Aloha, Mr. Steele 6/8
Date: Tuesday, May 20, 2008
From: "SusanRS" <myrtlelauragroggins@yahoo.com>
 
 
Aloha, Mr. Steele
Chapter six
 
 
Remington woke and reached for Laura, only to find himself alone in bed. He glanced at the clock—3:37 a.m. He pulled on his black silk pajama bottoms and went to look for her. He started to head towards the bathroom when he noticed that the door to the lanai was open and the drapes were gently blowing in the breeze. He walked over, poked his head through the doorway and found Laura wearing her blue silk robe, standing by the railing, looking out over the ocean. He walked up behind her and put his arms around her waist.
 
"Laura?"
 
She was startled to see him. "I didn't wake you, did I?"
 
"Is everything all right?" Remington asked.
 
"Yes," she answered. "I just couldn't sleep. I didn't want to wake you. So I came out here to enjoy the view and ruminate."
 
"May I ask what you're thinking about?"
 
"Me. . . Us, mostly," she replied.
 
Remington was worried. Was she getting cold feet?
 
"Good thoughts?" he asked cautiously.
 
Laura turned her head and smiled at him reassuringly, "Of course."
 
Remington turned Laura towards him and kissed her.
 
Laura continued. "I've just been thinking about the choices that I've made, the heartaches that I've had. I thought about the day you walked into my life . . . How much things have changed since then." She smiled. "For the better, I might add." She kissed him. "You have become such an important part of my life that it's hard to remember when you weren't here. I thought about planning this week and what my expectations were. I imagined we would finally become lovers. I hoped that we could find a common ground and point our relationship in the same direction. But, I *never* expected to be engaged to you, let alone getting married to you."
 
"Are you having doubts?" Remington asked, hoping that the answer would be `no'.
 
"It's a bit overwhelming, even a little crazy, but no," Laura replied. "It feels so right for us to be together. I do not doubt my love for you or my decision to marry you tomorrow."
 
Remington smiled.
 
Laura paused and took a deep breath. "And then . . . I thought about my family . . . and Mildred. I always pictured Frances being at my wedding. I know Mildred and my mother will both be disappointed that they missed the ceremony."
 
Remington tightened his embrace and looked deeply into her eyes. "Laura, I know that you would like to have your family here, but, I promise you that everything will be okay. Your family and Mildred will be happy for us. We will have a big celebration when we get home and they will share in our joy."
 
"I know you're right," she replied. "I just hate the thought of facing my mother and informing her that I got married without telling her first."
 
"Laura, you're a grown woman," he said. "But if it's any consolation, I will talk to Abigail when we get home and smooth things over."
 
Laura chuckled. "You *do* have a way with her. I think she's going to *love* having you as a son-in-law."
 
Remington smiled. "I *know* I'm going to love *being* her son-in-law." He wiggled his eyebrows. "The benefits are incredible!" He leaned in and gave her a deep, fervent kiss. "Now, let's go back to bed. We have a big day tomorrow."
 
Remington took her hand and led her back to their bed.
 
******
 
Laura woke with her head on his chest, her arm wrapped around his waist and her leg draped over his. It felt so good. She was looking forward to a lifetime of mornings like this. She would like nothing more than to wake him with her kiss and make love with him all day. But, they had more important things to do. Today was their wedding day and they needed to get up and get ready.
 
"Remington?" she said, stroking the side of his face.
 
He began to stir.
 
"Rem?"
 
Remington opened his eyes and smiled at her.
 
"Time to get up," she said.
 
Remington turned towards her and kissed her eagerly. "I'm already *up*," he replied with a lascivious grin.
 
Laura rolled on top of him and returned his kiss. "I can see that you are," she said smiling. "But we don't have time for *that*. I don't want to be late for my own wedding."
 
Laura kissed him again and then slid out of bed and headed to the bathroom. "I'm going to shower," she said as she closed the door behind her.
 
Remington waited until he heard the water running. He picked up the phone and dialed the number. Even though he didn't think Laura could hear him, he whispered, "It's me. Is everything taken care of? . . . Great! . . . I'll meet you in the lobby in one hour. . . Ciao!"
 
Remington grinned and quickly hopped out of bed. If he hurried, he could still catch Laura before she got out of the shower.
 
******
 
Remington left their suite with a smile on his face and a spring in his step as he headed towards the lobby of the luxury hotel. It was hard for him to believe that he was getting married today. He had never considered himself the marrying kind. He had always thought that he was a *love `em and leave `em* type of guy. That is, until he met her. From the moment he saw Laura Holt, he knew there was no other woman on the planet for him.
 
As Remington entered the lobby he saw a familiar face.
 
"Mildred!" he called out.
 
