The beach at the Westin is dreamy. The sun is going down over the water giving everything that is white or cream colored a bluish hue, including our dresses and the sand. The beach reminds me of one of the romantic bridal magazine shoots I have been looking at for the past couple of months. From the partially buried paper luminarias in the sand to all the white peonies and blue hydrangeas decorating the chairs and the arbor where Jack and I will shortly exchange vows. Everything looks perfect. The wedding planner at the Westin thought of everything and she pulled it all together in six weeks.

"You both look fabulous!" I'm so grateful they are both here. "Thank you, guys for being here" The three of us embrace in a group hug. "I can't believe that I'm doing this! I hope I don't fall walking down the aisle."

"You won't fall. We'll catch you." Sarah says as she pulls away and looks me over. "You're dress is stunning! You know you're tan lines are showing. I love that this is a 'shoes optional' event!"

"I can't do anything to hide my tan lines. They are what they are. " Twirling around on the balls of my bare feet showing them my simple linen strapless dress that loosely falls above my knees. I want my tan lines to show. They're for Jack. "I'm kinda going for the full "barefoot and pregnant" theme." I went with a simple dress, I don't want a lot of attention on me especially when there is no debating that I am pregnant and I look like I could deliver any time.

"Oh my god, Isa." Sarah laughs as she fixes the straps on her airy linen dress.

"What? It's true!" Spinning around showing off my simple linen dress, my big baby bump and my tan lines making a cross on my back.

Cole and Luke come running up with big smiles. "People are coming!" They look so adorable in their white button down, untucked shirts and their khaki shorts. I flatten their cute cowlicks with my hand, but they spring back up.

"Have you seen Jack?" I ask the boys.

"Oh yes! He's inside!" Cole says loudly, pointing up the sandy path.

"Are you guys excited?" Suzanne squats down to the boys' level to talk to them, trying to fix the cowlick I couldn't.

"Very!" The boys start jumping up and down and then run in the direction they said Jack was.

We didn't invite many people. Just a few of Jack's closest friends who I haven't met yet and his Mom. The only people I know to invite are Suzanne and Sarah and they are my co-maids-of-honor, and of course, the boys.

"Jack invited Lila." Informing the girls. "Well I think that the studio may have sent her or something. I'm not too worried about her anymore."

"I'll take care of her if she gets too friendly with Jack." Suzanne inspects her nails.

I look at her and imagine Suzanne using her manicure to defend me. "I think this wedding is enough to rub her nose in it, don't you think? Besides, you don't want blood all over your dress, it will ruin it."

"Yeah. You're right." Suzanne puts her claws away. As some music starts to play and people start to take their seats. "We better get inside. We don't want to keep your hunk waiting."

#

Watching the boys walk with Ringo toward Jack standing under the flower covered arbor, I start to get a little weepy. "I'm a little nervous." I turn to the girls on each side of me. Suzanne takes out a tissue from her cleavage and fixes my eye makeup before I ruin it with tears. "I love you guys." Seeing her pull a tissue out of her cleavage made me laugh enough for a second to forget about why I'm weepy.

"We got you." Sarah says, smiling. "It's our turn."

The string quartet begins to play a beautiful version of the wedding march. The three of us walk between the chairs set up on the beach to join Jack, the boys and Ringo.

As soon as I'm close enough to see Jack's smiling haint-blue eyes, I immediately feel better, and I know that this is right. And that I didn't fall over in front of everyone.

Jack faces me and takes my hands. "You are beautiful. I love the tan lines!" His words make me giggle. Jack is all smiles in his white shirt and khakis to match the boys.

Luke and Cole give me a hug. "Hi momma!" Cole says, then goes back to patting Ringo.

"I'm glad you showed up." I whisper to Jack. I'm still in disbelief that tonight is happening.

"Seriously? Like there was a chance I wouldn't?" Jack winks at me.

The officiant walks up to us as the music stops at the end of the verse. Marco is wearing a light blue button down shirt and khaki shorts, no shoes.

"On the beautiful evening on Saint John, we gather to witness the marriage of Isabelle Finley and Jack Avery" Jack doesn't break his eye contact with me and gently squeezes my hands and mouths my middle name. I smile wider. He never did figure out what my middle name is. But now he knows. And now I know his.

Marco continues, but I am in such a daze, staring at Jack as the sun sets over the water, I half hear what Marco is saying. I'm just staring at Jack and wondering what happened that we got to this point. Jack squeezes my hand to bring me back to the ceremony and we say our "I do's."

"Jack, you have something you would like to say?"

