“Thanks, Mom. Your support means a lot to me.” I was glad to have their approval, but I didn’t need it to marry Josh. I knew he was the best thing for me and nothing and no one was going to get in my way. Except maybe Jimmy De Soto. I stomped down that thought as soon as it popped into my head. There was no way I’d let that asshole ruin my weekend or my life.
“Dylan would adore him too,” my mom said quietly. “He’d love the way Josh jabs at you, but mostly he’d love the way that Josh looks at you as if you alone created the universe.”
“I think about Dylan every single day of my life, but his loss is felt even stronger on certain days. Tomorrow will be one of them,” I told her. I was thrilled to have found friends like Adrian and John in my life, but no one replaced the big brother I adored so much.
“He’s with us, baby. We can’t see him or hear his laughter anymore, but he’s looking down on us. He’ll be with you every step of the way, and you’ll feel him in your heart.” I hooked my arm around her shoulders and pulled her against my chest. She tucked her head under my chin, and we cried quietly together for a few minutes. My mom wiped her eyes, cleared her throat, and said, “Today is not about being sad; it’s about welcoming your birth mom and sisters into your life. I want you to tell Bonita that I’m looking forward to seeing her again. Will you do that for me?” she asked.
“Gladly,” I replied, kissing her on top of her head.
The early morning chat with my mom helped me push away any lingering nerves that remained. I focused on the important things like kissing Josh awake and luring him into the shower for some wet, naked fun. Neither of us wanted to abstain from sex leading up to our wedding nor would we spend the night apart. We were doing things our way because it had worked well for us up to that point. Why fix something that obviously wasn’t broken?
I was my typical calm self when I pulled into the parking garage at the hotel where Bonita and her family were staying. We had arrived fifteen minutes early, so I was surprised to find them waiting for me outside the doors of the restaurant. I observed their family dynamics as we walked toward them because they hadn’t spotted me yet. Bonita looked as anxious as I had felt that morning after my dream, but my sisters practically vibrated with excitement. Dear Lord, their beauty was more captivating in person than on Skype. I felt my big brother instincts kicking in again as I saw more than one guy checking them out. I thought it was too damn bad my gun was locked in the glovebox of my car and not on my hip.
“Gabe, do you really want to be growling when you meet your sisters?” Josh asked beside me. “Plaster a smile on your face before you scare them! We can hunt those pervy bastards down after brunch.”
“Good idea, Sunshine.”
“I hope he likes us,” Arianna said as we neared.
“Well, he might not like you since you’re a spoiled brat, but he’s going to love Marisol and me,” Selena told our youngest sister.
“You’re such a…”
“Girls, please,” Bonita said, interrupting them before an argument could start. “Do you want his first impression of us to be the three of you arguing?”
“They were only playing around, Mama,” Marisol said. I already knew that she was the most laid back and practical of the three sisters. “He wants to get to know the real us, not the Stepford Sisters that look and act perfectly at all times.”
“She’s right,” I said.
“Gabe!” All three sisters yelled my name at the same time as they launched themselves at me. Then they proceeded to talk over one another.
“Girls, one at a time,” Miguel said patiently.
“Oh my goodness, you’re more handsome in person,” Marisol said.
“And tall,” Arianna said.
“And broad. You look like you bench press buses for a hobby,” Selena said.
“Just small cars,” Josh commented, “and only every other day.”
“I like you,” Selena said before she threw her arms around Josh’s neck for a hug.
“It’s a good thing,” I told her, “because we’re a packaged deal.”
“A few months ago we didn’t know we had a brother and now we’re about to have two!” Arianna exclaimed excitedly.
Marisol cocked an eyebrow high at Josh and asked, “On a scale of one to ten, how protective are you going to be?”
“That depends on the situation,” Josh said, keeping his answer vague. He spent a lot of time around women and seemed to sense a trap when it was near. He once told me that women never forgot a damned thing and would recite something a person said verbatim ten years after it was spoken. He wasn’t about to back himself into a corner.
