Chapter 12

Another six months passed. A one-year anniversary party was set. The gang wanted to hang out at the fair like they did when they met. Plans were going fine until Lora got a phone call from her parents asking her to come home for a while. She protested and argued but they still wanted her home. Lora had to tell Ralph. Ralph had grown so possessive and didn't want her out of his sight. He got angry when she hung out with Tracy and Denise longer than she said she would. Lora did not know it but Ralph had become suspicious of Marshall. Ralph could tell that Marshall wanted Lora too much and always thought she was with him. He would question her when she came back from being out with the girls.

"Ralph, I have to go home for a while. My parents want me to come. They haven't seen me in a year." Lora said.

"You can't leave me here alone. What are you thinking?" Ralph replied.

"Why don't you come with me? Hell, why can't we all go? None of us have seen our families in a year and I could show you around Augusta." she asked. She thought of this after a talk with Madam, who, after the party at Ralph's, became closer to her. Ralph liked the fact that they got along. He encouraged Lora to take Madam with her when she went out. He knew Madam would report to him.

Madam was the biggest reason Ralph didn't trust Lora. She kept him thinking of the night Lora was with Marshall. She was going to make him hers even if she had to manipulate both of them.

"Sure. Why not," he said and he got all the tickets and passports together, Made arrangements for them to have a place to stay in Georgia, and rented transportation. A few days later, the whole crew was on their way to Georgia. All of the parents were at the airport and hugs were exchanged. They couldn't believe their eyes, their little girls were beautiful women. The group piled into a big Hummer that Ralph rented and headed to the Meadowbrook subdivision.

The three families lived in a court of five houses. One of the houses was empty so Ralph found out the owner and had it rented for him by one of his workers. That way they didn't have to be under anyone else's house rules.

Marshall took off with the excuse that he wanted to get a gift for Denise. He had to make sure everything wasn't going to blow up in his face while he was there. He went to his parent's house.

The rest went to visit first at Lora's parent's house. Lora's dad and Ralph hit it off quickly. They went out and started to grill up for a barbecue.

"Well sir, I do like your home." Ralph started the conversation off, wanting to make a good impression.

"Call me Tom. Yes, it is my wife's dream house. She has always had her heart set on a 4 bedroom, mostly glass house, with about 3 acres of land around it". Tom said. "Anyway, tell me more about yourself. Where did you make your money: stocks, bonds, or what?"

"Well, I inherited most of it from my grandfather, and the rest I made in imports and exports. Most of the products made on our Island are loved by Americans and Europeans. I am just a silent partner in several companies. I get a percentage of the profits they bring in. Not much work. I hope that doesn't make me look too bad." Ralph explained.

"No. I am glad you were honest. You see, I had you checked out. As the pastor of the largest church in this area, it is my duty to make sure my daughter is well taken care of. Sometimes children don't know what they are getting into."

"I am glad to know you care as much as I do," Ralph replied. He knew Lora's dad had a private detective check him out and follow Lora. He just had more money and paid the detective to report what he wanted to be reported.

"When will the wedding be? You have been living in sin with my daughter for a while now and I feel that you should change this situation to a holy union."

"We have never been able to discuss it. I would love to marry your daughter right now. I am not sure how she feels. Every time I mention a full-term relationship, she changes the subject or leaves. She just doesn't know what she wants. She does want to be with me, that I'm sure of."

"We'll see what we can do about it." Tom ended the subject and started on another topic: fishing, hunting, or something like that. He really liked how Ralph presented himself.

Tracy's parents fell in love with Carlos the minute he told Tracy to quit trying to run everyone's life, and in the same breath heard that they were to be married while they were in America.

Everyone, including the crew, found out that Tracy and Carlos had been married for the past six months by the island laws.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Lora asked. "I thought we told each other everything."

"I didn't want to put any pressure on you to get hitched."

"You have got to do your own thing. I tell you this though, I am very happy." Tracy and Carlos kissed. Tracy was planning a small intimate wedding to take place in one week.

That evening, after being missing in action all day, Marshall showed back up. He knew where his family was and they didn't recognize him. Marshall ran into his dad at a tool store, one of his dad's favorite places. Marshall walked right up to him and asked him the time. His dad looked straight in the eyes and then at his watch. He had no idea who Marshall was. After that Marshall walked down his old street to the library. He found out that a missing person report was filed by his parents and after they had no word for a year, they gave up finding him. His parents were going out of town so he knew he was in the clear. He was almost disappointed that he had gotten away with the deception.