Jack coughs and clears his throat. "Luke and Cole, I'd also like to say a vow to the both of you and this comes from my heart. I know I wasn't there when you took your first steps. I promise that I will always be here for you, to support you in every step you take. I promise to always love you as my own sons because I consider you my own my sons. I love you guys."

Luke jumps on Jack and hugs him. "I love you too Jack, I mean Dad!" Jack holds him and hugs him tight. I hear a collective "awe!" from our guests.

Cole hugs Jacks Leg. "I love you Dad." Jack bends down and scoops Cole up too. The boys wrap their arms around Jacks neck. The three hug. Jack has tears in his eyes. I know he has never been called Dad before.

Cole lets go with one arm and taps Jack's back to soothe him. "It's okay Dad, don't cry."

They called him Dad? My heart melts.

"Do you have your rings?" Marco asks Jack. Jack nods yes, he releases my hands and bends down to help Luke and Cole unpack the rings from Ringo's special wedding harness then stands back up and hands me one of the rings.

My turn to speak. I'm sure my lack of public speaking skills will become evident to everyone tonight. "I Isabelle take you Jack as my lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part, and to this, I pledge my love, my faithfulness and my devotion." I slide a platinum wedding band onto his left ring finger and look back up to his eyes. I made it through without stumbling over the words. Now if I can make it through the rest of the night without stumbling.

Jack says makes his vow to me and then slides a platinum band onto my finger. Jack has tears in his eyes. Why is he crying? I love him so much.

