Lucky me.
Jeisa stepped forward and took both of Alethea’s hands in hers. “I am so happy for you, Alethea. You are glowing tonight. You and I had a bumpy start, but that is in the past now. I hear people say you were not a good friend to Jeremy, but I wanted you to know I think they are wrong. Look at him today. No, you were not a love match for him, but you gave him something to hope for when he had nothing else. He is an amazing man, and part of the man I love came from his friendship with you. After hearing what you did for Stephan, I knew I had to come and tell you something. I spent a good part of my life trying to avoid unpleasant situations, but it was only by facing them that I was able to move past them. You grab ugly by the horns and ride it out. You inspire me. Jeremy is lucky to have a friend like you. I hope that we can be friends, too, as we move forward, Alethea.”
Looking from Jeisa to Jeremy and back, Alethea pulled Jeisa into a hug. “I would like that. I would really like that.”
She met Jeremy’s eyes over Jeisa’s shoulder and saw her old friend smiling back at her from beneath his buffed businessman exterior.
He looked over at Marc and said, “If you ever hurt her, you’ll have to deal with me.” When Jeisa returned to his side, he added, “And worse—Jeisa. I can empty your bank accounts and send the funds overseas, but you do not want to incur the Brazilian wrath. There isn’t a bunker, not even one you’ve built, that could save you from that.”
Marc accepted the warning with a smile. “Understood.” He took Alethea’s left hand in his and raised it to his lips. “Your friends are as protective of you as you are of them, Alethea.” He sighed as if in pain. “Looks like you’re stuck with me.”
“Looks that way,” Alethea agreed with a huge, giddy smile. She looked across the room to where Lil had taken the microphone and was standing on a small stage beside the live band. “We’d better get our champagne. It looks like Lil is going to make a speech, whether we’re ready or not.”
In her ear, Marc said softly, “I’ve been ready for this since the first moment I saw you across the room.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Where did I put my vows? I can’t find my vows.” Lil frantically searched the room, her long wedding dress and veil whipping wildly behind her in the bridal suite of the small Manhattan church. “I put them right there near my makeup bag and they’re gone.”
Dressed in a floor-length silk off-the-shoulder gown, Abby held up a white silk satchel. “They’re in your bag so you won’t forget them. Exactly where you told me to put them.”
Snatching the bag from her sister, Lil let out a relieved breath when she opened it and pulled out a paper. “I should have printed this in bigger font. What if I start crying and can’t read it?”
“As long as you speak from your heart, Lil, it doesn’t matter what you say up there. What matters is you and Jake will finally be married. That’s the most important part of today,” Abby said.
“Is Alethea back yet?” Lil asked in a worried tone.
“She’s talking to King Rachid’s Royal Guardsmen—probably telling them how to do their jobs,” Abby said with some irony. “Zhang said she and Marc offered to coordinate security for today. I’m not sure Zhang thought it was necessary, but I told her to just be grateful Alethea asked. Don’t tell Alethea, but I feel better knowing she’s involved. I still worry whenever I leave Judy, even though I know she’s perfectly safe with Marie.”
“It’s been two months, Abby. Sliver isn’t coming back.”
“I know. Rachid told Dominic he handled it. I don’t know what that means exactly, and I’m not normally one who advocates that kind of justice, but I’ve never been so afraid in my life.”
“You’re freaking me out, Abby. Can I go back to worrying if the boutonnieres have arrived?”
Wise enough to know that her sister was serious, Abby said, “So, what mischief have you planned for today? At my wedding, you dared Zhang to kiss a sheikh. For Zhang’s wedding you had all of us belly dancing the night before. Your own wedding can’t go on without a dare or a surprise.”
Alethea jumped into the conversation. “Don’t worry, I have that covered.”
“Al!” Lil hopped with excitement at the return of her friend. “What did you do?”
Dressed in a similar but edgier version of Abby’s dress, Alethea walked over and joined her friend near the makeup table. “Nothing yet. It’s just an idea. Have you seen Stephan’s cousins? The ones he flew in? I don’t think there is a woman here who won’t appreciate how Stephan’s near-death experience prompted him to reach out to them.”
