A few guests who are enthusiastic about karaoke have started with a few fun songs.

I do a quick walk around, making sure I can see where all the kids are; I assume JP is keeping an eye on Melanie's kids, but I still scan the room for them, too.

I find Lucy talking to Annalisa's and Vince's cousins, two guys and a girl. They're laughing about something Lucy just shared with them.

I smile, glad she's having a good time, but then I see the hardened look on Marco's face as he's watching the group, too, a few feet away.

Marco begins to make his way over to Lucy with his friends in tow, and I discreetly make my way over to make sure nothing happens.

"Hey Lucy," Marco says, smiling at everyone, but I can see it's not a genuine smile as he assesses the guys near Lucy more closely.

"Oh, hey Marco," Lucy says when she turns around; it's hard not to notice the look of recognition of competition in the eyes of Nico, who stands closest to Lucy.

"Who are your friends?" Marco asks casually, but there's no question he's jealous as he zeros in on Nico.

"This is Nico, Gabe, and Gianna." Lucy introduces them; Marco shakes each of their hands.

"Who are your friends?" Lucy asks in return.

Marco turns, "This is Jake, Cole, Mason, Collette, Marley, and Natalia, but she goes by Talia."

Talia wraps her arms around Marco possessively, her instincts probably telling her Lucy is a threat. Lucy glances at Talia's arms wrapped around Marco before she greets everyone.

"Hi, I'm Lucy," Lucy smiles and waves at the others and introduces Nico, Gabe and Gianna.

"Is Lucy short for something?" Marley asks her politely, "I have a cousin named Lucille, but we all call her Lucy." She smiles at her.

"Yeah, my name is Lucia, but I've always gone by Lucy," She informs them, pronouncing her full name in Italian.

Talia laughs, "That's probably for the best. I'd hate to have a name that sounds a lot like douche." Some of their friends laugh at her comment.

Marco pries Talia's arms away from him, "Knock it off, Talia." He glares at her.

"Yeah, what were our parents thinking?" Lucy asks, and everyone looks back at her.

"What do you mean our parents?" Talia questions, crossing her arms.

"Our parents didn't think things thoroughly, giving us names that are easy to make fun of; I'm guessing that's why you go by Talia, right? Natalia sounds a lot like genitalia." Lucy begins laughing hard and covers her mouth as she continues laughing, and I bite my lip to keep from laughing as I watch her.

"I mean, seriously, what were they thinking?" Lucy says in between her laughing.

A few of Marco's friends snicker but cover their mouths when Talia turns to glare at them.

"Anyway, it was nice to meet you guys. See you around, have fun!" Lucy says after she settles down and turns back to Nico, Gabe, and Giana. Nico chuckles and smiles at Lucy as he puts his arm around her shoulders and steers them towards the buffet.

Marco stares after them, but Talia tugs at his arm to go in the opposite direction.

I turn around and slam into a chest; I gasp and teeter back, nearly falling, but JP's arms shoot out to stop me. He straightens me with his hands resting on my hips. The warmth seeps through the thin material of the maxi skirt I'm wearing.

"Thanks," I step back, and JP drops his hands.

"I don't know about you, but that was like watching our childhood all over again," He says, amused. "Except, it looks like Lucy can actually read the signs and knows Marco likes her."

I scowl at his attempt to be funny.

"Except Marco needs to man-up and tell Lucy how he really feels about her or stop leading her on when it looks like he already has a girlfriend."

"Easy, Stella. They're just kids. And Marco doesn't have a girlfriend; they'll figure it out on their own," JP comments, but it only infuriates me more.

"No, because Marco thinks it's okay to have a girlfriend and flirt with other people," I fold my arms.

"Talia isn't his girlfriend, and he can talk to other people even if he did. Having a girlfriend shouldn't mean he has to stop socializing," JP folds his arms, now; mirroring my stance.

"I know this concept is hard for you to grasp, but talking and flirting are two entirely different things, John Paul."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It doesn't matter. Forget it." I turn to walk away, but he holds me by my arm. The old familiar tingling from his touch radiates through me, and I grind my teeth, hating how my body reacts to him.

"I don't want to forget it, Stella." He tells me quietly as I look back at him. Something in his eyes tells me we aren't talking about Marco and Lucy anymore.

"I want to apologize again for losing my temper with you after you came back from Coney Island. I...I was just scared out of my mind and I took it out on you, and I was wrong. I'm so sorry." He says, his eyes sincere as he looks at me. "Melanie reamed me out when she went over the guardianship paperwork with Dean, and I've had the custody arrangements amended, so we both have full guardianship." 

He's still holding onto my arm gently and looks down as his fingers trail down my arm, leaving goosebumps in their wake. His gaze moves up to mine and smiles softly, "Did you know she forgot Marco at the store when he was three?"

A smile comes to my face, and I nod, "Yeah, she told me about it because I felt awful about losing Toby."

JP's hand runs through my hair lightly, "I am really sorry, Stella. Please forgive me."

