Beat of the Heart (48 page)

confounded me, humbled me, and so completely astounded me. I knew I was one lucky bastard.

I pressed myself flush against AJ, my husband of four hours, and swayed to the music under the

twinkling ballroom lights. Besides the birth of Bella, today, my wedding day, had been the most

amazing day of my life from start, and now, to almost finish. After the ceremony, we had left the

church for my dream reception venue—The Egyptian Ballroom at the Fox Theater. Since we were

comprised of two ethnicities known for partying, we had been going full force since seven o’clock.

I’d cut the massive seven tiered cake and smashed some onto AJ’s face while he’d managed to

accidentally drop a piece down the front of my dress to be recovered by his tongue. I’d thrown my

bouquet into Allison’s eager arms, only to have Dee teasingly snatch it away. Then AJ had used his

teeth to extricate the garter off of my leg to throw at Rhys.

We’d spent the rest of the night dancing in each other’s arms. There was truly no better feeling. Our

first dance as man and wife had been to
Anema e Core
, which was soon followed by
Amorcito Mio
.

I’d barely eaten any of the massive spread of food or had some of the free-flowing alcohol. All I

wanted was AJ—the man of my dreams and thankfully my reality as well.

Suddenly, in the middle of a romantic love song, my Spidey mommy senses perked up, alerting me

that something was wrong with Bella. Sure enough, Mari started across the floor with a wailing Bella

in her arms. The moment she saw AJ and me, she stretched out her arms and kicked her legs.

“I was going to take this little girl on across the street to the hotel to bed, but I got halfway out of

the ballroom when she started screaming for her mama and dada.”

“Come here, mi amor,” AJ crooned, taking Bella from Mari.

Snubbing back her tears, Bella rubbed her red eyes with her tiny fists. I leaned over to kiss her wet

cheek. “It’s way past your bedtime, sweetheart. Go on with Abuela. Mommy and Daddy will see you

in the morning.”

AJ nudged me. “Surely she can stay a little while longer and dance with us? I mean, how many

times do her parents get married?” he questioned, with amusement twinkling in his eyes.

With a grin, I shook my head. “You are spoiling her rotten. It’s no fun playing bad cop all the time,

AJ.”

“Actually, that could be really fun for us to play in the bedroom.”

Considering his mother was still standing right there, I smacked his arm. “Fine. She can stay. But

when she starts screaming again, I’m walking away, and you can deal with her.” I hugged Mari,

before she started off the floor and back to her table.

AJ wrapped his free arm around me to where Bella was cocooned between us. She rested her head

against his shoulder. He jerked his chin up at the band leader who nodded. When the opening notes to

Unchained Melody
came on, I smiled and pressed myself closer against AJ. I remembered the first

time we had danced to this song, and he had sung to me in Spanish. This time he began singing to both

me
and
Bella. By the time the song ended, she was fast asleep.

“I’ll go put her down,” I said.

“Nah, let’s make our exit.”

“It’s only midnight, AJ.”

“So?”

I laughed. “It would be considered poor form since Italian and Mexican couples do not leave the

reception until at least two in the morning.”

He snorted. “As long as the booze keeps flowing, the food keeps coming, and the music keeps

playing, they’ll be fine. Besides, we did the whole cake cutting/bouquet throwing shit.” He leaned

down to nuzzle my neck. Whispering into my ear, he said, “I’m ready to consummate our marriage,

aren’t you?”

“Yes,” I murmured. His words in my ear started up a thrum of desire within me—one only AJ

could do.

“Good. So let’s get the fuck out of here.”

AJ waved to our remaining guests and motioned down at Bella’s sleeping form, as if she excused

us for making a run for it. Mari rose out of her chair and came with us since Bella would be sleeping

in her and Joaquin’s suite tonight. We were leaving for Mexico in the morning—this time when we

spent a few days with Abuela, we would be sleeping together. Then it was on to a resort in Puerto

Vallarta while Bella stayed behind with Abuela.

Joined by two hulking body guards, we made our way outside onto Peachtree Street. There were

only a few straggling paparazzi wanting to get a picture of us. A year ago we’d given them quite the

story with Bella’s limo birth. As flashbulbs went off all around us, AJ quickly handed Bella to me

and then took off his tux jacket. He wrapped it around my shoulders so Bella would be shielded from

the flashes of the photographers.

