“It
is
our wedding day,” he reminded her, nodding to the bedside clock.
“We’ll be a couple of wrecks at the wedding.”
“No, we won’t,” he said, kissing his way to her lips. “We’re young and hardy, and we’ve survived sleepless nights before.”
“True.” Sam wrapped her legs around his hips and urged him into another carnal kiss. “I’ve missed this.”
“Mmm. Me, too. So much.”
“We’re getting married today.”
He smiled down at her. “So I’ve heard. Are you ready?”
“Never been more ready for anything. You?”
“Same.” He kissed her again and entered her slowly, releasing a deep sigh of completion. “In case I forget to tell you later,” he said, peppering his words with kisses, “you’re the single best thing to ever happen to me, and I can’t imagine how I managed to live without you for all those years after we first met.”
She ran her hands down his back. “Ditto.” Closing her eyes, she rode the wave of love and passion and desire that only he could inspire in her.
“Damn,” he muttered, “this is going to be fast.”
Sam laughed and urged him on. “We have all week for slow.”
His lips found the curve of her neck, and he tightened his arms around her. “Love you, babe. Love you so much.”
“Love you too.” As he drove them to an explosive finish, Sam had no doubt at all that she was marrying the exact perfect guy for her.
The wedding day preparations passed in a blur of hair and makeup and flowers and children. Sam waited all day for the crash that usually followed a sleepless night, but it never happened. She figured she was running on an extra dose of wedding adrenaline with a sex-induced high thrown in for good measure.
Standing before a full-length mirror in the dress that had been made just for her, Sam had to give Tinker Bell credit. It was pretty safe to say that she’d never looked better in her life. She raised her long skirt and took another admiring look at the
fabulous
Jimmy Choos with the sparkling buckle and let out a giddy squeal of delight.
As promised, her makeup was subtle, yet effective. The scar at her hairline was nowhere in sight. Her hair was swept into a sleek, sophisticated style with an orchid strategically placed above her right ear.
Her entire family was abuzz about the altercation with Peter. Sam was relieved that he was locked up and couldn’t do anything to disrupt her wedding day. The incident with him had been a small price to pay for that peace of mind.
Remembering the passionate night she’d spent with Nick, she reached up to touch the diamond key he had given her. After everything with Peter and in the wake of their rancorous divorce, she’d never imagined getting married again. That is until she reconnected with Nick after John O’Connor’s murder. Once they were back together, the idea of being remarried had stopped seeming so preposterous. Now she couldn’t wait to be his wife, and to take, as he’d said in his proposal, the journey of a lifetime together.
She slid the sparkling engagement ring off her finger and transferred it—temporarily—to her right hand to make room for the wedding band he would soon place on her left hand.
Dressed in dark purple tea-length bridesmaid dresses, Tracy and Angela stepped into the room.
“
Wow
, Sam,” Tracy said with a sigh. “You’re stunning.”
“Seriously,” Angela added.
“Thanks, guys, you look gorgeous too. Is everyone ready to go?”
“Dad and Celia already left with the kids,” Angela said, “but we needed a moment alone with the bride.
Tracy handed Sam a jeweler’s box. “Since Nick took care of your something new, here’s your something old.”
“Grandma’s diamond earrings! But she gave them to you.”
“Which is why they’re also your something borrowed,” Tracy said with a pointed look.
Sam laughed as she put them on. “Gotcha.”
Angela handed Sam a fancy lace garter with blue satin ribbon threaded throughout. “And your something blue.”
“Was this yours?” she asked Angela.
“It was originally Mom’s,” Tracy said. “Angela and I both used it our weddings.”
“But you didn’t give it to me last time?” Sam said, fingering the lace.
“We had a feeling that was your starter marriage.” Tracy rested her hands on Sam’s bare shoulders and went up on tiptoes to kiss her sister’s cheek. “This one is for keeps.”
“Yes, it certainly is,” Sam said softly as her eyes flooded with tears. She frantically blinked them back. “Stop the schmoopy stuff before I have mascara running down my face!”
Tracy smiled and stepped back.
Angela leaned in to kiss Sam’s other cheek. “We love you. We love him. And we’re so very,
very
happy for you.”
“Okay, now you really have to stop it,” Sam said, waving her hands in front of her face.
Angela laughed and handed Sam a tissue.
“The limo is downstairs when you’re ready,” Tracy said. “We can put the garter on in the car.”
“As long as we’re being schmoopy,” Sam said, willing the tears away, “thank you both for seeing me through some rough times. I doubt I’d be standing here in one piece if it wasn’t for you guys, and I love you both. Very much.”
