Moore than Forever Read online

  Seth shook his head, “Yes and no. There’s no right or wrong in a situation like this. It just comes down to personal preference. Yes, you are getting married on the beach, but this is not some hippie wedding out of the ‘70’s. You’re getting married at one of the most prestigious resorts on the east coast.”

  “You shit,” Mia punched Seth in the arm, “did you forget to tell me something, Princess?”

  “Oh yeah, I guess I should have mentioned this. You’re getting married September 27th at Gurney’s.”

  “Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh,” Mia’s screams scared Nathaniel, his lower lip immediately starting to tremble as his little face collapsed.

  “Oh my sweet boy,” Seth went to him immediately, scooping him out of his Pack ‘N Play, “did your crazy BBC mommy scare you. She scares me too sometimes.”

  “How am I going to be ready for a wedding at the end of September,” Mia’s green eyes were wide with fear, “there’s so much to do.”

  “BBC, you need to stay out of this,” Nathaniel had his head on Seth’s shoulder, while Seth gently rubbed his back, calming him down, “Elan and I have this under control. We’ll let you and gorgeous know when we need you to step in.” Sensing a combination of panic and Bridezilla behavior coming on, “Breathe, BBC. We’re not continuing until you get hold of yourself.”

  “Bitchy queen,” she muttered under her breath.

  “I heard that,” he continued to rub a now sleepy Nathaniel’s back. “Ok,” he continued, “because I know you as well as I do, there’s one more invitation I’d like to show you.”

  Reaching back into his laptop bag, Seth extracted a square tan kraft box embossed in gold “Join Us” with a fancy gold scroll design above and below the letters. He slid it across the table to Mia.

  The simple box was significantly more casual than the first three options Seth had presented. Mia lifted the cover from the box. Inside was gold pearlized tissue paper. She could see something dimensional beneath the paper and was eager to find out what was below. Flipping the tissue paper back made Mia gasp. Looking up at Seth, her mouth hung open.

  “I love it,” she exclaimed, “you knew I’d love it.”

  “Mais oui,” he looked very satisfied as he confirmed in French.

  Underneath the tissue paper was a beautiful, white starfish - a real starfish, lying on heavy ocean blue and sand-colored damask cardstock, secured with a double gold rope tied in a nautical knot.

  “It’s creative, it’s different, it’s whimsical, it’s beautiful and it totally fits a beach wedding.”

  Inside the box was a host of components; a sand dollar shaped invitation that opened like a bloom, a reply card and matching envelope, an additional information card and a gold paperclip with a seashell topper holding the whole thing together.

  “So do we have an invite?” he got up to put Nathaniel down in his playpen to sleep.

  “As far as I’m concerned, yes. But I guess I should run this by Schooner.”

  Waving his hand at her, Seth dismissed her comment, “Trust me, he doesn’t care as long as you, BBC, are happy. Ok, well I need to get firm invite counts from the two of you because these are handmade and assembled by a woman out of Newport, Rhode Island.

  Mia felt her stomach knot at the mention of Newport. “When do you need the counts?”

  “Yesterday.” Going back into his laptop bag, he pulled out several pieces of paper, “On to the next item we need to take care of,” he paused, “you.”

  “Moi?” Mia reached for a bottle of water.

  “So, I’ve been scouting dresses…”

  “Oh God, I love you. If you could try them on for me, life would be perfect.”

  “I may borrow your dress for Halloween. Get a big gold necklace that says BBC. Go as you.”

  “Anything for tits, huh?” Mia laughed.

  “You know it. Anyway here is what I was thinking. Obviously not some big, garish, overwhelming dress.”

  “Right, I was thinking tea or cocktail length. I think long and sand is a mistake.”

  “I totally agree and we have to make sure it’s mature enough without being dowdy,” he added, rifling through the papers.

  “Totally agree,” Mia reached for the papers he had cinched in his hands. He quickly pulled them out of her reach.

  “Not so quickly, BBC. I looked at the designers you’d expect first. Didn’t find anything with the right length that wasn’t poufy. And I know you don’t want poufy. It would be hideous and you’d look fat.”

