She was not feeling family love so when I’d called to heal the breach and ask her to be a bridesmaid, she told me to go fuck myself and, while I was at it, invited me to tell Benny to do the same.
I told Benny and he not only heard my words, he got a look at my face as I was saying them.
So he declared, “Now that bitch is dead to you and, tesorina, I mean that.”
I couldn’t miss the look on his face when he was saying it so I knew he meant it.
But the truth was, with that, it was up to Nat to heal the breach.
She wouldn’t and that hurt.
But that was her decision too.
Ninette decided to side with Nat, mostly because she wasn’t paying any rent and knew where her bread was buttered.
That didn’t hurt. I’d long since learned not to let Ninette’s selfishness dig deep.
I’d asked Enzo Senior to come. He didn’t pick up my call so the invitation was extended on voicemail. He didn’t respond and I was okay with that because I wanted Chrissy and Eva there and I wanted to have a good time without any awkwardness, so in the end, he gave me what I wanted. Enzo Junior couldn’t come because he had zero money, considering how much child support he was paying. But my brother Dino and his family were there, as were Cat and hers.
As was the rest of mine, the ones who were true, even if they weren’t blood.
“Suffice it to say, our family’s messy,” I told Cheryl.
“Whose isn’t?” she asked back, and everyone knew the answer to that.
Nobody’s.
Somehow escaping Art and Sela, who had been looking after her, Eva trundled over to her mom and slapped her hands on her thigh, then turned to me and slapped her hands on mine. This meant I picked my baby sister up, put her in my lap, and she shouted, “Fwanquee!”
I smiled at her, dipped low, and skimmed my nose against hers.
She giggled, caught sight of Vi, squirmed in my lap, and launched herself into Vi’s arms.
Something about this made me search the room, and there I found Cal talking with Sal and Vinnie. I kept looking and saw Theresa, who was with Tandy and Kate, holding Angie.
Cal’s back was to them. He had a beer in hand and his lips curved up at something Sal was saying.
There you go. Cal had finally settled into happiness.
And that settled happily in my soul.
“News from the ’burg: Keirry’s boy’s dad is now very taken,” Cheryl told me, and I looked to her.
“Yeah?”
“Colt and Feb scenario,” she explained. “Apparently, he fell for a girl years ago. They broke up, now they’re back together and blissfully happy.”
“Cool for him,” I said.
“Another one bites the dust,” she replied.
I smiled at her but caught sight of Eva out of the corner of my eye, launching herself my way and moved just in time to catch her.
“I work in construction,” Cat stated, cottoning on to what Cheryl did not say but still did. “Lotta guys I could introduce you to.”
“I live in Indiana,” Cheryl pointed out.
Cat gave Cheryl a once-over, then replied, “They find total losers. Women…” She shook her head. “You would not believe. I think they’d do long-distance in order to get a live one.”
“Haul out your cell, bitch, and program my number,” Cheryl ordered.
Violet looked to me and grinned.
I grinned back.
After doing that, my gaze wandered from Violet to across the room.
There, I saw Benny standing with Mrs. Zambino and half of her bowling posse. It looked like they were all talking at once, but Mrs. Zambino had a death grip on Benny’s arm, even though it appeared she was telling off one of her minions and doing it testily.
But my man was looking at me.
I did my best to hold my active sister safe against me, even as I lifted my fingers to my lips and blew him a kiss.
He caught it and I knew this because, from all the way across the room, I saw his beautiful eyes smile.
Or maybe I didn’t see it.
But I knew it happened because I felt it.
Strange how he could do that. Me sitting with my girls, surrounded by people I love, celebrating my engagement to the best man in the world, holding my baby sister against me, all of that a promise fulfilled, and he did it again.
With just a look and a feeling.
Making another promise come true.
***
I signed the room service bill and, staring at it, suddenly froze.
There it was. In black ink.
Francesca Bianchi.
I came unfrozen and I did this in order to smile.
Huge.
I handed the bill to the staff member with his tip. He dipped his chin and walked out the door. I opened it behind him and resecured the “Do Not Disturb” sign.
“Jesus, Frankie, you answered the door?” Ben growled, and I turned to watch him walk in, towel around his hips.
Eyes to the prize.
There was my prize. Mine to keep for always.
Benny.
“You were in the bathroom,” I pointed out.
“Yeah, for two minutes.”
“I need Champagne.”
“And you couldn’t wait two minutes?”
“No. And it’s rude to make someone wait outside a door for two minutes, not to mention he might have walked away.”
“You’re in a nightie,” Ben pointed out.
“I’m sure he’s seen women in less,” I returned, then noted, “You’re in a towel.”
“I’m a guy. Was he a guy?”
“Yes.”
His eyes moved the length of me in my little, lacy, clingy, ivory nightie.
“Christ,” he muttered, going to the Champagne.
I looked to the windows.
Vi was right.
Virgin Gorda was awesome.
Or at least it looked that way.
Maybe, before the end of our two-week honeymoon, Ben and I would see more of it than what we could see from our hotel room window.
Though, I wasn’t holding much hope for that since we’d already been there four days and we hadn’t left our room.
I heard the Champagne cork pop and looked to my husband.
He was looking at me.
“You wanna dirty a glass?” he asked, holding the bottle by its neck.
“No way,” I answered.
He grinned at me.
Then he stalked me.
I retreated.
Straight to the bed.
***
Ben handed the menu to the waiter and looked across the table at his wife.
Big hair. Dark makeup. Beauty by candlelight.
Then he looked down at her full glass of Champagne, something she hadn’t touched in all the time since the waiter put it in front of her, they looked over their menus, the waiter came back, and they ordered.
“Not gonna try to break the record for fastest single-person consumption of a bottle of Champagne tonight?” he teased.
She looked into his eyes and smiled that smile he liked so fucking much.
But this time, she did have a secret.
A secret she wasn’t keeping.
He knew this when she replied, “No, seein’ as I can’t drink for a while ’cause I’m carrying your baby.”
Benny went still.
She kept talking.
“When you see the waiter, can you order me a virgin Bellini, baby?”
Benny didn’t answer.
“Benny?” she called.
He didn’t move or speak. He just sat frozen in his chair, staring at his Frankie.
“Honey,” she whispered.
“Get over here right now,” he growled.
For once, his wife didn’t give him lip. She got up, rounded the table, he pushed back, and she sat right in his lap and tipped her face to his so he could take her mouth.