Chapter 49 A Day Filled with Surprises!

By Chelle, Tess, Farah and Shawn

~~~~~~~~~~early in the morning with Tess and… Elliott~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Elliott squinted as the sun’s early morning rays hit his face. He opened his eyes slowly, smiling at the soft warmth still snuggled in his arms. Tess. The last thing he remembered was her telling him that she didn’t love Kevin Richardson anymore. So he had a chance. A real chance to make things work with her. He leaned his head down to hers and kissed the top of her head.
He felt her stir, then she sat bolt upright, his suit jacket falling from her shoulders. He heard her groan and then she turned a little to look at him. "Please tell me I am dreaming. That I am in my room, in my bed, sound asleep and that I did not just spend the night sleeping on the beach with you."
Elliott laughed at her and tilted his head to the side. "Sorry babe....can’t do that. Besides, was it so bad, sleeping in my arms all night?" he asked with a crooked grin, his blue eyes sparkling.
"It would’ve been more comfortable in a bed," she said.
Elliott smiled. Yes, his back would feel a lot better this morning if they had slept in a bed. "Hmm....well, maybe the next time we fall asleep together it will be in a bed. Come on....let’s go back to the hotel," he said, standing, offering his hand to her.
They walked back to the hotel, hand in hand, neither saying much. It was early, so as they went inside the hotel lobby, they were completely unnoticed. Elliott rode up to her floor with her, walked her to her door, and turned her toward him. He caressed her cheek, his hand slipping into her hair. Tess watched as he leaned his head down to hers. As his lips gently touched hers, she closed her eyes. She felt his other hand slide up her arm and her knees went weak.
Elliott broke the kiss and leaned his head against hers, his breathing ragged, his heart pounding. "Can I see you again?" he asked, softly, hoping she said yes.
"I would like that..." Tess whispered. "Call me?"
Elliott nodded and she turned to go inside her room. She smiled as he walked away, then she closed her door. When she turned around, she gasped. Her entire room was covered in yellow rose petals. They were all over the floor, all over her bed....everywhere she looked, yellow roses. She twirled around, giggling. As she neared the bed, she fell back amongst the petals, causing them to flutter up into the air, then fall gently back to the bed. She closed her eyes and smiled.
She believed she could be falling head over heels for Elliott Mackenzie.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~back at the hospital with Nick and Chelle~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As Nick stared at the clock on the wall, he patiently waited for the nurse to bring back any news she had on Chelle. It had been a few hours since she had left. Chelle had been taken to an examining room where her doctor was going to look her over and see how long she was to remain in the hospital. After that they were headed to physical therapy. With Chelle having not moved around much since the accident, they were going to help her regain the use of her muscles so she wouldn’t over tire herself later. Nick replayed the events that took place over the past few days. So much had happened. Remembering the emotions he felt when he came so close to losing Chelle, he was thankful that his prayers were answered and they were going to live out their dream. That was something Nick was definitely ready for. A life with Chelle. Interrupting his thoughts, Hattie, the nurse entered the room.
“Hello Mr. Carter” she said with a big smile. “I have very good news for you”

Nick anxious for any news, asked “what is it?”

“Chelle got the green light from Dr. Michelson. So you can go tell her parents and her friends that if they want to join her for lunch they can. Also, she’s not on any strict diet now.. So she can have whatever she wants to eat. But, let me suggest not to let Mr. McLean bring her another cheeseburger” Hattie said with a laugh.

Nick laughed. He knew Chelle had been busted. And who was her accomplice? Non other than AJ. Yup, he was her long lost brother. He then asked the nurse “What time will she be back from physical therapy?”

“Probably in an hour perhaps two because Dr. Michelson will then review her session with the therapist” she advised then said. “So, that should give you plenty of time to contact whomever you want to bring. And if you need any help from us just let me know. We’ve become quite fond of the both of you. You are a nice looking couple. Really glad things worked out for the two of you.”

