by Jillian Dodd
“No, Ariela, you can write my name on your arm in glitter. It’s a definite date.”
She laughs, remembering how I did just that when we were making posters for Keatyn’s student council campaign at the beginning of our junior year. It was sort of our first date.
“Mon-roar!” she says with a laugh, reminding me of Keatyn’s campaign slogan. “Fine. It’s a glitter confirmed date. I’m not sure about this whole celibacy thing though.”
“Me either,” I admit. “But I’m going to try.”
“Look, Riley, I just have to know. Do you love Shelby or me?”
“You, Ariela. I’ve always loved you. The only reason I kept having sex with Shelby was in an attempt to keep you out of my heart, to keep from having it broken again. But, the truth is, it’s still broken because it never really healed.”
She sighs dreamily, and we say good-bye.
It’s then that I hear the sounds of muffled laughter, and I see my brothers’ heads pop up from behind the hedge.
“Celibate?” Braxton says. “What the fuck is that all about? Is that some trick I should try to get chicks to let their guard down?”
“Baby mama,” Camden states.
“Wait, Ariela is pregnant with your baby?”
“You’re out of the loop, bro,” Camden says to Braxton before quickly giving him a rundown of my current life situation.
He takes the whole fucked up story in, and his first comment is, “In what world is celibacy ever the right answer?”
“Shut up, Brax,” I say. “Actually, shouldn’t you be inside, having some ice cream and then getting tucked into bed by Mommy?”
“Ah, fuck, man. Don’t pull that big-brother shit. We’re all adults.”
“Go inside, Braxton,” Camden says sternly.
Braxton looks defeated and does as he was told, but halfway back, he yells out, “I’m eating all the ice cream before you bitches get back!”
Camden and I laugh at him, but then Camden turns to me, looking serious.
I hold up a hand. “I don’t need a lecture about my sex life, Cam. Just ’cause you and Annie have—”
“I wasn’t going to give you a lecture. I can’t believe I’m going to say this because I agree with Brax about celibacy never being the right answer. But I think, in this case, you do need to take sex out of the equation.”
“Sex is always part of the equation,” I say, chuckling, repeating advice he gave me when we were younger.
“What the fuck did I know?” he says, throwing up his hands. “I was, like, sixteen when I told you that.”
“And I looked up to you.”
“You shouldn’t have,” he says. “I didn’t set a very good example. Now that I have sons of my own, I realize the last thing I want is for them to follow in my footsteps.”
“Oh, now, don’t say that. Pretty much all my partying skills as well as how to pick up a girl are thanks to you. Your boys will turn out fine. You have Annie to balance them out.”
“So when you realized you liked Ariela, you said, You’re hot. Wanna fuck?”
I run my hand across my face, my voice softening. “No, I didn’t. Not with her.”
“Then you need to stop following my stupid teen advice.”
“Are you happy, being married?” I ask as we make our way back to the house. “Having kids? Being monogamous?”
“The answer to your question is no.”
I look at him in shock. “To which one? Are you cheating on Annie?”
“To all of them,” he states.
“You’re not happy?” My heart drops for him, for all of them.
“No, I’m not happy, Riley. Happy is how you feel when you eat a snow cone on a hot summer day. I’m more than happy. I’m content and fulfilled. And every day when I look at my beautiful wife and my three chips-off-the-old-block, I wonder how a fuck-up like me got so lucky. But then I realize it wasn’t really luck. When I saw what I wanted, what I knew in my heart was right, I didn’t let anything get in my way. And I never will.”
“If I remember right, Annie wasn’t so sure.” I chuckle.
“And who could blame her with my reputation? It meant that I had to work extra hard to not just convince her, but to also prove that I was the right man for her. And that doesn’t stop when you get married, Riley. You have to keep proving it to the person you love. You can’t coast through marriage or life.”
“I’ve never coasted,” I counter.