I look up at him for a moment, the silence stretching as we stare at each other. "Apology noted, acceptance remains to be decided," I tell him. "For now."

A smile breaks into his handsome face, and I find myself smiling back at him, lost in those beautiful brown eyes of his. I blink and clear my throat, turning away and head back to the table where Lucy is now sitting eating with her new friends.

Carmen and Lola run up behind Lucy as I approach them. "Lucy, it's our turn! We put our names down to do a song." They tell her as they jump up and down excitedly.

Lucy smiles and swallows her food, "What song?"

"You'll see!" Lola exclaims.

"Alright, I guess I'm going with you guys then," Lucy chuckles, and they take her hands, pulling her towards the stage.

"They love her so much," Isabella tells me as she watches them get ready on the stage. I smile as I watch them with their heads huddled together, going over what they're going to do.

The music begins as Lucy stands in the center of their little trio. Lucy takes the lead and starts singing; Lola and Carmen join in for the chorus. The song is fun about being wolves and owning the night.

They howl in certain parts of the song and even have some dance moves they clearly practiced. I look over and see Marco's group watching them; Talia rolls her eyes as she watches Lucy and the girls sing and dance.

The crowd claps afterward, and Lucy starts to come down with the girls, but I see Miles run towards the DJ, and then he hurries to pull Lucy back to the stage as he talks to her. He starts walking off the stage, but she grabs onto him to keep him from leaving.

I watch as she shakes her head at him, but then he holds her by the shoulders and talks to her, and then she nods; he pats her shoulder before he jumps off the stage; Miles winks back at me when he catches my eyes, wondering what's going on.

The music begins, and Lucy is by herself up there. She looks nervous but smiles at me when she finds me. She starts out quiet to the song, "Never Enough," but her voice strengthens as she continues and even starts moving her hands as she gets more comfortable.

I look around and realize everyone has stopped to listen to her. No one is even by the arcade section as the song builds.

Her face reflects the passion she feels as she sings, and my heart swells with pride remembering how different Lucy was and looked the first night I met her a few years ago, and here she is singing so beautifully in a room full of people.

I wipe the tears from my eyes as she finishes. There's a small moment of silence; I think everyone is just shocked, maybe before there is an eruption of cheers and applause.

"Holy shit, that was amazing," Sean says next to me.

I hear Topo shout her name loudly and whistles at her. Lucy smiles and laughs as she waves back at the crowd and jumps off the stage. Then, she runs over to me and slams into me in a fierce hug.

"That was so terrifying, mom." She tells me, and I hug her back tightly.

I cup her beautiful face. "I'm so proud of you, Lucy; that was so amazing and powerful."

She hugs me again. "Thank you. Where's Miles?" She scans the room.

I point over to where he is, and she runs over there and jumps up to hug him, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly. Kai hugs her next, twirling her around, and she laughs. Her new friends Nico, Gabe, and Gianna rush over to her, complimenting her, too.

"Stella, I had no idea Lucy could sing like that," Annalisa and Joey walk up to us. "I mean, I knew she could sing because of that night at the Villa when we had the fire pit going, but this was different."

"I didn't know either, I mean, they're always singing covers of different songs, but it's never been her by herself, like that," I tell her.

"Excuse me, do you know the young girl who just sang?"

I look over at the young guy who's standing by us. Joey turns, "Hey cuz, this is Stella. She's Lucy's guardian. Lucy is the girl you're asking about; Stella, this is my cousin Stefano."

Stefano shakes my hand and then greets me by kissing both sides of my face. "I work for a talent agency. I live and work in LA, but I have some friends here in New York." He hands me a card. "Lucy is gifted, and I have some producers that might be interested in working with her."

"Wow, thanks," I tell him as I look at his card, shocked. "I'll talk to Lucy about it, but I don't know if that's something she wants to pursue."

"Of course, no pressure," Stefano tells me, "but she has talent that shouldn't go to waste." He smiles and then excuses himself as he walks away.

"Well, ain't no way in hell, I'm getting up there now," Samantha says, laughing. "I'll sound like a drunk ass donkey!"

We all burst out laughing. 

"Well, then I guess that's my cue," Joey says and looks around the room, "Where is JP?"

<><><><><>

JOHN PAUL

This is not what I pictured Joey's bachelor party to be like, let alone combined with his bride to be and not to mention having kids included, too.

I smile, realizing how much he's changed and grown; in a good way.

I haven't been particularly happy about having to watch Stella and that fucker Sean together. They're constantly laughing about something or everything, and it's fucking annoying.

The kids are having a blast, though, and I focus on them having fun more than anything. I was surprised Carmen and Lola wanted to sing in front of everyone, but I know having Lucy up there with them built their confidence. 

I watched as Lucy ran to Stella happily after performing her solo song, leaving us all stunned speechless. After watching her and seeing the look on Marco's face, it's clear he has feelings for her.

