Page 21 of Knock Me Up

“I don’t think anything can go wrong as long as I’m with you, Piper.”

A slight smile emerges. That’s what I like to see. “Then what’s the big idea?”

I take a deep breath. “Every moment I’m with you, I’m more confident that this is going to work out for us. But we need to start treating this marriage like a marriage.”

“What, you want us to file taxes together?”

“No. We got married. We had the ceremony. But we haven’t had a honeymoon, Piper.”

“Believe me, the last few days with you have been better than any vacation I’ve ever had.”

“They have for me too, but I feel like we need more.” I open a nearby cabinet and slide some plane tickets across the table at her, as well as a folder carrying the hotel reservations, car rental, and all the other stuff for the honeymoon I had planned for my wedding to Ophelia.

“Maui? You want to take me to Maui?” She looks excited by the prospect.

“If that’s what you want, sure. But I want something that’s more than just Ophelia’s hand-me-downs for you, Piper. You basically had her wedding, her reception, her ring.”

“You said you’d be replacing the last one.”

“Yeah, but you shouldn’t have her honeymoon. Where do you want to go?”

“I don’t know. This all looks very expensive, Luke. Should we really let it go to waste?”

“It won’t go to waste. We missed the dates already anyway, we just need to reschedule, and if we’re doing that, we may as well go wherever we want. So tell me. Where do you want to go, Piper?”

She lets out a sigh. “Shouldn’t you have a say? It’s your honeymoon too.”

“I promise I won’t let you drag me somewhere I’ll hate, how’s that?”

She smiles. “Why don’t we go somewhere neither of us has ever been? That way we both can experience something new, and enjoy that time together.”

“Well, that rules out Maui. My father took me there all the time to meet with his business partners and I associate it with him now. I only booked this trip because Ophelia wouldn’t settle for anything else.”

“How about Tokyo?”

“Been there on business trips with my father too. Paris?”

“Tabitha paid my way to celebrate our graduation there. Cancun?”

“Basic spring break for rich guys like me. How do you feel about Switzerland?”

“I don’t like the cold that much. What do you think of Miami?”

“I’d prefer something outside the United States. Bit more exotic, for lack of a better term. How about Tahiti?”

“I haven’t been. Sounds wonderful to me.”

“Then Tahiti it is. I’ll handle all the booking, you ask Olivia to cover for you at the flower shop, and we’ll be off soon to enjoy paradise and one another’s company, and get matching tans. Not to say that you need one, beautiful.”

She chuckles. “I guess I need to head into the shop and talk to Olivia. I’d close it, but there are some events scheduled that I have to deliver on. I didn’t foresee marriage and a honeymoon happening to me so fast.”

“Do what you need to do, and I’ll make it work.”

“What about your job?”

“I’ll take time off, don’t worry. Being your own boss has a lot of benefits.”

She bounces to her feet and over to me. We share a kiss, so bubbly and happy together. I relish even these brief and seemingly inconsequential moments. God, I can’t wait to enjoy her again.

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