Disclaimer: I don't own the show, Mamma Mia, or the characters. All I own is the writing and story.
Author's Note: So, I have been kind of obsessed with ABBA lately (hence the title of the story) and just recently watched Mamma Mia for the first time in a long while and was highly inspired to write a little (haha little haha) Lorna/Nicky one-shot that is rather loosely inspired from the movie. This was literally all written today, so, forgive me for any mistakes. I will read through tomorrow and revise what needs revised.
Lay All Your Love On Me
Ever since she was in preschool, Lorna Morello fantasized over the idea of someday having a big, beautiful, wedding. It wasn't until she met Nicky Nichols, however, when Lorna finally came to the realization that her future wedding was more than likely going to be with another woman rather than a man.
As a little girl, Lorna spent the majority of her spare time writing out her dream wedding on scrap pieces of paper. Her mother and older siblings found the interest of hers to be quite ironic, honestly—given the fact that their father had walked out on them when Mrs. Morello had not come to the awareness that she had even yet conceived her third child. Despite that, Lorna's heart craved for what her mom didn't have. She wanted to find love and not just any love—true love. Romantic love that was depicted in all the movies she loved to watch through her middle and high school years.
At the ripe age of twenty-two was the first time Lorna remembered truly being blinded by the presence of a woman. Not just any woman, either. Nicky Nichols walked into the family-owned antique shop that Lorna worked at for the middle-aged Russian woman who owned it and the second her brown eyes caught sight of Nicky, she felt her mouth instinctively gape open while the inside of it gradually salivated. Her stomach did summersaults. It hadn't been until she mentioned this to her mother, weeks after the encounter, that it dawned on her she was having feelings she thought she could only have for a man for a woman.
"Lorna," Stansie Morello called out her youngest daughter's name as she stood about her kitchen preparing that evening's dinner. She mixed the tomato sauce in the pot one last time before covering it with a lid. While it simmered on one of the burners on the stove, she turned to give her full attention to Lorna—who'd sat on a stool at the kitchen island, her face resting in her hands and a blatant dreamy appearance melded upon it.
The wooden spoon that had still been possessed by one of her hands Stansie held it and wagged it slightly in front of her daughter. "Ya gotta crush on someone, don't you?" A smile formed when she observed the colors of Lorna's cheeks morph into a bright shade of red—one that merely matched the shade of the sauce she had just been stirring.
Ears processing the question her mother had recited seconds prior, Lorna moved her hands up to cover her heating cheeks. A sheepish grin involuntarily made its way upon her face. Her mind played over and over the vision of that beautiful redhead walking into the small town shop she was employed at not even two weeks earlier. She had no idea who the woman was or even her name and yet, she couldn't keep her thoughts off of her. There was something about her that made Lorna's heart double, even triple, in size.
Wood clacking against the vinyl countertop averted Lorna's focus up on her mother. Her mother who stared down at her with a knowing smile. And seeing the smile on her face only deepened the shade of red her cheeks already were. "What makes ya sat that?" She pushed herself up off of the stool and made her way over to right beside the sink, grabbing a paper-towel from the holder that sat on the corner of the stainless steel surface. The towel was doused in cold water from the sink and splashed onto her face.
Turning the heat knob down for the proper burner on the stove, Mrs. Morello walked behind the younger woman and wrapped her arms lovingly around her from behind. A maternal kiss was pressed to the top of her head as she combed her fingers through the thick dark waves that spilled from her scalp down along the tops of her shoulders. "A mother knows, hon. Plus, that's the same look I had on my face when I first saw your fathah."
"My fathah?" Lorna's eyes immediately perked up; she turned around from the sink and gazed interestedly up into her mother's brown eyes. The same ones she had been graced with. It was rare for her to ever hear anything about the mysterious Mr. Morello slip out of her mom's mouth. In fact, she could count on only one hand the number of times she heard her father brought up in conversation in the twenty-two years she'd been alive.
Stansie wagged a hand towards the cabinet and then towards the table. "Can ya get the dishes out for suppa, Lorn? The sauce is almost ready."
Once the younger brunette reluctantly complied, Mrs. Morello went over to the fridge and retrieved a bottle of wine. She grabbed a wine glass from the cabinet next to it and popped the cork out of the bottle before pouring a rather large volume into her glass. Mr. Morello was not a topic of choice that she ever took to lightly. The glass was brought up to her mouth and she sipped it halfway gone. Her ears caught the sound of dishes gently clanging against the wooden surface of the table; she turned her head in its direction and watched Lorna with precise eyes.
A frown melded onto Lorna's face as she finished getting the table set. She should have known that was too easy for her mom to actually elaborate on the topic of her father. Any time she tried to interrogate further on the matter, Mrs. Morello was quick to change the subject—whether by asking her to do something to distract her thoughts away or bringing up a completely different topic. Lorna sighed and decided against saying else on the issue, knowing it would only upset her mother to do so.
"Yes," Lorna finally answered her mom's original question.
