Where I Wanna Be (60 page)

Tiana and Kieran soon followed Nick and Zerrin. “I am so glad we went to the courthouse,” Tiana said through a smile as she walked down the aisle with her husband, “I wouldn’t be able to stand going through this a second time.”

“
The best damn fifty dollars I’ve ever spent!” Kieran replied back.

“
Maybe we can have a renewal ceremony for our twenty-fifth?” Tiana suggested. “What do you think about that?”

“
I can do that,” Kieran smiled. “Another twenty-five years with the woman I love, I won’t mind at all.”

Next were Joey and Zoe. “It was really generous of your mother to include me in her wedding,” Zoe quietly spoke as they walked down the aisle.

“
She really likes you,” Joey glanced at her, “it made sense that she included you.”

“
And how do you feel?” Zoe looked at him back.

“
About you being in the wedding?” Joey asked.

“
About me in general,” she clarified, “how do you feel about me?” Over the past several months, Joey had made secret trips to California to see Zoe, unbeknownst to Kieran. He stayed at a hotel at first, but began to stay with Zoe. Their relationship was no longer platonic.

“
I like you,” Joey admitted.

Zoe tried hard to hide the disappointment on her face. She didn’t know if Joey liked her more than a friend, but she didn’t want to read too much into it. She knew of Joey’s reputation from Kieran and Tiana and played cautiously, despite how much she wanted to see him. Why did he have to be so darn charming? She understood why he had so many girlfriends, yet she was determined not to be just another member of his harem. “I see.”

“
I would love to see you again. I would love to spend the night with you for more than just a weekend at a time,” Joey caressed Zoe’s hand, “
Ti posso mangiare per il dolce
?”

“
I don’t understand what that means,” Zoe shook her head.

Joey stopped at the altar and turned towards Zoe. He leaned in closer to her. “Can I eat you for dessert?”

“
Only if I can sit on your face first,” she winked.

Joey sucked in a breath. “It’s going to be a long dinner.”

“
A long and hard one?” Zoe winked before she walked away.

Joey took a spot next to Kieran, who stared at him. “What?” Joey asked.

“
She’s a good girl, J.” Kieran warned. “Stop it.”

“
I was just talking to her,” Joey defended.

“
She’s a good girl,” Kieran emphasized, “don’t play her.”

The next couple to walk down the aisle was Eli and Faith. The pair surprised everyone by how friendly they were with each other. Some members of Nicola’s family were asking if they were truly broken up, based on the camaraderie and love between them. “You look stunningly beautiful,
anima mia
.” Eli smiled.

“
Thank you, baby.” Faith replied. “I didn’t have a lot of time to get my hair done so I just put it up in a do for tonight.”

“
It looks amazing, as usual.” Eli responded.

“
I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something, but this may not be the right time,” Faith spoke.

“
Now’s a good time as ever,” Eli encouraged, “what’s on your mind?”

“
Well, I’m not with Darren anymore. Not that I was really with him to begin with,” Faith began.

“
Okay…” Eli nodded.

“
And I thought about what we talked about earlier in the shop and I decided it would be best for all involved that you move back home.” Faith swallowed. “Whenever you’re ready.”

“
I’ve been ready, baby girl.” Eli replied. “Just let me know when I can.”

“
There is one rule, though. You have to sleep in the guest room for the time being.” She emphasized. “Until I can trust you to share a bed with me again.”

“
That’s fine by me.” Eli replied. “I just want to be back with my family. I told you I would do whatever I can to make it up to you and Nathan. Whatever you want me to do, I’ll do.” They reached the altar and Eli turned to his wife. “
Ti amo
, baby girl. I’m not going to give you up again.” He softly kissed her lips before he rejoined his brothers.

Zerrin and Tiana smiled at each other and turned to Faith. “Sooooo…” Tiana had a wide smile on her face. “...that kiss didn’t seem platonic?”

“
I don’t know too many co-parents who suck face like that,” Zerrin raised an eyebrow.

“
We’re taking things slowly,” Faith defended her husband’s kiss, “he’s allowed to kiss me.”

“
Is that the only place he’s kissing you?” Zoe asked to laughter from the other ladies.

“
Excuse you!” Faith cleared her throat. “What I do with my husband is my business, thank you very much.”

“
Well, since you’re still uptight that means he hasn’t blown your back out yet.” Zoe commented with nods and agreements from Tiana and Zerrin. “Watch her reaction tomorrow or the next few days. I bet he’s gonna make your girl walk all bowlegged.”

“
All
bowlegged,” Tiana
repeated, “I know that feeling. When Kieran and I got back together, I thought he was trying to make me burst a lung from screaming so hard. You know I still have dents in my wall from the headboard banging against it?”

“
Girl, tell me about it,” Zerrin shook her head, “when Nick and I made up, we broke my bed
and
my couch. If I didn’t get pregnant that night, it would’ve been nothing but divine intervention.”

Faith looked over at her sisters. “Y’all are so nasty.”

“
As we wanna be,” Zerrin replied.

