“I thought April would be good. By then you should be back to one hundred percent. I didn’t want to take you when you didn’t feel well. We’ll have a real honeymoon then!” Tony held her tight.
“Am I going to get to meet some of your relatives?”
“Sure! We’re going to be staying near Vic’s Nonna Moretti for a week, then Rome for a week, then on to my Cabrizzi relatives’ home. I thought you’d like to sightsee in Rome, then actually do some Italian everyday life with them for a few weeks.”
“I can’t wait! Oh, this is so exciting! Thank you, honey!” Then her face fell. “I didn’t get you anything.”
“Yes you did – your smiling face. It’s been awhile since we’ve had much to smile about, and I think it’s time we did a lot of it, don’t you?”
“This will be a day of nothing but smiles, sweetheart. I’m marrying the man of my dreams today,” Nikki grinned, snuggling down in the bed. “Now let me take a nap so I feel like getting married!”
Vic stood at the top of the stairs, waiting. Everyone was waiting. All of the Walters brothers had gotten there in plenty of time with their wives in tow. Raffaella stood with Vic, and Annabeth came out the bedroom door. “Wait ’til you see. She’s so beautiful!”
The bedroom door opened, and Katie held Nikki’s hand until Nikki could get hold of the stair rail. Vic’s heart nearly stopped. The gown Annabeth had brought to her was a pale blue satin, corseted in the back with hourglass straps and a sweetheart neckline. The skirt was pleated and fell from underneath the bustier-type bodice, and it dropped at a graceful angle in all directions. Nikki had fought and won; her hair was down, looking like it usually did except for the tiny blue and silver flowers Katie had pinned in it. Her nails were pale pink and her toenails matched in the peep-toe pumps the girls had bought. She had an enormous but very delicate woven silver neckpiece around her elegant neck, and the silver dangles that matched it glittered as she descended the stairs. The only thing that looked unusual about her was her lipstick; it was a deep, dark red, and her face looked like it was illuminated from within.
Vic swallowed hard. Oh my god. I’m taking her down the stairs and into that room to marry my cousin. He wondered if anyone could hear his heart breaking as she came toward him. How do I come back from this?
Raffaella was wearing a darker dress of the same shade, and when Nikki had joined them, she murmured, “My daughter, you are a vision. My son is a very lucky man.”
“Oh, thank you, Mamma!” the younger woman whispered and kissed Raffaella on the cheek.
Vic held out his arm. “Ready?” She couldn’t help thinking how breathtaking he looked in his black suit, black shirt, and black tie.
She beamed up at him. “One hundred and fifty percent!”
When the door to the great room opened, Tony took one look at Nikki and his knees went weak, his heart soaring right out of his chest. Even with a sling around her neck and her arm sticking out of it, she was still the most breathtakingly stunning thing he’d ever seen. And he wasn’t deaf to the collective gasps around him; everyone was surprised to see her looking the way she did at that moment. They were used to a plain, utilitarian Nikki; this woman was anything but plain and utilitarian. Her hair was spun gold and she radiated a light that was all her own.
Nikki glided into the room on Vic’s arm, with Raffaella at her elbow on the side of her injury, helping to keep her steady. They walked right up to Tony, who stood at the big French doors, Clayton and Annabeth at his side. She was glad Annabeth hadn’t ordered her a bouquet, because it was taking every ounce of strength she had, with Vic’s help, to make it to Tony, and she couldn’t have held Vic’s hand and a bouquet too with one good arm.
When she got within six feet of him, Tony could see the strain on her face, even though she was trying hard to mask it. When Vic handed her off, instead of taking her hand, Tony put an arm around Nikki’s waist. “Sweetie, you okay?” he whispered to her.
She gave him a weak smile. “I am now. But I’m really tired.”
“This will only take a few minutes,” he assured her and turned to the official who would perform the ceremony. Nikki looked up to a pleasant surprise – it was Judge Thornton! No wonder he’d said he hoped to see her again.
The judge beamed. “Well, hello there, Neenee!” he whispered to her. “I’m getting to do all kinds of happy things for your family these days, huh?”
