Part 27 (1/2)
Terasa looked at Caroline and felt her heart swell up with pride. ”You are positively glowing from head to toe,” she said, stepping through the doorway.
”And I have you to thank for it,” Caroline said, spreading her arms out. She turned in a complete circle. ”So ... What do you think?” she asked, although she could tell by the smile on Terasa's face that she did indeed look every bit the bride that she was. She glanced at herself in the full-length mirror and smiled. Rheyna had chosen her gown, and seeing how the white strapless gown hung seductively over her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, she could see why. She turned to face Terasa.
”Oh, Mom,” she said, walking over and wiping the tears from Terasa's cheek. ”You're going to ruin your makeup.”
”I'm sorry, sweetheart. I can't help it,” Terasa said, bending to smooth out the small train hanging from the back of Caroline's gown. ”I'm so proud of you, and I just want you to be happy,” she said between sniffles.
”I am happy. I have never been happier in my life, and I owe it all to you.”
Terasa reached over and took Caroline's hand.
Caroline smiled. ”I love you, Mom.”
”And I love you, too. Are you ready?”
”I'm as ready as I'll ever be,” Caroline said with a nervous laugh.
Terasa kissed her on the cheek. ”Do you know that I've dreamt about this moment since the day you were born?”
”How did you know I would one day marry a woman?” Caroline teased.
”I knew you would marry the person of your dreams and obviously, I was right,” Terasa said smugly and pulled the veil down over Caroline's face before she could respond. Caroline laughed and laced her arm through Terasa's and together, they stepped on the white carpet leading out toward the gazebo in the backyard.
Caroline's heart skipped a beat as Carrie Underwood's melodic voice began singing the song she had chosen, the one she heard at the beach house. All eyes were now on her as the guests turned in their seats to watch Terasa walk Caroline down the aisle.
Caroline looked at her side of the aisle and then over to where Rheyna's family and friends were sitting. This has to be a first, she thought. Agent Edwards had to be salivating all over himself, and she wouldn't have been the least bit surprised to see foam coming from the corners of his mouth. On her side of the aisle, sitting in the front row, and dressed in a black tuxedo, was Don Carlos Ma.s.sino. Next to him, sat Vincent and Joey, and the seats directly behind the three men contained the high-profile members of Ma.s.sino's crime family.
On Rheyna's side was the FBI. Agent Laura Forrest and her lover Stacie, along with Annie, were sitting in the front row next to Rheyna's parents. Directly behind them were Agent Edwards, his wife Tess, Ron, Phil, Jesse, and several other friends of the family.
She looked at Rheyna, standing next to the minister, and felt her pulse quicken. Rheyna had decided she wanted to wear a white pantsuit, but insisted it be from the exact material as her own gown. Caroline had to admit that the result was stunning.
Terasa placed Caroline's hand in Rheyna's hand and then leaned forward, kissing Rheyna on the cheek before taking her seat next to Carlos.
The minister looked out at the guests and cleared her throat. ”I would like to thank all of you for coming here today. We are gathered together to witness the union between Rheyna Sorento and Caroline Castrucci as they celebrate their love for and commitment to each other.”
She looked at Rheyna and smiled. ”Rheyna, you may now recite your vows.”
Rheyna's hand trembled as she raised Caroline's veil. She took both of Caroline's hands in hers. ”Caroline, I can't begin to describe how you've touched my heart. You have brought so much joy and happiness to my life. I never thought I would ever be able to love anyone as much as I do you. You have consumed my very being, completing my soul. I feel so much love when I look at you, when I hear your voice.”
She paused to wipe tears from Caroline's cheek. ”I promise you that from this day forward, I will spend my lifetime loving you, protecting you, and cheris.h.i.+ng every single moment that we are together. But most of all, I want to tell you how grateful I am for your love and to thank you for choosing me as the one to spend the rest of your life with.”
The minister turned to Caroline. ”Caroline, you may recite your vows.”
Caroline took a moment to wipe the tears from her eyes. She turned to Rheyna. She laid her hand against Rheyna's cheek, lightly caressing the small bruise still visible beneath her eye.
”Rheyna, there are so many things that I want to say to you.” She looked at the guests and laughed nervously. ”But I don't think they can hang around that long, so instead I want to tell you how you have changed my life for the better in so many ways. You have shown me that dreams do come true and that there is such a thing as true love, complete with a happy ending. I found that love when you walked into my life. You opened up a part of me I never knew existed. I love you so much at times, it makes my heart hurt. The idea of loving someone to the depths I love you is amazing. I promise you I will never take you or your love for granted and I will spend my lifetime making you happy. I promise to love only you until the day I die.”
