Chapter Eighteen:
Tough Love

Luca sat in the samespotNatalee wastwo months before, though she was sure she wasn't going to run away. Natalee and a forgiven Morgan sat on either side of her, the same Bob Dylan CD playing on the stereo. Everything was set and Luca just wanted it to be over, thinking about all the relatives she'd never seen before hugging her, her fake smile as they grabbed Greg's face.

The CD ended and the room was silent; no one had anything to say to the other, this wasn't any of their ideas. Flo ran around making adjustments and plans.

Someone knocked on the door and Luca went to open it.

Natalee gasped. "No! What if it's Greg! He can't see you before the wedding."

Luca didn't feel like fighting about how Natalee's superstitious and signs were pointless. Instead she let Natalee push her behind the door while she opened it and talked to Bernard outside who said it was almost time.

Luca's heart started to beat faster as Bernard took her arm and led her down the aisle. She squeezedit as she passed her grandmothers, who were crying, and she gave him a hug and a kiss at the alter. It finallystarted: beautiful, traditional, and she was sure it was going to be the happiest day in her life.

The wedding party sat in a row, high above everyone else, making Luca feel like a queen.

Natalee stared at Morgan.

"What!"

"It's open bar but you don't you think you should take a break?"

Morgan finished her rum and Coke.

"Remember, you're making a speech tonight," Natalee reminded her.

"I'll be fine," Morgan snapped. "Okay? It's going to be great." Her words were already slurring together when she went up for another drink.

Natalee shook her head, but knew there was nothing she could do without ruining the reception all together for Luca and Greg.

Morgan grabbed the microphone suddenly. "Okay! Speech time."

Luca looked at her, shaking her head but everyone else laughed. She looked at Greg and he, too, was laughing at the drunken Morgan.

"I didn't think that Luca would be the one getting married first, to be honest with you people." She paused. "Of course, she's not the whore in the family."

A few of the older members of the audience gasped a little, but in general, everyone was enjoying this.

"No, Luca was always the pride and joy until she decided she was going to be a singer and ended up living off our parents money." She turned to Luca. "Smart idea, Lu. Oh, and when she moved in with Greg and my dad let it out of the bag to our mom. Other than that, everyone loves her."

Someone should have stopped her therebut they were either too in awe of what she was doing or in hysterics because she was drunk doing it.

"I've known Luca her whole life. I loved her the moment I saw her and I never told her."

Luca's eyes welled up.

"We always played together with these kids down the street and she had her first kiss with one of them…Rory! Yes, Rory. Rory told the whole neiborhood that she was the worst kisser on the block."

"Oh, my God," Luca said, covering her head. "Is someone going to do something about this?" She looked at Bernard hopefully.

He got up from his seat just as Morgan made her grand finale.

"And Greg, we've known each other for a long time, too. He used to stalk me! I finally let him fuck me on prom night." She struggled to pull the microphone from Bernard. "I'm not done yet."

"Yes, you are," he said.

Luca got up and walked to the bathroom. Everyone had stopped laughing and no one spoke. Greg followed her.

"Greg, this is the ladies room."

"I don't care," he said.

"I can't believe she ruined my wedding!" Luca shouted. "I'm leaving. I'm so embarrassed."

"I am, too, honey. You think my parents knew that?" Greg shrugged like it was no big deal. "We have to go on with life. She does stupid things…especially when she's drunk. We're going to have to go back in there and suck it up, okay?"

"I can't," she said, sobbing.

Natalee walked in. "Greg, this is the ladies room."

"So I've heard."

She shook her head and decided to try to convince Luca everything was okay. "Lu, you know she's a big fat idiot and she's going to screw up our life, but she's your sister. You're stuck with her for the rest of your life. So, what I'm saying is suck it up."

Luca looked at her, wiped the tears from her eyes, took a deep breath, and walked out of the bathroom.

"Tough love, Greg," Natalee said. "Works every time."