“You sure are! And we appreciate it too,” Nikki whispered back.
Everyone settled in for the usual opening comments of the ceremony, and then the judge asked if anyone had any objection to their union. No one said anything, but it took everything Vic had to keep his mouth shut. I walked her in here and gave her away, he thought, a burning ache setting up in his chest. What I’d give to be the one standing there with her. Do I say something? Should I tell her? Tell them all? And just like that, the moment was gone and the judge went on with the ceremony, leaving Vic sitting beside Raffaella, his heart broken in two.
The judge droned on, had them repeat the usual, and then announced, “Tony and Nikki have written their own vows, and they’d like to share them with you now. Tony, you first.”
Tony started to reach into his jacket pocket, but took a look at Nikki’s face and then turned to the room. “You all know how difficult the last two weeks have been for us. I’m far more concerned about Nikki’s wellbeing than our vows. So we’ll keep them to read to each other later and move on with the ceremony, if that’s okay with everyone.” He looked down at Nikki, who smiled and nodded. “Your honor?” he turned, questioning.
“Under the circumstances, I think that’s more than appropriate,” Judge Thornton agreed. They exchanged rings, and the judge made the usual pronouncements, then said, “Please kiss each other as a sign of your commitment to your new life together.” Tony grinned, then leaned down and placed a soft, warm kiss on Nikki’s lips, and she felt herself falling into him while the room exploded in applause. When they parted, he looked down into her face and whispered, “We made it!”
“Yes we did! I knew we would – I had complete faith in you.” She gave him a dreamy smile, her face glowing.
Then Judge Thornton said the magic words: “And now, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Antonio Luigi Walters. May their life together be long and happy!”
“I wish she felt better. I’d sure like to have a dance with her right now,” Tony told Vic, sipping on a scotch and soda. Vic was silent. The emotional pain he felt was so excruciating that he wasn’t sure he could even make a sound. “You okay, cuz?”
“I think I’ll go. Please tell the bride congratulations for me, would you?” Vic set his glass down on the table nearest him and headed for the door.
Tony followed, then stepped in front of him and stopped him with a hand on the doorknob. “Vic, you okay?” Vic didn’t answer. Tony took a deep breath and said, “Vic, I know.”
“Know what?” the big Italian asked, feigning innocence.
“I know,” Tony repeated with a look that pierced right through him. Vic’s shoulders fell. “I’m not going to apologize for loving her and marrying her, but I will apologize for the pain it’s causing you. I’m so sorry.” He looked so sad that Vic actually felt bad for him.
“That’s just how it is, cuz. It’s fine, really.” Vic hugged Tony. “I’m happy for you both. You’re obviously meant for each other. Just give me some time, okay?”
“Absolutely. I love you, buddy. You’re one of the most important people in my life. Please don’t let this ruin our relationship. And please don’t leave.”
“Ruin our relationship? Not a chance, bro,” Vic sighed as he opened the door. “I love you too, and I’ll never let that happen. But I don’t think I can stay here one more minute.”
“Antonio, your bride is beautiful,” Raffaella told her middle son.
Tony’s smile was a mile wide. “Thank you, Mamma. She is, isn’t she?”
“Yes. Now, my son, I have asked all
of your brothers to be here tomorrow at two o’clock. I hope this is fine with you. Clayton and Vic too,” Raffaella said flatly.
“Well, yeah, that’s fine, but for what?”
“We need to have a talk. There is something I think you all should know.”
Something in her voice and face made him panic just a little. “Mamma, are you sick?”
“No, no, my son, nothing like that. Just something you need to know, that is all,” she said, stepping away.
That’s odd, Tony thought. Then Bart walked up and asked him something, and he completely forgot about what Raffaella had said.
“Thank you for coming, everyone. You made our day special. And I wanted all of you to know: In April I’m taking Nikki to Italy for our honeymoon!” There were shouts of excitement all over the room, and everyone started buzzing about the trip.
Before they could all get quiet, another smaller, decidedly feminine voice piped up. “Everybody!” Annabeth shouted. “We have an announcement to make too!”
