This was just Vinnie, high on his love for me, and an unexpected sob burst past my lips.
“Come on, Andy,” he whispered, using his thumb to brush away a rogue tear. “Don't be sad.”
“She's not sad, you moron,” Jen muttered, and I laughed, nodding in agreement.
“I'm just,” my breath caught in my throat, “I'm just so happy.”
Pulling his lips between his teeth, he took my hand and nodded. “Me, too, sweetheart.”
The judge coached us through the vows, and I'm really not sure that I paid much attention to what was said. I know I promised my life to him. I know I promised to stay by his side. But all I cared about, all that truly mattered, was that I was committing my heart and soul, fully and completely, to this beautifully broken man.
For better or worse.
Until death do us part, to then be reunited somewhere else.
If you die, I'll die.
“Vinnie,” the judge said, smiling kindly. “Go ahead and kiss your wife.”
“Holy shit,” he gasped, as he pulled me into his arms to cover my mouth with his in a deep kiss better suited for the bedroom. And even though my mother groaned and his sister coughed awkwardly, I didn't care.
Because he was alive and we were together.
I loved him and he loved me.
And that was all that mattered.
CHAPTER THIRTY
VINNIE
Our honeymoon was an overnight stay in a ritzy hotel with a bottle of vodka and an eight ball of blow. I didn't expect to go through it all, being just the two of us, but a party of two is still a party and we spent the night fucking and maintaining a high that I knew teetered on the edge of too far.
But there was something about the way she did lines that turned me on. Previously, I'd been with girls who used, before rehab and temporary sobriety, but they all did it like a junkie. They had lacked control and poise. Andy, though ... She was addicted and needed her fix as much as anybody dependent on drugs. But she seduced it. She took her time. Snorting it quickly before slowly throwing her head back, no different than when we made love. Maybe that was all it was. I thought of sex when I watched her take a hit, and thoughts of sex always led to, well, sex. And we traveled that endless circuit until the sun streamed through the veil of curtains.
“Dance with me,” she demanded, clambering to her feet and wearing nothing but my t-shirt.
“Oh, man,” I groaned, raking my fingers through my hair, damp with sweat.
“Come on, on your feet, Mr. Marino. You need to dance with your wife. Those are the rules.”
I slumped on the velveteen couch, looking up at her and her crazy, beautiful eyes. “Don't make me get up. I'm crashin' fuckin' hard right now, sweetheart.”
“Nobody told you to drink all the booze.” She was giggling, grabbing at my hands, and tugging. “Dance with me, baby. Please? I need to dance.”
She tugged and tugged with little success but she wouldn't quit trying. So, I eventually submitted, standing up with a sigh. “Okay,” I relented. “I'll dance with you one time. And then, I'm takin' my wife to bed, because we need to sleep.”
“God, you're such a lightweight,” she grumbled, laughing. “Okay, okay, okay. I have the song we're gonna dance to. Okay? You ready?”
I nodded and she tapped through her phone until she found what she was looking for. The opening notes were vaguely familiar, like they came from a time in another life. I could hardly pinpoint where I'd heard them before, too inebriated and tired, but I tried hard to place them in my memory.
“Do you remember?” She stepped into my embrace, looping her arms around my neck, and pressing her body flush with mine.
“Kinda,” I replied, squinting and peering into the hazy moments that cluttered my mind.
“I'll help you, husband. This was the first song we ever danced to, on the street outside the restaurant. Remember it now?”
The alternative sound of the guitar instantly sparked a crystal-clear memory from that night which otherwise seemed too faded to recall. She'd been so impressed with my dance skills, so taken with the guy she never should have gotten tangled up with in the first place. It was only months ago but it felt like a lifetime. So much had happened and changed since then. I remembered the innocent look in her eyes from all those months ago. Then, I was punched in