  “Thank you,” she fake smiled.

  “Well, you know it’s true. So, I did find some possibilities, first is this champagne lace sheath from Monique Lhullier,” he passed the first sheet of paper to her.

  “That’s very pretty. Very elegant. I need to start dieting now,” Mia studied the dress closely.

  “Then I thought, what about vintage?”

  Their eyes met, Mia had her hand out for the second sheet of paper, but Seth was not handing it over.

  “I like vintage. A lot. Just as long as it’s not a big skirted thing.”

  “Unfortunately, that was most of it, but I did find this edge of the shoulder Ian Stuart at Kleinfeld’s,” he finally handed the page to Mia.

  “Oh, that is very pretty. I love the lines and the lace. But it’s total bride. I think I’m going to look ridiculous in a real wedding dress at my age, don’t you?”

  Seth nodded, “It’s a risk. And it’s not Schooner’s first wedding and he’s got two grown kids.”

  Mia started to pout, “Why am I even doing this Seth? We should just go down to City Hall and be done with it.”

  “Not an option, BBC,” he snarled at her, pissed off that she would even suggest such a thing and rob everyone around her of the enjoyment, “you are so selfish.”

  “Show me that last piece of paper, Princess.”

  Without saying a word, he handed it over to her. Mia’s face immediately lit with delight.

  “I like this. I like this a lot. It’s dressy, but casual, age appropriate, it’s understated, you know” she continued to study the BCBG/MaxAzria white lace high-low dress, “and it’s got a great line to it, so I think it will fit me fine.”

  “You do realize that your shoes will be more expensive than this dress?”

  Looking over at him, Mia laughed, “That’s actually really funny. But you’re right.” She looked back at the paper, “I should order one and have it shipped out here to see if it fits.”

  “No need,” Seth walked in the house and came out a few minutes later with the dress in her size, “I’ve been dressing you for how many years now,” was all he said.

  Grabbing the dress, she ran passed him into the house. Seth picked up Nathaniel and brought him in, laying him down at the center of Mia and Schooner’s bed.

  A few minutes later, Mia emerged from the bathroom.

  Seth’s eyes immediately teared up, “So, what do you think?” he asked, no snark at all in his voice.

  Mia just nodded her head. She couldn’t speak, overwhelmed by a myriad of emotions, as she stood before her best friend, wearing her wedding dress.

  “You look beautiful, Mia.”

  Again, she nodded, her lips forming a silent thank you as tears began to roll down her cheeks.

  “We have been through so much, but we came through it. And here you are, about to marry your true love, a guy who came back for you because he was as broken without you as you were without him. He stayed married to someone he didn’t love because he didn’t want to feel, and you almost drove yourself over the edge trying to feel, something, anything. But I have to tell you, you two are not broken when you are together. You compliment each other’s strengths and fill in the gaps of each other’s weaknesses. You guys dream together and then turn it into reality. I know what I want now, Mia. I want to find the other half of me. My Schooner.”

  Crossing the room to the bed where he was sitting, Mia sat down next to him and put her arms around him. The tears burned at the ba
ck of her throat and nose too much to speak at first, “He’s out there, Seth and he’s thinking the same thing you are, ‘Where is he?’ And he’s dreaming about Sunday Brunch and the New York Times and art openings, and traveling together. Think about it, before that day that Schooner’s friend request showed up, none of this was even remotely on the horizon. I wasn’t even dating anyone. And now I’ve got two kids and on September 27th I am marrying the love of my life.” She looked up at him, “It can happen. It will happen. And we will laugh about this moment because it will feel like a million light years away from your new reality.”

  “You’d better be right, BBC.”

  Mia stood up and put her hands on her hips, “Haven’t you figured out by now that I’m always right,” the devil grin was shoving the tears away.

  Rolling his eyes and snorting, “Just get the dress off before you ruin it.”

  Chapter Fifty-one

  “Is it Friday yet?” Snuggled in their bed at the beach house, Mia was under the covers propped up against a wall of pillows.

  “Two more days, Baby Girl and I’ll be out for a long weekend.” Schooner was in the same position as Mia, but in their loft’s bedroom.

