CHAPTER 138

In the presence of their loved ones

and their closest friends

Stephanie Michelle Plum

and

Ricardo Carlos Mañoso

will exchange vows of marriage

and promise to love each other faithfully

We invite you to join us on

Saturday, the 6th of June

two thousand and nine

at nine o'clock in the morning

at

Sacred Heart Cathedral

Carlos' POV

Thank God this day is finally here! I honestly thought I'd go insane before we got this far. For some stupid reason, I let my lovely fiancée talk me into sleeping in separate bedrooms during the week leading up to this glorious day. Actually, it was only three days and it was Father Brady's suggestion, but it took Stephanie two days to convince me it would be worth the wait to give our honeymoon an even greater impact due to our short period of self-imposed celibacy. Short period, my ass! Those were three of the longest days of my life; sleeping alone in one of our guest bedrooms was sheer torture. After today, though, nothing and no one will ever keep me from sharing my Babe's bed ever again.

"Hey, hermanito, what's with the grim face?" whispered Alex, my Best Man, who was standing on one side of me at the front of the cavernous Sacred Heart Cathedral. Alex always dressed well, but he looked particularly polished in his black tuxedo. Father Brady was standing on my other side while we waited ever so patiently for the final notes of Handel's "Xerxes: Largo" to end. [little brother]

The soothing sounds of the classical music washed over me, but I was too excited to allow it to calm my nerves. My Abuela Rosa's husband, Dawson, was able to hire the same string quartet that played for their wedding to play for Stephanie and me. Next, the hauntingly beautiful notes of Bach's "Air – On the G String" began to echo off of the walls of the vast cathedral.

"Nothing," I murmured as I realized I must have been scowling while I was thinking about my long, lonely and unfulfilling nights. Taking a deep breath, I wiped away the dismal thoughts and allowed the corner of my mouth to twitch upward in a semi-smile. "Nothing that won't be remedied by this afternoon," I replied quietly.

Alex grinned at me and joked, "My car's parked out back if you need a getaway vehicle. It's still not too late to escape from the shackles of marriage, you know."

I flicked my gaze sideways toward the priest and said, "I'm telling Carolina you said that. I'm sure she'd be interested to know you consider yourself to be shackled," I teased in return and enjoyed seeing the color drain from my brother's face. We both knew she'd make him pay dearly for making such a comment.

"Never mind," Alex grumbled and he smoothed the front of his tuxedo jacket. "I'm gonna enjoy watching your novia whip you into shape, bro'."

Tank, my other Best Man, chuckled and nudged Alex with his elbow. "Dog, you know Carlos is already whipped. And bad. Santos told me your brother had to go without for the past few days, if you know what I mean."

Alex tried, unsuccessfully, to stifle a snort of amusement.

"Santos?" I growled. "How the hell did he and his effin' big mouth find out?"

"Tina. How else?" Tank shrugged and whispered, "She said Stephanie told her about the withholding because she thought maybe Tina and Santos should try to do the same thing before their wedding. Santos said no way, no how was he gonna do something so whack – not even for one day. Besides, it's not like abstinence'll make a bit of difference for them, since his lady is already knocked up."

This was true. Santos had only informed our small group of friends about his impending fatherhood and had asked us to keep the news to ourselves, but we all knew how very proud he was of his now-proven virility. As far as I was concerned, my friend could have the "Big Daddy" bragging rights all to himself. Stephanie and I both wanted children someday, but we weren't trying to go down that path any time soon. Therefore, I definitely carried protection with me at all times. In this area in my life, failure was not an option, so I gave myself a quick mental reminder to buy more condoms for the honeymoon.

Father Brady quietly cleared his throat and I whispered a quick apology for our somewhat inappropriate conversation. Then I allowed my mind to drift to even more inappropriate thoughts about the crazy bachelor party the guys threw for me after last night's so-called rehearsal dinner. After the wedding rehearsal, we had taken everyone to a nearby McDonald's restaurant, partly because it was Stephanie's favorite place to eat and partly to let the little kids run around in the play-land for a while. Everyone knew we had to get up early this morning, so we were only supposed to go to a certain private club for a few rounds of poker and then call it a night. In fact, Alex and Mateo had promised their wives we were just going to play cards and smoke cigars.

Tank knew I didn't really care about strippers, but I'm sure Santos convinced my two Best Men that the younger, unattached men in the wedding party deserved a little fun. Therefore, when three over-endowed, under-dressed, bleach-blonde "dancers" burst out of the middle of our card table, I could only shake my head in mild amusement. Their presence at our poker party wasn't really a surprise, but I was actually annoyed because I'd had a very good hand – a full house – and I was getting ready to clean Mat out. When the ladies tried to get me interested in a lap dance, I redirected them toward Bobby Brown, Antonio Rivera and Javier Valdez. And yes, those men definitely had lots of fun.

I shook myself out of those thoughts and then we all stood quietly as more family members, close friends and neighbors and a few business associates found seats in the pews according to their affiliation with either Steph or me. I was amazed so many people were able to attend at such short notice and so early on a Saturday morning. After spending all these years in the military, early mornings were not a problem for me; I was wide awake and quite alert, even though I'd only had a few hours of sleep. In fact, I was ready to drink in every detail of this day, because, trust me, I only planned to get married one time. Solamente una vez. [Only one time.]