“I like you too,” Miguel said. He extended his hand to Josh first and then to me and introduced himself. He didn’t seem to find anything awkward about our situation, and in fact, looked to be a proud father of three amazing young women and a doting husband who wanted to make his wife happy. If I hadn’t already run him through every background search system available to me, I would’ve known at that moment that Miguel Gutierrez was a good man.
Bonita quietly watched everything unfold as if she was just happy to take it all in, but I could see the glimmer of wanting more in her eyes. I knew she hesitated because she wasn’t sure what I was comfortable with, so I took the first step. I opened my arms, and she stepped into my embrace. I heard her crying softly against my chest and felt her tears soak my shirt.
“You look just like your biological father,” Bonita said when she pulled back and looked up into my face. “You have my coloring, but other than that you’re the spitting image of him. If you ever want to know more about him, I’ll gladly tell you what little I know and show you his yearbook pictures.”
“I’ll give it some thought,” I told her.
Bonita hugged me again and cried a little more.
“Gosh, Mom,” Selena said. “You act like you haven’t seen the guy in over three decades.”
“Oh hush,” Bonita replied, waving her hand in Selena’s direction as she battled to keep her expression serious. “Can’t we at least try and trick him into thinking we’re a normal family for the weekend. I’m not expecting the three of you to keep up the charade forever, but at least until after the wedding.”
We all laughed when the three of them said, “Okay,” in unison.
“Are we ready to eat?” Miguel asked.
“Always,” Arianna said. “I looked at their menu online, and I have my heart set on that big breakfast with the bacon, eggs, home fries, and pancakes.”
“Quit bragging about your metabolism, skinny bitch,” Selena said affectionately to our sister.
“It’ll catch up to her when she goes to college,” Marisol said. “She’ll be eating pizza and Chinese takeout and gaining the freshman fifteen like the rest of the world.”
“I gained twenty,” I told them, “maybe even twenty-five pounds because I wasn’t burning off the calories like I had in high school while playing football.”
“I tried to gain fifteen pounds but couldn’t do it,” Josh said, earning glares from everyone else.
“You two skinny bitches,” Marisol said, pointing her finger at Josh and Arianna, “can sit at a table by yourselves while the rest of us eat egg white omelets and wheat toast.”
“I’m ordering the same thing as Arianna,” I announced.
“I’ll eat the egg white omelet and toast,” Josh said. “I don’t want to rip out the seams of my tuxedo pants tomorrow.” Josh ate like a fucking bear coming out of hibernation, so I knew damn well he was just saying that to please my sisters, who were perfect, beautiful, and healthy women.
Brunch was a wonderful experience; there wasn’t an awkward lull in the conversation and we never ran out of things to discuss. I was enjoying myself so much, and I hated to leave their company, but there were things we needed to do to prepare for the rehearsal. Then it occurred to me that our day didn’t have to end at all.
“I’d love for you to come to the rehearsal tonight. We�
��re having a barbecue afterward with the wedding party and our immediate families. My mom and dad are looking forward to seeing you again, Bonita, and meeting the girls and Miguel. What do you say?”
“Yes!” my sisters exclaimed.
“Are you sure?” Bonita asked, but I saw the hopefulness in her eyes. “We don’t want to intrude.”
“Speak for yourself, Ma,” Arianna said. “I want to spend as much time with my brother as I can, and I don’t mind being pushy about it.”
Marisol nodded. “Yeah, what she said.”
“See, Ma,” Selena added. “You said more than once that you wished we could all agree on things and now we do.”
I laughed at their antics and said, “I’m positive that we want you there and that you won’t be intruding.”
“Okay, if you’re sure,” Bonita said.
“We are,” Josh affirmed. “Rehearsal starts at five so how about you guys show up around three thirty or four?”
“We’ll be there,” Bonita said.