But I know Marco worries something is going on between Lucy and Miles. They seem to be closer than she is with Kai, but they're more similar, I noticed. I can see the brother-sister affection they have for each other, but Marco doesn't.

"JP! There you are, man! Come on, let's do our song for old times sake!" Joey claps my shoulder, bringing my attention back to the present.

"I don't know, Joe," I throw back the shot I ordered.

"Don't give me that shit; if you're doing a song at the wedding, then you can handle karaoke, man," Joey tells me. He pulls my arm, leading me to the stage. I don't know why I feel self-conscious. I never cared before, but maybe it's because of what and who I've become.

But then I see Lola and Carmen waive at me excitedly, and I push my nerves aside. I also hear Tobin shout "Papa!" for me from Isabella's lap.

The old familiar song begins, and just like always, Joey begins his over-the-top dance movements and starts making the electronic sound into the microphone.

I hear Annalisa screaming for Joey, cheering for him. I start singing and focus on the words on the screen to the song "Living on a Prayer."

Joey joins me for the chorus, and I start getting into the song with how animated he is. It reminds me of our high school days, and I even laugh at one point because of his craziness. I steel myself to look over the crowd, and I smile when I see Lola and Carmen are dancing on the tables, pumping their fists to the music.

The girls from the club are dancing with Annalisa and Sam upfront. And then I see Stella. She's also dancing, but she's dancing with Sean, smiling up at him as they move together.

After the song is over, I head off the stage to grab another drink. Topo, Rocco, and Mateo join Enzo in singing, "Backstreets back."

Isabella walks over to me  and lets me know she's taking the younger kids home for bed, and they go around saying goodbye to everyone; Marco is staying behind with his group of friends.

The girls from the club are getting tipsy as the night progresses, and their dancing is a little more provocative now that most families with kids have started to leave. So there's a definite change in the atmosphere in the room.

Enzo and the guys take turns singing, and the crowd gets into their songs and sing along. Then, of course, Enzo being the show-off that he is, starts doing some hip hop break dancing, and the women are screaming their encouragement.

I almost choke on my drink when I see Cristian take a turn afterward. Even though he's drunk, he does a perfect rendition of Frank Sinatra's My Way. I chuckle, wondering what he's going to do to Enzo when he finds out Enzo was recording his performance.

Next, Annalisa gets up and does the same song she sang, "Shake it off," when we did karaoke all those years ago. This time, she has as many girls up there as she can get with her, including her pregnant sister-in-law Mia.

I scowl when I see Sean get up there; I can tell he's faded when he sways standing on the stage. Then the song he chose begins, "Hooked on a feeling" He dances like an idiot, but I bitterly watch as Stella cheers him on happily.

I try to focus on how ridiculous he looks rather than the lyrics of the song so I don't do something stupid.

"Yikes, tone-deaf and drunk definitely don't mix." I look over and see Vince standing next to me, chuckling; I laugh along with him.

"Yeah, well, it doesn't seem bother everyone." I watch as Stella dances along to the song.

"Don't tell me you're giving up, John Paul," Vince leans up against the bar with me. "Charmaine--I mean, Stella doesn't look at him the way she always looked at you and still looks at you. He seems like a nice guy and all, but he doesn't give her that fire she needs. You're the only one who can do that."

"All we do is fight. Fire and fire don't mix. Everything gets burned, and all that's left is ashes, as our history clearly shows." I throw back the whiskey in my glass.

"Maybe, but you've both walked through fire, and you're both still standing. No one can put you two out except each other. Fire burns brighter in the darkness you're both surrounded in."

I look over at him, and he smiles before he throws back his tequila. "See you at a wedding," Vince tells me as he claps me on the shoulder; I watch as he walks over to Mia; she smiles back at me and gives me a wave before she turns away with him as they walk out.

My attention returns to the large group dancing, and I see a fight is about to break out when Rio storms up to Rocco and shoves him hard, away from one of his dancers, Letty.

Rocco shoves Rio back, and they start trading blows. I rush over there to break it up. I grab Rio by the collar pulling him away from Rocco, then grip on Rocco's shirt as well, pushing him back out, so I'm in between them. The advantage I have of being as tall as I am, I have a wide arm span and can keep them apart.

"Enough!"

I shove them both back hard, and they stare at each other, their eyes speaking volumes of the violence they want to unleash on each other. Rio wipes at his mouth and straightens his jacket before he walks over to Letty, grabs her face, and kisses her passionately.

The girls around us gasp. Letty's shocked reaction changes as he continues kissing her, and then he pulls away abruptly, leaving her limp and breathless.

She sways, and her friends hurry and hold her up before her legs give out.

Annalisa chuckles, and we all look over at her, "Like I said, Stella." She hooks her arm in Stella's arm. "There's never a dull moment when we party."  

~~~~~~

Maybe it's just the weddings parties I've gone to, but there's always some type of drama going on, hahaha =) 

*Don't forget to vote and comment, please!