Beat of the Heart (47 page)

cheek tenderly before taking Bella in my arms. I didn’t know how I became so blessed, but I was

certainly grateful.

After all, a year ago during the darkest times of my life, I would have never thought it was possible

to be experiencing the happiness I was now. I wouldn’t have dreamed there could be a man like AJ—

one who was so wonderful, so sweet and caring, so generous both in and outside of the bedroom.

Most of all, one who was my true soul-mate that Mama Sofia had always said would one day come

along. Instead, I would still be believing the many lies my ex’s from my battered and broken past had

told me.

But when I least deserved it and after being so stubborn, I had found acceptance of myself, the love

of a lifetime, and a family of my own.

As I stood at the doorway leading to the altar of Christ the King cathedral, I fidgeted nervously

back and forth on my feet. At the same time, my fingers tapped out a beat on the black pants of my tux.

The intensely sweet aroma from all the floral arrangements stung my nose, while my ears rung from

the sound of the enormous pipe organ blasting out the pre-wedding ceremony music.

Wrapping an arm around my shoulder, Jake said, “You know, we can still run if you want?”

I snorted. “Yeah right. You want a mob of angry Sicilians after us?”

Jake laughed. “Nah, I’m good.”

“Besides, there’s nothing more I want to do than marry Mia.”

“I know, man. I just had to tease you.” He glanced down at the platinum band on his left hand and

shook his head. “Who would have thought you and I would be shackled with balls and chains at the

ripe old age of twenty-six?”

“Not me. That’s for damn sure,” I replied, with a smile. I jerked my chin up towards Rhys. “Now

we just gotta get him someone, and we’ll all be old married dudes.”

Rhys shook his head wildly back and forth. “Screw that dude. I’m not getting married until I’m

thirty.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, I said the same thing.”

“I said forty,” Jake said.

With a shrug, Rhys said, “Well, it ain’t happening for me anytime soon. Got it?”

“Whatever,” Jake, Brayden and I all said in unison.

We were interrupted by the wedding coordinator. “It’s time.”

While my heart leapt into my throat with nerves, I clapped my hands together as if anxiously ready

to get this show on the road. It wasn’t that I was nervous about marrying Mia—I’d totally been the

chick in the relationship by being ready to get married immediately. Hell, I would have married her in

Mexico right after I proposed. But she had wanted to wait to give us time to settle in to being

engaged, to our new life on the road, and most importantly, to having Bella before we tied the knot. In

the end, it made the most sense because she wanted the dream wedding she’d once planned years ago

with that douchebag Dev. Between my touring schedule and a newborn, it had taken a little longer to

get the wedding planned and executed.

With a confident smile at my groomsmen, I said, “Okay, let’s do this.”

My first step out into the crowd was one of total confidence. As Best-Man, Antonio followed

behind me, then Jake, Brayden, and Rhys. My Tio David was part of the crew and my father, as well

as some of my cousins. We were a full house of attendants with both Mia and I having nine

attendants…each.

The organ started up the chords of
Canon in D
for the bridesmaids to enter. The large double doors

at the back of the church swung open, and a chorus of ‘aww’s’! rang through the cathedral at Bella’s

appearance. Toddling as best she could up the aisle, she looked like a living and breathing doll in her

frilly white dress and lavender ribbons in her short, dark hair. She had turned one only a few weeks

before, but she had been walking since she was just ten months old, much to mine and Mia’s dismay

of chasing her everywhere.

Holding her hand, Melody wore a matching white dress with lavender sash. Even though Melody

was almost three, both she and Bella were loaded guns on whether they would actually execute their

duties as flower girls. While Melody gripped her basket tight in her hands while occasionally tossing

a few lavender petals onto the floor, Bella was completely oblivious to the petals in her basket.

Instead, she was enjoying the attention of everyone she passed. Her tiny hand waved and blew kisses

to people. Man, she was a little ham, just like her old man.

When she got half-way up the aisle, she saw me at the top of the altar. Her face brightened, and her

chubby cheeks stretched into a wide grin, showing off the bottom and top teeth she’d cut. “Dada!” she

shrieked, before dropping her basket and barreling towards me. Laughter rang around us at her

outburst.

“No Bella!” Melody shouted.

I didn’t bother telling her to stop. Instead, I squatted down and held out my arms for her. She dove

into them, bestowing kisses on my cheeks. From the way she was acting, you would have thought she

hadn’t seen me in months, rather than a few hours.

“Look at you, mi bella princesa, mi niña hermosa,” I said, kissing her cheeks.

Bella tilted her head and gave me a teasing little smile that outrivaled my signature smirk. Yeah,

she’d inherited a big dose of my cockiness. She was a downright flirt when it came to the guys and

getting what she wanted from them. Just like me, Jake and Rhys were wrapped around her tiny finger.

People already loved to tell me that I was in for nothing but trouble when she got to be a teenager.

Jesus, I didn’t even want to think of that. I’d probably end up in jail for throttling some horny

twatcake.

“Now, go to Abuela,” I instructed, motioning to the front bench where my mother held out her arms.

Bella’s tiny brown brows furrowed while her lips turned down in a pout. “Go on. She has Cheerios

for you in her bag.”

“Hmm,” she murmured, before I put her back down. If there was one thing she was addicted to, it

was Cheerios. Thankfully, she made a bee-line for my mom who was waving the zip-lock bag at her. I

had just retaken my place at the head of the altar when the organ began the introduction to
Ave Maria
,

for Mia’s entrance. I gave a quick smile to the girls…and Dee, who was Mia’s Honor Attendant or

Dude of Honor or some shit. I glanced back at the guys who all grinned back at me.

When the doors opened revealing Mia and Duke, my heart shuddered to a stop. It felt like an

eternity before it started beating normally again. I had never seen her so fucking radiant. Her long,

dark hair fell in waves over her bare shoulders. A glittering tiara sat on top of her head, holding her

veil in place. Her strapless dress showed off just enough of her fabulous rack to get the lower half of

me up and running.

As she approached me at the altar, tears sparkled in her eyes. “Hey, don’t cry, amorcito mio,” I

whispered.

She shook her head. “Don’t worry. They’re happy tears. I promise.”

“They better be.”

“Who gives this woman in marriage?” the priest asked.

“I do,” Duke replied. Taking Mia in his arms, he hugged her tight. As he pulled away, he kissed

Mia’s cheek tenderly before turning back to me. He held out his hand, and I shook it firmly. “Good

luck, son.”

“Thank you.”

He gave Mia a final kiss before taking his seat on the first pew. “Dearly beloved we are gathered

here today…” the priest began, but I tuned him out. With my heart beating so wildly I thought it might

explode out of my chest, all I could do was stare at Mia. Until that moment, I hadn’t truly realized that

there had been a hole in my heart—one that only Mia’s love could seem to fill. She and her love