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“You just made me the luckiest man I know,” he said. “We’re gettin’ married!”
Epilogue
Roberta Saint was in her glory. This would be the first marriage in their family since Charlie’s, and that had ended in divorce. Big Mike went pale when she suggested that they should help pay for the wedding, because he knew that meant she’d go overboard. Being willing to do it would mean that he might have to do it for five more boys.
“Promise me that you aren’t going to do this for each one.”
“Darling, we won’t pay for the whole thing. Let me ask you something. Have you ever seen the inside of Alice Clark’s house? It’s shabby in the extreme. I don’t think they have the money to put on a big affair. And we have so many friends. I don’t want the guest list to be limited.”
“Bertie, Alice Clark is just a crappy decorator. Emmett is a college professor. They make enough money to throw a wedding for their oldest daughter.”
Knowing when to stop, Roberta would spend whatever she wanted. The first thing she did was question the couple about the guest list. “How many people can I invite?”
“Keep it small, Ma,” Tony said. “We have a kid already. This isn’t going to be a throwdown.”
“Well, what if we have it here at the house? We have the terrace, where we can seat at least a hundred people. Then it can be casual.”
“Truthfully, we want to have it at the firehouse.”
Her heart nearly stopped. “Oh, God in Heaven, the friggin’ firehouse? No, Tony! Not a firehouse wedding!”
He shouted out laughter, slapping his knee. “That does it, we’re having a firehouse wedding.”
“If you must. But at least let me go in and do a little decorating. This is the first wedding! Have mercy on your old mother.”
So Roberta and Alice Clark went to the firehouse together, an incongruous pair, and after the men pulled the trucks out of the garage for the day, they got to work, transforming the industrial space into a fairyland for the marriage of the second son.
When the time came for the ceremony, Tony was beside himself, alternately weeping and laughing.I’m a basket case, he texted Bridget.
Aw, hang in there, honey. It will soon be over, and we’ll be back in our own house in peace.
Finally, at two p.m. on the dot, their friends and family assembled. A friend of Emmett’s played Wagner’s “Bridal Chorus” on the concertina, the familiar-sounding Irish accordion stirring emotions within Bridget that she’d hoped would stay buried, the fear that she’d burst into tears terrifying. If she lost it, Tony would most likely collapse, and the thought of him swooning up at the makeshift altar made her laugh, neutralizing her fears.
While first Caitlin and then Candy walked down the aisle as her attendants, she remembered a Saint Julian of Norwich quote:All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.Saint Julian was the author of the earliest surviving book written in English by a woman,Revelations of Divine Love. The one line that stuck from her high school religious studies was “He that made man for love.” Knowing she was taking it out of context, nevertheless, she and Tony were made for love, and this was the culmination of it.
“Well, it’s time.”
Looking up, she saw Emmett, handsome in his suit, offering an arm to his beautiful daughter. “You’re actually doing it,” he said. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Ah, Da, did you think I’d be single forever?”
“Truthfully, I wasn’t sure. I didn’t want you to be alone, I can tell you that much. You look beautiful, Bridget.”
It was true. Her body had recovered from Isabella’s birth, and the dress showed that off. Long, formfitting, it had spaghetti straps and a low cowl neckline. Roberta had picked it out for her when she said she’d wear a regular dress for the ceremony, and when Bridget saw it, she had to admit that it was perfect.
“My favorite daughter-in-law will have the best dress I can find.” Of course, the joke being she would be the only daughter-in-law until Joey got married.
The wedding march started in earnest, and everyone stood up from the folding chairs as Bridget, on her father’s arm, began her journey down the aisle to Tony.
“Jesus, Mary and Joseph, your groom just started to blubber,” Emmett whispered.
Bridget bit her lip, giggling under her breath. “He’ll be okay. He’s just excited about getting married.”
Unaware of anyone around her after that, Bridget only saw Tony looking like a menswear model in his tuxedo. It was a surprise for her, and the result was breathtaking. When she reached him, the first thing she said was, “You look amazing. We need to get dressed up more often.”
“For you, anything,” he replied, taking her hand. They held onto each other.
“Forget it. I like our picnics the best.”
