It Had To Be You

  D.J. met me at the door of my office, sweeping me into his arms. “I had a feeling I might find you in here.”

  “Yeah. Still working.” I yawned. “What time is it?”

  “Midnight. Your coach has turned back into a pumpkin. And the prince …” He gestured to himself. “Well, he’s on the lookout for glass slippers.”

  “I love you, D.J.” Giving him a tender kiss seemed the only appropriate thing to do. I lingered in his arms.

  “You doing okay tonight, Bella Bambina?” he asked.

  “I’m exhausted. And I’m worried.”

  “About … ?”

  “All of these weddings!” I told him everything—about Lilly and her soda shop dreams. Sophia and her beach-themed extravaganza. Norah and her Victorian tea party.

  He brushed a loose hair from my face, still holding me close. “Well, my mom always said there was only one way to handle several things at once. You’ve got to decide what’s most important and do that first. Then choose the next most important thing and do that.”

  “Our wedding is the most important thing,” I assured him. “I’m not going to let anything get in the way of that, I promise. Nothing.”

  “I’m not worried about it, Bella. We’re going to have a great wedding. But even if you come down the aisle in jeans and a T-shirt, I’m still marrying you. Well, if you promise to wear your boots, I mean. For me, it’s not about the frills. It’s about the woman I’m marrying. I hope you know that.”

  Holy Toledo. If that didn’t stop my heart from beating, I didn’t know what would. Where did I find this guy again, anyway? Oh yeah. On sunny Galveston Island.

  “Don’t forget, babe, God never gives you more than you can bear. He trusts you with all of this, and I don’t blame him. You’ve got the goods to see this through. You’re a wonder.”

  “Th-thanks.” I blinked back tears, overcome at his compliments.

  After a few more consoling words from the man I loved, I felt strengthened from the inside out. We walked through the wedding facility, turned out lights, and met up with the rest of my family in the reception hall.

  Minutes later, I kissed my honey good-bye. He headed back to his condo, reminding me that we would see each other in the morning at church. I stifled a yawn and headed toward home with my family members on my heels.

  Deanna caught me as we walked back to the house. “I hate to do this to you tonight, Bella, with all you’re going through. But we leave in the morning, and I really need to pick your brain about the wedding facility we’re going to open in Napoli. Do you think we could talk? Early tomorrow morning, maybe? I have so many ideas, but I want to run them by you first. Oh, and I want to talk to you about my own wedding.”

  I looked at her and gasped. “Deanna! Did Rocco propose?”

  “No.” She shook her head. “But tonight, when he saw Gordy on his knees, he told me I would be next.” Her smile quickly faded. “Of course, we had no way of knowing Sophia was receiving a proposal at that very moment, so I suppose technically she was next. But you get the idea. He’s going to propose very soon. And ours will be the first wedding in our new facility—if things go as planned, anyway.” She began to describe the type of wedding she wanted to have. Traditional Italian fare, of course. I could only imagine getting married in Napoli. How wonderful would that be?

  We continued our conversation all the way home. When we opened the door to the house, the sound of Guido’s voice rang out. “When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie!” We all laughed, wondering if perhaps he’d heard us from next door.

  After saying our good nights, I dragged my way up the stairs, wondering if I would make it without collapsing. My feet ached. My back didn’t want to straighten. And I had a whopper headache. The worst I’d had in months, actually.

  Nothing a hot bath wouldn’t cure. I ran the tub and settled into the bubbles, deep in thought. I relived the moment where Father Michael pronounced Laz and Rosa husband and wife. Then I jolted, realizing they were now enjoying their first night together at the Tremont. I quickly shifted my thoughts to Lilly and Gordy, smiling as I remembered the way he had proposed—through a dance. Talk about unique. And then there was Sophia. The look of delight on her face would remain with me for some time. In spite of my knee-jerk reaction, I was truly thrilled for her.

  Deep in thought, I almost dozed off in the tub. Only when the bubbles tickled my chin did I realize I’d almost gone under. Time to dry off and hit the hay.