Nick blushed “Thanks Hattie. We had a close call there. I don’t know what I would have done if I had lost her.” he paused for a moment to catch his breath “That’s why I want this afternoon to be perfect. I guess I want to remind her how much I really love her and that I will always love her. If you will excuse me, I am going to go make a few calls. I actually have a few surprises for her. I will be back soon.” The elderly nurse smiled and placed her hand over her heart. She was touched by Nick’s words. He truly loved the young girl. Nick walked out the door and pulled out his cell phone. He had to call Chelle’s parents, then their friends. Then AJ. If anyone could help him pull off his plan, AJ was that person. Nick laughed again at what the nurse had said ‘Tell Mr. McLean, No burgers”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~back at the hotel suite~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The group was all gathered around the dining table of their suite enjoying a nice breakfast together. Each carrying on a light conversation about what they experienced from the previous night. “Oh my god, you let Brian and Sherry show you guys up on the dance floor” Shawn laughed.

“No. They did not show us up on the dance floor. Only at limbo. That is NOT a dance” Carmen fussed.

“Whatever Carmen. You’re just sore that for once I was actually better at doing the back bend than you. So you see ha ha I am just as limber as you and Chelle” Sherry teased as she stuck her tongue out at Carmen.

Shawn laughed. "So what did you do?" Carmen asked Shawn trying to change the subject.

“We all went to this restaurant that was within walking distance. Then afterwards there was a party on the beach we all went to. We just kind of blended in with the other tourists” Howie explained.

“yeah and we blended in really great” Carmen said sarcastically “With Billy and Mike glued to our sides looking like Lurch and Herman Munster.” She then began to laugh at the memory. The others laughed as they added in their memories of the event.

“Has anyone heard from Nick or Chelle this morning?” Tanya asked.

“Not yet. But I am expecting a call from her mom here in a little while. We were planning on going shopping later.” Shawn said as she took a sip of her juice.

“Wow, you two really have bonded over the last few days” Sherry commented.

“Of course they would. After all, they both are Chelle’s mamas.” Carmen teased.

Shawn tossing a couple of grapes at her head. “there! That’s for all the smart ass mama jokes I have heard on this trip”

“What is it with you guys throwing grapes. Now if you want to get someone’s attention you ought to try throwing this” Carmen said as she flung a spoonful of her jello at Shawn but she missed her target. The jello landed on Kevin’s nose. AJ laughed at the scene.

Kevin then looked over at AJ wiping the jello off of his face then said “you think that is so funny huh Bone? I actually think Carmen is wrong. You want to get someone’s attention you must throw egg in their face” He then threw his scrambled egg at AJ knowing he hated slimy things and let out a loud howling laugh.

Howie laughed at his friend then said “wait. Kevin I can’t let you egg AJ on like that. I mean after all Mr. Bone does need some meat on his bones’ placing his ham on the top of AJ’s head.

“Oh ha ha” AJ mocked.

“Why are you guys wasting all this good food. Grapes is one thing, jello is another. But eggs, ham.. Man, that’s some good stuff now” Brian complained as he stuffed his mouth full of more food.

Sherry moved quickly as she saw the look that Kevin, AJ and Howie gave. She knew the food war was officially on. As quickly as she moved, toast, bacon, more eggs and you name it.. It quickly was all over Brian. The girls laughed so hard at the site of poor Brian but as they laughed he quickly tossed something in their direction. With that, food was flying everywhere. Screams and hysterical laughs could be heard all throughout the halls of their suite.  Shawn quickly tried to become ‘Mama Shawn’ by saying, “Children. Stop this. You’re making a mess. Oh my god” She laughed. But her ranting only landed her with a handful of fruits and biscuits on her lap. The room would probably have been completely destroyed if the ringing of the phone didn’t get their attentions. Kevin quickly answered while he while he was laughing.

“Kevin?” Nick asked. “What the hell is going over there? Who’s that screaming in the background?”

