My Mr. Manny (18 page)

Just as I was about to put Lucia to bed, Dominic asked if he could give me one gift before she had to go. I was flummoxed because Santa had to come soon and I didn’t want her awake, but I agreed. Dominic’s silly, puppy dog expression was impossible to deny. It was pitiful.

Once I said yes, everyone around us scrambled into place while Dominic pulled me to the tree. Confused though I was, I had a feeling that the others were in on this moment somehow. I looked around, trying to read the expressions on everyone’s faces, but they all looked the same. The women had their hands clasped to their chests with bright smiles, and the men were wearing cocky smirks.
Strange!
Dominic and I stood in front of the tree with our audience beside us, apparently waiting for something with bated breath.

“What’s everyone looking at?” I whispered to Dominic.

He chuckled. “Us, baby.”

Oh, like
that
was a great explanation.

He reached down under the tree and seemed to struggle with something. When he won the battle and stood back up, I gasped.

“Oh, my God! What are you doing?”

In his hand sat a beautiful ring, which was poking out of a black satin box. When I looked up from the box, Dominic went down on one knee. His beautiful green eyes were shimmering like fresh raindrops on a blade of grass.

“Mia, I never knew what love was until I met you. I had almost lost hope that I would be a father or a husband one day. You and Lucia have given me more than I ever dreamed of or deserved. You love me unconditionally, and I promise to do the same. I also promise that you and our children will always be my first priority. I love you with all of my heart and soul. Mia, will you marry me?”

I was sobbing, and I couldn’t stop. Through my ecstatic tears, I replied enthusiastically, “Yes, yes I’ll marry you! I promise you all of those things and more!”

I pulled him up and hugged him with all of my might. He pulled back, and, in what seemed like slow motion, placed the ring on my finger. Savoring every moment, I gazed at his beaming smile, and I vowed to always make him look that way. I was so consumed by the moment that I almost didn’t hear everyone cheering and yelling out their congratulations.

Dominic kissed me on the lips, and then I held my hand up in front of me to see how the ring looked on my finger. Nestled in a bed of platinum sat a beautiful, princess-cut diamond. It was
perfect
!

I looked around at our closest family and friends and saw their eyes shining with tears of joy to match our own. They rushed over and surrounded us in warm hugs. Emma and Dom welcomed me to the family, and I saw the sincerity in their faces. I looked over and caught my dad giving Dominic one of those half man-hugs. All the emotions running through me were almost too much.

Then Dominic cleared his throat. He had Lucia in his arms.

“I have a few more things I want to say. Part of my proposal is for Lucia as well. Lucia, will you officially adopt me as your father?”

She laughed. “You supposed to adopt me,” she said to Dominic before looking at me for confirmation. “Right, Momma?”

“Yes, baby, you’re right, but he wants to make sure you want him, as well.”

She nodded with excitement. “Yes! We adopt each other.” That settled it, and I thought it was the sweetest thing I’d ever seen.

Susan and Lori gushed over my ring, telling me how happy they were for me.

Dominic interrupted all of the excited voices. “I have one more thing to say—or ask, rather.” He looked quite nervous. “I want to marry you as soon as possible and to take advantage of having both of our families here. So, with the help of the people that mean the most to us, I’ve arranged for us to have a ceremony tomorrow. In the morning.” The last words he dragged out, and I could see the uncertainty in his face. Dominic didn’t want to upset me; he wanted to make this a memorable time.

He continued, “We’ll have to do this at the courthouse when it opens to make it official. There was no way I could have gotten a marriage certificate without you finding out my plans. Okay?”

I wasn’t upset, just very shocked. “You did what?” Surprised by the secret itself, I figured out what everyone else had been up to. All the strange looks and secrets between Lucia and Dominic made sense now. “Did you know?” I asked Lucia.

“Yes, I helped pick your ring and decorate for the wedding,” she squealed.

“How did you do it, Lucia?” I looked at her in shock. At her age, she shouldn’t have been able to keep a secret so well.

“It was the most important secret ever,” she said with such conviction that I laughed.

I glanced at Dominic. He was waiting for my answer.

