Aralyn smiled as she looked up at the azure sky, noting the perfect puffy white clouds. The ridiculously long plane flight down to Antigua had left them both tired, but something about stepping off the plane and onto the island had refreshed them. The air was heavy with humidity, and Aralyn was glad she didn’t really care about her hair. She had grown it out for the wedding, and now, the long blond waves fell down her back once again.

Her new husband was still inside, no doubt mixing them drinks to enjoy on their own private strip of beach.

The hammock Aralyn lay in was easily big enough for two, and she knew they would be snuggling in it soon.

The wedding had been perfect, Madeleine Wheeler and Honey Duke saw to that. Her female cousins had been beautiful and radiant in their bridesmaids dresses, her male cousins all looked dashing in their suits. There had been lots of tears as they exchanged their vows, and maid-of-honor Tiffany had cried silently as she held her cousin’s bouquet.

Something had been bothering Tiffany lately, and Aralyn had wanted to talk to her about it, but they just hadn’t been had time to sit down and do it. There was so much wedding stuff, and Aralyn’s graduation, that every time Aralyn turned around someone needed a decision on something. Madeleine had hired a well-known wedding consultant who managed the service people, but Aralyn had to choose flowers, and cake and music and there were the dress fittings, with her cousins insisting they needed her input on their dresses. Being the first to get married had turned into a much bigger production that Aralyn could have ever anticipated.

Daisy of course had designed all of the dresses, of course. She had talked at length with Aralyn about how Aralyn wanted her wedding, sketching all the while, and incorporating a lifetime of knowledge of Aralyn’s taste. As usual, she had come up with the perfect dress for her young cousin.

Aralyn was the first of the cousins to get married, and it was a Big. Deal. The location had been easy enough. She had always imagined herself getting married on the sprawling lawns of Manor House. Of course, she and Tiffany had always wanted a double wedding together, but Tiffany urged her to forget that plan and marry her man. Tifany had no plans of getting married any time soon, if ever.

Her intended had kept her calm throughout it all, helping her enlist Tiffany’s aid, which was when Aralyn realized something was bothering her cousin. But Tiffany brushed off her queries, instead, focusing on making sure her best friend’s special day was perfect.

Tim had been there of course, and all of her extended cousins. Diana’s parents and siblings and their families flew in from around the world. Cap and Knut Belden had come as well. Knut brought his partner, which was a surprise to most of the family, but they welcomed him. Even Jim’s cousin Julianna and her family had come from Holland. Luke’s younger brother Judd Duke had come up from Hazzard.

And a surprise phone call from California, that Aralyn took in private.

“You sure you wanna do this?” Jax Teller’s deep voice asked.

“Completely.”

“And you promise it’s not that jackass I saw you with before?”

Aralyn laughed. “I promise.”

“All right, darlin’. I just want to make sure this is what you want.”

“It is, Jax. How’reTara and the boys?”

“Large and in charge,” he laughed.

“I’m so happy for you, Jax.”

“I’m happy for you too, Blondie. Take care of yourself. You call me if you need anything.”

“I will.”

Flowers had arrived one day from her ex. “Wishing you the best” was all it said but she knew his writing, and appreciated the effort. there was a lot of history there, and things had ended badly between them, but she had made the right decision.

Now, curled up in this hammock, her hair dangling over the side, she knew she truly had made the right decision. She listened to the waves roll up on the beach, the seagulls’ periodic crying. They had chosen the cabana furthest from the rest of the resort. It wasn’t a far walk, but the lush landscaping and clever concealment of the cabanas ensured them privacy.

The twins had threatened to track them down, so only her mother knew where they were. She wouldn’t put it past the two rascals to carry out their threat.

The salty breeze blew over her gently and she inhaled deeply. She’d talk to Tiffany when they got back, find out what was bothering her.

“Seeing you lay there like that brings all sorts of naughty images to mind,” her husband said.

Aralyn started and laughed. “I didn’t hear you.”

“You looked a million miles away. Everything okay?”

“Of course.” She smiled at him as he handed her a drink. “Join me?”

“Absolutely.” He set his drink down, and she moved over so that they were lying together in the hammock, arms around each other.

He chuckled suddenly.

“What’s so funny?” she asked.

“We’re gonna have that happily ever after,” he said softly, as he kissed her.

***
Author Notes
- A huge thank you to Ronda, my lovely editor who did a super fast edit for me.
- This was written for photo #13 of the CWE 3: A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words Challenge. Thank you to the CWE team for coming up with this fun challenge!
- Did you really think I'd give away who the husband was?! The identity of Aralyn's husband won't be revealed for a long time. Is it Cam? Mayhaps. But this story takes place far in the future and there are many people still to cross her path, including some other well known detectives, and people from her past that will come back through. So take your best guess. :)
- Word Count, 866

This website is © 2005-2025 Mal. All rights reserved. All other graphics created by Mal and may not be used without permission. CWE picture provided by CWE team and belongs to its rightful owner.