She moved towards him. "Oh, Boss, I can't believe that you and Miss Holt are getting married today. I'm so happy for you!"
 
"Thank you, Mildred. We are both *very* happy."
 
"It must have been a good week," she said with a sly grin.
 
 
"Oh, Mildred, it has been an *incredible* week," Remington replied with an ear-to-ear grin. "Everything all set?"
 
"Everything is ready, Mr. Steele."
 
"Great!" Remington said. He handed Mildred an envelope. "I can't wait to see Laura's reaction."
 
"It won't be long," Mildred said. "The wedding starts in less than an hour."
 
"I'd better go get ready," Remington replied. "See you at the ceremony."
 
Mr. Steele gave Mildred a kiss on the cheek and then headed to the Groom's Suite to change his clothes.
 
 
******
 
Laura heard a knock at the door. She couldn't believe that he would dare come back after she had asked him to respect her wishes and not see her until the ceremony. Fortunately, she hadn't put on her wedding dress yet. She was still wearing her bathrobe.
 
"I thought I told you . . ." she started, as she swung the door open. Laura was taken aback. "Mildred?"
 
"Hi, Hon."
 
"What are you doing here?" Laura asked.
 
"Do you mind if I come in?" Mildred said.
 
"Oh, sorry, of course." Laura motioned for Mildred to enter and then closed the door behind her.
 
Laura was still in disbelief. "Why are you here?"
 
"Mr. Steele asked me to come," Mildred replied.
 
Laura was in shock. They had just finished their talk a few hours before. There was no way he could have called Mildred and had her fly here in such a short amount of time.
 
"When?" she questioned, still confused.
 
"Earlier this week," Mildred said. "I'll tell you all about it, Miss Holt. But you'd better get dressed. Mr. Steele is waiting for you. You don't want to be late for your own wedding, do you?"
 
"No, Mildred," Laura replied with a smile. "I don't."
 
Laura quickly put on her wedding gown: a silky, sexy, long white dress with spaghetti straps and slits up the sides. The empire bodice accentuated Laura's delectable curves. Even on her petite frame, the dress didn't quite touch the ground. It was the perfect length for a beach wedding . . . No long train to drag in the sand. Mildred zipped it up the back. Laura's curly chestnut hair bounced on her freckled bare shoulders. Laura placed a tuberose Haku-lei wreath on her head.
 
"You look *so* beautiful," Mildred said, with tears in her eyes.
 
"Thank you, Mildred," Laura said. "I'm so glad you're here. You're like family to Mr. Steele, to us, really." She gave Mildred a big hug.
 
"You're welcome, Miss Holt. I feel the same about the two of you." Mildred reached into her purse and handed an envelope to Laura. "Mr. Steele asked me to give this to you."
 
Laura looked at the envelope. Remington had written her name on the outside. She took out the note and began reading. Her smile grew wider with each word.
 
My dearest Laura,
 
Today is our wedding day. The first day of the rest of our life
together. You have made me the happiest man in the world. Not just
this past week, but the past three-and-a-half years. You have given me
so much; my name, my life and most importantly, your love. I will spend
the rest of my life showing you how much I appreciate you.
 
I wanted to get you something for our wedding. Nothing I could give you
could ever compare to all that you have already given me. But I did
think of something that you might want on our wedding day. Mildred will
take you to your surprise. I can't wait to see you walk down the
beach into my waiting arms. I love you!
 
Remington
 
Laura wiped a tear away as she held the note to her heart. "He really IS wonderful."
 
"Yes, he is, Miss Holt." Mildred replied. "And you haven't even seen the rest of it yet."
 
"Oh, my," Laura said. "I have had a week of surprises from this man. I don't know if I can take much more."
 
"You'll like this surprise," Mildred said. "You'd better prepare yourself for a lifetime of surprises, Miss Holt. Mr. Steele loves you, and he loves to surprise you."
 
"Yes, he does," Laura said, agreeing with both of Mildred's statements.
 
*****
 
Laura and Mildred walked into the hotel lobby. It was a quarter to nine. In fifteen minutes, Laura would stroll down the beach and become Mrs. Remington Steele. The lobby was crowded. Laura and Mildred made their way through the sea of tourists. As they approached the center court, a small group of familiar faces spotted them. The two women in the group started to cry when they saw Laura.
 
"Laura!" the younger one exclaimed.
 
"Frances?" Laura said, surprised. "Mother?" Tears began welling up in Laura's cinnamon eyes.
 
"Oh, Laura," Frances said, blubbering. "You look so beautiful. I can't believe my baby sister is getting married."
 