  “So, I have a lot of news for you,” she was smiling and twirling a curl.

  “Ok, lay it on me,” he laughed, stretching out and getting comfortable.

  “We’re getting married on September 27th.”

  “Wow. That is huge news. Where?” Schooner found it amusing that he and Mia were just being told where and when to show up. The two of them were alpha, control freaks and here they were both riding shotgun on the biggest day of their lives.

  “Gurney’s Inn in Montauk.”

  “Are you happy with that?” Schooner wanted this to be the best day of her life.

  “I’m not unhappy with it.”

  “Mia, that’s not what I asked you. If you are not ecstatic then they need to scrap the plans and start again.”

  “No, no, no. I’m fine with it. It’s a beach wedding, it’s perfect for us. It’ll be elegant and casual at the same time. I think that fits us.”

  “Baby Girl, I want you to be ecstatically thrilled about our wedding. If you want to do an elegant Manhattan space, we can do something like 583 Park Avenue.”

  “Schooner, 583 Park is stunning and I’ll bet if I had gotten married in my twenties, that is exactly the kind of cool and elegant space I would have wanted. But it’s us and the babies, and Holly and Zac, and I want it to be lovely, but still have a laid back vibe and I think we’ll get that at Gurney’s,” Mia shifted the phone and grabbed one of his pillows, it still had his scent. Breathing it in deeply, she could feel tingling between her legs and smiled.

  “Then why does it sound like you feel you’re settling?”

  “I don’t know, maybe because I’m not doing the bridey kind of stuff. But with Seth and Elan and my mother working on the details, you know it’s going to be mind blowing. I did pick out invitations and a wedding dress today,” smiling, she knew he’d be shocked at the news.

  “What?”

  His response didn’t disappoint.

  “Yup, our invitations are awesome. It’s a box and there’s an actual starfish in the box, but it’s not tacky or kitschy, it’s actually done in a really elegant way with gold rope tied in a nautical knot.”

  “Rope?” the smile in his voice was evident over the cellular waves.

  “Yes, rope,” Mia laughed, “maybe we should do a BDSM theme wedding. That might make Seth and Elan happy, my mother not so much.”

  “Tell me about your dress. Am I going to want to rip it off you and fuck you?”

  “Schooner Moore, where is your right hand?”

  “You know where my right hand is, Baby Girl.”

  “Mmm, tell me what you’re doing.” Mia reached under the summer quilt and pulled off her silk bikini underwear.

  “I’m just very slowly stroking myself and thinking about you in that wedding dress with the tip of your tongue running up between my balls and around the base of my cock,” his breathing deepened, “slowly up the shaft, just like I’m doing with my hand and now I’m rubbing my thumb hard over the head of my cock thinking about your teeth scraping my skin and the tip of your tongue in my slit.”

  “You already have me so wet. I love running the head of your cock along my slit when I’m this wet. Oh my God, the way it feels when it slides up to my clit and then you move it back down and push just the head into me. Oh baby, I just love the way that feels.”

  “Take your clit between your thumb and forefinger and rub it in that up and down motion, the way I do it,” he could hear her breath hitch, followed by a mewling sound. “Oh Baby Girl, I love your sounds. Put the phone next to your ear and with your left hand twist your left nipple really hard for me,” her breath was catching faster, “that’s it, roll it hard and think about me sucking it and pinching the other one with you pinned down underneath me,” she was losing control, he could hear it in her moaning, “can you hear how hard I’m stroking myself. I can’t wait to have my cock pumping inside of you this weekend. We’re going to go out on the boat alone and fuck up on the deck at sunset right out there in front of all the other boats on the bay.” Hearing her go over the edge, he could feel his balls tighten and the pressure rise the length of him. Grabbing a tee-shirt, he heard his own moans as he came right after her into the shirt.

  Listening to Mia regain her breath, he closed his eyes, picturing he was in their bed at the beach house, instead of being all alone in the loft.

  “Will you marry me?” she asked, a devil smile in her voice.

  “Yeah, why not. I’ve got nothing else going on September 27th,” his real smile was out of control.

