Chapter 13
Hal and Vince were keeping me company at the house tonight. I spent time searching furniture sites to furnish the rooms. "What are you doing?" Vince asked.
"Looking for furniture for the six bedrooms. Do you have a preference?" I asked.
"Oversized twin beds in the upper bedrooms and queen beds in the main floor," Vince stated. "Make sure you order six of the twin beds, so there's two per room."
"Only get one dresser per room. Get one of those double ones with eight drawers but four per half. You want to give us a place to put our clothes and not enough for us to move in," Hal added.
"Are the upstairs bedrooms big enough for the beds?" I asked.
"They sure are," Vince proudly said. "I measured them myself."
"Of course you did," I mumbled.
Hal sat beside me to see what style I selected. He was happy when I chose the more expensive sturdy wood-framed beds. "Does anyone want a drink?" I offered.
"I'll grab a few beers," Vince volunteered. I had a feeling I would need a stiff drink for what Hal was about to tell me.
"We soundproofed the master bedroom," Hal stated.
"Did you now?" I asked. I suspected they did since I could stand in the room and scream without someone coming to my rescue.
"Yup. It was Lester's idea," Hal replied. "He said you and Diesel get a little carried away." His face blushed beet red as he told me. I'd be surprised if mine didn't match. Lester may have mentioned something to me once or twice.
"And is the other bedroom soundproof too?" I wondered.
"No. Just the master. If you have your door closed, nobody can hear what's going on inside or out," he replied. "When or if you have children, you'll need a baby monitor."
I could imagine a little boy with brown curly hair and big blue eyes running through the house. He was screaming, "Catch me, daddy." Diesel was chasing after him.
"Steph? Earth to Stephanie," Vince called as he pressed the cold beer bottle against my arm. I jumped from the contact and snapped out of my daydream.
"Thanks, Vince," I stated. "I got a bit distracted."
"After I mentioned children," Hal stage whispered.
"Are we going to be uncles?" Vince asked.
I laughed before replying, "Vince, honey. You're already an uncle."
Hal looked at his buddy and asked, "Why have you never mentioned this before?"
"It never came up," Vince replied. "You know my sister's married."
"Yes. Lea married Ed almost fifteen years ago," Hal stated. "No mention of children."
"Hal, sweetie. We both know how little information you share about your families. Vince, can I tell him?" I asked. Vince was shaking his head no before I said, "Eddie's coming over with the family."
"Fine, tell him," Vince replied as someone rang the doorbell. "I'll get the door."
"I only have a few seconds to say this, but Lea is short for Shirley, my cousin," I said.
"So you and Vince are cousins?" Hal asked.
The boys yelled, "Hi, Uncle Vince."
"Never mind. I know the answer now," Hal replied when he saw Eddie enter the house. "Does the boss know?"
"Probably. It would've shown in the background check," I answered. I still find it funny to have a cousin named Vincent and another called Vince. Their mothers always competed with each other. It took a while for Aunt Isabella to get pregnant with Vince. She wanted to name him Vincent, but my Aunt Diana beat her to the punch. Diana called Vincent Vinnie since birth, and the nickname stuck. Aunt Isabella refused to name her son anything but Vince. Shirley was born just over a year later. Aunt Diana only had Vinnie.
"I love what you've done with the place," Eddie stated as he walked through the house.
"Thanks, we had a lot of help from my Merry Men," I responded. "Take a look around. The new addition still needs furniture."
Eddie led his family through the house. I could hear the boys claiming bedrooms. "You need to furnish those empty rooms to stop the echoes," Vince stated as he sat beside me.
I grabbed my laptop to place the order for the beds, dressers and mattresses. When I found furniture for the entertainment room, I smelled cinnamon and Christmas cookies. I moved through several styles of chairs. The second I pulled up the sofa with recliners and armrest dividers, I felt Diesel kiss my cheek. The scent disappeared as fast as it appeared. I ordered three sofas and a large screen TV with a wall installation kit. Next, I ordered a wireless surround sound system, a DVD player, and a PVR.
Hal whistled. "Your entertainment room is going to be epic," Hal stated.
"Order foosball and pool tables," Vince suggested.
