A Summer Bay Wedding 3 - Don't Tell The Bride

[pollymoon]

Great update Tele - love this story - hope Ella is ok, more soon please xxxxxxx

[Zetti]

"actually now you mention terrorists I want Lily to be bridesmaid ouch! he rubbed at the spot where his mother had poked him.

Lily is a sweet girl, Ella defended with a straight face.

Sweet my he rubbed again at the new spot where his mother had poked him. Will you stop doing that?

No, not at all, probably never.

This part just makes me grin and giggle! So worth the wait!!

Ah loved it.

Looking forward to more!!!

[pembie]

I did find that quite amusing Mike's little shopping trip with Ella. If there's one person who won't let Mike slack off it's Ella. Mike isn't very good at making decisions. I wonder what is up with Ella? I don't want her to be ill.

Sorry I totally missed this being updated.

[TelephotoMarigold]

I did find that quite amusing Mike's little shopping trip with Ella. If there's one person who won't let Mike slack off it's Ella. Mike isn't very good at making decisions. I wonder what is up with Ella? I don't want her to be ill.

Sorry I totally missed this being updated.

Still banned....

[TelephotoMarigold]

Chapter 5

Mike lifted the last box of candles out of his car and carried them into the house. He stacked them up the other side of the room and grinned at what Roman would say when he came home. Alongside those he had boxes of candlesticks, candle holders, chandeliers, votive holders and vases in varying styles. The room had a strange smell to it, not unpleasant but still unusual, and definitely emanating from the mix of scented candles.
Moving over to his laptop he switched it on before going into the kitchen and sorting out a coffee for himself. With the brew done he went back to his laptop and opened up the spreadsheet he had for the wedding. He could cross off candles and dinner service grinning at the boxes the other side of the room. Maybe he should get a storage locker to put this stuff in but then he wouldn’t annoy Roman so much and on behalf of his mother that was the least he could do.
The other couple had argued and his mum had kicked Roman out, according to his brothers and sisters but Mike knew there was more going on. His mother was distant from him since he found out about the so called routine blood tests and the argument –slash- break-up with Roman was too convenient. He couldn’t help but be concerned about her but wisely he knew there was nothing he could do.
“More stuff?” Roman muttered from behind him after coming in through the door.
“Problem?”
“No, just carry on, it’s not like it’s my home or anything,” Roman shot back dumping his stuff on the kitchen top and making himself a coffee.
“If you’re pissed at mother can I suggest you go and sort it out rather than take it out on me?”
“Mike for the very last time, stay out of it!”
“I wasn’t aware there was any ‘it’ for me to stay out of,” Mike said sarcastically, “And actually I think that is the first time you called this dump of a house your home.”
Roman grimaced before giving him a look.
“Then maybe you should get your stuff and get out of my dump, clear off home. Especially since you aren’t even my son,” he stormed through the house and up the stairs, slamming into his bedroom.
Mike sighed before he pulled out his phone and rang his mother. If he got them in the same space maybe they could talk about it and sort this out. The call went through to voicemail and he hung up without leaving a message.
Concentrating on his spreadsheet he looked down the list. Lily’s dress, invites, hairdresser…. Mike stopped and looked again but the words didn’t change. What the hell was he getting a hairdresser and make-up artist for? He pulled out his phone and dialled Nic’s number.
“What annoying one? Sophie is here with Angel,” she added quickly.
“Why am I getting a hairdresser and make-up artist?”
“Hang on..” Mike heard movement as Nic obviously went out of the earshot of the two girls. “For the bride. She gets her hair and make-up done.”
“Oh,” Mike groaned.
“Anything else? Did you check the candles? We don’t want any broken ones? What are you going to do for Danni’s hen night?”
“What?” Mike groaned. Again.
“Oh Mike have you even read the notes I put on your stupid spreadsheet? We’ve got justweeks to do this. Get with the programme!” Her voice rose at the end of the sentence.
“Nic,” he began.
“No Superbrain, you need to step up. Do you want this wedding or not? Because so far you’ve put in no effort whatsoever!”
“Nicole!” He shot out.
“What?”
“I’m suddenly remembering what you were like at your wedding and I think you’re sacked!”
“You can’t do that to me!” She screeched out.
“Right now I’d rather have anyone else help organise my wedding….”
“Mike…”
“No, sacked. Just…”
Mike hung up the phone on his protesting stepsister and sighed. So far his day was going well. He turned as he heard a cough behind him.
“Mike,” Roman murmured.
“Yeah, don’t worry I’ll get out of your hair…”
“I saw your Mum today, she was crying. I couldn’t do anything to help her. I’m sorry I took it out on you,” Roman said quickly.
“She was crying?” Mike gasped, “What?” His thoughts immediately drifted to ‘routine tests’ she was having done and he grimaced knowing that he couldn’t tell his father and hating the situation.
“Something … I can’t put my finger on it, but I know that something is wrong with her. She shut me out. She …”
“I don’t know what to tell you, I can speak to her…”
“No, just… I’m sorry for having a go at you. I didn’t mean it. How is the wedding coming along?”
“I’ve just sacked Nic, why didn’t you warn me… wait you knew she’d go full bridezilla didn’t you?”
“Son, it’s Nic… how come you didn’t know she’d go full bridezilla. I know you were only 10 at the time she was planning her wedding but surely the nightmare of that should have stayed with you?”