  Hit the hay. Hmm. Just thinking about sleeping in my bed made me a little sad. Would this be the last time? Unfortunately, I was too tired to really enjoy it.

  I’d just settled into bed when my phone rang. I recognized Jenna’s number. I answered with the words, “Everything okay?” After all, she rarely called in the middle of the night.

  “Yeah, I guess.”

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “I don’t mind saying I’m a little jealous.”

  “What do you mean?”

  She sighed. “Bubba and I got married on a cruise ship.

  What I witnessed tonight was a real wedding. A real, honest-to-goodness”—she sniffled—“wedding.”

  “Oh, Jenna! You’re wishing you hadn’t eloped?”

  “Oh, I’m glad I’m married,” she said through her tears. “I just wish Bubba and I had shared our big day with friends. I still want to have a real wedding, Bella. More so now than ever!”

  “Of course! When I get back from my honeymoon, let’s start making plans. That’s what I was trying to say the other day. You need a special day. Every bride does.”

  “You don’t think people will think that’s weird? Or presumptuous?”

  “Of course not. You can renew your wedding vows. People do it all the time. Maybe, if the weather cooperates, you can get married in the gazebo and we’ll have a beautiful afternoon event. Maybe even a Hawaiian luau. Anything you like.”

  “Mmm. A luau sounds perfect! Just what the doctor ordered. But you know Bubba. He’ll want a roasted pig at the reception. I can just see it now.”

  I laughed. “If I know Bubba, he’ll be the one roasting the pig himself. But it doesn’t matter. Whatever the two of you want, you will have. I’ll make it happen.”

  “I love you, Bella.”

  “I love you too.”

  We ended the call, and I rested my head against the pillow, smiling as I thought of my friend’s desire for a real wedding. Who could blame her? Every girl wanted to have her big day. To wear the white dress. To walk the aisle.

  I know I did. In fact, I’d wanted that from the time I was a little girl, and now that I’d found Prince Charming, I wanted it more than ever!

  With my eyes squeezed shut, I tried to focus on my upcoming wedding. It was going to be perfect. Beautiful! Beachy and light.

  No, that was Sophia’s plan, not mine. Mine was going to be a fifties-themed event, with soda jerks and chocolate malts.

  No, wait. That was Lilly and Gordy. They wanted the fifties wedding.

  Again I tried to focus on my wedding, dreaming of scones and lemon curd, served up with tiny cups of tea in a vintage setting. But I had the wrong wedding once again. That was Norah’s, not mine. D.J. and I were the ones with the roasted pig. The luau. What a great night that was going to be!

  No, wait. That didn’t sound right either.

  I slugged my pillow, determined to reel in my wayward thoughts, but they all tumbled madly through my brain.

  The Boot-Scootin’ wedding I’d coordinated this summer.

  The medieval extravaganza I’d hosted over the fall.

  Tonight’s forties swing event.

  Sophia’s beach-themed wedding.

  Lilly’s soda shop wedding.

  Norah’s Victorian garden party.

  Deanna’s Napoli nuptials.

  Jenna’s tropical luau.

  On and on my thoughts churned, everything overlapping in my brain. For whatever reason, I couldn’t seem to get things straight, especially
when I thought about the plans for my own wedding. I’d planned to have roses, right? And a Valentine’s theme? We were going to get married indoors, not outdoors. At the wedding facility, not the beach.

  Right?

  Exhaustion kicked in, and I just wanted to sleep. Surely all of this would make more sense in the morning. I rolled over in the bed and punched the pillow one final time. A thousand emotions rushed over me at once.

  Sitting up, I looked at my four-poster bed, contemplating the fact that this could very well be the last time I ever slept in it.

  Suddenly, I was overcome with emotion. A lump the size of a baseball rose in my throat, and tears quickly followed. In spite of my promise to D.J. that my every thought would be about our wedding, I found myself thinking about everything … but that.

  21

  Am I Blue?

