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Carlo rested his hands on his hips and did a slow turn to take in the conversion of the research and development center’s display area into the space for the cocktail reception which would take place before the wedding. Smaller table rounds were laid out through the space and had already been dressed with linens and centerpieces for the event later that afternoon.
Once the trolleys, carriages, and Pierce vehicles transported the guests to the beachside home for the wedding, they’d return to the R&D center for the reception once the ceremony was over. His crew would have to do a quick turnaround to get the area ready which would mean changing linens, adding cutlery and glassware, and chairs. The florist in town had designed amazing centerpieces which would combine the smaller cocktail ones into more elaborate decorations for the evening.
Which had him thinking about the flowers down at the beach house and whether everything was going well there. He whipped out his cellphone and dialed Emma, but it was Connie who breathlessly answered.
“Connie? Everything okay?” he asked, worried that something had gone wrong if the bride-to-be was answering.
“It’s beautiful, Carlo. Everything is absolutely perfect! ¡Tan lindo!” she said and there was no mistaking the joy in her voice which brought relief.
“That’s great. Is Emma around?” he said and held up his hand as Tomás walked toward him.
“She’s kind of busy with a slightly hungover Maid of Honor and bridesmaid. Good thing I can’t drink or it might have been three of us,” Connie said with a laugh.
Carlo chuckled. “Totally get it. I’m not sure the guys are out of bed yet.” He hoped the bourbon had worn off and had not left too many nasty reminders of the night before.
“Carajo, Carlo. What are you waiting for? Get back to Andy’s and wake my man up! I’m waiting for him!” she teased and ended the call.
He laughed, shook his head, and Tomás said, “I guess everything is going okay?”
Carlo nodded. “You could say that. You doing okay?” He’d noticed a more pronounced limp in his brother’s gait that morning.
Tomás grimaced and rubbed his leg. “I feel like an old woman when I say this, but weather’s changing. I think snow is on the way again.”
Carlo blew out a pained breath both because his brother was hurting, but also because of the possible snow. He’d heard it on the weather report on the way over this morning and had been hoping they were wrong. It would complicate moving everyone around. They normally didn’t get much snow so close to the shore, but this winter was proving to be different so far.
He grasped his brother’s shoulder and squeezed reassuringly. “Sorry you’re hurting and if you’re old, I’m ancient because I suspect that even in your current condition you could still kick my ass.”
Tomás laughed and nodded. “I could. You’re getting soft, cabrão.” He poked Carlo’s midsection and feigned surprise. “Caralho. You’re all skin and bones.”
Carlo yanked up his t-shirt to reveal his lean ripped abs. “All muscle, mano.”
“You’ll look good in that suit,” his brother said with a rough exhale. “My brother in a suit. Never thought I’d see that day.”
“You’re just jealous ‘cuz I look so good. Now get to work. I’ve got to wake up the men and make sure their ready.”
“To meet their doom,” Tomás teased in a horror movie kind of voice and held his hands up like scary claws.
The men walked outside and paused to look up at the sky. Thick clouds with dark streaks hung heavy in a leaden sky. Chilly air had that smell that just screamed snow.
Tomás patted his back and said, “Relax. It’s nothing the da Costa brothers can’t handle.”
He nodded and said, “Yes, we can handle it. See you later.”
As he walked away, Tomás sent him a parting shot. “I’ll be sure to have my phone for some photos so mamãe can see you in your new duds. You look damn good, cabrão.”
Carlo waved him off and got in his van for the drive through Sea Kiss and to Andy’s house. Even with the threat of snow there were still a few early morning risers strolling through the shops. A news crew van was parked on one side street. Probably to try and get some shots of the “celebrity” wedding.
He turned away from Main Street and drove past Andy’s house just to make sure it all seemed okay at the Pierce family home where the wedding would take place. The circular drive was already lined with the luminarias and floral arrangements would greet the guests as they arrived. The front door entrance was likewise decorated with flowers, ribbons, and lights. As Connie had told him earlier, it all looked beautiful and he trusted everything was going well inside also.
Relaxing a little, he turned back around and located parking near Andy’s. In no time he was inside where Andy was doling out aspirins to Owen and Jonathan along with immense glasses of water.
Feeling like a little payback was in order for last night’s Emma pressure, he made sure his voice was on the loud side as he heartily slapped the brothers on the back and said, “How’s it going, dudes? All set for the big day?”
Both men winced and Jonathan glared at him. “We’re ready. No thanks to you. Why didn’t you stop us last night?”
Carlo grinned wryly. “I distinctly remember someone saying there was no stopping the Pierce brothers when I suggested you might reconsider having more alcohol. Do you remember that, Andy?”
Andy draped his arms across his chest and nodded. “I’m pretty sure that’s what I heard.”
