Delayed Gratification: The Honeymoon Page 4

  “Well, it seems like a pretty big coincidence to me.”

  Rae’s hackles rose. “What does that mean?”

  “I know you love it here.” Willa folded her arms under her breasts. Her nipples poked out, visible through the thin cotton of her T-shirt, and her furious eyes flashed, gorgeous and bright. Combined with her sleep-tousled hair and flushed cheeks, the effect made her appear so frighteningly sexy that Rae couldn’t help but ogle the length of her scantily clad body. Unfortunately, Willa didn’t seem to appreciate the appraisal. At all. “I also know damn well that you weren’t excited about the long flight ahead of us. So this—being stranded in Michigan, in the middle of winter—is pretty much a dream come true for you, isn’t it? Nothing to do, no itinerary to follow. But let me tell you right now, if you think you’re getting laid today, after this, you’ve got another think coming.”

  Rae flinched at the venom in Willa’s tone. “I didn’t turn off your damn alarm, okay?” She tightened her hands into fists as her own frustration exploded. “You want to punish me for things I can’t control, like winter storms or asshole drivers or alarms that don’t wake you up, then fine. You do that.” Her throat stung at the realization that, so far, their dream honeymoon ranked high among the worst excursions they’d ever attempted together. “Get laid on my honeymoon? Why would I ever dream that would happen? Everyone knows that honeymoons are for sightseeing and over-ambitious itineraries, right?” The long months of stressful tension surrounding the planning and execution of their wedding and its aftermath triggered a flood of deeply suppressed emotion. “Look at you, Willa. The mere suggestion that we may have to spend a day or two entertaining each other is enough to make you declare our entire honeymoon ruined. I’m so sorry I can’t compete with Carnevale. After ten years, I guess fucking your wife just isn’t that exciting anymore. At least, not like hanging out with a bunch of fancily dressed Italians wearing masks.”

  Willa’s face shifted during the middle of her rant. The anger remained, but now with a dose of fear and uncertainty mixed in. “Don’t do that. Don’t make this about sex.” Her throat jumped as her gaze shifted out the window. “We have sex.”

  “I know we do.” Rae tried to soften her tone, one last, desperate attempt to deescalate this conflict. “I’m not saying we don’t. Also, you were the one who brought up sex, not me.”

  “You really think I haven’t fantasized about making love to you in Venice? In Montreux?” Willa’s blue eyes turned dangerously stormy, mirroring the sky outside. “I’m so sorry that my dream honeymoon didn’t involve getting down in an elderly Midwestern couple’s empty-nest-syndrome hotel, okay? All I wanted was something real, for once. The honeymoon we deserved, ten years after we should’ve had it.”

  “This is a real honeymoon,” Rae said quietly. “Because we’re together. The rest is what we make of it.”

  “Don’t, Rae. Don’t act like I’m selfish because I wanted the hours upon hours I spent planning this trip to matter.”

  “I’m not saying you don’t have the right to be disappointed. I’m saying…being shitty to me won’t change anything about this situation. All it does is make everything worse.” Rae stepped closer but hesitated to reach out. Willa’s posture remained rigid. Afraid she was violating her own advice not to send things farther downhill, Rae repeated, softly, “Please don’t make this any worse. Just…let it go.”

  That last comment was apparently Willa’s final straw. Huffing, she tugged on her jeans, grabbed her phone off the nightstand, and stormed out of the room. Rae called after her in a hushed voice but fell silent once the bedroom door swung closed. She was already embarrassed enough about their semi-noisy argument and didn’t want to alert their generous hosts to her usually gracious wife’s dismay at being stranded in their luxury suite. Unsure what to do, Rae sat in a cozy armchair near the window and stared outside. Silently, she lamented how little time it had taken for their dream vacation to go so terribly wrong.

  Minutes later, a quiet knock on the door pulled Rae’s attention away from the unrelenting snowfall. Convinced that Willa had decided to crawl back and apologize, Rae answered the door without first looking through the peephole. Her mouth snapped shut at the sight of a gray-haired man holding a tray laden with delicious-smelling breakfast foods. In his late sixties, easily, Lynn’s husband wore a sunny smile reminiscent of his wife’s, but possibly twice as bright.

