The Suite Life (17 page)

The only planning I'd done was to nod approval as I listened for the first time to Alec's vision for our wedding. I nodded because it didn't seem that I had much say in the planning of the wedding anyway. I couldn't even afford to pay for so much as the invitations. I would never dream of complaining. But there was
a part of me that was bothered by my total lack of control in the relationship—he always called the shots. Yet on the other hand, part of me loved how Alec took control of every situation; I loved how masculine he was. But more than that, Alec made me feel safe—I didn't mind letting him lead. I was content to fold myself into his world, the world I'd finally found across the Blessed Bridge. I was ready to leave the old Samantha Bonti behind. Alec loved me for me. And I felt like I'd been waiting for him forever.

I was marrying the man I loved, with my eyes open. I realized that he wasn't perfect—but then neither was I. This fairytale life I was about to embark on with Alec far outweighed the alternative—I loved him and there was nothing I could do about it now, except trust in the Blessed Mother, take the leap, and see where I ended up.

I looked up at him, testing the words
Mrs. Alec DeMarco
on my tongue. The grin that spread across his face as they escaped my lips said it all. Our mutual excitement over the engagement quickly overpowered any flicker of resentment I might have felt about Alec taking charge without consulting me. I loved my bully of a fiancé.

Filomena's voice lifted me out of my reverie. She frowned at her son and said, “You expect everyone to just get on a plane and show up there?”

“If they want to party,” Alec cracked.

“You may want to rethink that, son,” Giovanni said. “Some guests who will be on our list aren't as affluent as we are.”

“I'm footing the bill for anyone who wants to be there,” Alec said.

“Whoa,” Franco exclaimed. “That's gonna be a tidy sum.”

Alec gave me a wink. “Mere bag of shells, bro.” He chuckled.

Giovanni's frown matched his wife's. “You'll be spending a chunk of your commission for the merger before it's in the bag,” he said.

“Oh, it's in the bag all right,” Alec said. “We pretty much put that to bed last week.”

“ ‘Pretty much' isn't a hundred percent, Alec,” Filomena warned.

“I've got it covered, Mom. I'll break into my piggy bank if I have to.”

A pregnant pause ensued before Betsy jumped in. “Sid and I were hoping you'd have the reception on a yacht or some other location where our company could do the catering,” she said. “It was going to be our wedding gift to you two.”

“We'd be honored if you took care of the small reception at the house,” Alec said. “Right, Sam?”

I nodded.

“It'll be our pleasure, then,” Sid said. “But that won't be enough of a gift. We'll have to add something else.”

“Do what you gotta do.” Alec laughed.

“And, if your mind is made up, your father and I will do what we have to as well,” Filomena said.

She knows there's no way she could talk him out of it.

“What about the wedding party?” Gianna bubbled toward me. “I'd love to be your maid of honor.”

“That's very kind of you, Gianna, but I already asked my friend Priti,” I said, and Gianna seemed crushed. “But I'd love you to be a bridesmaid.”

“Sure,” Gianna murmured.

“And you, Monica,” Alec said to his sister-in-law. “If you'll do us the honor . . .”

“Of course,” she replied.

“Awesome,” Alec said. “I'll pair you with Franco.”

“Very funny, bro,” Franco said. “If I'm not your best man, count me out.”

“Okay, then. Franco, you'll walk down the aisle with Priti.”

“How many ushers are you going to have?” Gianna said,
already calculating seating arrangements in her mind. “There must be twenty guys you could choose from.”

“I've whittled it down to five, sis,” Alec said and turned toward Gary. “You'll be with Gianna.” Gary nodded, ever the devoted husband. “Victor and Jack are in, and I'm gonna ask Ted Ross.”

“The senator's brother?” Angelo whistled.

“He owes me.” Alec smiled. “And I want to keep him close.”

“I can't wait to meet your other bridesmaids,” Gianna said, squeezing my arm for emphasis.

I pursed my lips, searching for something to say.
There's no one I could ask, and I certainly didn't want this huge affair. Aside from Alec's sister and sister-in-law, Priti is the only friend I really have aside from John—and he would look terrible in a bridesmaid dress. I have to think fast!

Alec came to my rescue before I could give it another thought. “Sam bounced around from job to job the past couple of years and didn't have many opportunities to get close to anyone. It was a miracle she connected with Priti,” he began.
I'll say.
I looked at him, grateful to the verge of tears, and he nodded with understanding. Alec knew how hard on me the years I'd spent with Tony were—not to mention all those years spent looking over my shoulder once he went to prison. Alec understood how isolated I'd felt and wanted me to know that I had family now and would never feel alone like that again. “Sofia and Pat will be paired with Victor and Jack,” Alec added, turning toward his sister-in-law. “That leaves you with Ted, Monica.”