Marco continues. "By the power invested in me from the Island of Saint John, I now pronounce you legally married, husband and wife." Marco turns to Jack. "You may now kiss your bride."
Jack pulls my hand toward him while he leans to meet me. "I love you, Isa Finley Kendall." He whispers.
"I love you too Jack Avery Kendall." I whisper back and he kisses me, in front of everyone. The boys, his mom, Suzanne and Sarah, and Lila. Everyone.
I shut my eyes, blocking everyone out and focusing on my and Jack in this moment. Jack's hand is holding the back of my neck, his other is holding the small of my back. He leans me back as he continues kissing me like he is performing on a stage. He's always the entertainer.
"Mr. and Mrs. Kendall. Kinda has a nice ring to it? Huh?" Jack whispers in my ear.
"I love it." I whisper back with a big smile. "Please don't drop me." I envision myself slipping out from Jack's arms and landing flat on my back in front of everyone. Sand all through my hair, my short dress exposing what doesn't need to be exposed to our guests, and Jack having to pick me and my big tummy out of the sand. So embarrassing.
My stomach feels like an over-inflated beach ball. I hope I didn't pull a muscle. Note to self: Call the midwife in the morning, although I know she will just tell me it's Braxton-Hicks. Just my body getting ready to deliver in the future. I don't want Braxton and Hicks to take away from our wedding tonight.
"Never." He kisses me again before helping me stand up again. Embarrassment diverted. I breathe a sigh of relief,
She will just tell me it's Braxton-Hicks. Just my body getting ready to deliver in the future.I had them when I was prengnant with the boys for a month before I delivered them
I look around and his and family friends are standing and cheering. Luke and Cole give us a big hug. We did it! Jack and I are married. We are one big happy family.
The string quartet begins to play as Jack and I, hand in hand, lead everyone to the pool deck where the waitstaff is waiting for us.
"How are you doing?" Jack asks me when he sees me holding onto my stomach.
"I'm fine. She's not used to all this excitement." I give my hard belly a rub and hold on to Jack's hand.
I don't even know what is on the menu. Everything was planned out for us by the wedding planner. When the waiters served everyone's meals, it was a surprise that there was a heart shaped waffle on everyone's plate along with their entrées.
The chef used a maple glaze on the fish and beef and goes very nicely with our favorite breakfast. How creative! Yum!
I look up from my plate and smile at Jack. "Did you tell them to do this? Maine maple syrup and all?"
"Waffles are where it all sort-of started." Jack shrugged and cut into his and fed me the first bite.
"Very true." I cut into my waffle and dip it into the Maine maple syrup before I feed it to him. Wiping the maple drippings off his lip with my tip finger and gracefully licking the syrup off so no one will see. "Sorry I got it all over you."
"You can get syrup all over me anytime you want." Jack smiled and bent forward and kissed me. Tonight is magical.
I haven't had a chance to really talk with Carol, Jack's mom. I look forward to hearing all about Jack when he was a little one. I'm sure she has plenty of stories. It does make me sad my parents aren't with us anymore. It's time like these I wish they were here, I'm sure they are watching over us smiling.
"I have to use the bathroom; Aunt Sarah is taking me." Luke and Sarah stopped at our table to let us know.
"Okay, Sweetie." He steps back giggling when I try to fix his hair. "Are you having fun?" Luke and Cole are the only two kids here, I hope both are having fun.
"They are keeping us on our toes!" Sarah says and they head into the Westin.
"She's here with her 'Plus-One'" I lean into Jack and inform him.
"The Irish guy?" Jack asks with an exaggerated fake Irish accent.
"Seamus. Yes." I'm glad she found someone to hang out with. I'll have to get the scoop when things settle down.
"I see Suzanne is here with Mr. Suzanne." We watch as Simon holds Suzanne's hand and whispers in her ear, making her laugh. "It looks like everything is happy in 'Suzanneland.'"
Everyone is happy tonight, it's a perfect night.
Some of Jack's band friends set up by the pool. They were told to be on their best behavior, No limbo contests tonight.
"Dance with me." Jack stands and holds out his hand to either invite me to dance or help me out of my chair. I'm not sure which it is, but I take his strong hand and he helps me stand.
"You know I can't dance." The night isn't over, there is still a chance I can completely embarrass myself. I envision knocking over tables, knocking over waiters with a platter full of drinks, taking out the whole dance floor, knocking everyone over.
"Just lean on me." Jack holds on to me with his muscular arms. "I won't let you take out the wedding party."
Smiling, for many reasons other than Jack is funny, I rest my head on his strong chest as he sways me around. Maybe I won't embarrass myself tonight.
Then I feel gush of liquid run down my legs, pooling on the floor where we are dancing.
"Jack, I think my water just broke." I say quietly so I don't alarm everyone. I step back and we look down, remaining calm.
Jack stands back and looks down "Isa! We are having the baby!" He tries to be quiet, but people who are dancing close to us can hear.
