STELLA

After the bachelor-bachelorette party a couple of days ago, it's been a whirlwind of activities, from mani-pedis, hair appointments, final dress fittings, a pre-wedding brunch, and then ensuring everything is ready for both the wedding and the reception.

It's been nice to have the girls here from the club; the extra hands ensured everything got done in time for today.

During one of our moments together, Letty told me she and Rocco talked after what happened at the party. Because she would be heading back to Miami by next week, and with Rocco living in Italy, they decided it was best to cool things off between them.

Letty and Rio also talked; he confessed his feelings, and her feelings were still there for him, but the fear of getting hurt was holding her back.

After working with Rio, I know he would respect her decision if she decided to keep things professional. But I did notice their glances would linger towards each other whenever they were in the same room together.

I walk down the large hall making my way to the bride's room and see everyone ready.

Joey is excited but extremely nervous. I smile, watching JP help straighten his tie as he stands next to him along with Enzo and Topo.

Joey wanted all of them as his best men, to which they were happy to comply.

I knock before going into the Brides' room and take a sharp inhale when I see my beautiful best friend. "Annalisa, you are breathtaking," I tell her, standing next to her and look at her through the mirror, and she grins back at me.

Samantha stands on the other side and hugs Annalisa. "I love you, and I am so proud of you, girl. You are an incredible person, Anna; beautiful inside and out."

"Guys, don't make me cry before this even begins," Annalisa dabs at her eyes.

"That's why I got waterproof mascara on," Samantha dabs at her own eyes, and we chuckle all teary-eyed.

"Are you ready?" I smile at her.

She grabs my hand and squeezes it, "So ready." She steps out of the room, and I walk behind her to straighten her train.

"You are the most beautiful bride, Cacciola," Rico De Luca looks at his daughter, his eyes brimming with tears. He holds his arm out to her, and she grabs it, smiling happily at him.

The song Joey chose for Annalisa to walk down the aisle begins, and the wedding line begins to move; I take my place in front of her and behind Samantha. Everyone in the room stands as we enter the large room.

Joey's smile is warm and bright as he watches us come down the aisle. I take my place and watch as Annalisa walks down with her dad. I can't hold in my tears as I see how much love she has for him by the look on her face.

And Joey, I smile through my tears as I look over at him again; he can't contain his emotions and cries as he watches her walk towards him. Annalisa smiles lovingly at him, noticing how emotional Joey is.

Her father stops, giving her a hug and a kiss, and he holds his hand out to Joey; he takes his hand and places it over Annalisa's, allowing Joey to take her up the rest of the way to the alter.

The pastor begins the ceremony, and then Joey and Annalisa take turns sharing their vows and pledging their love and commitment to each other. I catch JP watching me with emotion in his dark eyes. It feels like he's trying to tell me so much with just his eyes as we continue looking at each other.

I snap out of our moment when the cheers and claps sound off in the room.

Joey and Annalisa face the room, and everyone stands, clapping as they walk down the aisle and out of the room. JP holds his arm out for me to take, and I slip my arm in his as we follow them down the aisle, with the rest of the wedding line following.

We walk into the hallway, and everyone starts coming out to congregate in the hallway. JP turns towards me and brushes his lips against my temple. "You are so beautiful, baby," He whispers before he moves away and disappears into the growing crowd of people.

A hand grabs my arm, "Hey, are you looking for me?" I turn around and see Sean smiling at me. I return his smile even though my mind is elsewhere, and he leads me towards the backside of the venue, towards the reception area.

The kids mingle with each other. Then, Joey and Annalisa take their places at the head table with their families as the guests find their seats.

I have to give a speech, but my head is literally swimming with thoughts of JP, but then I hear the deep gravelly voice belonging to him through the speakers.

There's back feed, and we all cringe at the high pitch sound. Sean and I sit near the front of the room and focus on JP.

"Sorry about that; I guess that's one way to get your attention," JP says; light laughter ripples throughout the room in response.

"Welcome to everyone, friends, and family on this beautiful day. My name is John Paul, and I am the best man--well, one of them," He smiles over at Topo and Enzo.