Squinting her eyes slightly, Stansie looked at her with a momentary bout of confusion. "Yes, what?" Her mind had already moved past the query she'd asked only moments ago, now lingering on the topic of Mr. Morello. She swallowed the saliva that built up underneath her tongue and finished off the rest of the wine that sloshed around in the glass she held.
Lines creased to the flesh of her forehead, Lorna returned her mom's stare with a rather worried one. Since the table was set, she chose to sit down on one of the chairs and crossed one leg over the other. "Yes, I think I have a crush on someone," she informed the older woman, her eyes going back to the dreamy mode they were in earlier. "A couple a weeks ago during one a my shifts at the Reznikov's antique shop in town, there was this person who came in the store. And I guess I just can't get my mind off of them."
Rapidly, Mrs. Morello found herself letting out a small chuckle at her daughter's words. That was what she was answering. How could she have forgotten she asked that? Stansie shook her head at the thought and put her attention back on Lorna, a smile returning to her face. She observed her rather closely, once again noticing the wistful mien displayed on the younger brunette's. "See, I knew it," she wagged her finger jokingly at her daughter while refilling her glass with wine and then went over to join her at the table.
"So, what's the guy's name? Is he cute? Well, obviously, he must be cute with the way he has you sittin' here with that puppy love look in your eyes."
What's the guy's name? Her mother's questions echoed through her mind. A lump molded into the pit of her stomach. It was only natural that her mom would automatically assume the crush she had was on a guy—in fact, before that stunning redhead entered her life, Lorna only thought she could feel that way for a man, too. She swallowed thickly, looking across at her mother with apprehension.
"Well, uh, he is actually a she. And, erm, I don't know her name. I was way too nervous to talk to her." The words fumbled out in an anxious fashion; she felt a wad of saliva taking over her mouth and swallowed it down uncomfortably. Her eyes deterred away from her mother, worried of what her reaction might possibly be.
The person her daughter had a crush on happened to be a woman? Many a thoughts swirled through Mrs. Morello's mind after the revelation Lorna had just let slip out. It certainly surprised her—that was the first time she heard Lorna mention anything about liking a woman. Even in high school the only dates she had were with guys. She picked her glass up and lifted it to her mouth for a large sip. Despite being taken aback by the turn of events, Stansie wasn't upset or perturbed by it. Just overwhelmingly shocked.
The silence brought an immense uneasiness over Lorna, who sat nervously in her seat directly across from her mother. Maybe she should have refrained herself from even saying anything in the first place, she thought. Out of nervous habit, she tapped her nails against the rim of table while waiting for some sort of response to be given by her mother. Her eyes peered unnervingly at her.
Stansie swallowed and carefully reached a hand over to place on the cheek of her youngest child's face.
The simple touch had Lorna's bottom lip tremble somewhat. She observed the expression on her mother's face but hardly was able to decipher it. "Are ya disappointed in me?"
"Disappointed in ya?" Stansie repeated the question, eyes softening instantly when she caught sight of a very sneaky tear leaking from Lorna's. She moved her thumb to wipe it soothingly away and shook her head in a profuse manner. "I'm not at all disappointed, hon—I'm just a little shocked. Of all my kids, you're the last one I'da suspected to be gay."
Gay. Gay? Lorna scrunched her nose at the word. She wasn't gay. Surely, she wasn't. She swallowed at the memory of how her mouth salivated after catching a glimpse of the mysterious redhead at the antique shop and slowly acknowledged that at the very she least she wasn't completely straight anymore. Or rather never was at all. She sucked in a breath and looked back up at her mom. "Is it bad that I might, erm, might possibly be, uh, gay?"
A smile found its way back to her face and the hand she held against Lorna's cheek, she caressed palm-faced down along its flesh. "Not at all, Lorn. I love ya no matter who your soulmate is. I just want ya to find happiness. And, for what it's worth, ya oughta talk to whoever this girl is that has your face lookin' like this."
The two shared a chuckle at Mrs. Morello's last comment and Lorna had a sense things would work out for her.
In two entire days, Lorna would be marrying the love of her life. She couldn't resist the smile that sat upon her face at the thought. For almost her whole life, she'd spent dreaming of the day she'd be wed. And now that day was only forty-eight hours away from occurring. The euphoria she felt was almost too much. She sat on the balcony of room of the Inn her entire family had been staying—it was always a dream of hers to have her wedding on the beach in Italy, close to where her Nonna and Nonno originated from and somehow, that was where she found herself now—eyes peering out at the crystal blue ocean that spawned for miles and miles. While she sat there, the warm summer breeze hitting her face, her thoughts pondered on her mother and how if it hadn't been for her, she and Nicky might not be where they were today. The smile widened across her cheeks.
Of course, the only thing that could make her wedding even better was to have her father be there to walk her down the aisle.
The breeze smacked her in the face a second time and she quickly got up from her chair, walking back inside the sliding door to retrieve an envelop that sat atop one of the dressers. She ran her finger along the top of it before carefully tucking it inside the pocket of her jean jacket.
