Shamrocks and Secrets (21 page)

“
Dinner sounds great,
”
I smiled at his beautiful face.
“
I love you,
”
I said kissing him again.

“
I love you, right back,
”
he grinned and returned my kiss.

“
Al
l right, all right. I have my limits, even with that ring,
”
my dad teased as Patrick continued to kiss me.

I watched as Patrick walked away and toward the door. He stopped briefly and gave Doris a kiss to her cheek. She laughed at something he said and then he was out the door with a wave and a wink.

It struck me as so odd how it wasn
’
t that long ago that I had thought the worst of him. I had judged him by society
’
s standards and that wasn
’
t fair. I was not naive enough to believe that he was this wonderful all of the time. However, I just chose to concentrate on this side of him and let the other show only to the people who needed to see it.

“
So, Patrick tells me you start Pre-Cana classes tomorrow.
”

And just like that, my father was ready for a new subject.

“
Yes, we set a date of October thirteenth so that doesn
’
t give us a lot of time.
”

“
And Father Murphy is all right with that?
”

“
Dad, you should never doubt the kind of charm Patrick has.
”

“
I wouldn
’
t know firsthand, but I
’
ve heard in passing,
”
He chuckled as he gave my shoulder nudge.

“
So what was your reason for needing to see me this morning?
”

I took another sip of my quickly cooling coffee. Doris lifted the pot she was holding, silently asking if I needed a refill. I nodded my head and she began to walk toward our table.

“
Well, I know you
’
re less than a week away from your first daughter
’
s wedding and then I announce that I
’
ll be getting married in a few months.
”

Doris arrived to fill up my cup.

“
Thank you,
”
I told her as she was about to walk away.

“
Yes, so what
’
s your point?
”

I sighed and set my cup on the table. The thought of what I needed to discuss with him had kept me awake for most of the night.

“
Well, I have a good idea of what Shannon's wedding is costing you, I also know that with me marrying Patrick, the cost of ours will make the cost Shannon's seem like pocket change.
”

My dad lowered his own cup and looked at me like he knew I had more to say.

When I didn
’
t continue, he probed me.
“
I don
’
t get what you
’
re trying to tell me.
”

I looked at him like he had three heads.

“
Dad
…
my wedding is going to cost both arms and legs. The guest list is going to be huge. Even with my connections, this is going to cost us a ton of money. Now, I
’
ve got some money saved up
…”

“
Stop right there, Christi. If you think for one second that I can
’
t give
both
of my daughter the weddings of their dreams
…”

“
No, Dad, this isn
’
t going to be the wedding of my dreams, it
’
s going to be the weddingI
’
m required to have. I won
’
t know most of the people there, and the majority of them will have a record that
’
s longer than the guest list,
”
I said the latter in a hushed voice.

“
Christi, how much money do I have in my pocket right now?
”

I looked at him with confusion.
“
I
…
I have no idea.
”

“
That
’
s right, you have no knowledge of my financial status. I could have millions in the bank and you
’
d never know. Don
’
t decide things for me that aren
‘
t your decision to make.
”

My father again correct. I had assumed he couldn
’
t afford things. I left for my office that day with strict instructions to have anything I wanted for the wedding.

Shannon's wedding was in less than a week and there were so many details that remained unfinished. As her maid of honor, it was my job to get them completed. I was just about to call the florist when a knock at my door sounded. Frankie stood with her clipboard in hand and grimace on her face.

“
Sorry, Ms. Christi, but you have a visitor.
”

I looked to Frankie.

“
Who is it?
”
I questioned her softly.

“
Sophia Porchelli.
”

What in the world could she want?

“
Thank you, Frankie, send her in.
”

I rose from my chair and checked my makeup. I had no clue why I felt the need to look pretty for her. I knew she had a history with Patrick. I didn
’
t have details and honestly didn
’
t want any.

I expected Sophia to be dressed to the nines and be either drunk or stoned, based on past history. She didn
’
t disappoint as she swept into my office. Her red suit was definitely not off-the-rack, and her shoes and handbag I knew had to cost more than my car. Her beautiful long hair was bone straight down her slender back and moved as she walked. Sophia Porchelli was without a doubt a beautiful girl.

He oversized sunglasses hid her eyes from me as she continued into the room, only removing them when she set her handbag in the chair. I needed to be careful with this one. Just because her tongue didn
’
t fork didn
’
t make her any less of a snake.

