The Game Changer: The Final Score

by Trio, L. M.

  “Okay, sweetie, its fine. She is here. She’s always here with you,” he says comforting me while I know he’s trying to keep his own composure.

  I know my dad is thinking the same thing. He would love to be standing by my mom’s side, holding her hand as they watch me say my vows.

  “How ‘bout I get Luke?” He knows Luke is always the one to put a smile on my face, especially when I’m missing my mom. I never even have to say it to him.

  “No, no. He can’t see me. Besides, look at me.” I gesture towards my face. “I’m a mess, my eyes are so puffy.” I look in the mirror and start to laugh as I grab a tissue and wipe my red, stuffy nose.

  “You look beautiful,” he says, laughing with me.

  “Go get my girls back in here. We’re not going out there looking ugly. We need a redo on the make-up.”

  Thankfully, Deanna and I think alike and she’s already on it, there is no way in hell we are walking out of here with puffy eyes.

  ***

  (Luke)

  I have a few quiet minutes to myself while my dad, Mikey and David socialize with our guests. I pace the brightly lit room, anxiously waiting for the ceremony to begin. It’s not that I’m nervous, I’m not. I’m just really excited to begin our lives together. Really together.

  I laugh to myself, thinking about how adorable she looked last night in her oversized USF t-shirt and shorts, pushing me away from her as I tried my hardest to force her to stay at the condo with me. She insisted on going back to her own apartment for the night. It was the first night we’ve spent apart since we’ve been back together. I’m just hoping I can keep it together when I see her walking down the aisle towards me this evening.

  I sit down on the bench by the window as the sun begins to set, and twirl the black velvet box in my hands. I open it up and stare at Olivia’s wedding band, knowing the extent of the trust David has in me for giving me this gift. It means the world to me because I know what this ring signifies for him. Giving JJ her mother’s ring will mean more to her than any ring I could have possibly had made for her. We’ve discussed the ring beforehand, so there will be no surprises on this day.

  I say a prayer, promising Olivia that I will always protect and love their daughter in every way that she deserves. She is and always will be everything that matters to me.

  We’ve decided to write our own vows. JJ is nervous about saying them aloud in front of our guests. I suggested we do something different than the traditional way and just whisper them softly to each other when the time comes. To me, this seems more intimate, something only meant for the two of us to hear. She liked the idea so we ran it passed the Pastor performing our ceremony. He said this was our day and whatever makes us feel comfortable is fine with him. He made the suggestion of saying the last line aloud when we place our rings on each other’s hand.

  My thoughts of her are interrupted by a knock on the door. “Come in,” I call out.

  “Hey, you okay?” Mikey asks, poking his head inside.

  “Yeah, what? Did ya forget about me?”

  “I thought they’d be back by now.” He laughs as his phone beeps. He reads his text. “Sorry. I’ll be right back, DeDe needs somethin’. I’ll send someone in,” he says before disappearing once again.

  ***

  (Deanna)

  As soon as I step out of the room, I do a quick Google search to find out how to get rid of puffy eyes in a hurry. I stick six spoons in the freezer, tell Mikey to put them in a bag of ice and in ten minutes bring them to us.

  In the mean time, I grab three wash cloths and run them under cold water. The three of us sit here with the cold rags across our eyes, waiting for Mikey to return.

  “It’s me,” he calls from the other side, lightly knocking.

  “Come in!” I yell.

  “What the hell are you doin’?” he asks, looking at all three of us sitting in chairs with our heads back, wash cloths covering our eyes.

  “Getting rid of our puffy eyes. Did you get the spoons?” I ask, not removing the wash cloth from my face.

  He walks over and lifts the rag from my face, smiling as he hands me the bag of chilled spoons. He stands there staring at us as I hastily pass them around and all three of us simultaneously replace the washcloths with the spoons.

  “The scoop has to be over the eyelid,” I direct.

  “You do know the ceremony starts in twenty minutes, right?” he asks as if we have lost our minds.