“Aw, Sam,” Angela said, dabbing at her eyes. “Now you’ve got me going too. Not that it takes much these days.”
“Let’s get you to the church before we descend all the way to maudlin,” Tracy said, her eyes bright with tears too.
Sam stepped out her father’s front door to a warm spring day and a crowd gathered on Ninth Street to watch the proceedings. Police cruisers with lights flashing were positioned in front of and behind the black limo.
“What’s with the cops?” she asked Shelby.
“Apparently, Chief Farnsworth ordered an escort for you.”
Sam smiled. “That’s sweet of him.” The flash of a camera interrupted the moment, and Sam looked over to find several of the roving pack of photographers who’d dedicated themselves to documenting her and Nick’s every move over the last few months. While her first inclination was to scowl at them the way she normally did, this time she smiled radiantly, refusing to let them ruin her mood.
Shelby shepherded Sam and her sisters smoothly into the limo. As they proceeded through the city to the church at 16
th
and H Streets, Sam marveled at the people who’d come out apparently hoping for a glimpse of her. That, more than anything else that’d happened in the last few months, told her how popular they’d become in the city. As someone who preferred life well below the radar, it certainly was a jarring realization.
The closer they got to the church, the bigger the crowd seemed to get.
“Damn,” Tracy said. “Look at all the people!”
“I wonder if William and Kate will get this big of a crowd for the royal wedding,” Angela said.
“Shut up,” Sam muttered. “I’m not a princess, and this is just another wedding.”
“Whatever you say, Your Highness,” Ang joked.
From the front seat, Shelby turned to them. “Don’t worry, Sam. We’ve got security all around the church.”
“What if Nick and my dad can’t get in?”
“They’re already there,” Shelby assured her with a comforting smile.
Sam was once again grateful for her presence. At first she had balked at the cost of a wedding planner, but she couldn’t imagine how they would’ve pulled this off without her.
Sam’s stomach, which had been on remarkably good behavior lately, took a nosedive as she experienced the day’s first flutter of nerves.
Tracy reached over to pat Sam’s arm. “It’s all good. It’s just you and Nick and a few thousand of your closest friends.”
Sam laughed, which helped with the butterflies.
They managed to get her inside St. John’s with a minimal amount of fuss, which Sam appreciated. She was escorted to a holding room at the back of the church where her father waited for her.
“There you are,” he said. “Quite a madhouse out there, huh?”
Sam bent to kiss his cheek. “My future husband is too popular for his own good.”
“I think his future wife is just as popular. She’s certainly beautiful today.”
She squeezed his right hand. “Thank you.”
Tracy and Angela came in a minute later looking frazzled.
“What’s the matter?” Sam asked.
“Small problem,” Angela said. “Leo just let us know that Nick’s mother is here.”
Sam gasped. “No. She can’t be! She wasn’t invited!”
“That doesn’t seem to have stopped her,” Tracy said.
Sam’s mind churned as she pondered the implications. She turned to Shelby. “Please go get Graham and Harry. And Leo Cappuano. Hurry.”
“What do I tell them?”
“Make something up. Some sort of wedding duty you need them for, but don’t let Nick know there’s something going on.”
“I’m on it.” Shelby scurried from the room.
“I’m sorry, Sam,” Angela said. “I hate to see anything ruin this day for either of you.”
“Nothing will ruin this day. Not if I have anything to say about it.” All she could think about was how badly Nick had wanted this one perfect day to celebrate their love and begin their life together. No way would she let his witch of a mother ruin it for him.
“As much as I want to see this, the kids are getting restless,” Tracy said. “We’ll wait for you outside.”
As her sisters stepped out, the men came in with Shelby.
“Sam,” Graham said. “You look positively gorgeous.”
“Radiant,” Harry added.
“Beautiful,” Leo said.
“Thank you,” Sam said, embarrassed by the praise. “We have a problem.” She explained about Nick’s mother crashing the wedding and watched their smiles fade. Leo looked down at the floor, his face unreadable. “We have to keep her away from Nick. Whatever you have to do, no matter how rude you have to be, keep her away from him.”
“Don’t worry,” Graham assured her. “We’ll take care of it.”
Sam focused on Harry. “It’s very important that she not get anywhere near him. You understand why.”
Harry nodded somberly. “It won’t happen. I’ll personally make sure of it.”
Sam turned to Shelby. “Do you have a copy of the invitation?”
“Of course.” Ever efficient, Shelby crossed the room to her pink leather briefcase and produced the green and lavender invitation Sam had loved on first sight. “Here you go.”