Despite her mother's lack of enthusiasm when it came to that of Mr. Morello, she spent the better half of the last couple of months snooping around for any information she could find on him and eventually came across his mailing address. Surprisingly, or maybe ironically, it turned out he was residing in a town somewhere nearby the Inn that she and her family were staying for the wedding. She pondered on whether or not that was a coincidence of some sort or, deep down, what had led her to wanting a destination wedding in the first place. Maybe, on some subconscious level, she was aware of where her father was living and the only way she'd ever have the chance to meet him was to plan her wedding in Italy.
Regardless of the reasoning, Lorna walked through the hallway—after exiting her room—and down the intensely steep stairway that led back to the entrance. There was a boat docking station at the end of the pier, only a quarter of a mile down from the front of the Inn, and at the edge of it resided a mailing collection box where Lorna strolled along to so she could insert the envelop to mail off. She sighed in content and hoped it got to her father in time.
"You did what?" Piper, Lorna's longest lasting friend from middle school as well as bridesmaid, questioned when she heard that the brunette had casually sent out a wedding invitation to her dead-beat of a father. Eyebrows arched highly over widened blue eyes that looked perturbingly ahead at her best friend. Or rather, right now, her insane best friend.
Shoulders recoiled upwards in a shrug, Lorna didn't see the problem in the decisions she made. It was her wedding, after all, and there was nothing she wanted more than to be given away by her father. What was so wrong with that? The query sprinted through her mind. They sat out on a bench near the pier along with Piper's girlfriend, Alex, who happened to be a bridesmaid for Nicky, and Lorna's older sister, Francine—or Franny, rather. Nicky had stayed back to spend time with Red, who was basically an adopted mother to her.
The sun was high up in the sky beaming hotly down on them all. Lorna watched the waves of the ocean come crashing in to the shore. "I invited my fathah to the wedding. This is gonna be the biggest day of my life and I just, I really want my dad to be there for it. What's the harm in that?"
Hearing her friend's answer only caused Piper's brows to furrow more. It wasn't something she had the ability to understand; how could Lorna want a person to be part of such a sacred day when that same person never even seemed to acknowledge her existence? Maybe it was her protective best friend side causing her to be so interrogative or maybe the fact that she had known her own father since her birth made her question the other's choices. Regardless, she wasn't so sure Lorna's plan was going to turn out well.
"But you never even met him, Lorna, why would you send him an invite?"
Picking up on the conversation, Alex turned her attention away from the ocean and onto both Lorna and Piper. She curved an eyebrow questioningly. "How'd ya even get his address if you haven't met him before?"
Lorna stifled a chuckle. She reached into her purse for a journal and held it out in front of the two woman, pointing at it in an almost excitedly way. "My mom's old journal," was her sheepish response. Guilt was something she should have felt for snooping through her mother's personal items, however, searching for her father was more important. The only way she could locate him was with Mrs. Morello's writings. Because, clearly, talking to her about him hadn't been a pliable option.
Hearing what the three were conversing about, Franny hurriedly snatched the journal from her sister's hands and gave her a disapproving stare. "Seriously, Lorn? Where the hell did ya even get this damn thing? Mom's gonna be fucking pissed. You better hope dad doesn't actually show up at the wedding on Saturday," the tone of her voice was firmly inflected with each word that spewed out. She shook her head at the younger brunette, looking at her in disbelief.
Nicky lay on her side, the clock on the end-table displaying it was half past midnight, eyes watching over the sleeping form of her fiancée in awe. A smile easily took up form on her face as she reached a hand in front of her to place tenderly onto the soft cheeks of Lorna's, stroking the skin in a delicate manner. In less than thirty-six hours, she would become Lorna's wife and vice versa. Nothing could ever prepare her enough for that moment. Hell, she never really pondered over even just the thought of marriage. And now here she was less than two days away from her wedding. On a beautiful island in Italy, nonetheless. Life certainly had its merits, she acknowledged.
The moon shined through the open window of the balcony door that was on the right side of their bed and highlighted all of Lorna's beautiful features. Nicky smiled brighter at the vision. She placed her hand knuckle-side down on the flesh of her cheek, moving it slowly up and down in a tender sensation. The beauty of her fiancée was something she could stare at forever if she allowed herself; she was easily mesmerized by Lorna. A content sigh made its way from her lungs and a soft kiss was dropped onto Lorna's forehead.
"I love you, beautiful. Only two more days and we'll finally be wives." Her voice was hushed as to not awaken her love, but loud enough that if Lorna could hear in her sleep, she'd be able to pick up on what was said.
Twenty-nine hours until the wedding. That was the first thought that ran through Lorna's mind when she awoke the next morning. A smile instantly grew on her face at the realization. Sunlight poured in through the windows and a warmth rushed through every inch of her body. She peeped her eyes out of their lids and noticed Nicky's lips stroking over her bare thighs. Her smile widened and she reached a hand down to place lovingly over the redhead's head, patting it softly.
"Well, good morning to you too, hon," her warm Brooklyn accent greeted as she stared down at her fiancée with the utmost compassion oozing from her brown eyes. "This is a heavenly way to wake up."
