My Big Fat Fake Wedding(95)

“Your mom’s a super fan? Good to know if I ever need to get out of the doghouse with her." I’m just joking, of course, but knowing something personal about Maria and dancing around the floor with the family makes me feel welcomed and accepted into their crazy family. It’s a good feeling, even if it’s under false pretenses.

Later, Nana and Papa Russo get lots of ‘awws’ and a few tears as they slowly sway together to Sinatra, while laughs erupt when Archie and Aunt Sofia decide to do an impromptu dance off.

“I can out boogie your skinny butt any day of the week!” Sofia declares as she pops a few nifty steps that I have to admit are impressive for an old woman with a bad hip. “Challenge, honey!”

“Oh, it’s on now, lady!” Archie declares, doing a few shuffle steps before spinning and dropping into a half-split. I don’t know how he doesn’t split his pants or pull a muscle. “Now match that!”

It goes back and forth, everyone getting into the act as Archie busts out everything from the Roger Rabbit to the Dougie, while Sofia more than holds her own, doing the best septuagenarian floss I’ve ever seen.

Finally, both of them collapse into laughter, Archie sweeping Sofia up in a big hug and carrying her in his arms off the dance floor to set her carefully in her chair. “I give up. You’re too much for me.”

“Too bad you play for the other team because I’d love to show you just how ‘too much’ I am!” Sofia jokes back loudly, earning even more laughter.

The DJ directs everyone to their tables and the wait staff begins delivering dinner. It’s delicious, fresh salads for our first course, followed by a tasting menu of chicken parmigiana, steak, and fresh pasta in cream sauce. It’s so good that not even Nana and Sofia argue about the salt content and instead just dig in like everyone else does.

It’s time for speeches, and as they set up the microphone, I glance over at Violet, who looks so beautiful and happy that I feel the powerful emotions and words bubble up inside me again and I can’t hold back any longer. “Violet?”

“Yeah?” she asks, looking over. She slurps a little bit, grinning at the yummy pasta. I’m glad to see her enjoying some real food at this point, but there’s a tiny dribble of sauce by the corner of her mouth.

I press my lips to hers, letting my tongue peek out to taste her sweetness and the richness of the cream. “I just wanted to say . . . I wanted to say that I—”

“Congratulations!” Abi calls from the microphone, cutting me off, and we look up to see her grinning hugely. I decide the words can wait because though I know I want to say them, it probably would be better when it’s just the two of us. “God, it feels like I’ve waited for this day since . . . well, forever!”

A ripple of laughter goes through the crowd, and Abi continues. “Ross and Violet, what can I say? I knew from about two minutes after Violet met Ross that she was enamored with him, even though she tried to hide it by calling him names. My brother, though . . . let’s just say he was a bit blind to Violet’s charms.”

She glares at me with a raised brow, but it’s softened by a sly smirk, and I shrug. “I never said I was the smart sibling . . . that’s Courtney.” I look over to see my youngest sister smiling triumphantly.

“Regardless, caught somewhere between the both of you, I felt like I was the only one who could see what the two of you refused to see. Ross, you’re a pain in the ass, but you’ve got the biggest heart I’ve ever seen. You fight for what you believe in, and you’ve protected me more than once from . . . lots of stuff. And you kept my secrets, like the time I snuck out of the house so that Violet and I could go to the club, shh.”

I glance over at Mom and Dad, who both exchange surprised looks, but I’m grinning because that was probably the only time Abi pulled something like that. And not only had I covered for her, but unbeknownst to them, I’d followed her and Violet to make sure they were safe.

“And Violet, you are the sweetest, most loyal friend a girl could have. I would not be the confident risk-taker I am today without you—and your notes in statistics. Actually, I’d probably be taking that class for the tenth time without your getting me through it.”

She chokes up a bit and fans her face, looking up to the ceiling to stop the tears from falling. “In some ways, I’m jealous of Ross because he’s going to take away some of the times we get to share. He’s going to be the one you confide in, the one you tell your dreams to . . . but at the same time, I’m happy about it. I want you both to hold on to each other, to let your love keep growing. And twenty years from now, when you’re both at your kid’s high school graduation—”

Someone in the back yells out, “Their twins’ graduation!” and a chuckle resonates through the room again.

Abi nods. “Wouldn’t that be awesome? But just remember who set you two up. I get the credit for this little match made in heaven.” She points from me to Violet and smiles.

For all her scheming, she’s not half bad. I could definitely do worse for a sister.

I laugh, and Violet joins in, both of us hugging Abi when she comes over. “I love you, Abs,” I whisper to her, and she hugs me harder. “Thank you.”

“I’m serious about that twenty-year thing,” Abi whispers. “Your little sister sees all.” She wiggles her fingers in the air, like she’s casting a witchy spell over us, but I don’t need one to be in love with Violet.