Later at the rehearsal dinner, all of the couples sat together toasting the new union of Art and Nicola. The D’Amato brothers shared heartwarming and humorous stories of their mother while Art’s friends and family told tales of him both on and off the force. As the dinner progressed, Eli and Faith caught stolen glances at each other, silently reminiscing about their own wedding day and life together.

At the end of the dinner, the couples said goodbye to each other and they retreated to their separate suites. The D’Amato women and their children stayed with Nicola in a suite while the brothers shared a suite with their future stepfather.

“
So what do we wager?” Art asked as they gathered around the poker table.

“
Never money,” Nick dealt cards and puffed on a cigar, “only favors.”

“
Hmm…” Art rubbed his chin. “…what kind of favors are we talking, son?”

“
Hook-ups of any kind,” Joey lit up a cigar, “if you got the hook-up, place your wager old man.”

“
Hmm…” Art thought about favors. “…okay, I got one but I want to see my hand first.”

“
Bring it,” Kieran sipped on a beer and studied his cards.

Art glanced at his cards and nodded in confidence. “Tickets to any Broadway play, anytime of the year.”

The brothers looked around at each other in surprise and delight. “Oh, is that right?” Eli challenged.

“
K said to bring it, so I’m bringing it,” Art puffed on his cigar, “what you got, son?”

“
I say I got a weekend at the Four Seasons,” Eli placed his bet, “with two dozen of the finest roses imported from Texas.”

“
Hey, Texas got some nice roses,” Tony looked up from his cards, “I got a month of pedicures and manicures. Beat that.”

“
I’ll see your play, your hotel stay, and your pampering with a car detail courtesy of our cousin, Lorenzo.” Nick placed his bet.

“
A photo shoot for Tyson’s Heart,” Kieran placed his bet, “kid will be featured on a national level. Great exposure for the parents.”

“
A trip to Los Angeles,” Joey finally placed his bet, “with a stay at the Ritz-Carlton.”

“
The Ritz-Carlton, huh?” Art nodded, thinking of the possibilities. “I like the sound of that.”

“
It’s real swank. The bed is so damn soft, you can melt into it. And so many things to do with your girl in L.A. You can take her to the Pantages Theater to see a play, drive up to the Getty Museum, or even go to the Griffith Observatory and look at the stars.” Joey thought about all the dates he’d had with Zoe. He truly loved spending time with her.

“
How would you know all about that?” Tony smiled. “Are you spreading your pimping to L.A.?”

“
He better not be,” Kieran looked over at Joey, who simply smiled.

“
So Eliodoro, tell us… what’s going on with you and Ms. Faye? It seems you two are getting along better than ever, now that your respective partners are no longer in the picture.” Nick asked.

“
We’re trying. It’s a long road.” Eli admitted. “We’re in therapy with her dad.”

“
Whoa, whoa, whoa…” Tony interrupted. “…with her dad?”

“
It was the only marriage counselor Faith wanted to see. Trust me, I didn’t like the sound of talking about our marriage with her dad, out of all people.” Eli admitted. “But he never saw us as his son-in-law and daughter. He treated us like we were another married couple.”

“
It sounds like the two of you are really making an effort,” Kieran replied.

“
It’s going to take a long time. A lot of things I didn’t know were even issues were brought up between us. It’s hard at times—hearing how much you hurt your lover.” Eli gave a half-shrug. “But this is better than going through a divorce.”

“
Have you moved back home?” Joey asked. “You might as well since you’re there every night.”

“
I moved back home, but I’m in the guest room.” Eli revealed. “But I’m working to get back into the master bedroom.”

“
Son, let me give you this one piece of advice as your step-dad,” Art chimed in, “when I first started dating your mother, she held back a lot. She refused to get emotionally involved with me. What your father did to her still has an effect, several years later. She was used to being alone with just the five of you and she was content with that. When we met at Madre’s because she was handling the department’s Christmas account, the first time I saw her I knew, that’s the one. No doubt, no questions. She was it. I just had to convince her.

“
She resisted for a while. A long while, actually. By the time I met all of you, I had asked her out no less than ten times over a period of a month. That was our second date. When I proposed to her, she still wasn’t sure because of how the first marriage turned out. And I waited for her to come around. Obviously, she did.” Art smiled. “My point is this—when a woman is broken, when she is scorned, when she isn’t able to trust, it’s hard for her to come back from that. Kieran can tell you about Tiana. Nick can tell you that about Zerrin. All of us have gone through it in some way with the woman we love. Will it take years for Faye to trust you again? Maybe. But the fact she’s letting you back home is a big step. So, you’re sleeping in the guest room? It’s better to be sleeping in your apartment like you were before. You wake up every morning and see Nate and get to make him pancakes. You come home every night and see Faye reading Nate a bedtime story. That right there, son, is worth all the counseling in the world to repair your marriage. Eliodoro, I know you messed up and you regret it. But if you want to get back with Faith, you need to be serious about it. You can’t go half-assed about it.”