The Promise(149)
Her hand was in the curve of her father’s arm.
Her eyes were on Cal.
And her face was beaming.
Ben forced in a breath and watched Vi walk down the aisle to Pachelbel, her eyes never leaving Cal, her smile never faltering.
Cal met her at the bottom of the steps, and she shook her head at her soon-to-be husband before she leaned in and kissed their daughter’s head.
Her father gave her away and Cal led her back up the steps.
Within fifteen minutes, they were married.
Once proclaimed husband and wife, even holding his daughter in his arm, Cal pulled his wife close. The kiss was long, wet, and deep to the point Benny heard laughter. He couldn’t beat back his smile, and along with the crowd, Benny participated in the clapping and shouting.
The kiss only ended when Angela was done with it, communicating this by giving a loud baby shriek.
After the kiss, Cal settled his girl, then walked his wife and baby girl down the aisle, both of them stopping to smile at people, Vi to bend deep and do cheek presses, Cal to do chin lifts and allow his daughter to have her chubby baby cheek touched.
Ben moved into the aisle and took Kate on one arm, Keira on the other, and followed them.
Colt and Manny flanked Cheryl and they followed Benny and the girls.
Short, sweet, and pure beauty.
This was how Anthony Joseph Callahan made Violet Winters his wife.
Chapter Nineteen
Long Shot
Ben was pissed off and not because his phone just rang and it had Sal’s number on the display.
Because it was his birthday, the Thursday after Cal and Vi’s wedding, and Frankie was supposed to be down for the entire day, arriving that morning, leaving the next.
But she’d called the day before and said there was a work thing she couldn’t get out of. This meant she was taking a late afternoon flight and he’d have her for dinner and a fuck, then she’d be gone on the first flight in the morning. A flight that left at 6:30, which meant they had to be out of the house before five to get her to her plane.
Technically, she was with him for his birthday so he couldn’t get pissed at her.
That said, he clearly hadn’t expressed the totality of his expectations when it came to special days.
But her work was her work, it meant something to her, and he had to stand down.
This time.
He was just wondering when the fuck the time would come when he wouldn’t. They loved each other. They’d said it. They showed it. When they were apart it was okay, they kept as close as they could with the distance, but it was not near as good as when they were together.
When they were together it was dynamite.
She had to want more, didn’t she?
He had no answer to that question, and was getting increasingly frustrated with Frankie not even bringing it up, which meant he was going to have to and possibly not like her answer.
On these thoughts, he pulled into his garage after going to the gym that morning. Going to the gym when he should have been going to the airport to pick up Frankie.
No, when he should have been home from the airport and having a birthday fuck with his woman in his bed.
And Sal was on his phone.
In other words, so far it’d been a fucking shitty birthday.
He grabbed his phone, took the call, nabbed his workout bag, and rolled out the car door.
“Sal,” he greeted after he put the phone to his ear.
“Benny, figlio.”
Ben clenched his teeth, wishing Sal would quit with the figlio crap.
“I hear Violet made a beautiful bride,” he went on as Benny moved through the side garage door into his backyard.
“Yeah,” Ben agreed, not about to tell him he thought it was cool that Gina and he had declined the invitation Violet had extended, knowing in that small resort gathering they would be hard for the Bianchis to avoid.
It was a kind thing to do for Cal and Vi, not giving them awkwardness, not to mention respect to his ma and pop, who didn’t need that shit on a day they were over the moon happy.
“I’m hoping to see pictures,” Sal muttered.
Ben said nothing. He had pictures on his phone, about three thousand of them, all taken by Frankie whose phone didn’t fit in her miniscule purse, a purse she carried for the sole purpose, that Ben could see, of holding her lip gloss.
Even if he had pictures, he wouldn’t be sending them to Sal.
He let himself in the back door of his house and changed the subject by asking, “There another reason you’re calling?”
“Unfortunately, yes,” Sal answered.
He wasn’t big on the “unfortunately.”
Ben dumped his workout bag on the table and went to the fridge to get a water, prompting, “That would be…?”
“Made a number of inquiries, Benny, dug deep. That’s why it took so long. It would seem the job you asked about was done by out of town talent. No trail. I’ve got nothing.”