Jaci Burton - Holiday Games

His wife was one sexy mystery to him.

One of the many reasons he loved her so much.

There was nothing like a hot weekend in Jamaica to take Liz’s mind off work, wedding and holiday pressure. And the pressure of making a baby. Being with the girls this weekend was going to be amazing.

Jenna had originally thought about going to Las Vegas, but Ty had told her that was where he and the guys were going, and she didn’t want to accidentally run into him. She truly wanted a girls-only experience, so Liz suggested they head toward Jamaica. Sure, it was out of the country, but Liz had connections and booked them into an all-inclusive resort. They were going to do the beach, and the spa, and then party away at the clubs until their feet were so sore they couldn’t stand anymore.

Liz was going to make sure Jenna had the time of her life while she was still single. Not that they planned to get Jenna laid or anything, but she knew from experience that once you got married, you got wrapped up in each other, and less involved with all things related to the single life. Why not let Jenna cut loose and have a little fun?

Their rooms were beautiful and spacious, with a magnificent view of the ocean. She’d booked adjoining suites so they could all move back and forth and hang out together. She and Jenna were in one room, while Savannah, Tara, and Alicia were in the other.

Jenna got as far as opening her suitcase before she wandered out onto the terrace. “Get out here, Liz.”

Liz followed.

“This is fucking fabulous. I’m never leaving. Ty’s going to have to come down here for the wedding.”

Liz grinned. “So you like it?”

Jenna looked at her. “What’s not to like? It’s warm, gorgeous, and there’s no work to do. Put a drink in my hand and I’m telling you, you’ll have to drag me kicking and screaming back on the plane.”

“Let’s get unpacked, hit the beach, and get started on those drinks, then.”

Liz unpacked and changed into her swimsuit. She put on a cover-up and slipped on her sandals. By then, everyone else was unpacked. Jenna was nearly vibrating with excitement, so they all headed downstairs to the pool area.

Liz had called down to rent a cabana while everyone else was unpacking and changing.

“This is sweetly decadent,” Savannah said as they were escorted to the sheltered, private space right on the beach. “I could definitely get used to this level of pampering.”

Immediately, a waiter showed up to take their drink orders.

“I want something with rum in it,” Jenna said. “I think just a rum and pineapple juice.”

“Trying to keep it simple?” Alicia asked.

“Yes. Nothing too fruity. Those complicated recipes will sneak up on you and kick your ass.”

“I’ll have the same,” Alicia said.

“I’ll have rum and coconut juice,” Savannah said.

Tara debated. “Actually, the pineapple juice does sound good. I’ll have that one.”

The waiter looked at Liz. “Just orange juice, plain, for me.”

Jenna cocked a brow. “Designated driver?”

She laughed. “No. Just not in the mood for a cocktail yet.”

The cabana was gorgeous, the sun warm, which made Liz glad for the shade since she’d burn to a crisp without it. Jenna and Tara made a beeline for the water and the waiter brought their drinks. Liz settled against the back of the chaise with her orange juice.

“I think I’m going to swim,” Savannah said. “It looks so good.”

“I’ll join you,” Alicia said, getting up from the chair. She looked over to Liz. “Are you coming?”

“No. I’m going to sit here and stare at the sea and bask for a while. You two go ahead.”

Alicia grinned. “Okay.”

After they left, Liz closed her eyes and soaked in the heat, suddenly aware of how much she missed Gavin already.

Ugh. Love was such an all-consuming thing. She’d never wanted to fall in love, had never thought she would. Unfortunately, she’d been in love with Gavin for what seemed like forever. She’d thought marrying him would settle her feelings, make them a little less . . . intense.

She’d been wrong. They’d only grown more, the yearnings she felt for him intensifying the more time they spent together. He was everything to her—kind and generous and fun and playful. He was a generous lover, and even when they argued, which was rarely, it was still with a fiery passion. And their arguments tended to fizzle out quickly, because they communicated so well.

She’d found the man of her dreams and she considered herself so lucky.

She should be wholly content. And she was. Except she wanted to have his baby, and Mother Nature or some cosmic force in the universe refused to grant her this one wish. Maybe it was because she was so exceptionally happy in all other facets of her relationship. Maybe this just wasn’t meant to be, and she was going to have to learn to accept it.

They had already talked adoption, and she certainly wasn’t opposed to that. She’d love a child they could raise together, no matter where that child came from. She was going to give it another six months to a year. If they weren’t pregnant by then, they were going to start seriously pursuing adoption. By then she’d have figured for sure that pregnancy wasn’t an option for her.

The women all came back, dripping wet.

“How was it?” she asked.

“Fantastic,” Jenna said. “The water is warm and perfect. You should have joined us.”

“I will the next go-round. My fair skin can only handle so much of that sun. Besides, I sat back and enjoyed the quiet, something I don’t get a lot of with the fast pace of my job.”

Savannah grabbed a towel and patted herself down. “I understand that. It’s always run here, run there, grab a flight and run somewhere else.” She took a seat in the chaise and let out a breath. “It’s nice to just . . . sit and take a breath.”

“Yes, it is.”

Jenna stretched her legs out. “And here I am running you all ragged for my wedding.”

Tara squeezed her hand. “Honey, this is paradise. It’s hardly what I would call running us ragged.”

“I just don’t want to exhaust all of you. I know you live busy lives.”