Finally, Father Brady placed a hand on my shoulder and quietly said, "Alright, gentlemen, the organist just gave us the signal. It's show time!"

Tank and I tugged on the bottom hems of our military dress uniform jackets and we straightened our posture as we gazed down the long center aisle of the church. I could feel the anticipation building inside of me as the organist and string quartet began to play Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" and my father escorted my mother to their seats directly in front of me. My father was wearing a black tuxedo, just like all of the other civilian men in our wedding party, and my mother was wearing a pale blue mermaid–cut dress with a beaded bolero jacket. They truly looked stunning together. Both of my parents' eyes were shining bright with happy tears when they smiled at me from their pew.

Next, Mateo escorted Abuela Rosa to the altar where she lit the candle to represent my side of the family, and then he led her to her seat next to Dawson Books in the pew behind my parents. He too, was wearing a black tuxedo, but his shirt and tie were different from the ones my civilian groomsmen were wearing. My mother had told me that Abuela Rosa's dress was a color called "mauve," but it sure looked rose-colored to me. Anyway, its matching jacket was covered in the same colored – mauve or rose or whatever it was – lace. It was quite elegant. Once again, I felt very happy for my grandmother and her new husband. Their mutual love for each other was obvious to everyone.

I held my breath as Bobby, dressed in his military dress uniform, escorted Stephanie's Grandma Mazur to the altar to light the candle representing her side of the family. She was wearing a gold-toned, floor-length gown with a beaded bodice and a matching beaded bolero jacket. She actually looked very nice, too. I guess the trick was to cover up those scrawny, chicken-skin legs of hers. She patted Bobby's arm in gratitude after he led her to her seat next to Mr. Sneed in the second row, opposite my Abuela Rosa. During the wedding rehearsal, Grandma Mazur couldn't seem to keep her hands from roaming over Brown's backside, but she appeared to be behaving today.

"Damn, Superman, you owe me!" Bobby whispered when he brushed past me on his way to his place beside Mateo. "Stephanie's granny is like an octopus with claws. I thought I'd have to kill her before I marched her down the aisle. Man, I'm gonna have bruises all over my ass from her pinching me so much!"

Father Brady cleared his throat again and Bobby had the good sense to look sheepish and shut up. I guess it was obvious my friends and I weren't regular churchgoers.

Lastly, Santos, also wearing his military dress uniform, escorted Stephanie's mother to her seat. At first, I didn't even want Ellen Plum to be allowed anywhere near my wedding. When the witch had toured the offices of Books/Plum Design, she'd tried again to convince my Babe it wasn't too late for her to choose to marry that jackass, Morelli. At least I knew where Stephanie got her tenacity genes. Still, I wanted to wring Ellen Plum's neck.

After the office visit, Steph reminded me about the old saying, "keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer." Then she convinced me it would be better for us in the long run to let her mother have a minor role in the wedding ceremony in order to keep her contained. Who knew what mischief Ellen Plum might get into if we didn't keep a close watch on her?

"Val told me she thinks Mom will be on her best behavior now, just like your father has been lately," Stephanie had said when I first agreed to our compromise. "The day after Mom visited my office and I told her if she didn't respect my choice of a husband, then she didn't have to attend our wedding, she had dinner at Val's house and started complaining about you."

"Surprise, surprise," I deadpanned.

Steph playfully swatted my arm and continued, "Well, it seems that both Mary Alice and Angie informed my mother that they didn't like the way she was being so mean to 'Uncle Carlos' and they wanted her to be nicer. I guess Mom didn't think anyone – other than you – would ever call her on her bad behavior. You know that old saying, 'Out of the mouth of babes'? I think it must be true. Apparently, the granddaughters have special powers that neither Val nor I have ever possessed. Mom sounded almost grateful when I told her she could be in the wedding procession."

"I'm not so sure we can trust your mother to be civil just because the little girls made her feel guilty," I cautioned.

Stephanie had sighed and said, "I know, I know. It's just that I really think we should take the high road here. Val says she thinks Mom will behave at the wedding. You know, my sister really has changed a lot since her divorce became final and she started dating Alberto openly. She isn't letting our mother push her around anymore, so I think I can trust her judgment now, at least where Mom is concerned."

"I'm already placing a lot of trust in my own mother's assurances that my father won't let his ego get the best of him," I had replied. "Add in your mother's tendency to make everything be about her and, well, Babe, that's a lot of risk for one day. Our day." Then, in order to help me feel better about our decisions, Steph gave me a back and shoulder massage which turned into an all-over-my-body massage and from there, an all-night sex marathon. I vow to always remember how my Babe shows her gratitude and I'll make sure I give her plenty of reasons to be grateful.

Originally, Santos was going to escort my Abuela Rosa to her seat and Mateo was supposed to escort my mother. Poor Bobby had drawn the short stick and was stuck with Grandma Mazur from the beginning. Steph was willing to add another bridesmaid if I needed to add a groomsman, but I told her I had a plan that would keep our wedding party within its current numbers. Of course, my father jumped at the chance to be my mother's escort down the aisle, especially since I hadn't asked him to fill one of the speaking roles. What a show-off!