Nicky chuckled at her lover's comment and went ahead and snatched her panties off from between her legs. She bent her face closer to her upper thighs, very delicately grabbing onto the nightgown that covered the flesh of her abdomen and lifted it up to expose as much of her stomach and lower body as possible. Since it was still only the day before the wedding, Nicky deemed it perfectly okay for the two of them have a little sex-filled morning before they went their separate ways to finalize everything for the big day tomorrow.
Her lips brushed soft kisses all along the flesh of Lorna's upper thighs slowly making their way towards her exposed vagina. She placed her hands atop the flesh above it, stroking it in a circular motion and smirked when she sensed Lorna arching her back up from the beginnings of pleasure coursing through her body. Nicky moved her face closer to her vagina and carefully opened her mouth. Her tongue was pushed out from within it and, with a gentleness, she slowly inserted the pink flesh that protruded out of her mouth into the opening of her fiancée's vagina.
Lorna's legs soon began to tremble from building tension that Nicky's tongue was forming inside of her. She lifted her hands behind her, onto the headboard of the bed, and held onto it tightly. Her feet curled up against the mattress beneath her. The tension continued heating upside her and as soon as she felt the warmth of Nicky's tongue hit onto her clit, she felt her back involuntarily arch up once more. A moan escaped from her windpipe at the vibration of her clit against her lover's tender touch.
"Nnnicky," her voice all but purred, her legs shook from the intensity of the orgasm that heavily coursed through her lower abdomen and vaginal region. She closed her eyes, letting herself become immersed with the sensation. "Wet," she murmured, "I-I'm so wet." A warm gush of fluids ran their way out of her opening, escalating the pleasure even further.
"Mm, yes, wet you are," Nicky huskily agreed once she removed her tongue from within her. She swallowed the fluids that spilled onto her flesh and straddled her legs on either side of Lorna's body, bending her face down to peck their lips together in a hot, soft, sensation. "Gorgeous," the word spilled out right overtop of the smaller woman's lips; Nicky reached a hand up to lay onto her cheek. "You're so gorgeous, too, babe."
Taking Nicky's face in her hands, Lorna fervently smashed their lips back together but this time in a fast and heated kiss. She deepened it and deepened it until both of them were breathless and needed to stop it for air. When their lips were released, Lorna took Nicky's head and gently laid it atop her rapidly beating, bare, chest. Her hands combed lovingly through thick strands of red hair. "You are the gorgeous one, hon. I love you and only twenty-nine hours until I can call you my gorgeous wife." Just saying it aloud amplified the grin on her face.
"Looks like someone had a little morning sex, huh?" Lorna's blonde-haired best friend questioned with a knowing smirk on her face when she caught her sitting down in the chair across from her at the table she had previously been occupying.
Cheeks reddened immediately upon hearing Piper's teasing words. Out of instinct, Lorna lifted her hands up to pat her hair down. She looked over at the blonde and squinted her eyes, "Is it that noticeable? I ran a brush through my hair before leaving the room."
Piper only chuckled at her friend's frantic worrying. "It's not your hair that gave it away, it's the afterglow. Come on you know the afterglow. You always get the afterglow—That's how I knew you and Nicky finally did it the first time."
Mirroring Piper, Lorna followed suit with a chuckle of her own and picked up her plastic cup of coffee for a much-needed sip. She could easily sense her cheeks growing hotter from the comment that was made and narrowed her eyes momentarily. The sun was warmly shining down on them from its position in the sky, instinctively causing a smile to make its way on her face. She turned her head so that her eyes were looking out towards the ocean and quickly caught sight of a decent sized ship coming nearer the port at the end of the pier.
While her focus remained on the ship, her mind hoped that on it was her father. He only had twenty-seven hours to either respond to the invitation she mailed him or show up and she was leaning towards the latter. The ship finally anchored onto the port, its horn alerting the town that it was there, and moments later the pier started to fill with people.
Many people passed through before a few stragglers made their way off the ship. Lorna was beginning to lose hope when a man coming down the walkway captivated her attention. Despite the length between, with her eyes squinted, she was easily able to observe that there was something in his hands by the way his face was leaning downwards. Excitement quickly came to the surface at the very real possibility that that man might very well be her father.
Lorna jumped up from her chair and shook Piper by the shoulders. "Pipes, look," she all but cried when the blonde returned her gaze. Her hands gestured over to the pier, pointing at it copiously. "That man, I think that's my dad. He got somethin' in his hands, see? That's probably the envelop from the invite I mailed him," her voice exclaimed and she released her grip on the taller woman. She turned towards the ocean, rapidly walking her way towards it so she could greet the man before he had the chance to escape her view.
Quickly on her tail, Piper ran down after her—still not entirely convinced this was the best idea her friend had. Grant it, when it came to Lorna, most ideas she had ended in disaster. It didn't take long for her to catch up with her and when she did, she placed a concerned hand on her shoulder to halt her step. "How can you know for sure that man's your father? You don't even know what he looks like, Lorna. And even if that were him, you don't know him. What if he's a serial killer or something?"