  Sunday morning was bittersweet. After a rushed conversation with Deanna about the Italian Club Wed, we had just enough time for a quick breakfast with the family before they caravanned back to the airport. I capitalized on my time with Francesca, feeling pretty bad about how I’d judged her. Her cheeks glowed with anticipation this morning, and I could read the excitement in her eyes.

  “Oh, Bella, when will I see you again?” she asked, gripping my hand.

  I shrugged. “I don’t know.” I offered a little pout. “I wish you could come back for my wedding, but I know it’s a lot to ask.”

  “Oh, we would come in a heartbeat, but I think we’d better limit our travels, now that I’m …” Her cheeks flushed again. “Now that we have a little bambina coming.”

  “Bambina?” Mama looked her way. “Are you hoping for a girl?”

  “Oh, a girl would be wonderful,” Francesca said with a smile. “But a son would be wonderful too.” She gazed at Emilio with love pouring from her eyes. “If he’s anything like his papa, he will be a wonderful man someday.”

  A sigh went up from the women, and Pop slapped his brother on the back. “You will make a fine father, Emilio Rossi!”

  We ate our breakfast at the dining room table, voices overlapping as always. I couldn’t help but wonder how things were going for Rosa and Laz. Had they boarded the helicopter yet? Were they on their way to the airport in style? I felt sure we would hear all about it later.

  When our meal ended, a flurry of activity began. Pop and Emilio had the vehicles loaded in no time, and we all stood on the veranda, saying our good-byes. Because the week had been so chaotic, I really didn’t feel like I’d had enough time with Bianca and Bertina, but nothing could be done about that now. I offered warm hugs and plenty of thanks for their help.

  Turning to Deanna, I found myself getting emotional. “I’m going to miss you most of all,” I whispered.

  “Same here.” She gave me a hug. “But I’m going to call you—a lot! We have so much to talk about now.”

  “Yes, we do. Promise me you’ll give Rosa my love when you see her at the airport.”

  “Of course!” Deanna headed off to my father’s car with Rocco’s arm looped through hers.

  My aunts lingered on the veranda, dabbing tears from their eyes and gushing over Mama in Italian. Finally, the moment arrived. The Italian contention had to leave, and the Texas contention had to get dressed for church.

  Less than an hour after the relatives headed off, Mama and I walked through the door of our church, ready for a great worship service. I smiled as I saw D.J. talking to the pastor in the foyer. What little I overheard was about our new house. Funny . I’d hardly given it a second thought since D.J. had brought it up on Wednesday. Surely he hadn’t started working on it yet, right? From the sound of things, he was getting close. Good thing I’d left that situation to him. I had enough on my mind already.

  After a great church service, we spent Sunday afternoon gathered together in the living room watching football. Well, most of us were watching the game. I drifted off, unable to fight the weight of my eyelids any longer. I was awakened by Pop’s firm voice.

  “Bella Bambina, it’s time to start clearing out your room. The workers are coming first thing tomorrow morning, and I’d like to have the big stuff out of there by then.”

  I looked at him with panic setting in. Surely he would give me one more night. The construction guys could help tomorrow.

  On the other hand, we would have to pay them for their time. No point in paying them to move my furniture into the garage when we could handle it ourselves.

  D.J. reached for my hand and gave it a squeeze. “Don’t worry, baby,” he whispered. “I’m going to walk you through this. It’ll be a piece of cake, I promise.”

  I trudged up the stairs on Pop’s heels, D.J. following close behind me. When we reached my room, I opened the door and paused for a moment to take it all in. I didn’t want to miss a thing. This was the last time I would see my bedroom in its normal, natural state. Next time it would be a shell— empty of all furniture. After that, it would be a part of Rosa and Laz’s new suite. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I forged ahead.

  D.J., Pop, and Joey spent the next hour taking my bed apart and moving it into the garage. After that, they moved my dresser and night tables. I took the clothes—the ones from my dresser and the ones in my closet—into Sophia’s room. Unfortunately, I caught her napping. She awoke with a start.

  “B-Bella?”

  “It’s me, hon. Don’t panic. I’m just bringing in my things.”

  “Already?”

  “Yes.”

  She sat up in bed and looked at the clock. “Wow, it’s after five?”

