Haunted(23)

“Can I put it on you?” He stood behind me and put on the necklace. He turned me around and put his hand over my leather heart and I wrapped my hand around his leather bracelet. It was a gesture that became a thing for us. By us doing that simple gesture, we decided it was our silent “I love you.” Anytime one of us did it, we would be telling the other “I love you” and nobody would be the wiser. It was our secret.

“I can’t believe you did this,” he whispered.

“You brought them home to us, the least I could do was make them pretty.” I leaned up to kiss his cheek.

“When did you do this?” he asked in wonder.

“I gave it to the jeweler when you went to the restroom after we picked out our rings. He had it ready for me today.”

He kissed me and said, “Dance with me.”



Chapter 16 – Roman



We danced the night away. An hour had passed and everyone was still drinking and dancing.

Eric came up to us. “Joey is getting sleepy, so Tara and I are taking him home.”

“Thank you, Eric, for everything.” Beth kissed him on the cheek.

Eric leaned down and whispered in Beth’s ear. “I’m happy for you. I love you, you know. We had too many good years to eclipse the bad ones.”

Beth hugged Eric and he hugged her back. Then he turned to me and shook my hand. “You, my friend, are a very lucky guy.”

“I know.”

“Be good to my son,” he said with a stern tone that sounded friendly enough but I got the message.

“I will be and you have my word. I will be the best stepfather ever, but I know who his real father is. I will never try to take that away from you.”

Eric smiled. “I think I like you, Roman.”

I thought I like him too. Man, he was intimidating.

Then Joey came up to us. He kissed his mom on the lips and told her that he loved her and then he turned to me. He hugged me. “Remember, you promised to share her,” he whispered.

“I will never go back on my promise to you, Joey,” I whispered back.

Then they left.

I turned to my wife to start the next dance and then I heard the words, “May I dance with the bride?”

It was Berg.

“Only one song.” I scowled and then I handed Beth over to him. I looked over at Eve and held out my hand for her. She walked toward me and then she did a curtsy and we danced.

“Eve, thanks for everything. I owe you. If it wasn’t for you, I don’t even know if we would be here.”

“You don’t owe me anything. You two are happy and that’s all I wanted. You were her dream, Roman.”


That choked me up for a moment, so I changed the subject. It was bad enough I cried in front of Beth, but I would be damned if I cried in front of her friends.

“Well, if I didn’t know that you had a boyfriend, I would say that you and Berg look mighty chummy dancing all night.” I laughed and her face turned red. “You like Berg, don’t you?”

“He’s not my type. Besides, I am seeing someone else.”

“I don’t see him here, so where is he?”

“Working but he promised the next event he would come. He told me he couldn’t wait to meet you and Beth. He seems to be excited about it.”

“Well, if things don’t work out, I think I know someone who might be interested in taking his place.”

Then we heard Phoebe’s voice over the microphone. I was really growing fond of Phoebe.

“I would like to play this song for my two best friends in the world. Come dance with me sisters!”

Over the sound system the song “Escape (The Pina Colada Song)” played. Everyone exited the dance floor, and the three ladies walked toward the center of the floor. It was cute because each one of them was tipsy and in a good mood, which equaled entertainment.

Once the words started, you couldn’t even hear Rupert Holmes over the three loud voices of the girls. Wow, Beth could not sing. It amazed me how on Stevie Nicks’ slow songs she sounded delightful, but everything else, well, what could I say?

They danced, sang, and laughed. I caught Berg videoing it from his phone. I didn’t have to worry about that because I paid a pretty penny to have someone video the highlights of the wedding and the after-party.

Seeing Beth out there smiling and dancing made me so happy. I hadn’t gotten to see this carefree version of my Beth before and I loved it. I heard someone call my name and I turned. It was Berg and now he was videotaping me.

“You look happy,” Berg shouted over the music.

“I am. I am very happy,” I told him and his phone.

“It looks good on you.”

“What? Happiness?” I looked at him, not wanting to miss a moment of the entertainment that my wife and her girlfriends were giving to the wedding party.

“No…love.”

I turned to him. He was dead serious. I was taken aback again at how astute Berg was. “Thanks buddy…thanks.” I looked back to the girls and smiled.



Chapter 17 – Beth



After we left the wedding party, Roman drove us home. Our home. We decided to go home for the night rather than stay in a hotel. I felt good. I had drank a little too much, but it was wearing off.