Tony looked at Nikki, confused, but in that moment, Nikki knew what Annabeth’s announcement was. “Katie is pregnant – we’ve having a baby!” Katie stood beside her, her face aglow.
Tony grabbed Nikki and squeezed her tight, only to hear her squeal and have him cry out, “Oh my god, baby, I’m sorry! Are you okay?”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m good! You just got a little carried away! But I’m so excited!” she replied breathlessly.
When they’d all had a few moments to digest the news, Annabeth told the group, “We didn’t want to steal you guys’ thunder, but we did want to announce it while everybody was here. And we’ve got a couple of people to thank. First of all, Mom,” she laughed, turning both thumbs up, “you were right – it worked!” Nikki squealed and laughed out loud while everyone but the seven who’d been involved in that conversation looked extremely confused. “Second, my loving, generous, and very handsome brother who contributed to the cause. This baby will be beautiful and a Walters because of you, Clayton. We love you – you and Brittany! Thanks for talking him into it, Brit – we owe you!” Clayton’s cheeks burned bright pink.
“And I bet you’ll pay me back by ‘allowing’ me to babysit, huh?” Brittany snickered.
“You’ve got it!” Annabeth laughed back. “And I want to thank my mom again for finally talking me into coming to work for the business. Working there will let me make enough that Katie can stay home with the baby, which is something we both really want.” She stopped, then started bouncing up and down and cried out, “Oh! I’m just so excited!” Everyone started laughing.
A male voice rang out: “A toast! A toast!” Mark climbed onto a chair and lifted his glass high. “To my brother and his lovely new bride; to my niece and her lovely partner and baby; to my nephew and his lovely wife and their two new children; and to our large and extremely fortunate family. May we all be as happy in the years to come as we are on this day! Salute, felicità e amore!”
Health, happiness, and love indeed, thought Raffaella. After tomorrow, I wonder how they will all feel?
A hush came over the big house; all of the out-of-town guests had booked rooms at the Shelbyville Road exit because they wanted the newlyweds to be able to have the evening to themselves. Even though it would be a chaste night, Nikki was glad they’d all left because she was exhausted. The day had drained her.
“How are you feeling, princess?” Tony asked her when they got upstairs. “Want me to help you undress?”
“Yes, please,” Nikki groaned. “I don’t think I can do it by myself. I don’t have any energy left and it’s hard to get my arm all the way up.”
Tony helped her get undressed and into a gown, then loaded her toothbrush and, after she was finished brushing her teeth, he brushed her hair for her, carefully removing the tiny flowers the girls had put in it. With the day washed off and brushed out, she slipped under the covers he’d turned back and scooted up against him.
Then he remembered: “Hey, Mamma told me she’d invited all of the brothers over here tomorrow at two o’clock.”
“Yeah, she told me she wanted me in the mix too. She said she has something to tell all of us?” Nikki asked.
“And Vic, and Clayton too. Did she say what?”
“No. Not a clue. Did she give you any clues?” Nikki asked.
“None. I asked if she was sick or something, and she said she wasn’t. I can’t imagine.”
“Me neither. But I can tell you, if I’m as tired then as I am now, I won’t care.”
“I hear you, Mrs. Walters. Get some sleep. Maybe you’ll feel better tomorrow.”
“Don’t think I could feel any worse, Mr. Walters. Mrs. Walters . . . that sounds soooo good!”
“I love saying it. And I love you, precious.”
“And I love you too.”
“Wait a minute!” Tony reached down and slipped his wedding band off. “I forgot – you had something inscribed in here, didn’t you? I didn’t think about it until now.” Nikki smiled as he tried to read the tiny lettering. “What does it say?”
“It says,” Nikki answered, tearing up, “‘Infinity – this ring – our love.’”
“Infinity,” Tony repeated and kissed her forehead.
“Exactly.”
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
Nikki was pleasantly surprised. The day after Christmas dawned and she actually felt much better. She stretched in the bed and it didn’t hurt very much, so she tried putting her arm over her head and found that, even though there was some discomfort, it wasn’t unbearable. She’d take any improvement she could get.