“So, are you okay with getting married tomorrow? I didn’t want a courthouse or a Vegas wedding. I wanted a nice ceremony with our friends and loved ones.”

“I’m very okay with this. I’m just overwhelmed. I can’t believe you would go through all this trouble for me.” This was a gift, and I was ecstatic that he’d thought enough about our wedding to plan it for us both. I looked at everyone in the room: my mom and dad, Dominic’s parents, my cousins, and my best friend. They all had a part in this, and it was for me. “Thank you, everyone. You have no idea what this all means to me.”

“So tell me, what’s the itinerary?” I continued.

The women swept me to my room, and after I put Lucia to bed, we sat around going over a few details of my wedding. They gave up the time schedule and said the rest would be a surprise. Everyone stayed that night on blow-up mattresses and spare beds. We had a long and special day ahead of us, and no one wanted to miss a second of it.

Susan dragged me out of bed by seven in the morning and pushed me into the shower. I was scheduled to meet Dominic at the altar at ten in the morning, and Lori informed me that the men had left already. They had to finish setting up and would get ready at the venue.

I drank some coffee and ate a light breakfast while the girls did my hair and makeup. Lucia came in wearing a silky, bright red dress with a white sash around the waist and white tights and shoes. She looked beautiful. Her hair was half up and secured with a white ribbon, while the rest of her curls cascaded down her back. She carried a white basket full of red rose petals in her small hands.

“I’m the flower girl, Momma.” Her proud smile was infectious.

“You lucky girl. That’s an important job.”

“Nana and Grandma got me ready.”

“Well, you look beautiful, baby girl. I love that dress!” She twirled around in circles so the skirt rippled in the air.

Time passed in a flash, and soon, the girls informed me it was time to leave.

“Mia, Lori and I wanted to tell you how happy we are for you. You found a wonderful man who was made just for you and Lucia. We’re so happy to be here with you.” My tough-on-the-outside friend, Susan, began to cry, and it touched me so much that the dam just broke. Lori joined in and hugged us with love.

“Everything in life happens for a reason. If it weren’t for Lori, I would never have met Dominic. If I hadn’t been with Alex, I wouldn’t have had Lucia. Without Lucia, I wouldn’t have had a reason to meet Dominic. I’m just so happy, and that word doesn’t even seem big enough to describe what I feel.” I giggled, the happiest I had ever been in my whole life.

We stood to slip on my dress. Lori pulled open the dress bag and, with caring concentration, slid out the most beautiful dress I had ever seen. It had spaghetti straps and a sweetheart bodice. Lace and satin shot out from the waist in a long skirt, which had a train several feet long. My favorite part was the big, red satin sash around the waist, matching the color of Lucia’s dress. They had chosen my favorite color as the accent, and I loved it. Everything was perfect.

I stepped into the dress with care, not wanting to ruin it, and I looked in the mirror, feeling beautiful. My hair was styled like Lucia’s, but instead of a ribbon, I had a dainty, diamond-like tiara placed on the top of my head. My make up was light, natural, and just right for me. The dress fit just right; I wondered how they knew my measurements.

“Girl, we’ve been dressing you for years,” Susan responded when I asked. “I’m glad it fits so well.”

“Thank you! Both of you! I’ll never be able to repay you for all you’ve done for me.”

They waved me off like I was crazy, but they had both been by my side during my most difficult years.

“Let’s get me married.” I grinned and turned around, calling, “Mom, Emma, we’re ready.”

I walked out into the living room and saw both mothers standing in similarly beautiful dresses. Each dress was a different shade of cream: Emma’s with a small jacket, and my mother’s with cap sleeves. They were both knee length and form fitting, as both women had great figures for their age.

Lori and Susan came out wearing red dresses that fell a few inches above the knee and had the same sweetheart neckline as my dress had. They were simple but very elegant, and the color also matched Lucia’s dress.

“So which one of you wants to be my maid of honor?”

Lori laughed and looked at Susan. “We already decided that I’d be the maid of honor and Susan would be the bridesmaid.”

I smiled and shook my head. “God, could you make it any easier to get married? I haven’t had to do anything.”

My mother and Emma each wove an arm in mine, and we walked to the elevator together. When they chose the button for the lobby instead of the garage, I knew we’d be walking to our destination.