  “Yeah, you’ve been asleep for hours.”

  “I was tired.” She yawned. “Planning a wedding takes a lot out of a girl.”

  “Tell me about it.” I bit my tongue, determined not to say any more.

  I roused her from the bed with the promise of hot coffee, and she joined us, carrying my things from my room to hers. Well, most of my things, anyway. Many of them were going to the garage, for lack of a better place.

  “This is going to be so much fun, Bella,” she said with a giggle. “Like when we were little girls in Atlantic City. Remember, we shared a room?”

  “Yes.” I smiled at the memory of our pink bedroom with its twin beds.

  “Having a roomie is going to make me feel young again.” Sophia gave me a look of wide-eyed wonder, a child once more. I smiled in response, convinced we could make a go of this. In fact, we would probably look back on this season of our lives with great fondness. Once we were old and gray, anyway. In the meantime, we still had a lot of work left to do.

  By the time the sun set, my room was empty. Well, all but a few dust bunnies, which D.J. told me not to worry about.

  “The construction guys will be blowing up all sorts of dust,” he said.

  “Okay.” I paused, looking around at the shell of a room, my heart in my throat. Squeezing my eyes shut helped ease the pain. When I opened them, I decided a little action was in order. “Is anyone hungry?” I asked, my stomach grumbling.

  “Starving,” Pop said.

  We all looked at each other, unsure of what to do next. This was the point in the day when Rosa would call us all down to dinner, after all. I looked at Mama, hopeful. She stifled a yawn.

  “Sorry.” After a pause, she said, “We have plenty of leftovers from the wedding. Want to help me in the kitchen, girls?”

  Sophia and I headed downstairs on our mother’s heels. This would be the first time in years the three of us had entered the Rossi kitchen alone to prepare a meal. We were entering hallowed territory. I could almost sense Rosa’s essence in the place. Looking over at the hook on the wall, I saw her tomato-stained aprons. I reached for one and handed it to Mama.

  “Just isn’t the same without Rosa here, is it?” my mother said, slipping the apron on.

  “No, not the same at all.”

  Having Rosa gone for this month wasn’t the only change. It felt like the whole house was in a state of flux right now.

  “Where do y
ou suppose they are right now?” I asked.

  “They should be in Rome in a few hours. And then on to Napoli.” She reached for a tray of leftovers and placed it on the countertop.

  I heard Guido singing “Amazing Grace” off in the distance. For whatever reason, I felt a little emotional, thinking of how Laz would have enjoyed that. My thoughts were interrupted by the phone ringing in Pop’s office. A couple of minutes later, my father entered the kitchen. He reached to grab a piece of bread.

  “Who was it, Cosmo?” Mama asked.

  “Sal. He’s on his way over to talk to us about Guido.”

  “To talk about Guido, or to take Guido back to Atlantic City?”

  “Not sure.” Pop shrugged. “He just said he wanted to talk.”

  We all grew strangely silent. Looked like the moment had finally arrived. A few months ago, we would have taken the news of Guido’s leaving with a sense of relief, but now … well, now the goofy parrot was part of the family.

  “Maybe we can talk Sal into leaving him here for further rehabilitation,” I said. “It could happen.”

  “No, Bella.” Mama gave me a sympathetic look. “Sal needs that bird too much for us to be selfish. And besides, we trained Guido up in the way he should go so that he could actually … well, you know … go.”

  “I suppose.”

  “He will have an impact on Sal’s life, I just feel it,” Pop said. “We’ll trust God. He knows what’s ahead far better than we do.”

  By the time Sal arrived a few minutes later, we had almost finished preparing the food. Mama carried it into the dining room, and we all gathered around the table.

  “Sorry to come so late,” Sal said. “Didn’t mean to intrude on your dinnertime.”

  “Not at all,” Mama said. “We hope you will stay, of course. Join us, Sal.”

  He smiled. “Don’t mind if I do. A family dinner sounds good.” He pushed back a yawn as he took his seat. “Sorry. I’ve been resting today. It’s been a long week.”