He narrows his eyes. “You’ve never coasted when you were passionate about something like your career. Speaking of that, can I borrow some money?”
I give him a playful shove in the shoulder. “Like you need it.”
“You’ve outdone us all, little brother.”
“Ain’t nothing little ’bout a Johnson,” I reply with a laugh.
“Gotta teach ’em young.” He chuckles but then looks serious again. “My point is, if you are passionate about making things work with Ariela, I have no doubt in my mind that they will.”
“I have a question then. And you have to promise not to laugh.”
“Shoot.”
“There’s this house—”
He smiles. “Let me guess. Is it in Sonoma, near Keatyn and Aiden’s place? I heard from Knox that he bought a place out there, too. That they are going to set up a studio.”
“They are. The house I’m considering is big. Has lots of land. Do you think, if I bought it, you could help me convince Mom and Dad to come out once in a while? It only has five bedrooms, which would be great if I have kids, but Keatyn pointed out that it has enough land to build a few guesthouses.”
“A West Coast Johnson family compound?” he asks. “Love the idea.”
“You do?”
His acceptance almost brings tears to my eyes.
“Jeez,” he says, slapping me on the back. “We had better get you back in the house and get you a drink before you start getting your period.”
“Any suggestions on how to deal with the baby mama?”
“Yeah, stop fucking her. Get a paternity test. And remember, if the baby is yours, your relationship will be with the child. As long as you do that, Ariela won’t have a problem.”
“Are you sure?”
“That’s what Annie told me,” he says.
I smile. “Annie’s always been smart.”
“Of course she is. She married me.”
Saturday, November 1st
Bam’s Castle - Turin, Italy
SHELBY
“Oh my God, I’m so hungover,” Nina complains, glancing at me. “You and Juan shouldn’t have left so early. You missed all the fun.”
“I don’t know about that. I’d venture to say, the reason we left early is so that we could have all the fun,” I reply, causing her younger sister, Mia, to giggle.
“That’s what happens when you can’t handle your liquor,” Mia chastises.
“Wait until you have five children under ten, and then we’ll talk,” Nina replies curtly, stopping short of baring her teeth.
“Give me a break, Nina,” Mia says. “You have not one, but two nannies.”
“That’s simply due to the ages of the children. One nanny cannot care for children of different ages.”
“That’s funny. Most mothers manage to do just fine. You shouldn’t be complaining. What you should be doing is volunteering at my shelter. Seeing what it’s like in the real world. You act like you’re some princess.”
I study my soon-to-be family.
Juan is the oldest of the five. Next in line is Nina and her husband, Louis, who have five girls; brothers, Marco and Mateo, and their respective wives, Julia and Rosa, who each have a boy and a girl; and then his youngest sister, Mia, a former model who is married to a very hot professional footballer named Gabriel, with whom she shares a two-year-old daughter. All four women will be standing up for me, wearing shades of gold and carrying blush floral bouquets.
“Look around you,” Nina says. “We live in castles. We pretty
much are royalty.”
I burst out laughing. Because I could not hold it in. Any. Longer.
“What’s so funny?” Nina bellows at me.
“She’s laughing at you because you’re being ridiculous,” Mia says, giving Nina a glare.
I’m not sure what’s going on between these two, but I’m thinking they don’t get along. And if I had to guess, it’s probably because Nina is not nearly as beautiful as Mia—or as sweet.
I don’t reply. I don’t have to because Julia and Rosa each pick a side, adding their two cents and causing a ruckus.
The French hairdresser who was flown in for the occasion twirls me toward the mirror and whispers in my ear, “What do you think, mon chéri?”
I try not to start crying. That’s how beautiful I look. “You’re a genius, Julian. Can I keep you?”
Julian gives me a grin and whispers, “I will leave a card.” He clears his throat and glances toward the still arguing family. “For you alone. Call me anytime.”
The wedding planner escorts all of us into a dressing room where our gowns are hanging on racks, steamed to perfection. The tailor helps me into my wedding dress and then secures the veil to my head.
