Into the Light

“That’s it, I’m going in,” I announced.

“Relax, would you? She’s not doing anything wrong.” Rocky attempted to diffuse the situation but I was ready to stop the entire party.

We watched on and this time Jen stood up and started dancing with one. He pulled his suspenders off, bumping and grinding with Jen. She placed her hands against his chest, running them along his torso.

“That’s it, I’m going in!” Logan gritted.

“Relax, would you? He is still in his boxers.” Rocky rolled his eyes. How he remained calm was beyond me.

And so we continued watching until the music changed. They didn’t get fully naked; they wore thongs. I relaxed. I mean, what is the big deal right? Until Nikki ripped off the thong and a dick flung out in all its glory, giving a one eyed salute. She shrieked in delight, rubbing herself up against him until Rocky yelled, “THAT’S IT IM GOING IN!”

We attempted to hold him back but he was determined, that was until he pulled us off and the three of us pummeled through the door, falling flat on our faces. The music stopped and the women gasped, followed by laughs.

“NICOLA JOANNE ROMANO, you better have a damn good explanation for what I just saw!”

Rocky was furious, his normal laid back attitude a far cry from the jealous streak he was now sporting. Logan looked scared, probably from breaking the cubby house. And me? Charlotte looked directly at me, giving me a wink and just like that I knew I had nothing to worry about, nothing at all.

Chapter 20

Charlie

I run my fingers along the intricate beading; the fine lace was designed so beautifully down the sleeves. My eyes gaze at the soft pattern of the fabric, so delicate and unique, yet a timeless classic design. Adriana really outdid herself. She stood beside me waiting impatiently for some sort of reaction from me, but I was literally speechless. My dream has somehow morphed into reality and I need to pinch myself to make sure it is real.

Unfortunately, Adriana did that for me.

“Okay you haven’t spoken for like ten minutes. You hate it, don’t you?” Adriana sulked.

I motioned for her to be quiet as I continued to stare at the dress.

“She’s having second thoughts, I knew it,” Bulls complained.

I ignored their comments, my eyes fixated on this exquisite creation. I wasn’t the type of girl that had her wedding all planned out since she was five, nor did I go to sleep at night imagining the dress I would wear. The truth be told, when Lex and I got married that night, I was happy to skip the formalities. It wasn’t until five minutes ago that the desire to wear this perfect dress, walk down the aisle and say the ‘I do’s’ in front of everyone had consumed me. I wanted it, I wanted him, and I wanted every woman in the world to know that Lex belonged to me. Call me a

selfish bitch but when God hands you the smartest, most delicious and unbelievably caring guy in a box with a giant red bow, you say thank you and take it with the utmost appreciation. I should wrap a bow around his beautiful cock, too… mmm great thinking.

Lost in my perfect little ‘Lex’s cock bubble fantasy’, I hadn’t noticed that Bulls was still rambling on about me getting cold feet. Please, my feet were boiling hot. That’s how sure I was.

“Paciencia, let her take in this moment.” The voice was oddly familiar, a voice that I had heard a million times before. I turned around slowly to see my mom standing behind me with her hands cupped to her heart.

“Mom?” I broke out of my moment and ran into her arms; the overwhelming familiarity of the warmth of her embrace comforted me more than I thought I needed. I didn’t dare to let go, holding onto her tight, not realizing the tears were streaming down my face. When I gathered myself enough to pull away, I wiped my eyes and was able to see her clearly. My mother was always a beautiful woman and I had to admit that as a child I use to be jealous. I wanted to look exactly like her and I remembered scrutinizing the features that I inherited from my dad. She was born and bred in Cuba, a hot-tempered Latina, as my dad would say. Her skin was nicely tanned all year round and her frame was naturally toned, but I would say that was because of her love of dancing, especially salsa. She had these mesmerizing hazel eyes, eyes that her mother once told her were full of wisdom from the moment she was born. She hadn’t aged one bit; her secret papaya and something-or-other concoction clearly wasn’t bullshit.

“Mi corazon,” she paused, lifting my face to meet hers. I was met by her concerned stare, the one I had witnessed several times when she would do readings for her friends.

“Usted esta encina?” she asked shocked.

Fuck, she knew I was pregnant.

“Mom, please, we need to talk and before you ask, no, I am not marrying Lex because I am pregnant.”

She continued to examine me, taking her time to study my face. I knew what she was doing, trying to get some sort of insight as to what the hell was really going on. I remembered what she once told me, so I stood still, smiling and reminiscing about all the happy times Lex and I shared. The past, the present and to the future. Like an open book, she read me. I saw the look of concern fade and once again I could see that slight sparkle in her eyes, the shimmer of hope. She squeezed my hands, and so much of me just wanted to curl up in her embrace all night long as I had done numerous times in my childhood. It used to be because I was scared of the tales she told, the ones without a book in her hands. They were stories she told from her heart, like a glimpse into a diary and finally in this moment I understood. They were her tales. I looked into her eyes and I could see an aura of grey surrounding her; a dark cloud hovering over her beautiful soul. My mind was on rewind, frantically trying to remember the stories. The dark angel, how he came in the night and took her to the woods where he stole what she was holding onto. Her heart.

“Mom…we need to talk. Who was he?”

“Corazon, we will. Now we have to celebrate your last night as a single woman.”

As soon as she said the words, Nikki pulled us along onto the back porch of Logan and Jen’s house. Colorful lanterns hung from the patio roof, a long table decorated with hot pink flowers. But on closer inspection, they weren’t flowers. They were penis-shaped candies and as my eyes darted to the tableware I noticed penis-shaped straws that sat in the glasses alongside penis-shaped plates. Where on earth would they get this from? I looked above and hanging from the beams of the patio was a penis-shaped piñata …oh dear lord…

“Um, Bulls, there’s a hell of a lot of dick in here,” I complained.