Hi!!!
How is everyone? Well, I hope. This chapter took me a while I know... it's just... I got talked into doing something... I hope you enjoy it.
Well actually you won't enjoy it... not at the end of this chapter... but eventually I hope you like it.
The next chapter is half written... so have faith... the end really is near...
Thanks for all your encouragement...
Enjoy...
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The week that followed the almost wedding was nothing but bliss.
Mia went into Nazi-wedding-planner mode...
... until Letty told her she didn't want a large wedding... just family...
So Mia then went into Nazi-reception-planner mode... and Letty consented.
The victory was celebrated with a barbecue and attendance to a race... one where Dom raced and won... it was incredibly reminiscent of the old days... except for the three small children underfoot.
Mia had stayed home with Bria, but the other three had refused to be separated or to be left behind.
Not that Dom or Letty had the heart to leave them behind in the first place. It seemed that the decision to stay in LA and to stay together... had awakened them to the fact that they'd actually denied their nieces something... they were both aghast.
And the girls were milking it for all they were worth.
The days flew by and with each hour Dom and Letty became more and more impatient. They'd wanted to get married the next day, Mia had said no. She'd waited too long for that day for them to just spit it out without any planning. She wanted Letty in a wedding dress... a nice one... and Dom in a tux and for gods sake a party takes at least a week to plan!!
So they'd agreed... one week.
And Dom and Letty had agreed that one week compared to the five years they'd already been apart was nothing... so they'd wait until their wedding night to make love.
It was romantic, it would make the day special, would make night memorable -- it was making week insufferably long.
Letty had moved back in to the house, refusing to talk to Angelo or go into the office until after she'd married Dom. She had her secretary tell Angelo that she was putting her life on hold for a week and that she'd get in touch with him later on.
No one discussed the Angelo thing or what the hell she'd done to her wedding dress... no one talked about anything but the future; anything but what was going to happen now that everything was once again right with the family.
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Letty's new wedding day dawned nothing like her old one. It was rainy and windy and generally a crappy day.
The bride however was glowing.
"It would be easier to do this if you weren't smiling," Mia commented as she attempted to do her makeup.
Letty laughed, "It's been a good week."
Mia grinned, 'It's gonna be a good life, I'm glad you finally came to your senses."
Letty's grin faltered, "I don't want to talk about that."
Mia sighed, lowering her arm, "You did the right thing."
"I left a good guy at the alter... I don't think that qualifies as good," she sighed, looking down a little, "It was selfish."
"It was not!" Mia exclaimed, "You made this entire family happy! And with the size of us and the amount of people we influence... it's like you've done a public service."
Letty smiled, pushing thoughts of Angelo away... far away as her eyes moved beyond Mia, "I love my dress," she said almost dreamily.
Mia giggled, getting back to work, "Careful girl, you almost sound like a... bride..."
Letty laughed too, marveling at how different this wedding was already from her last.
It was pure chaos... the girls couldn't find their ribbons and when they did - arguments over which was whose ensued.
The guys lost their ties -- on purpose, because they didn't want to wear them.... and Mia refused to have them anywhere near the service without them.
Sonya couldn't get her hair to hold still - because oftheweather -and was threatening to just chop it all off.
Taylor didn't like the feel of the jacket and stated he simply wasn't going to wear it.
And Mia kept sprinting off like a chicken with her head off, complaining about the lack of corporation.
She sat as still as she could and used all her will power to keep a smile from her face, as Mia once again did her bridal makeup.
"There!" Mia proclaimed proudly, leaning back to admire her work, "... even better than the last time."
Letty let the smile loose as she leaned forward and studied her reflection. Mia had used warm browns and gold's, the effect making Letty shimmer.
"Get your dress on while I make sure everyone else is ready... it's almost time to go."
Letty nodded, her eyes already on the dress, as Mia move quietly away.
Letty had slipped into her dress quickly. It was a sleeve-less, creamy white creation, with no back, that hugged every curve of her body. Thin spaghetti straps held it up, and the material trailed the length of her body; slightly longer at the back than the front.
It was sleek and sophisticated... and sexy as hell.
Her hair was down in wild, wavy curls that clung to face and spilled over her shoulders.
And when she stepped into the living room she couldn't help but grin.
"What is wrong with you people!!?" Mia was yelling as she stood in the middle of the room.
The girls were playing catch with their hair ribbons, bare-footed as they jumped on the sofa. Taylor was wearing the jacket of Leon's tux, while Vince was vigorously scrubbing at his with a wet cloth -- having spilled a little beer on it -- Sonya was moving around with the aerosol bottle of hairspray leaving a cloud of the substance in her wake while she waved one foot in the air trying to get her toenails dry.
"We did this fine last week!!" Mia continued, "Last week we all got dressed and ready and clean with no problems!! What the hell is wrong!! This is - "
" - perfect..." Letty cut her off, as she walked fully into the room, her smile wide, as she studied the disheveled members of her family, "....this is perfect..." she murmured, her eyes glimmering with happiness.
This was her family. The girls rambunctious and playful, the guys reluctant and complaining, Taylor running around underfoot, Sonya oblivious to the world, Mia emitting waves of frustration... this was her wedding.
was her family. The girls rambunctious and playful, the guys reluctant and complaining, Taylor running around underfoot, Sonya oblivious to the world, Mia emitting waves of frustration... was her wedding."...this is real..." she finished, softly, studying them all.
Mia sighed as giggle escaped her, "It's a mess is what it is," she said good naturedly.
"I agree with the bride... it's perfect..." the deep male voice rumbled around the room, and drew all eyes to it.