"Please Jack, Please don't tell everyone. I don't want everyone to know that I ruined the party by going into labor."
"Why would you think that? No one would ever think you ruined anything." Jack motions to Suzanne for her to come over.
"Oh my God! Isa!" Suzanne screeches. "You're water broke."
"Shhhh! Suzanne! I don't want everyone to know."
"Well, I think it's a little too late for that." Everyone has stopped dancing and started staring at us.
Jack's old friend, Wyatt, came over to help. His wife, Maggie, is a doctor, she also came over to help us. With a few questions and some observations, she said I was indeed in labor. I breathed through the next few contractions; they are about a minute apart. This is nothing like my last two labors, which were incredibly painful and dramatic.
"It's okay everyone. It looks like we may have another guest at the wedding soon." Jack announces to everyone, and all our guests cheer for the second time tonight.
"I bet they didn't know the entertainment would be this exciting." I say breathing through a contraction.
"This baby is coming now." Maggie says, lets get her over to that cabana.
Jack and Wyatt each that a side and help me over to the large poolside cabana and lay me down on the large chaise lounge. Jack unties the side curtains for some privacy as Wyatt ran over and grabbed a stack of pool towels out of the valet.
Jack was up, holding my hand and looking into my eyes. "You got this. Block everyone out." How does he know what to say? He's never had kids or taken a birthing class. But I do what he says and stare into his haint-blue eyes, blocking everyone out.
"I can see your baby's head." Maggie says, I look down at her smiling. "Do you want to feel?" I sit up a little and reach down just as a contraction starts and my baby girl is born. She's crying, I hear my baby crying! "Good job, that trick always seems to help."
Maggie quickly places my baby on my chest and covers her with a pool towel.
"She has a good set of lungs." Jack beams, "You did amazing."
"Jack, do you want to cut her cord?" Maggie holds out a large pair of silver scissors one of the staff must have given to her. "I just sterilized them with alcohol."
Jack looks at me and I give him unspoken approval. Jack takes the scissors and I hear him use them and thank Maggie.
"She's here." I look at Jack. "I can't believe she is here."
"She is beautiful!" Jack kisses my forehead. "Happy wedding."
"Happy wedding." I say back and he kisses me. "I love you."
"I love you so much." Jack eyes are sparkling. "I probably should let everyone know what is going on."
"I'll be right here." I focus my attention on my little one.
I don't know how Maggie did it, but she delivered the afterbirth and cleaned me up quickly, covering what she couldn't clean up with towels.
"You have some visitors." Luke and Cole bound in to meet their new sister. Sarah and Suzanne are with them.
"Do you guys want to come up here and sit with me?" The boys look a little worried. I hope they aren't scared seeing their mom like this.
The boys climb up and I have one on each side of me. "What do you guys think of your new sister?"
"I love her." Cole says immediately. "She's my sister."
"She's my sister too." Luke reminds Cole. "She is so wrinkly."
Suzanne starts taking pictures with her phone.
"Please don't show those to anyone. Suzanne." I beg her. "I don't want people to see me like this."
"I won't. I promise. I'll send them to you and I'll delete them off my phone." Suzanne made her way up to where the baby is on my chest. "Wow! You sure are the life of the party!" Suzanne comments and she pulls the towel down to peek. "She's perfect! Hey, you can have a glass of your nice champagne now for your wedding toast."
Drinking champagne is the furthest thing from my mind, but I just might.
"What do I do now?" I ask. We can't stay in the cabana all night.
"No, Jack wants you to go to the hospital on Saint Thomas to get checked out." Sarah says as she gets her look at the new addition and makes cooing sounds. I'm glad about that, I feel uncomfortable with Dr. Easton examining me or my baby.
I hear Jack make his speech. "Mamma and baby girl are doing fantastic. We are lucky to have a OBGYN in attendance. Please enjoy yourself. We are going to leave a little earlier than expected, but please, stay and have fun!"
Maggie is talking to some firemen before they they come over to me dragging a gurney with them.
"How are you doing, Miss Isa." One of them says to me.
"Looks like you're going for a boat ride in the 'Huntie.'" The other one says.
"What's a 'Huntie?'" I have no idea what they are talking about.
"The 'Huntie' is our ambulance boat, It will bring you right over to Saint Thomas so we don't need to wait for the ferry."
Maggie comes over, "Do you mind if I hold her for a minute while they get up on the gurney?" I hand over my daughter to Maggie while the men strap me onto the rolling bed. Maggie hands my baby back to me.
"Are you coming too?" I look at Maggie, not wanting to leave her yet. "I'd really like you to."
"I can if you want." She looks at the firemen "Do you have room for me to tag along?"
"We have plenty of room." The taller of the two firemen said.
"You're coming too? Jack?"
"What? And spend my wedding night by myself?" Jack's haint-blues are still sparkling. "Of course I'm going with you."
Our wedding is over. Jack and I are Married. My, no, our baby girl is here and healthy. Everything is perfect, just the way it should be.

