Death of the Family Recipe (A Scotti Fitzgerald Murder Mystery Book 3) (15 page)

Ted smiled. "Yes, she is." He laced his fingers through mine, and we stepped onto the platform. He bent his head and whispered, "Here we go, recruit."

The minister smiled at the crowd. "We have gathered here today to witness and celebrate the marriage of Scotti and Ted as they take the first step of their new life together. Loving someone is a reason to stretch beyond our limits, to become more for the sake of the other. To look into the soul of your beloved and accept what you see. Loving is the ultimate commitment that challenges humans to become all we are meant to be. As they join in marriage today, Scotti and Ted are announcing to the world that they welcome that challenge."

He smiled at us. "Scotti and Ted, today, you have reached a crossroads in your lives. You’re turning away from your yesterdays and looking ahead to your tomorrows. Your past is a distant memory. Your future a waiting adventure. It’s a new day, a new commitment, a new life. The bonds that you forge today will change your lives forever. Ted, is Scotti the one with whom you wish to spend your life?"

Ted smiled. "You betcha."

"Scotti, is Ted the one with whom you wish to spend your life?"

I squeezed Ted’s hand and smiled. "He is."

The minister nodded and invited us to exchange our vows.

Ted took my hand and kissed it. "Scotti, I fell for you the first time I saw you and I’ve been falling ever since. I knew if I kept at you, I could talk you into marrying me. And it worked because here we are. You’re my everything honey — my angel, my companion, my friend, my lover, my soul mate — the love of my life. I promise to always love you. And always be there for you, through good and bad, the best and the worst. No matter what, I’ve got your six, recruit." He brushed a tear from my cheek. "I promise to treasure you, trust and honor you." He chuckled. "And probably try to talk you out of the crazy things you want to do too. But I’ll never turn my back on you or walk away from you. I’ll never stop loving you. You’re my light at the end of the tunnel. My best reason for getting up every day. My heart, my life, and my soul are yours forever."

I wiped my tears and giggled nervously. "Ted, I never believed there was anyone out there for me until I met you. You’re my rock, my strength, and my home. I love you more than I knew I could love anyone. My life changed when I met you. And I’m so glad because I can’t imagine my life without you in it. You’re my Captain America, my true north, my everything. I promise to cherish you, honor and respect you." I laughed. "And drive you up the wall too. From here on out, I’m with you all the way baby. For true, for real. We’re soul mates honey, so no matter what life throws at us, it won’t beat us. And we’re so lucky we found each other, aren’t we? Right here, right now in front of all our friends and family I pledge everything I am to you. My heart, my soul, my life it’s all yours — I’m all yours, forever and always."

We both cried, but happy, happy tears. We exchanged rings. "With this ring, I marry you and bind my life to yours. It is a symbol of my eternal and everlasting love, and the promise of all my tomorrows."

Then the minister took over, which was a good thing because neither of us were in any shape to speak. "Today, Scotti and Ted honored you with their invitation to be present with them for this ceremony. And so, this day, they declare before all of us that they shall live together in marriage." He looked out to the crowd and smiled. "Therefore, it is my pleasure, that I now pronounce Ted and Scotti as husband and wife." He nodded at Ted. "You may kiss your bride!"

Ted took me in his arms, dipped me and kissed me. The crowd cheered. Ted whispered in my ear. "We did it."

"Yes, we did, husband."

The wedding reception was a blur of music, food, happy faces and my own internal hum of joy. The band played "At Last" as Ted and I debuted on the dance floor, and we kissed whenever the sound of tinkling glasses arose. We smeared wedding cake in each other’s faces. He threw the garter to a crowd of bachelors — baby brother Matt caught it. I threw the bouquet to the single girls — Debbie hip-bumped Zelda out of the way to garner the prize. And I finally got to eat. And eat some more. Which made up for the fact that I had to drink sparkling apple cider instead of champagne. Well, sort of…

And as the moon rose and the stars sparkled the night sky, we left our friends and family to start our new life. Melinda high-tailed us into the house. "I don’t want you to worry about a thing. We’ll take care of everything, and Matt will stay at the house while you’re gone." She hugged each of us then nudged us to the staircase. "Now, go change and get out of here. Have your honeymoon and don’t think about anything but each other."