Frances gave Laura a big hug. Abigail, smiling with pride, was anxiously waiting to hug her younger daughter. Laura glanced behind Abigail and saw Donald Piper and Daniel Chalmers watching them, both smiling. Laura smiled back. The sisters let go of their embrace.
 
"Laura," Abigail said smiling, opening her arms to her daughter. She gave Laura a hug. "I am so happy for you, dear."
 
"Thank you, Mother." Laura was stunned. "How…How did you all get here?"
 
"I think we should let Miss Krebs explain," Abigail said.
 
They all turned towards Mildred.
 
"Mr. Steele called me on Monday," she began, "And asked me to make the arrangements for Abigail, Frances, Donald, and myself to fly here for the ceremony today. We arrived late last night and have been waiting in our rooms until this morning to surprise you. That's what the boss wanted."
 
Laura was overwhelmed. Remington *had* known how important it was for her to have her family here. He made all the arrangements without telling her. Even when they had their talk late last night, he could have told her they were here already, to make her feel better. But instead, he made her feel good about the decision they had made together. He didn't want to ruin his surprise. This was the best gift he could have given her.
 
Daniel stepped forward and took Laura's hand. "Congratulations, my dear," he said. Daniel lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it. "Harry phoned me as well and invited me to the wedding. I hope you don't mind."
 
"Of course not, Daniel, you're like family to him," Laura replied.
 
Kai approached the group. He was carrying an armload of fresh floral leis. He spoke to Laura. "Remington asked me to prepare these leis for your wedding party, Laura. Would you like to present them to your guests?"
 
Laura knew that it was customary to bestow a kiss when giving a lei. She took the first one from Kai and placed it around Abigail's neck. Laura gave her mother a soft kiss on the cheek. Then she proceeded to give one each to Frances, Donald, and Daniel. She took the last lei and put it around Mildred's neck.
 
"Thank you, Mildred, for everything," Laura said with a soft kiss to her cheek.
 
"You're welcome, Miss Holt. You know how I feel about you and Mr. Steele."
 
Laura turned to the whole group. "Thank you all for coming. It really means a lot to have you here to celebrate this day with us."
 
"You can thank Mr. Steele," Frances said.
 
"Oh, I will," Laura said with a twinkle in her eye. "You can be sure of that."
 
"It's time to go, Laura," Kai said.
 
"Kai, would you please take everyone down to the beach?" Laura asked. "I would like to speak with Mr. Chalmers for a moment, privately."
 
"Of course," Kai replied. "But make it quick. Remington is *very* anxious to start the ceremony."
 
Laura smiled. "I'm sure he is. I won't be long."
 
Kai led the small group out of the hotel and down to the beach. Once they had left, Laura approached Daniel.
 
"Are you *really* happy for us?" she asked.
 
"Of course I am. Why do you ask?" Daniel replied.
 
"Well, you never seemed pleased that he was with me, being Remington Steele."
 
Daniel smiled. "Laura, the first time I visited Harry after he became Remington Steele, I knew he was smitten. I knew he had found his home and that he was happy. I realized that the friendship he has with me could never compare to the love he has for you. Believe me, I tried many times to lure Harry back, but it was obvious where he wanted to be and who he wanted to be with. But that didn't stop me from teasing the two of you. Sure, I would have loved for him to come back and be with me, but I knew he would never leave you."
 
Laura couldn't believe what she was hearing; though she did catch something interesting.
 
"You called me Laura"
 
"Yes," Daniel replied.
 
"That's the first time you called me the right name."
 
"I must apologize for that, too, my dear," he said. "I always knew your name, but I was just having fun with you. I *am* truly sorry."
 
"May I ask you a favor?" she asked.
 
"Sure," Daniel replied.
 
"Would you do me the honor of walking me down to Remington?"
 
"You want me to give you away?" he asked.
 
"No, of course not," she answered. "I don't need *anyone* to give me away. If anything, I think you are giving him away. I just think it would be nice to walk down together. A show of solidarity. I think Harry would appreciate it."
 
Daniel held out his arm to Laura. "It would be my pleasure," he replied. Laura took Daniel's arm as he escorted her out of the hotel and towards her destiny.
 
To be continued . . .
To Part 7
 
AN: I don't know if these links will work, but you could copy and paste
them.(Links will open in a new window or tab)
 
Here's the dress I was thinking about when I described Laura's wedding
dress, although, I picture it in a silkier fabric, not the cotton that
is shown:
 
http://www.hawaiianweddingshop.com/spag.html
Here are the leis for Laura:
 
http://www.hawaiianweddingshop.com/troseset.html
Here are the clothes for Remington:
 
http://www.hawaiianweddingshop.com/lanikai.html
And his lei:
 
http://www.hawaiianweddingshop.com/keoni.html

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