Desire and a Bottle of Merlot: (Like Sisters Series Book 5) Chick Lit: A Romantic Comedy

by Bria Marche

  Vic, Tina, and Karen made sure everything was checked off the list with the caterers. There were plenty of tables, the decorations looked perfect, and the minister and soloists were going to be prompt. With everything accounted for, they took the stairs two by two, reaching the triage area of the master suite and guest room. Dresses hung from every available hook, and makeup areas were stationed in Sasha’s bathroom and the vanity table in the guest bedroom.

  Vic scolded Sasha for fidgeting while she was trying to apply a straight line with the eyeliner pencil. “Hold still, for crap’s sake.”

  “I would if you wouldn’t jam the pencil into my eyeball.”

  “Shush, and don’t move. Just think, you’ll be walking down the aisle in an hour, but you can’t forget your dad this time.”

  Classic rock kept the mood upstairs light and fun with all the women cackling like a flock of hens. Everyone knew, with Sasha’s pregnancy, how volatile she was. Keeping the atmosphere upbeat and lively would relieve any anxiety she might feel. Nobody wanted to redo her manicure because she’d gnawed her nails to the quick from nerves. When Vic and Tina finished Sasha and Mia’s makeup, they started on the mothers, finally finishing with applying each other’s makeup as well.

  With a glance at the petite French porcelain clock on Sasha’s nightstand, Mia began stripping off her jeans and tee shirt. “Okay, ladies. It’s time to get this party started. You know the drill.” The cheerful expression she wore said it all: it was about damn time Mia got her happily ever after.

  The dresses came off the hooks as a flurry of women spritzed perfume, rolled deodorant, and slipped on their beautiful dresses.

  “Somebody has to help me,” Sasha cried out. “My belly and these enormous boobs are getting in my way. I can’t believe how big and jiggly my boobs are already. I look like a cow.” The pout popped out, and her fearful expression put everyone on full red alert.

  “Honey, we’ve got this,” Tina said calmly. “First, you don’t look like a cow—you look stunning. Second, of course your boobs and belly are bigger. You have two precious babies depending on you to keep them snuggly safe until they’re ready to meet you, and the rest of the world. It’s all good, Sasha. Hold your head up high, and be the proud wife and mama to be.”

  “Thank you, Tina, for saying that. Thank all of you for putting up with me. I know how neurotic I can get at times, especially now.” After inhaling deeply to calm her nerves, Sasha smiled widely. “Okay, I’m good. Somebody, please zip up this friggin’ dress.”

  Ann was in charge of the “something old” for Mia. She wrapped a beautiful antique locket around Mia’s neck that had once belonged to her great-grandmother. The blue came from Tina. She handed Mia a pair of robin’s-egg-blue satin panties to wear under her dress.

  “Are you serious right now?” Mia laughed. “These better be new.”

  “No shit, Sherlock, but I’m not in charge of new, Vic is.”

  Vic handed Mia a beautiful handkerchief with hand-embroidered edges. “Jam that sucker into the back of your bouquet. Nobody will see it, and you can dab your eyes if you start bawling. Make sure you only dab. If you mess up my makeup magic, I’ll kill you.”

  “Thanks, sister. I’ll remember. I don’t feel like dying at your hands today—I have a pretty cool honeymoon coming up.” Mia chuckled.

  The only thing left was something borrowed, and Karen was in charge of that. She opened a small velvet case that contained a pair of diamond earrings. “My mom gave me these when I graduated from college. I hope you like them.”

  The tears of joy were contagious as the entire process started again with Sasha. Vic loaned her a pink bracelet made of Swarovski crystals as the borrowed item. Vic didn’t want to be in charge of blue since she didn’t own anything blue anyway. Karen gave Sasha a blue satin-and-lace garter. The old came from Alina—a gorgeous platinum filigree ring given to her from Gerard before they were engaged—and the new was from Tina. She gave Sasha a bottle of 2008 Merlot from Paradigm Winery.

  “You can’t crack this puppy open until after the babies are born. Then it will be time to celebrate.”

  With all the women and little Alisa dressed and ready to go, they had a moment alone to enjoy a group hug and air kisses before they started down the stairs.