“I'll show him a good time,” Monica said, raising a comically arched eyebrow toward Franco. He just laughed and encircled Monica in a playful hug. Perhaps it was the result of having twin girls, but even though Franco and Monica teased each other mercilessly and complained about each other constantly, they were a team. Just like Filomena and Giovanni, Gianna and Gary—and now, me and Alec.

“Now, time for some espresso over vanilla ice cream, please, and limoncello,” Franco chimed in, settling the matter with food—the Italian way.

I smiled. The way Alec had come to my defense, knowing how sensitive I was about my past, made me realize that I loved the blustery side of his personality for the same reasons I adored his intimate side. For once, I no longer felt threatened or inadequate. I was beginning to see myself as the confident woman Alec saw in me, and his encouragement gave me a feeling of security I'd never felt before—not at home, not with friends, and certainly not with men.

The wedding was less than six weeks away; sacraments and pre-Cana aside, it could have been the next day, as far as I was concerned. Priti and John were the only people on the invitation list Filomena had asked me to provide, and those two had already assured me they would be there, whenever and wherever I tied the knot. The only thing that could have stood in the way of an immediate ceremony was Father Rinaldi's availability. When I spoke to the good father at Our Lady of Guadalupe after his Mass on Sunday, he echoed my friends' sentiments, saying he would move heaven and earth to be there when I needed him. His constant support over the years meant the world to me. I felt a little less alone just knowing he'd be there for me on the most important day of my life—even though Grandma and Mom hadn't lived long enough to see me happily married to the man of my dreams.

I truly wondered what they would have thought of Alec. Would Mom have mortified me the same way she did at Tony Kroon's house on Christmas? Would Grandma have proudly brought a
babka
without the Italians understanding what a
babka
cake even is? But I believed it would have been different this time. I really thought that even from heaven they were happy
with my choice and with the world I had fallen into.
I think I just have to stop asking myself if I belong.

With all of the important parts of the ceremony covered, the only thing left for me to worry about was my dress. Although time was short, I had always dreamed of wearing a gown designed by Vera Wang, though I never even imagined that it would be a possibility for me. But suddenly, it was more than a possibility—it was about to become a reality. Priti and I took a personal day to go to the Vera Wang shop on Madison Avenue. Ever since I saw that woman on the plane to Bermuda holding that white garment bag a month earlier, I simply knew it was a sign. Who knew it would be a sign of my future? This would be the last bit of money I had left in savings and I was determined to make this purchase on my own.

We took the bus uptown together, reminiscing about the first shopping mission she'd accompanied me on, to Saks just a few months before. If it weren't for seeing Priti at work every day and filling her in on my whirlwind courtship with Alec on a daily basis, I am not sure I would have believed it myself. I still had to pinch myself to prove that this was really happening. To me, Priti was a friend who came into my life at the right time. And no matter if our lives went off on different paths, which so many did, she would always remain special—one of the first people in New York who believed in me.

As if under a spell at Vera Wang, I tried on the first dress I saw on the sample size rack and it was perfect. Angelic white with a sheer, button-down back and a removable bottom flounce for the beach party.

Filomena, on the other hand, was frantic from the start. It was
damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead
for her, and I sometimes felt like a guest in my own life. She had two events in two countries to plan and hundreds of people to consider for an invitation. As
a result, I think she was genuinely relieved when I declined her offer to help me pick out a dress.

I could have been caught up in the hubbub leading up to the wedding. I could have been dragged into the battles over tuxes and gowns and menus and seating arrangements. I could have gotten my nose severely out of joint over the groom's name being listed first on the ostentatious invitations Filomena selected without any input from me, a Pamela Kroon move if ever there was one. Something Tony Kroon, like Alec, would have had her back for. However, none of it mattered to me. The DeMarcos were footing the bill and they could do as they pleased as far as I was concerned. What mattered most to me was getting the rest of my life under way—and starting my new life with Alec. Love was what it was all about; so I hoped.

Alec, meanwhile, was like a kid on Christmas throughout the engagement. I was glad we'd decided on a short engagement; frantic as that period of wedding planning was, had we waited any longer Alec would have probably self-combusted. I shook my head and laughed, thinking of him waiting even one more day to marry me.
That's my guy,
I thought.
He's fast, all right
.

My guy.
I finally had a
my guy
. I finally found home.

Alec, of course, spared no expense on himself, either. He wouldn't hear of letting either Priti or John pay for their flights or accommodations, but his support as I made the necessary sacraments, and his generosity in taking my feelings into account, meant far more to me than his generosity with money and gifts.