We exchanged hugs all around before we headed to Marla Henderson’s boutique to pick up our tuxedos. I was shocked that Josh waited until the day of rehearsal to pick them up, but he had absolute faith in Marla and her team. They had met when they filmed the wedding series for Channel Eleven News and became fast friends. In fact, each of his former cast members was involved in our wedding day.
Marla was excited to see Josh and even happier when our matching tuxedos fit us perfectly. Of course, she wouldn’t let us see each other. Waiting to see one another in our tuxedos on our wedding day was the one tradition we decided to keep. I had to admit that the charcoal gray color Josh insisted on looked perfect with my tan skin. I was positive it would be just as flattering against his fairer skin.
Josh and I stepped out of our dressing rooms at the same time and smiled. We looked happy and excited that our wedding was a little over twenty-four hours away, not hesitant or nervous. “What’s next on our errands list?” I asked Josh, knowing damn well he had one.
“A fast food drive-thru,” he replied. “How can anyone live on that pathetic amount of food? Baby, I need a juicy cheeseburger right away or I might not make it to the rehearsal dinner.”
“I know just the thing.” I took him to his favorite drive-thru and ordered him a burger, fries, and a milkshake.
“We’re going to be very happy together,” Josh said between ravenous bites of food. “I love a man who produces meat when asked.”
“Anytime, Sunshine. Anytime.”
Our rehearsal and dinner that followed went off without a hitch. A psychotic man with a revenge plot didn’t crash our event, and no awkwardness existed between the Wyatt and Gutierrez families. The two women didn’t try to outdo one another, and neither of them challenged the other’s right to be in Gabe’s life. It was wonderful that there wasn’t the female equivalent of a pissing contest over Gabe’s attention. It was just a beautiful night.
I woke up the next morning to find that Gabe was out of bed before me for the second consecutive day. He rarely woke before me and two days in a row had never happened. I was usually up and finished with my workout before he was up and moving. In fact, I typically woke him by holding a cup of coffee near his nose and lured him into joining me in the shower for his morning jolt of caffeine and cum.
I wondered if his early rise was due to his excitement about our big day, or because he wanted to spend as much time with his parents as possible. Another option might’ve been that he was trying to resist my charms and temptations. We said we weren’t abstaining from sex leading up to our wedding, but it felt right to save a little something extra for our wedding night.
Wedding night. Those were two words I thought would never apply to me, yet they did. I was hours away from marrying the man of my dreams, and I couldn’t keep the smile off my face as I dressed, brushed my teeth, and headed downstairs. I expected to find him in the kitchen or the sunroom with his mom like yesterday morning, but instead, he was in the garage wrenching on Charlotte with his dad. They hadn’t heard me come in the door and continued to talk.
“You’ve taken great care of her, son. I’m very proud of you,” Al said to his son. The pride I heard in his voice made me smile, and it looked like Gabe puffed his chest out a bit more than usual.
Every child born into the world wants to please their parents and make them proud; it is hardwired in our DNA. Some people have parents who love them unconditionally, and are their kids’ champions in every part of their lives. Others have parents who only love them if they meet certain criteria. Gabe and I both had parents who set amazing examples for us in case our kids turned out to be straight.
“You need to dedicate yourself to giving the same amount of care to all the wonderful gifts in your life,” Al told his son. I backed out of the doorway and eased the door shut when I realized that they were having a special moment.
“There’s my boy,” my mom said when I reentered the kitchen. “I thought I’d make your favorite crepes and sausage for breakfast unless you’re too nervous to eat.”
“I’m not nervous at all,” I replied then realized that I meant it. “There’s absolutely nothing to fret about.” I couldn’t recall a time in my life where I’d felt calmer. “Sausage and crepes sound amazing.”
I tried to help her, but she smacked my hands away and shooed me to sit on an island stool. My dad joined us a few minutes later when he returned from taking Buddy on a walk. We chatted about anything and everything just like we had my entire life and it was a beautiful way to spend the morning of my wedding. I realized how much I missed my parents and decided that seeing them once or twice a year just wasn’t enough, especially after the grandbabies came.
