Chapter 20
DEACON CONNER
“Damn, son. You clean up well,” Dad said as he walked toward me.
“You know you’re only saying that because he looks like you,” Mom chided. “I swear, out of all the Conners, I had to pick the one who is the most conceited.”
“Chess is pretty conceited,” I reminded her.
“Well, they are twins, so it only makes sense.” Mom gave me a hug and kissed my cheek before she said, “You do look very handsome, son.”
“Thanks, Mom. You’re the most beautiful woman here.”
“Hush! That’s Bella’s honor today.”
I winked at her before I said, “I’m just calling it like I see it.”
“Is your job just to stand here and talk shit all afternoon?” Dad asked.
“Mostly. But I will take some time out of my busy schedule to complete my other assignment,” I said as I held my elbow out for my mom. “May I escort you to your seat, ma’am?”
“Please,” Mom said as she took my arm. I led her down the aisle to the row assigned to my aunt's parents and my aunts and uncles and then nodded at a few people I recognized in the crowd who had already taken their seats.
When I got to the back of the platform, I stood next to my cousin Jaxon and asked, “How many people are supposed to be here?”
“There is seating for 250,” Jaxon answered. “I know because I counted, “ he told me as he winced.
“How does Bella even know this many people?” I asked.
“Shit, Deke, look at who her friends are. If all the Queens show up with their significant other, and all of their parents show up, that’s enough to cover half the guest list.”
“True. There are some other people here I don’t recognize,” I said warily.
“My guess is they’re New Yorkers,” Jaxon said as he turned to face me so he could look out over the crowd. “I wonder how many murderers are going to be watching Bella get married. There are bikers, mafiosos, ex-cons, and blue-collar workers all in one yard.”
“How long before someone draws a weapon?” I asked.
Duke, Jaxon’s older brother, laughed as he walked up. “The better question would be, which group will draw first?”
“From what I understand, the mafia guys are somehow related to the bikers, and then we’ve got the Tempests, who are now connected to them through Rin and Stan,” I pointed out. “I guess we’re just gonna be one big happy family from here on out.”
“Do you think any of those older guys know where Hoffa is buried?” Jaxon asked.
“I bet the priest from New York does,” Duke answered.
“I can’t believe they flew in their own priest. Who does that?” I asked.
“He married Matteo’s parents and several other couples in his family, so it’s a tradition,” Duke explained. “They had to get the bishop’s permission for him to do it outside of his own . . . whatever it’s called.”
“Parish?”
“Let’s roll with that,” Duke answered with a shrug. “Either way, Dad said our grandparents would be very happy about having a priest here, and Mom asked if he could do some exorcisms while he’s around.”
I barked out a laugh before I said, “Aunt Reba’s fucking hilarious.”
“She was looking at Uncle Angus when she said it,” Duke added as he laughed along with me.
“I bet that went over well,” I joked.
I looked at the path that led up to the platform my family had built just for this occasion and saw that there were more people arriving by the minute. I could only imagine the chaos at the guard shack, especially since there were reporters trying to get in on top of everyone else.
Luckily, we knew plenty of police officers who were more than willing to direct traffic and keep out the riffraff, a few of which were outside the gates right now to ensure no one tried to sneak past the guard shack to get a glimpse of the festivities.
“Did you hear that they already brought down a drone?” Jaxon asked.
“No shit? I thought they were joking when they said the media might try to use one.”
“That’s why Holly had the guys put the canopy up,” I explained. “Bella wanted to have the ceremony without it, but she’s okay with it since you’ll still be able to see the sun setting as they say their vows.”
“I can’t imagine living like that,” Duke said sadly.
“Romi’s been hanging out with Rico’s kids, and he said they love it here because no one knows who they are,” Jaxon explained.
“Rin said that’s why his girlfriend likes living in Colorado so much.”
“Aunt Lena told Matteo’s parents they’re welcome to come stay here anytime they want.”
“Which ones? The mobsters or the bikers?” Duke asked.
“Both.”
◆◆◆
ZACH CAMPANA
“Are you ready?” I asked Luca and Rico as we watched Marla adjust Matteo’s bowtie again before Carlo took her to be seated.
“I’m not the one getting married,” Luca reminded me. “Been there, done that.”
“All of us have now, haven’t we?” Rico asked as he looked around.
Stamp, Matteo’s biological father, shook Carlo’s hand and gave Marla a quick hug before he started talking to Matteo.
“I think he needs you,” I told Luca as I watched Matteo start to breathe more rapidly. “You don’t think he’s getting cold feet, do you?”
