A Couple of Forevers (This Time Forever Book 2) (3 page)

Renee said, “Okay, instead of going to yoga six days a week,
how about three days?  I know that’s a big concern for you.  Would that be
better?”

He looked over at her and said, “Yeah.  I guess.  Why don’t
you just have one of the instructors come to the house and do it with you? 
That way . . . “

Before he could finish, Renee said, “Because I was going to
do that after I have the baby.  It would make it easier for me.”

By this time, they were pulling back into the driveway.  As
they were getting out of the car, the couple from across the street were waving
and calling out to them.

“Hi, Elliott,” Robert said.  Robert and Kim Maddox had moved
into their home shortly after Elliott had moved into his home.  Robert, a
marketing executive, had taken some time off work to spend some time with his
wife in Hawaii.  They both looked tan, beautiful and well-rested.

“Hi,” Elliott said to Robert.  “You two finally made it
back.  I was beginning to think that maybe you liked it there better than
here,” he teased.

Kim said, “Absolute paradise.  I could definitely get used
to being there on a full-time basis.”

Kim extended her hand, smiled warmly, and said, “Hi, I’m Kim
and this is my husband, Robert.  You must be Renee.”

Renee glanced over at Elliott and extended her hand to Kim. 
“Yes.  I am.  It’s very nice to meet both of you.”

Robert extended his hand to Renee and said, “So nice to meet
you, Renee.  Elliott talked about you a lot after he returned from New York.”

Renee smiled and said, “I see.  So, you just came back from
Hawaii?  That must’ve been very nice.  I have always dreamed of going there one
of these days, but I’ve never had the time to do it.”

Elliott said, “This wasn’t the first time you went there was
it?  I think you told me that you’ve been three or four other times.”

Robert said, “Yes, we have.  It’s our favorite place for
getting away from it all.  You two should really think about going there one
day.”

Renee said, “I really need to get inside.  We have friends
visiting from New York and I want to let them know that we’re back.  It’s
really nice to meet you both.  Maybe we can get together for dinner sometimes?”

Kim said, “Yes, that would be great.  Just let us know a
good time for you.  Elliott has our number, so just give us a call.”

Renee promised to call soon to arrange a dinner time.

When she walked into the house, the smell of Liza’s
world-class beef stew filled the house.  Usually, the scent of good food was
something that Renee looked forward to, almost as much as she looked forward to
the taste of good food.  However, lately the smell of food, any food, tended to
temporarily make her queasy.

As Renee was making a beeline to their bedroom until her
stomach settled, she heard Liza walking up the hallway.

“Hey,” Liza asked.  “How’d it go?”  Liza immediately noticed
that Renee seemed to be a little off kilter.”

Liza asked, “Are you okay?  Can I get you anything?  Joe,
could you bring some crackers and a ginger ale in here, please?” 

Joe and Elliott walked into Elliott’s and Renee’s bedroom at
the same time.

“Thanks,” Renee said as she took the crackers and ginger ale
from Joe.”

Liza said, “So, what did the doctor say?  How far along are
you?  When are you due?”

After she ate one of the crackers and took a sip of the
ginger ale, Renee said, “I’m due on July 15, so I’m about three months.”

Liza looked at Joe and said, “Okay.  Well, I gotta move this
wedding thing along fast if you want to walk up the aisle with a flat belly. 
Otherwise, you are going to have a little pooch showing.  Not that it matters
or anything.”

Renee said, “Liza, let me just lie down for a minute and
then we talk about the wedding.”

Liza said, “Okay, take your time.  Elliott, is it okay if I
use the office so I can have a desk?”

“Sure,” Elliott said.  I’m going to take E on a short tour. 
We should be back in a couple of hours.”  He turned his attention back to
Renee.  “You okay?  We’ll stay around until you feel better.  I’m going to stay
until you feel better.”

Joe said, “I’ll be in the living room whenever you’re
ready.”

Liza said, “I’m going into the office. I’ll see you in a
bit.

After Joe and Liza left the room, Elliott sat on the bed next
to Renee.  He said “Do you want to have everybody over some other time?  We can
wait and tell them another time.”

Renee said, “No, we can do it tonight.  I’m sure I’ll be
better in a bit.  I just needed something to settle the queasiness.  Where are
you and Joe going?”