Though she knew Piper was only being the protective best friend that she had always been known to be, Lorna shook her head and pushed past her to continue on her journey that she already made her mind up on. By the time she caught up to where the man happened to be, she looked back and noticed her friend was nowhere in sight. A lump formed in her throat. Well, she thought, hopefully this really was the mysterious Mr. Morello otherwise she was surely screwed.
"Hi," she called out when she reached him. Her brown eyes gazed up at him meticulously, studying his features intently. The hair on his head receded from its original hairline, clearly showing his age, and his eyes resembled those of her older brother, Mikey. That only confirmed to her that this man was certainly her father. "Are you Giuseppe Morello by chance?"
The greying middle aged man looked up from the envelop he was reading and squinted his eyes at the young girl who approached him. Something seemed oddly familiar as he looked her over. Her brown hair and brown eyes resembled those of his one true love from decades ago. He cleared his throat and gave an uneasy nod to her question. "Yes, but I go by Joe for short."
He tucked the envelop up in the hat that he wore to keep his head from burning from the hot sun and then glanced back at the short brunette woman in front of him. "Are you the one who sent me this invitation? For a wedding tomorrow?"
Lorna nodded enthusiastically, taking in the sight of her father rather intensely. She felt the smile on her face double in size. After twenty-six long years she finally was face-to-face with her dad. It was almost unbelievable to her that he was standing in front of her. She momentarily felt tongue-tied as she looked him up and down. "Yes. I, uh, I'm your daughta," the words came out in a shakier tone that she would have liked. A gob of saliva was swallowed down to her throat. "My name is Lorna."
Lifting a hand up to his forehead, Mr. Morello rubbed against his temples as his brain processed what was just told to him. The uneasy sensation that loomed over him grew stronger now that he had been given the news that he had a third child. A third child he never even knew existed. His brown eyes squinted a second time, trying to make sense of everything. "My daughta? How did ya get my address? I didn't even know I had another child. I thought I just had two."
"My mom's journal." Lorna suddenly grew uncomfortable. Why had he left her mother to begin with? The question ran through her mind when he brought up her siblings. Now that she pondered on it, how could he leave knowing he was leaving two young children behind? She backed slightly away, gradually wondering if she had just made the biggest mistake ever by inviting her father to her wedding.
"Why did you leave? I mean how could ya leave my mom when-when she was stuck with two little kids?"
It was all too much now that she stood there staring into the highly confused eyes of her father. She didn't even wait to hear his response. Turned around and ran back down the pier, running faster and keeping her eyes on the ground. While she kept on running, the area around her rapidly grew dark and within seconds she felt herself being drenched in water. Her eyes averted up where she finally noticed the dark clouds that made up the sky above, rain being the culprit for the sudden wetness that clung to her summer dress she wore.
The rain made her stride fasten and it hadn't been long until she made it back to the entrance of the Inn. She entered inside the door and sunk down to the ground, knees being pulled up to her chest. Her breathing heavy from her run, she laid her head overtop her knees and for the first time noticed the tears that spilled from her eyes.
"Lorna?"
Caught off guard by her name being called, Lorna hurriedly wiped the tears from her face and lifted it up to stare at the culprit. When she saw Alex standing a few feet away, peering her over in concern, she forced a smile to her face and pushed herself up from the floor. "I just had to run all the way from the pier, it started raining real hard. I was just tryna catch my breath is all."
Alex gave her a weary glance, not entirely buying the explanation when she could clearly see the faded tear stains on her cheeks. "Are ya sure? Pipes told me you were chasing after some random man who was coming off a ship, claiming he had to be your father. Is that why you were crying?"
The lump in Lorna's throat tightened slightly at the memory. She sighed, nodding her head. There was no use in lying about that—she was the one who invited him here and now, she was receiving the karma she clearly deserved for making such a stupid decision. Her eyes glanced across at her fiancée's best friend. A breath of air puffed up through her larynx. "Oh, he is my fathah. But now I feel real dumb for even sending him that damn invitation," she admitted defeatedly.
Wrapping a comforting arm around her shoulder, Alex gave her a gentle squeeze and led her down the hallway away from the entrance that was rather chilly from the storm occurring outside of it. "You're not dumb, kid. I get it—I never meant my dad either so I understand where you were coming from. But just know that no matter if he's there or not tomorrow, it won't make your wedding any less. Your wedding will be the best day of your life because you're marrying Nicky, the love of your life. Keep your focus on that, yeah?"
Seventeen hours until the wedding.
Lorna heard a knock on the door of her room and hurriedly got up from the chair she sat on out on the balcony, making her way back inside to open the door. Nicky was lying on the bed, eyes glued to the television in front of her, oblivious to her surroundings. The sight easily put a warm smile on Lorna's face as she proceeded to open the door of their room. She turned her head away from her fiancée and looked out to the hallway to see none other than Mr. Morello standing there.