  Chapter Fifty-two

  Lois had learned how to Skype. Her standing date every morning with Seth included coffee and an update on wedding details, her grandchildren and any gossip that was worth knowing.

  There was a morning calm before the residents of the beach house came alive and Seth Shapiro used that time to have his undisturbed morning tête-à-tête with Lois. The sun over the ocean cast a long golden trail, like a yellow brick road leading to the horizon and the only sounds beside their computer chat were the gulls and the ocean lapping against the shore.

  “She really looked beautiful. I was in tears,” Seth was speaking with his hands. Very dramatic.

  “I’m looking at it on my computer. Do you think it’s too plain?” Lois’ brows were knit together and she had ‘that look’ on her face that said she was not totally pleased.

  “It’s a very simple line, but it looked stunning and elegant. She’s little so we don’t want the dress to overpower her, and honestly Lois, I think she’d be uncomfortable in anything more fapitzed.” Seth lapsed into Yiddish, using the word for ‘all dolled up’. After all, this was the woman he once had to drag out of Levi’s and tee-shirts.

  “I trust you on this,” Lois was sipping coffee out of a soup bowl sized cup. “I know you wouldn’t let her be underdressed for her own wedding.”

  “If she looks like shit, it’s a reflection on me and that is not happening. She will be simple, understated elegance, even if it kills me. You know my motto - ‘WWJD - what would Jackie do?’. Did you get the link for the invitations?”

  “Yes, they look adorable and I love how you’re able to keep the theme flowing to all the elements.”

  Seth held up the box and started opening it for Lois, “They are even cuter in real life. The artist has done such a nice job on them and the materials are really high quality. I’m very impressed.”

  “Ok, I’ve been looking over the menu,” Lois began, “and I think the choices for the sit down dinner should be a choice of Chicken Francaise, Pan-Seared Salmon and the Sage-Crusted Veal Chop.”

  “Ugh,” the sound came from behind Seth, “no sit down dinner. Can’t we just do heavy hors d’oeuvres?” Mia emerged from the house, Nathaniel in her arms and Portia trailing behind, sipping a juice box.


  “Nana,” Portia climbed into Seth’s lap to see the screen, “Mommy taught me how to ride waves.”

  “Good morning, sweet girl,” Lois smiled at her latest grandchild. “Your mommy is an expert wave rider. Poppy and I used to call her a water rat when she was little because she never wanted to come out of the ocean. Are you having fun out at the beach?”

  Portia nodded vigorously and climbed off of Seth’s lap.

  “She can’t expect people to drive hours out to Montauk and not feed them a full meal,” Lois was not going to let this go.

  “I can hear you,” Mia said loudly from the other side of the table where she was looking at the back of Seth’s laptop.

  “Good, because you are not feeding people just hors d’oeuvres.”

  Rolling her eyes, “We are not doing pre-arranged seating.”

  In Florida, Lois sat at her table, rolling her eyes. Seth looked back and forth between mother and daughter hoping this didn’t get ugly, but was fully prepared to enjoy it, if it did.

  “Ok BBC and BBC-Mama, compromise here. Sit down dinner after the cocktail hour, open seating. Does that work for you two?”

  Both mother and daughter nodded their heads. Neither looked happy.

  “I want Surf ‘n Turf,” Mia chimed in, determined to get the last word. “Do they have a filet mignon and lobster tail option?”

  Seth scrolled the online menu, “Yes, they do.”

  “Well, that’s what I want. We can get them to make you a veal chop if you want, Mom. Oh and the other thing I want, I want baby lamb chops served butler style during the cocktail hour.”

  “Anything else you want, BBC?” Seth was actually sneering.

  Mia got up with Nathaniel and started to walk into the house, “Nope. That’s all. Bridezilla out.”

  Chapter Fifty-three

  “I knew you’d like him,” Schooner sat at his desk at L9/NYC Skyping with Yoli.

  “He seems like a real stand-up guy, very easy going and personable.”

  “He’s smart as all hell, too. He’ll be a real steal. How long do you think you’d need to stay out there after he comes on board? If he comes on board.”