“Ladies and gentleman,” Pastor Anderson said as he turned us to face the roomful of people, “it is my privilege to introduce to you for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Micah Gavarreen.”
It was so incredible to realize we did it. The door to forever opened before us as we walked out of the chapel as husband and wife.
We exited the chapel as our guest went ahead of us to the reception. The photographer kept us occupied for about another half hour and then we finally joined the celebration. We cut the cake and shared the first slice without smearing it in each other’s face, but I could see the smile tearing at the corners of Micah’s mouth as he positioned the cake for me to bite into it and the thought popped into his head.
When it came time to share the first drink, I was surprised to find that it was grape juice instead of wine. Micah said wine was traditional, but evidently he changed his mind and decided we would keep our promise to each other to avoid alcohol.
The lights dimmed as the time came for our first dance. The music began and the song we chose, When God Made You, by Newsong and Natalie Grant began. I knew I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from singing, but I never expected, as he held me tight and slowly spun me across the floor that he would begin to sing quietly to me.
“…but now that I have found you I believe, that a miracle has come when God sends the perfect one. Now gone are all my questions about why, and I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life… I wonder if He knew everything I would need, because He made all my dreams come true. When God made you, He must have been thinking about me.”
He held me so securely that I couldn’t pull away to look into his face, but I could tell as he finished those last words he was becoming emotional. Softly, I sang my part back to him.
“I promise that wherever you may go, wherever life may lead you, with all my heart I’ll be there too. And from this moment on I want you to know, I’ll let nothing come between us… I wonder what God was thinking when He created you, I wonder if He knew everything I would need because He made all my dreams come true. When God made you He must’ve been thinking about me.”
As the song ended and everyone clapped, we held each other for a moment longer and dried each other’s tears. From that point on, the dancing was a blur to me. I danced with Giorgio next as Micah took his mother onto the floor. Friends and family began taking their turns dancing with the bride and it didn’t take long before someone spun me and I ended up in David’s arms.
“Best man’s turn,” he said with an easy smile.
I wasn’t sure how to respond to him simply because, even though I accepted the fact that he was infatuated with my mother, I hadn’t spoken to him about what had happened that night. I gave a light smile as he took me across the floor. He was a good dancer, which didn’t really surprise me since the ability to move well was one of Micah’s traits also. Dancing wasn’t how they learned it, but it came from years of fights, struggles and bullet ballets.
“I don’t normally like to attend these things,” he continued, “and I’ve never agreed to take part in one, but since you’re stealing away my baby brother, I figured, what the hell. Why not?”
“I’m not removing him from the planet, David,” I responded.
“Oh, yes you are. You took him out of his world the minute you stole his heart when he was supposed to kill you.” His face still wore the smile and no one would be the wiser as to what we were discussing. “We did the majority of our jobs together, but I had a strange feeling when he agreed to your hit that something was getting ready to change, I just never would have expected this. I haven’t had a job with him since.” He continued to dance me toward the door that led out to the gardens, and I willingly followed his lead as we stepped away from the crowd.
Micah and I didn’t discuss his previous victims because when he said I wouldn’t want to know how ruthless he was before he met me, I believed him. I assumed he worked alone, and I never imagined he and David partnered on much of what they did. No wonder David disliked me so much at the beginning. With Micah out of the mafia, David was now alone, but it didn’t matter at this point since he helped put Robert away. Micah told me after David worked with the police to nail Robert, he hadn’t had a job since-no one would touch him. I owed this man quite a bit, but I hoped what I was getting ready to tell him wouldn’t be considered payment.
“I know, Micah told me,” I said and then changed subjects. “You’re sure you can only stay tonight? I booked your room at the Acqualina for two nights, in case you change your mind.”
I followed his eyes as he looked over to where my mother was dancing with one of my cousins, “I wish I could stay longer, I just-”
“I trust you are pretty good at being covert, but just to let you know Kimmy is a solid sleeper.”
An extremely puzzled look crossed his face.
“The room I booked for you,” I continued, “has a guest door to the adjoining room-Nadia’s room.” I couldn’t call her Mom for the moment as I was explaining that he could have access to her, if she were willing. “You will promise me to be discreet and that you’ll never ever do anything to hurt her. Agreed?”
I watched his eyes as he studied me.
“He told you?”
I could see the honest surprise.
“He said he didn’t want to know because you would make him tell you. I didn’t believe him. I’ve seen people try to beat stuff out of that boy and he’s never opened his mouth. What do you do to him?”
“You talked with my mother. Did you tell her some things you didn’t expect to say?”
The smile on his face grew wider as he began to see my point.
“So you tell me what we do, because I don’t know.”
“I’m really glad,” he confessed as he pulled me tightly against his chest just like his brother and then whispered in my ear, “that Micah jumped me before I squeezed the trigger that day because I didn’t realize what a treasure he’d found.”
“Oh, yes, that reminds me.” I pushed back to regain the proper distance; Micah was the only one who needed to hold me that close. “You will promise, swear on your brother’s life actually, that no drugs will be involved; if she says no, you’ll take no for an answer.”
He got an odd look to his face, “Believe it or not, I couldn’t do that to her-I can take a no.”
The song ended and David leaned forward and slowly kissed my cheek. He squeezed my hands and thanked me and said he was going to get the next dance with Nadia before someone else got to her.
I watched him walk back into the room just as I felt someone touch my arm; Micah was there.
“I was wondering why he brought you out here?” he quietly questioned.
I smiled, “I was willing. I had to tell him something.”
“What?”
“That I booked him a room with a guest door-to my mother’s suite.”
He grinned and gave a small chuckle, “You are never going to stop surprising me, are you?”
I pulled him into my arms and kissed him softly, “I certainly hope not.”
At that moment we heard the sound of someone coming out to the garden, and, as we turned to see who it was, Ryan was standing there, but abruptly retreated to go back inside.
“Ryan,” Micah called out to him.
He paused and looked at us.
Micah lifted my hand toward him, “Have you danced with the bride yet?”
He didn’t say a word; he crossed the short distance between us and accepted my hand.