Taken aback by his presence, Lorna slipped into the hallway and carefully re-shut the door. She peered ahead into the brown eyes of her father. Her arms crossed defensively over her chest. Unsure what to say or do. She wasn't expecting to run into him again after running away from him at the pier earlier. Now, come to think of it, she wondered how he even knew which room she was in. Unless he knocked on every door until he found the correct one. The thought made her want to laugh but she refrained.
"How'd ya find which room I'm in?"
Joe returned her gaze, observing the defensive stance she was displaying and felt rather shameful as his mind pondered back on her earlier comments. She certainly had every right to say the words she had. He wasn't right for leaving his wife and two young kids the way he had all those years prior. "I asked the receptionist at the front desk," he shrugged his shoulders somewhat.
A sigh escaped him as he held his gaze on the daughter he never knew existed until today. Tear marks were easily noted on her pale cheeks and he grimaced slightly. Those tears were clearly because of his own selfish actions.
"Look, you have every right to be mad and upset at me for what's happened. But I want you to know that I didn't leave your motha outta spite or nothin'. I loved her and still love her more than any other human on this planet," he started off, eyes gradually filling up with tears. Stansie Morello had always been a sore subject for him since his departure merely two and a half decades ago. "I love your brotha and sista, too, they're the best things that ever happened to me. I only left because my motha needed me back here in Italy, and Stansie and the kids couldn't just leave the US to come so I, I had to leave them. But never once did I stop thinking of them or loving them."
The sincerity along with the tears freely falling from his eyes alerted Lorna that he was speaking the truth and instantly, the anger she once had dissipated. She swallowed the lump that formed in her throat and cautiously lifted her arms to wrap around her father. It wasn't long before he returned the embrace and they were both a blubbering mess. When they broke apart, she looked up at him and saw the affection oozing from his brown eyes.
"Will ya come to my wedding tomorrow, please? I really would love for you to be there. I've been dreaming of my wedding since I was a little girl and there's nothing I want more than to have my dad there to walk me down the aisle."
The offer felt much more heartwarming coming from the voice of his long-lost daughter than it had on the piece of paper he had read yesterday afternoon when it arrived in his mailbox. Tears started up again and he wrapped the short brunette in his arms for a second comforting hug. He nodded his head and took his daughter's face into his hands, looking her over in astonishment. He still couldn't believe that he was the father of another little girl. Or rather, now, a grown woman.
"Of course," he found his voice again. "Of course I'll come to the wedding. I'm honored you would even want me to."
After releasing the embrace, he stood a few feet away from her and observed her entire figure. It broke his heart that he didn't even know she was conceived before he left and now she was about to marry a very lucky man, he realized. "The man who will become your husband tomorrow, I hope he knows how lucky he is. I look forward to meeting him tomorrow."
Lorna felt her hands suddenly become clammy when the comment slipped from her father's mouth. Would he still attend when she informed who she was marrying would not be her husband but her beautiful wife? She bit down on her lower lip and sucked in a deep breath. "Actually, I'm marrying a woman. I-I'm gay…well maybe not gay but bi? And the woman I'm marrying tomorrow is the most beautiful person I've ever met," she shakily informed the man standing before her. A lump was swallowed; she really hoped he would be accepting of it and still come to the wedding.
It took a moment for the revelation to sink in. Mr. Morello quickly released his grip from Lorna's face and now stared at her in disgust. A woman marrying a woman? He shuddered at the thought and backed away. "I won't be able to come. Marrying a woman when you are a woman is a sin, Lorna, and I will not condone that. It's gross. You-You're gross," he pushed her slightly and turned to run as far away from her as possible.
Before Lorna could even process what just happened the door behind her opened to reveal a highly concerned Nicky. Within seconds her body was being scooped up from the floor where'd she slid against and carried back into their room.
Nicky gently brought her fiancée over to their bed, getting in it with her and laying them both back against the mattress. She brought Lorna's body back against her own, pressing kisses all along the top of her head. "What was that all about, huh? Who were you talking to, babe?" Despite having no clue what was upsetting the brunette, she pulled her closer to her own body and pressed her front lovingly against her back. Her hands brushed soothingly up and down along the sides of Lorna's abdomen.
When Lorna finally caught her breath from all the sniffling and crying, she turned herself in Nicky's arms and peered directly into her brown eyes. She cradled her hands up around the cheeks of her lover, moving their faces closer so that their lips brushed warmly together. No matter what her father said, she would never not love her Nicky. Nicky was the love of her life, now and forever. She swallowed when an unexpected sob shook out of her.
"I, uh, I wanted to have my fathah come to the wedding. And I found him, I got his address from my mom's journal so I sent him an invite. He was gonna come but then-then I told him I'm marrying a woman, not a man, and he got real upset. So, he's not coming tomorrow. Because I'm gross, Nicky. He-he called me gross for being in love with you."