“Thanks. Will you please go get Nick’s mother? I’d like a word with her.”
“Sam,” Skip said. “Are you sure about that?”
Ignoring the concern coming from the other men, she nodded. “Go ahead, Shelby.”
“I’ll point her out to you,” Leo said, following Shelby.
While she waited, Sam vibrated with tension. She deeply resented Nick’s mother intruding—uninvited—on their special day. But she would take care of it and get on with the wedding with him none the wiser.
Shelby and Leo returned a minute later with a beautifully dressed woman who, as Nick had once said, resembled Sofia Loren. As she came closer, however, Sam saw the hard edges lurking beneath the shiny surface. This woman had nothing on Loren. Nick’s parents were just fifteen years older than him, and while Leo remained youthful, Nicoletta appeared worn. She cast a hateful glance at Leo, who looked away from her as if he couldn’t stand the sight of her. Sam could relate to that.
“It’s so nice to finally meet you,” Nicoletta said, extending her hand to Sam.
Sam ignored the proffered hand and held up the invitation. “Did you receive one of these?”
“I did not, but I figured it had to be a mistake. How could I not be invited to my own son’s wedding?”
“You were
not
invited,” Sam said, “because neither of us wants you here.”
Nicoletta’s face turned bright red. “How
dare
you speak to me like that minutes before you marry my son?”
“You’ve done nothing but hurt and disappoint him his entire life. You will
not
do that today. I won’t allow it. You may sit
quietly
in the back of the church for the service, after which you will leave—quietly—or security will have you removed. From now on, you will stay far,
far
away from him or you’ll deal with me. Do I make myself clear?”
Nicoletta glared at her. “My son is marrying a bitch!”
“Hey now,” Skip growled. “Watch yourself, or you won’t be watching a wedding.”
Nicoletta appealed to Leo. “You have nothing to say about this, you spineless excuse for a man?”
Leo shook his head. “I don’t want you here any more than they do.”
“I’m about to change my mind and have you removed before the wedding,” Sam said, glowering at her. “What’s it going to be?”
“I’d like to see my son.”
“That’s not going to happen.”
“You can’t decide that for him!”
Sam smirked. After what this woman had put Nick through, Sam was rather enjoying this. “You don’t think so?”
With Harry, Graham, Leo and her father united as one behind her, Sam stared down the older woman. “You have one minute to decide because I have no intention of keeping my fiancé waiting. He’s waited long enough for a family of his own.”
She often used the same time limit with perps when giving them the choice between cooperating with an investigation or going straight to jail. This woman had emotionally abused Nick his entire life. Her crimes were nearly as egregious as those of the criminals Sam dealt with.
“Fine,” Nicoletta huffed. “You may think you’ve won this round, but you haven’t seen the last of me.”
“Yes, I have. And believe me, you don’t want to try me on that.”
“God help my poor son,” Nicoletta said as she turned and stalked from the room. “He’ll need all the help he can get married to a shrew.”
Sam let her have the parting shot. She’d made her point.
“I’m so sorry you had to deal with that today of all days, Sam,” Shelby said, clearly undone by the whole thing.
“I’m not sorry, so don’t you be either. It would’ve happened eventually.” Sam turned to Harry. “Go on back to Nick, and
please
keep her the hell away from him.”
“I will, Sam. I promise.”
“Graham,” Sam said when he started to follow Harry. “What I said about Nick having a family of his own…”
“I understand, honey. We did our best to fill the void, but there’s no substitute for the real thing.”
“He loves you all very much.”
“And we know that. We love him just as much.”
Sam nodded, and Graham left so he could be with Nick.
“I probably shouldn’t be here either,” Leo said morosely. “I didn’t do much better by him than she did.”
“You’ve never shaken him down for money or refused to introduce him as your son,” Sam said.
Leo stared at her, agog. “She did not.”
“She called him a month or so ago. She’d fallen down some stairs and was in the hospital. He went to her and came home twenty-five thousand dollars poorer. The last time she got married, she refused to introduce him as her son because she didn’t want the guy she was marrying to think she was lying about her age.”
“
Bitch
,” Leo said. Sam was surprised by his tone. She’d never seen Leo angry before.
Sam extended her hand to him.
Hesitantly, he took it.
“You’ve made an effort to right some of the wrongs. You and Stacy have made him part of your family. You’ve never asked him for anything other than his time and his forgiveness. You have
every
right to be here.”
“Thank you, Sam.” He embraced her carefully. “For what it’s worth, I think my son is a very lucky man.”
“It’s worth an awful lot coming from you.”
“I’ll see you out there.”