I had already vetoed having my father give one of the readings during the Mass. Despite our recent reconciliation, there was no way I was letting him near a microphone during my wedding ceremony, primarily because there was no telling what he might say. Similarly, I wanted to limit the opportunities for Steph's mom to wreak havoc on our special day. And since Frank and Ellen Plum were barely speaking to each other, we decided to have our grandmothers light the altar candles, instead of our parents. It was a good decision.

During the wedding procession, Steph's mother walked stiffly next to Santos and it was obvious she wanted as little physical contact with him as possible. She was wearing a full-length gown the same pale blue as my mother's gown, but it was more conservative and had a longer jacket with beaded accents. Despite her disdainful facial expressions, Ellen Plum did look good in her outfit. I stifled a weary sigh as I watched Ellen Plum settle into her assigned place. At least she hadn't demanded to bring her "friend" to the wedding. For Frank's sake, I would have had to say "No way, José!" Then I'm sure things would have turned real ugly. Fortunately, everything seemed to be going smoothly, so far.

The music changed again; this time, the string quartet played Pachelbel's "Canon in D" while the bridal party made its way down the aisle. First, my nephew, Ricky, dressed in a little black suit, nervously walked between the rows of people "ooing" and "ahhing" over his cuteness. He was carrying a little teddy bear with a blue ribbon around its neck. As predicted, the shy little boy came directly to the altar and reached for my pants leg. His daddy, Alex, caught his little hand before he could cling to me and he reassured him that he'd done a good job of carrying the wedding rings for me. Our rings were looped into the bear's ribbon necklace and Alex quickly pocketed the rings for safekeeping.

Next, Stephanie's girlfriends, Keira, Amanda, and Melinda, glided down the aisle, looking lovely in their royal blue satin, strapless gowns. They each held a simple arrangement of two long-stemmed white calla lilies in front of them. I heard Tank's quiet gasp of delight when Keira raised her eyebrow at him. I had a feeling my giant friend was going to get lucky very, very soon. Mary Lou, Steph's Matron of Honor, walked down the aisle, dressed in a strapless gown of light gold material. With her shiny blonde hair, she looked like some sort of fairy princess from one of my nieces' storybooks. Then it was Santos' turn to gasp when his lady, Tina, who was wearing a dress identical to the one Mary Lou had on, took her place at the altar as Steph's Maid of Honor. The gold gown really set off Tina's caramel-colored skin. There was no hint that she was pregnant. All of the ladies were beautiful, but I knew none of them could ever compare to my Babe.

There was a slight pause in the procession as Diego and Antonio, each in their military dress uniform, rolled a length of white cloth down the aisle. Then there was more "ooing" and "ahhing" when the three flower girls – Steph's nieces, Angie and Mary Alice, and Steph's goddaughter, Mary Lou's only girl, Michelle – scattered patriotic red, white and blue rose petals all the way to the altar. Each little girl was wearing a fluffy white dress with a pale blue sash. They were so cute! I thought my heart would beat its way out of my chest, though, when Javier and Miguel finally closed the chapel doors. It was time!

Everyone stood up when the organist began to play the "Prince of Denmark's March" and the men opened the doors to reveal Stephanie and her father standing in the doorway. Or at least, I assumed Frank was escorting Steph down the aisle, because I could see only her.

There she was: my Wonder Woman, my Babe, my soon-to-be wife. Stephanie was a vision in white, with sparkles of blue at her wrist, ears and neck from all the blue diamond jewelry pieces I'd presented to her the previous day. Her dress hugged all her curves and she looked incredible in it. All I could do was gaze into her gorgeous blue eyes as she slowly made her way toward me. I was so overcome by emotions, I could barely breathe.

Before she arrived at the altar, Stephanie made three quick stops. Even though I knew what she was going to do, I still was amazed by her poise and proud of her indomitable spirit. The organ music was too loud for anyone beyond the third row of pews to hear her, but I could hear my Babe's words just fine.

First, she went to my Abuela Rosa and pulled a long-stemmed white rose out of her bridal bouquet of white calla lilies. I hadn't noticed any roses there when we placed the order with the florist, so this was somewhat of a surprise to me. After handing the special flower to the special woman who had meant so much to me for my entire life, my Babe said, "Thank you so much for helping to raise Carlos and for loving him and taking care of him and his special mementos throughout his life. Now I look forward to carrying on what you started." She waited for Dawson to translate her words and then my two favorite women in the entire world briefly hugged and exchanged air kisses.

Next, Stephanie paused at my parents' pew, pulled out another white rose and handed it to my mother, saying "Thank you for having and raising such a wonderful son and gentleman. Now I look forward to reaping the benefits of all your hard work." They also exchanged air kisses while the people in the congregation murmured their approval, some in English and others in Spanish.