“Hey Nick” Kevin called out trying to get the others attention. “What up? How’s Chelle?” The others quieted down once they realized Kevin was talking to Nick. Nick quickly explained to Kevin what the nurse told him earlier and that he was planning a surprise for Chelle. Kevin then agreed to tell the others his plans then looked over his shoulder and called out “Hey Egghead, oh sorry AJ, Nicky wants to talk with you man”. As Kevin handed the phone over to AJ, he quickly told the others what Nick said and had asked them to get over to the hospital. He also told them about the list of things Nick needed them to bring with them. The girls all smiled. Chelle was definitely going to enjoy her surprise. AJ had a big smile on his face as he ended the call. Pulling Carmen aside, he whispered a few things and told her what Nick had asked of him. He then turned back towards the others and excused himself so he could carry out Nick’s request leaving them all clueless.

“what is it with all the secrecy lately?” Brian asked.

“I don’t know. But I am going to call Tess. I am sure she would want to join us” Sherry said as she quickly grabbed the phone.

As Sherry was talking with Tess, Shawn quickly looked over her appearance and the room then panicked, “Oh my god, we are all a mess. We’ve got to hurry and get cleaned up. And I can not leave the room like this. They will throw us out of this hotel when they see this mess” .

“We’ll hurry and get ready fast. Then we can quickly clean up our mess” Tanya replied as she ran towards her room. Howie followed her to do the same.  The others also scampered off to help Nick make Chelle’s big day extra special.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~a few hours later with Chelle~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chelle was exhausted after being poked and prodded several times. She then groaned to herself as she was taken back to her room. “I swear if one more person pulls on my body and asks me if I can feel it, I am going to let them have it.” the orderly laughed at Chelle’s remark. Chelle continued to complain, “I mean they turned me into a human pretzel and had the nerve to ask me if it hurt” All she needed was a big hug from Nick to tell her she was loved and would feel better soon. That would definitely make her happy. However, she frowned when she returned to an empty room. Nick was gone. And now she was in there alone. She wondered where everyone was. She was gone for a few hours but figured someone would be there when she returned. Instead, she was greeted by an orderly who was cleaning her room. Chelle then glanced out the window and saw how pretty it was outside. Feeling depressed, she mumbled to herself “of course they wouldn’t be here. It is so pretty outside. Even I wouldn’t come see me if I didn’t have to. Oh hell, now I am talking to myself. I am losing it” Chelle laughed at herself. Realizing that Nick was probably at the hotel resting, Chelle laid back on her bed and closed her eyes. She figured she might as well rest up while she could. After all, she had been through quite an ordeal over the past few days. As soon as Chelle was about to reach stage three of the dream zone, the door of her room flew open and in came her doctor. Given the rude awakening, Chelle thought to herself “yup, I am paying for all the nights I kept AJ awake. Shit”

“Hello again, Chelle” Dr. Michelson said with such a cheery voice.

“Good thing he’s not with in arms reach right now” Chelle thought then said out loud “I think one day I will soon remember your timing of entrance”

“you are a character Chelle” he laughed then said “I have some news for you. News I think that will shock you.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~30 minutes later~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After Dr. Michelson left the room, Chelle was beaming from ear to ear. But there was no one to talk to. She had picked up the phone and tried several times calling Nick but got no answer in return. “Damn it. Where is everyone?” Chelle screamed out as she fell back against her pillow.  Minutes later, the door opened. Thinking it was Nick, Chelle sat up “Nick?” but was greeted by her nurse. She was there to check her vital signs or that was what Chelle had assumed. She then asked “Have you seen Nick?”

“I’m sorry dear but I haven’t” Hattie answered. Chelle looked back out the window with a sad look. Hattie then smiled a devilish grin. She was going to enjoy this. “Um, sorry Chelle but I am not here to check your vitals this time. The doctor actually has requested that we take you back to see Andre once more”

“WHAT?!?” Chelle blurted out looking back at the nurse. Andre was the physical therapist and was someone she had to get psyched for. She was definitely not in the mood for him. “YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! HATTIE?” Chelle whined. “Where is Nick? Oh hell.. Where’s my mom?”

