“Thank you, dear. Well, we wanted you both to have something from our side of the family.” She turned to Lucia and continued. “For you, Lucia. These were mine. Dom bought these for me when we first started dating, years and years ago.” Emma opened one of the boxes and pulled out small diamond studs. She asked Lucia if she could put them in her ears, and of course, Lucia responded with a resounding ‘yes.’
“Wow, thank you, Grandma. They’re beautiful,” said Lucia. I was trying hard not to cry.
Emma stood back up and faced me again. “Mia, this is for you. This was my mother’s, and she gave it to Dominic to pass on to his wife on his wedding day. So, for today it’s ‘borrowed,’ but after the wedding, it’s yours.” She pulled out a beautiful white gold tennis bracelet that nearly matched the jewelry my parents had given me.
“Thank you so much, Emma. These are so precious, and we’ll cherish them always.” I hugged her again.
Lori and Susan came forward with my “something blue.” They handed me a blue garter, which Susan reclaimed and slid up to my thigh in two seconds flat. So far, the day had been filled with many thank yous, happy tears, and hugs.
My dad cleared his throat and said, “Well, it’s time to get the show on the road.”
He led me out through the party area of the clubhouse and through the back doors to the deck. The decorations were clearly planned and thoughtfully placed in a theme that matched our Christmas decorations. Lori handed me a beautiful bouquet of red tulips and gerbera daisies, my favorite flowers.
I made my way straight to Dominic. Standing in between the two Christmas trees against the railing of the deck, he was a sight. The lake and trees were a striking landscape for this occasion. The wedding song, Pachelbel’s Canon in D Major, played from the speakers that were placed around the balcony, and Dominic’s eyes pulled me to him. His smile was genuine and bright, and, like the lights all around him, it lit up the cloudy sky. He was dressed in the most flattering tuxedo a man could wear, and he looked like a million dollars. Every inch of him was pristine. Everything else disappeared. I didn’t watch Lucia walk down the aisle and throw her petals, or Susan and Lori lead the way before me—they were just distractions. My eyes were focused on my other half, standing there watching me with reverence and ready to make me his. I was so blessed to have found him.
After what seemed like an eternity, I arrived at Dominic’s side. I just wanted to touch him and strengthen our connection.
My father shook Dominic’s hand and said, “Take care of my baby girl.”
“Forever, sir,” answered Dominic.
With those words, my father placed my hand in Dominic’s and went to his seat.
My handsome fiancé mouthed, “Beautiful,” and I whispered back, “I love you.”
The Justice of the Peace began the ceremony, and I was a little confused. However, it didn’t matter, because my body was calm while I stood gazing into Dominic’s eyes. His positive outlook on life had been such a life-changer for me. Soaking up his love and losing myself in his closeness, I thought about how lucky I was. I listened to his words of love and commitment and waited for my turn to speak.
We swore to love and honor each other, and all I could think of was the kiss at the end of it all. A magnetic force was pulling us together, filling me with the need to touch him and be close to him. Those feelings were overwhelming, and I thought he shared them because his beautiful apple green eyes bore into mine.
The current that flowed between us when he placed the ring on my finger made my breath hitch. Once I’d placed the band on his finger, I looked up to see his jaw tense in pleasure. I understood the pure satisfaction in seeing our rings on each other.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride,” said the Justice of the Peace.
Instead of leaning in to kiss me, he winked at me mischievously. Then, he called Lucia forward from her place behind me. Bending down, he looked her in the eyes and said, “Lucia, I love you so much and am so blessed to have you as my first child.”
He pulled a small box from his pocket and opened it. Inside was a dainty white gold ring that wrapped around to form a heart on the top. The ring had a small diamond attached to the dip in the heart. It was simple but lovely, and perfect for Lucia’s little finger.
“I promise to love you, care for you, protect you, and guide you for all of your years. I promise to be the best father I can be, and you will always be my baby girl.” Dominic slid the ring on her right forefinger.
