Everyone was present. There was the “Fierce” crowd, including Shannon, Jake, Dixie, Dominique and Jorge, as well as his fellow judges, Allison and Ryder. Gwen brought her family, and even Iain and Alana had arrived from England with their two small children in tow. Iris and Jacob sat in the front row, and the other members of Dreaming in Blue were present just behind them.
It was everyone who had been there along this crazy journey, and the people who had loved Andy most and best – even when he couldn’t.
Yael stood as he watched Vanni approach. Without words they embraced. This was the brotherhood they had cultivated back in the early days, before the groupies and the money and the success.
They were family, thanks to the music. And each member of the band was glad to be there in Vanni’s hour of need.
“You ready?” Yael asked as he pulled away.
There were tears in Vanni’s eyes as he nodded. Yael walked with him up toward the front of the crowd. As Yael headed to the side and played his acoustic guitar, Vanni paused slightly to put his hand on Lydia Foster’s shoulder. She held a well-soaked handkerchief to her mouth and reached for his hand. He kissed her softly on the cheek before he took he headed toward the front of their assembly.
His father, Angelo, wore the same somber black as his son. He took Vanni into a warm embrace that contained all the love he’d spent a lifetime denying him for all the wrong reasons. But the minute he saw the news about what had happened to Vanni’s beachfront home, he was on the next plane out of New York. By that evening he was in Los Angeles, a solid shoulder for his son when he had needed him most. He barely left his side in the days that followed, and even accompanied him to the East Los Angeles cemetery where Vanni’s stillborn son had been laid to rest. Both men held each other and cried over what they had lost, and in that moment they gained something they never expected. In their silent but steady companionship, old wounds had healed. Vanni realized that life was too brief to hold onto old grudges. For his family, both living and dead, he had to rise above. Despite what he had been through, all his life, and the past week especially, he had so much for which to be thankful.
He was done searching for reasons to stumble. He no longer felt entitled to live life by his own selfish rules. He had learned the hard way that life was better shared with the ones he loved. Not one of them was guaranteed a tomorrow. He never again wanted to regret all the time he had wasted, and the love he had squandered.
It was that humble heart he turned to face the crowd of those who loved he and Andy the most.
Maggie cradled Renata as she took her spot next to Lydia and Kelly, and with the strands of the song Yael began to play everyone stood and turned toward the house.
Graham held Andy by the arm as she inched down the rose-strewn pathway toward the man she was about to marry. She wore a new dress, a simple dress. It was ivory, with delicate beads and a sweetheart neck. Around her neck she wore pearls she borrowed from Iris, and earrings that had once belonged to her mother, courtesy of her grandmother.
She trembled against Graham as he led her down the aisle, in between rows of the people she loved. But it was the man who stood waiting for her at the altar who she loved most of all – second only to the little girl who had stolen their hearts in the last seven days.
The music died away as she reached where Vanni stood. The kindly pastor smiled at them benevolently. “We are gathered here together to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony. It is not a commitment to be entered into lightly, and these two people have had a very long road to get to this spot. It is with celebration that we all uplift them in this new leg of their journey; one they never have to walk alone.” He paused slightly. “Who gives this woman?”
Graham swallowed the lump in his throat as he looked down at her. For so long she had been his world, and he couldn’t imagine anything less than an entire life with her by his side. Now he realized that her purpose in his life was to open him up to love again; to prime him for a future with Maggie… someone who was more suited to him in every way, and who was able to love him in equal measure. It was the greatest gift anyone could have ever given him. A tear glistened at the corner of his eye as he returned the favor. “I do,” he said, his voice strong and sure.
A tear of her own coursed down her cheek as she reached up to kiss him gently. He patted her on the arm as he put her hand in Vanni’s. He no longer worried that this man, who had raced into a burning building with no thought of his own safety, would take care of her and love her like she deserved.
It was a long road… but both men finally respected each other.
He backed out of their circle so that he could join Maggie where she sat with their goddaughter, Renata.
“Andy and Vanni have prepared their vows,” the preacher announced, then gestured to Vanni.
Vanni took both of Andy’s hands into his. “Andy, when I first saw your face staring back at me from a crowd, I never – in my wildest dreams – thought we’d be standing here just a few years later. In fact, I would have bet any amount of money I had that I would never get married at all, to anyone. I never thought I could never settle for one woman, so I would never promise forever. And I was pretty sure I’d never meet anyone who could ever change my mind. It was the first of many instances where I learned never to bet against you. You’re tough, you’re strong, and you never back down when it comes to doing what you think is right. For some reason I’ve yet to figure out, you decided loving me was right. Though we’ve been to hell and back, we’re still standing. And I know I owe that all to you. You’ve made me see that marriage isn’t about settling for one woman – it’s finding the woman who is the best of all women. That’s you, babe. It’s always been you. So today I am happy to pledge to you my life, my fidelity and my truest, purest love. Till death and beyond.”
He slid the pink gold and diamond band on her finger.