"The year was 2000, and the class was kindergarten. I was building a pretty sick skyscraper with a city to match in awesomeness, all out of blocks, mind you. When out of nowhere, they were knocked over by a classmate with such ferocity and zero remorse. That classmate was Joey, and we've been best friends ever since. And Joe, I'm sorry for throwing the blocks at your head after that."

I laugh along with the rest of the room, picturing them as little kindergartners.

JP clicks on a remote, and a slide show begins playing. I laugh as I recognize Joey and JP as kids, toothless with their faces smeared in either mud or chocolate; it's hard to tell. There are pictures of them riding bikes, playing T-ball, basketball, and football as kids and then in high school.

I'm surprised to see pictures of us together, laughing around the house, in the backyard, at school, or their games.

"I knew Joey would find someone that would make him see his true potential and his inner strengths and talents. Annalisa came in like a whirlwind of long, dirty blonde hair, wildness, and laughter around the ninth grade. They may have driven each other crazy at times, but I think most of us around them knew that there was always something there, between them." JP glances at me and smiles.

The slide shows several pictures of us together, the four of us, and I also see Damian with us a lot of the time. I wipe at my eyes, remembering all the things we used to do together.

"Joey and Annalisa, while very different, are also very much alike. They are both fiercely loyal and supportive of those they love. I'm lucky to know them both and watch their friendship grow into the love we see today.

So please join me in toasting the happy couple. Remember the promises made and the vows exchanged. The light you found in each other will see you through your journey together; best wishes to you both, cheers!"

JP lifts his glass, and we follow suit.

I take a deep breath and make my way over to him and take the microphone from him. His hand brushes against mine, and he places his other hand on my lower back before he walks away, and I find it calming, considering I'm nervous.

"Tough act to follow," I laugh nervously. "Hello everyone, my name is Stella, and I am the Maid of Honor. Even though I've known Joey longer than Annalisa, when she and I met, we became fast friends, and she's become more like a sister over the years.

When I look at Annalisa, I see a big heart. She is generous, kind, loves deeply and unconditionally." I look over at her, and she smiles back at me. "Don't make the mistake of underestimating her; she is resilient and a fighter. And she saved my life in more ways than she'll ever know." I wipe at a stray tear and then look at Joey, who also smiles at me.

"Joey has always been the life of the party. He is the type of friend you know will always have your back no matter what situation you find yourself in. I know the love you have for each other will make you an unstoppable team. I love you both, be good to each other; cheers!" The room echoes as we all take a drink of champagne.

"You did great, Stels," Sean puts his arm around my shoulders when I sit back down. "You guys seemed to have a great time growing up together," He comments.

"Yeah, we did."

"Hello everyone," I turn at the sound of Enzo's voice; he's standing next to Topo. "My name is Enzo Romano, the other best man."

"And I'm Topo Trentino, the third-best man." Everyone laughs in the room.

"We're not going to show off like John Paul," Enzo teases, and John Paul shakes his head at him. "but we did want to say a few words together." Enzo grins at me. "I met both Joey and Annalisa through my best friend, Stella, who just spoke. But, unfortunately, Joey and I did not get along when we first met. If I'm honest, I didn't like him, and I'm pretty sure he hated me."

I chuckle, remembering how they didn't like each other at first.

"But as time went on, like most people, he couldn't resist my charm, and we became friends, and over the last few years, he's become family," Enzo turns to Topo to allow him to speak.

"I also met Annalisa and Joey through Stella and spent time getting to know Annalisa before meeting Joey. She is everything Stella said and fights for what and who she believes in." Topo looks over at Annalisa and smiles before he addresses the room again, "Joey is a hell of a guy, someone who, as Enzo has said, has become family. He is funny as hell, and we both know his love for Annalisa is undeniable."

"And we both know they will protect and love each other against all odds; please join us again in a toast to Joey and Anna." Enzo raises his glass of champagne.

"To Joey and Anna!" the crowd repeats.

I watch as JP gets up afterward, and I wonder where he is going, but I don't linger on the thought as I turn to Sean and let him know I need to help with bustling Annalisa's train, knowing the first dance is coming. Samantha and I work together to pin her train out of the way for her to move freely.