Tears of happiness fell from my eyes, and when I looked up, I saw everyone else was tearful while they watched this tender scene play out.
Lucia hugged Dominic and said, “Thank you, Daddy. I promise to love you always, too!”
Dominic scooped Lucia into his arms, and not a moment too soon, he and I kissed to seal our marriage and our family’s union. In a playful moment, we both smooched Lucia’s cheeks while she soaked up the attention.
Everyone began blowing bubbles in our direction, which excited Lucia enough to jump down from Dominic’s arms so that she could seek out some of her own. Before we could go back to the condo for Christmas dinner, all of our guests made Dominic and me pose for pictures with everyone in every imaginable combination. It had been the most amazing day of my life, and we still had so much left of it.
~*~*~
Our group made such a ruckus on the way back to the condo that several people came out of their town homes to see what was happening. Many of them gave us their congratulations, and others clapped for us. It felt like I was using Cloud Nine as my transportation home.
No sooner had we opened the front door than I smelled the turkey. One of our guests had thoughtfully started to cook it before we left for the clubhouse. My smile widened—everyone had done so much to make this day perfect.
Before I could change, my mother wanted pictures in front of the Christmas tree, so Dominic and I obliged her. Not a moment too soon, I was in our room preparing to slip off my gown. Dominic entered just in time to assist me with the zipper. Of course, he couldn’t just leave it at that. With great care, he slid the small straps down my shoulders. Then he held onto the bodice while he worked the dress down my body, allowing me to step out of it.
“I’ll get it. You get dressed,” Dominic said. I watched for a moment while he hung up my dress, and then began to undress himself. I wanted to do that for him, but I knew that, if I tried, our family would be eating Christmas dinner without us. Snapping out of my daze before he could catch me, I stepped into the closet behind him and pulled out one of my most comfortable pairs of black jeans, a cute t-shirt that Lori had given me that said “bride” on it, and a pair of ballet flats.
I couldn’t help myself; when I saw Dominic bend over to pull up his pants, I ran my hand from the back of his thigh, over his ass, to his lower back. God, he has such a nice butt!
He turned around to face me, laughing. “Babe, you know I want nothing more than to ravish you right now, but our house is full of our family, and the food needs to be prepared.”
“You’re right, but you’re just too fine for your own good,” I said.
Hurrying to put on our clothes, we raced each other out to the living room like little kids. I beat him by a foot, but only because I was smaller and could squeeze around him. Turning to Dominic, I gave him a pat on his rump and said, “Let’s get to work.”
The kitchen wasn’t big enough for all of us, but we made do by having some people work in the bar area while Dominic and I moved in and out of the kitchen. He did wonders with the table again, placing fresh linens and clean silverware at each setting. We had some different decorations, like snowmen and shiny stars, to set around the table and pretty name cards that Lucia had made because she wanted assigned seating.
The room was buzzing with small conversations, and everyone was very involved in their own tasks; the entire scene warmed my heart. Dominic and I kept sneaking glances at each other, and then we would smile, finding it difficult to
believe we were really married. It all seemed so surreal and dream-like, but I knew in my heart this day and this marriage were perfect for us. It had been the right decision, and that’s why it hadn’t been difficult for me to agree with everything he had set up. Perhaps to some people it would seem like we had moved too fast and gotten married too soon, but I knew deep down in my soul that this was it. He was my one and only true love—my soul mate.
~*~*~
Two hours later, after my father’s toast, all that could be heard was the sound of forks clanking on plates. There was very little chatter. Everyone was stuffing their faces as if they hadn’t eaten in days.
“So, where you guys going on a honeymoon?” Vitto asked.
Dominic shook his head. “I didn’t have time to set anything up, and with Lucia in school, I figured we would have to wait until the summer.”
My eyes lit up, and I thought about my Christmas gift to Dominic: a huge coincidence that would turn out well for both of us.
“You know, we haven’t opened our Christmas gifts yet. After dinner, we’ll get on that,” I said with a big smile on my face, proud of my purchase.