“
Christi, I just heard the news and had to come over and give our congratulations.
”

In all my years of working alongside Charlotte, I had developed a sixth sense, if you will. I could read people with pretty good accuracy and tell if they were sincere. Sophia was after something and it didn
’
t take a rocket scientist to figure out what she wanted
…
Patrick.

Al
l right, bitch, you want to dance, let
’
s dance.

“
Oh, thank you. We
’
re so excited and we can
’
t wait for our big day.
”

She stepped closer and wrapped me in a hug. The smell of her overpriced perfume was barely covering the smell of whatever alcohol she had drunk this morning for breakfast.

“
I
’
m so happy that Patrick has chosen such a beautiful girl to marry. I was worried for a while that he
’
d never settle down, always with a different girl. Now that
’
ll all change, at least I hope he changes
…
for you I mean.
”

Ladies and gentleman, there it was, the snake in the grass. She had just taken her first strike. But I had dealt with my fair share of snakes.

“
Well, I certainly hope he never changes. I like him just the way he is.
”

I could see the shock in her eyes. I was giving her a challenge.

“
Really, Christi, you
’
ll turn a blind eye
…”

“
And let him have a goomah? Well, considering he
is
Irish, that would be a mot, but...
”

Her face was priceless. She actually believed I would let this happen, perhaps let her warm his bed or polish his knob on occasion.

"I
’
m certain you have some personal experience with that.
”
My words flowed like honey, dripping sticky and sweet.

"Oh, you misunderstood me
…
"

“
Oh, no, I hear you loud and clear. You came here today hoping to plant a little seed of doubt in my head. Perhaps tell me how you had this long, torrid love affair with Patrick, which I know is bullshit by the way.
”

I remained calm as I continued to fire holes in her plans. She wouldn
’
t scare me, she was nothing to me.

She began to backpedal.

“
Christi, I only came to congratulate you. I would never speak of intimate things that happened between Patrick and I, that
’
s water under the bridge.
”

“
Sophia, is your ass jealous of the shit that comes out of your mouth? Did you seriously think I
’
d believe you had any kind of relationship with him?
”

You could see the fury building in her eyes. She honestly thought I would cower in the corner at the possibility that he had been with her.

"No, I understand you perfectly and I do appreciate you stopping by, but as you can imagine, I have a long list of things to accomplish today and I really need to get to them."

"Oh, yes, but of course."

I watched as she gathered her purse and replaced her sunglasses. I walked with her to the front lobby of my office. Just as she was about to open the door to leave, she turned and asked one last question.

"When is the wedding by the way?"

"October thirteenth," I gladly replied.

"Hmm, Friday the thirteenth? You seem to play with fate. You do know that
’
s considered a bad luck day?
”
She smirked as she turned and walked out. I was suddenly regretting being unable to slam the door. It would have looked amazing smacking soundly off her overly-rounded ass.

As I sat in the middle of Patrick
’
s living room, I poured us each a glass of wine. Dinner was amazing and I loved being with him like this.

“
So, I forgot to ask, how was your day?
”

Patrick had brought takeout from the deli around the corner. We were both so hungry that we ate in comfortable silence.

“
Well, I got a visit from Sophia today.
”

Patrick looked to me quickly, shock on his face.

“
Sophia came to your office?
”

“
Yep.
”
I popped the
‘
p
’
.
“
She wanted to congratulate us.
”

I gave him a look of...I got this.

“
What kind of bullshit did she spew?
”

“
I didn
’
t let her. She
’
s a snake, Patrick. I know this. Her visit was pointless.
”

Patrick took my glass from my hand and gently placed it on the end table. His face was filled with pride as he slowly wrapped his arms around me and lowered me to the floor. Our eyes never left each other
’
s as he gently caressed my face.

“
My father was right, you are perfect for me.
”

W
ith Paige
’
s bridal shower in my rear view mirror, I took my planner hat off and put on my sister-of-the-bride hat. Patrick assured me he would look after Dillion during his bachelor party. Shannon was worried it would end up like the movies, complete with the hangover from hell. Patrick gave his word he would keep things tame. I told him he was full of shit
…
he only chuckled back at me.