“That’s awful,” Abby said, but her tone held no bite.
Lil paused and laughed. “Maybe, but they’re gorgeous.”
Chiding gently, Abby said, “Aren’t you getting married in a few minutes?”
Lil smiled shamelessly. “Marriage does not make you blind.”
Giving up, Abby laughed. “Okay, I’ve seen them, too, and they represent the Andrades well. What a gene pool. I’m afraid to ask, but what’s your idea?”
“A friendly competition. We’ll call it, ‘Who’s the best matchmaker?’”
Lil said, “Hands down, Maddy is.”
Alethea looked across at Abby slyly. “You think she’s better than you?”
Abby adjusted her long gown. “Maybe . . . maybe not. I know I’m better than you.”
Alethea’s eyes narrowed at the challenge. There would always be an edge of competition between them, but they had both acknowledged the fact and even laughed about it. The future might still hold a few bumps for them, but the core of their relationship had changed. They’d discovered that when it mattered, they had more in common than they’d thought: loyalty to family. Everything else could be worked out. “A hundred dollars says you’re not.”
“Ooooooh . . .” Abby drew the word out for emphasis. “You are so on.”
Lifting and dropping the large skirt of her custom-made, fairy-tale-style white wedding dress, Lil looked over her shoulder at the two women and said, “I’m in, too. Are we calling the win at an engagement or a wedding?”
“Engagement,” Abby and Alethea said in unison, then both smiled.
Lil clapped with excitement. “I love it, Al. This is going to be so much fun. Are there any rules?”
“They can’t know what we’re doing, and none of you can whine when I win,” Alethea said, with a flip of her long red mane.
Abby added, “Stephan told me he used to be close to these cousins until something happened between his father and their mother. Stephan really does want to bring them back into the fold. Whatever we do can’t jeopardize that.”
Maddy walked into the room with a tray of champagne. “Look what I found out in the hall.” As each woman took a glass, Maddy asked, “What can we not jeopardize?”
Entering the room behind her, Queen Zhang refused a glass. “I see nothing has changed. Who are you daring today, Lil?”
Lil rushed over to hug the friend who lived too far away for her liking. “I didn’t start this one. Alethea did.”
Maddy’s eyes rounded. “We’re not going to do anything illegal, are we?”
Alethea shrugged a shoulder carelessly. “Is it illegal if you don’t get caught?”
If possible, Maddy’s eyes grew even wider.
Abby intervened, “She’s joking, Maddy. She has a funny sense of humor. You’ll get used to it.” She softened her words with a smile and a wink at Alethea. “Eventually, you’ll even like it.”
Zhang looked around, a pleased smile on her face. “It’s nice to see everyone getting along. Now back to what I missed.”
Nicole rushed in. “I’m so sorry. There were a few people Stephan wanted me to meet, but it should have waited until after the ceremony. I forget how many Andrades there are. They flew in from everywhere for today. It’s crazy out there. Lil, thank you for inviting them. I know they aren’t technically your family, but it means a lot to Stephan that they’re welcome here.”
Lil walked over and hugged Nicole. “You’re my family and, through you, so are they. I always used to wonder what it would be like to come from a big family with aunts and uncles and crazy family gatherings. Victor and Katrine opened their home to me the first time I met them. We’re happy to have them here.”
Turning to Alethea, Nicole said, “Speaking of Stephan’s parents, they haven’t stopped talking about how happy they were to meet you. They want you to come over for dinner again soon.”
Alethea smiled. “I may have to do just that. I need to dig up whatever I can on Stephan’s first cousins: George, Luke, Nick, and Max. I intend to win.”
Lil turned to Maddy with excitement. “We’re taking bets on which one of us is the best matchmaker, and we’re going to prove ourselves with them. There are four of them, right? We have to be able to marry one of them off.”
