Recalling Reality

Chapter 18

"We will make this weekend a yearly occurrence, just to remind us of what we mean to each other." Placing a kiss just under my earlobe, he backs off, noticing the room is silent.

I turn my attention to the two women who are seated by Quinn, and a thick lump fills into my throat. His eyes are piercing with anger, but it's the ones beside him that are actually making my itch in my seat.

The brunch is served, and as I look over the waffles and bacon, I am not hungry. We can't get back to our hotel fast enough. Our time is dwindling down, and I still want to enjoy that pool a little more before we have to check out.

Shane drizzles a little syrup over my waffle and covers his own. Just as he opens his mouth to say something, the beautiful bride from last night is crouching down between us. A forced smile is pushed onto her face, and I can see the three layers of makeup she is wearing.

"I'm just going to try and ask you two very politely to remember this is my weekend." Her eyes land on me, and the smile fades. "It is bad enough that he had to humiliate my best friend, but the least you can do is not rub it in her face."

"Here is the thing, Melony." Shane clears his throat and rests his arm on the table to win her attention. "I never agreed to get back together with Allison. She came over to my home, broke into my house matter of fact, and created a shit storm in my relationship with Hannah. Now, I am not here to cause a scene because is it Quinn's day also, and he is like a brother to me, but I am getting awfully tired of listening to this drama. I am more than happy to take my girlfriend back to our private suite and enjoy the rest of our time."

"If I had my way, Shane, you wouldn't even be part of this. Last night, you did nothing but take my special day away from me." Her voice trembles and the tears roll down her cheek, drawing paths in the cake. "This ends now. Right now. You had no right taking that room when it was our special time."

He scans the room and lands on the blonde, who is being comforted by the Joan, Taylor's wife. "I am not going to apologize for anything. It is really not any of your business what I do with my girlfriend. And I have more respect for Quinn than to get up and walk out of here because of the way you have acted. Now, I suggest you go back, plaster that fake smile back to your face, and suck it up, because you are the only one who is ruining your special day ."

She curses at him and walks away.

Pushing the incident out of my mind, I cut a piece of waffle up and shove it in my mouth, letting the flavors swirl around and play on my tongue. "Can you possibly make these for me when we get back to your house?"

The smile pushes forth, and he is gazing at me again. "You are coming home with me?"

"I suppose. You did just give me the perfect weekend. And ... I really enjoyed our first dance together last night." Heat is rushing to my face as the memories of the  after-wedding pop into my mind. How slow and gentle he was. How he took his time to explore me. How he wanted that moment to last as much as I did.

"I wasn't planning on anything more than sharing a bed to sleep in, but I will never forget our first time bringing our relationship to the new level." His cheeks are darkening also, but his laser blues are dancing with sheer happiness. Happiness that I hadn't even seen in any of his hallway photos. This was more, different, and a whole lot more feelings packed into them. "I will tell you that I am in love with you, Hannah. And I will be damned if I have to let you go again."

Air rushes out of my lungs, and my heart is dancing too much for me to catch my breath. He leans over, places a kiss on my temple, and returns to his waffle.

The brunch is lazily wrapped up, and we retreat to a small room where all the wedding gifts are stacked and the seats are all facing to the front of the room. Shane chooses the loveseat in the back. I sit beside him, and he holds onto my hand. As the couple begin to go through the gifts and the cards, I begin a thumb-war fight with Shane and end up losing ten times before he lets me win one. Getting a snap of the fingers from Mom, we cease our war until the last present is unwrapped and the fifth coffee pot is revealed. The two in the front bicker a bit about the gifts, and I giggle.

Shane wraps his arm around my shoulder and pulls me to his chest. "When we get married, we are going to just tell everyone that money is the best gift."

"When we get married?" I look into his eyes, waiting for that spark of joking, but there isn't anything except for heavy honesty.

"Yes; when we get married." His arm gently caresses my shoulder, and his lips press against my temple. "And seeing as you love the room so much, I will book that for our wedding weekend. And then, I will take you to the real paradise for our honeymoon."

"Are you serious? We just started..."

"It doesn't matter to me. I know I want to be with you the rest of my life. And I am pretty sure that if I asked you to marry me right now, you would say yes."

No air. There isn't any air in the room for me to get a deep enough breath. Muscles around my heart are being beaten into a bloody pulp. Seriousness settles in his handsome face, and I know he isn't joking one bit. "Tell me no and I will take you into the bathroom of our suite and prove you a liar. I know you would marry me if I asked. Our hearts are already melted together. And there is nothing that can take them apart."

What could I say? He is right. This is exactly what I dreamed a happy life was and contained. A man who devotes his love to me, regardless of who is watching, or who knows. Someone who views me as so important to them that one look tells him that he wants me over anything he could ever have. Shane is that guy. That book boyfriend that I always created. But, when will that hammer drop to prove that this is not real? This is not how real life is.

"Of course I would..."

"Exactly." Giving the couple his attention, he holds me and watches the frustration building in my brother over his new wife and the blonde horror show.

The cards are all opened, and the blonde runs out of the room when Shane kisses the top of my head again. The bride escapes to gather up her friend. Before I know it, Quinn is stomping out of the room. Mom engages in a talk with Shane to find out what is going on, and I exit the room to see where Quinn went.

I make it out to the front of the building. The blonde and bride are out in the middle of the lawn, across the street, already. Allison is bawling, one of those ugly, snotty cries, and my stomach clenches tightly. I hate to see people hurting, and clearly me being with Shane is killing her for some reason.

Like the evil person I am, I start to cross the street when the squeal of tires catches my attention. My legs turn to limp noodles, and I am unable to move. The silver car is barreling right at me. I manage to lock eyes with the driver. His eyes are wide with horror, and the tires are screaming. The body of the vehicle isn't stopping, and there is no way I can move out of the way. I close my eyes...