Shannon chose to stay with me that night. We wanted to have one final night of sister time. So with pajamas on and old eighties movies in the DVD player, we made a huge pallet in the living room floor and had margaritas. I had never laughed or cried so much in my entire life.

She told me how much she admired my free spirit and my dedication to our family. She also told me to never change when it came to Patrick, not to let him wear the pants alone.

It was shortly after one o
’
clock in the morning when my cell phone began to ring, scaring me. I answered trepidatiously.
“
Hello?
”

“
Babe, what
’
s wrong with me?
”
Patrick slurred into the phone.

“
Patrick
…
what is it? What
’
s wrong?
”

“
I
’
m surrounded by naked women and all I can think about is how they don
’
t look like you.
”

“
Patrick, are you drunk?
”

“
Oh, Love, I passed drunk a long time ago.
”

I could hear cheering in the background,
“
GO! GO! GO!
”

“
Do I even want to know what you
’
re doing in a room full of naked women?
”

“
I
’
m missing you, that
’
s what.
”

“
Babe, you just saw me this morning.
”

“
So? Doesn
’
t take away the fact that I miss you, can you just be in my bed when I get home?
”

“
Not when you
’
ve just left a room full of naked women.
”

“
I love you. Do you know how much I really love you, Christi?
”

“
I love you, too, Patrick.
”

I said goodnight and ended the call. Shannon had fallen asleep while I was on the phone with Patrick. I pulled the blanket off the couch and covered my sister
’
s sleeping body.

~*~

I was determined that Shannon
’
s wedding day be perfect. I had everything planned out. First, she would soak in a tub filled with bubbles and rose petals. Second, she would have her own hairstylist and makeup artist; I didn
’
t want her to feel rushed.

Shannon had chosen red and white as her wedding colors. All of her bridesmaid
’
s dresses were red with very dainty white appliqu
é
s. Shannon
’
s dress was pure white with a red sash that wrapped around her waist. She chose a cathedral-length veil and red roses to carry in her bouquet. I was honestly shocked as her favorite color was pink.

Two of Shannon
’
s attendants tried to get into a heated argument, but I put a quick stop to it. I had worked my ass off to make sure everything was perfect and nothing was going to tarnish this memory for my sister. When we began to plan this day, Nora tried to get a close friend of the family who was a wedding planner to do it so I would be free to just enjoy the day, but she was already booked. She assured me that she would plan mine so I wouldn
’
t have to do it myself.

As I stood in front of my sister, making sure her dress was just right, I looked into her eyes. She was happy, truly happy, and that was all I had ever wanted for her.

“
I love you, never forget that,
”
Shannon whispered.

“
I love you, too.
”

I felt a soft hand brush my bare shoulder and I turned my attention to the owner of that hand to find Frankie standing there.
“
I
’
m sorry, Christi, but there
’
s a situation in the front of the church you need to come see,
”
Frankie whispered with the look of pure panic. I motioned for her to lead the way as I told Shannon
’
s bridesmaids to keep Shannon inside the room.

As I made my way to the front doors, I passed a number of Patrick
’
s men; I had never seen any emotion on any of their faces until this moment. As I placed my hand on the door, I heard it.

“
I
’
m her fucking Mother! I demand you let me by!
”

It had been too many years to count since I had last heard that voice, but it was one I never forgot. There standing at the bottom of the concrete steps was the woman who gave birth to Shannon and me, Morgan.

Poor Shamus and Tonto stood still as statues as she continued to hurl swear words at them, demanding to be let in. Dillion had been very firm on the guest list. He wanted this day to be perfect as well, although neither one of us thought
she
would make an appearance.

I placed my hand on Shamus
’
s broad shoulders and asked,
“
Cad cosu
’
il le bheith ar an bhfadhb anseo?
”
(What seems to be the problem here?)

Shamus turned to face me and responded,
“
She say she Mother.
”

I did a double take at Shamus; he had spoken English. Granted, it was broken, but it was English nonetheless.

“
Shamus, I
’
m so proud of you!
”
My screaming egg donor was momentarily forgotten as I leaned over and kissed his cheek. His smile was electric and he blushed as he ducked his head.

My smile faded as I turned back to the issue.
“
What are you doing here?
”
I spoke through clenched teeth.

