 that the model wore. Beth fingered the fabric and sighed; it was so soft and supple and would feel heavenly on her. The attendants slipped it over her head and fastened it up. It was a bit loose in the waist but a bit tight in the bosom as well as too long. “Simple alterations, take no time at all,” she was assured.

Beth turned to look at herself in the mirror and caught her breath. “Oh my goodness, it’s simply divine, beautiful…” she said as she stared at someone else in the mirror. It couldn’t be her, not possibly her because this person looked like a princess and that certainly wasn’t Beth, the innate tomboy. A tear slipped down her face and a tissue was quickly given to her to wipe it away. “You keep tissues in here?” she asked curiously.

“Many brides experience the same emotions when they’ve found the dress that was meant for them. As I think we have this time?”

Beth nodded, knowing that she had no interest in trying on the others.

“Shall we go out to the viewing room so that the others can see you?”

“Yes,” Beth said, trying to gather the gown up so that she could walk. One of the attendants picked up the back and they walked out to where her mother and Lani and Robbi were waiting. The fabric of the dress whispered as she walked and it made it feel almost magical.

All three women came to their feet as Beth walked into the room. Lani knew that Beth had already made her decision and it was absolutely the right one. That gown had been made for Beth.

“Oh sweetheart, you are breathtaking in that gown. What do you think?” Dorothy asked as tears trickled down her cheeks. Before she knew it she was handed a tissue and Beth grinned at her, holding her own up for display.

“I think it’s the one Mom.”

“It is lovely but are you sure you don’t want to try on the others too?”

“I’m positive. This is the one.” She stood looking in the three mirrors that helped to see all sides of the gown and sighed. “Are you sure it can be ready by tomorrow?” she asked.

“Absolutely Ms. Turner. We’ll have it ready by 11:00 am,” she promised. “Marguerite, Misha, get the pins and chalk so you can get it fitted properly!” She clapped her hands for emphasis and the two attendants jumped to do as told.

A short while later Beth was dressed in her plain old street clothes again and in the limo. She felt anxious as she had left the shop, not wanting to let the dress out of her sight. She had to laugh at herself; it was so unlike her to feel like this. Maybe she was having bride’s jitters? She laughed at the thought.



OOOOOOOOOOOO



When they got back to the hotel the jet had arrived from LA. Clark, Logan, Audrey, Ben, Carl, Steve, Guillermo, Elka, Cami, Kevin and Brianna were waiting to greet her. Max, Mark, and Eric weren’t there yet but were due any time.

“Oh my gosh, I can’t believe you are all here! Thank you all so much for coming!” Beth said as she greeted them all. She couldn’t tell who was smiling more, her or them. When she looked at Mick’s face she knew that it wasn’t any of them, it was him. She had never seen him look this happy. He was sitting back in a chair, legs crossed and beaming as he looked at her. They were in a reception lounge on their floor and it was as sumptuous as the suite was; Beth wondered what the rest of the hotel was like.

A thought occurred to her and she spoke to Logan, asking about Travis. “He’s staying at my house Beth,” Audrey said. “Don’t worry, he’ll be fine. He and Plato were already making friends. My neighbor Mrs. Murphy will look in on them frequently to make sure they’re fine.”

“Oh, okay,” Beth responded. She hoped that Travis and Logan had been getting along okay; he seemed a bit tense about the cat.

As everyone was leaving the area to get ready for the parties that night Beth took Clark aside to speak with him. She hugged him tight and smiled, so happy he was there.

“Clark, you’ve always been there for me. Would you please walk me down the aisle?”

“I would be happy too Beth. Would have been crushed if you hadn’t asked. In my heart, you’ve always been my little girl.”

She nodded, quick tears springing to her eyes. “I know that; no one could have had a better dad Clark.”

He kissed her forehead and wiped her tears away tenderly with his fingers. The smile they shared said it all. Blood isn’t the only thing that makes someone family.



OOOOOOOOOOOO



The bachelorette party turned out to be a party cum bridal shower with the theme of ‘Helpful Things for the Bride and Groom on Their Wedding Night’; in other words, as far as Lani was concerned, sexy lingerie and other types of ‘useful’ items. Beth blushed at some of the items that Lani handed out as shower favors; straws that had a penis on the end and you sipped out of; lickablebody butters, neon pasties and other sundry items. She looked around the room and realized that everyone (including her Mom) was taking it all in stride. Beth knew it could have been some male stripper, so this was infinitely better.

After a few party games including ‘Pin the Penis on the Groom’ they moved to the gifts part of the evening; Beth was both excited and scared – there was no telling what might turn up.

Her mother gave her the most exquisite peignoir set; delicate lace and chiffon only hinted at what was beneath it. It took Beth’s breath away it was so beautiful. Many of the other gifts were similar items, along with massage oils and bath salts. The only gift that was left was the one from Lani and Beth dreaded opening it because she had no idea what it might contain.

As Beth carefully and slowly peeled the ribbon and paper off she found a small box inside a larger one. She opened the small box first and found a pair of edible panties and pasties and rolled her eyes at her friend. “Really?” she asked but couldn’t help wondering if vampires could eat this stuff – all it was made of was sugar. Shaking that thought off she pulled them out of the box and found a copy of the Kama Sutra nestled beneath the undies. Lani laughed and shrugged at Beth’s irritated look. The women were all laughing over the gifts and Beth finally gave up and laughed too.

“Well, go ahead and get the other item out of the box,” Lani teased, her eyes sparkling. She knew that Beth was scared to death of what might be in the other box. That package had a beautiful blue garter fastened to it and Lani told her, “Your ‘something blue’”.

As Beth carefully slipped the lid off the second box a small ‘oh’ of pleasure escaped her mouth. She lifted out a beautiful scrap book, made by Lani and Robbi. Inside were pictures of them growing up and stories about some of their escapades, written by the girls. It was priceless, a treasure book of their lives so far and Beth couldn’t choke back her tears any longer. It was the perfect gift and so thoughtful of her friends to have done for her.

“How did you have time to do this?” Beth asked as she realized how much time they had to have spent on it.

“We’ve been planning it for awhile. I knew you and Mick would jump the broom sooner and later and you know I like to be prepared,” Lani declared. Robbi nodded in agreement.

No male strippers appeared and by 11 everyone had drifted off to their rooms. Only Beth and Dorothy were left and Dorothy said, “I have something else for you Beth. I wanted to give it to you while we were alone.” She handed Beth the box that had been brought from home and waited while Beth opened it.

At her daughters exclaim of surprise and happiness, she knew that she had been right to bring it.



To be continued…