"No can do," Eddie stated. "Diesel already has custom-made ones."
"Don't forget about the air hockey table," I reminded him. Diesel had his tables stored in a warehouse his friend owns.
"So when can we move in?" Shirley joked.
"Never," I replied. "In ten years, you'll have your house to yourselves."
"Unless the boys follow in their father's footsteps," Shirley stated. "Your house is gorgeous. It looks different from the fixer-upper you purchased."
We visited with the Gazarra family until it was bedtime for the boys. They were surprisingly well behaved in my home. "I read them the riot act before coming over," Eddie whispered as he hugged me.
Shirley hugged me and whispered, "I told them to forget about all future desserts if they misbehaved."
"Thanks for stopping by for a visit. When our entertainment room is ready, we'll invite you over," I told Shirley.
"We'll like that. I'll call you tomorrow," Shirley said before leaving my house.
After locking the door, I returned to the living room, where Vince and Hal played rock, paper, scissors. "What are you doing?" I asked.
"Playing best of seven. Loser sleeps on the couch," Vince replied.
"Hal, take the guest room. Vince, you can sleep in my bed with me," I said to stop their childish game. It wasn't the first time Vince and I shared a bed. We're cousins and knew neither of us would cross the line. I may wake up cuddled into his side, but I can't help snuggling with an attractive man.
"Stay on your side of the bed," Vince warned.
"I make no promises, cousin," I replied.
I wore pyjama pants with Diesel's shirt. Vince and I fell asleep on opposite sides of the bed. During the night, I smelled cinnamon and Christmas cookies. My body is lying across a muscular man. Taking a sniff, I noticed it was Vince's aftershave.
The scent of cinnamon was coming from behind me. I rolled over to my side of the bed, but nobody was there. Vince had an early morning shift, so my alarm sounded at 0500 hours. He climbed from the bed after kissing my forehead. "See you later, Steph," he whispered as he left the room. I didn't need to get up for work until later. It was my week to work the evening shifts, so I closed my eyes to sleep for a few more hours.
When I woke up, I smelled cinnamon and Christmas cookies. I thought it was Diesel doing another invisible check-in until I felt his warm body beneath mine. "Morning, Sunshine," Diesel said as I opened my eyes. "I missed you."
"I missed you too, Lars," I replied without thinking.
"What did you call me?" he jokingly asked as he flipped our positions.
"Lars," I replied. "It's your name, right, Lars Arnkell Diesel?"
"Yes, but you know how much I hate my name," he answered.
"You can always change it," I suggested. Diesel didn't mind his name, but Diesel sounded more bad-ass than Lars.
We didn't waste time getting reacquainted. I missed my man more than I realized. One day I'm going to make this man my husband. "Steph, marry me," Diesel groaned as he emptied into me.
"Yes," I moaned. "I'll marry you." I felt him slip a ring onto my finger. Diesel and I made love a few more times before leaving our bed to shower. "We don't have time," I moaned as he pushed back into me.
"I'll drive you to work," he promised. Diesel had my front pressed against the shower wall as he pumped into me. He trailed kisses down the back of my neck as he rolled my nipples between his fingers. One hand left my breast and trailed down my abdomen. Diesel flicked my clit a couple of times before I screamed his name. He quickly followed me over.
"Everyone is going to say we're rushing into this," I stated as I finally looked at the ring. It was my great-grandma's ring. "How did you get this?"
"Edna gave it to me. She said when the time is right, I should ask you to marry me then give you this ring," he replied. "Sunshine, we've known each other for years. I knew since the day we arrived at Viper's villa that you would become my wife."
A tear fell from my eye as I looked into the eyes of my future husband. "When do you see this happening?" I asked. It didn't matter if it was today or years from now. I just wanted to be married to Diesel.
"Today," he replied. "We're not rushing into anything. The committee approved our union."
"Okay, is everything ready?" I asked. Even though she drove me crazy, I wanted mom to be there. I forgave her months ago. Today was her chance to prove she accepted my choices in life.
"Yes," he answered as he passed me a Rangeman uniform. I quickly dressed, knowing he wanted to head out soon. My shift starts soon, but I had a feeling my man had it swapped with someone else.
