It Had To Be You (26 page)

“Well, of course!” I tried to collect my thoughts, but they wouldn’t cooperate.

“I was thinking of a fifties soda shop theme,” she said with a grin. “How does that sound? With all of the bells and whistles. Or rather, all of the sodas and cheeseburgers!” She laughed and then leaned in to whisper, “Gordy said cost was no object, so let’s do this up big. I want it to be the wedding of the century.”

Funny. I’d used the same words to describe my own wedding. The one that was rapidly slipping through my fingers.

“Can we go ahead and set a date?” Lilly asked. “That way I can start making plans.”

“Um, sure. What were you thinking?”

She pursed her lips, apparently deep in thought. “March would be good. In the little chapel. How many people does it seat?”

“A hundred and fifty. Maybe one seventy-five, but it’s a tight squeeze.”

“One fifty is great. We won’t have that many, anyway. Do you have your calendar?”

“Come with me to my office, and we’ll get this taken care of.” Though my feet ached and my brain reeled, I led the way into my office. Switching on the light, I gestured for Lilly to take a seat. I opened my calendar and thumbed through it, skipping right past my own wedding date in mid-February to the beginning of March.

“I have a Saturday evening available in mid-March,” I said. “Would that work?”

“Sounds lovely. A March bride.” She giggled. “I’m thinking about having the bridesmaids wear poodle skirts. What do you think of that idea? Fun, right? And when I say soda shop, I’m thinking of the real deal—we’ll have hot fudge sundaes and chocolate malts and hamburgers and—” She shook her head, tears filling her eyes. “Oh, Bella! It’s going to be so wonderful! I can hardly wait.”

“M-me either.” I braved a smile.

“We’ll decorate the room and have some of the guys in the band serve as soda jerks. They’ll be so cute, don’t you think?”

“I do.”

“And Gordy. Maybe I can talk him into wearing something fiftyish.” She giggled. “Oh, we’re gonna have so much fun!”

As she lit into a lengthy discussion about her plans, the door swung open and Norah entered. I looked up at my future sister-in-law, relieved for the interruption. I’d have to remember to thank her later.

“Bella! There you are.” Norah took a few steps into the room and then paused. “Oh, sorry. I interrupted your meeting.” “No.” With a wave of her hand, Lilly dismissed that idea and stood. “We were just wrapping up. I’ve worn Bella out with my ideas.”

“No, it’s fine.” I gave her what I hoped was a comforting smile.

Norah approached Lilly and gave her a hug. “Congratulations, Lilly. I’m so thrilled for you. Now we’re both engaged.”

“Oh, that’s right.” Lilly’s face lit up even more than before— if that was possible. “I totally forgot you and Joey are engaged. When is your big day?”

“Well, actually …” Norah paused and looked my way. “That’s what I wanted to talk to Bella about.”

Yikes!

“Bella, I know you’ve been really busy,” Norah said.

“Yes.” I pushed my calendar aside and nodded. “But it’s all good.”

“Okay. Well, we haven’t really talked about this, but Joey and I have been engaged for a while now.” She paused. “I’m ready to start thinking ahead, and I want you to plan the wedding for me.” She smiled. “I want to have it here, of course.”

“Of course!” I grinned and reached for my calendar once again. “When?”

“Early spring? Will that give you enough time after your big day?’

“Why, that’s when Gordy and I are getting married too,” Lilly said, taking a seat once again. “How fun that we’re both getting married so close together.” She looked at me and smiled. “All three of us, I mean!”

“S-sure,” I managed. “Did you have a theme in mind, Norah, or were you planning to do a traditional wedding?”

She pursed her lips. “Hmm. Haven’t given that a lot of thought. I guess something with a Victorian garden party theme would be nice, since it’s springtime. And outdoors. Maybe in April?”

“April showers bring May flowers,” I reminded her. “You might want to shoot for May.” Hopefully she’d push this back a bit. Give me some breathing room.

“I’ll talk to Joey and we’ll decide. In the meantime, I’ll put my thoughts down on paper. Just wanted to let you know.”

“I think the Victorian theme will be so pretty, don’t you?” Lilly said. “I can just picture it now. For you, not me. I’m going a completely different direction.”

“Yes, I can see it now,” Norah said. “We’ll have those little cucumber sandwiches and scones and lemon curd and all sorts of yummy delights. An honest-to-goodness garden party. We can decorate the gazebo with flowers. It’s going to be so pretty.”

“Sounds amazing.” My stomach grumbled, and I realized that somehow, in the chaos of the night, I’d forgotten to eat. How did I manage that with the best food in the world at my disposal? Hmm. Maybe I could grab a sandwich when I got home. If I ever got home.

My discussion with Norah and Lilly ended a few minutes later. I’m pretty sure they noticed the constant yawning on my end. At any rate, Norah finally headed off to find Joey, and Lilly bounced out of the room, filled with zeal. I turned off the light in my office and sighed, completely exhausted— mind, body, and spirit.

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.

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.