“And yet you still told me to go to her?”
“If you wanted a wedding putting together in record time, then seriously who better to have on your side?” Roman shot him a grin, “Why don’t you show me what needs doing?”
“Seriously old man?”
Mike moved over to let his dad sit down next to him on the bench and he went through what had been planned so far. The marquee was booked and they would be providing some long tables and benches to use on the day. He was planning to use his Mum’s patio furniture too and had been inducted to buy copious amounts of material and ribbons to decorate them. “We’ve ordered flowers, have centrepieces. Which I never knew was a thing until now.”
“Celebrant?”
“Geoff. Because I think that would make it more memorable.”
“Got your licence?”
“Yeah, that’s one of the first things I got,” Mike grinned.
“Food?”
“I haven’t… Mike gasped and looked at his list. There was Nic’s hightlighted comment. ‘What are you going to feed everyone Superbrain?’ “Er…”
“Let me guess you are going to order a load of pizza’s?”
“At this rate yeah,” Mike said feeling his face flaming.
“Well I’ll have a word with Leah and see what we can come up with for you,” Roman said quietly.
“I… that’s not… you don’t have to I can sort something out,” Mike stammered.
“I’ll be doing my usual Christmas Eve buffet so it won’t be too much work to do something similar for you if that is what you are worried about.”
“It was, and…” Mike groaned.
“Wedding cake?”
“Yeah I was supposed to confirm the order today,” Mike muttered.
“Maybe you need to step up a notch. Maybe you need to be Groomzilla?”
Mike threw back his head and laughed before he began putting a list of reminders for himself on his phone.
“I.. how did Mum do all this?”
“One thing at a time,” Roman smiled obviously thinking of his mother.
“One kid at a time,” Mike murmured remembering his mother saying something similar.
“That’s it.”
“Dad, why did you have so many kids?”
“Because, aside from Sammy, and the twins, August and Fleur, it was your mother wanting them.”
“And that means?”
“That when you love someone unconditionally you will do anything to make them happy. You’ll live with your heart leaping into the back of your throat every day for nine months whilst they risk having the baby that makes them happy. I regret the twins. Not that I don’t love them Mike, but I regret them because I selfishly wanted another baby. I put your mother through that when I should have decided enough was enough. If I’d lost her because of it I would have…”
“Dad…” he prompted when Roman stopped talking.
“Yeah, you’ve seen me when I’ve lost her. Well, I don’t know what it is about us. From Afghanistan to here. I just feel complete when she’s in my life.”
“I can understand that,” Mike told him, “From the moment I met Danni I felt this electric jolt. I tried so hard to equate her with a sister. I just felt this overwhelming need to protect her.”
“Yeah,” Roman nodded.
“And that’s the bit of me she fights, my protective side.”
“She feels she has to make up for being taken in and becoming part of the family. That she has to do everything alone.”
“Am I right in doing this?”
“Are you asking me?”
“I don’t think Nic will be talking to me any time soon so yeah, I’m talking to you,” Mike grinned as his Dad stood up and moved over to the fridge claiming a couple of beers and coming back to the table. He accepted one and took a long drink enjoying the cold brew.
“From what your Mum has told me and the whole Jennie stuff, then yeah I’d say that you’re right for organising the wedding. Hell, if it were up to me I’d have your mother in front of a celebrant faster than you can say ‘I do’.”
“Yeah and then we’d be having your funeral the day after!”
“Probably!”
Mike laughed before he looked back at his spreadsheet. Guest list flashed up as overdue and he grimaced.
“Damn Nic,” he muttered.
“She’s good.”
“I should…”
“Give her the job back,” Roman told him.
“My SAS training did not prepare me for this mission,” Mike drained the last of his beer and looked at his phone.
“So guest list, who do you want there?”
“Us, the family.”
“Jacko? James Pete?” Roman murmured, “Your mates? Uni friends? Michelle? Miles?”
“Colleen,” Mike nodded at him. “I’m not sure about Michelle. I…er… kissed her.”
“I know. We all know. The whole world knows. But I think Danni has missed her so maybe this is a way of…”
“Bringing them back together?”
Mike made notes on the spreadsheet about who he wanted to invite and then grimaced.
“What?”
“I’ve got George and Irene but then it means your parents aren’t included.”
“My parents?” Roman smiled, “I’m sure they would be flattered but there is no way they’d be able to make it. And then if you invite them you need to invite my brothers and sisters, their partners and all the children. Before you know it you’ll have to book the Sands…”
“Well I don’t want them to think that…”
“They won’t I’ll talk to them. Maybe arrange for you to go spend a couple of days with them after the wedding.”
He breathed out easier at knowing Roman’s family were going to be okay if he didn’t invite them.
“Will you walk her down the aisle?” He asked changing the subject.
“Try and stop me,” Roman grinned at him.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” Mike crossed that off his list, “I want Mum to do the photography.”
“Try and stop her,” Roman laughed.
“So something else of the list,” Mike muttered to himself.
“I think you need to actually ask her son.”
He flushed at Roman’s mocking words and reluctantly picked up his phone and sent a text to his mum before the two of them went through the rest of the list with Roman taking notes about things he was going to do to help organise the wedding.
Roman stretched and eased up from the bench, “I’m heading to bed. Got to get up in the morning.”
“Goodnight old man,” Mike called.

