Stand-Ups in New York

Chapter 45 - Strangers in the Night

Pete looked across the room at Charlotte. She was dancing with her sisters to the Cotton-Eyed Joe. She and Emily stood on either side of Theresa and both held one of her hands, guiding her through the dance. Theresa rocked back and forth when she wasn't kicking, screeching loudly and smiling. The night had flown by. Besides a couple of almost-issues, including Lisa trying to pump Jeanie full of shots at least three or four times, this had been the best wedding Pete had ever attended. Everyone was having a great time, and Charlotte was the best wedding date he could have imagined. Pete had never been one to dance, but this was the first song he sat out. He felt someone at his shoulder, and turned to see Charlotte's father, Ed. "They do this at every party," he said, not taking his gaze off of his daughters.

Ed wiped a tear from his eye, and Pete smiled. He'd never seen a father who loved his daughters more than this man. "They're the best ones out there," Pete said, looking back on the dance floor. Emily and Charlotte were laughing as they all spun a complete 360, ignoring the choreography for a moment.

"So, Pete, I have some questions for you."

The Costa patriarch took a seat and patted the empty chair next to him. Pete knew that this had to be coming, but it didn't make it any less nerve wracking. If there was one thing Charlotte had said about her dad, it was that he could be intimidating. Pete eyed the skull tattoos etched into his knuckles and thought about his own hand tattoos, wondering if anyone thought they made him look tougher before realizing his probably didn't have the same effect.

Ed turned his steely blue eyes to Pete. "I heard you told my daughter that you love her, is that true?"

Pete nodded. "It is, sir."

Ed returned the nod, learning back in his chair a bit. "And when she moves to New York, you are going to look out for her?"

Again, Pete nodded. "Of course," he said.

Ed looked out at the dance floor, then back at Pete. His voice grew in intensity. "Listen, I'm not going to give you the bullshit about not hurting my daughter or I'll have to kill you. Mainly because I've seen her after she gets hurt, and I know she doesn't need anyone to do her dirty work. If something isn't right, she takes care of things on her own, like when she threw that piece of shit on his ass years ago. But I'm here to tell you that she can't take much more hurt than what she's already gotten. I know people have been down your throat this week about how she needs a good man and people have fucked her over enough and all that. And it's all true, don't get me wrong, but..."

Ed trailed off for a minute, looking at the ground. Pete swore he wiped a tear from his eye, but it happened too quickly to be sure. Then Ed looked back up at Pete. "But it took a long time for her to come back. All I'm asking is for you to respect her, no matter what happens between you two. I don't want to see her that broken again. I'm not strong enough to have to help put her back together. So please, just do what you can so she doesn't go through anything traumatic like that."

The two men sat in silence. Pete was trying to find the right words to tell the father of the woman he loved. The woman he would have shifted his career for. The best he could muster was, "I will always respect her and treat her well, Ed."

Ed smiled, and his eyes softened. He put out his hand, and Pete shook it. "Thank you for that," he said. "And we look forward to getting to know you a bit more, without all of this craziness."

Pete felt a hand on his shoulder, and heard Charlotte's sweet voice near his ear as she leaned down. "I hope you aren't scaring him away," she said before landing a peck on Pete's cheek.

"Just having a chat," Ed said, grasping Pete's shoulder and shaking the young man just a bit.

Charlotte let out a short mmhm before saying, "Well, I hope the chat was finished, because Alec told me this next song is the last slow dance and I'm pretty sure mom is going to kill you if you don't ask her to join you on the dance floor."