  “Okay, are we ready to do this?” Sasha asked with a smile that lit the room. She checked the clock for the final time—1:45. “Let’s go have a kick-ass wedding.”

  They peeked out the side window in the kitchen, which overlooked the vineyard, wedding garden, and lawn.

  “Oh my friggin’ God, there’s six thousand people outside,” Sasha whined. “And the guys are out there, too, looking hot as shit.” Both hands flew to her mouth in record speed. Vic grabbed one, and Tina grabbed the other.

  “We’re going to do this just like we practiced last night. Everything will be okay. It’s not like you have to go first. We’ll already be up there, and if the kids can do this, you can, too. Just look into our eyes, Sasha, and you’ll be fine. Your dad will be by your side, and Josh will be anxiously waiting to make you his wife.”

  “Okay, but I have to pee first.”

  “Oh my God, hurry your ass up. The soloist is beginning to sing, and that’s our cue.”

  ***

  The guys lined up under the first arbor, waiting for the women to come outside. Ann and Alina were led to the front row of chairs by the usher. Josh and Aaron stood on either side of the minister, wearing grins they couldn’t wipe off their faces. Gerard and Tom stood behind the groomsmen, waiting for Sasha and Mia to make their appearances. The angelic voice of the soloist and guitar player echoed down Sunrise Avenue. One by one, Liz, Tina, Vic, and Karen took the arms of Matt, Jake, Max, and Mario and walked the long path under the ivy-covered arbors to the wedding garden. True to form, they all had tears streaming down their cheeks. J. J. and Liam followed, each carefully carrying a satin pillow holding a wedding ring.

  Alisa dropped coral-colored rose petals from a white wicker basket on the path as she bravely walked toward the podium. Nobody was left other than the brides and their fathers.

  ***

  Sasha and Mia stood together at the kitchen door, waiting for the cue of Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March.”

  “This is it, sister. There’s no turning back.” Mia kissed Sasha and hugged her tightly. “I love you, Sasha.”

  “I love you too, Mia. You’re truly my sister.” Sasha looked back and blew Mia a kiss as she walked out the door. “I’m out of here, babe. See you on the other side.”

  Mia took the handkerchief out of her bouquet and dabbed her eyes. With a deep breath, she watched as Sasha took her father’s arm and they walked down the path together. All right, here I go. Mia crossed through the door and smiled at her father as she reached for his arm and followed Sasha down the path.

  All the guests in attendance stood as both women passed by with their arms intertwined with their fathers’. Tears rolled down cheeks, and smiles brightened faces. Hands clapped, and familiar friends whooped and hollered, causing laughter to erupt from the crowd. The photographer caught every candid and sentimental shot, making the day as memorable as possible.

  ***

  Aaron fidgeted nervously as he waited to see Mia appear through the final arbor on her way to the wedding garden. His lifelong dream was finally coming true. The woman he had loved since high school was now going to be his bride. He couldn’t contain his excitement as Sasha and Gerard walked through the last arbor. He knew Mia was right behind them. He was all in and for life. He could barely restrain himself. He laughed out loud with happiness. Mia was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his entire life. He yelled out, “I’ve been waiting twenty years. Can’t you move any faster?” The crowd roared with laughter again.

  ***

  Sasha and Josh recited their vows and exchanged rings. Sasha slid the size-ten ring on Josh’s finger, and it fit perfectly. It’s kismet—my whole life is kismet. Sasha giggled under her breath an
d gave Mia and Karen a teary-eyed grin. She knew they were thinking the same thing: they’d gotten lucky on Josh’s ring, and nobody was the wiser.

  Mia and Aaron recited their vows of love to each other and exchanged rings. The two couples kissed as the crowd clapped and whistled their approval.

  ***

  Morey’s and Bottoms Up had drinks on the house waiting for the wedding party. The group spent thirty minutes at each bar, with Dan joining Tina as her guest, before heading back to the Victorian. They would mingle with the guests before dinner then dance the night away when the band began at eight o’clock.