My mother was the first to crack. With a knowing smirk, she revealed, “We’re going to the clubhouse.”

The clubhouse sat on the lake, surrounded by trees; it was a beautiful setting for a wedding. I wondered how they’d set it all up. It had the potential to be the ideal spot to get married.

We walked along the concrete path to the clubhouse until I could see the outside of the building. A big, wooden deck hung over the lake, decorated with white tulle, two big Christmas trees framed a staged altar, and red and white lights draped everywhere. The day was overcast, so the lights stood out in the haze like beacons on a boat.

Emma and my mom walked me around to a door that led us to a small room by the kitchen area. They practically shoved me into the room; I supposed it was so Dominic wouldn’t see me.

“By the way, who’s marrying us?”

Susan piped up. “The husband of one of my co-workers is a Justice of the Peace, and he agreed to do this for us.” Wow, they’d thought of everything and put so much time and energy into this. I was so grateful for all they had done—and now, I was ready to get married.

Chapter 25

Pitching Pennies

There was a knock on the door, and my mother opened it to reveal my father looking dapper in his tuxedo. My father was a handsome man, and I’d been told that I looked just like a female version of him.

“You ready, sweet girl?” He came over to me with a box. “This is for you from your mother and me. We pitched in to get ‘your something new’.” He opened it, and inside was a beautiful set of earrings. They were made up of three diamond bubbles, one that sat on the ear and two more that dangled beneath the first. There was a matching necklace with the same three bubble diamonds; all three were simple and elegant—just my style.

I hugged my dad and mom forcefully. Just then, Emma came forward with two small boxes.

“Dom and I have fallen in love with you and Lucia. You both make our son very happy, and we are so grateful to you for that.”

“You don’t have to thank me for that, Emma. He’s very easy to love and makes us just as happy as I hope we make him,” I said, smiling at her.

“Thank you, dear. Well, we wanted you both to have something from our side of the family.” She turned to Lucia and continued. “For you, Lucia. These were mine. Dom bought these for me when we first started dating, years and years ago.” Emma opened one of the boxes and pulled out small diamond studs. She asked Lucia if she could put them in her ears, and of course, Lucia responded with a resounding ‘yes.’

“Wow, thank you, Grandma. They’re beautiful,” said Lucia. I was trying hard not to cry.

Emma stood back up and faced me again. “Mia, this is for you. This was my mother’s, and she gave it to Dominic to pass on to his wife on his wedding day. So, for today it’s ‘borrowed,’ but after the wedding, it’s yours.” She pulled out a beautiful white gold tennis bracelet that nearly matched the jewelry my parents had given me.

“Thank you so much, Emma. These are so precious, and we’ll cherish them always.” I hugged her again.

Lori and Susan came forward with my “something blue.” They handed me a blue garter, which Susan reclaimed and slid up to my thigh in two seconds flat. So far, the day had been filled with many thank yous, happy tears, and hugs.

My dad cleared his throat and said, “Well, it’s time to get the show on the road.”

He led me out through the party area of the clubhouse and through the back doors to the deck. The decorations were clearly planned and thoughtfully placed in a theme that matched our Christmas decorations. Lori handed me a beautiful bouquet of red tulips and gerbera daisies, my favorite flowers.

I made my way straight to Dominic. Standing in between the two Christmas trees against the railing of the deck, he was a sight. The lake and trees were a striking landscape for this occasion. The wedding song, Pachelbel’s
Canon in D Major
, played from the speakers that were placed around the balcony, and Dominic’s eyes pulled me to him. His smile was genuine and bright, and, like the lights all around him, it lit up the cloudy sky. He was dressed in the most flattering tuxedo a man could wear, and he looked like a million dollars. Every inch of him was pristine. Everything else disappeared. I didn’t watch Lucia walk down the aisle and throw her petals, or Susan and Lori lead the way before me—they were just distractions. My eyes were focused on my other half, standing there watching me with reverence and ready to make me his. I was so blessed to have found him.

After what seemed like an eternity, I arrived at Dominic’s side. I just wanted to touch him and strengthen our connection.

My father shook Dominic’s hand and said, “Take care of my baby girl.”