Andy’s wife Sarah waltzed in at that moment, walked up to her husband, and hugged him. With a playful tousle of his now short hair, she looked at him and said, “Thank you, Carlo. He looks so much better without all that mad scientist hair and that scraggly beard.”
“But you love me anyway,” Andy said and kissed her.
“I do and I may have to keep an eye on you today and fight off all those other women now that you’re so handsome,” she said before dropping a quick peck on his lips and hurrying out again with a wave.
A flush worked across Andy’s normally pale cheeks. “I think she loves me.”
“You’re a lucky man and today, I’m going to get lucky also,” Jonathan said cheerfully, but winced again at the loudness of his own voice.
Owen laughed and grimaced at the sound, but still managed to say, “Considering the bride’s knocked up, I’d say you got lucky already.”
“Sweet Lord, I never thought I’d be the one to have to reel you two in. Are you still drunk?” Carlo said and laid a hand on each brother’s arm to take them into a large parlor where their suits were hanging on a portable garment rack Emma had brought over days earlier along with the clothing.
“Get your shit together, get upstairs, get clean, and get dressed. The photographer and videographer are going to be here in an hour,” Carlo said.
“Shit, dude. Where’s your client voice?” Jonathan groused as he massaged his temples with his fingers.
“Right now, I’m in friend mode. Get moving,” he warned and was relieved to see the two of them comply despite their mumbled complaints. The brothers grabbed the garment bags with their suits, shirts, and ties, but fumbled with the shoeboxes.
“I’ll get those upstairs for you,” he offered and Owen and Jonathan left to get ready.
Carlo breathed a sigh of relief. Everything was under control here. Paolo and Tomás were in charge of his crew. Emma . . . things were going well with her also, so it was time he took the advice he had given the Pierce brothers and also got ready for the big event.
***
EMMA HAD TOLD HERSELF she wouldn’t cry because it would mess up her make-up, but it was tough not to do as she watched the photographer shoot the final pre-wedding photos while the videographer hovered behind them, capturing the moment for posterity. Connie was radiant as Jonathan’s little pup Dudley yipped excitedly with all the activity and weaved his way around the people gathered there, almost tripping up the photographer. The pup had a jaunty little seafoam bowtie with pink stripes around his neck because he was going to be a part of the bridal party also.
In a little while the first of the guests would arrive from the R&D center where the cocktail reception had been held. According to Carlo, who had phoned just moments earlier, everything had gone off well except for one of the horses leaving road apples in front of the building. That and the hangovers for the bridal party were simple enough to handle.
Luckily letting Jonathan and the other groomsmen mingle with the guests combined with the food had helped them fully recover from their bachelor party. Her friends had likewise gotten past their slight overindulgence of the night before. Mrs. Patrick and Emma had prepped a light breakfast for them that morning which had helped Maggie and Tracy’s recovery.
Everyone looked great, she thought as the photographer snapped off family photos of Connie, her mother, and Connie’s grandparents.
“Come on, one last girls’ photo,” Connie called out and held out her hand to urge them over after her family had stepped away.
A last photo, Emma thought and tried not to let those words pain her. Just because Maggie and Connie’s lives had changed, that didn’t mean their friendships would also change. Tracy must have sensed her upset since when they stood together for the photo, she made a point of squeezing Emma’s waist reassuringly and whispering, “It’s going to be all right.”
It was going to be just fine, she told herself as the photos wound down and a chirp in the earbud she wore warned that Carlo or one of his brothers was in communications range. A second later, Carlo’s voice came across the line. “We’re here. Is it clear for us to come in?”
Emma clapped and called out to her friends. “Ladies. Time to let the men and guests get settled.” She motioned to the room that would soon be Connie’s home office and was doubling as a bridal suite.
Maggie and Tracy entered first and when Connie followed, Emma picked up the train on the dress to help out her friend. Connie called out to Dudley and he followed them obediently with jaunty steps and a playful bark. Inside the room Maggie and Tracy sat, but Connie paced with Dudley following her. Her nervousness was apparent as the sounds of guests arriving filtered in from beyond the closed door and Dudley drifted over to the entrance to sniff and whine. He must have sensed Jonathan’s presence.
Emma rose and hugged Connie. “Hang in there. It won’t be much longer.”
Long minutes later Carlo’s voice snapped across her earbud as he said, “Everyone’s in place. Ready when you are.”
Emma took a deep breath and splayed a hand across the nervous butterflies in her own midsection. She faced her friends and said, “It’s time.”
“Don’t worry. Everything is going to be fine,” Connie said and hugged her.
“I know. I just need to make sure everything’s under control,” Emma replied, her voice cracking with emotion.
Connie drew her in tighter and laid her cheek against Emma’s. She stroked one hand down her back to soothe her. “Don’t worry, Auntie Em.” she teased.
