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My phone rings from my purse and I go to get it waving to her goodbye. I watch her hand Declan her business card in case we need anything.
“Hi, Mama, you’re up early.” I greet my mom, knowing she is dying to know what we think so far.
“I couldn’t sleep thinking about your morning. Tell me about it so far.”
I can’t hide my excitement, and I fill her in on everything. Declan unloads our suitcase while I talk. He finally motions to his watch, and I tell her goodbye. Before we leave the room I snap a quick shot of the view from our balcony and sen to her.
Chris is waiting for us in the lobby. Instead of riding in the transportation van from earlier, he guides us to a black Escalade. He proceeds to give us a tour of the island and tells us the history. When we get into Fernandina, it reminds me somewhat of Franklin except with an old world Floridian appeal.
Our first stop is the Historical Court House where we have to wait almost an hour to get our marriage license. As soon as the court clerk tells us it is valid for the next sixty days, Declan grins and wiggles his eyebrows at me. I shake my head and laugh at him. We meet Chris out front and follow him to a waterfront restaurant.
We walk around the shops a bit before we start looking at the restaurants the concierge put together for us. We find two that we like that have availability for the night we want. I exchange numbers with the managers and promise to have an answer within a few days.
Since we have crossed off most of the items on my list for the day, we take the scenic route home to see a little more of the local area. As we’re rounding a corner, I’m not paying attention to the guys’ conversation but hear Declan ask Chris to ‘pull in’.
I look out the door and realize we are driving up to another resort. I don’t see any signs but recognize the emblem on the lobby doors and entrance rug. We are at the Ritz Carlton. Declan squeezes my hand and then jumps out and runs into the reception area. A few minutes later, he returns with some paperwork and a huge grin.
“What did you do?” I ask suspiciously.
“I booked us a room for our wedding night.”
“Why’d you do that? We get a complimentary night at the hotel.”
“You think after all we’ve been through and the time I’ve waited for you, that I am spending the night in the hotel with our parents? Better yet, where our fucking friends can pound on our door at three am? Nope, not gonna happen. I’m taking you away as soon as the reception is over.”
I don’t say anything because he’s right. Our friends will have separate accommodations, but our parents, the Blacks, and a few other guests are staying in the hotel.
He grabs my hand
as my phone rings with Robbie’s ringtone. Before I even get a proper hello, he interrupts.
“RJ, what are the sleeping arrangements for the wedding weekend?”
“Well hello to you too. I’m not sure how we’ll work it out yet. Why?”
“If it’s alright with you I want to invite a guest and I think she would be more comfortable if we stayed with you and Declan.”
“Oh really, why is that? Who would you like to invite?” I hope I’m right in my guess, but I want to make him sweat. “Robbie, this is my wedding that we have to move because of all the shit going on in Nashville. I’m not sure it’s a good idea to invite someone outside of our inner circle that we can trust.”
It’s quiet for a few seconds, and I wait for him to confirm what I want to hear.
“For fuck’s sake! It’s Ember, okay? I want to ask Ember. I think she’s proven she can be trusted.”
Declan hears him through the phone and starts laughing. I giggle softly until Robbie gets irritated enough and threatens to hang up.
“Of course, you can invite her. I would love for her to be there. How’d this happen?”
“I’m not sure. We’ve talked a few times since I went to the shop the night that reporter was there. I took her to dinner last night, and she’s a really cool chick. She’s smart and sweet and can be funny when she’s not so nervous. I think it would be fun to invite her.”
“Robbie, I think it’s wonderful but this can be a rowdy bunch. You sure?”
“Yeah, make sure we are in the condo with y’all. I think she’ll feel a lot more comfortable with you close.”
“You got it. Does this mean I can count on you to help get the tuxes back to Clyde’s after the wedding?”
“Yeah, Baby Girl, it’ll be taken care of.”
We talk for a few more minutes until I have to go because we are back at the hotel. Chris wishes us luck and tells us he will be our driver back to the airport on Sunday. We walk through the lobby and go to the outside bar overlooking the ocean.