Elliott replied, I’m going to show him around a bit, take
him to the office.  We shouldn’t be gone long at all.”

Renee stood up and said, “Okay.  Oh, do you mind picking up
some more ginger ale while you’re out?  There were only a few left that last
time I checked.”

Elliott stood up, kissed her and said, “OK, baby.  Do you
need or want anything else?  I’ll pick up some more crackers and oatmeal.”

She said, “No, I think everything else is okay.”

He kissed her again and said, “If you think of anything,
just call me.”

A few minutes after Elliott and Joe left, Renee went into
the office and sat in the chair across from Liza.  “Sorry about that.  These
queasy spells can’t end quick enough.  I am completely over having them.  So,
tell me, what have you come up with so far?  Please tell me that you are not
putting something together that is going to take six months to plan.”

Liza was pleased to see that Renee looked much better.  “You’re
in luck then.  I found a chapel on the web that looks absolutely beautiful.  Of
course we’ll have to go and check it out, but they did say they could reserve
it for 6:00 next Saturday evening.  I went ahead and asked them to reserve that
spot.  We could have the wedding and reception there and they gave me the name
of a couple of caterers.  The next thing that I absolutely need from you, of
course, is finding a wedding dress.  What style of dress would you like?”

Renee said, “Did you say the chapel is reserved for next
Saturday?  That’s great!  I was thinking that finding a venue would be a major
ordeal, but then I have to remember who is in charge here.  I just need to
remember to call Elliott as soon as possible so that he can see if Judge Nichols
will be available to perform the ceremony.  As far as a wedding dress, I would
prefer something simple and tasteful.  Nothing big and poufy like a 21-year-old
would wear, and definitely not stark white.  It needs to be off-white, very
subtle.”

Liza eyed Renee and said, “Mmmm, I knew you would say something
like that.  My vision is to see you in something poufy.  You would look like
one of those 21-year-old child brides.”

Renee said, “And that’s exactly what I don’t want.  I’m
almost 40.  I don’t want to wear something that makes everyone say, ‘awww,
isn’t she cute.’  I’ll just not have it.”

Liza laughed and said, “Okay, okay, don’t get upset.  We’ll
just go try some on and take it from there.  What about food?  Do you want to
have a small dinner or hors d’oeuvres?  What about liquor?  Do you want an open
bar?”

Renee laughed and said, “Now, now, remember you said you
were taking care of all of this?  But, my preference is a small dinner, and
yes, an open bar would be very nice.”

Liza laughed and said, “Okay, then.  I think we should go
out tomorrow and look at wedding dresses.  I have already called and made an
appointment at a bridal salon in Beverly Hills. 

“That sounds fine.  Oh, shoot, I need to call Lena and Ben
and Kayla and Mik to get them over here for dinner this evening.  How in the
world did I forget to do that?”

Liza said, “Not to worry, my dear.  I already called them
and they will be here at 7:00.  See, I told you, I got this. 