We hustled across the street to the Georgian Terrace. When we got to her floor, Mari took Bella

from me. Thankfully, she was still sleeping soundly. I think the day’s events had completely worn her

out. Before she stepped off the elevator, Mari turned to me with a smile. “Today was so very

beautiful. We’re so happy you’re officially a part of our family now, Mia.”

I smiled. “Thank you. I am, too.”

She gave me a quick hug before heading off to her room. AJ and I continued on up to one of the

bridal suites. “So, did you buy something sexy to wear for me tonight?”

Even though I had one entire bag of my luggage full of naughty items from my lingerie shower, I

shook my head. “What would be the point? You’d get hard if I was wearing a flannel gown.”

AJ threw his head back and laughed. “True. But I’d still like to see you in some lace and garters.”

I wrapped my arms around his neck. “Then, I think that can be arranged.”

When we got into our hotel room, I made a beeline for my suitcase. I pulled out a racy, white

number that Abby had given me. I grinned at AJ who was tearing out of his tux so fast I thought he

would rip it. Turning around, I glanced over my shoulder at him. “Unzip me, please.”

He groaned. “If I do that, I might not be able to stop.”

“If you don’t, I’m never getting out of this massive dress.”

“Fine, fine.” He then worked the zipper down for me.

Cupping the front of my dress, I winked at him. “Be back in a minute.”

“Make it a second.”

I slipped into the bathroom and began making fast work of getting out of the fancy crinoline and the

intricate bustier. I had just finished adjusting my garters when AJ stepped into the bathroom. “Wait,

I’m not—”

My words dried up at the sight of him twirling a set of handcuffs around his finger. He jerked his

chin up at the massive grotto shower with a gleaming silver showerhead. “I think it’s time for a little

payback, Mrs. Resendiz.”

With a squeal, I tried to escape him, but he was too fast. I was locked into his tight embrace. He

smiled down at me with such love in his eyes. “You know, I loved you even after you handcuffed me

to that damn shower at Jake’s.”

“I loved you when I did it…and even after, too.”

His lips crushed against mine with a mixture of both lust and love, and I knew I was in for a night

I’d never forget.

As I stood at the doorway leading to the altar of Christ the King cathedral, I fidgeted nervously

back and forth on my feet. At the same time, my fingers tapped out a beat on the black pants of my tux.

The intensely sweet aroma from all the floral arrangements stung my nose, while my ears rung from

the sound of the enormous pipe organ blasting out the pre-wedding ceremony music.

Wrapping an arm around my shoulder, Jake said, “You know, we can still run if you want?”

I snorted. “Yeah right. You want a mob of angry Sicilians after us?”

Jake laughed. “Nah, I’m good.”

“Besides, there’s nothing more I want to do than marry Mia.”

“I know, man. I just had to tease you.” He glanced down at the platinum band on his left hand and

shook his head. “Who would have thought you and I would be shackled with balls and chains at the

ripe old age of twenty-six?”

“Not me. That’s for damn sure,” I replied, with a smile. I jerked my chin up towards Rhys. “Now

we just gotta get him someone, and we’ll all be old married dudes.”

Rhys shook his head wildly back and forth. “Screw that dude. I’m not getting married until I’m

thirty.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, I said the same thing.”

“I said forty,” Jake said.

With a shrug, Rhys said, “Well, it ain’t happening for me anytime soon. Got it?”

“Whatever,” Jake, Brayden and I all said in unison.

We were interrupted by the wedding coordinator. “It’s time.”

While my heart leapt into my throat with nerves, I clapped my hands together as if anxiously ready

to get this show on the road. It wasn’t that I was nervous about marrying Mia—I’d totally been the

chick in the relationship by being ready to get married immediately. Hell, I would have married her in

Mexico right after I proposed. But she had wanted to wait to give us time to settle in to being

engaged, to our new life on the road, and most importantly, to having Bella before we tied the knot. In

the end, it made the most sense because she wanted the dream wedding she’d once planned years ago

with that douchebag Dev. Between my touring schedule and a newborn, it had taken a little longer to

get the wedding planned and executed.

With a confident smile at my groomsmen, I said, “Okay, let’s do this.”

My first step out into the crowd was one of total confidence. As Best-Man, Antonio followed