He didn’t move back, but he did focus more intently on her face as he repeated, “Gonna check on Angie.”

Vi searched his face for about two seconds before she whispered, “Okay, baby.”

He touched his mouth to hers again, slid his eyes through Benny and me, giving us a chin lift, and took off.

“How’s that goin’?” Ben asked when Cal was gone and Vi, who had followed Cal’s departure with her eyes, looked at Benny.

“I think when Angie gets past Nicky’s age when he lost him, he might calm down,” Vi answered, knowing what he meant, that Cal was crazy-watchful over Angie. “Though, he’s Joe. He takes protectiveness to extremes on a normal day, so maybe he won’t. He hasn’t had the pleasure of watching a child he created blossom into something beautiful, smart, and strong. It’s like he’s a new parent. So I let him have that because it isn’t unhealthy, but it is all kinds of beautiful.”

She grinned a small grin with that, but it slightly faded when she went on.

“I didn’t have his tragedy in my history and I was the same with Kate. So was Tim, even if we were teenagers. So I’m not too worried about it.”

Tim was Violet’s husband who was killed several years ago. And Vi was right. Cal didn’t get to advance from the new parent stage to know that things were all going to be okay as he watched his baby mature.

He’d get there.

Or he wouldn’t and Angie would have an overprotective father on her hands who met boyfriends on his porch with a gun stuffed in the waistband of his jeans.

There were worse things, as I well knew.

And it struck me on this thought what Mrs. Zambino had said months ago.

I felt warmth gather around my heart because I knew when Angela Callahan grew up, she’d look in the mirror and see what Cal and Vi taught her to see.

Nothing but beauty.

I had that happy thought and studied Violet, noting, “You seem pretty calm.” I said this, but I thought she didn’t seem calm so much as she seemed utterly serene. “If it was the night before my wedding, I’d probably be a wreck.”

“Well, I have two daughters who show signs of being wedding planner savants and one of them is Kate. She could be the president’s secretary and be cool during another missile crisis,” Vi replied, and I giggled as I heard Ben’s low chuckle. “They’re all over this and have everything in hand.” She smiled. “So I can be calm, kick back, and just enjoy my perfect wedding.”

I loved that for her so I told her that.

“That’s wonderful, Vi,” I said softly.

“I know.” She was talking softly too. “I’m one lucky lady.”

With all she’d been through, she wasn’t right, even as she was.

Her story of being a child bride with baby, happening into that situation to marry the man of her dreams, losing him, being stalked by the man who was responsible for his death, and ending that mess running through a forest with me, she’d earned this.

The hard way.

Kate rounded her mom, eyes to me, stopping and murmuring, “Hey, Frankie.”

“Hey, honey.”

She grinned at me and looked at her mother. “Mawdy, where’s Joe? It’s time to sit down to eat.”

“He’s with Mimi and Angie,” Vi answered, and Kate nodded understandingly.

“I’ll go tell him it’s time,” she said.

“I’ll help Keira get everyone to their seats,” Vi offered.

“Thanks,” Kate muttered, gave Ben and me another grin, and took off.

“Excuse me,” Vi said.

“Sure,” I replied.

Ben just moved out of her way as she started drifting toward her guests.

Then he moved to shift me front to front, both arms around me.

I looked up at him.

“How’s Gus?”

He smiled, even as he shook his head. “Gus is fine. Gus is with Mrs. Zambino. I’m fine too, in case you’re wondering. Was fine before, but I’m a lot more fine, seein’ you in that dress.”

His eyes had dropped to my chest so I gave him a squeeze to get his attention back.

“You can’t blame me for worrying about my baby. You gave me a present and then kept it.”

He didn’t stop smiling as he returned, “You travel half the time, live in a rental, and have nice shit. I live in big house and have shit that’s just shit that he can chew on as much as he wants.”

I felt my brows draw together and told him, “You shouldn’t let him chew, Ben.”

“You stop a puppy from chewing,” he told me.

“I would, if he actually lived with me.”

He pulled me closer and dipped his head toward mine, saying low, deep, and easy, “He’s assurance my baby will keep comin’ back to me.”

“Like that wasn’t gonna happen already,” I whispered my reply.

His gaze dropped to my mouth before his lips touched there, then he pulled back and offered, “Want a drink before we sit down?”

I nodded.

“Bellini or somethin’ else?” he asked.

“I’d love a Bellini.”

“Then you’ll get one,” he said on a squeeze.

That made me feel warm and happy, even though Benny had been demonstrating regularly, in fact, constantly that whatever I wanted was mine. Like a puppy. He’d even shown that he could give me things I didn’t know I wanted. Like an off-the-charts fabulous birthday party. And last, he’d shown he would do pretty much anything for me. Like set up a Champagne brunch so I could celebrate part of my birthday with Sal and Gina.

Suffice it to say, I was no longer in crazy-woman-falling-in-love mode.

I was in a much more dangerous mode. That was crazy woman in love.

“We’re at the head table with Vi, Cal, and the girls,” Ben informed me, jerking his head toward a table by the windows.

“Right. Meet you there.”

“Right,” he said on another squeeze and a touch of the lips to my temple. Then he let me go and took off toward the bar.

I moved to the table, having honored seating because I was Ben’s date. He was the best man and Kate and Keira were Vi’s maids of honor. Manny was also in Cal’s wedding party, as well as Colt. Vi’s bridesmaids were rounded out with her friend Cheryl. That meant Manny and Sela were there, Colt and Feb too, and Cheryl, with her date being her son.

Vi’s dad was there (not her mom, they weren’t tight), as were Theresa and Vinnie as the only parental figures Cal had left. Still very close with her first husband’s parents, this meant Bea and Gary Winters were also there, rounding out the three tables.