Renee and Liza continued talking about the wedding.   

~~~~

When Elliott and Joe returned from their outing, Liza said,
“Good, you’re back.  You can help me finish up for tonight.  Where did you guys
go?”

Joe said, “Elliott took me to his office.  Wow, babe.  I
gotta tell you, Elliott has a very successful and busy practice going on.  The
offices are gorgeous, it’s in a prime location, and it is very, very busy.” 

Elliott laughed and said “Yeah, it’s pretty good.  Don’t
know if it is on par with what you got going in New York, but I guess my little
operation is alright.”

Joe said, “Oh, it’s way past alright.  You done good, my
man.  Proud of ya.”

Elliott said, “Where’s Renee?  Did she go out?”

“No,” Liza said.  “She’s in the office looking at that
wedding venue on the computer.  We’re going to look at it in person tomorrow
and pick out dresses.” 

Joe looked at the time on the microwave and said, “It’s 6:00
now, so I’m going to get showered and changed.  Liza, you coming?”

Liza said, “I’m right behind you.  I just need to slice the
cheesecake and then I’ll be there.”

Elliott went into the office, but Renee wasn’t there, so he
checked the bedroom.  She was in her closet trying to decide what to wear that
evening.

She smiled and said, “Hi, baby.  I didn’t hear you come in. 
When did you get back?”

Elliott kissed her soft, full lips and said, “We just got
back a few minutes ago.  Liza was in the kitchen making sure that everything
was in order and Joe said he was going to get ready for this evening.  So, I
hear that you were looking at wedding venues and dresses.”

Renee found the perfect outfit for that evening.  A black
V-neck wrap sweater and a pair of cream-color side-zip pants.  Mid-heel strappy
sandals completed the outfit.  She said, “Yeah.  The venue that Liza found
looks really nice online, but I really want to see if it is really that nice
for real, or did they just put select pictures on the website.  As far as
dresses go, there were so many gorgeous choices, but I have an idea of what I
want, so hopefully I will find it tomorrow.”

Elliott pulled her close to him and kissed her again, this
time passionately.  “Are you sure you’re okay with doing all of this?  I don’t
want you overdoing things.”

Renee looked into Elliott’s dark blue eyes and said, “I
promise you I’m okay.  I just get a little queasy at times, but I’m sure that
will end soon enough.”

Elliott continued kissing Renee and walked her over to their
bed.  After she sat down on the bed, Elliott began to lay her down, kissing her
lips, her face, her neck. 

Renee was moaning softly as Elliott kissed her and slid his
hands under her sweater.  “Elliott, it is 6:15.  Your parents and Kayla and Mik
will be here at 7:00 if not sooner.  We probably should stop right now.”

They continued to kiss for a little bit longer and Elliott
said, “Okay, you’re right, we’d better stop before things get completely out of
control.”

Renee said, “I’m going to take a very quick shower and I’ll
be right out, okay?”

A few minutes after Renee was in the shower, Elliott was
joining her.  She said, “Do you think this is a good idea right now?” 

Elliott responded by pulling her close and giving her a kiss
so fiery that it made her head swim.  They touched and kissed until they were
crazy with desire.

“Elliott,” Renee said, “We have to get dressed now.  They’ll
be here any minute.”

Elliott sighed and said, “Can’t we just postpone this dinner
until tomorrow?  Maybe we could take everyone out for lunch instead.”

Renee laughed as she stepped out of the shower and said,
“No, we can’t postpone until tomorrow.  They’re probably on their way here by
now.”

Renee and Elliott quickly dressed and went into the kitchen
where Liza and Joe were putting the finishing touches on dinner.

Joe said teasingly, “We were beginning to think that you two
got sucked down the drain or something in there.”

Renee blushed slightly and Elliott shook his head.

Before he could say anything, Lena and Ben were pulling into
the driveway. 

Liza opened the door and hugged Lena and Ben.  She said,
“It’s so good to see you two.  How are you?”

Lena said, “I’m so glad the two of you could come out to see
us.  We didn’t get to spend nearly enough time together in New York.”

After a few more minutes, Kayla and Mik arrived.  Kayla
hugged Liza and Joe and said, “Sorry we’re late, but Mik had to finalize some paperwork
before leaving the campus this evening.”

After a few minutes of chatting and getting caught up, Renee
said, “Liza cooked dinner for us tonight and trust me, she is an amazing chef. 
I am absolutely starving right now, so let’s all move into the kitchen so we
can eat.”

After Ben said the prayer, pots were passed around so that
everyone could get a serving of the delicious-smelling meal that Liza had
prepared. 

Ben said, “E, you better hold on to that one.  Beauty,
brains, and a good cook?  Doesn’t get any better.”

E said, “Oh, believe me, I know I got it good like that.” 

Everyone laughed as Liza blushed at E’s and Ben’s
compliments.

Liza said, “I certainly appreciate it, but before you say
anything else, let’s see how dessert tastes.”

Kayla helped Liza bring out cheesecake slices for everyone, 

The cheesecake was absolutely divine and everyone said so. 

Lena said, “Oh my goodness, that was delicious.  How in the
world do you and E manage to remain so fit with good eating like that?”

Liza laughed and said, “Please believe me when I tell you I
don’t cook like this all the time.  Only for very special occasions”

Kayla was talking to Renee and Liza.  “Aunt Liza, I can’t
wait for you and Uncle Joe to come over and see our place.  Do you think you
can come over tomorrow?” 

As Kayla was inquiring to Liza about coming over, she
happened to catch a glimpse of Renee’s hands.