  “Yes, don’t make me nervous,” JJ says from behind her spoons.

  “Go tell Gina, our make-up girl to come back in here. We need her, and don’t go trying to pick her up, either. We don’t have time to be held up,” I command.

  “Why? Is she hot?” he jokes.

  “You’d probably think so,” I reply dryly.

  “Well she can’t possibly look any hotter than you do right now with the spoons on your eyes. That’s a real turn on,” he says sarcastically. “I should get Luke in here to see what he’s getting himself into.”

  “Good-bye, Mikey, honey,” my mom says, dismissing him from the room.

  ***

  (Mikey)

  I discreetly snap a picture of them with my phone before leaving and bump into David on the way out.

  “How are they in there? Are they okay?” David asks with concern, relaying to me what happened earlier.

  “Look,” I say, showing the picture. “They’re fine. A little nuts, but fine.”

  To his relief, David laughs. “Good.”

  That’s what I love so much about DeDe, her ability to make the people around her happy. She knows JJ is upset and she finds a silly way to distract her and make her laugh. I get pissed off knowing that the asshole she is with doesn’t appreciate her enough to see it and, even though I love her, I’m equally pissed that she invited him to the wedding. The last time he was here, I did as she asked and was friendly enough towards him, but this time, I don’t give a shit if she gets mad. I barely acknowledged him when I saw him earlier.

  ***

  (Luke)

  Luckily, my mom and Cheryl worked together to make the wedding perfect for us. JJ left the plans to them; however she was very specific in her wishes to keep it simple. She knew she was in good hands, though.

  We wanted a wedding that was elegant and intimate with about thirty-five of our closest friends and family. We decided The Blue Martini was the perfect spot. Lori, Cathy and Billy flew in along with Zack and Rob from back home. David’s sister, Kathy, her husband and their new baby, a few former teammates and coaches, along with their wives, are amongst the guests. JJ invited Jazz, Frank and their dates, and of course, Mya and Dan.

  When I see JJ step onto the candlelit veranda with her arm entwined with David’s, my heart begins to beat rapidly. I know it sounds trite, but she literally takes my breath away. Her bright emerald eyes meet mine as I wait beneath the trellis that’s covered in sheer tulle, hibiscus flowers and white lights with Deanna and Mikey standing on each side of me.

  My eyes are glued to her as she walks through the white flickering lights of votive candles that create a path, guiding her towards me. Once she reaches me, David places her hand in mine. As soon as I take her hand and hold it in mine, my body instantly feels warmth, and a sense of calm settles over me once her soft hand tightens around mine.

  The Pastor continues with the ceremony leading up to our vows. We turn to face each other while our guests look on. I place my left hand softly along the side of her face as my lips brush gently against her right ear as I whisper my vows.

  “I promise these words to you and your mom, knowing she is here with us right now as I profess the love I feel for you… The moment I saw you, I saw love. The moment I touched you, I felt love… I promise you that if I ever find myself in a difficult situation, I will run to you and lean on you, knowing you will be strong for me.

  You’ve taught me that we are stronger together. And together, we can face any challenges that may come our way. I will always be he
re for you whenever you need me… I will always honor our friendship, knowing that is what brought us together. I will love you and cherish you, always. I will do my best to always make you smile and keep your heart full of love, just as you do mine.”

  I turn to Mikey, who hands me her ring, and then I take her left hand in mine as I look into her sparkling, but dampened eyes. “I’ve told you before, you were made especially for me… And with this ring, I am giving you my all,” I say aloud as I glide the ring on her finger. I use my thumb to wipe away the tear that escapes her eyes as I give her a smile.

  She places her hand along the right side of my face; I lean towards her as she speaks softly into my left ear. “Luke, when I am with you, I feel whole. You made me feel alive from the very first day I met you. You make me laugh. You let me cry when I need to. You fill me heart with so much love. You are every breath that I take. You are my heart and soul. I promise to love you, take care of you and always stand by you, and I know you will always do the same for me. Together we will raise our family, showing them the same kind of love that our parents have always shown us. I promise to continue to share our secrets, hopes and dreams.”