“Oh don’t worry Chelle. It shouldn’t be that bad” Hattie said sweetly.

Chelle pouted as she got into the wheelchair “Yeah sure. You’re not the one they pull on either. I bet AJ has something to do with this.”

Hattie laughed at her patient. She had to hand it to her, she had a great sense of humor. Regardless of the things she faced, she always turned it into a joke somehow. She couldn’t wait to see Chelle’s face at her surprise. Once Chelle was in the wheelchair, Hattie wheeled her out the door and towards a different direction.
“Hattie? I thought Andre’s office is back that way?” Chelle asked pointed at the opposite direction.

“Oh, yes I know dear. But you’re headed for a different type of therapy session.” Hattie explained. She then turned Chelle towards a different hallway causing Chelle to ask another question.

“Ok, well then where are we headed?” Chelle asked.

Hattie just rolled her eyes. She was picturing Chelle being the kind of kid that always asked a bunch of questions. She thought to herself, “Now if I can just get her to the courtyard without a thousand more questions along the way”. Chelle turned to look back at Hattie. Wondering why she didn’t answer her question. As they walked through a door that opened automatically, Chelle was greeted by the warm air that told her she was outdoors. Quickly turning around in her chair she then saw all of her friends, her parents and Nick with big smiles on their faces.

“SURPRISE!“ They all cheered.

 Hattie giggled at Chelle‘s surprised look on her face. “Oh Hattie, you little sneak!” Chelle squealed as she looked back at her nurse then looked at her friends’ surprise. They had transformed the hospitals’ courtyard into a luau. Chelle couldn’t help but get teary eyed at the site before her. She also was feeling a little guilty for accusing her friends for being heartless pigs. Well, that was one secret she’d keep to herself.

AJ quickly walked up to Chelle and placed a lei around her neck giving her a sweet kiss on the cheek. “See Chelle, I’ve got the traditions down pat. Aloha Sleeping Beauty”

She hugged AJ in return. “thanks Inspector”

Her mom and dad walked up after AJ stepped back, “Hey there sweetheart. I bet you thought we forgot about you huh?” Diane asked in her motherly voice.

“Oh no of course not mom. I would never think that” Chelle said with an angelic smile.

“uh huh. I think I’ve seen that look before.” her dad said as he bent over and gave his daughter a hug and kiss. “well, let’s wheel you over to the best part of your party here…and that is…”

But Chelle cut him off “oh my god real food!”

“Actually I was going to say Nick” Robert said with a laugh.

Nick pouted at Chelle, “you’d actually pick food over me?”

Chelle smiled then said, “well, I do remember someone once told me that was a tough choice” Nick then leaned down and gave Chelle a sweet kiss. Chelle then whispered in his ear “Aloha”.

Nick looked back at Chelle "You would say that now that you're dad is standing right behind me"

"Oh come on Nick. You two will have plenty alone time later. Some of us would actually like to say hello to our friend" Carmen teased as she pushed Nick back.
Chelle laughed but kept her eyes on Nick as she hugged Carmen.

"Thanks for coming," Chelle said.

"Wouldn't be anywhere else." Carmen said with a smile.

She moved aside and Sherry took her place. "Hey you. You're looking good."

"Thanks....Sherry? Is that my boss with Tess?" Chelle asked, glancing over Sherry's shoulder to the table with the hors dourves.

Brian stepped up before Sherry could answer and reached in to hug Chelle. "Hey....I need one of those too. Glad to see you up and about,' he said, wrapping his arms around her.

“Great to see you too Brian” Chelle said as she tried to catch her breath. When Brian stood back up, Chelle caught a glimpse of something in Brian’s hair. “Uh, Brian? Come here a sec.”

“What is it Chelle?” Brian asked feeling a bit skeptical. He had heard how Chelle grabbed AJ’s beard.