“And you don’t?” Liz asked. “You have the club to run, and I know that despite the fact you turned over Riley’s bar to a new manager, you still have your thumbprint all over that place.”

“I do not. Dave’s doing a great job managing the bar. He doesn’t need me meddling.”

“But it’s still a family-owned business, which means someone in the family has to watch over it, right?” Alicia asked.

Jenna shrugged. “I might look in every now and then. So does Dad.”

Liz shot her a look. “Dad is happy being retired and stopping in the bar every now and then to visit with his old friends. Not check on liquor stock, personnel, and accounting.”

Jenna sighed and cast a pleading gaze toward Savannah.

“Don’t look at me,” Savannah said. “I agree with them. I think you have your hands full and you take on too much.”

“Well, someone has to do it. Dad has the health issues and he has to take it easy, so he can’t deal with the stress. Mom can’t deal with the financial issues because it’s not her thing. I ran the bar for years before I started the music club. I know Dave is doing great as a manager and we all trust him completely . . .”

“But he’s not a Riley,” Liz finished for her.

Jenna sighed. “The family has to oversee the family business. That’s just the way it is. The bottom line is, it’s our business and we have to run it. I thought I could step away, but I just haven’t been able to walk away completely yet.”

Alicia turned around and sat sideways in the chaise so she faced Jenna. “I think you’re just having trouble letting go. Do Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Kathleen believe there’s any issue with trusting Dave to run Riley’s bar?”

Jenna looked at Alicia for a few seconds before shaking her head. “No. They have complete confidence in him.”

“Okay. So do you have any issues with Dave?”

“No.”

“Then maybe you’re the one who has issues with letting go of something that was yours to manage for so many years,” Liz suggested.

“You’re probably right. I do have a problem with letting it go. I’m afraid something might happen. Something could get screwed up, and if it does, it’ll be my fault.”

“Why?” Savannah asked. “Because you wanted something for yourself? Because you had the nerve to chase your dream?”

Jenna looked down at her hands, then lifted her head, her gaze scanning all of them. “Yes. Part of me still feels like I don’t deserve all of this.”

“Okay,” Liz said. “That’s normal. You’re happy. You have the career of your dreams, the man of your dreams, and I don’t think there’s any one of us who hasn’t been in the same position and felt like it’s too good to be true.”

“Liz is right,” Savannah said. “Once we get that happily ever after, where everything falls into place with career, and we’re lucky enough to find someone who loves us for who we are, we can’t help but have those self doubts creep in. Are we deserving enough? Surely something is wrong with this picture. When will something come along and screw everything up?”

“We’re our own worst enemies when it comes to our happiness,” Tara said.

“Why is that?” Jenna asked. “Why can’t I just be happy about having everything I’ve ever wanted?”

Liz laughed. “The nature of women, I guess. As soon as we think we have everything we could ever want, something comes along to screw it up. Or at least we think something is screwing it up. Even if it’s all in our heads and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with our perfect lives.”

Tara frowned. “Uh-oh. That sounds like a personal cry for help.”

The waiter came and they ordered another round of drinks. Liz ordered a club soda this time.

“You’re not drinking,” Savannah said, giving her the once-over.

“I’m not pregnant, if that’s what you’re thinking,” Liz said, taking a sip of her club soda. “And that’s the problem. I want to be and I can’t make it happen.”

“I’m sorry,” Savannah said. “I didn’t know you’d been trying.”

“For over a year. It’s frustrating. I’m someone who gets what I want—at least in business. Even with Gavin. I secretly loved him for years. And he fell in love with me. It bowled me over that I got the man of my dreams. So why can’t I have this, too?”

“This isn’t exactly business, Liz,” Alicia said. “And you ended up with Gavin because the two of you loved each other. But as far as fertility? That’s something you have no control over.”

Liz sighed. “Tell me about it.”

“Is there a problem?” Savannah asked. “Have you talked to your gynecologist?”

“Yes. She’s run tests on me and says all my girlie parts are fully functional, and Gavin’s got champion sperm.”

Savannah laughed. “Good to know.”

“So it’s really a matter of things just not . . . happening yet.”

“Maybe you need to relax,” Alicia said.

Tara nodded. “Same thing I told her. Just have sex and have fun with it.”

“Again with the sex with my brother topic,” Jenna said, wrinkling her nose. “Clearly, I’m never going to get away from it.”

She’d have to remember to thank Jenna later for the subject change. She laughed. “Yes, enough of that topic. I think I’m ready for that dip in the water.”

After lounging at the water all day, they headed up to their rooms to rest. Taking a nap in the afternoon was decadent, at least for Liz. And it made her feel refreshed.

They went out to dinner, then went for a walk along the beach. But they made it an early night and hung out in the room because everyone was tired from the trip. Plus, it was nice to just hang out. With their busy lives it was nice to just sit and talk with the girls. Tomorrow night they’d party.

The next morning they hit the pool early, staking out a couple of the best cabanas with water views. All the girls wanted to work on their tans, pre wedding, while Liz was content to hide in the shade, limiting her sun exposure. A light tan worked fine for her.

“Again, I’m never leaving,” Jenna said, sipping a cocktail in the cabana.

“I think Tyler might object to that.”

Jenna grinned at Liz. “He can come live here with me. I’ll open a bar.”

“He might miss hockey,” Savannah suggested.

“Are you suggesting I’m going to have to rethink my plan to relocate to Jamaica?”

“Possibly,” Alicia said.