Salvation

by Land, Alexa

  They really didn’t know what else to say to each other after that, so I cut into the thick silence with, “I don’t know about you, but I could really use a drink right about now.” Vincent nodded and let me lead him to the party while Dmitri went off in the opposite direction.

  We still had one more landmine to navigate. Dante and Vincent acknowledged each other with just an awkward nod, then spent the rest of the evening pretty much ignoring one another. Whatever the issues were between those two, they were clearly not going to be resolved tonight.

  Vincent and I curled up on a chaise at the far end of the pool. Though he tried to focus on me, he was obviously uncomfortable in this environment. But at least he was here. He was trying.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The day of the wedding dawned sunny and glorious. A soft breeze blew in off the Pacific, rustling the huge saffron-colored canopy that had been set up just outside the French doors, red silk streamers fluttering at each corner. Beneath it, little round tables with red silk tablecloths were being set with pretty china by the wait staff. The wedding was going to be held just as the sun was beginning to set, and I realized as I looked around that Nana had planned the whole color palette in sunset colors, warm reds, oranges and yellows, which also happened to match the colors in Gianni’s tropical garden. The garden, in turn, coordinated with the exotic clusters of blooms on each tabletop.

  Even though much of the set-up had been done the day before, there were still an awful lot of people bustling around a few hours before the wedding. A fair number of them were actually in amongst the plants and bushes. Judging by the number of wires and cables being run, I guessed that they had something to do with whatever sound and lighting scheme Nana had concocted.

  I set the stack of plates I’d been carrying on the edge of the round table that was going to hold the cake, then went back to the kitchen. River was at the kitchen island, looking amazingly calm and collected, reading down his to-do list. A strand of long brown hair had escaped from his ponytail, and he tucked it behind his ear before retrieving a pencil and crossing a couple things off his list. This was only his third catering job ever, but he’d grown exponentially in a really short time. I’d originally stepped in to lend a hand during his very first job at that gallery opening, because he’d been panicky and overwhelmed. But I could see that soon he really wouldn’t need a partner, as we’d originally assumed. He had this all under control.

  *****

  Guests started arriving in the late afternoon, just minutes after the last of the contractors cleared out. A pretty young woman with long, strawberry-blonde hair came into the kitchen carrying a cellophane-wrapped tray, and said, “Hi! I’m Maureen, Kieran’s cousin and Jamie’s sister. My mom baked these cookies, they were Kier’s favorite when he was a little boy. Think you can squeeze them in somewhere?”

  “Of course,” I said, taking the tray from her. “I’ll bring them out with the dessert and coffee.” She had a big purse draped over her arm, and suddenly a furry brown head poked out. “Oh!” I exclaimed at the sight of the silky terrier. “Hi there.”

  “That’s Tippy,” she said.

  All of a sudden, two little blond boys came racing into the kitchen. They were dressed in matching short-sleeved blue button-downs and little plaid overall shorts. “Auntie Mo,” the bigger of the two yelled. “We want cookies!”

  The smaller one started chanting, “Cookie, cookie, cookie!”

  “They’re for after dinner,” she told them. To me she said, “These are my nephews, Brody and Brennan. And you’re Trevor, right? I’ve seen you at my brother’s restaurant.”

  “That’s right. It’s nice to meet you.”

  “Auntie Mo!” The little boy wailed, “We don’t wanna wait ‘til af’er dinner! We want cookies now!”

  “Where’s your mother?” she asked, looking out the double doors at the people that were beginning to assemble on the lawn. “Erin!” she yelled. “Your kids want cookies!”

  A woman in a yellow sundress yelled back, “It’ll spoil their appetite!”

  “It’ll spoil your appetite,” Maureen repeated to the children.

  “Nuh uh!” The little boy insisted. “C’mon, give us a cookie Auntie Mo! Pretty please?”

  Maureen sighed, then peeled back a corner of the plastic wrap and slipped each boy a cookie. “Don’t tell your mother.”