Lucia began shoving food in her mouth after my announcement.
“Slow down, Lucia. You still have to wait until everyone’s finished,” I said with a laugh.
Dominic leaned over and whispered in my ear. “I hope you’re not upset that I didn’t organize a honeymoon.”
I turned to look him in the eyes, and his fear of letting me down reflected in them, so I reached for his hand and squeezed it.
“You have nothing to worry about, Dominic. I still can’t believe you were able to pull off a wedding on your own and without me knowing. So, no, I’m not upset at all. In fact, I’m quite happy you didn’t take care of the honeymoon, too,” I said.
He didn’t know what to make of my comment; I could see by the confused expression on his face.
Chapter 26
Tic-Tac-Toe
We decided we would open gifts during dessert and coffee while we sat around the tree. Dominic was in charge of passing out everyone’s gifts. Poor Lucia hadn’t even gotten to open any of the gifts Santa had left for her, so she tore into those first. Then, Dominic brought in the new bike that had been hiding on the balcony, and she screeched so loud, I almost lost my hearing. Dominic looked like he’d won the lottery while he watched Lucia’s excitement. My heart could not expand any further or it might burst out of my chest; experiencing Dominic’s first Christmas with a child in the house was a treat I’d never forget.
When the gifts were all opened and the guys had picked up all the trash, I decided that the time had come to give Dominic his big present.
Reaching into the tree, I pulled out an envelope and hid it behind my back.
“Dominic, there’s one more for you,” I said, and everyone stopped what they were doing. Dominic’s eyebrows rose in surprise, and my excitement grew.
“I thought I’d opened everything.”
“Nope. Open this,” I said and handed him the envelope.
Reading the printed itinerary, Dominic shook with laughter. He looked up at me with such amusement that all I could do was laugh, too. The appropriateness of my gift was the icing on our already-perfect cake.
Dominic’s face suddenly changed, and he squinted at me. “Did you know?”
I was still laughing. “No! I swear,” I said, shaking my head.
“Well, what is it?” yelled my mom.
Dominic looked up with a handsome smile on his face. “Two open tickets to Hawaii,” he said.
Laughter erupted from everyone in the room. Classic.
“Yo, cuz’, that’s wicked awesome! I swear you two are perfect for each other!” yelled Vitto.
~*~*~
Over the next week, most of us had to go back to work, but we did have New Year’s to look forward to. Our visitors were still going to be in town, and all of us planned to celebrate together. Dominic suggested we rent out our wedding venue, the clubhouse by the lake, to ring in the new year. The idea started off simple but grew into a big party with caterers, a DJ, and a bunch of our friends.
Vitto and Susan had become a lot more serious in a short amount of time, and I found it endearing. Since I loved being in love, I wanted everyone around me to be in love, too, and it seemed like most of my friends were. It warmed my heart that Vitto had fallen into step so quickly in L.A. I had been afraid that he wouldn’t last three months away from our family back in Boston. At times, I thought Susan had a lot to do with his smooth transition.
I had begged and begged Loretta to move here, but she said that until she’d made it big, New York was her home. I understood her reasoning, and I was happy for her because she had a dream and was pursuing it. Chris, a sweetheart just like his brother, confessed that he’d go wherever Lori went. He could find banking work anywhere.
Having everyone living near us became my next goal. I explained to Emma my desire and wondered if she would consider it. She looked shocked that I’d asked her, but I was sincere and honest with my request. To her credit, she promised to consider it, since being close to Dominic was as important to her as being close to Chris. She felt torn between her boys, which was understandable.
Dominic spent the week before New Year’s with Lucia, his parents, my mom, and Chris and Lori. I spent the weekdays working and the nights with my family planning for our party.
One night in bed after we had made love, Dominic pinned me with a question that I had been too busy to think about up until that point.
Wrapped in his arms with my head on his chest, I listened to his heart thump against my ear. He squeezed me a bit tighter, and so I craned my head to look at him. From his expression, I knew he wanted to talk about something serious.