The DJ announces Joey's and Annalisa's first dance to Truly, Madly Deeply by Savage Garden. Samantha and I stand off to the side and watch as they dance together, and my heart is full watching them look at each other with so much love.

They follow the traditional wedding dance etiquette and dance with their parents, and then eventually, some of the guests join in.

After the song ends, the DJ announces, "This next song is a favorite of the bride and will be performed by friends."

Adonis, Enzo, Marco, and Topo, along with JP, walk onto the stage. Adonis sits behind a set of drums, Marco and Topo pick up guitars, and Enzo sits at a piano.

Enzo begins playing the piano, and I'm stunned. I had no idea he could play, and I recognize the melody to the song "Faithfully" by Journey; it's one of Annalisa's favorite songs.

Then JP begins singing.

"Damn, these guys just keep finding ways to make themselves hotter and hotter, don't they?" Samantha comments next to me.

I look away for a moment as I watch Joey lead Annalisa to the dance floor again. Annalisa looks at Joey, shocked, and I assume he surprised her by having the guys perform the song.

My attention is pulled back to the stage when Marco joins in playing the electric guitar as the song progress, and then Adonis joins in with the drums and Topo starts playing the bass guitar, too; and as the music builds, I'm blown away by JP's voice.

Now that his voice has this gravelly grit to it, it makes the song sound so authentic.

" You know his looks alone already have the power to do this, but after watching and listening to him sing--I'm sure every woman, single or married ladies' panties have dropped!" Samantha says, fanning herself. I chuckle and shake my head at her.

As I watch them perform, I'm also so impressed by Marco's playing; he's incredibly talented. JP belts out some of the rifts of the song, and I get chills, especially when he hits the higher notes at the end.

"Girl, that might be Annalisa's favorite song, but that song was meant entirely for you, and it's fitting if you ask me," Samantha nudges me with her elbow; she winks at me as she walks away.

I see Sean making his way to me and pulls me onto the dance floor with him. We start dancing to the music the DJ is now playing.

"I don't think I've told you how beautiful you look," He says while bringing my arms upon his shoulders.

"Thank you," I smile up at him.

"Are you doing okay?" He asks me.

"Yeah, why?"

"I don't know; there are times when I look at you, and you seem sad." He tells me.

"I'm happy for Annalisa and Joey. But I also know Melanie isn't going to last much longer, each day, she gets weaker, and she's having a hard time breathing on her own now; I worry about the kids, you know?"

"Yeah, it's a lot to deal with; it's understandable to feel down when that is looming over you," Sean says, and we stay quiet as we continue to dance.

I rest my chin on his shoulder, and another song begins, and I'm transported in time, back to Timo's backyard. I can remember the feeling of the wind against my face as I was swinging on the tree swing and happily thinking how great life was at that moment.

It's the same song JP sang to me the night he proposed; Perfect by Ed Sheeran. Tears fill my eyes, remembering the excitement, love, and even nervousness I felt when JP got down on one knee in front of me.

I look over and see he's dancing with my mom, but his eyes are on me. The memories of that night keep replaying, while the tears fall as I watch him looking back at me.

"Sorry, I just need to go to the bathroom real quick." I pull away from Sean and head to the bathroom.

I rush inside the bathroom and let out the sob I was holding in. I shouldn't be thinking of the wedding I wanted with JP, not when he walked away from me, from us. The bathroom door opens, and I look up and stare back at JP through the mirror.

I turn around, and he takes long strides to reach me. His lips crash into mine.

The kiss is passionate yet tender as he holds my face; the music from the reception hall plays softly in the background, and then all too soon, JP pulls away slowly, his lips linger on mine, brushing them against mine softly, and he rests his forehead on mine.

"I know it will never be enough, but I am so sorry for what I did to you, to us, amore mio." His thumb brushes my lips softly before he wipes my tears. "I needed to kiss you...in case I don't get another chance." His eyes look down at me remorsefully before he turns and walks out.

I'm left standing there, breathless from his kiss and shaken by his words.

~~~~~