Rescue Me(7)

Shayne takes hold of Lucy’s hand as the three of them make their way down the aisle followed by Antonio, Sierra, and me.

“Damn, Erin did you see the way Adam was looking at you when you were standing up there?” Antonio toys with me as we make our way into the house for pictures.

“Oh, stop it, Antonio. He was not.”

“Bull fucking shit, woman. That man has it bad for you. Hell, we all know it...you’re the only one who doesn’t see it.”

“What the hell are you going on about, Antonio?”

“Listen, Erin. I know this isn’t any of my business, but he’s a good man, and...”

I throw my hand up at him.

“Stop right there. I know he is a good man, but there is so much you don’t know about and today is not the day to talk about this.”

“You’re wrong, Erin. Now I may not know a damn thing about a relationship, but one thing I do know is that my brother walked through seven years of his life aching for Shayne and you have the same look in your eyes that he always had in his.”

By this time we are all standing inside the house and everyone is congratulating Luke and Shayne, not paying any attention to the little spat going on between the two of us. I place my hands on my hips because I am now fuming at this nosy man. “And what look is that, Mr. Know-it-all?”

“Pain. It’s the look of pain, Erin. And you’re much too beautiful to have such a look on your face.”

With that parting shot, he turns around and walks over to the happy couple, not giving me any time to respond.

I finally make my way over to the bride and groom.

“I am so happy for you!” I exclaim, pulling Shayne into an embrace.

“Thank you for everything, Erin. Can you believe it? I am finally his wife.”

“It’s real, Mrs. Schavone,” Luke says as Shayne lays her head on his shoulder. “God, I will never get sick of calling you that,” he says in wonder as he bends down and takes her in for another kiss, which I decide is my cue to leave the two of them alone for a moment.



************



“I think that’s the last picture,” the photographer finally says, and every single one of us lets out a sigh of relief.

“Whose idea was it to wait until after the wedding to have all these pictures taken, anyway?” Leave it to Antonio and his mouth to get a slap upside the head from his mother.

“It’s tradition, smart mouth. Keep it up and I will make it ten times worse when you get married,” she promises.

Every adult in the room laughs at that. “Well then I don’t have anything to worry about because hell will never freeze over, which means I am never going to be tying myself down to one woman.” Antonio glances over to Luke. “No offense, bro.”

“None taken, asshole,” Luke fires back at him.

“Oh for crying out loud, Vincent,” Camillia huffs. “I need a drink before dinner and before I show our two sons that I am still the damn boss around here.”

In spite of her exasperation, she brings both of her sons in for a hug and throws all of us a wink as she and Vincent turn and walk away.

“I am ready for a drink myself, guys,” Luke says as he takes hold of Shayne’s hand and leads her outside with Antonio in tow, leaving Adam and I standing by ourselves.

Adam is the first to break the awkward silence between the two of us. “You did a great job today Erin, and I thank you for that. Shayne is very lucky to have you and her day has been perfect.”

“There’s no need to thank me for that, Adam. It’s the least I could have done for her after everything she has done for me and Sierra.”

I can feel Adam’s scrutinizing look seeping deep into my pores. I know I am being a little standoffish, but I just don’t know what to do to stop myself. I don’t want to be this weak little mouse that I have turned into but after so long, I don’t know how to change.

Of course Sierra would call Adam to come and sit by us as we eat. I haven’t told either one of them yet, but I have decided that the best way for Adam to move on is for Sierra and me to move out. I can’t keep uprooting my daughter. I need to give her a stable home to live in, and with us still living with Adam, the strong physical and emotional pull I feel toward him is doing none of us any good. With the two of us out of his house, he can move on with his life and find someone who is worthy of the kind of love and happiness he deserves.

“Adam? When we get home, will you play cards with me and Lucy?” Sierra loves playing go fish with Adam.

“Honey,” I say, turning to her, “Not tonight, okay? It’s been a really long day for everyone so I think it’s best if we all try and get a good night’s sleep tonight.”