“What is it, Dominic?” I asked, concerned.
“I’ve been thinking, and I just wanted to ask. No pressure, okay?”
“Okay,” I said.
“Well, I want to know how long you would like to wait to have more children.”
Thinking about his question, I skimmed my fingers up and down his thin line of hair from his chest to his stomach. “Would I sound too anxious if I said now? I mean, I just didn’t think I would have an opportunity to have more kids. So, yeah, I’d like to get on it, pronto.”
He leaned down and kissed me hard on the mouth. Pulling back, he looked at me with excitement. “Just what I wanted to hear,” he said.
~*~*~
A few days later while I sat at my desk working on timecards, my desk phone rang.
“Good morning. This is Mia. May I help you?” I asked.
“Mia,” said a voice I hadn’t heard in a long time. “It’s Alex. Do you have a minute?”
“Oh. Uh, what’s up?” I stuttered, the surprise evident in my voice.
“I’ll make this brief. My mother has been bugging me since the divorce to see Lucia. She’s bitched me out over my decision and can’t believe I’d give up her granddaughter,” he said.
Secretly, I agreed with her, but it was too late. “So, what does she want exactly?” I asked with trepidation.
“Well, she wants contact with her, and when she comes to visit me, she’d like to see her, I guess,” he explained.
I sighed heavily, not even trying to hide it. “Listen, she has a father now. I’m not sure about all this. I mean, I don’t want to confuse her. I just . . . I don’t know. I’ll have to talk to her father,” I said, emphasizing the word “father” every chance I could.
“Yeah, okay. I see. Well, will you call me and let me know?”
I agreed to call him and asked for his number. Then, I dialed Dominic in a panic.
“Hey, baby. How’s your day going?” he asked.
“Dominic, Alex called and said his mother wants contact with Lucia,” I said. Dread had entered my body the second I had heard Alex’s voice, and his request made me extremely anxious. I knew at this point I sounded hysterical to Dominic.
“Babe, listen to me. Ju
st calm down. There’s one thing you have to remember: he gave up rights to her. He is nothing to her. Get it?” Dominic said, and I made a non-committal noise in response. “So, that means it’s up to us, and that’s all. We’ll talk about it when you get home, but you shouldn’t worry.”
“Okay, yeah. That makes sense. You’re right. Okay, I just need to calm down,” I answered.
“You all right now?” he asked.
“Yeah, much better. What are you guys doing today?” I asked to change the subject.
“I’m going to take them to Hollywood to see the Chinese Theatre and walk around the mall over there. They don’t want to do too much; they’re a little worn out,” he said.
“I bet they are. You have been going non-stop.” I sighed, feeling better already. “All right. I’ve got to get back to work. We’ll talk tonight.”
“Yes, baby, we’ll talk tonight. I love you.”
A smile was brought to my face. “I love you, too. And, Dominic . . .”
“Yeah?” he asked.
“Thank you.”
~*~*~
Winter in Los Angeles was cold for us locals, but according to people like my mother and Dominic’s parents, it was a reprieve from their typical, bitter winter. I had become so accustomed to California temperatures that I froze at night when the sun went down and the breeze from the ocean cooled the air. During the day, it was warm enough for a light jacket or sweatshirt and our East Coast guests loved it.
My nerves were calm by the time I got home for dinner, and that surprised me. Looking around the house, I noticed it looked empty. I wondered where everyone was so I called out, “Dominic?”
“In here,” he said, his voice coming from the direction of our bedroom.
Throwing my purse and keys on the bar, I ran toward my solace. I found him sprinkling rose petals on the floor around the bed. The glow from candlelight cast shadows on the walls, and the dozens of roses placed on every surface looked almost black in the darkness. The curtains were closed to block out the light of the moon. Our room had been transformed into a romantic love nest. Looking at Dominic, I saw the blush filling his cheeks.
My Mr. Manny Page 15