  She turns slightly to the side to take the ring from Deanna. She returns her eyes to mine as she takes my left hand in hers. “You are my best friend. You are my world, and with this ring I promise to love you always,” she says as she slides the ring onto my finger.

  Inside, my body feels like a volcano about to erupt. I’m overcome with emotion, but manage to keep my composure. I whisper, “Thank you,” to her for believing and trusting in me. I will never forget how it feels to live without her, and I’m forever thankful that she has given me her complete self once again.

  The Pastor takes our hands and joins them together. "Father, bless these rings which Luciano and Jesse have exchanged. Let them be visible signs of the inward and spiritual bond which unites their hearts. As they receive these rings from each other, may they testify to the world of the Covenant made between them here." The Pastor continues with his closing of the ceremony and I’m finally able to kiss my wife.

  After the ceremony, we are brought in to the exquisitely decorated private dining area where we dine on Chilean Sea Bass and Filet.

  Being that it is New Year’s Eve, JJ and I want the evening to be fun for our guests as well. The Blue Martini’s VIP lounge hosts a yearly New Year’s Eve Bash that is open to the public, but we’ve reserved an area in the upstairs lounge with tables and a private bar, roped off only for our wedding guests.

  ***

  (Jesse)

  De and I slip out of our gowns and change into our party dresses, which we bought in New York along with my wedding dress and De’s bridesmaid dress. I chose a Vera Wang, champagne colored, sleeveless chiffon, short dress with beaded straps. Deanna chose a Vera Wang, short, crinkle chiffon, halter neck, amethyst colored dress with a black Mikado sash. We then head to the upstairs club to join the rest of our friends and family

  Everyone is having a great time, dancing the night away and counting down the minutes until midnight. The evening is magical and I can’t imagine anything more perfect than today. I’m happy that our friends seem to be having fun and it looks as though everyone that did not bring a guest managed to find someone else to ring in the New Year with.

  I catch Deanna watching Mikey, who appears to have caught the attention of an attractive, leggy blonde to the left of the DJ booth. It looks as though he’s not interested, but is finding it hard to escape due to the fact that she has him practically pinned to the wall while she talks in his ear. I know he’s not thrilled that De brought Jeffrey along, and to be honest, I’m not sure why she did, either. He thinks she acts uneasy and uptight when she’s in Jeffrey’s company and I can’t help agreeing with that, too. “I don’t think the guy laughs much and I don’t want him rubbing off on her,” he told me.

  The bartender pours the champagne while Luke and I pass along the glasses to our friends. He holds me tightly as everyone counts down the seconds to the New Year. We kiss just as passionately, if not more so, as we did this same night four years ago.

  “Happy New Year, Mrs. DiAngelo,” he whispers in my ear. After all that we have been through, we now have each other and everything else is just icing on the cake.

  ***

  (Mikey)

  I ditch the blonde a few minutes before midnight. I’m not in the mood for company. While I talk with the guys, I see De slip away alone, and head downstairs. I look over and spot Jeffrey tied up, talking with some other douche bag like him near the bar. I discreetly grab two flutes of champagne and follow behind De. I stay back and watch as she walks through the, now cleared out, private dining area where dinner was held earlier. She steps out onto the dark, vacated veranda and sits on the edge of the cement wall, looking up at the darkened sky. A faint sound of music can be heard from the upstairs club.

  “Hey,” I say, startling her.

  “Oh God, you scared me.” She smiles.

  “Sorry.” I sit down beside her and place the glasses on the ledge beside me. “What’s up? You okay?”

  “Yeah, it was a really beautiful night, wasn’t it?”

  “Awesome… What are you doin’ out here by yourself?”

  “I just wanted some fresh air. Can you believe it’s January and we can sit outside and enjoy this night without freezing?”

  “That’s Florida.”

  “It’s nice.”

  “So, where’s Doc Jeffrey?”