The hurt in Lorna's voice didn't go unnoticed by Nicky's ears. Her eyes softened as they gazed warmly ahead into those of her lover's. She moved her face closer and rested her forehead affectionately overtop of Lorna's. A hand reached up to tenderly brush a few strands of loose hair out of her eyes. "Baby," she murmured, breath warmly trickling over the flesh that lie underneath her mouth. "Oh, baby, you're not gross. Not even close. I'm so so sorry your father isn't the father you deserve, my sweet Lorna. The love that we have, baby, is beautiful and what people like him could only wish to have. You know why he called it gross? Because deep down he's jealous and wants that kind of love for himself."
The bar of the Inn was popping with people and drinks. Mr. Morello sat on one of the stools with a beer in his hand and sighed. To think he was about to be reunited with his family tomorrow and now that was whisked away from him, he shook his head while he downed a rather large amount of the beverage in his hands. A woman sat down in a spot one stool over and he looked over at her out of interest. The spikey red hair that stood up on her head instantly caught him off guard.
After ordering her own drink, the woman felt a pair of eyes on her and looked up to return the stare. She shook her head at the man, a chuckle escaping as she did so. "I'm already taken so don't even think about it," her thick Russian accent informed him when she saw the slight lust in his brown eyes. The bartender brought her her drink and she took a sip of it before returning her gaze on the lonesome man across from her. She sighed when she caught a glimpse of the defeat that clearly emanated from his eyes.
"What's got you so down? The storm? I'm down here with my daughter for her wedding tomorrow and this is the first time in the three weeks we've been here that it's stormed this bad."
Joe chugged the rest of his beer before perking his head slightly to look back at the woman. He curved an eyebrow, wondering if this woman could possibly be the mother of the very woman his own daughter was marrying. And if she was, it clearly didn't seem like she was bothered by it. He sighed. "I was invited down here for a wedding, too. My daughta's, too, actually."
Nodding, the red-haired woman gave a genuine smile in response. The excitement she had for the wedding tomorrow could barely be contained and when she saw the less than enthusiastic mien on the man's face across from her as he commented about his own daughter's wedding, she wondered why that was. "How come you don't look too happy about that? Hmm, I guess when you're the father you have to be a little tough, huh?"
"She's marrying another woman, that's what. My daughta's a homosexual."
"So, what's wrong with that?" The woman questioned, throwing an unreadable expression his way. "My daughter's marrying a woman, too, and I couldn't be happier for the both of them. They make each other happy and love one another so much. That's what matters most. It doesn't matter if they're both women or both have two left feet; it's about the love. Maybe you should think of it that way and it'll be less scary for you."
An hour until the wedding. One hour, sixty minutes.
Lorna felt herself having to hold in the tears. Her face was full of make-up, she couldn't cry now. It was only sixty minutes away, she could hold it in for sixty minutes. She sat in the dressing room, her mother and sister both fussing over how puffed out the dress was while Piper sat beside her trying her best to keep her from breaking down. A task which proved to be a challenge as she had a hard time to keeping herself from crying at how blatantly stunning her best friend looked in her long white ball-gown.
"Oh, god, Lorna. Nicky's gonna be absolutely speechless when she sees you come down that aisle." Piper truthfully commented, looking her over in awe. She couldn't contain the happiness she felt for the two of them; the love that those two women shared was completely another level of love. Unconditional and deeper than even the largest crater on the moon, she easily acknowledged. It was a love that even slightly surpassed the love she and Alex had, if she was being honest.
Stansie and Franny finally perfected how puffed out the train of the dress was and stood in front of her, staring at her with identical gawking faces. The older of the two freely let her tears fall as she reached her hands to cup lovingly around her daughter's cheeks. She yearned to give a kiss to her forehead but refrained out of fear of messing with her make-up. "My sweet little girl," her voice not much louder than a whisper. "You are gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous and Nicky won't be able to keep her eyes off you."
Innately, Lorna jumped up from her seat and threw her arms bone-crushingly tightly around her mother's waist. If it weren't for the moist lipstick covering her lips, she easily would have given a kiss to her cheek. Instead, however, she peered fiercely into the eyes of her mom and cupped a hand around her cheek. "I love you, mom. You are the reason that Nicky and I are getting married today—If I hadn't a listened to ya and talked to her, we may never a even dated. Thank, thank you."
A sigh tumbled out of her throat. She bowed her head for a moment before returning her eyes up on her mother. "Are you sure it's not wrong for me to marry a woman?"
Stansie fiercely took her daughter's face in her hands and peered sternly, yet lovingly, into her eyes. "I'm positive there is nothing wrong about you marrying the woman you love. Don't even worry about that, honey. You can marry whoever you want as long as they treat you with love and care. And Nicky does both of those things. I couldn't have asked for a better daughter-in-law if I tried."
Two minutes until the wedding.
Two long minutes until Nicky would finally watch her beautiful bride make the trip down that aisle. She swallowed thickly, shifting her feet as she stood on the altar with both Alex and Red standing on either side of her. The sun was shinning hotly over them and the thickness of the white jumpsuit she wore quickly became clingy against her skin. She lifted her head to glance up at the sun and wanted so badly to stick her middle-finger up at it but stopped herself since they were surrounded by way too many people.
"I take it you're a little nervous?"