Then my lovely Babe crossed over to the other side of the aisle and gave a white rose to her grandmother. It took Steph a moment to gather herself before she said, "Thank you, Grandma Mazur, for always being there for me and always encouraging me and always believing in me. It's because of your constant and reliable support that I can let go of the baggage of the past. I now look forward to all the adventures and thrills of the future. I love you, Grandma." And she gave Edna Mazur a quick kiss on her wrinkled cheek, without leaving any trace of lipstick behind.

Stephanie took a moment to gaze at her mother, her blue eyes filled with momentary sadness. She took a quick breath and quietly said, "Thank you for giving me life and for being here today, Mom. I love you and I always will, but I have to be me and I guess you'll just have to be you." She shrugged with regret and turned back to her father. There was no special flower for Ellen Plum.

Frank Plum finished escorting Stephanie to the altar and when they stopped, he kissed her gently on her cheek, patted her hand, and then went to his place in the same pew, but not right next to Ellen. I stepped away from Alex and the rest of the men to stand beside my beautiful bride. Our shoulders touched and our eyes locked on each other, and after a brief smile, we both turned our faces toward Father Brady. It was finally happening; I was marrying Stephanie Plum!

Dear friends, family, loved ones,

we are gathered here today

to witness the joining together of

Stephanie Plum and Carlos Mañoso.

May God, our Heavenly Father,

be present today during this sacred ceremony.

We especially ask for your blessings upon this couple,

and upon all of us who share their joy.

Rosa's POV

"Gracias a Dios," I silently prayed as I listened to the English-speaking priest begin the Nuptial Mass. I nervously fingered the satin lapels of my lacy mauve suit and praised God again that this glorious day had finally arrived. My Carlito looked so handsome in his formal military uniform. I was so very proud to see how many colorful medals were pinned to his chest. And Estefania was simply the most beautiful bride I'd ever seen. I was amazed when Dawson showed me the wedding gown his protégé designed for herself. It was hanging in his office closet for safekeeping and I could hardly believe it hadn't been designed by Vera Wang or some other maker of gowns.

Dawson pretended to translate for me throughout the church service. My oldest granddaughter, Celia, gave the first reading about the establishment of marriage from the Book of Genesis. Her sister, Maria, gave the second reading about the nature of true love from Saint Paul's first letter to the Corinthians. Father Brady read from the Gospel of John and gave a nice little sermon about the mystery of Christian marriage, the dignity of wedded love, the grace of the sacrament and the responsibilities of married people. It all was so very beautiful and I thought my heart would burst with the love I felt for my Carlito and his lovely bride.

Happy tears threatened to ruin my carefully applied makeup. Lifting my lace-trimmed handkerchief to my face to dab at my teary eyes, I had to smile. The heirloom was quite old and very special to me. In fact, the delicate piece of cloth was almost identical to the one I had given to Estefania at the bridal shower Teresa had hosted in her honor last week. Oh, what a special time that was!

Of course, all four of my granddaughters were at the bridal shower, as well as Carmen, Carolina and Lucia. Also in attendance were Estefania's mother, Ellen Plum, the grandmother, Edna Mazur, and the older sister, Valerie. My sweet, naïve granddaughter, Maria, was my interpreter for the day and she didn't seem to notice how infrequently I asked for translations. Even so, it was a very interesting gathering and I had to work hard not to give away my closely-held secret.

From my observations I have decided that Edna Mazur is a fun person and the newly-divorced Valerie is somewhat uptight, but Ellen Plum thinks she is better than everyone else. I still wanted to slap the woman for all the trouble she has caused her daughter and my grandson. Thankfully, due to the "language barrier," I was able to avoid interacting directly with Estefania's mother for the most part.

"This is a great place you have here," Edna Mazur told Teresa as she settled onto the sofa, her plate piled high with our family favorites, such as chicken empanadas, tostones, papas rellenas and yucca fries. "This Cuban food is so tasty and your daughters are all so polite. I've been to your family's restaurant and your son, Alex, is a real good chef, too. Of course, Stephanie hit the jackpot with your younger son. That Carlos is a man among men, if you know what I mean." And she winked mischievously. "It's easy to see that you raised all of your children right."

Ellen Plum, who was sitting next to her mother, stiffened at the compliment, which was surely a subtle jab at her own childrearing prowess, or lack thereof. Then she said in a condescending tone, "And it's amazing the way everyone here speaks such good English." And she smiled an entirely fake smile.

Now I really wanted to slap the woman. What did she think; that our family had just jumped off the banana boat? Unfortunately, Maria had chosen not to translate the rude comment and only told me it was nothing important. I couldn't give away the fact that I had understood Mrs. Plum perfectly without giving up my entire charade, so I let the matter drop without letting my well-manicured fingernails scratch out her eyes.

Still, there was an awkward pause and I thought Celia might beat me to the punch, so to speak, but Estefania filled in the space by saying, "I'm hoping to understand and speak at least a bit of basic Spanish before Carlos and I have any children – which won't be right away, in case you were wondering." She cut her eyes toward her mother and it was obvious there had been some level of discussion about that. She continued, "I definitely want our children to be bilingual and I want to be able to understand what they're saying, too."

