Hawaiian Wedding

Chapter 1-5

Later, at work on his lunch break, Remy decided to do a little research into marriage laws in Hawaii. Fortunately Lane was right, there was no residency requirement, and the state didn’t require blood tests or physicals like some places did. But there were other caveats that would prove a bit difficult. Obtaining a marriage license, for instance, had to be done in person, which meant they’d have to wait until they actually got there to get one.

Remy hated leaving anything to the last minute.

Most of the websites he visited suggested hiring a planner to help with the big day. Someone local who knew the venues and vendors, who could get reasonable rates and book everything to make sure things went off without a hitch when the happy couple actually arrived on the island for the wedding itself. But Remy didn’t want to hire a wedding planner; he wanted to do it all himself. In this day and age, with the whole world at his fingertips and everything just a Google search away, why couldn’t he do it all?

Because I have a business to run here, he reminded himself, glancing at his already overflowing inbox. Two weeks in the mountains was a nice vacation, but JDM Planners hadn’t shut down for the whole time he was gone, and they’d be gearing up for their grant season soon. Federal funding for housing projects provided much of their livelihood, and Remy and his staff would be working overtime for the next several months to submit grant applications for local communities to ensure there was enough money to see them through for the years ahead. Lane’s architect firm would partner with them for many of the grants, which meant long hours spent writing and designing to make their applications stand out among the rest. Where would either of them find time to plan a wedding?

They hadn’t even really settled on a date…

Lane’s only request was he didn’t want to wait too long. Remy didn’t either, but he knew any time during grant season was out, which meant they’d have to wait until after April, at least. But he didn’t want to go to Hawaii in the summer—too commercial, too touristy. He wanted to have the place alone to themselves, or as alone as he could get it. So maybe at the end of the year, then, when most people were staying home with family instead of jetting off to tropical locales?

When he talked it over with Lane, they decided a December wedding would actually be really nice. Lane’s birthday was in March, and Remy turned forty in August. Celebrating their anniversary at a different time of the year would spread things out a bit. Plus, if Remy were lucky, no one would want to give up their holiday to go to their wedding.

Of course, he couldn’t count on that. Lane didn’t want a Christmas wedding, so Remy settled for December 28th. That way anyone who did want to come to the wedding could celebrate Christmas at home, then fight the holiday traffic at the airport, while he and Lane were already lounging on the beach and enjoying each other. And if someone decided it was cutting it too close to the holiday, well, like Kate said, they could always send a gift or money.

To be honest, as much as Remy liked his ex-wife, he sort of hoped she would be one of those who decided not to make the trip. It wasn’t that he didn’t want her coming—he enjoyed her company, and she’d be a lot of fun after a few boat drinks, he knew—but if she came, that meant Braden would come, too. As much as he loved his son, Remy wanted to make sure this trip was all about he and Lane, period.

Still, Remy tried to sound apologetic when he called Kate up to tell her, “We’ve talked it over and decided to get married on December 28th. I know it’s late—”

“Late?” Kate almost shrieked in his ear. “Any later and it’ll be next year. Why wait so long?”

“We’ve got grants,” Remy told her, “then our birthdays, and we don’t want to do it over the summer because I’m sure Hawaii’s packed.”

“It’s busy year round, I’m sure,” Kate muttered. “Jeez, Rem. December 28th. No one’s going to want to go out there then. That’s still practically Christmas.”

That’s the point, he thought, but out loud he didn’t say anything.

After a moment, Kate sighed. “Actually, you know what? That might work.”

Remy frowned at his computer screen and shifted the phone into a better position on his shoulder. “What? Why?”

“Mike has off at Christmas,” Kate said.

Mike was her boyfriend, the one who took her on the couples’ cruise—so she wasn’t planning on going alone, Remy noticed. And they’re serious enough that she’s already planning something with him a whole year away, Remy thought. “He’s coming, too?”

“Well, I need a plus-one.”

“You have Braden,” Remy pointed out.

Kate laughed. “Who is talking nonstop about this trip already, do you know that? But yeah, Mike’s already off that time of year, and he was thinking of doing another cruise, but Hawaii will be much better. And we can take turns watching Brae so we both get some privacy.”

With a groan, Remy said, “I’ll be on my honeymoon!”

“Not at first you won’t,” Kate said. “He’s your son, too.”

As he hung up the phone, Remy wondered if it were too late to look into a D.C. wedding after all.