When Marshall returned to Lora's parent's house, he heard the news about Tracy and Carlos and congratulated them. Marshall coaxed Denise out; they left and went to the house Ralph rented. Marshall did not want to meet her parents. He explained that he will meet them later. When they got to the house Marshall seduced Denise and they made love. He wanted her so badly that he just couldn't wait. She couldn't believe how good he was to her.

He made sure that she had her orgasm before he came and then made sure she had more than one. They missed spending time with her parents on the first day.

The week of the wedding preparations was completely busy. No one got to rest. Ralph and Tom continuously bugged Lora about marriage. She started trying to hide from them. She couldn't believe they continued to talk about it. Her mom finally told them to stop.

The wedding went off without a hitch. Tracy's dress was a beautiful long white gown with a split all the way up her sides. It has a lace shell over it and pearls beaded into it. Carlos wore a black tuxedo with a red rose boutonniere. Her bride's maids (Denise and Lora) wore red gowns. They were very sexy with splits up the sides. The best men (Ralph and Marshall) also wore black tuxedos with red rose boutonnieres. It was a beautiful short ceremony. It was held in the family church. Since everyone went to the same church, it was simple.

After the ceremony, a party was held at Ralph's house. There was liquor, incense, and a lot of loud music. The party was mostly for the younger people so after the gift opening and the pictures, the parents left. The party died down about 1:00 a.m. and Tracy and Carlos left for their honeymoon (paid for by her parents) to Disney World.

The "Crew" still had one week left in Augusta, GA. Lora and Denise decided to show the guys around the city. After about two hours they were done. The women showed them the malls, their old high school, and other personal sites of their lives.

Ralph took off to handle some business and didn't come back till late. The rest of the evening was spent planning trips to Atlanta, Savannah, and other sites of interest. When Ralph got back they went to Savannah. They went sightseeing and shopping. They enjoyed their time together but Ralph decided that he wanted to get Lora alone. He gave Marshall some money and left them in Savannah.

Ralph took Lora to an airport where a jet was waiting. They flew to New York where he bought her all the expensive things she could possibly want. They then went to a restaurant for dinner and then to the Ritz Hilton where he reserved the honeymoon suite.

"I can't believe this day. When did you have time to plan this?" Lora asked.

"That is the benefit of having others work for you. I love you so much. I just want everything to be perfect for you." He uncorked a bottle of champagne and filled their glasses. After handing her a glass and taking a sip he broached the subject he had been waiting to bring up. "Wouldn't you like to be this happy for the rest of your life? You know I can make you happy don't you? Why won't you marry me and make me complete?"

Lora knew she had to answer but she didn't know what to tell him. She did love him and he did make her happy, so why wouldn't she say she would marry him? "I do love you but do I have to marry you to prove it? I don't want to marry just because of pressure or just because my dad wants us to be married. When the time is right for me, I will let you know."

"Why not say yes and we will have a long engagement? We do love each other and we will someday be married. So let's get engaged. Ralph went down on one knee and held out a box with a ring that had to be 3 carats of diamond with a setting that would make any girl faint that was surrounded by smaller diamonds, all set on a wide gold band. "Lora, will you make a commitment to me, to become my bride? I won't pressure you into setting a date. Just you saying that you will marry me is commitment enough for me. I love you and want to be engaged to you."

Lora couldn't believe this was happening. All she could do was say yes. Ralph put the ring on her finger and kissed her. They made love all night and the next day. They returned to Georgia two days later. Denise was shocked when she saw the ring. Marshall was astonished and angry. How could Lora tell Ralph she would marry him when she still loved him? Marshall looked at Denise and thought, "She deserves to be that happy. Why can't I love only her? I want to make her just as happy but if I don't get Lora out of my mind, I won't be able to. Maybe Madam can help me." He resolved to go ask Madam for help.

At the end of the week, Tracy and Carlos came back and the trip back to the island was set. The plane would be leaving at 7:00 p.m. With that went the parent's hope of their daughters staying home. They could see that their daughters were happy and knew that if they ever got into any trouble they would come to their parents. They prayed for the daughters, kissed, hugged, and said goodbye.