“Nah. He’s steady as a rock when it comes to Bella,” Ziggy said firmly. “My guess is that he’s just freaking out because he hasn’t had a moment’s peace since we got here three years ago.”
Rico chuckled and said, “You act like it’s been a challenge for you to stay away from work for so long. I’ve been here almost as long as you have, and I may miss my bed, but I’m a little sad that we’ll be leaving soon.”
“It’s nice to be anonymous,” I agreed as Luca walked off to join his dad and brother near the front of the tent where we’d been herded to wait for the ceremony to begin. “It’s just like when we go to Tenillo, except the people here don’t insult me every chance they get.”
“Well, give them a chance to get to know you,” Ziggy teased.
“Was I supposed to do that before I started giving you shit?” Bella’s brother asked as he looked at his phone. He looked up at us and said, "Don't forget to silence your phones. I’d hate to get blood on my tux since it’s a rental.”
“Blood?” Rico asked.
“It would be a toss-up as to who would try to take you out first - Holly, Bernadette, or Bella.”
“That’s true,” I said as I pulled my phone out and put it on airplane mode.
“Did you hear there’s an afterparty?” Ziggy asked.
“There is?” I asked.
“Yeah, everyone is meeting at Spokes if this winds down before it closes,” Dylan explained. “My guess is that it will, since the parents will need to get kids to bed and will be ready to put their feet up.”
“The nannies are supposed to keep the kids at Bella’s tonight, but I thought that was just because they expected the reception to run late.”
“It very well may. If it doesn’t, we’ll meet up at the bar. And for those who have staying power, we’ll probably end up at the clubhouse once the bar closes,” Dylan explained.
“God, I’m going to be in liver failure with a raging case of diabetes by the time we get home,” Ziggy muttered.
“Just because you’re out doesn’t mean you’ve gotta drink,” Rico chided. “And just because someone puts a piece of pie in front of you doesn’t mean you have to eat it.”
“Have you had Mrs. Forrester’s chocolate pie?” Ziggy asked incredulously. “And if we go out, I’m not gonna get blitzed like these dumbasses did, but I’ve seriously had more alcohol in the last two weeks than I’ve had in the last two years. I’m too old for this shit.”
“Just don’t drink anything out of a jar, and you should be okay,” I warned. “That shit tasted so good that I had no idea what I was getting into. By the time I figured it out, I was seeing double and trying to walk upright.”
“I’ve seen you have that problem when you’re sober,” Rico joked.
Stamp walked toward us as Luca and Matteo stood at the entrance and looked toward the parking lot where the guests continued to arrive.
“How’s he doing?” Dylan asked.
“He’s steady but nervous. He’s worried he’s going to fuck up with everyone watching him,” Stamp explained.
“I thought you were about to say he was getting cold feet,” Dylan admitted as he watched the twins.
He sighed before he looked at me and said, “I guess this means you guys are sticking around, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to start being nice to you.
” Rico and Ziggy started cackling, and Dylan shook his head before he said, “I was only talking about him. I like you guys just fine.”
“What the fuck did I ever do to you?”
“There’s just something about you that makes me want to say mean things.”
“Look at that! He’s already acting like family.”
Rico was still laughing as he agreed with his brother. “Yes, he is. That’s exactly the way we feel most of the time!”
“I don’t mind you, Twatknot,” Stamp said as he rested his hand on my shoulder and squeezed.
“Twatknot?” Dylan asked as I glared at Stamp.
“That was his nickname before he got his hair cut,” Matteo explained as he walked up with Luca. “Bernadette is motioning for us to come out, so we should probably line up.”
“What order do we go in again?” I asked, just to be difficult.
“I refuse to kill you on my wedding day, but I’m leaving tomorrow wide open.”
“Damn. I just figured out why my sister loves you,” Dylan exclaimed. “You sound just like her.”
Constance walked into the tent escorted by Bella’s assistant, Heather, and asked, “Are you guys ready?”
“Is Bella ready?” Matteo asked.
“Bella’s cool as a cucumber,” Stan assured him. “How are you?”
“He just threatened to kill me. Again.”
Stan rolled her eyes before she asked, “So, it’s just a normal day then, huh?”
“Pretty much,” Luca said with a nod.
“Yeah. I see why she likes y’all now,” Dylan said with a grin. “And if picking on this guy is a favorite pastime, I may want to hang out more often.”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Matteo warned, but he was smiling when he said it.
“If I give you some tips and tricks to tame Bella when she’s on a tear, will that get me entry to the cool kids’ club?” Dylan asked.
“Sorry, Luca,” Matteo said as he slapped his twin on the shoulder. “Looks like Dylan just became my favorite brother.”