The whole time, the sisters carry on. Even when Juan’s mother joins us, they don’t stop bickering. Compared to taking care of my addict mother, their petty spats don’t bother me in the least. And, as Juan said last night, I won’t have to spend that much time with them. Plus, he’s the oldest, and based on what he said, he might possibly hold the family purse strings.
When Juan’s mother presents me with a gift, I decide I’ve had it with their rudeness.
“That’s enough.” I don’t scream. Or yell. I simply use a stern voice—the kind I used when some guy at the bar tried to put his hand on my ass. “Today is my wedding day. I won’t have your arguing spoil it, so either get along, or please leave the room.”
Nina curls her fists into tight balls, like she might take a swing at me. I give her the kind of smile you give to someone you feel sorry for.
I’m a little shocked when the bitch actually sits down, but then I realize she isn’t just a bitch; she’s a bully. And bullies always back down when they have been called out.
I turn back around to see Juan’s mother smiling at me, still holding a gift in her outstretched arms.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper to her. “It’s just—”
“Your wedding day. You are quite justified. Now, on to something more pleasant. It is a tradition in my family to shower the bride with gifts on her wedding day.”
“Should I open it now?”
When she nods, I take the damask box, undo the gold clasp, and find it filled with large strands of pale colored silk decorated with what may be real gold and precious jewels creating a delicate rope. All sorts of thoughts for how I could use this gift come to mind, specifically regarding Juan in the bedroom, but I’m a little perplexed as to why his mother would give me a gift with such an intention.
“This is el lazo, the wedding lasso rosary. During the marriage ceremony, it is placed around the bride’s and groom’s shoulders, forming the infinity symbol, to signify an infinite, everlasting union.”
“That’s such a beautiful custom.” I turn my wrist over and show her my infinity symbol tattoo with the word love scrolling across one of the loops. “I love it. Thank you.”
“Hopefully, it takes this time,” Nina mutters.
“Nina!” Mia says, shoving her elbow into her older sister’s side while their mother continues to ignore them.
“Juan’s father and I have a gift for you as well. Would you mind if he joined us so that we could present it to you together?”
“I’d be honored,” I say, feeling touched, as she wheels Juan’s father in.
He takes my hand in his, so I sit in a chair next to him while his wife brings me a large velvet box.
Even though he looks like he could croak at any minute, when he speaks, his voice is deep and strong, “You are aware that our son was married once before. We confess to not supporting the marriage in our hearts. We felt our son was making a mistake when he married the first time. We want you to know that we do not feel the same way about your union.
“When Juan was but a boy of fifteen, we made a spectacular discovery in one of our South African mines—a very rare, vivid diamond called the Pink Star. While it was my desire to keep it as a gift for my firstborn’s future wife, after the press got wind of it, we put it up for auction where it was sold for a record amount and brought much good publicity to our companies.
“It has never left my mind though, and when Juan told us of your engagement, I knew I must reacquire the gem. We sincerely hope you will someday present it to the wife of your firstborn son.”
His mother then opens the box, and I stand there in stunned silence, my jaw practically on the floor. Lying delicately against the silk velvet is an intricate V-shaped diamond choker with more diamond clusters than I’ve ever seen in one place. At the point is the massive pear-shaped Pink Star diamond. Lying between the choker is a set of matching teardrop earrings, looking like they came from the Crown Jewels.
I try to speak, but no words come out. I just end up moving my mouth at them.
Juan’s mother rubs her hand up my arm. “I know that you will appreciate the value and meaning of this gift.”
“I will make Juan buy, um, some kind of vault, I guess. And we’ll keep it in there, safe, until that time comes.” I nod my head at her, tears filling my eyes. “I promise.” I lean down to kiss Juan’s father on the cheek as he gives my hand a squeeze. “Can you make sure it stays safe until we get back from our honeymoon?”
