Mr Destiny (36 page)

Kate squared her shoulders when he pulled on the reins, bringing his mount to a stop a short distance away from her. The second
his shiny black boots hit the ground, she knew she'd never stop fantasizing about this man as long as she lived.

He walked up and stopped in front of her.

My Italian on a stallion,
Kate thought.

He unsnapped his chin strap and took off his helmet.

Mercy.

He was everything she wanted—all she'd ever need.

His sexy grin caught her off guard.

“I don't know how to tell you this,” he said, “but you and I were destined to be together.”

“That has to be the corniest pickup line I've ever heard,” Kate told him.

“But aren't you interested in why a guy would be willing to make a complete fool of himself with a statement like that one?”

“Yes,” Kate said. “Today, I am definitely interested in why you would make a statement like that one.”

“I love you, Kate,” he said, “with all my heart.”

“I love you even more,” Kate told him.

Tony leaned forward, cupped her face, and kissed her.

“Bravo! Bravo! Bravo!”

Then came loud clapping.

“Let me guess,” Tony said laughing, “Lorraine?”

“Lorraine,” Kate said, nodding happily.

She slid her arms around his neck and kissed Tony again.

One year later

T
he Petrocelli family has been waiting for this wedding to take place for the last twenty years.”

Joey Caborelli said this as he panned the video camera Tony had given him for his birthday across the front of the legendary
Boathouse in Central Park.

“We're here at the Lake Room this evening, outside in the garden that overlooks Central Park Lake. Behind those closed French
doors is where the wedding will take place.” He aimed the camera toward the doors and said, “Tony Petrocelli first met Kate
Anderson here in Central Park. Today, they'll be getting married here.”

Joey turned the camera back to the large crowd milling about the garden. “As you can see, many of the guests have already
arrived. While we're waiting for the ceremony to begin, let's go interview some of the family members and give them the opportunity
to record a special message for Tony and Kate.”

Mama Gina, dressed in a lovely aqua-colored floor-length gown with a matching sequined camisole, smiled happily into the camera.
“My heart is so full of love for both of you, words can't even describe what I'm feeling at the moment.” She dabbed at the
corners of her eyes with a dainty hanky. “Not that the two of you didn't have me worried,” she added, shaking her finger sternly
at the camera. “Especially after Kate came to the restaurant and Nonna didn't know who she was.”

“What did you say?”

The camera switched from Mama Gina to Rosa Petrocelli, standing beside her daughter-in-law and also wearing a floor-length
gown, hers a brilliant shade of purple. She turned her silver head in Mama Gina's direction. “Of course, I knew who Kate was.
Who said I didn't?”

The camera switched back to Mama Gina for an answer.

Slightly flustered, Mama Gina said a little too sweetly, “Well, if you did know who Kate was that evening, Nonna, it would
have been nice if you'd simply told us that.”

Back to Rosa. Now, definitely flustered.

“What was there to tell?” Rosa threw her frail hands up in the air. “Mama Mia! Everyone in the family already knew who Kate
was. What do you people want from me? Is predicting the future not enough for this crazy family of mine?”

Mama Gina quickly motioned the camera away.

Joey quickly moved on.

“And now,” Joey said, “let's have a few words from the bride's side of the family.”

Grace Anderson, looking as smart as ever in a pink satin suit with a string of antique pearls at her throat, was standing
beside a man with his hair slicked back in a long ponytail that trailed down his back. He was wearing a tuxedo—with Birkenstock
sandals and no socks. The woman standing next to him was clad in a flowing light blue gauze caftan with a gardenia pinned
in her long blond hair.

Joey said, “Would you like to say a few words to the happy couple?”

Grace hesitated for a second, then looked into the camera. “Kate and Tony, I love you. I wish you both nothing but a lifetime
of happiness together.”

“I'm the proud father of the bride,” Rob Anderson said into the camera. He put his arm around the woman standing next to him.
“This is Kate's beautiful mother, Mystery.”

He pulled his wife closer.

They both blew a kiss to the camera.

“We love you, honey,” Rob said.

“We only hope you and Tony are as happy as we've always been,” Mystery added.

A distinguished-looking man escorting two strikingly beautiful women walked toward the camera. The designer attire that they
wore from head to toe denoted their wealth.

Joey kept the camera aimed in their direction.

“Care to say a few words to the bride and groom?”

Margaret Wellington stepped forward first, smiling into the camera. “Have a beautiful life together, Kate and Tony.”

Harold stepped forward, his arm around his pretty wife. “Kate, I wish you and Tony every bit as much happiness as Carla has
given me.”

“Stop gushing, Harry,” Carla said, rolling her eyes.

When they walked away, a rather stooped elderly man came up and stuck his wrinkled face in front of the camera. “I just heard
your bride is a graduate of Wells College,” Solomon Stein said. “Good choice for any Princeton man.”

The old man shuffled off, only to be replaced by a heavyset woman wearing a bright orange dress the same color as her hair.
She grinned into the camera. “Tony, all I have to say is that I hope you insisted on buying Kate a new pair of shoes to wear
with that wedding dress.”

Several more people stopped with good wishes.

Soon, the crowd started going inside to be seated.

Joey followed along behind them.

He stopped when he reached the groom.

Tony was standing at the altar.

His father and best man, Mario, stood beside him.

Joey aimed the camera at Tony.