She took a deep breath. “Honestly, I would have made that same bet,” she told him with a smile, and a twittering of laughter filtered among their guests. “I wasn’t out to find a husband. I just went to hear a band play,” she said as she shot a happy, weepy Iris a wink. “Little did I know I would meet the person fate had already selected for me. There was no walking away. There was no letting go. You’ve had my heart from the very first moment we met. I was an orphan until the day I found a home in your arms. So today I happily pledge to you my life, my fidelity and my truest, purest love. Till death and beyond.”
She slid his simple, solid gold ring onto his finger and they grasped hands.
“By the power vested in me by the state of California, I now pronounce you husband and wife,” the preacher said with a smile. “You may kiss your bride.”
“About damn time,” Vanni growled as he wrapped his arms around Andy’s waist and lifted her up into his embrace. Their kiss was tender and long, as if the whole world around them had evaporated. They didn’t hear the applause erupt, only the started cry of their daughter, who had to put in her two cents about the entire situation.
Her parents were quick to respond with a happy smile toward the one person that could share their love.
As Vanni released Andy so she could go to their daughter, everyone emerged on the couple to express their well-wishes. First in line was Yael. “I never thought I’d see this day,” he told his old friend honestly. “But I gotta say… you chose wisely.”
“Thanks, man,” Vanni told him, and they glanced over to where Andy stood with the baby. He’d have loved to take credit for choosing her, but fate was much, much smarter than he had been. He knew how lucky he was that she hadn’t left him over the years. Loving Andy now was a no-brainer, as was committing his life to her.
Felix joined the two men, along with Iain. They talked about their past, they talked about the music. Even after all they had been through, they just fit, just like a favorite old pair of sneakers. It was just like old times. It was as strong as any marriage, as tough as any family.
“Now that
you’re a family man, I guess that means you won’t be that eager to tour,” Felix finally said, broaching a topic the other guys had mentioned off and on during the past week. Just being together, especially after Iain had returned, lit everyone’s creative fire.
Andy joined them where they stood, cradling Renata to her chest. “Oh, I wouldn’t say that,” she said with a smile. She and Vanni shared a knowing smile. They had talked a lot in the past week, mostly about the future. Just like she and Vanni weren’t done, he and Dreaming and Blue weren’t done. “We just applied for Renata’s passport so we can join Daddy once he takes over the world again,” she informed them. “I mean, if you think you guys still got it in you, Dreaming in Blue now has two devout groupies to follow wherever you go.”
They were up to that challenge. Thanks to the tireless and creative work of Kelly, the entire band had set up right on an impromptu stage built in their back yard, and all the guys headed there as soon as Andy gave them the green light to do so. They were pretty much the best wedding band ever, as the guests were treated to a spontaneous concert to one of the hottest acts on the planet. They even got a sneak peek what people could expect on the third album, due to drop around Christmas.
When Vanni and Andy hit the stage for their first dance, a guest singer stood in with the band. It was the first time they’d ever had a girl sing lead, but this wasn’t just any girl. This girl was fierce. Jordi Hemphill sang a special song written by Vanni for the moment.
As talented as their guest was, Andy only had ears for the hot rocker who still sang softly into her ear, but this time he wasn’t just promising a sexy one-night-stand. He was promising her much, much more than she could have ever imagined way back in 2007.
It was her happily ever after at last.
She closed her eyes and rested her head against his strong shoulder as he sang, “I never believed in forever, till I fell in love with you. Now that we’re together, babe, only forever will do.”
To read more about Shannon McKenna and her fairy godfather, Jorge, check out “Love Plus One,” to see how she was thrust from the shadows and into the spotlight to find love where she least expects it.
Meet Jolene Anderson as the bubbly best friend to Jessica Austin in the cowboy romance, “Under Texas Skies.”
And to learn more about Jordi Hemphill and how the characters you love from the “Groupie” saga help her reach for her dreams, watch for “Fierce,” the new title coming from Ginger Voight in 2013. Live large – be FIERCE!
Read the first chapter now!
FIERCE
By
Ginger Voight
©2013
CHAPTER ONE
I stepped onto the cool glass, first one foot and then the other. While digital numbers scrambled to decide my fate, I couldn’t help but notice how the glittery blue polish was chipping off of my toenails. I’d have to fix that for my big day. It was a much easier fix than the 262.4 that blinked at me from the LED display on my Great Nemesis: The Bathroom Scale.
I sighed. Despite the all-carrot-and-celery diet I’d gritted through for the last four days, I still couldn’t break that damnable barrier of 260 pounds. I had so hoped to conquer that by the time I turned 18, but apparently it was not to be.
Oh well. Tonight meant birthday cake, and now I could eat a slice. A really big one.
I turned on the shower and allowed steam to rise up in the tiny bathroom where I stood, a bathroom I had groomed and preened for almost all of my adolescence. The sink, toilet and the tub were all a dull salmon pink that even the cheerful powder blue and white wallpaper couldn’t improve. Despite my mother’s best efforts, it was a room straight out of the 1960s. Everyone in my family seemed resolved to the idea, but that was true for most people in Oswen, Iowa.