My mom sent me to round everyone up when breakfast was almost ready. I found Martina in their bedroom steaming non-existent wrinkles out of the dark teal dress she chose to wear to the wedding. I could tell by the number of pressed and steamed clothes hanging up around the room that she’d been at it for a while. I figured it was her way of working through her excitement and making the day pass faster.
I tapped lightly on the doorframe so that I didn’t startle her. “Breakfast is ready, and then it’s time for your pampering.”
“What pampering?” she asked.
“Oh, did I forget to tell you what I had planned for the mothers of the grooms?” I extended my arm out so I could escort her to the kitchen.
Instead of looping her arm through mine, she reached for my hand. “Yes, I believe you did, but I’m intrigued. What do you have in store for the mamas today?”
“I think I’ll wait and surprise you instead.”
“You shouldn’t have gone to so much trouble,” Martina said an hour later when she settled into the pedicure chair with her feet soaking in the jetted basin and a mimosa in her hand.
“Josh, this is your special day, not ours,” my mom said. “You should be the one getting pedicures, manicures, and massages.”
I closed Curl Up and Dye to the public, but my special ladies were getting the works that day. Despite their words, I saw the pure enjoyment in their eyes when Dee and Josi worked their magic.
“Hair and makeup will follow after your massages,” I told them.
“You spoil us too much,” Martina half-heartedly protested as Josi massaged the arch of her right foot.
“Not enough,” I replied. I dropped a kiss on top of both our mothers’ heads and went off to find my two best friends who were on hand to help me.
Chaz looked me over from head to toe with narrowed eyes. “I expected to find you wild-eyed and crazy,” he told me. “I’m happy that I don’t have to talk you down from the ledge.”
“I’m feeling great,” I told them. “I can’t wait for five o’clock.”
“I’m so happy for you, sugar.” Mere threw her arms around my neck and rocked me back and forth. “I am so proud to stand beside you on your wedding day.” She pulled back and smiled up at me. “You’re going to return the favor, right?”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” I replied.
“That goes the same for me,” Chaz told her
“Does that mean you think Harley is ‘the one’ for you?” I asked her.
Meredith smiled happily and said, “I do.”
“That’s Josh’s line today, Mere,” Chaz said. “Wait your turn.” I hoped it wouldn’t be long before it was her turn to recite those words.
The day passed by quicker than I expected it to, and before I knew it, I was in our bedroom about to get dressed for the main event. The door opened just as I reached for my tuxedo. Gabe entered the room carrying his garment bag. Our original plan had been to dress separately and meet our parents in the sunroom so they could escort us down to the altar, so his appearance surprised me.
“I want to get dressed in our room,” Gabe said.
“Oh, do you want me to use the spare bedroom then?” I asked.
“No, I want to get dressed in our room with you,” he said huskily. “I don’t want to spend another second of this day separated from you.”
“Not even if I have to poop?” Come on; I couldn’t be expected to lose my snark and sass overnight. Besides, it was better to let my mouth run amok privately when my emotions soared rather than at the altar.
Gabe laughed hard before he hooked his finger in the elastic on my aqua blue bikini briefs that I bought for the special occasion. “I’m going to dress you now then undress you later.” His eyes held so much sensual promise that I worried we might be late to our own wedding.
“That’s much better than doing either of them alone,” I told him.
“Indeed.”
“I think we should remove some of your clothes to level the playing field,” I told Gabe, who had his clothes on while I stood in my new undies. “I should be aggravated that you get to see my something blue before I was ready to reveal it to you. It’s also my something new,” I told him. Okay, we were guilty of following that tradition too. “I’m wearing the cufflinks that my dad wore on his wedding day as my something old and borrowed.” I was pleased that two items counted as four.
Welcome to Blissville Page 89