“You’ve got something in your hair” Chelle replied. Brian looked over at AJ who was telling him it was ok. Chelle laughed as Brian gave her a worried look. “What? I am serious. It looks like..” Chelle took a closer look then made a face “Eggs. Brian do you usually save your breakfast for later?” The other laughed as they quickly explained how Brian got eggs in his hair.

Kevin then kneeled down to hug Chelle “Hey there girl. How are you feeling?”

“Better Kev. And really happy to be outdoors” Chelle said with a groan. “Thanks for bringing me out here. The walls were really getting to me.”

“well, I can’t take credit for that. You need to look at that one over there for that” Kevin said as he pointed over at Nick. Chelle glanced over at Nick who was lost in a conversation with AJ and Carmen. If she didn’t know better, it seemed as if the three were plotting something.

“Hey little sis. How are you doing today?” Shawn said as she hugged her.

“Hey Shawn. I hear you entertained my parents last night.” Chelle said as she looked over at her mother. “So, you teach her how to hula dance?”

“Me teach her? Right. Your mom actually was teaching me how to hula. I can see where you get your dance skills from” Shawn laughed. Diane then walked over as she over heard Shawn talking about their night out.

“Hey. I didn’t have to teach her anything. She learned from watching you the other night Chelle. But she said the dance steps were hard to follow, because you were falling down a lot. Why was that? Hmmm?” Diane teased.

Chelle blushed. She now was busted by her mother. “Hey mom? Where’s the food? I am kind of hungry?”

“Uh huh? That’s what I thought. Change the subject.” Diane laughed “Come on Shawn, let’s fix little miss something to eat.”

“Oh Chelle, you were busted by your own mother. Wow.” Tanya teased as she greeted her friend. “I can’t believe how great you look. You’ve got your color back. I am so happy to see that Chelle. You really scared me.” Tanya hugged Chelle close then said “But I know it wasn’t your time”. Chelle noticed a different look about her friend but wasn’t certain what. Tanya leaned back to let Howie say his hello.
 
He leaned over and gave Chelle a soft kiss on the cheek “Hey Chelle. Glad to see that spark back. We’ve all missed it. AJ especially missed it.” Howie said as he pointed over at AJ. “you should have seen him yesterday. Drug my ass all over the place to go shopping.”

“Woah? What for?” Chelle asked with a laugh.

“Wish I knew. But the dork never would actually tell me.” Howie replied. They both looked over at AJ who was still talking with Nick and Carmen.

Chelle then asked “What are those three up to? They look so suspicious about something?”

“Don’t know. AJ and Carmen have been like that since yesterday. Don’t know if Nick is in cahoots with them or not. But by the looks on their faces, I’d say he is.” Howie whispered to Chelle. As the two continued whispering, a throat was cleared behind them.

"What are you two whispering about? And are you going to share her or not?" Tess teased as she moved behind Howie. "Hey Chelle," she said as she leaned down to hug her. She did not miss the huge grin on Chelle's face as she wrapped her arms around her neck.

"So.....I will need details...." Chelle said.

"We had a very romantic evening, Chelle," Elliott said, a huge smile on his face. His eyes twinkled mischievously and his dimples showed as he said, "And we have to thank you, Miss Match Maker. If you hadn't been so persistent...." Elliott said, reaching for Tess' hand, "we might never have hooked up."

"What? Our baby, Tess, had a hot date? And you didn't need me to help with the wardrobe? I am shocked." AJ said bringing Chelle her plate of food.

"Hell no! You should've seen the knockout killer dress she wore. Damn..too hot!" Sherry said.
Tess blushed, remembering how scantily dressed she was last night. Chelle noticed and crooked her finger at her. Tess leaned down and Chelle whispered something in her ear. Tess blushed furiously. "Dammit you little sneak!! It was your idea in the first place for us to get together.....and no...we didn't!" Tess said.

"Were you playing match maker again, Chelle?" Sherry asked. "Damn, if I had known that..."

