DANNY
“Is this thing on?”
I clear my throat as I tap on the microphone, smiling uncomfortably. “Hey everyone.”
The guests are staring up at me and I squirm on my feet as I push out a deep breath.
I have never spoken in front of so many people and my throat feels raspy.
“As my brother asked me to be his best man, I felt honored, but the first thing I asked him was, ‘Don’t you have any friends?'”
A low chuckle goes through the crowd, and I wet my lips with my tongue. “Of course, I know that he has a lot of friends, but he wanted me as his brother to do it. And thank God, Bernie was not too offended about it to help me with the planning of the bachelor party.”
“Hear, hear!” Bernard lifts his glass, cheering loudly, getting other guests to join him.
I play with my notes, my nervousness increasing as I feel my throat close. “Well, the bachelor party was great. Sorry, Amber, but there were a lot of beautiful girls.”
Amber laughs, the diamond pins holding up her hair sparkling in the sun as she shakes her head. “And it was the worst because Arawn wasn’t amused at all.”
“He wanted to play poker,” Harvey chimes in, making us laugh.
“Yeah, he had thought that he would get a chill evening with booze and cards while we were planning the most awesome bachelor party ever! So, in the end, he scared all the pretty girls away, and Elia had to run to get some cards. Imagine us, staying in the most dope suite in Las Vegas, only to reenact his usual Thursday poker night.”
The crowd cracks up and claps and I look over to the newlywed couple, seeing Amber caressing Arawn’s cheek while laughing. He leans in, kissing her with a happy expression, making me return to my speech.
“And while I was shocked, for him it was completely normal as he said that the only one he would like to look at wasn’t in Vegas but waiting for him at home.” I clear my throat as I shift on my feet. “Home. After they took me in, I struggled a lot because I thought I was disrupting their peace, but they treated me with so much love, making me feel like I was welcomed and part of a little family.” I wait for my lips to stop trembling before I go on. “It was new for me coming home to a hug from Amber asking me how my day was. I felt welcomed, yes, and at the same time, I felt like they missed me when I was gone. And for the first time, I got to know what a home really meant.”
The wedding guests look at me with moved expressions, their eyes filled with tears and I lower my gaze. “But there was one thing that was really disappointing,” I say jokingly. “One day I asked them to be able to change my name. And Amber said, ‘No because the name your mother and your father gave you is precious’. So, I remained Danny, living with two people who are named after Gods.”
The crowd regains its good mood, laughing and I lift my glass of champagne towards the newlyweds. “To two Gods, to their love and their happily ever after.”
Amber and Arawn raise their glasses towards me, and the wedding guest joins my toast. “To Nerthus and Arawn,” they say in unison.
I take my place back next to Arawn as Harvey takes over and he pulls me close, tousling my hair.
Combing it back with a groan, I flash Amber a smile while she mouths a ‘thank you’.
The festivities continue awesomely in the luxurious venue right on the beach of Sicily.
My heart keeps flipping in my chest at how emotional and beautiful everything is.
The afternoon passes fast as we eat, make fun games and pass our time smoking cigars.
“If I could have your attention please,” I say, wanting to announce the father-daughter dance. “If I can ask Grampa Franco and Amber to gather on the dance floor because it’s time for the first dance.”
Franco Di Mattei gets up with a broad smile, holding his hand out to his granddaughter to take. Amber walks toward him with fast steps. With the help of Jenna, she clicks the train of her mermaid dress into her glittery bracelet.
I know that it took Amber a lot until she found the courage to read the diary her mother had left her. And it was once again Arawn who held her hand and got her to visit her father’s family to find a part of her roots. We were sure about the old Di Mattei being too paranoid and reacting aggressively to us showing up. But as Amber showed up in the
warehouse of the DIY store owned by the family, the grumpy man acted like nobody would have ever foreseen.
Amber had thought about nearing cautiously, not telling him straight away, but the old man said he had seen her eyes, and knew he was looking into those of his late son.
The crystals embedded in the lace, framing her low back, shine under the lights, moving with the grandfather and granddaughter over the dancefloor.
Soon enough, Arawn steps in, taking his place and as I see his lips moving, I don’t need to hear the words to know what he said.
You are so beautiful, my wife.