“Any last-minute thoughts for your bride before she walks down the aisle and becomes your wife?”

“Be beautiful,” Tony said.

He winked at the camera.

Joey left the groom behind and headed across the room. He walked down a small hallway, then focused the camera lens on a closed
door at the end of the hall.

“Behind this closed door,” Joey said, “the bride is getting ready. I've been told no man has ever been allowed to film any
bride during her last few minutes of freedom. It sure makes you wonder what really goes on behind that closed door.”

“I promise, Kate,” Alex said as she zipped up the back of Kate's dress, “I'll never say another word about buying off the
rack again. If a dress can still look this good, after what this poor dress has been through, I might even send Vera Wang
a fan letter myself.”

“You? Sending fan letters?” Kate laughed.

Eve giggled. “Motherhood agrees with you, Alex.”

Alex frowned at both of them and reached for her son.

When Eve handed the baby back over, Alex licked her fingers and rubbed them over the top of little Johnny's head. “He would
have his daddy's cowlick,” she fussed. “That's one inherited trait we definitely could have done without.”

Kate said, “Let's just hope he inherited John's personality instead of yours.”

“
Not
funny,” Alex said, and licked her fingers for another swipe at the baby's hair. She groaned when little Johnny spit up on
the front of her dress. “See why I was so relieved when you chose these pale yellow bridesmaid dresses?” Alex walked over
and grabbed a wipe from her diaper bag. “Baby puke blends right in with pale yellow.”

Kate laughed. “Who would have ever believed Alex Graham would be choosing her designer wardrobe based on what blended in with
baby puke?”

Alex mumbled something Kate was glad little Johnny was still too young to understand.

Eve walked up behind Kate. She adjusted the gardenia Kate's mother had given Kate as a wedding present and pinned at the back
of Kate's elegant French twist.

“Are you nervous, Kate?” Eve asked. “You certainly don't seem nervous.”

“Then she's a better woman than I was on my wedding day,” Alex spoke up. “Remember? I'd taken so much Valium the two of you
practically had to hold me up at the altar.”

Kate looked at herself in the mirror and smiled.

“You know, surprisingly, I'm not nervous at all. But I'm definitely ready to spend two glorious stress-free weeks on Hunter
Mountain.”

“Tony said he tried to talk you into a trip to the Bahamas,” Alex said.

“He did,” Kate said. “Trail's End was my choice. I just couldn't imagine spending our honeymoon anywhere else.”

“Ah, yes,” Alex said. “Where the magic all began.”

Kate stuck her tongue out at Alex.

But she smiled at Eve.

“And what about you, sweetie? Are you getting nervous? In just a few more weeks it'll be your turn to walk down the aisle
and become Mrs. George Dumond.”

“Except my wedding is going to be a small outdoor ceremony,” Eve said. “Nothing like this big, wonderful wedding you're having,
Kate.”

“Are you kidding?” Kate said. “Your wedding is going to be beautiful, Eve. You and George, standing in the gazebo he's building
in his backyard for the ceremony? Who wouldn't love a wedding like that?”

Alex said, “I'll sure love a small ceremony after this extravaganza.
Big
doesn't even describe the crowd already gathered outside. The scary thing is that most of them are going to be your relatives,
Kate. Forget Queens. The Petrocelli clan will be able to start its own country soon.”

Kate laughed. “True. The Petrocellis are definitely not lacking for family members.”

“And I still can't believe your parents decided to come,” Alex said. “Even fully clothed.”

“I have Tony to thank for my parents being here,” Kate said. “He's the one who truly talked them into coming when we flew
out to California to see them a few months ago. Tony didn't want us married without my parents being present. Thank God they'd
tired of their nudist colony experience and moved back into a commune by the time we flew out to see them. I swear I had nightmares
about Tony, staring at the ceiling while he asked my father for my hand in marriage.”

Alex and Eve both laughed.

“And while we're speaking of miracles,” Alex said, “what about Grace making peace with your parents after all these years?
You have to be thrilled about that.”

“That's truly the best wedding present ever,” Kate said. “Gram's even excited I finally signed the papers on the building
I'm leasing. Imagine that. Grace Anderson, excited about a two-bit art gallery in Queens, of all places.”

“And I do love the name you decided on for your gallery,” Eve said.

“The gallery's name was my idea,” Alex boasted. “Kate's Attic—simple, but definitely enticing enough to make you come inside
and see what treasures Kate has in her shabby-chic gallery.”

A knock jerked Kate's head toward the closed door.

Tony's sister, Theresa, peeped inside, and said, “It's almost showtime, ladies. We have about ten minutes before it's time
to start down the aisle.”

The door closed behind her.

Kate held her arms out.

Alex and Eve stepped forward for a group hug.

All three laughed when little Johnny reached out and patted the ample cleavage exposed by the low bodice of Kate's dress.

“Great,” Alex said. “He's going to be a boob man, just like his father.”

“He's adorable, is what he is,” Eve said, cooing at him.

Alex looked at Kate, then at Eve. “I guess this isn't the best time to bring up the fact that the three of us won't exactly
be seeing each other on a regular basis now.” She looked at Kate again. “You're moving off to Queens.” She looked back at
Eve. “You're moving away to Connecticut in a few weeks. I'm starting to feel abandoned.”

Kate looked at Eve.