I paused on the stairs and watched Melinda hurry back to the party. "That woman is a wonder."

Ted patted my fanny and pulled me along. "That she is — but time’s a-wasting recruit." We ducked into the guest room and changed into jeans, tee shirts and jackets. Our simple honeymoon was a drive up the coast, stopping at bed and breakfasts along the way. Maybe we’d make it as far as San Francisco but all we really wanted was a few days alone.

Ted backed me toward the bed and wiggled his eyebrows. "The door’s locked."

I swatted him. "Are you kidding? A quickie on our wedding day?"

He laughed. "You can’t blame a guy for trying."

My wedding dress lay on the bed and I stared at it. "I hate to leave to it."

"Melinda will make sure it gets home safe and sound." He kissed my neck. "Besides, rumor has it you’ve got a bag full of dirty lingerie."

I placed Zelda’s cameo on top of my beautiful wedding dress and turned to Ted.

"Okay Romeo, let’s hit the road."

When we got downstairs, I looked wistfully toward the music and happy blend of voices.

Ted tugged on my hand. "Come on honey, we have a private party waiting for us."

I smiled at him and we turned for the door. Tom caught us just before we go to the front door. "Hey bro, you forgetting something?"

Ted smacked his forehead. "Duh, yeah. You have it?"

Tom handed Ted an envelope. "You know where you’re going?" Ted nodded. Tom turned to me and smiled. "Have a great time, Scotti." He gave me a quick hug and kissed my cheek. "I don’t know what you see in this big galoot but welcome to the family."

"Thanks, Tom."

They exchanged a conspiratorial look, then Tom disappeared through the back room. Ted opened the door. "Ready?"

Then Joe called out, "Hold the phone Miss Scotti." I turned and saw Joe moving as fast as his chubby legs and the tux would allow. A little out of breath he said, "Mind if I borrow your missus for a minute?"

I glanced at Ted and shrugged. "I’ll meet you at the car."

He shook Joe’s hand. "See you later, Joe."

"Yessir, you will. And congratulations, you got yourself one fine little lady here."

Ted smiled. "That I do." He picked up our bags and walked out the front door.

Joe took an envelope from his pocket and pressed it into my hand. "Been meaning to give you this all day. About that private matter we discussed?" His eyes flitted to see if anyone was within earshot. "You might want to look at it when you’re alone."

My pulse quickened. "Did you find her?"

He kissed my cheek. "We’ll talk when you get back. Now go and have yourself a fine honeymoon with your new husband. Ain’t nothing that won’t keep."

I nodded and watched him disappear into the back of the house. The overwhelming urge to rip open the envelope on the spot tempted me. But my new husband waited outside, and we had a honeymoon to enjoy. I put the envelope in my bag. There’d be plenty of time to open the door to my past later.

<<>>

I awoke to the utter quiet. Ted bent over me, smiling. "We’re here."

I sat up in my seat, peered through the windshield and saw a lake. "Where are we?"

Ted helped me out of the car. "Our honeymoon destination."

In the darkness the moonlight glimmered the water. I saw the outline of a small pier and behind us, a cottage that appeared to glow from within, at the water’s edge. "What is this place?"

Ted put his arm around my shoulder, and we walked up the steps to the back deck. He slid open the glass door, picked me up and carried me through. He kissed me and set me down. "Welcome to our honeymoon hideaway, wife."

The cottage was rustic and charming. Hardwood floors, scattered with rugs, a fireplace, overstuffed furniture, and a big four-poster bed that faced the lake. A fire crackled on the hearth and bathed the room in warm golden light. "Do you like it?"

I put my arms around his waist and kissed him. "I love it. As long as I’m with you."