  The boys grabbed their bounty and went running out the door, the taller one yelling, “Mama, Auntie Mo gave us cookies and we’re not gonna tell you!”

  Maureen sighed and said, “Yeah, that’s pretty much exactly how that always goes. Nice to officially meet you, Trevor. I’d better go smooth things over with my sister.”

  River, who’d been across the kitchen, came up to me and said, “Am I forgettin’ something huge? I feel like I am. It feels like this is all too easy, and so there has to be something big I’m missing.”

  “You didn’t miss a thing. We’ve been over all your lists a hundred times. We got this, River.”

  “I guess so.” He didn’t look convinced.

  Vincent came into the kitchen just then. He’d been laying low in the guest room we’d shared with Skye and River last night, after I finally convinced him to stay for the wedding. “Wow,” he said. “I was going to ask if you needed any help, but it really doesn’t look like it.”

  “I could use a kiss, though,” I said, going up to him and taking him in my arms. He smiled at me and kissed me gently. Then I asked him, “Hey, I was wondering about that uptight group of guys outside, on the far right edge of the lawn. Not to stereotype, but they kind of look like they just rolled in off the set of the Godfather. Any idea who they are?”

  Vincent glanced out the open door and said, “I do, actually. The short, elderly man in the center is Christopher’s father, Reggie the Roach Longotti. I assume the three huge guys with him are his bodyguards.”

  “Reggie the Roach?”

  “That’s what they call him, since apparently he’s impossible to kill.”

  “So, Christopher’s family is in organized crime?” I asked, and Vincent nodded. “Okay. But why would he need bodyguards at his son’s wedding?”

  “He doesn’t really. There’s an old rivalry between my family and his though. He must have figured there would be a few Dombrusos here today and wanted to play it safe. But it’s really not like Dante, Johnnie or I are going to start anything.” Nana walked past the group of men on the lawn just then and did a double-take. She pointed at her eyes with the index and middle fingers of her right hand, and then pointed them at Reggie Longotti. “My eighty-year-old grandmother, however, might be a different story.” For now, at least, she walked away, but not without shooting a couple more looks at Christopher’s father.

  “Speaking of Dante, I saw you two talking last night after Skye made me get in the pool with him. Are things okay between you?”

  Vincent sighed. “Not really. There’s a lot I can’t tell him, and he hates that. Dante is the type of person that wants to be in charge of everything, all the time, and it drives him crazy that I’m doing things that are beyond his control.” I kissed him again before he said, “Well, since you don’t need a hand, I’m going back to my book.” He retreated once again, and I went back to work.

  *****

  Just a few minutes before sunset, about a hundred people were gathered at the far side the garden, near the cliff’s edge, the Pacific a slow and steady thrum that underscored the soft music being piped in from hidden speakers. “It’s time, boys! Come on out,” Nana exclaimed. She’d changed out of her summer dress into a red silk embroidered gown (after randomly explaining that red was a traditional color for weddings in China), her white hair piled into an elegant updo.

  River and I pulled off our aprons and I retrieved Vincent from the guestroom. Once we’d settled into the back row, Skye appeared and asked, “Hey! Did I miss anything?” as he sat beside his brother.

  “Nope, it’s just about to start,” I told him.


  “Where have you been?” his brother wanted to know.

  “I kind of fell into the job of unofficial kid wrangler.”

  “What does that mean?” River asked.

  “Mostly, I assigned myself the task of making sure no little wobblers went off that cliff face over there,” Skye said. “I found it helped to distract the mini maniacs with games. Do you know most kids today don’t know how to play Red Rover? It’s rapidly becoming a lost art.”

  The music got a little louder just then, and a hush fell over the crowd. All of a sudden, the entire garden lit up with a million tiny lights, twinkling like fireflies, casting a magical spell. The crowd murmured its delight. Nana appeared on the path leading from the pool. “Here they come!” she announced. “Aw shit, I’m crying already. There goes my makeup!”

