Sweet Little Thing(20)

Tyler and I dressed in simple black suits and skinny ties that Jenny picked out. I couldn’t resist the temptation—I had to hide a silly T-shirt under my dress shirt to give Mia a laugh. When I showed it to Tyler, he said she was going to kick me in the balls and then kill me. “You better not reveal that T-shirt in front of any of the family members.”

“They’d get a laugh, but I’m not going to. I’ll save it for later for Mia.”

“What did you get her for the wedding gift?”

“Dude, I bought her a f*cking Steinway.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“No, I had to. She saw it in a store and played it in the showroom. The entire staff gathered around to watch her. She kept her eyes closed and wept while she played “Isolde’s Love Death” from Tristan and Isolde. She played the whole f*cking thing without any sheet music. The crowd clapped and whistled. I offered to buy it on the spot; I said we could write it off, but she said absolutely not. She wouldn’t let me.”

“How much was it?”

“A lot.”

“Dude, tell me, how much?”

“A hundred.”

“A hundred what?” Tyler said in disbelief.

“A hundred f*cking shillings. A hundred thousand dollars, you moron.”

“You bought her a hundred-thousand-dollar piano?”

“Well, technically, Alchemy Sound Studios bought it for her, but yeah.”

They’d delivered it late last night. I planned to take her there before we met everyone at the restaurant.

“Maybe you guys can do some baby-making business on there while you’re at it.”

I tightened my skinny tie in the long mirror nailed to our closet door, and then I turned toward Tyler. I put my hand on his shoulder. “You’ve been an awesome friend to me, man. I love you—that’s why I don’t want to lie to you.”

“What?” he said, looking innocently at me.

“Mia’s pregnant. We found out for sure a couple of days ago.”

He gave me the biggest bear hug and lifted me off the ground in the process. “Oh, man, that’s awesome news, bro.”

A bear hug from Tyler truly felt like a bear hug. Being six foot myself, I was rarely picked up and twirled around by others. I was surprised by his reaction. I thought it would be upsetting to him.

“Tyler, Jen already knows. Mia told her.” I’m not positive, but I thought his eyes looked a little watery after I made that comment.

He continued smiling. “Jenny will be okay. She’s tough as nails, man.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Anyway, it’s about you guys today. I promise I won’t make a huge fool out of myself like you did at my wedding.”

“Hey, I was heartbroken.”

We trotted down the stairs from my loft with my sisters and a bunch of kids in tow. We got to the Fulton Ferry Landing early. The day was perfect: sunny, crisp and clear. Even from the other side of the bay, all the way across the choppy water, the New York skyline was grand. I stood against the railing next to Tyler and my brother while I watched my mom and sisters chase my nieces and nephews around. I wondered what Mia would look like, how she would be feeling, and if she would make the announcement right there on the pier or if she would wait until later at the restaurant.

My brother said little to me that day until right before Mia arrived.

“Will?”

“Yeah.” I turned to my brother, Ray, who was sixteen years older than me and had been married for twenty-five years. At five years old, I’d been the ring bearer in his wedding.

“I’m only going to tell you this once—it’s my only advice to you.” He glanced toward his wife, Michelle, who at forty-five was a striking and exotic beauty. Frankly, I didn’t know what she saw in my brother after all those years. He was kind of a dick. “Always listen.”

“Huh?” I said.

“That’s all they want is someone to listen to them.”

It was the simplest advice, but I realized something: it was the reason Michelle and Ray had been together and happy after all those years. He was attentive to her. He talked highly of her. I never once heard him complain. She was his queen and he kept her on that pedestal the same way I would with Mia.

“Thanks, Ray.”

He gave me a half hug and then I felt his head jerk up to look past me. “She’s beautiful, Will. Even more beautiful than I remember. Don’t f*ck it up, little brother.”

I turned and immediately saw her. It was like all the light in the sky was funneled onto her. Everyone else looked like they were standing in a shadow. I saw her mother and Jenny and Sheil and her step-dad with Mia on his arm walking toward me. My feisty, funny girl, had found the dress. She was wearing almost an exact replica of the dress Stephanie Seymour had worn in the “November Rain” video, minus the big puffy shoulders. The front of the dress was so short it didn’t hide the soft pink garter hugging her thigh. The sides and back swooped down into a short train. Seriously, people, Google the dress from “November Rain”—it’s hot.

I heard Tyler whisper, “She’s crazy.”

“Yep,” I said, grinning from ear to ear. “I f*ckin’ love it.”

I watched her intently. All the sounds around me went away. It was quiet, but I could hear something. I strained to listen to the sound I’ve heard so many times before when I’m in Mia’s presence. It’s quiet, but if I tune everything else out, I can hear it. It’s the divine sound of my soul. It’s the sound I hear when I know everything is right in my world. Her dress came down low and sexy from the top and then off the shoulders. Her hair was simply pulled back into a low bun. She had no jewelry on and very natural makeup, just the delicious pink tinge to her lips that she always had. Once her eyes locked on mine, she never looked away; she came to me, right into my arms, smiling and without reluctance.