  “Good morning, young lady! I was told to deliver all these pancakes, scrambled eggs, potatoes, sourdough toast, fruit, yogurt, granola, and sausage—assuming you eat meat, being from San Francisco and all—to the lovely lesbian newlyweds in the honeymoon suite.” The man passed over the tray with a bow. “I’m Paul, Lynn’s other half. Are you Rae or Willa?”

  “Rae.” She grinned, charmed in spite of her lingering distress over their argument. “My wife is…out. Making some calls.”

  Paul remained in the hallway while Rae carried the tray to a cafe table near the balcony door. “Ah, yes. Lynn told me about your unfortunate delay. I understand that your wife is quite upset about missing Carnevale. Poor girl.”

  Rae returned to the door so they could continue their conversation. It felt nice to speak to someone who wasn’t pissed off at her. “Yeah. To be honest, she’s barely holding on at the moment. I don’t know what she’ll do if we end up stranded here for any length of time.”

  Paul frowned. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the TV weather forecast mentioned that they cancelled all flights out of Detroit this morning. Until tomorrow night, at least. Depending on how fast the storm passes, I suppose.”

  Rae closed her eyes, barely suppressing the urge to curse. “So we’ll definitely have to wait another year for our chance to see Carnevale. At least. It’s not like we’ll be able to afford two trips to Europe twelve months apart or spare the vacation time.” She sighed and gave a helpless shrug. “I understand her frustration and disappointment, completely, but I wish Willa could see this as an unexpected chance to spend time together in a quieter, more intimate setting than we would’ve otherwise.”

  Paul offered her a fatherly pat on the shoulder across the threshold. “Give her some time to steam. She’ll settle down soon enough, and you’ll both find your way back to the purpose of your trip. I’m sure of it.”

  Rae wished she possessed the same confidence. “I sure hope so.”

  “I know our little inn isn’t exactly Venice, but Lynn and I plan to do our best to make your stay magical. You’ve got my word.” He waggled his bushy eyebrows.

  Wishing Willa were just as on board to enjoy this unplanned but thoroughly delightful detour as she was, Rae waggled her eyebrows back. “I appreciate that. And listen, I’m sorry for getting stuck here like this. We’ll pay for however many nights we end up staying, of course.”

  “You’ll do no such thing.” Paul waved off the offer, exactly as his wife had. “It’s our treat. A wedding gift.”

  Rae’s eyes stung as gratitude swelled in her chest. Neither her nor Willa’s parents had offered them a wedding gift. Rae’s father had called her the night before the ceremony, apologized for not being there to give her away, and made an excruciating, offhand comment about how at least he wasn’t missing a real wedding. As for Willa’s parents, they hadn’t spoken to their daughter in over five years, not since one last, failed attempt to cure her homosexuality by arranging a surprise meeting with the family pastor during one of Willa’s rare visits home. To experience this level of generosity from complete strangers—strangers from their parents’ generation, no less—touched Rae to a degree she couldn’t have anticipated. “Thank you, Paul. That’s incredibly kind of you two.”

  “And let me just say, I hope you weren’t worried that Lynn and I wouldn’t accept you and Willa—and your marriage—here.” He hooked his thumbs in the loops of his blue jeans and hitched them up. “I’ll admit, I did struggle a bit at first when our oldest daughter Violet came out to us, but then I realized…I’d known ever since she was
a little girl. It was just so…obvious.” He chuckled, clearly lost in happy memories, then refocused on Rae. “Did Lynn tell you our girl is marrying her fiancée in July? The whole family is flying in to celebrate. I can’t wait!”

  Rae nodded, melancholy for the unbelievable bliss she’d felt in the wake of her own romantic ceremony in the redwoods. Willa had planned the perfect wedding to create a truly magical day she’d remember for the rest of her life. For that reason alone, she had to concede that Willa did deserve the perfect honeymoon. Was she wrong for expecting Willa to redefine her idea of perfection simply because they were alone together at last, without responsibilities or distractions, for the first time in months? At the end of the day, she wanted to make Willa as happy as Willa made her.

  To Paul, she said, “I hope it’s one of the best days of your daughter’s life.”