#

"When are you going to name her?" It's been over a week? You can't keep calling her BG." Jack is changing BG's diaper for the fifth time today and hands her back to me for another snack.
"BG? What's wrong with BG? Baby girl?" Rebutting Jack, But he's right. BG does need a name. "I want the paternity test done." BG latches on to my nipple and starts to eat. "I feel like I'm living a Jerry Springer episode."
Jack laughs. "I think Jerry might think this is a little over the top for his show."
I don't want to laugh too hard and disturb BG who is falling asleep on my breast. "Does Chip know if Ben has given his DNA sample yet?"
"I believe it's waiting at the lab." A wave of unhappiness washes through me, I don't need a paternity test. We all know the baby is Ben's. "I think all we need to do is swab BG's cheek and send it to the lab handling the testing."
"Do we tell Ben she has been born?"
"Let's let Chip deal with that." Jack says taking BG from me.
"I love you, Jack" He is so sweet and careful with BG. It's hard to believe this is his first time caring for a newborn.
Jack sets her down in her bassinette and comes back over to me. "I love you too, Mrs. Kendall"

#

The rainy has started on the island, sheets of rain are blowing across the bay.
Zeus is making Jack workout in the rain like he is a Navy Seal or something. The boys are at school and I'm nursing BG on the sofa.
"Miss Isa." Gabrielle comes over to where I am sitting and hands me a big, brown envelope "Miss Isa, this just came for you."
"Thank you." She hands me the envelope and I just stare at it. I know exactly what it is. It's the results of the paternity test. I set BG down on her little bouncy chair and go slide the door open to the deck where Zeus is yelling at Jack.
Zeus' voice went from yelling at Jack to a charming, calm one. "Hi Isa." He smiles at me.
"Hi Zeus. Am I interrupting?"
"Jack is doing Dirty Diaper right now." Zeus looks over at him and yells. "Why are you slowing down? You aren't gonna get a 'Dad Bod' on my watch!"
"Dirty Diaper?" Obviously it's some workout routine, or whatever they call it.
"He's lifting really heavy today" Zeus explains. "Sometimes when you lift heavy, you have accidents. You could soil your shorts."
"Oh, ew." This is way too much information. I glance over and see he has the ice bath ready for him. "Well, how much longer does he have?"
"I'd give him about an hour, then he will be on ice." How much does Jack pay him? This is worse than the last time I saw Zeus torturing him.
"Okay I can wait." I smile at Zeus. I really feel bad for Jack, but he keeps doing this to himself. "I'll come back."
The next hour feels like fifteen hours.
Gabrielle is watching BG while I take a quick shower.
I let the warm water massage my head as I lean into the spray and think about what the contents of the envelope are.
So, if Ben is the biological father. Chip says he may have the right to meet her when he is out of jail in a year. But what are the logistics for that? Will I have to go to Maine with the kids to see him? Will Ben have to come here? My stomach turns upside down just thinking about seeing Ben again.
I start asking myself questions. Do I really want to know what is in that envelope? Did Ben get a copy of the results before me and are his parents already on their way here to meet their new granddaughter? I start shaking when I think about Ben's mother showing up to take BG away. My tears start flowing.
I'm startled when Jack opens the door to the shower and steps in.
"Hey you." Jack says as he puts his huge arms around me. "You've been in here for a while."
Resting my head on his hard chest while the water trickles between us. "I didn't realize the time. Is BG okay?
"Gabrielle is sitting with her." Jack squeezes some shampoo on my hair and begins to massage my head while washing my hair. "Did you open it? Gabrielle said an envelope came for you."
"No, I'm afraid to. I was waiting for you."
"Let's finish getting cleaned up and see what it says."
"You are always braver than me." I feel weak in my knees.
"But what if it's not what you think? Wouldn't you want to know?"
"I know it's what it says I think. If it can't be you, it has to be Ben." How could she be anyone elses but Ben's? I've only been with two people, Ben and Jack. Jack told me it's almost impossible for him to father a child, therefore Ben must be the father.
I envision being forced to bring the new baby to the jail for visition. You know, if he really wanted to be part of the kids' lives, he should have tried a little harder not to do things that put him in jail.
"Either way, I'll love her like she's my own, just like I love the boys."
"Well, let's find out."
Jack shuts the water off and takes a towel to dry me off before he dries himself off before we step out of the huge glassed-in shower.
"Is it still raining outside?" I pull a dress on.
"Buckets." Jack says as he pulls a t-shirt and some shorts on. "This it?" Jack picks the envelope up that I left on the nightstand.
Nodding "yes" we sit on the edge of the bed together.
"Ready?" Jack asks me.
I take a deep breath as he slides his finger into the flap of the brown envelope and tears it open removing the paperwork inside.
He holds it so both of us can read it together. Jack seems impatient with all the literature at the beginning and flips through to the last page labeled "DNA Paternity Report"
The sheet has four columns, the first is a bunch of numbers, The other columns are labeled "Mother," "Child," and "Alleged Father" The mother column is blank, we all know who she is. Me.
All the numbers in the "Child" and Alleged Father" columns mean nothing, but scrolling down to the bottom of the page, there is a blue box.
I start to cry, I look over at Jack, he is crying too.
In the blue box there are two numbers. "Combined Direct Index" and Probability of Paternity." Both numbers are zero. Ben is not BG's Father. Jack is.
Jack throws his arms around me. "My mother said BG looks just me when I was born." He nuzzles my neck as he sniffles. "I didn't think much about what she said because I think all babies kinda look alike."
"Why didn't you tell me she said that you look like BG?"
"It just didn't mean anything at the time." Jack doesn't let go of me. "I thought she was just being nice in a weird way."
BG is Jack's baby. His revision must have worked, at least on one night.
"We can give her a name now." I don't let go of him now. Jack needs the hugs now. "BG Kendall."
"Luke keeps calling her Charlotte after the spider." Miss Stackpole is reading Charlotte's Web to the class.
"Charlotte is my grandmother's name." Jack pulls back smiling. "I think Charlotte is a very nice name."
I nod "I actually love the name." I look at his face. He looks like a thirty-year- old even though he is fifty now. I'm drawn into his happiness and kiss him deeply. I love this man. This is the best wedding gift that we could have received. "Avery. What about Avery for her middle name."
"Avery?" Just when I thought he couldn't pull me any closer or hug me any tighter, he does. "My middle name? Avery? Charlotte Avery?"
"Yes. Charlotte Avery Kendall." This is one of the happiest days of my life. "I love it."
"Thank you, Isa." Jack releases me and stands up, helping me up too. "Let's go tell everyone our daughter's name."