  She quickly took a seat in the front row, near the huge, artistic arch of tropical flowers that had been put in place this afternoon. A photographer positioned himself off to one side and began snapping pictures as the groomsmen took their places, Brian in his wheelchair beside his cousin Jamie on the left, Hunter and Charlie on the right. They were all dressed casually in khakis and button-down shirts, each with a yellow orchid pinned to their right pocket. A woman of about sixty wearing a white suit took her place in the center of the gathering, holding a slim leather book and smiling at the assembled crowd.

  Christopher and Kieran emerged hand-in-hand from the path that lead from the pool and came around to the back of the audience. They paused and looked at each other just a few feet from where I was seated. The love between them was the purest, most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. Kieran’s blue eyes were sparkling as he smiled at his soon-to-be husband, and Christopher beamed at him with utter adoration. A piece of classical music started playing, and the two men walked hand-in-hand down the aisle. As if on cue, the sunset began to paint the sky beyond the floral arch in shades of yellow and orange, Nana’s grand vision playing out brilliantly.

  The grooms turned to face the crowd as the music ended, and Kieran said, “Christopher and I want to thank each of you for being with us today. It means so much to us that you’re here to share in our wedding day.” He paused for just a moment and looked at Christopher, who squeezed his hand and smiled at him. Kieran continued, “Not all of our loved ones could be here, today though, so we wanted to take a moment to honor their memory.”

  Brian pulled a stack of framed eight-by-ten photos from a little saddlebag on the side of his wheelchair and handed them to his brother. Kieran looked at the first photo in the little pile, a sad smile curving his lips. He looked up and said, “Glenda Nolan. My mother. I love you and miss you all the time, Mom.” He handed the portrait of his mother to Brian, who held it up with one hand as he quickly dabbed at his eyes. Kieran looked at the next photo in his hands. “Sean Nolan. My dad. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of you, Dad. I love you.” He handed this photo to Jamie, who held it up facing the crowd.

  Kieran handed the last photo to Christopher, who looked at it for a long moment, then held it up and said, “Isobel Andrews Longotti, my beautiful mother. You went away way too soon, Mama. I love you so much.” He handed the photo to his friend Charlie, who cradled it against his chest.

  “We wanted to share this day with our parents, who live forever in our hearts,” Christopher said, “and with all of you. We love each and every one of you.” Christopher walked over to the front row, leaned down and hugged his father. As he straightened up again he said, “I love you, Dad. Thank you for coming to my wedding.”

  “I love you too, Christopher Robin.” The old man’s voice was rough with emotion.

  Hunter collected the photos. A little table was set up to the right of the arch. He stood the pictures on the tabletop, facing the audience, so that the grooms’ parents were now a part of the ceremony.

  Vincent was holding my hand, and when his grip tightened slightly, I glanced at him. Tears were streaming silently down his cheeks, even as he held his head high and fought to maintain his stoic expression. He was surely thinking of his own parents as he tried in vain to conceal an ocean of hurt, struggling to keep his mask of studied composure in place.

  I raised his hand to my lips and kissed it. When he turned toward me, I reached up and gently brushed away his tears. As he held my gaze, the aloofness that he’d been trying so hard to hide behind completely crumbled. I felt like I was seeing him for the first time, even though he’d dropped his guard around me long ago. But this was something more. This time, I felt like I was being allowed a glimpse of his soul.

  I realized, right in that moment, that I was completely in love with Vincent Dombruso.

  He smiled at me softly before turning his attention back to the grooms, and I watched his handsome profile for a moment before I did the same. Christopher and Kieran were now facing each other, holding hands, and the woman in the white suit began the ceremony. After she spoke for a few minutes, she said, “Kieran and Christopher didn’t want to write formal vows, but they both have a few words from the heart that they want to say to each other.”