  “Honey, me too.” Paul performed another bow and backed into the hallway. “Anyway, I’ll leave you to your breakfast. We don’t want those pancakes to get cold.” He grinned. “Though if they do, there’s a microwave downstairs in the kitchen you’re welcome to use.”

  “Thank you, again.” Rae managed a weary smile, wondering whether she should wait for Willa or eat alone. “If you happen to see my wife, will you please tell her there’s food in our room? She must be starving. I know I am.”

  “Absolutely.” Paul gave her shoulder another reassuring squeeze. “Chin up, young lady. Everything will be all right.”

  “I hope so.” Rae put her hand on Paul’s, grateful for the encouragement. Inside, though, she wondered how.

  Chapter Five

  Willa’s teeth chattered as she pocketed her phone and returned to the warmth of the inn’s front foyer. She’d stepped outside to cool off, both literally and figuratively, and assess their current situation. After a handful of phone calls and a few Internet searches, she had finally accepted the simple reality that they were well and truly stuck in southwestern Michigan. Most likely for another day, if not two. Not only that, but nothing either she or Rae had done since leaving the airport the night before would have gotten them onto another plane. The early morning, backup flight out of Detroit had been cancelled. Nearly every airport in the country was in total chaos due to the storm and the massive flight delays and cancellations it was causing across multiple states, so the chances of them getting off the ground anywhere today were essentially zero. Even if they’d chosen to drive in another direction. Even if Rae had agreed to put their lives at risk last night simply to make Willa happy.

  “Shit,” Willa mumbled under her breath. She rubbed her palms together, then swiped at her cold cheeks and the hot tears tracking from the corners of her eyes. Rae was right. I made an already bad situation so much worse, and for nothing. Which is just…perfect.

  What the hell is wrong with me?

  Disappointment was a perfectly acceptable reaction to this type of event, but the way she’d refused to listen to reason, the way she’d blamed Rae for things that were beyond anyone’s control…that wasn’t her. Frankly, Willa barely recognized herself anymore. Distraught, this time about her own actions rather than the dismantling of her stupid itinerary, she went into the empty sitting room and curled up in a high-backed chair next to a large, frost-tinged window. Her tears continued to flow, but though she hated the idea of being caught crying, she couldn’t go back to their room. Not yet. She wasn’t ready to face Rae or explain herself. Frankly, she wasn’t positive she was even ready to let go of her lingering anger about missing Carnevale.

  She was a big, stupid ball of emotions, basically, and was clearly better off alone. Perhaps forever.

  For both their sakes.

  Sniffling, Willa jolted out of her self-flagellation when Lynn strode into the room burdened by an armful of wood for the fireplace. Lynn also seemed startled but recovered with a sheepish chuckle. “Oh, my. I’m sorry. I didn’t hear you come downstairs.”

  Willa wiped furiously at her face and leapt to her feet. “I had to make a few phone calls…didn’t want to bother Rae.”

  Lynn kept her kind eyes trained on Willa as she crossed the room to deposit the firewood in its holder. “Judging from your expression, I’m guessing you got bad news.” She frowned for mere seconds before softening into a sympathetic smile. “I’m so sorry, darling. Don’t lose hope…you’ll make it to Europe, even if not today. In the meantime, Paul and I will do our level best to make your delay bearable. You have my word on that.” She wrapped her arm around Willa’s shoulders, offering a gentle hug. “After all, the two of you deserve a beautiful honeymoon.”

  Willa’s chin wobbled at the unexpectedly kind words and how freely they were offered. In some ways, Lynn reminded her of her own mom, minus the intolerance and bigotry, of course. It had been a long time since Willa had been mothered in any way. At this point in her life, she’d never admit to even wanting such a thing. But within Lynn’s nurturing embrace, she felt comforted—and then, all at once, unbearably sad. “Do we?” A long-banished specter of familiar, unwelcome shame crawled up Willa’s spine, chased by her self-loathing for having alienated the one person in the world who’d always accepted her exactly as she was. “Maybe my parents were right. Maybe the universe really is punishing us.”

  Lynn snorted with derision, then delivered a light, admonishing slap to her upper arm. “Oh, please. No offense to your folks, but…you don’t really believe that, do you?”