Dom was standing in the doorway his eyes glued to Letty.
He had had no problems getting ready. He'd been ready for hours... ready and anxious to get this show on the road. Standing there in his black tux he took Letty's breath away.
He walked to her, pulling her close, bending his face near to hers, "You are perfect."
She would have laughed, if she'd been able to breathe...
... right... so they'd decided to wait until their wedding night...
They'd gone five years without each other.... what was another week and a half?
Hell.
It was hell.
They couldn't keep their hands off each other, and the air around sparked and sizzled...
... it amused the family to no end...
"I love this dress..." he was saying, his lips barely skimming hers, "... can't wait to take it off..." the words were whispered, and sent a delightful shudder through.
Slowly, she arched against him, teasing him gently, "Wait till you see what's under it..." she murmured huskily.
He captured her mouth with his instantly and for a moment they were lost in each other, before a small querulous voce asked solemnly, "How can d'they breathe like d'that?"
"Duh Taylor d'there holdin there breaths!" Dolly answered, with all the wisdom of her age.
Letty and Dom flew apart, and Vince threw his head back and laughed, "Just like the good ole' days," he said patronizingly, and Dom glared at him.
Sonya laughed and then Mia giggled and suddenly they were all overcome with hysterics. No one could stop laughing.
The kids just shrugged and continued hopping on the sofa's and throwing things around.
Mia, as usual, was the first to get a hold of herself.
"People, people," she called out, "... we need to hurry... we're gonna be late."
Taking gasping breaths they all agreed and in an amazingly short span of time order was restored.
Mia held a contented Bria in her arms as her family filed out of the house -- with umbrellas in-hand. They were headed to a small chapel where a minister and lawyer were waiting for them.
From there they were headed to dinner -- for family only -- and then to the club for a party... to which half of LA was invited.
Not the half that had been invited to her other wedding... the other half... the fun one... who'd bring lots of beer... some of it flavored.
It was going to be a huge bash and Letty was looking forward to it almost more than the wedding...
... not as much as the wedding night...
But still pretty exciting...
After that there was a race planned... several actually... to celebrate the reunion of the King and Queen.
It was going to be a good day.
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The chapel was small and simple; and when they entered it they flooded the it with noise and laughter and love.
The aisle wasn't very long and the pew wasn't covered in flowers; in fact the only flowers present were the girl's bouquet's -- made of colorful alstromeria -- they were pretty and wild and stronger than they looked...
The only people there were the ones that had been at the house -- which were really the only people who mattered.
The minister waited patiently as everyone accommodated themselves. There was no one in the pews, everyone present was part of the ceremony.... except baby Bria who sat in her carrier at her Daddy's feet.
Her daddy along with the guys stood next to Dom - Leon with no tie, Vince with no jacket, and Brian making gaga faces at his infant daughter.
At the back of the chapel, Mia was organizing -- at least trying to organize everyone in order of their procession...
The girls weren't having it. They had to share a basket of petals, and were busily discussing who would stand where and who got to drop the first handful and how much petals were allowed in the handful...
Taylor, on the other hand, stood at attention holding the small pillow with the rings proudly. While Sonya was adjusting the curls on the side of her face barely aware that they'd made it to the chapel.
Sighing in frustration Mia took her place in front of Letty, acknowledging this was as perfect as she was gonna get...
Letty sighed contentedly.
The organ struck a note and the girls decided they'd skip down the aisle... skip and hop... skip, hop, and twirl that is... all the way down the aisle... while tossing the petals at each other...
They reached the front flushed and giggling, their hair all awry and their eyes shimmering -- Everyone grinned.
Taylor didn't.
When it was his turn, he took each step very carefully, so that the rings didn't so much as twitch when he walked.
He reached the front solemnly, but when he turned to face his father, he winked at him before grinning broadly.
Sonya made the walk with gently swaying hips and happily bouncing curls, her eyes fixed on Vince. Eyes that were telling her soon...
Mia walked next, her steps firm and steady and much slower than one would have expected.
She had no rush... this was not a moment to be rushed... this was Letty's wedding day.... to her brother...
... the way it should it be...
... everything was as it should be...
Even the disheveled guys, the misbehaving girls, the distracted Sonya... Letty was right... this was perfect.
The music changed and it was Letty's turn. She walked steadily, confident in the knowledge that this time there was no judgment from the pews, no assessing gazes, and speculative thoughts... this time there was only love.
Dom reaching for her immediately; taking the colorful bouquet from her hands and handing it the waiting Mia.
He grasped both her hands with both of his, and brought them up to his lips for a gentle kiss. His eyes meeting hers with all the intensity of his being.
They just gazed at each other... lost in each other... in what could be... what would be...
... not hearing the quiet giggles from the girls...
... not hearing the whispered words from the guys....
... not hearing Bria's baby gaggle...
... not hearing a word the minister said...
It wasn't until someone else entered the chapel that they heard anything at all.
"This is just the cutest thing!!" the voice said loudly, happily, a lilt of teasing inflecting it.
Everyone whirled to face the intruder, Letty pulling one of her hands free.
Scowls were firmly in place on the faces of everyone... even the minister... to interrupt a wedding ceremony... he thought ... it was quite simply rude.
The woman was now standing in the middle of the aisle her gaze studying everyone and everything, the smile still firmly in place.
She was stunning.
But even before any of them could register why she was stunning, something else happened that made their stomachs drop and the happiness fade.
Taylor dropped the pillow with the rings he'd been so meticulously guarding...
... dropped it and ran to the stranger...
.... ran to the stranger...
... screaming "Mommy!!!"....
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