This time, Maria translated Stephanie's announcement, which made most of us smile. Part of the reason I maintained my charade of speaking only Spanish was to ensure that future generations of my family would continue to learn and converse in the language of our Cuban ancestors. Lately, though, I've been considering letting Carlos in on my secret. Dawson was relentless in his campaigning for me to do so, even though he knew I planned to keep the rest of my family in the dark. I realized it would make Estefania's life easier if she didn't have to pretend she couldn't understand me anymore. I just didn't know when or how I would do it.

After everyone had finished eating, the conversation turned to what everyone planned to wear to the wedding. My granddaughters and Estefania's sister compared notes and cell phone pictures of their dresses. Celia, Pilar, and Carmen had decided to wear red, while Maria, Lena, and Carolina would be wearing blue, and Valerie and Lucia would be wearing gold-toned dresses. Between the David's Bridal and Macy's stores, Teresa and Celia had been able to find beautiful off-the-rack gowns for every woman in the bridal party, as well as pretty white dresses with light blue bows around their bodices for the flower girls.

I'd heard from Teresa that Mrs. Plum had complained for several days about her dress for the wedding because she liked the design of Teresa's dress better than the design of the dress Teresa had found for her. Both dresses were pale blue, but one was much more form-fitting than the other. Apparently, Ellen Plum thought that she, as the mother of the bride, should have had first choice of the "mother" dresses. What a pain in the ass she is! I was glad when Celia told me Teresa had put Estefania's mother in her place by declaring she'd had no choice about the dresses because of the way each one fit a certain body type – and Teresa clearly had curves Ellen Plum did not possess.

Finally, it was time for Estefania to open her bridal shower gifts. While it's plainly obvious to anyone who has ever visited the townhouse where Carlos and Estefania live, they didn't really need anything, we all wanted to give them something. Luckily, we had discovered that while the happy newlyweds would be living in military family housing at Fort Bragg, North Carolina for a year until Carlos transitioned out of the Army, their friends Tina and Lester Santos, who would be married a few weeks after them, would be subletting their Bel Aire townhouse while they were gone. They wouldn't be taking most of their furniture and other belongings with them; therefore, we all decided to "shower" Stephanie with typical household items and useful things for her temporary new home.

"Oh, Mom, this is, um, very … nice," Estefania said as she opened the gift from her mother first. It was a 6-quart electric crock pot.

The woman had the gall to look smug as she replied, "Well, I know how much you struggled to cook a decent meal for Dickie when you were married the first time, so I figured you could start off your next married life by learning to make a few simple dishes. I don't know why I didn't think of giving you one of these earlier. It even comes with a little cookbook to help you out."

By now, everyone in the Mañoso family knew about my son's infamous cooking lessons with Estefania. So there was no doubt in anyone's mind that Estefania could prepare a meal or two just fine, especially after Carlos had complimented his novia's cooking in front of the entire family. And even though my own cooking lessons with her still were mostly a secret, our family understood that Carlos' bride could make some of his favorite dishes already. Thankfully, no one made a comment about that and Estefania moved on to the other gifts.

By the time Estefania finished opening all of her presents, there was a huge pile of bed linens and bath towels, two comforter sets with matching pillow shams and dust ruffles, a small carousel filled with common kitchen utensils, casual stainless steel flatware for everyday use, a set of matching pot holders and dishtowels and a very practical vacuum cleaner. It was a very traditional showering of gifts and none of the gifts were what you could call exciting, but we could see that Estefania truly appreciated everything we had given her.

Dawson told me the five ladies who made up the bridal party, as well as several of the other women who worked at Books/Plum Designs, had given Estefania a much different bridal shower at the office. Apparently, all the gifts at that gathering were the type of risqué lingerie and other sexy "bedroom items" from a certain shop called "Pleasure Treasures." Dawson assured me his company most certainly did not now nor would it ever sell such merchandise. From my husband's description of all the hooting and laughter, it sounded like the office shower was a lot of fun and I wish I had been there, if only to take notes. But I passed on what I knew to Teresa so that she and Celia could plan accordingly, because one or two of my granddaughters had originally planned to give Estefania "special" lingerie, too.

After Estefania thanked us all for her wonderfully useful gifts, Teresa cleared her throat and asked everyone to be quiet and pay attention for two final gifts. Then she addressed Estefania, "Everyone knows the old English saying, 'Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, and a silver sixpence in her shoe, right?' Well, Carlos informed us that your Maid of Honor, Tina, took care of the 'something borrowed'– a silver sixpence she picked up in London – at the other bridal shower. And your father will be providing the 'something new' very soon. Carlos also said that he himself will be taking care of the 'something blue' before the big day. So we searched around for 'something old' and we came up with the following gifts. These are from the, er … most mature women in our gathering today." And she placed two small, flat boxes in Estefania's hands.

"Mature? Hah!" Edna Mazur cackled with amusement. "You can go ahead and call me 'old.' I don't know about Miss Rosa over there, looking all pretty and proper, but I'm old and I'm damn proud of it!"