  Willa shrugged, now thoroughly dejected. “Deep down, no. But…” Lower lip trembling, she dropped back into the chair as a fresh torrent of tears spilled over. “After so many years of struggling to have our relationship legally recognized, of worrying about health care and hypothetical hospital visits, of dealing with intolerant, dismissive remarks from our families and the occasional brush with ignorance in our daily lives…all I wanted was the perfect honeymoon I dreamed about as a little girl with the love of my life, now that we’ve finally gotten married. That’s it.” Sniffing, she met Lynn’s gaze. “Am I selfish?”

  “No, sweetheart.” Lynn sat in the chair opposite hers and took her hands. “Of course not.”

  Willa shook her head, then gently pulled away from Lynn to shield her face with her fingers. Her parents, particularly her father, had always discouraged open displays of sadness or distress. He’d insisted that she constantly put on a happy face, lest she bring shame to the entire family. Time and therapy might have healed many of the results of her upbringing, but it was still humiliating to let Lynn see her this way, even if she’d likely never talk to the woman again after they escaped this frozen wasteland. Blushing, Willa whispered, “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s perfectly all right.” Lynn patted her knee. “You’re allowed to be sad.”

  Willa cringed as she struggled to accept comfort she wasn’t certain she deserved. “Maybe, but I went way beyond sad into downright shitty.” She winced at the obscenity as it tripped off her tongue, looking up to meet Lynn’s concerned gaze. “Sorry, again.”

  Lynn shook her head. “Want to talk about it?”

  Willa raised one shoulder. “I…haven’t handled our delay very well. To say the least.” She hesitated, embarrassed to admit the extent of last night and this morning’s meltdowns. “I’ve been short with Rae. Stressed. And…even angry that she didn’t try harder to fix the situation. I realize now that she couldn’t have—something I should have realized all along.” She hung her head. “She attempted the trip to Detroit. The accident wasn’t her fault, and it clearly shook her up. Badly. Yet I still—” She fought to steady her voice. “Then this morning, when the alarm didn’t wake me, I accused her of turning it off without giving me a chance to get up.” With a humorless bark of laughter, she confessed the ugly truth. “Turns out my phone was in do-not-disturb mode. I forgot I’d done that before the flight. Not her fault.” She dissolved into helpless tears. “None of this was her fault, but I acted like it was. On our honeymoon. Like some terrible…witch.” She hiccupped. “I’m not sure if we’re even sp
eaking right now.”

  “Oh, honey.” Lynn chuckled warmly, then shot her a saucy wink. “This is your honeymoon. And you’ve basically been married for ten years already. I have a feeling making up won’t be hard to do.”

  Willa couldn’t help but giggle at Lynn’s suggestive tone. The brief moment of levity allowed her to push away her lingering despair and focus on the truth of Lynn’s words. Yes, it would take a lot more than one argument to destroy the love she and Rae had cultivated over the past decade and the life they’d built together. To fix this, Willa only needed to apologize like a big girl. Grovel, if necessary. “You’re right.”

  “Of course I am. That’s the best part about being old and wise.” Lynn tickled the underside of Willa’s knee playfully, eliciting a high-pitched giggle. “Now if I’m not mistaken, Paul took breakfast up to your room not long ago. Why don’t you go enjoy some pancakes and eggs with your wife?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Willa took a determined breath. “An excellent idea. It’s time to do this unexpected delay right.”

  “Good girl.” Lynn stood to leave, then paused and carefully stroked the crown of Willa’s head with a gentle hand. “And sweetheart, don’t listen to your parents. I’m sure they love you, but they don’t know what the hell they’re talking about.”

  Willa nodded. After years of therapy, she did know that. Now. “Yes, ma’am,” she repeated, softer this time.

  “The universe brought you here, after all.” Lynn tugged lightly on Willa’s hair. “At the risk of sounding immodest, I’d like to think that’s an incontrovertible sign of benevolence.”

  Willa grinned up at the older woman. “Excellent point.” She nodded as Lynn left the room, then slowly got to her feet and made her way back upstairs. She lingered outside their bedroom door, unsure how to begin to apologize. The painful awareness that Rae had to feel every bit as miserable as she did finally emboldened Willa to push aside her uncertainty and test the knob. The door was unlocked.