Everyone around Chelle laughed. Busted....again! Chelle blushed and brushed off the comments. "They needed a push in the right direction..." she said. "Besides...I was right!"

Kevin was standing close to the small group gathered around Chelle and was surprised to hear that she had been the one pushing Tess into another man's arms. What surprised him the most, was how much he hated it. Elliott Mackenzie seemed like a nice guy, but...."Hey everyone!" he called out, "We are all glad to be here. To share this wonderful day with Chelle. Brian would you say a prayer or something?"   Brian looked at Kevin for a moment, sensing something was wrong, then he turned to the task at hand.

Chelle quickly spoke up, "Oh. Well, if you don't mind, let me get into a normal chair first" she said as she slowly stood up and then gingerly sat in a chair that Nick brought specifically for her. Nick then took the chair next to hers and reached for her hand, which he held in his.

Once Chelle was comfortable, Brian asked everyone to bow with him for a moment.  
"Dear Lord, thank you for such a beautiful day here in paradise. For the wonderful family and friends gathered here today as we celebrate Chelle's good health. Thank you for watching over our friend in her great time of need. We know in our hearts that you heard our prayers and answered them as to your plan. Bless the food, Oh Lord. May it strengthen our bodies as Your love strengthens us. Amen."

As an echo of 'Amens' were heard around the courtyard, Brian and Nick said at the same time "Mmmm let's eat." The group laughed in response.

Once everyone was settled with a plate of food, Robert spoke up. “Chelle, how was your therapy session today?”

Chelle made a face at the memory “Ugh. Let’s just say I was completely nerding on my way here. Hattie.” Chelle said as she looked over at her mischievous nurse “Scared me half to death when she told me I was scheduled for another session with “Andre”. If anything will encourage me to practice my self defense kicks, it’s him.” The others laughed.

“Was it that bad, Chelle?” Shawn asked. She could only imagine how much Chelle had complained during her session. Shawn laughed as she felt sorry for Andre.

“Yes, it was that bad. He would pull on my body parts really hard then ask if it hurt.” Chelle complained.

“I can’t believe you let him get away with that. You pulled my goatee but you didn’t drop kick this guy” AJ teased.

Nick laughed then asked “What did Dr. Michelson say? He give you any idea on when you’re going to be released.

Chelle smiled as she looked from Nick to the others “well, if any of you would’ve actually answered your phone.” Chelle then looked back at Nick “Especially you. I could’ve told you my good news I got from him earlier.”

“And what news is that?” Nick asked as the others were eager to hear the answer.

“I am being released tomorrow.” Chelle said with a big grin.

“Oh my god. Really?” Nick asked beaming from ear to ear. The others had big smiles on their faces as well. Nick then said “That is the best news!”

“But, I have to follow up with my doctor when I get home.” Chelle said as she pulled back from Nick’s embrace.

“Or with your new doctor, when you get to your new home” Nick quickly reminded her.

Chelle smiled then said with a soft voice “yeah, to my new home”.

AJ then spoke up and said, “Nick? Don’t you have a surprise for Chelle?”

“Yeah Nick.” Elliott replied smiling over at Tess.

“A surprise?” Chelle asked with a big grin.

“Oh yeah right.” Nick replied as he glanced from Chelle to her family. “Well, um. Chelle. As everyone knows, I’ve asked you to live with me in Florida. And thankfully you’ve said yes. But, I also know that you’re torn about leaving your job.  I also know that you're dedicated to your work. And after talking with Tess and Elliott, he has agreed to let you move your office to Florida with me."

“Really?” Chelle asked. She was stunned but happy all the same. She then turned to Elliott “You’d really let me stay on with the firm and work from Florida?”

“Yes. You’ve shown me that you can conduct your business from wherever you are.” Elliott replied, as he glanced at Tess again. “Now I didn’t expect you to work on your vacation here in Hawaii but we appreciate your dedication. Besides, we can’t lose one of our best employees. Or my best Match Maker,” he said squeezing Tess' hand.

