Aloha Honeybun

CHAPTER ONE-2

“I CAN’T BELIEVE THEY dragged us halfway across the world for this wedding,” Godric groused.

Dini tucked a strand of thick, black hair behind one ear and narrowed gorgeous dark brown eyes at him. “You’re kidding me, right? I can’t wait to get my hands on the local fauna.” She sighed. “The lotions and potions I can make with them.” Looking down at her, Godric thanked his lucky stars again that he’d found her. She was a gorgeous woman―smart and witty―and she could cure almost anything with her natural potions. Drawing on her Native American heritage and youth spent tracking and hunting on the reservation, Dini was also right at home in wild environments. She was going to have the time of her life traipsing around O’ahu’s rainforests.

Standing next to Dini, Edric’s honey, Bella nodded. “Absolutely. And the spirit history is rich. I need to find myself a local Kahuna and drain him of everything he knows.”

Edric kissed her temple, little Matilda bouncing happily in his arms. “Bella Honeybun, knowledge vampire.”

Bella laughed happily. “I can’t believe you guys aren’t just thrilled to be here.”

Her ankle-length sundress floating around her as she walked, Wanda Honeybun, the matriarch of the clan, strode over and stretched her arms out to lure the rosy cheeked baby from her daddy. “Come here, sweet baby. Gramma needs a Tildy fix.”

Little Tildy squealed happily, waving her chubby arms for her gramma. Edric kissed her on the cheek and gave her up. “I should have known I wouldn’t be able to keep her to myself for long.”

Edric’s mother blew a raspberry under the baby’s chubby chin and gave him stink eye over the resulting giggles. “You had her almost the whole flight over.”

“One hour,” he argued, lifting an eyebrow in emphasis. “I got to hold her a whole hour. And she slept through most of it.”

Wanda’s lips turned up in an impish grin that would have reminded anybody watching them of her sons. “That’s quality snuggle time. You need to learn to share.”

“I think we have all the bags.” They turned to find Papa Bob Honeybun stumbling toward them with four bags, followed by Clovis, Heathcliffe and Warwicke all similarly laden. Alastair brought up the rear, with Angie, Emma and little Pricilla, who’d just turned six and was clutching the stuffed unicorn Clovis had given her for her birthday in one hand. Her mother had a firm grip on the other hand.

His red hair mashed on one side from having slept for much of the flight, Stair rolled a suitcase in each hand, had a makeup bag over each arm, and a pink teddy bear roller case was perched atop one of the rolling suitcases. Pricilla’s sparkly pink sunglasses stuck out of the pocket of his shirt.

Godric smiled at the sight and the knowledge that Clovis might be the little girl’s soon to be daddy, but Cilla already had Alastair wrapped around a chubby little finger.

“What time are Brita and Percy getting here?” Fabby asked Warwicke. Wick looked at his watch. “Two hours. They’ll meet us at the hotel.”

Wanda frowned. “It’s too bad we couldn’t all come in together. I have a bad feeling and I won’t relax until all my ducklings are under my wing.”

Her “ducklings”, all well over six feet tall and built like linebackers, shared a grin. “Don’t worry mama duck, Brita’s keeping watch over little Percival. He’ll be fine.” Godric told her.

Bella looped her arm through Wanda’s. “I’ve been getting a low level hum of trouble too, Mama. But I think it’s just nerves from traveling with Tildy for the first time. It will pass once we’re all together around the pool.”

Emma closed her eyes in ecstasy. “Yes! A pool. I can’t wait to plant myself in the sun and not move for a week.”

Clovis reached down and plucked a happily squealing Pricilla off the ground, swinging her in a wide circle. “You might need to leave the pool one of those days, gorgeous. We do have a wedding to go to.” He hugged Cilla tight and she wrapped her chubby little arms around his neck settling her head against his shoulder with a happy sigh. “But right now, we need to get this little munchkin to bed. She’s exhausted.”

Emma grimaced. “It’s probably from running up and down the aisle for three hours yelling, ‘Book ’em Danno!’ at everybody.”

Clovis kissed her softly on the lips. “That might be my bad. She and I have been watching non-stop episodes of Hawaii Five-O to get ready for the trip.”

Emma’s lips quivered. “Ya think?”

“I thought it was cute as hel...heck,” Alastair said, his blue eyes widening as the toddler’s mother glared at him.

“Cute as hel-eck,” Cilla murmured on the front edge of a yawn.

Emma pointed to her ears. “Think parrot,” she told Alastair.

“Working on it.”

Petite, brown haired Angie grabbed the teddy bear suitcase from her new husband. “It’s good practice,” She gave Stair a secret smile that made Godric wonder if she’d told him. As far as he knew, Godric didn’t think Angie had told anybody she was pregnant. Being a physician and recognizing the symptoms, Godric had guessed. She’d threatened him into silence though. She wanted to get past the first three months before telling anyone. Just in case. Apparently her family had a history of miscarriages.

They moved quickly through the Honolulu airport to the rental car area, where they rented several cars for their stay on the island. Then the whole procession headed toward the Mahala Grand Hotel. In the back seat of the Jeep Alastair was driving, Godric pulled Dini under his arm and rested his chin on her head, enjoying the verdant scent of her black hair as he let happiness wash over him. Another wedding in the Honeybun family. And another grandchild on the way for a well-deserving matriarch. Hopefully it would be another girl. Wanda Honeybun was in heaven already with Pricilla and Tildy, another girl would no doubt go a long way toward making up for what he and his brothers had put her through in their youth. Who was he kidding? They were still putting her through the wringer. They couldn’t seem to stop themselves. But with grandbabies to spoil, daughters-in-law, and soon to be daughters-in-law, she was finally getting what she so richly deserved.

He was suddenly glad Alf and Pleasance had insisted on doing their very casual wedding in Hawaii. It was going to be a perfect wedding and a perfect getaway for the entire family. Life was certainly beautiful.

So why did he feel like there was a storm coming their way? Apparently lovely green-eyed Bella’s Wiccan ways were rubbing off on him.