  Kieran smiled a bit shyly and said, “Okay, I somehow volunteered to go first, so here goes.” He looked into Christopher’s eyes. “I didn’t really believe that true love existed before I met you. I thought it was just something in movies. Wow, was I wrong!” The audience chuckled appreciatively, and he continued, “I can’t imagine my life without you, Christopher. I have absolutely no idea what I ever did to deserve you, or to deserve this kind of happiness, and I’m so grateful every single day that you’re mine. You continually astound me with your kindness and beauty and goodness, and as long as I live, I’ll try my very best to make you feel loved and cherished, because that’s exactly the way you make me feel.”

  Christopher beamed at him and exclaimed, “Well, shit! That’s almost literally word for word what I’d planned to say to you. I knew I should have gone first!”

  Everyone burst out laughing, and Christopher said, “Oh man. I just said shit during our wedding ceremony, in front of your entire family!”

  “Twice!” Kieran exclaimed, and both of them laughed.

  Nana yelled from the audience, “You could’ve said way worse things than shit! Want me to give you some examples?”

  Christopher looked over at her and smiled. “No thanks, Nana. We’re good.” He then turned back to Kieran and said, “Okay, so I just want to add that I absolutely, unequivocally adore you, Kieran Nolan. You’re everything I could want, and so much more than I ever dreamed of. I’m so grateful that I get to spend every day of the rest of my life at your side, loving you and being loved by you.” The two men grabbed each other in a passionate embrace.

  When they stopped hugging and went back to holding hands, the wedding official smiled at both of them before announcing, “It is with great pleasure that I now pronounce you married. You both may kiss your husband.”

  Kieran and Christopher didn’t just kiss. They grabbed each other and completely made out, while everyone in the audience leapt to their feet, cheering, applauding and whistling. I got up too, laughing and clapping, and then Vincent took my shoulders and turned me to face him.

  He looked into my eyes for a long moment and smiled at me, and the most incredible feeling of happiness bloomed inside me, spreading from my heart outward, making me feel warm and almost giddy. He kissed me gently, then whispered in my ear, “That’ll be us some day.” I stared at him in surprise, and he winked at me and said, “Come on, you have work to do.” I grinned and followed him to the kitchen.

  *****

  Two solid hours of cooking and plating and more cooking followed. We got a four-course sit-down dinner for a hundred and eleven people served, with the help of six waiters Nana had hired. The food went off without a hitch. River’s elegant, inspired menu of fresh seafood and peak-of-the-season produce met with rave reviews.

  It was after dinner that a bit of pandemonium broke out. Somehow Puffy the attack cat got let out of the garage, and when he
wandered into the reception, Tippy the little silky terrier blew a gasket and launched himself out of his owner’s lap, taking off after the cat. It took all of about fifteen seconds to topple the towering flower-covered wedding cake, which had to have been close to four feet tall. As it went over, Kieran dove onto the grass and caught the top tier, holding it up out of harm’s way as the animals circled him and then took off under the tables. The rest of the cake didn’t fare quite so well.

  The little kids at the reception thought this was all pretty exciting and started running around after the dog and cat, yelling and screaming. Skye leapt into action along with a couple moms and set up a human barricade at the cliff’s edge. When the shrieking white feline launched himself at the cliff in a desperate bid to escape the crazed canine, Skye executed a perfect flying interception, catching the cat in midair and then crashing into the bushes with him.

  Apparently, Skye landed on some kind of control panel. In the next instant, the sky overhead was ablaze in a riot of light and sound and color. A hundred huge fireworks went off at once, launched from a little barge positioned just offshore.

  Everyone froze, staring at the ten second display in absolute amazement, and when it ended they all erupted in cheers and applause. “Do it again,” little Brody shrieked delightedly, a fistful of crushed wedding cake in each hand.

  “Well shit,” Nana exclaimed. “There goes the grand finale.” She turned to look at the grooms. Christopher had helped Kieran to his feet, and they were still staring at the now-dark night sky in amazement. “That’s a shame,” she said. “I really wanted everything to be perfect for the two of you.”

  “It is perfect, Nana,” Christopher said, coming up to her and giving her a hug. “That was the best fireworks display I’ve ever seen. Thank you.”