“Dear God, please do not call me that, although with all of you married, I do feel like I’m lost in some other world,” Emma confessed.
“Nothing will change, Em. If anything, you’re going to get to see more of me for sure since we’ll be neighbors.”
“There is that,” she said grudgingly.
“And you know Maggie will be coming down more often too. And Tracy will be needing us with all the changes in her life.” Connie shot a look back at her friend who was clearly battling to stay chill even though she had to be hurting.
Emma glanced toward Tracy. “Yes, she’ll need us, and we’ll be there, right?”
Connie nodded and joined Maggie and Tracy at the far side of the room.
Emma stepped outside into the foyer to doublecheck that all was ready. As she stood there, the front door opened, letting a sharp gust of cold air blast into the foyer. Carlo hurried in, brushing snowflakes off the dark fabric of his suit.
Her mouth went dry and her heart skipped a beat at the sight of him, smiling so freely. His dark brown eyes glittered with happiness and as a lock of thick cocoa brown hair fell onto his forehead, he raked it back. She imagined brushing away that hair as they made love. Sifting her fingers through the thick strands and then down across his cheeks to those full lips.
An inferno of need blazed to life and the heat spread across her skin. She sucked in a ragged breath and hurried to his side where she brushed some more snowflakes from his suit.
“Great. Snow. What else will go wrong today?” Emma groused and shook her head.
“The drivers said not to worry. It’s only flurries and I checked the radar. It won’t get worse,” Carlo said.
“Everything will be totally fine today, because I’m getting married, Em. Getting married! Can you believe it?” Connie said as she walked to the door of the room but stayed out of sight of the guests.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Emma said and then grabbed Carlo’s hand and dragged him to the front of the group of people waiting for the trip down the aisle. “Let’s get this show on the road.”
Connie gave a quick flip of her hand to Dudley who raced out of the foyer and up to the makeshift altar where Jonathan already waited. The dog launched himself into Jonathan’s arms and after a playful tussle, Jonathan placed him on the floor where the pup dutifully took a seat. If Emma didn’t know better, she’d say the dog actually had a smile on his face.
At the altar beside Jonathan was the priest from the local Catholic parish in deference to Connie’s Cuban family. Her grandparents were already seated in the front row and on the opposite side were Jonathan’s father and his mother who had only recently become a part of the men’s lives together with a special needs brother who wasn’t able to attend the wedding.
She peered around the room, trying to locate Connie’s mother Lilli who was going to walk Connie down the aisle. Lilli was talking to Connie’s grandparents at the front of the room. She looked beautiful in a rose-colored gown that worked perfectly with the seafoam and blush colors of the bridal party.
A cello player sat not far from the altar, softly playing classical music until it was time to switch to something suitable for the march down the aisle. She motioned to Lilli who excused herself and walked toward the foyer where Carlo had rounded up Owen and Andy.
“Maggie and Tracy. I need you first. Connie you wait until you hear the cello stop. Then count to five and join your mother in the middle of the foyer. Count to five again and once you hear the cello start –”
“I’ll control myself somehow and sedately stroll down the aisle,” Connie said and wrung her hands nervously around the bouquet Maggie had handed her.
“You’d think you hadn’t seen him in weeks and not just a day,” Tracy kidded.
Connie shrugged. “What can I say? He makes me happy.”
“I know the feeling,” Maggie added with a contented sigh.
Carlo walked over and laid a hand on her waist. “We’re ready to go, Em.”
With a shaky nod, Emma motioned Maggie to join her newlywed husband. The smiles on their faces as they walked down the aisle were so joyous that it filled the room with brightness despite the growing gloom of the snowy early December day visible from the wall of glass.
With another wave of her hand, she directed Tracy over to Andy who was grinning from ear-to-ear. Tracy was smiling also, but she knew her friend too well not to see that the smile on Tracy’s face was strained and didn’t quite reach up into her hazel eyes.
And then there was no avoiding Carlo any longer. After mouthing, “Count to five,” at Connie, she walked to the center of the aisle and met Carlo there. His dark good looks were a perfect foil to her pale skin and reddish hair and as they walked down the aisle together, she could no longer fight her feelings for him. It just felt too right and for this day, she was going to enjoy this amazing man and whatever the day – or night—would bring.
At the altar, Jonathan stood beside Owen, Andy, and the priest, a broad smile on his face and his sea blue eyes glittering with joy. As she and Carlo reached the altar, they paused for a moment and their gazes collided. In that heartbeat the yearning on his face and the love was impossible to miss. It filled her with optimism she normally didn’t have. Or maybe it was all the joy and happiness surrounding her on Connie and Jonathan’s very special day.
