Love Story (18 page)

In a dark suit
and boutonniere of rainbow colors to match the girls’ dresses, Lukasz beamed in his new-father role. In the first pew, he held baby Renny in his arms while his lovely wife, Kelsey, sat between her twin daughters, all three dressed in a pretty peach. Lukasz had spent a lot of years watching out for his sisters—practically taunting their partners and spouses—but now he knew they had chosen well.
Donuta did not think he would ever be less protective, though. Soon, he would probably start on the children.

Caterina, the next oldest, wearing slate blue, with a big hydrangea in her hair, was exceptionally pretty today. A Secret Service Agent and busy mother of two, she glanced back at the pews behind her, probably to see how her sisters were faring. Cat had been a real help to Elizabeita
these last weeks.

Ana, dressed in hot pink, with a tiger lily behind her ear, cuddled a tiny baby in her arms, too. He was only a few weeks old, but she’d insisted little Nathaniel see his Nana get married. Never had Ana seemed so content. Jared, next to her, kept his arm tightly around her. Once in a while, Ana laid her head on his shoulder.

Magdalena, stunning in a dress the color of
apricots, also held a child, whom she would soon adopt. Jacob had become hers in all the ways that counted and she was enamored of him. Next to her, Logan lifted his hand and adjusted the exotic flower in a clip that held back her hair on the side of her head. For that, he earned a kiss on the lips.

In their row, Sofia gazed at Max as if they were the only ones in the church. Her purple dress
was complemented by small pink and purple carnations on a band in her hair. For a moment, the two were backlit by the rays of the sun coming in from one of the windows, bathing them in an ethereal glow. This daughter deserved whatever blessings the halo predicted.

Donuta had to laugh at her twin girls, whose faces both shone like the brightest of stars. They wore their hair pulled off their
foreheads. A clip held a red rose to match Paulina’s scarlet dress, and Nia’s rose was light pink. Right now, their men, Adam and Rafe, were trying to keep the boys in line. In some ways, Sal had become a handful. When Tommy yelped, Adam stood and hefted up Ben and carried him to the back of the church. Briefly, Donuta wondered if the two couples would have more children. They seemed content now,
living on the same street, and when they resided in the city, they were only a quick cab ride away from each other.

Last was her baby, Elizabeita, though she had grown up in the last few months. She wore a yellow dress—a size larger than usual—with a sunflower gracing her hair. Only two-and-a-half months pregnant, Donuta swore her belly was beginning to bulge. Of course, she was having twins,
so that could be why. Next to her sat the love of her life, Nick, with his daughter, Mellie, and his mother, Irene. Donuta had come to like her very much. Elizabeita had found Mellie an outfit close to the color of hers and pinned a smaller sunflower in the girl’s blond hair. A stranger would have guessed Mellie was her daughter.

Yes, Donuta thought, life had taken a good turn for her eight
children, so much so, she knew she could concentrate on her new husband. Whose hand she held when she got up to say her vows, get the priest’s blessing and start down the aisle to a classical piece of music Gerald loved, called
Pachelbel's Canon
. As she passed each row, she smiled at her friend Rosie, who had lost so much, making Donuta even more thankful than ever for what she had. A few pews
behind was Mary Kate O’Neil and her husband, Paddy. Mary Kate squeezed her arm as she went by. Next to them were Aidan’s brothers and their wives. There were relatives of Gerald, friends of his from work, some of Donuta’s neighbors in Queens.

Then she and Gerald exited the church. He gave her a big kiss that Donuta tried not to be embarrassed about. She had decided not to shun public affection.
She had decided to enjoy every moment of what was left of her life with this wonderful man and these beautiful children and grandchildren who kept coming.

Yes, this was a good day for the Ludzecky family!

To browse Kathryn’s impressive list of titles go to
http://www.kathrynshay.com/books/
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BEGIN AGAIN finds Paulina Ludzecky running a contracting business with her twin, Antonia since their husbands died three years ago. She’s ready to dip her toes in romance when she meets Adam Armstrong, the architect on the new music hall her company is building. Suave and sophisticated Adam is intrigued by Paulina, but their strong differences keep them apart.

In PRIMARY COLORS , Nia Ludzecky is stuck in her grief and can’t find a way out of her sorrow over the untimely death of her beloved husband. When she meets famous modern artist Rafe Castle, she’s attracted to his gentle demeanor and lack of arrogance. But despite her feelings for him, she still finds it hard to leave the past behind and embrace love after loss. Rafe, however, doesn’t give up on her.

RISKY BUSINESS follows Magdalena Ludzecky, a career woman extraordinaire, who has everything, including Logan Price, her coworker and best friend outside of the family. But then they find attraction growing between them. And no, they both think, this can’t happen! Do they have a chance at romance or are Logan and Magdalena going to lose each other forever? Plot twists abound in this friends to lovers tale.

In THE WAY WE WERE , Ana Ludzecky had it all—a sexy husband, a beautiful daughter, a great job and the best extended family in the world. Then, tragedy strikes and her life turns upside down. Unable to bear the suffering of her sisters, she has trouble settling back into life with her husband Jared Creswell and their daughter. But Jared makes some bad choices that eventually lead to the dissolution of their marriage. Thrown together again, will the love that has never died surface and save them both?

At sixteen, Sofia Ludzecky, from HANDLE WITH CARE , was diagnosed with leukemia and the disease changed her future. She’s chosen a Zen lifestyle as a yoga studio owner and teacher. When she meets football Coach Max Walker at the high school where she’s running a class, his outgoing personality, his bent for competition and his boisterous family upset her. But Max wants Sofia, and he’s always gotten what he wants.

In LOVE STORY , Elizabeita Ludzecky fears deeply for her family, which has been fraught with tragedy. She copes by being the carefree, risk-taking baby of the family, as well as an up-and-coming curator at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. But when hardened cop Nick Casella goes undercover at the museum, he sees the real Elizabeita and he’s shockingly attracted to this beautiful too-young-for-him woman. Elizabeita returns his feelings and goes after him with all she has. With secret and lies as the basis of a relationship, does this one have any chance of surviving?

I’m sad to see the end of The Ludzecky Sisters. They feel like family to me, too, as many of you have expressed in various posts about the books. (My brother suggested we have a going-away party for them.) I wonder if readers realize that writers get attached to their characters and miss them when their stories end. Of course, this is always more intense with
series.