Helene had come in early and made them a nice breakfast, but before they could finish it, Annabeth and Katie came trotting through the front door, bags of groceries in their arms. “Need some help?” Tony asked, bewildered. He looked at Nikki; she shrugged. They watched the two young women run in and out, bringing in the rest of the groceries.
“Bethie, what in the world are you girls doing?” Tony finally asked.
“We’re not sure. Nonna said all of my zios were coming over this afternoon at two, and she wants us to have a meal ready when she’s finished with whatever it is she’s doing with you guys,” she replied.
“Huh. Well, okay, cook away.” He looked back at Nikki. She shrugged again. What in the hell was Raffaella up to?
Tony offered to help Nikki with her shower. She told him she thought she could manage, but she asked him to sit in the bathroom and stay close if she needed him. The only time she wound up needing him was to wash her back; she did pretty well with everything else. Even better, her incision was healing up nicely. The only reason she’d need a bandage now was to protect the stitches.
She took her time and managed to dress by herself while he showered, and when he came out and saw her dressed he told her how proud he was of her. He had to help her a little with her makeup and hair, but she did most of it on her own and felt good about her progress.
They got finished pulling themselves together in time to have chicken salad-stuffed tomatoes for lunch. Tony had just gotten Nikki settled in the den when Raffaella came strolling in. She greeted them both with a kiss, but there was something odd, some kind of undercurrent, in her voice. Nikki couldn’t figure it out but, based on the look on his face, she could tell Tony felt it too.
No one was late. At two o’clock, all five of the brothers, plus Vic, Nikki, and Clayton, were in the great room. At five after, Tony looked at Raffaella and asked, “Well, what’s this all about?”
“We should wait,” she replied curtly. “I’m expecting one more person.”
They all looked at each other; everyone was accounted for. Then the doorbell rang. Tony glanced through the peephole, and when he opened the door, his couldn’t believe his eyes.
On the front steps was John Henry Henson. Tony hadn’t seen him since they were in their twenties and, although he was older and heavier, Tony recognized him immediately. “John Henry?”
“Hi, Tony,” the man said ne
rvously. “This is awkward, huh?” Tony nodded, still staring. “Is your mom here? She asked me to be here today.”
“Uh, yeah, she’s here.” He thought for a minute, then said, “Please, come in.” He didn’t want to ask John Henry in, but he didn’t know what else to do. Why would Raffaella invite him there?
As the two men walked into the den, everyone turned and stared, mostly because they had no idea who John Henry was. But Raffaella said, “John Henry, thank you so much for being here.” She crossed the room and hugged him.
Tony was dumbfounded. “Mamma,” he asked slowly, “would you like to tell me why he’s here?”
“Yes, my son, I would like to tell all of you why he is here.” She motioned for John Henry to sit beside her on the loveseat.
Tony introduced John Henry to everyone in the room, with Nikki last. “And this is my new wife, Nikki.” Tony took a deep breath. “John Henry worked for Walters Construction years ago.”
“Nice to meet you, ma’am.” John Henry shook Nikki’s hand.
“And you as well,” Nikki responded. “And please, it’s Nikki. How are you?”
“Not very well, ma’am, um, Nikki. I buried my son yesterday.” A sad look settled behind his eyes.
“Oh dear! I’m so sorry!” Nikki cried out. “I know exactly how that feels! What happened to him, if you don’t mind my asking?”
“Oh, no, I don’t mind. You shot and killed him.”
Nikki was stupefied, and the blood drained from her face. She heard Tony say softly, “What the fuck?” and a low murmur went around the room.
John Henry bowed his head and softly said, “I’m sorry. That was pretty tactless of me. None of that was your fault.”
Nikki still couldn’t manage to compose herself. She looked at Tony, horror-stricken, and he patted her hand, then turned to his mother and John Henry and said quite forcefully, “Okay, well, the two of you came into my home and dropped a bomb like that on my wife – I think maybe you’d better explain yourselves pretty quick. I’ve been warm and welcoming, but based on that exchange, I think my good humor’s worn off.”