My little town had topped out at around 1200 citizens. It never grew. It never shrank. It had stalled somewhere in the 1950s after all the factories that had equipped World War 2 closed shop and moved elsewhere. Those who stayed thought Oswen was just about the best little piece of Americana in the whole U.S. of A, and were fiercely devoted to maintaining the status quo. Everyone else just bided their time until they could shake the dust of this small town from their feet in search for an adventure a bit grander than breeding the next crop of Oswenians. Somehow, those two factions always seemed to balance each other out. For everyone who managed to escape the main street drag and the city square, there was another baby born to take his or her place, raised to believe this was a little piece of heaven on earth.
I belonged to the group that couldn’t wait for the day I would buy a one-way ticket to somewhere, anywhere, else.
I uncapped the bright red shampoo that smelled strongly of apples, applying a dab to my long, brown hair. I had the same haircut since I was ten. It hung, long, heavy and straight, right down my back, with bangs covering my forehead. It never kept a curl. The most I could ever do with it was put it in an equally boring braid. But my mother always cautioned me against taking a risk with it. “It flatters your full face,” she’d say. “Like a mousy, brown mask,” I’d always think to myself.
As I lathered up, I hummed one of my favorite songs to myself, which immediately improved my mood. My surroundings may have been ugly, drab and as pink as flamingo poop, but my bathroom had great acoustics. The sound of my voice bounced off the walls and surrounded me like a warm, familiar embrace.
If anyone had ever bothered to ask, I was always happiest when I was singing. I could forget the disappointing number of a scale, or the limitations of my small town, or even the ugly décor of my bathroom.
When I sang I was able to lift above any mortal plane and soar among the angels.
It just made everything better, you know?
Pretty soon my humming turned into singing as I launched into the powerful chorus that spoke about never giving up on my dreams. This seemed a very fitting theme for the beginning of my adulthood.
Thank you, Steve Perry.
My impromptu concert was interrupted by a sharp knock at the door.
“Jordi!” my mother called through the door. “Hurry up. We’re needed at the church.”
I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. If there was anything more confining than Oswen, Iowa, it was the First Baptist Church of Oswen, located at First and Maple since 1914. You want to talk frozen in time… I almost needed a time machine to go from my 1960s bathroom to the simple frame building that housed Oswen’s most devout each and every Sunday. I had spent nearly two decades staring at the hard wood floor as I fidgeted on the hard wooden pew two rows from the front, listening to a pastor drone about the wages of sin. This message would go in one ear and out the other as I’d fan myself with a church program, waiting till the clock struck noon and we all shuffled out the door in a single, hungry line to the nearest all-you-could-eat cafeteria.
It was a stifling, oppressive tomb of obligation. And now I’d have to spend one of the most important birthdays I’d ever have there. All damned day.
If there were wages of sin, I kind of felt this was paying more than my fair share, along with a very generous tip.
With a sigh I rinsed my hair and shut off the hot water. I rushed through the rest of my grooming, glancing up into the mirror only when it was truly necessary to rinse my face or brush my teeth. My round face was as boring as the hair that framed it. It would have blended along with the crowd, if you didn’t count the chipmunk cheeks and the extra chin. At least the acne had finally abated. I could count my blessings for that. I picked up my hairbrush as I stared at my blurry image in the foggy mirror. On impulse I also picked up the song that had been so rudely interrupted. I kept the volume down, so my mom wouldn’t think I was dragging my feet or stalling to get to the church (I was,) but it was no use. Within a few minutes she was pounding on the door again, effectively popping the bubble on my singing euphoria to remind me of our pressing schedule.
For Marianne Hemphill, schedules were as binding as oaths. If she told you she was going to be there at 8:
00 a.m., you could bet your boots she’d be there at 7:45 a.m. with a thermos of coffee and a dozen donuts she made from scratch.
My whole life had been on a schedule. My mother simply didn’t abide those things that didn’t go according to her plan. Life was very black and white. You went to school, you got good grades; you went to church and tithed every Sunday. You graduated high school, married your sweetheart and produced God-fearing, schedule-abiding offspring.
Day was for working. Night was for sleeping. TV was for those who didn’t have a book to read, and we always had books to read – several versions of the Bible in particular. You got a job straight out of high school and, if you were lucky, you stayed there till retirement. Life was about living according to plan. Why take any risks when you could keep it quiet and safe and predictable?
I personally couldn’t imagine a more boring prison.
Much to my mother’s annoyance, I didn’t see life in the straight and narrow way that she did. I didn’t like school and I hated church, and couldn’t wait to “graduate” from both. I wasn’t interested in finding some dead-end, mundane job to pass the time between popping out baby after baby, provided I even found a husband in the first place. It wasn’t like I had a string of suitors waiting for me at the door.
I certainly didn’t want to date the kids from my church, who thought along the same limited lines as my mother. I didn’t see any point in settling on a safe life with a safe spouse, working a safe job that had little more benefit than paying some bills and building a modest nest for a conservative retirement. I always found myself wondering if everyone who lived such a life was truly happy there or just settling there, because I certainly didn’t understand the appeal.
The Complete Groupie Trilogy Page 81