  “Where’s your blonde bimbo?”

  I laugh. “Why do you do that? I’m just askin’. I’m not with anyone tonight. I came here alone.”

  “Where’s Lora Rae? I thought you would have brought her.”

  “You thought wrong… again. She’s in LA. This is a family thing, something special. I didn’t want to bring her.”

  “You’re mean.”

  “No, I’m not. I just like what I like, and I want to keep the two things separate.”

  “So what are you doing out here? How did you find me?”

  “I saw you walk down the steps and I realized we didn’t wish each other a Happy New Year yet, so… ” I hand her a flute of champagne, kiss her on the cheek and clink my glass to hers. “Happy New Year.”

  “Happy New Year.” She looks up and gives me a gorgeous smile.

  “How’s the long distance thing goin’?” I ask hesitantly.

  “I’ve only been here a little over a week and now he’s here, so—”

  “So, how’s it goin’?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t think he’s going to be able to handle it. I mean, not too many people can.” She shrugs as if it’s not a big deal.

  “Maybe that’s because they don’t love the person they are with enough. I believe that if you love someone, you love them always, whether they are close or far away. Look at your brother and JJ.”

  “I know, but how many people end up like them? Mostly everyone I know ends up breaking up once they are separated from each other.”

  “Maybe it’s not love and they just think it is.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Are you happy?” I ask, staring into her chestnut brown eyes.

  “I am now,” she says, looking at me intently.

  “I like when you’re happy and havin’ fun. Don’t lose that, okay?”

  “Okay.” She gives me another smile.

  I get caught up in the moment. I reach up with my free hand and rest it on the side of her face, tilting her head towards mine as I lean down and kiss her on her cherry-colored lips. It’s a gentle, meaningful, lingering kiss with partially parted lips. Not how I would kiss a friend. Actually, not how I would kiss any girl, other than someone that I love. I hope she feels it the way I do. My body trembles inside. When I slowly pull away, our eyes remain locked on each other. I would have kissed her again if we weren’t interrupted by a familiar voice.

  “There you are… I was looking for you,” Jeffrey says, sounding uneasy.


  De jumps. “Hey, I’m sorry. I came out to get some air and Mikey joined me. We were discussing how nice everything was tonight.”

  I stand up, feeling very uneasy myself.

  “Yeah, it was a great time,” Jeffrey says, trying to sound enthusiastic.

  “Well, I’m gonna head back in, I’ll leave you two alone,” I say casually. I bend down and whisper in her ear before leaving, “I never cashed in on my bet. Don’t think I forgot.”

  Chapter 21(Deanna)

  The day after the wedding, Jeffrey and I said our goodbyes and ended things for good. After we got back to our hotel, we ended up getting in a somewhat heated “discussion” over Mikey. He said he felt as if he was the third wheel every time he’s in the same room as Mikey. I tried telling him he was crazy, although not very convincingly. Needless to say, we both went to bed separately and parted ways in the morning. A feeling of relief came over me once he was gone. I needed a couple of days alone to gather my thoughts. I was planning on telling Mikey, but then I learned he flew back to LA almost immediately following the wedding.

  He wasn’t gone for long, and to be honest, I only recall him going a few times since Thanksgiving. JJ told me that he tried breaking things off with her numerous times, but she keeps reeling him back in. He hinted to Lora Rae about the lifestyle not being for him, but she refuses to take the hint. She insists that it isn’t for her, either, and offered to spend time with him in Florida. JJ said he blew off the offer and didn’t give her a response. He believes she is trying to be the person she thinks he wants, not the person she actually is. To me, she sounds like a stalker; famous or not.

  With the wedding and their ten day honeymoon to the Cayman Islands behind, it was time for JJ and Luke to get back to reality. The last couple of months have been a whirlwind and they are excited about starting their new life without all of the craziness, and just focus on them. They’re looking forward to getting into a rhythm of a normal routine. At the end of the day, they want to be able to come home and relax in their new home.

  ***