Roman sighed before he rolled over and looked at the open door. El. He remembered seeing her on the beach earlier sitting and crying. There was nothing worse than Ella crying. He lifted the covers and she climbed into bed with him.
A cryptic conversation followed and he went over and over what she was saying for a clue about what was going on before it dawned on him. By the time he went to say something to her she was gone from his bed. Dragging himself up he went to work as normal and tried to focus on what he was doing but she was forever on his mind and then he had the kids in the afternoon keeping him busy. He got them food and waited unsurprised when Ella walked through the door. She sought out his eyes and he looked back at her.
“Hello Ella,” he said slowly his eyes travelling over her. He waited carefully.
She smiled at him before speaking, “Roman,” she said coolly. ”Do you remember my promise?” she asked him.
He felt his heart lurch in his chest and tried not to get his hopes up. Yeah, he remembered her promise where she’d said that when the time was right for him to come home she would kiss him in full view of everyone in the diner. Considering what was going on between them she couldn’t mean that one could she?
“Well you’ve made a few recently, including the one where you promised to rip out my kidneys,” he murmured.
“Yeah, well not that one,” she smirked at him and he moved his arms ready to fold them across himself but she would read that as defensive. He settled for putting his hands in his pockets and knew that she would see his hesitation. “This one was a while ago,” she said stepping closer to him.
“El,” he said quietly glancing around at the kids before looking back at her even as he smelt the lure of her perfume drifting past his nostrils. He had to resist moving closer to her, had to resist doing anything except stand there and wait.
She took another step towards him and then he felt the press of her lips against his. Even then he waited as though this was a horrible dream and he would wake up and she’d be back to normal tormenting self any second. But then he felt the tremor running through her, the way there were tears in her eyes, the hesitation in her hands as she reached for him.
This was no dream.
Unable to stand it a moment longer Roman reached for her and pulling her into his arms he kissed her back. That perfume of hers danced in the air between them and he felt the warmth of her body against his. There was still something not right, something she wasn’t telling him but he knew that he’d find out. Now wasn’t about that, it was about her promise to him, her commitment to him. She wouldn’t do this in front of the kids if she didn’t want him home, want him back. His lips curved against hers as he smiled and then he lifted his head and looked into her eyes. She was his Ella.
“What the hell…” he heard Mike mutter from the doorway where he and Danni were.
“Oh like you didn’t know,” Danni shot back to him giving him a nudge to propel him forward.
“Know what?” Sophie picked up on.
“The parents,” Danni grinned as Sophie flushed and glared at her brothers and sisters around the table before she looked at her parents.
“Like what? Seriously what,” Sammy muttered.
Danni walked past a still shocked Mike and over to where the kids were easing down beside them on the long bench as they shifted round. She juggled Jennie for a minute before settling her daughter down on her lap.
“Oh it’s been going on months, didn’t you guess?”
Sophie shook her head and groaned.
“I take it this means…” Roman asked breaking away from Ella to look into her eyes.
“It does,” she grinned back.