  Tina and Dan rejoined each other after dinner since the entire wedding party was seated at the head table together. Jake and Matt gave heartfelt toasts and crazy stories about both couples. The caterers wheeled out a table covered in white linen, which held two enormous cakes waiting to be cut by the couples. Mia and Sasha threatened Aaron and Josh not to mess up their makeup with a face full of cake or they would have Vic and Tina to answer to, and that could get scary. After cake and coffee, Tom and Gerard took their daughters’ hands and led them to the dance floor in the center of the deck. A soft spotlight from the balcony lingered over the magical moment when both fathers and daughters danced the first dance of the evening together. After the newly married couples danced for the first time as husband and wife, two chairs were carried out to the center of the dance floor while the crowd watched from the sidelines. Mia sat in one and Sasha in the other. Josh and Aaron knelt next to each woman, peeking under their dresses, looking for the garters. The band began playing sexy stripper music as the deck, heaving with guests, cheered the guys on. The photographer was on it like a fly in honey, taking dozens of pictures and videos of the anticipated moment. With the garters off, the girls now had to throw their bouquets. Mia and Aaron made a point of throwing the garters and bouquets toward Tina and Dan. Tina leapt at the bouquet as it was flung through the air, knocking several women out of her way in the process. She was a woman on a mission, and nobody was going to get in her way. Dan caught the garter after Aaron literally threw it at him. He and Tina came together and danced a sultry slow dance, loving every second of it. Jennifer, from the salon, caught Sasha’s bouquet and danced with Scotty from Bottoms Up, a man she’d had a secret crush on for years.

  Tarrytown’s biggest party of the season was happening right at that moment with friends, family, and a group of sisters enjoying the beautiful wedding and each other. The calm was interrupted by the distinct sound of motorcycles approaching. The roar was out of place for the normally quiet, residential street. The band had taken a short break and there were few sounds other than the voices of guests mingling, so the rumble of Harleys nearing the Victorian made everyone stop and look pensively around the deck toward the street.

  Sasha screamed with delight, calling the girls over to see who was coming down her driveway. “It’s Bubba, Tony, and the gang,” she yelled as if that would give anyone else a sense of comfort.

  The men climbed off their Harleys, ten in all, and strolled to the back of the house. The girls confidently approached these questionable-looking characters, with chaps and braided beards, that even Max was hesitant to talk to. They hugged the burly bunch, laughing and jawing with them, while Karen and Vic ran to grab a bunch of beers to pass around. Tina was shocked to see Bobby Mack in the crowd of rough riders until she remembered Bobby and Bubba were brothers. She gave Bobby an extra tight hug and then noticed a look of alarm on Dan’s face.

  “Okay, enough suspense everyone. No worries here, these boys are our BFFs—biker friends forever,” Sasha stated proudly. “They own the coolest tattoo parlor in White Plains, called Tony’s Tats and Trim. All of us women are permanently inked by this fun bunch of dudes, so welcome guys, and enjoy the party with us.”

  Relief swept across the faces of the well-dressed, nervous guests as they let out their breath, especially when Alina gave Bubba a welcoming hug and joked about the day the women entered the tattoo parlor looking scared to death. Mia took dozens of pictures of the bridesmaids embracing this group of grungy guys, with Alina hugging Bubba, sitting dead center in the mix.

  The band played classic rock, and couples danced until late into the evening. New friendships were formed between businessmen and bikers. Waiters in white tuxes buzzed around, carrying large silver trays of Merlot, champagne, beer, soft drinks, and appetizers until the crowd finally thinned out at midnight, and the echo of motorcycles could be heard until their distant hum faded into the darkness.

  Josh and Sasha spent their first night together as husband and wife in the Victorian, and J. J. snuggled up with Kismet in his very own room.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Tina invited Dan to her house for a nightcap, or a cup of coffee—his choice. He opted for coffee since he still had to drive home. “You know, in two days I’ll be moving to Tarrytown. I’m really excited about living closer to you, Tina. I’m feeling good about us. Tell me what you want. What do you desire for your life?”

  “That’s a pretty deep question coming from a guy.”

