I had images of Krista and Rizzo being all cute and newlywed-like dancing around in my head, so here's the reception...
After the guests had left the church, the photographer had shot what seemed like eight million rolls of film, and the wedding party got to have a little fun together, Krista and Rizzo finally found a few minutes alone just before they made their entrance at the reception. They stood outside the main doors of the banquet hall with goofy grins on their faces and their arms wrapped around each other.
"My wife," Rizzo said for the millionth time that day.
Krista laughed at him. "Someday it'll be normal for you to call me that, you know."
"Maybe," he told her stroking her cheek, "but I don't think I'll ever be able to say it without smiling."
She ran her fingers through his hair. "You get major brownie points for that," she said, kissing him softly.
"I meant it, though," he replied, kissing her again.
"I know…"
They were interrupted by the sound of one of the band members on the microphone. "And here they are, the new mister and missus, Mike and Krista Eruzione!"
The couple parted just as the doors opened. Before them stood hundreds of their family and friends, cheering and applauding. Also before them, stood two rows of hockey players, one row on each side of the door, holding sticks aloft and crossed as though they were swords at a military ceremony.
Krista laughed again. "What is this?"
"We thought you'd like to make a grand entrance," Mac said, standing at the front of one row. "We knew a lot of your family is in the military, Krista, and Rizzo has the whole hockey thing happening..."
"And you all just happened to have hockey sticks with you?" Rizzo laughed.
"Yeah," Mac winked.
Krista gave him a big hug, and Rizzo shook his hand, slapping him on the back, both smiling broadly.
"Are you going to go under them or what?" OC asked sarcastically. "My arms are getting tired…"
Rizzo took Krista's hand and they walked under the arch of sticks and took their places at the center of the wedding party's table. Father O'Malley said a blessing and everyone sat back and relaxed over dinner—everyone, that is, except for the bride and groom. Their guests kept them from eating very much with a constant chorus of silverware clanging against glasses. Just as one round would die down someone would pick up a fork and touch off another set, keeping Krista's and Rizzo's lips locked, and smiling, for most of the meal.
After the food was eaten and the dishes cleared, the band began to tune up for the musical portion of the evening. With their guests finally without things to bang on, Krista and Rizzo snuck into the kitchen to snag a quick snack to supplement the little bit of dinner they had managed to eat. By the time they were done, the band was ready.
It was the same band that had played for the gold medal celebration in Lake Placid, and they began with what would have been the father/daughter and mother/son dance. Rizzo led his mother onto the dance floor and Krista took her brother Tim by the hand.
"Have I said 'thank you for doing this' yet?" Krista asked, sliding an arm around his shoulder.
"Why would you thank me? It's a privilege to be such a big part of your wedding day," Tim told her.
"Well, thank you anyway," she said, squeezing his shoulder. "You've raised me since Dad died, and I can't imagine having you anywhere else." She leaned her head against his chest and closed her eyes.
After a small pause, Tim said, "Thinking about Joe?"
Krista sighed a little. "Yeah…especially when I look at Anya and Risa," she replied, her eyes flickering to her missing brother's two daughters. "They look so much like him."
"They do," Tim smiled. "And you just know he's here looking in on them, and on you."
Krista nodded, smiling.
The song ended, and Tim let go of his sister. "Thanks, for the dance little sister."
"Anytime, big brother."
The music changed, becoming slower in tempo and less instrumental as the band moved into an a capella version of "In the Still of the Night." Krista found Rizzo and wrapped an arm around him, her smile brightening.
"Hello my husband," she said, kissing him lightly.
He grinned, taking her other hand in his and resting it against his chest. "Hello my wife."
"Do you remember the first time we danced to this song?"
He thought for a moment. "As a matter of fact I do. It was your birthday party at the bar, and Rammer punched this song up on the juke box."
"I still wonder whatever possessed him to do that," she said.
"Oh, someone happened to let it slip that 'In the Still of the Night' was your favorite song and that I hadn't gotten to dance with you yet," he said with a sly smile.
"It was you?" she asked, surprised.
"Yeah," he said, nuzzling her cheek. "So Rammer took it upon himself to make sure the song was played, and Mac decided to make sure you found me." He paused, kissing her hair. "I was crazy about you, even then."
She kissed him gently and laid her head on his shoulder, noticing for the first time the gold cuff link engraved with an anchor that was attached to his sleeve.
"You wore Joe's cuff links…" she said softly.
His hand ran lightly over her back. "Of course I did. I told you he'd be here today, didn't I?"
"You did," Krista replied, smiling. "And he is."
He bent his head down and leaned his cheek against hers, puller her as close to him as possible, enjoying the rest of the song. She sighed blissfully, rubbing the back of his neck lightly, happy to be in his arms again.
Rizzo kissed her cheek then her lips as the song ended. "I love you."
She smiled yet again. "I love you too." Then she laughed. "And this is probably the last time I'll see you tonight…"
"Save me one more dance, okay?"
"Okay." She kissed him one last time before family and friends began crowding the dance floor, wanting to congratulate the bride and groom. Sure enough, the happy couple ended up on opposite sides of the room, and spent several hours away from each other. His former teammates kept her busy dancing and talking, since most of them hadn't seen her in quite a while. Her nieces and cousins kept him pretty busy, too, having developed crushes on "Uncle Mike" when they had met him previous summer. The pair did manage to steal a few moments together to cut the cake and snuck off to share a piece of it, but were soon found and separated again.
Then the time came for Krista to throw the bouquet. All the single women gathered on the dance floor and Krista stood on a chair at one end.
"Why are you standing on a chair?" Bah asked her, helping her up onto it.
"Better flight path," she laughed.
A drum roll sounded, and Ana, the matron-of-honor, counted to three. The bouquet went sailing over about half of the crowd and squarely into the arms of Olivia, Krista's roommate back in Minnesota.
"Livie!" Krista laughed. "You know what that means! I'm going to have to have a chat with Silky…"
Liv laughed, too, as she walked over to where her boyfriend was standing. "Well tell him I'm ready and waiting," she said. Silky blushed.
Guests were starting to leave, and the bride and groom were growing tired, having thoughts of skipping out themselves. Rizzo wandered over to the band and said something to the lead singer. Then he went to find Krista.
"There you are," he said, wrapping his arms around her waist as she looked at the guest book just outside the main doors. He leaned down and kissed her neck softly, running a finger over the chain of the snowflake necklace he'd given her the night before.
A smile spread across her lips. "I was getting tired, so I thought I'd come over here and see who all came...take a little break from the crowd." She leaned her head back against him.
"How about we have that other dance you promised me, then we'll get out of here."
"Sounds great."
They strolled hand in hand back out to the dance floor and the band began a cover of the Temptations' "My Girl".
Rizzo pulled her close to him again and smiled. He knew her penchant for Motown songs, and couldn't think of a better one to dance to with her. "A song especially for you," he whispered in her ear.
She smiled back. "I'm your girl now, for the rest of our lives."
He rested his cheek against hers, the happiest he'd ever been, holding her in his arms and moving slowly to the music.