I merely smiled – after I allowed Maria to translate for me, of course. Then I watched in anticipation as Estefania opened each box and lifted out the delicate handkerchiefs, one each from both Edna Mazur and myself. Although both linens were older than practically everyone else in the room, the floral needlework on the Hungarian handkerchief was every bit as exquisite as the fine lacework of the Spanish one. Tears of pride and gratitude filled Estefania's eyes as she thanked her grandmother and then me.

I spoke and waited for Maria's translation, "Abuela Rosa says, 'You are most welcome, my dear. And I hope you will also consent to borrow some of the happiness Dawson and I have felt ever since your presence in our lives brought us together. We are so pleased you have decided to join our family, even after such an inauspicious beginning.' I'm not sure exactly what she's talking about with that last part, but that's what she said."

Estefania's eyes twinkled at me and I knew she definitely understood what I meant when she explained to everyone, "It's a long story that we'll save for another time, but for now, let's just say the Mañoso men thought they were pretty slick and I showed them how very mistaken they were."

Such an understatement! Even so, I know our men were amazed when we were able to pull everything together for the wedding in such a short time. As they say, "Where there's a will, there's a way." Actually, Estefania had already done most of the preliminary work, so even though we'd had less than a month to plan and prepare for the special event, we were able to do what we needed to do to make it happen. Of course, the Mañoso family name – and Carlos' money – opened many doors that ordinary brides might have had trouble even sticking their toes through.

The florist Carlos had been using all year was more than happy to accommodate every one of our requests. It helped that the flowers Estefania had chosen were simple; white calla lilies with stephanotis and white rose accents for everyone to hold or wear, as well as for the decorative floral arrangements. And my family has always been such good customers to the DiPaolo family; they had very little difficulty committing to making the wedding cake for the reception on such short notice. We also were amazed at the small Superman and Wonder Woman designs the DiPaolo bakers created with fondant for the bridal shower cakes. The ladies with cameras took a lot of photos before Estefania cut slices out of the whimsical desserts.

"Oh, look how cute those cakes are!" Edna Mazur exclaimed as Estefania placed small squares of cake on the plates Celia handed to her. "Say, Stephanie, why exactly did you want superhero designs?"

Estefania blushed and said, "Well, to make a long story short, several years ago, some of Carlos' Army buddies gave him the nickname 'Superman' and, of course, it suits him perfectly. And when I was a little girl, I always wanted to be like Wonder Woman. So when Carlos and I were first getting to know each other, we sort of discovered these things and the names have just stuck."

"Yeah, I remember how much trouble you used to get into because you thought you could fly like Wonder Woman," Valerie grinned at her sister.

"Aww, that's so sweet!" gushed Lena. "I used to think I could fly, too."

Pilar snorted, "But you thought you were a fairy, like Tinkerbell, not a superhero, like Wonder Woman."

Lena glared at Pilar until Estefania distracted them by asking, "Who wants chocolate cake and who wants vanilla?"

Many voices jumbled together, but we all heard Ellen Plum's derisive comment, "Oh dear, it looks like the bakers got the cakes wrong. The Superman cake is vanilla and the Wonder Woman cake is chocolate. Shouldn't they be the other way around?"

While the rest of us grew quiet at the implied insult, Estefania didn't miss a beat. "Nope," she calmly said, "This is exactly what I requested. C'mon, Mom, you know chocolate cake is my absolute favorite. Well, besides pineapple upside down cake. Or maybe cheesecake. Or a nice yellow batter birthday cake. Mmmm. So many good desserts; I guess it's hard to make a choice." Then she told everyone about the special DiPaolo Brothers deliveries Carlos had arranged for her while he was away. When she finished her story she said, "So trust me, Mom, these cakes are perfect just as they are!" And she grinned widely.

Apparently, my Carlito's novia was choosing not to engage her mother in any heated battles. She was a better woman than I would have been. Unfortunately, my dear sweetheart of a granddaughter, Maria, wouldn't translate very much of Mrs. Plum's commentary, so I couldn't show my true reactions. It was very frustrating! Of course, after swallowing so many of my own unspoken replies, I had to have a piece of both cakes. And they both were, as Estefania had said, perfect.

It's a good thing my Carlito decided it would be best to keep his future mother-in-law under close watch during the wedding so she couldn't cause too much mischief. Now, as I glanced across the aisle at the woman, I noticed she kept glancing toward the back of the chapel. I quickly peeked in the same direction, but I couldn't tell what or who she was looking for, so I returned my attention to Father Brady, who was moving on to the Rite of Marriage.

Dear friends,

you have come together in this church

so that the Lord may seal and strengthen your love

in the presence of the Church's minister and this community.

Christ abundantly blesses this love.

Carlos and Stephanie,

God has already consecrated you in baptism

and now he enriches and strengthens you

by a special sacrament

so that you may assume the duties of marriage

in mutual and lasting fidelity.

And so, in the presence of the Church,

unless anyone here among the assembly has any objections,

please state your intentions.

Ellen's POV

"Where is he?" I thought to myself after I struggled, unsuccessfully, to catch a glimpse through the crowd to the back of the chapel. "Joseph should have been here by now. I can't believe the crucial moment is passing us by. I wish the Morelli boy had been here to speak up for himself, because I can't do it for him. And there's no way I can stand up and object to this terrible wedding now. Frank would kill me for sure if I did that. He already warned me to keep my mouth shut, no matter what, or else he would escort me out the doors of the chapel himself.