“Oh my god, I don’t know what to say,” Chelle replied.

“Well, that’s a first” AJ said out loud as he bolted away from Chelle’s view.

Chelle turned to look at AJ, “Yeah you better hide!”

Nick laughed then once again spoke up. “Now that was your first surprise.”

“What? My first surprise?” Chelle questioned as she looked at Nick then over towards her parents and friends. She didn’t think she could feel happier than she was at that moment but Nick kept proving her wrong.

“Yes, that was your first surprise and well…. Your big surprise is, another vacation for just you and me. Since this vacation was kinda spoiled cuz of all the stuff that happened I figured we could go somewhere just the two of us. Well, that’s after we’ve gotten you moved in and all. But the guys and me, we’re taking a short break from recording so, we’ll have some time off before the madness starts back up. I would like for us to spend some time together alone” Nick suggested as he placed his arm around Chelle.  Chelle was just stunned. Life was just getting better and better.

She leaned over wrapping her arms around Nick and said “Thank you. I love my surprises. And I love you more than anything”. As the young couple were kissing, the girls all cooed.

“Oh yuck, women” Brian whined. Sherry quickly smacked him.

Chelle broke away from the kiss and turned to look at their audience then blushed. “Thank you guys for all of this. You are the best friends and parents a girl could have.”

“We love you too Chelle” the girls all said together.

AJ beamed from ear to ear. Everyone was happy for Chelle and Nick. So he decided now was his chance to make his announcement. “Well, now that everyone is here. And we now know that Chelle’s getting out of here tomorrow. Well, I” Carmen then cleared her throat to get AJ’s attention, “Oh sorry. We, have an announcement to make. Well, um……since we’ve arrived on this beautiful island… a lot has happened over the past week. One thing was we, the guys that is, finally got to take a break away from the hectic life we’ve been leading. And well, we’ve been very lucky to have all met some incredible ladies here. I never use to believe in fate. But what else could it have been. You ladies are some incredible women. You all hold a very special place in our hearts, and for as long as we live..we will never forget this moment in our lives. Some good things have happened and a few bad things have happened also. But, again fate has intervened and taken control. Well, um…. One very special thing has happened since we’ve been here...I‘ve asked Carmen to marry me and well.. believe it or not.. She said yes.”

“Oh my god. That’s great” The girls all said to Carmen with big smiles on their faces.

“Congratulations AJ” Kevin spoke up for the guys.

AJ then spoke up again, looking over at Chelle “Well, that’s not all. After seeing how precious life is, we don’t want to have a long engagement. So, we were kind of waiting to see when Chelle was released and we’d like to be married before we leave the island. Which looks like will be tomorrow.”

“What?” Shawn said in surprise. “Tomorrow?”

“Are you sure about this?” Tess asked. She couldn’t believe AJ wanted to get married.

“yeah, we’re sure about this. We love each other, and we don’t want to wait.” Carmen answered as she looked over at her friends for support.

Chelle was stunned. She looked over at Carmen then at AJ, seeing the glow on their faces, she knew this was something they both thought over thoroughly. She smiled “I think this is wonderful. And you’re right. Life is precious, you do have to live for the moment.” Chelle then hugged Nick then looked back over to AJ and Carmen “Knowing the two of you, you’ve thought this over. Carmen you‘re like a sister to me, I couldn‘t be happier. You both deserve to be happy”

“Yeah we all are happy for the two of you. I think all of us now believe in love at first sight.” Nick replied.   Robert wrapped his arm around his wife then looked over at his daughter who was beaming from ear to ear with Nick.  He then glanced at all of her friends. He noticed each of the couples looking at their significant other with love in their eyes.

Chelle then looked over at Carmen and said “We know AJ will take good care of you because he knows who he’ll answer to if he doesn’t” Chelle then winked at AJ who gave her the understanding look back. He was grateful for his little sister’s approval. Hopefully everyone else felt the same way.