“Darling”—she chuckles—“we were hoping that you would start the tradition by wearing it today, on your wedding day.”
“Are you freaking kidding me?” Nina exclaims, ripping the box from my hand. “This should be mine. She’s not even related to us.”
Her father gives her the kind of stink eye that makes her hand the box back to me.
“Girls, why don’t you give Miss Benson and us a moment alone?” Juan’s mother says.
Nina looks pissed but does as she was told. She’s going to hate me even more now.
Once the girls leave the room, she continues. “There is a reason we felt comfortable gifting this to you. Do you know why that is?”
“Because my own parents aren’t here. Because it’s more than just a diamond to you. It’s the start of a family tradition. The kind of tradition that, no matter the value, I never had. The kind of tradition I want for my child.” I stare at the gift, transfixed. “And, because you know, above all else, I will respect your wishes.”
When I look up and see tears shimmering in their eyes, I can’t help it. I launch myself at them and give them sincere hugs.
“Will you allow me to put it on you?” his mother asks when I’ve finally stopped blubbering.
“Yes,” I say with a grin as the makeup artist rushes in to fix my face.
“We have another gift. This one is from your groom. He said he tried to talk you into doing that newfangled first-look thing, but you wouldn’t budge. I understand you don’t want him to see you in your dress until you are walking down the aisle.”
“Old-fashioned of me, I know. My bridesmaids were very vocal on that—well, all but Mia. She said she made Gabriel wait. I guess I just like traditions.” I grin at her. “Not to mention, it’s supposed to be bad luck.”
“Mia was adamant about that tradition, and I suspect hers will be the only marriage that survives the test of time. Along with yours,” Juan’s mother says. “Now, let’s see what your groom has chosen to give you.”
She holds out another ornate velvet box.
“Um, I didn’t get Juan anything. I feel really bad. It just all happened so quickly. One minute, we were out on his yacht, and the next, he proposed. And it’s been a whirlwind here. What should I do?”
His mother gently places her hand across my belly. “You’re a
lready giving him the thing he desires above all else. A child.”
“And you gave him the other thing he wanted. You are allowing him to continue his polo career. Actually, I know what I want to give him. It’s something precious to me.” I turn to a maid. “Where is my handbag?”
She quickly retrieves it, just as the wedding planner comes into the room and tells us it’s nearly time. I dig to the bottom and take out the only thing I have left from my grandmother—a small catechism book, one she had when she was a child. I think of the jewels wrapped around my neck and dangling from my ears and realize that, to me, this book is equally as priceless.
“This was my grandmother’s,” I say, handing it to Juan’s mother. “The only thing I have left from her. I’ve carried it with me everywhere since she passed.”
“Let me take it to my son,” Juan’s father offers, the pink seeming to have returned to his cheeks. “I will tell him of its significance.”
After he rolls out of the room, I open the box from Juan. Inside is something I did not expect—a rosary. Old and worn and looking just like the one I told him my grandmother used to have and that I always regretted not taking from my mother, who pawned it later. It wasn’t worth much. I think she got all of twenty bucks for it, but I remembered my grandmother telling me that the colorful beads were semiprecious and that it was a gift from my grandfather on their wedding day.
Juan and I met at a hotel when he commented on my dessert. I ended up going back to his room. The next morning, as I lay in his arms, we talked. Not the typical morning-after crap about how you are going to call or how wonderful it was even if it wasn’t. We really talked. Opened up our hearts to each other and spoke of our families. And I told him that losing my grandmother’s rosary was one of my biggest regrets. He told me about his dreams, and in that moment, I think I fell in love with him. I just didn’t think a guy like him would ever fall for a girl like me.
I wrap the rosary around my hand and take my place at the back of the church, waiting for my new family to begin the processional down the aisle. It’s odd, standing here by myself. Part of me wishes Riley could be here to give me away. Seems odd since we slept together, but Riley is the reason I’m here.