He really has turned against me. He even gave Stephanie a new gold locket at that farce of a rehearsal dinner at McDonald's. He said it was a private gift only from himself, and I ended up looking like a fool. What a selfish man! I'll bet it was his stupid idea for Stephanie to not give me a rose from her bridal bouquet. I never would've thought my own daughter could be so heartless and cruel. Well, now that I know how things really stand between us, I'll just keep my distance until the grandchildren arrive.

And I can't believe Valerie brought that Alberto person to the wedding as her date. She knows how I feel about him – he's not good enough for her or my granddaughters. For crying out loud! He's a silly computer technician who works for Stephanie's underwear company. Oh, well, I guess I've lost the battles with both Valerie and Stephanie, but there's still a chance with my grandchildren. Who knows? JJ's sons have such adorable children, perhaps I'll be able to make good matches between them and my own grandchildren someday. We shall see who gets the last word then, won't we?

Of course, JJ wouldn't be happy if he knew I had contacted the Morelli boy, but I thought he at least deserved the opportunity to put an end to all this nonsense with Stephanie and her ridiculous plans. Sigh! I guess Joseph Morelli decided he didn't really want a final chance at stopping this wedding after all. And I can't believe I went through all the trouble of getting his e-mail address and sending him a copy of the wedding e-vite and everything. What a wasted effort!

Maybe JJ will get here in time to accompany me to the reception. It's too bad he got called away to handle a big case this morning, but I hope it won't take him too much longer to wrap things up. I would hate to go to that Cuban place by myself, so if JJ doesn't get here before lunch is served, maybe I'll just go home after we're finished with the receiving line. Hmph! The food's probably not going to be that good anyway."

Stephanie's POV

Omigod! When everyone stood up and Father Brady said "unless anyone here among the assembly has any objections," I heard my mother clear her throat. I don't know what she was thinking – well, actually, I suppose I do know – but I refused to turn and look at her. I suppose Daddy or Valerie or Grandma Mazur must have warned her off. Thankfully, no one objected to our union and the moment passed quickly. Now it's really happening; Carlos and I are getting married!

My breath caught in my throat as Father Brady continued, "Ricardo Carlos Mañoso, Jr. and Stephanie Michelle Plum, have you come here freely and without reservation to give yourselves to each other in marriage?"

"Yes," Carlos replied in his strong, deep voice.

"Yes," I squeaked and then cleared my throat. I heard a few soft giggles behind me.

"Will you love and honor each other as man and wife for the rest of your lives?"

"Yes," we both replied confidently. No more squeaking for me.

"Will you accept children lovingly from God and bring them up according to the law of Christ and his Church?"

Again, we both said, "Yes." Although I'm pretty sure both Carlos and I were in agreement about waiting a few years until he was out of the Army and his security business was firmly established. No need for any explanations today, though.

Father Brady's eyes grew warmer toward us and he said, "Since it is your intention to enter into marriage, please join your hands together, and declare your consent before God and his Church."

No problem there! As a concession to Father Brady's spiritual guidance, Carlos and I hadn't slept in the same bed for the past three days and I'd been longing for his touch the entire time. I handed my bouquet to Mary Lou and turned back to Carlos. His fingers felt warm and reassuring as his hand gently curled around mine, but I could feel the electricity pulsing between us. Oh boy! In that instant, the cavernous chapel and everyone in it melted away and it was just me and Carlos, alone with each other and nothing else in the whole wide world mattered. I felt my knees go weak, but Carlos squeezed my hand and brought me back to the moment at hand, so to speak.

Turning toward Carlos, Father Brady asked, "Carlos, do you take Stephanie for your lawful wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, promising to be true to her in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love her and honor her all the days of your life?"

"I do," he replied.

Then it was my turn. Father Brady smiled at me and asked, "Stephanie, do you take Carlos for your lawful husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, promising to be true to him in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love him and honor him all the days of your life?"

I couldn't help myself as I answered enthusiastically, "I do, I do, I do!"

There were many chuckles and a few outright guffaws behind us. Even Father Brady looked as though he was biting the inside of his lip to keep from laughing, but I didn't care. So what if everyone knew how much I wanted to marry this awesome man standing beside me?

After clearing his throat, Father Brady said, "You have declared your consent before the Church. May the Lord in his goodness strengthen your consent and fill you both with his blessings. What God has joined, men must not divide."

Everyone said, "Amen."

Then Alex placed our shiny, diamond wedding bands, as well as my engagement ring, into the palm of Father Brady's outstretched hand. Earlier this morning, I'd taken off my engagement ring and Tina had delivered it to Alex for safe-keeping until the ceremony. I had also stored my opal ring with my special charm bracelet and the other jewelry I'd already packed away for the honeymoon. My hands had never felt so naked.

"I brung the rings real good. Right, Papa?" Ricky's sweet little voice rang out over the silence of the chapel. Alex patted his young son's shoulder and nodded. Then he placed his index finger to his lips to remind the boy to be quiet. There were a few more quiet chuckles and then everyone settled down again.

