Page 84 of Nico

“Hmmm, he didn’t want to dance,” I told her. I was upset that he couldn’t bend for one dance, but no matter how much I begged, he wouldn’t do it. So my first dance was with my father. Now that I was older, somewhat wiser, maybe I wouldn’t have gone through with the wedding. He was my first love, but maybe we were better friends than lovers.

“You got some moves,” Luciano commended, and I rolled my eyes at him.

The Ray Charles' song ended and turned into the polar opposite style of the song. The beat of Sean Paul’s “Temperature” came on and Dad continued his dance moves. John and I danced in sync in a rhythmic way and my dad mimicked us. Grandma held her hip, complaining it was painful to dance to such a vulgar song.

“Uncle John is dancing,” Arianna announced.

I threw a glance at John who stood next to me with his arms crossed over his chest.

“I got moves,” he told her.

“John, those are not moves,” I giggled, a little blast from the past releasing my tension. “There is probably a meme somewhere with the two of us as idiots.”

He tilted his head to the screen. “Three of us. I think your dad was killing our groove.”

A soft chuckle filled the room.

“How come our grandpa didn’t dance with your mom?” Hannah questioned. She could never grasp the concept of grandpa and grandma together since they never saw my mom. “Where was she?”

“She couldn’t come,” I mumbled. Mom couldn’t make it to the majority of things because of that bastard.

As I stared at the screen, the memories flooded back. Dad told me on his deathbed, he wasn’t my dad. Telling me my mother’s whole story.

“You look so young,” Nancy’s voice brought me back to the present. “And so happy.”

I was happy, despite William being a stubborn mule and refusing to dance with me.

“Were you even legal to drink yet when you got married?” Grace questioned.

I shook my head. I was barely shy of twenty-one. Tears glistened in my eyes as I watched my dad and I twirl around the dance floor, laughing. I felt Nico’s gaze and involuntarily lifted my eyes and my insides shuddered at the insanity in his eyes.

The scene on the tape halted and switched, the sounds of a boat coming through the television. Breaking our eye contact, I frowned at the scene. It was William’s and my argument after our first boat ride together. He forgot to buy the lifejackets for the kids.

“Okay, that’s enough.” I strode to the TV.

“Hiding something?” Luca tried to joke but I wasn’t in the mood.

“No, but this is private.” Words came through the television, William and I arguing about safety and having lifejackets for the little ones on the boat before I clicked the television off.

“Did he end up getting the lifejackets?” Luca asked, since he caught the beginning of the argument recorded.

I exhaled, throwing a side glance at John.

“We got the wrong size,” John muttered. “And while shopping, William bought a golf cart at the store and insisted on driving it home. We stopped at the local pub on our way back. After afewbeers, we continued back home and got pulled over by the cops. We ended up spending the night in jail. Bianca refused to come and bail us out.”

I shrugged. “I warned you.”

“You did. Well, this is my cue,” John announced. “I’m out.”

I was surprised he stayed this long, though happy. He was the only one from my side. Mary and her husband would be upset when I tell them we got married sooner than I told them. That would go over like tons of bricks.

“I’ll walk you out,” I told him, ignoring Nico’s threatening gaze. It wouldn’t do me any good to piss him off, nor did I want to edge him on about John so I added, “Nico, do you want to walk our guest out together?”

It sounded fake even to my own ears.

“No, please don’t,” John stopped both of us. “I know my way out. You still have your other guests.”

He didn’t wait for us but just gave me a quick peck on the cheek, nodded at Nico, waved to everyone else, gave my girls a hug and disappeared out the front door.