Instead of showing excitement, as Lil had expected, Maddy’s expression fell a bit at the mention of her cousins. “I’m very close to the rest of my family, but my aunt moved her children away from us after a falling-out with Uncle Vic. We may not see them again after today. I helped Stephan convince them to come, but it wasn’t easy. I think a couple of them came just to meet Dominic.”
“We don’t have to do this if you don’t want us to,” Abby said gently.
Alethea added, “Sure, if you don’t like a challenge. What better way to get to know them than to dabble in their business a bit?”
Chewing her lip, Maddy looked uncharacteristically unsure of herself. “You think?”
Zhang smiled. “And so it begins . . .”
The wedding planner stuck her head in the door and said, “Are you ready?”
Lil took Abby’s hand in one of hers and Alethea’s in the other, then gave them both a squeeze. “You’re right, Abby. There is nothing to be nervous about. This is already the best day of my life.”
As they walked out the door, Abby held the back of Lil’s dress off the floor and whispered to Alethea, “That was perfectly timed. She was getting really worked up. Now she has something fun to focus on instead of how everyone will be watching her. Genius.”
“You can butter me up all you want, Abby, but I’m going to prove to you there is a science to this.”
Without missing a step, Abby answered just as softly, “And strategy. I call Marie for my team.”
“Ooh, that’s cheating,” Alethea said under her breath.
Lil stopped and looked over her shoulder. “Are you two getting along?”
They both smiled sweetly at her and, in unison, said, “Of course.”
Alethea whispered, “The one we have to watch out for is Maddy. She has inside information, and that gives her an advantage.”
“She’s pregnant again. That’ll slow her down,” Abby said.
With admiration, Alethea said, “Who knew you were this competitive? I like you more the better I get to know you.”
Abby nodded in agreement. “I know exactly what you mean. I just hope you handle it well when you lose.”
The wedding planner led the way out of the suite and down the hall to the room where all the guests were gathered. Colby was waiting with Marie, dressed in a lavender flower-girl dress. She ran to her mother as soon as she saw her. “Mommy, Mommy, up, up.”
Marie tried to redirect her. “Colby, you’re the flower girl. You walk in first and throw the flowers. Remember what we practiced?”
A young lip protruded and tears threatened. “Mommy?”
Lil reached down, lifted her daughter onto her hip and said, “We can throw them together.”
Marie hovered. “Are you sure? Maybe she wants to walk with Auntie Abby?”
Colby shook her head and buried her face in her mother’s silk bodice. Lil hugged her tightly and said to her daughter, “You can walk with me if you want, Colby. It’s like Auntie Abby says—we’re always better together.”
Colby raised her face and smiled, allowing Lil to lower her onto her feet beside her. Holding her mother’s hand, Colby said, “Togedder.”
Lil straightened from her daughter and looked at her sister and best friend standing side by side. A huge smile spread across her face. “Best wedding present ever.”
Jake resisted adjusting the bow tie on his tuxedo as he stood in front of a white rose-covered altar with the minister. Dominic, Jeremy, Stephan, Rachid, and Richard stood in a line off to the side of him. Although he and Lil had lived together for almost a year, his stomach was still doing crazy flips in anticipation of seeing her walk down the aisle to him.
He spared a glance at the men on his side. Time had tested each of their friendships and they were stronger because of it. He couldn’t imagine what his life would have been like if he’d never met Dominic. Jeremy had become the younger brother he’d never known he wanted but now couldn’t imagine not having. Rachid had stepped out of his life for nearly a decade, and his return had been chaotic, but having him there felt right. Stephan and Richard represented half of the people in attendance—the Andrade family, people Jake couldn’t imagine marrying Lil without. He saw a bit of himself and Dominic in Alessandro and Victor and hoped to one day have a legacy as large and loving as theirs.
Marc met his eyes from over the heads of the seated guests. He’d told Marc that he didn’t have to work that day, but like Alethea, Marc couldn’t turn off his inner watchdog.
Music began to play, and the guests fell silent.