He smiled and squeezed me in a bear hug. "Where’s this dirty lingerie you’ve been bragging about?"

I laughed then wiggled my eyebrows. "Back in a flash."

When I returned, Ted stood in front of the fireplace, dressed in pajama bottoms. I came up behind him and slid my arms around his waist — kissed the scars the war had bequeathed him and said, "What are you thinking about husband?"

He turned and looked into my eyes. "About how much I love you." He kissed me softly. "Thank you for marrying me."

"My pleasure. Thank you for asking."

He held me back and his eyes appraised the diaphanous lace nightgown I wore. "That’s some nightgown."

I swiveled my hips left and right. "You like?"

He nodded and slipped it off my shoulders. "Too bad you won’t be wearing it for very long." The gown whispered to the floor and he kissed me hungrily.

I eased back and smiled. Yanking at his waistband I said, "If I have to be naked, it seems only fair." I tugged down his pajama bottoms, which joined my nightgown at our feet.

Ted walked me backward to the bed, until we fell onto it together. "Let the honeymoon begin."

Five days wasn’t enough time at the magical cottage in Morro Bay. We didn’t want to leave the misty mornings on the back deck, or the sunsets that splashed pink, orange and purple over the water at night. Or the lullaby of lapping water, twittering birds and rustling trees to which we fell asleep.

During the day, we explored the white sandy beaches, browsed the quaint shops and hiked in the rolling hills. At night, we gorged on seafood at waterfront cafes, danced on the deck to old Sinatra songs, and made love. We slept like contented children and awoke to peaceful bliss.

Those few days at the cottage was like a tonic that nourished our spirits, slowed us down, and brought us to a deeper connection with each other. Like living in a fairy tale where nothing bad ever happened. On our last night, we lay in bed, listening to the fire crackle, and watching shadows dance the walls. "Do we have to go home tomorrow?"

Ted sighed. "Sorry baby, our time is up." He kissed me. "I tried to get another couple of days but no-go."

I raised my head and looked into his sweet face. "How did you find this place?"

He played with my curls. "One of Tom’s clients has vacation rentals."

I laughed. "So that’s what that envelope swap was about?" I kissed him. "You are one wily husband."

He rolled me onto my back and lay his head on my breasts. "That would be me." He rested his hand on my tummy. "What did Joe want?"

"Joe?"

Ted raised his head. "Tom gave me an envelope that day, what did Joe give you?"

I ran my fingers through his black hair. "Just something I asked him to check into for me."

Ted frowned. "About the Atkinson case."

"No — something personal." I stroked his cheek. "It’s not important."

Ted propped up on an elbow. "So he rushed to catch you before you left for your honeymoon about something that’s not important?"

I sighed and pushed him off me. "Determined to ruin the moment huh?" I blushed. "I asked Joe to find out about me. My family. If I have one."

Ted’s eyes filled with compassion. "Oh." He pulled me into a snuggle. "Did he find anything?"

"I don’t know. I didn’t look. The envelope is in my bag." Ted questioned me with his eyes. "I didn’t want to ruin our honeymoon."

Ted nodded and kissed me. "Okay."

"Okay? You’re not going to beer-board me for answers?"

He stroked my cheek. "You’ll tell me when you’re ready."

"Thank you."

"For what?"

I buried my face in his neck. "For understanding when not to push. For loving me."

<<>>

Matt bounded out the door before Ted turned off the engine. "Dudes!"

While he helped Ted with the luggage and souvenirs, I leaned against the car and surveyed the neighborhood expecting it to be different because I was different. But it was the same quiet street we left — abundant with Jacaranda trees, and well-maintained homes with wide porches and neatly clipped lawns.

I climbed the porch steps and Ted rushed out the door. "Wait a minute." He picked me up. "Have to carry my bride over the threshold. Don’t want bad luck, do we?"

"You silly man. It isn’t bad luck if you don’t carry me over the threshold."

Ted carried me through the open door. "Let’s not take any chances." He set me down and kissed me. "Welcome home, wife."