Page 50 of I Do, or Dye Trying
“I don’t think it will be too bad,” I replied after my first sip of coffee. “These are triple pane windows, we upgraded the heaters, and added a fireplace.” As much as I hated snow, the thought of watching it fall silently to the ground while cuddling with Josh beneath a blanket while a fire crackled was very appealing to me.
“It’s going to be beautiful,” my mom said.
“Yes, it will.” She was talking about the winter landscape, but I was talking about what would happen when cuddling with Josh became something more.
“Are you ready for today?” she asked softly. I knew she wasn’t talking about the wedding rehearsal or dinner.
“I think so,” I said honestly. “I don’t have a reason to feel nervous…”
“… But you are anyway,” she finished for me. “I think that’s pretty reasonable, Gabe. You’re only human after all.” She smiled softly, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes, which didn’t make sense to me. She had encouraged the reunion from the very beginning. Why did she suddenly look as nervous as I felt? “Don’t you go loving her more than me.”Ah, that was it.“I’m sorry, son; I should never have said that to you when you’re already nervous about meeting Bonita.”
Her words were the jolt back to reality that I needed. “There’s no way in the world that I could ever love her more than you. It doesn’t matter that she was the one who gave birth to me; you will always be my mother. I’m hoping to be great friends with Bonita, and I want to know my sisters, but I’m not looking to replace you or the memory of my brother. They’re not mutually exclusive, and it’s because of your unwavering love that I know I don’t have to choose. I can have it all.”
“I have been proud to call you my son every single day of your life, but moments like this just take my breath away. Gabriel, you are a remarkable man, and I love you so very much.” She swiped at the tears that streamed down her face. “Oh, I promised not to get too sappy this weekend, and here I am squalling already.”
“I plan on getting super emotional this weekend, so I think it’s okay if the mother of the groom cries a little also.” I had no intention of holding back the joy that swelled inside me when I saw Josh standing across from me at the altar in his tuxedo, or when I slid my ring on his finger and heard the judge pronounce us as married. I knew that I would shed some tears and I didn’t care what anyone thought.
Mom covered my hand with hers and said, “You chose well, Gabriel. There’s no one better for you than Josh Roman. I have never seen you look as carefree and happy as you are when he is near. Seeing you like this makes my heart so happy. Your father and I adore him.”
“Thanks, Mom. Your support means a lot to me.” I was glad to have their approval, but I didn’t need it to marry Josh. I knew he was the best thing for me and nothing and no one was going to get in my way.Except maybe Jimmy De Soto. I stomped down that thought as soon as it popped into my head. There was no way I’d let that asshole ruin my weekend or my life.
“Dylan would adore him too,” my mom said quietly. “He’d love the way Josh jabs at you, but mostly he’d love the way that Josh looks at you as if you alone created the universe.”
“I think about Dylan every single day of my life, but his loss is felt even stronger on certain days. Tomorrow will be one of them,” I told her. I was thrilled to have found friends like Adrian and John in my life, but no one replaced the big brother I adored so much.
“He’s with us, baby. We can’t see him or hear his laughter anymore, but he’s looking down on us. He’ll be with you every step of the way, and you’ll feel him in your heart.” I hooked my arm around her shoulders and pulled her against my chest. She tucked her head under my chin, and we cried quietly together for a few minutes. My mom wiped her eyes, cleared her throat, and said, “Today is not about being sad; it’s about welcoming your birth mom and sisters into your life. I want you to tell Bonita that I’m looking forward to seeing her again. Will you do that for me?” she asked.
“Gladly,” I replied, kissing her on top of her head.
The early morning chat with my mom helped me push away any lingering nerves that remained. I focused on the important things like kissing Josh awake and luring him into the shower for some wet, naked fun. Neither of us wanted to abstain from sex leading up to our wedding nor would we spend the night apart. We were doing things our way because it had worked well for us up to that point. Why fix something that obviously wasn’t broken?
I was my typical calm self when I pulled into the parking garage at the hotel where Bonita and her family were staying. We had arrived fifteen minutes early, so I was surprised to find them waiting for me outside the doors of the restaurant. I observed their family dynamics as we walked toward them because they hadn’t spotted me yet. Bonita looked as anxious as I had felt that morning after my dream, but my sisters practically vibrated with excitement. Dear Lord, their beauty was more captivating in person than on Skype. I felt my big brother instincts kicking in again as I saw more than one guy checking them out. I thought it was too damn bad my gun was locked in the glovebox of my car and not on my hip.
“Gabe, do you really want to be growling when you meet your sisters?” Josh asked beside me. “Plaster a smile on your face before you scare them! We can hunt those pervy bastards down after brunch.”
“Good idea, Sunshine.”
“I hope he likes us,” Arianna said as we neared.
“Well, he might not likeyousince you’re a spoiled brat, but he’s going to love Marisol and me,” Selena told our youngest sister.
“You’re such a…”
“Girls, please,” Bonita said, interrupting them before an argument could start. “Do you want his first impression of us to be the three of you arguing?”
“They were only playing around, Mama,” Marisol said. I already knew that she was the most laid back and practical of the three sisters. “He wants to get to know the real us, not the Stepford Sisters that look and act perfectly at all times.”
“She’s right,” I said.
“Gabe!” All three sisters yelled my name at the same time as they launched themselves at me. Then they proceeded to talk over one another.
“Girls, one at a time,” Miguel said patiently.
“Oh my goodness, you’re more handsome in person,” Marisol said.
“And tall,” Arianna said.
“And broad. You look like you bench press buses for a hobby,” Selena said.