As she took her spot, she cued the celloist with a subtle nod. The young woman acknowledged her with a smile and the tiniest dip of her head. A few seconds later the celloist wound down the sonata she’d been playing, set her bow hand on her leg, and glanced toward the foyer.
Emma trained her gaze on that spot as well and as she counted down in her head, Connie’s mother took her spot in the foyer. Lilli held her hand out, and a second later, Connie stepped out and joined her mother.
Her friend was stunning. The blush of the dress was a perfect complement to her dark hair and exotic gold-green eyes. As Emma had thought, the cut of the gown and overskirt hid the slight baby bump and wonderfully showed off the rest of Connie’s curvy and toned body.
Her friend’s thick brown hair fell in artful waves to her shoulders and the floral tiara and barely there veil framed her gorgeous heart-shaped face. But as with Jonathan, it was her iridescent smile and the gleam in her eyes that made her beauty truly shine.
As Connie and Lilli linked arms, the celloist began an adaptation of Pachelbel’s Canon. In sync, mother and daughter took the first step down the aisle, but despite Emma’s earlier entreaty and Connie’s promise for a sedate walk to the altar, her friend hurried to meet her husband-to-be who couldn’t take his eyes off Connie.
When she neared, Jonathan stepped forward to take Connie’s hand from her mother, but he apparently couldn’t wait another minute to show her just how much he loved her. He wrapped his arm around Connie’s waist and kissed her, earning applause and laughter from those gathered for the ceremony. Dudley barked excitedly and raced around them in a circle, clearly joyous for his pet parents.
After Jonathan released her, Connie reached up and wiped away the traces of her lipstick from his mouth and Dudley took a spot between them. This time there was no mistaking the joy on his puppy face.
“You’re very impatient, Mr. Pierce,” Connie said, smiling.
“And you, soon-to-be Mrs. Reyes-Pierce, are irresistible,” Jonathan said, grinning.
“Which means we should start this ceremony and get you both wed,” the priest said with a stern but playful glance.
“We definitely should,” her friends said in unison, joined hands, and stood close together as the priest began the introductory rites for the wedding celebration.
Emma had been to so many weddings, she could recite the vows in her sleep and yet hearing her friends recite them roused deep emotion from within. Especially as the priest offered up a blessing for them and took a moment to speak about the wonders of marriage and the commitment to love one another through all the challenges life would bring them. Like the baby that would soon join them although the priest was astute enough not to mention that as he joined their hands together to continue with the ceremony.
The priest smiled and said, "Do you Jonathan Frances Pierce take Consuelo Maria Reyes as your lawfully wedded wife, 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 cherish until death do you part?"
Jonathan had been so focused on his wife-to-be as the priest spoke that Connie had to squeeze his hand to prompt him for the traditional “I do.”
"Do you Consuelo Maria Reyes take Jonathan Frances Pierce as your 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 cherish until death do you part?" the priest asked.
“I do,” her friend said strongly and without hesitation, making Emma’s heart clench with joy.
Jonathan grinned and Owen leaned forward to hand him the ring. Jonathan’s hand shook as he slipped the wedding band on Connie’s finger, and Connie’s hand was none too steady either as she eased the ring on Jonathan.
The priest continued with the blessing of the rings and after, her friends recited the Lord’s Prayer together before the nuptial blessing.
Emma waited, expectant, until the priest finally and happily said, “You may now kiss the bride.”
Jonathan did, dragging Connie tight against him and digging his fingers into her hair to hold her tenderly as he kissed her. She kissed him but pulled back at the priest’s warning cough. Smiling, Connie said, “I love you, Jon. As long as we’re together, we will always be home.”
Grinning, he nodded and said, “Always, Connie.”
Emma’s throat choked up at the tender scene and she prayed that every day of her friends’ lives would be as happy as today.
As the newly married couple faced their guests, loud applause and cheers greeted them and for good measure, Jonathan grabbed Connie and kissed her again. When they broke apart, the celloist started to play and the bride and groom sashayed down the aisle to the foyer.
Once they were a few feet away, she met Carlo in the center of the aisle. Caught up in the moment much as she was, he was smiling and offered her his arm. She slipped hers through his and took hold of his hand, trying to keep hers from shaking. Trembling, she hurried down the aisle until they reached the foyer and it was time to go into wedding planner mode.
But as she walked away, Carlo kept a hold of her hand and dragged her close. He cupped her cheek and said, “Relax, Emma. Everything is going great.”
“It has to go great, Carlo. Connie and Jonathan deserve the best,” she said.
With a small smile, he said, “So do you.” And then he leaned in and kissed her. Just a quick short kiss that so surprised her she had nothing to say when he stepped back and tugged on her hand to pull her toward the trolleys and Pierce vehicles waiting out front.
“Come on. We’ve got the world’s most epic wedding to finish,” he said.