The door at the end of the aisle opened, catching the women a bit unaware, still smiling and laughing over some private joke.
Under his breath Richard asked, “I wonder what they’re plotting today.”
Dominic said firmly, “Let’s not go looking for trouble.”
Richard answered with humor, “No need to look for it. It’s dressed and walking this way.”
“Stop before you make me laugh. Lil will kill me,” Jake muttered.
Stephan interjected, “They definitely look too happy.”
Rachid added with royal confidence, “Women are always happy at weddings.”
“Mark my words,” Richard said, “something is brewing.”
Jake muttered, “Will you all just shut up? You’re making me nervous.”
Dominic chuckled. “You have nothing to worry about unless you forget your vows or step on Lil’s veil. Whatever you do, don’t accidentally call her the wrong name.”
“You’re such an ass, Dom,” Jake growled without taking his eyes off the procession of women walking down the aisle.
Jeremy burst out with a laugh that had all of the guests looking forward at the men instead of back at the bridesmaids. “Sorry. I just pictured Lil’s face if Jake called her the wrong name.”
With a forced smile, Jake said, “You’ll be where I am soon enough, Jeremy. Remember that payback is sweet.”
Jeremy gulped and kept his next thought to himself.
Dom flexed his shoulders and bragged, “Luckily, I’m safe.”
Jake said, “Oh, no, Dom, you have an upcoming baptism. Push me and I’ll use that event to tell Abby that you said you’re ready to start on your second child.”
Dominic fell silent after a muttered curse.
Stephan laughed.
Dominic glared at him.
Further teasing would have been wasted; the moment Lil stepped out from behind the door and started down the aisle, Jake’s attention was riveted on his bride. She walked toward them slowly, handing a now happy Colby off to Abby, and joined Jake in front of the minister.
The minister started the ceremony with the usual formality. “We are gathered here today to celebrate the union—”
Lil burst out, “I do.”
A chuckle echoed through the church. The minister said, “We’re not at that part yet.”
Flushing a deep red, Lil said hastily, “I didn’t mean to say that out loud. Just keep going. I guess I’m nervous.” She looked across at Jake apologetically. “And now I’m babbling.”
“I do, too,” Jake said with quiet dignit
y, as if it were perfectly appropriate. Then he winked down at his bride.
Lil’s eyes filled with happy tears. “You do?” she asked.
Jake nodded solemnly and held out a hand to her. “Today. Tomorrow. Forever. I promise you, Colby, and the family we’ll make together that I will be there for you. Always.”
The minister closed his book in resignation and waited.
With a huge smile, Lil took Jake’s hand. “I promise you the same. Today. Tomorrow. Forever. I will be there for you—always.”
Rolling with the impromptu change in script, the minister asked, “Do you have the rings?”
Jake slid Lil’s on. Lil slid Jake’s on. She burst into happy tears and he pulled her to him for a deep kiss.
The minister coughed. “Okay, it looks like we’re kissing the bride now. With the power invested in me by the state of New York, I now pronounce you husband and wife.” He cleared his throat loudly again. “What God has brought together today, let no one separate.” As their kiss continued, the minister smacked Jake on the shoulder lightly with his Bible. “A little separation is necessary sometimes.”
With a laugh, Jake and Lil ended their kiss and turned to the people gathered.
The minister said, “I now present, for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Jake Walton.”
Lil held out her hand to Colby, who was straining to leave Abby. She came running across the altar to them. Jake gathered up his adopted daughter and held her with one hand as he took Lil’s hand in his other and they walked down the aisle together.
Dominic held out an arm to Abby. She took it and, even as she smiled, said, “Don’t think we didn’t hear you guys laughing. You’re wearing microphones, you know.”
With a half smile, Dominic threw his friend under the bus. “Richard started it. He said you ladies are plotting something.”
Abby smiled. “We are.”
“Should I worry?”
“Maddy, Lil, Alethea, and I have a bet going. First one to marry off an Andrade cousin wins.”
“Good luck with that,” Dominic said. “Victor says those boys have had a rough time.”