I smiled as each red light turned to green as we approached. Diesel once claimed it was luck, but I knew he was responsible. We arrived at Rangeman in record time.
Lester pulled me from the car and dragged me to my Rangeman apartment. Mom, grandma, Mary Lou, Valerie and the girls were waiting for me to arrive. "Change into this dress," mom ordered. I grabbed the garment bag from her hands.
"Wear this underneath," Valerie said as she passed me a lingerie bag. I took the items to the washroom to change.
"Wow," I said as I removed the pale yellow bra and panty set. It didn't take me long to change into them. I pulled the sundress over my head. The pale yellow sundress had tiny white flowers and clouds on the skirt.
When I exited the bathroom, mom said, "You look beautiful."
"I have jewelry for you to wear," grandma stated as she approached me. She hooked the long necklace over my head and let the sapphire pendant fall between my breasts. I recognized the jewel from the stash I found in the attic.
"Sit, Aunt Stephie," Angie demanded. I sat in the chair as she pulled the elastic band from my hair. She worked on one side as Mary Alice did the other one. The girls French braided my hair along the sides before joining them together in the back. Angie applied some hair wax to the curls and got them to separate into long ringlets. "Does it look okay?" Angie asked as she held up a mirror.
"It looks perfect," I replied. My family and friends were making my day special.
Mary Lou slipped a pair of white heeled sandals on my feet. She looped the straps around my ankle before buckling them in place. "Let me quickly fix your makeup," Mary Lou stated. I fought back the tears as she applied waterproof mascara and gave my eyes a smoky look to accentuate my blue eyes. "Done."
Mom hugged me and whispered, "I'm so sorry Steph. I thought Joe was different."
"Mom, I'm over it. Please let it go, mom. You've apologized already, and I've already forgiven you," I reminded her. "I'm ready to marry Diesel."
I opened the door and found my grandfather standing on the other side. "Nonno," I cried. Tears streamed down my face as I hugged my grandpa. Having him here today meant more to me than having my mom here.
"I couldn't let you get married without me," he whispered.
Nonno led me towards the largest conference room.
Diesel wore a white button-down, short-sleeved top. He was wearing khaki shorts and leather sandals.
Lester was standing beside him, taking the position of best man. Mary Lou was my maid of honour.
All of my off-duty Merry Men were in the room waiting for the ceremony to begin. Tank was our officiant. We didn't waste time getting to the vows.
"I remember the first day we met. You welcomed me with open arms and made my day brighter like sunshine on a cloudy day," he stated. I was fighting back a laugh. It was not how our first meeting happened.
"You mean open arms as I pointed my empty gun at you?" I joked. I added, "After you helped yourself to my beer."
Diesel smiled, showing me his dimples. "I could hear your heart thump loudly in your chest as I lay on your bed. You were just as affected by me as I was you. I never thought you'd give me a chance. Nearly a year ago, you trusted me to take you away for training. When we arrived at our destination, I knew we would eventually be standing here in front of friends and family to exchange our vows. You are my sunshine, my love and my life," Diesel finished.
"Wow. I'm not sure how to top that," I stated. "When we first met, I thought you were annoying and presumptuous. My opinion hasn't changed." Everyone laughed at my words. "During my journey of self-improvement, you showed me how to love myself by supporting me. You held my hand as I faced my demons and hugged me when I cried. I would never have done it without your support. After I healed myself, I realized how much I love you. It has always been you."
I paused to wipe the tears from my face. "You are my friend, my love and my life," I said to finish my vows.
We exchanged rings, provided by grandma, and Tank pronounced us husband and wife. When Diesel kissed me, I felt my entire body heat up from the kiss.
"Did these rings belong to your great grandparents?" Diesel asked.
"Yes. I'm honoured grandma gave them to us," I replied.
"Me too," Diesel added. Nonno welcomed Diesel to the family before announcing he needed to go home. Everyone congratulated us before helping themselves with the food Ella provided.
Ranger gave me a few weeks off work for a honeymoon. Tank, Lester, Bobby, and Ranger gifted us a two-week trip to Hawaii. It was too much after everything they already gave us, but we were thankful.