Alex's raspy voice quickly brought Nicky from her racing thoughts. She turned her head slightly and looked back at the taller woman. A friendly smile was on her face as she lifted a hand to place comfortingly on Nicky's shoulder. The tender squeeze that was given rapidly calmed some of her nerves. "Just a bit. I just—I can't believe in a matter of minutes Lorna will walk down here and become my wife. Am I dreaming? Pinch me, please."
Complying with her request, Alex smirked and reached two fingers onto the flesh of Nicky's arm to pinch at it. She couldn't help but chuckle at Nicky's flinch from the contact. "Well, at least you know you're not dreaming yeah?" The two shared a laugh. Alex grew serious again and laid a comforting hand over her shoulder, stroking it softly. "You two deserve this day more than anything. It's gonna be a beautiful ceremony."
The wedding music started playing and Lorna nervously followed behind the bridal party. However, halfway through, she was halted by Mr. Morello coming up beside her. She scrunched her face the second she noticed him and backed away slightly. What the hell was he doing here? He made it rather clear yesterday that he found her gross for being in love with a woman. Was he here to stop them from marrying? Despite the troubling questions that whirled through her mind, as she observed his face more closely, there was a genuine apologetic gleam seeping from him.
After the talk he had with the lady at the bar the previous evening, he pondered over her words for a good while and eventually realized that everything she said was true. What mattered wasn't that his daughter was marrying another woman but rather that she was marrying someone she loved. Someone who loved her back. And that was all that a father could want for his child. He gently grabbed her hand and walked slowly with her down the aisle.
"I shouldn't a said all that garbage to ya yesterday. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it, I just—I guess I was scared. But all that matters to me is that you're with someone who makes you happy. So if this woman you're marrying makes you happy, I'm happy for ya."
Lorna easily sensed the starting of tears but sucked them right back in. She couldn't find the words to respond with, so, she settled for squeezing the hand that held hers and looked up into his eyes with a smile. "Thank you," she whispered.
When they finally made it to the altar, she released her father's hand and peered directly ahead at Nicky. The beauty that emanated from her was almost too overwhelming for her to cope. She made her way up across from her, staring at her with her mouth slightly agape. Before even the minister could start up his spiel, tears leaked down her cheeks in truckloads. Nothing mattered to her as she stood before her almost wife—nothing except the two of them. She didn't even wait to be prompted before reaching over to take both of Nicky's hands in her own.
The second Nicky's eyes caught sight of Lorna, her breath rapidly hitched in her throat. There was not a more beautiful or stunning woman—human—than the one and only Lorna Morello. The white dress that cascaded from her neck all the way down to the ground made Lorna look even more angelic-like than usual. She felt Lorna's hands grab onto hers and she squeezed them rather tightly with her own. Tears lined her eyes and she didn't even bother to hold them in.
The minister cleared his throat before starting in on the ceremony. Not before long he closed the book and move himself closer to the two brides. He looked at Nicky first and grabbed a hold of her hand, holding it in the center. "Do you, Nicky, take Lorna to be your lawfully wedded wife in sickness and health, for better or worse, to live together in matrimony, to love and comfort her, in sorrow and joy, to have and to hold, from this day forward, as long as you both shall live?"
"I do," Nicky's voice nearly cracked from the sniffles that tried to break through her windpipe.
Nodding, the minister reached for Lorna's hand with his empty one and brought it to the center right next to Nicky's hand. He focused his eyes on the brunette now and went through the same exact line of questioning.
Lorna nodded her head profusely and cried, "I do, I do."
He smiled and joined their hands together, holding them up for everyone to witness. "I now pronounce you wife and wife." His eyes shifted between the two women and landed on Nicky, "You may now kiss your wife."
The crowd erupted into applause and cheers as the two wives moved closer to one another, eyes gazing fiercely into each other's. Nicky cradled her hands warmly around Lorna's cheeks and inched closer and closer until their lips were lightly touching. Lorna cupped her hand around the back of Nicky's head and smashed their lips into a warm, heated, soft peck. The kiss instantly loudened the cheers of their loved ones watching from their seats.
Alex peered over the kissing newly weds towards her girlfriend and gave a frisky wink to her. When Piper returned the gaze, a warm smile on her face, she smiled too and they both returned their focus on their best friends. Nothing felt more romantic than to be watching their newly married best friends kissing on the altar alongside her own girlfriend.
The newly married couple lost all awareness of the people around them and rested their heads lovingly together while still standing in their spots on the altar. Though their lips had now parted, Nicky's hands remained around Lorna's face. The tears continued to run down her cheeks as she peered lovingly into her wife's brown eyes. "I love you so damn much, Lorna Morello-Nichols. Today will always be the best day of my life, baby."
Lorna swallowed thickly, stroking the tips of her fingers up and down along the back of Nicky's head that still was cradled in her hands. "I love you more, Nicky Morello-Nichols," she purred, lips pressed softly over one of her ears. One of her hands moved to the ear her mouth rested on and delicately curled a strand of red hair behind it. "Our wedding will always be my favorite day of my entire life, honey. Forever."