  Dan laughed as he playfully twisted the ends of Tina’s hair. “I still have to get used to this crazy reverse golden sombré look you’ve got going on. Anyway, yeah… sometimes I can get deep. That comes from having two sisters and a really intuitive mom, I guess. So, back to my question: what is your heart’s desire? What does Tina Lawrence want for her life?”

  A flush covered Tina’s face. Too much wine, damn it. She felt the heat climbing up the back of her neck and circling around to her cheeks. “Are we being absolutely serious right now? You really want me to tell you what’s in my heart?”

  “Yes, I really do.” He kissed her hand, then held it in his lap.

  “I didn’t know what I wanted until I met you. Somehow, getting to know you woke me up. Maybe going to the expo helped a little, too. I’ve suppressed everything for years. My own personal feelings were shoved under the rug out of anger I had toward a man. I didn’t let myself feel anything for anybody other than Mia and Vic until I met Sasha and Karen. All of those girls have been my saving grace, and I love them dearly. But it’s time to feel more than womanly love. The girls are coupling up, and I guess my own singleness began to stand out. Before, when we were all single, except Mia, it didn’t matter at all. Nobody noticed. I’ll admit that when I saw you the first time, when we banged into each other at Amelia’s, I was interested. I wanted you, but I had no idea who you were until I saw you again at Sasha’s house. You know the rest of that story.” She laughed. “What I desire is to be happy, to be loved, and to have a relationship just like everyone else does. I think I’m lovable enough—I just need to let my guard down. You can help me with that if you want to.”

  “Tina, there’s nothing I would like more.” Dan pulled Tina in closer and put his arm around her.

  “Seeing the love Sasha, Mia, Vic, and now Karen have for the wonderful guys in their lives makes me want that, too. They’re all so blessed now, but none of their relationships started out easy. They all had hurdles to jump over and some heartbreak along the way. It shows me even more clearly how anyone can conquer their fears and anger if they really want to. I’m thirty-three”—she glanced at him, her eyes twinkling—“almost thirty-four, and I’d like to be in a serious relationship and get married someday. I guess we’re all a little slower than Sasha when it comes to that, but only having Claire, or Kismet, to snuggle with is not quite what I had in mind… at least not anymore.”

  “I’m glad you said that. I think we’re on the same page. We’ll learn more about each other as time goes on. I don’t want to rush you into anything.”

  “What if I want you to?” Tina set her coffee cup down, still wearing the peach-colored bridesmaid dress, and straddled Dan’s lap. He wore the suit and tie from the wedding, looking hotter than any man had a right to. Tina leaned in and kissed him deeply, searching his mouth with her steaming tongue. She tugged on his bottom lip, pulling it with her teeth in a teasin
g way. Dan took Tina’s face in his hands, kissing her neck, throat, and bare shoulders. She kicked off her heels and lay back on the couch against the leopard-print throw pillows. Dan stood, removed his suit jacket and gave Tina a questioning look as if to ask what she wanted to do.

  Come here and make love to me, right now, on the couch. I want you so much, Dan. You’re all I think of.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “I’m sure.”

  The rest of the night was a dream come true for Tina. She hadn’t made love with any man for years. Dan was real—no skeletons in the closet, no hidden girlfriends, no lies to cover up. He wanted Tina as much as she wanted him. They made primal love on the couch, then real love in the bedroom—slow, passionate, caring love that would only get better with time. They lay under the blankets, spent with perspiration, exhausted from the late night, and fell asleep in each other’s arms.

  ***

  Tina began to stir. The bright light shining through her window seemed wrong. She rolled over and squinted, trying to focus. Her eyes didn’t work yet, but her brain did. The sun is never on this side of the house until noon. Rolling over again and rubbing the sleep-caked makeup out of her eyes helped. She reached for her cell on the nightstand and checked the time. “What the hell?” she screeched, waking Dan.

  “Morning, Tina.” An enormous grin spread across his face while something else enormous was waking up under the blankets. Dan yawned, stretched, and reached for Tina’s face. He kissed her cheek and snuggled tightly against her.

  “All right, mister, I’ve got to get up. It’s almost twelve thirty. There’s no time for hanky-panky.”

  “As in the noon kind of twelve thirty?”