“
Don
’
t you use that tone with me, Christi. I
’
m still your Mother.
”

I closed the distance between us, my nose less than an inch from hers as I snarled my words at her.
“
Oh, no you fucking don
’
t,
”
my hazel eyes locked with hers.
“
You don
’
t get to claim that fucking title. You gave it up a long fucking time ago.
”

My chest was heaving with my panting breath; I could feel the heat of my anger rising from my very soul.
“
Where the fuck were you when she was sick with the chicken pox and didn
’
t get to see the lunar eclipse?
”

When we were little girls, we loved to watch the stars and at one point, Shannon had wanted to work for NASA. Dad had bought us each a telescope and we could tell you anything you wanted to know about the planets. When Shannon got the chicken pox, she couldn
’
t go outside and it just so happened that a solar eclipse occurred. She was inconsolable.

“
Where were you when she had to get ten stitches from falling out of a tree when the neighbor
’
s dog chased us?
”

The dog was huge and it got out of the fence one day. Mr. Fitzpatrick was so scared that he had called an ambulance for her. Her treatment had been delayed because dad was on a stakeout and we had no other parent available to give permission for treatment.

“
How about when she got her first period and hid under the kitchen sink because she thought she was dying....tell me, where the fuck were you!
”

My breathing was labored and I was shaking from head to toe. She had left us
—
no goodbye, no kiss my ass, nothing.

“
Where were you when she screamed in labor with her first baby for sixteen hours? Where were you when we buried our big sister? You remember her, don
’
t you? Did you go to the hotel and identify her dead body? Did you?
”
I screamed at her.

“
He gave me money, did he tell you that? Your father, he gave me a lot of money.
”

Her words were slurred, she was drunk, I caught the stench of it in that moment.

“
But you took it, didn
’
t you?
”

Her expression was one of shock, she couldn
’
t respond.

“
Christi, is everything all right?
”

I turned to see Patrick standing beside Shamus and Tonto. As I looked past him, I noticed quite a large crowd had gathered on the steps. Allyson and Paige stood side by side glaring at Morgan, while Frankie had kicked off her shoes, ready to throw down if necessary. My girls had my back.

I looked back to Patrick,
“
Yes, just let me get rid of this piece of trash.
”

As I turned back to her, I noticed a black sedan sitting parked across the street. The windows were rolled up, but I could clearly make out someone sitting inside.

I raised my left hand, my engagement ring glistening in the bright sunlight.
“
Morgan, do you see this ring?
”
I moved my hand closer to her face, her eyes grew huge as she took in its size and brilliance.
“
I
’
m going to marry the man who gave me this ring, and I
’
ll give that same man children.
”
I lowered my left hand so she had nothing to distract her from hearing what I had to say.
“
I would kill him with my bare fucking hands if he
ever
tried to take my children from me.
”

She tried to speak, but I cut her off.

“
He
’
s one of the deadliest men in this fucking town and I would kill him dead if he ever tried to separate me from my fucking children,
”
the last three words were pronounced very sharply and with emphasis on each word.
“
There isn
’
t enough money in the entire world that would be enough to pay me to stay away from my children. You sold me and my sisters like we were nothing, and now that
’
s exactly what you are to me, nothing. Tonto, get this piece of shit out of my face and make certain she doesn
’
t return. She
’
s not welcome here.
”

“
Yes, Ma
’
am.
”

I didn
’
t listen when Morgan tried to respond. I heard the sound of a car engine start and I turned just as Morgan got inside the black sedan.

“
Follow it,
”
I heard Patrick command as I grabbed his hand and walked back into the church.

I watched my father walk Shannon down the aisle. Huge tears rested just on the edge of his eyelids as he kissed her cheek, and then placed her hand in Dillion's. It was then I noticed Patrick sitting on the second row. His eyes locked with mine,
I love you
silently spoken, and a wink to seal it.

As I looked around the church, I smiled as I remembered Charlotte
’
s scolding that I hadn
’
t attended mass in a very long time, while Patrick and his family were faithful mass attendees. That had changed for me as well; I was now sitting on Patrick
’
s left every time we attended together.

Father Murphy had done an amazing job, and as I watched my sister turn to face her guests, I could only smile as I thought it wouldn
’
t be much longer until it was my turn.

As we posed for picture after picture, I couldn
’
t stop looking at Patrick, who sat patiently across the courtyard. I remembered the first time I saw him in a tux, how he carried himself, how he had owned the room.