Continuing on to the blessing of the rings, Father Brady said, "Lord, bless and consecrate Carlos and Stephanie in their love for each other. May these rings be a symbol of true faith in each other, and always remind them of their love, through Christ our Lord."

"Amen."

After Carlos received my ring from Father Brady, he said, "Stephanie, take this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

I was briefly mesmerized by the eternity band of blue diamond baguettes channel set in platinum as Carlos slid it onto my finger and gently settled it into its proper place. It was soooo gorgeous! Then he slid my engagement ring onto my finger until it was nestled up next to the wedding band. The set looked incredible together and everything matched the fabulous blue diamond necklace, bracelet and earrings Carlos had given to me the previous night after our extremely casual 'rehearsal dinner' at a McDonald's restaurant. I was one lucky girl! When I gazed up into Carlos' warm chocolate eyes, I nervously nibbled on my bottom lip. We were doing this. We were really doing this! I could hardly believe this was happening.

Then Father Brady placed Carlos' ring into the palm of my hand. It felt so heavy! The thick platinum band looked very masculine with its simple design and the channel-set black diamonds embedded all the way around it. It suited him perfectly. I just stared at the ring for a long moment before I remembered what I was supposed to be doing. Carlos' eyes had turned bright with amusement while he'd been waiting for me to get a grip.

I took a deep, calming breath and said, "Carlos, take this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

My hand shook slightly as I slowly slid the ring onto Carlos' ring finger. It was so long and strong. Remembering all the places on my body his fingers had explored – and would explore again very soon – I felt my knees begin to weaken again. I could feel his pulse quicken when I licked my lips in concentration. I knew I needed to stay in the moment, so I quickly finished my task. Then we both turned back to face Father Brady, who had been waiting patiently for us. He seemed to be somewhat amused.

"May you keep this covenant you have made today before God and all these witnesses. May you bless each other in your marriage, comforting each other when one needs comfort, sharing each other's joys when one needs someone to share it, and helping each other in all your endeavors throughout your married life together. And now, by the power vested in me by God and by the laws of the state of New Jersey, I pronounce you husband and wife," Father Brady told us. Then he turned to Carlos and said, "You may now kiss your bride."

I turned toward Carlos and he gently framed my face with his hands before he whispered, "Te amo, Stephanie, siempre y para siempre." Then he kissed me once lightly on my lips before I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him in for a better kiss. Somewhere in the back of my mind I recognized the sound of applause, and maybe a wolf-whistle or two. I could have stayed there forever, deepening the kiss until we consumed each other, but the priest cleared his throat to remind us the Mass was not over yet.

Oh, God! How I wished it could've been over at that point, but there was much more to do. After the kiss, Carlos and I approached the altar to light the unity candle. Two of Carlos' older nephews, who were serving as our altar boys, accompanied one of the church's deacons as they brought in the gifts for the Liturgy of the Eucharist, or the wine and wafers for Holy Communion. The organist played a lovely rendition of the song "Ave Maria" while I took the candle Grandma Mazur lit earlier and Carlos took the candle his Abuela Rosa lit and together we lit the larger pillar-style candle representing the union of our two families. Although Celia planned to retrieve the candles for us after the Mass and preserve them for us, I knew the flame would burn on symbolically forever and ever.

We carefully walked back to our place in front of the altar. I couldn't believe I hadn't set myself on fire or tripped on my gown yet. Tina straightened my train and quickly whispered congratulations. Mary Lou was still holding my bouquet and I noticed tears of joy rolling down her cheeks. We exchanged a brief smile and I returned my attention to the Mass.

After we finished "The Lord's Prayer" in unison with everyone, Father Brady said, "My dear friends, let us pray to the Lord for Carlos and Stephanie, who come to God's altar at the beginning of their married life so that they may always be united in love for each other as now they share in the body and blood of Christ."

There was a moment of silence and then the priest lifted his hands over Carlos and me and continued with the Nuptial Blessing, a prayer specifically for us. My mind was filled with so many happy thoughts, I barely heard his words. Toward the end of his long prayer for our happiness and well-being in any and all situations, though, one line in particular stuck in my heart: "May they reach old age in the company of their friends." Well, I could certainly say "Amen!" to that.

During the Sign of Peace, Carlos and I kissed again before shaking hands only with the priest and his deacon. We intentionally kept that part of the Mass very brief. Then, for the first time as a married couple in the sight of God, Carlos and I shared Holy Communion. It felt very special. Afterward we waited, our hands clasped together, and watched as our families and friends came up and received communion from Father Brady and the deacon. My face actually hurt from smiling so much.

Finally, finally, Father Brady gave the final blessing, "Whom God has joined together, let no one put asunder. May the Lord bless and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious unto you. May the Lord lift up His countenance unto you, and give you peace. Amen."

After everyone echoed the final "Amen," Father Brady gave us the signal and we turned around to face the crowd. Then he said, "May I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Carlos Mañoso."

The applause was deafening.

Omigod! Carlos and I are really and truly married now. This… really… happened! And boy, oh boy, was it good.