They turned to face the minister.
”May we have the rings?” she asked.
Rheyna turned to her father and took the gold band from his hand. She lifted Caroline's hand. ”I give you this ring as an expression of my love and commitment to you,” she said, sliding the band onto Caroline's ring finger.
Caroline turned and took the matching band from Terasa. ”And I give you this ring as an expression of my love and commitment to you,” she said as she slid the ring onto Rheyna's finger.
The minister looked at Caroline and then at Rheyna and smiled. ”You may kiss your bride.”
Rheyna leaned over and kissed Caroline softly on the lips. ”You ready?” she asked, taking Caroline's hand in hers as the guests stood, cheering them on.
”You better believe it,” Caroline answered.
Together, the two of them walked down the steps and then ran up the aisle. They came to a stop at the end of the carpet and tossed their bouquets back over their heads. They turned to see Terasa and Vincent each catch one.
Vincent's lips curled into a shy smile as a handsome young man on Rheyna's side of the aisle winked at him.
Chapter 27.
Rheyna watched Caroline as she sipped on a margarita. It had been almost a month since their union ceremony and every once in awhile, she still had to pinch herself to believe it was true.
Terasa had made all the arrangements for their honeymoon and had booked them aboard Olivia's Silver Wind s.h.i.+p for a South American cruise. After sailing for several days, they flew to Rio de Janeiro and spent the better part of the week shopping, drinking, dancing, eating, and then more shopping, and several sleepless nights making love. They left their hotel and boarded the cruise s.h.i.+p to finish their journey, which brought them to Argentina, where they now lay on the beach, drinking margaritas, and working on their tans.
Rheyna glanced toward her left, where Laura and Stacie were lounging. They had arrived the previous day, after much prodding by Caroline. After everything they had been through, Caroline had insisted that Laura and Stacie needed a vacation as much as she and Rheyna.
Terasa had been adamant about keeping Annie for the first two weeks and then reluctantly agreed to let Vincent keep her for the last two since she had made travel arrangements of her own.
Rheyna turned to Caroline. ”Did you ever find out where Terasa was going on her mini-trip?”
”Nope,” she said, and continued flipping through her magazine. ”She was very secretive about it, but she promised to drop us a postcard when she got there.”
Rheyna leaned back in her chair. She let her thoughts drift to Terasa. She was a remarkable woman, courageous, brave, loving, and just like her daughter. Edwards and Laura had filled Rheyna in on all the events that had taken place while she was recuperating from her injuries. She knew what Terasa had done out of love for Caroline. Not only did she love Terasa for what she had done, she gained a newfound respect for Terasa because of it.
Rheyna hated keeping things from Caroline after everything that had happened, but the truth regarding the circ.u.mstances of her father's death was something she would never learn from Rheyna. His death had been hard enough on Caroline as it was, and although Rheyna hated the man with every ounce of her being, she truly loved his daughter. There was absolutely nothing to be gained then or ever by telling Caroline that her mother was the person responsible for his death.
She thought about Edwards' the last minute decision to fake her death at the hospital. He told her afterward that he had a strong suspicion that Stevens was the mole inside the bureau and was the one responsible for blowing her cover.
They had to convince everyone that she had died, even if it meant hurting Caroline. Edwards knew that if word got back to Castrucci through Stevens that she was still alive, it would only be a matter of time before he sent someone else to finish the job. The fact that she was a federal agent hadn't fazed him a bit-that was an obvious conclusion, seeing that he didn't hesitate to send Farino after her.
She understood Edwards' reasoning from being involved in similar situations before, which had ended with good results. He had taken the time to meet with her parents to let them know that she was alive and well because he knew they would hear the news reports eventually.
Throughout all the craziness, the one thing Edwards hadn't counted on was Terasa figuring out the truth. He had asked her later, how she knew. She shrugged and laughed. She had been a little suspicious from the beginning when she and Caroline were not allowed to go in the room after the doctor had p.r.o.nounced Rheyna dead. She never saw Rheyna's body. She had heard about cases where the FBI or CIA faked a person's death in order to protect them, and she had prayed that this had been the case with Rheyna.
She also knew she had information Edwards needed and figured that if her hunch was right, he might be willing to make a trade. The fact that she loved her daughter more than anything had made all her decisions very easy and she had called in a couple of favors from Carlos in order to pull off her plan.