They held hands and he guided her into the kitchen away from the audience of kids.
“El,” he said softly.
“I found a lump. I had tests.”
“And?” He asked quickly.
“I don’t know,” He watched as Ella bit her bottom lip showing her uncertainty, before placing an envelope in his hands, “I realised that pushing you away…”
“Ah so that was it,” he interrupted.
Reaching out he took hold of the envelope and opened it scanning the document quickly unable to stop the smile on his face.
“Roman?” Ella muttered looking up at him.
“All clear, it’s a cyst.” He felt her sway on her feet and quickly put his arms around her. “So you thought I wouldn’t cope?”
“No,” she told him bluntly.
“I’ve changed,” he whispered.
“I didn’t want to risk it.”
“Because I let you down?”
“Because I didn’t want you to go through that pain again,” she answered slowly.
“Me?”
“Roman please, I watched you before, you shut down, you hated not being able to ..”
“protect you,” he finished her sentence and closed his eyes briefly as he remembered that time.
“And because well, where it was, I er…”
“I’m a leg man,” Roman said quickly and she saw him smirk at her blush.
“You knew?”
“I didn’t but there was something wrong,” he muttered.
“Uh huh soldier,” she muttered back.
Roman tucked away the results and the envelope into his pocket and pressed another kiss to her lips.
“Does this mean I get to pack my stuff and come home?”
“You need to ask?”
“Well I didn’t want to just turn up and find a cup of coffee thrown over me..”
Ella glared at him before spinning around and striding into the restaurant area and moved to sit with the kids lifting their troublemaking daughter on to her lap. He smiled as he watched her for a second before joining them placing a drink in front of her.
“Mama kiss Dada,” Lily announced, “agains,” she added with a shrug.
“Again?” Sammy groaned, “And you didn’t think about telling us?”
“I think we need to have a little talk,” Ella told them.
“So..” Sophie began.
“You’re grounded,” Roman told her, “all of you.”
“You really want them at home with us all the time?” Ella asked.
“Wait, what?” Georgie looked from one to the other before looking at his brothers and sisters. “Home? As in Dad moving back in?”
“Maybe,” Roman said quietly, “it depends.”
“It depends?” Ella asked giving him a startled look for a second.
He grinned at her before speaking, “On Lily getting out of the pool when she’s asked, on Liam not complaining when Lily makes him dress up with her, on Sophie stopping being a brat, on Meggy not causing trouble, on Georgie not doing the arm thing, on Sammy not using a camera to spy on us…”
“Hey!” Georgie as always was the first to protest.
“Buts I no like being a princess,” Liam muttered.
“Dada is teasing my man,” Ella murmured to him.
“So are we having a bbq?” Mike asked after a moment.
“Better round up the others,” Roman told him, “put them all out of their misery and stop the plotting.”

[Zetti]

Ah I have missed this story, Mike is just adorable when he panics and realises how much he has to sort out for the wedding. Nicole is the wedding planner from hell but that was just to be expected.

Awww... Roman and Ella are officially 'out' to everyone, yay!

Looking forward to more

[Inactive User]

Great chapter

Update soon please Xxx

[pollymoon]

Great chapter Tele - love it, love the way Roman helped Mike and love that Roman is moving back in with Ella. more soon please xxxx

[pembie]

Probably not the smartest idea Mike's had sacking Nicole as his wedding organiser But Roman did a good job stepping in and helping.

Update again soon

[ldscott]

Great Chapter Tele!

Love that they are finally back together officially and love Mike' cluelessness!

Can't wait for the next chapter

Lisa xx