Casa Corinthos: A Dark Series Interlude Between Books 2 and 3

EPILOGUE

Two weeks later...

Island breezes. Blue skies. The perfect day for a double wedding.

Tommy turned away from the open window and slowly released the air he had been holding. The day had arrived. He and Gina would be married alongside his mother and Sonny. Excitement bubbled inside him. He looked forward to the ceremony, but even more than that, he anticipated spending the rest of his life with Gina by his side.

"Be still!" Nikolas demanded with a grin. "Do you want to get married with a crooked tie?"

"Aw, he doesn't care," Lucky chuckled as Tommy rolled his eyes. He playfully punched Tommy's arm before he glanced at their reflection in the mirror. His blue eyes twinkled as he admired how well the white tuxes suited the three of them. "He doesn't care if he even has a tie, just get him to the altar already."

"That's right," Tommy said, holding himself still as Nikolas tightened the tie. "The only thing I care about is-"

"The honeymoon," Lucky quickly supplied, laughing as his friend blushed.

"Thanks, man," Tommy told Nikolas before he responded to Lucky. He pointed his finger at his laughing buddy and said, "Just you wait. One day, you'll be on the other side of a tie. We'll see who has the last laugh then."

"It ain't gonna happen," Lucky firmly denied. "I'm leaving the marrying for folks like my big brother here and you."

"Protest all you want, Spencer," Sonny told him as he and Jason, both dressed in white tuxes, too, entered the room. "But if it's meant to be, it will be. So, Tommy, are you ready for this?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Are you?"

"Very," Sonny said, smiling.

~*~

"Gina, stop fidgeting!" Dawn said. The pins in her mouth caused her words to be muffled, but her brown eyes served as the perfect back up as they glared at her friend.

"I can't help it," Gina said, looking at their reflection in her mirror. She was grateful for Dawn's hairstyling techniques, but she wished the younger woman would hurry. She wanted the ceremony to be over with already so that the honeymoon could begin.

"Tommy's not going anywhere," Keesha reassured her from across the room. She brushed Simone's hair away from her face and added a few flowers to complete the bride's soft look. She smiled at Simone's reflection as she added, "And neither is Sonny."

"I know," Simone said with a bright smile. When Keesha finished helping her, Simone rose from her stool and crossed the room to stand in front of Gina. Behind her, Dawn and Keesha quietly left the room. She held Gina's hands as she said, "I am so happy that you're marrying my son. I've always thought of you as a daughter and now, you will be. I love you."

"I love you, too," Gina said, releasing Simone's hands to embrace the older woman. "I'm so happy for you and Sonny. I hoped you two would come this far. I just wish you'd live a little closer than on this island."

"I don't know about that," Simone said as their hug ended. "This was my sanctuary. I can't think of a better place that I'd want to call home. This island isn't that far away. Of course, you and my hardheaded son are welcome here at any time...as well as any grandchildren..."

Laughing, Gina shook her head. "We'll have to see about that. And, you know that once we're settled in Los Angeles, we expect a visit from you, too."

"You can count on it." Simone's eyes brimmed with happy tears as she thought of how far she, Gina and Tommy had come. Softly, she said, "I dreamed that one day we'd all be happy and free."

"And, now we are," Gina said, looking at Simone through tear-filled eyes. "It's an incredible feeling, isn't it?"

Simone nodded. "Yes, it is."

~*~

The grooms stood side by side at the altar. A dimpled grin christened Sonny's smiling face as Simone footsteps brought her down the aisle to him. A faint blush painted Tommy's cheeks as Gina followed his mother. Tears of joy glistened in the eyes of the brides. And everyone fortunate enough to be a part of their joyous occasion could feel the love of the two couples as they repeated their vows before God and man.

With the reception in full swing and his bride busy blushing with her friend, Carrie, Sonny excused himself from her. He looked around the courtyard in search of his best friend. He spotted Jason as he stood on the edge of the dance floor. Jason's eyes were glued to Keesha as she danced with Emily's fiancé, Jordan. Sonny went to him and said, "We need to talk."

"What's up?" Jason asked, frowning. He walked quickly to follow Sonny as the older man led him inside the house. They went inside Sonny's office and Sonny closed the door behind them. "Is something wrong?" Jason asked.

"You tell me," Sonny countered.

"I don't know," Jason said, slowly. "I thought this was a good day. You and Simone seem happy. You are, right?"

"Yeah, but that's not why we're in here. What happened that night you called me? You've avoided giving me a straight answer long enough. I wanna know."

"On your wedding day?" Jason frowned. "Come on, man. Let bygones be bygones. It doesn't matter."

"I say it does. Your voice Jason...it was a voice I hadn't heard in a long time. And, now with Moreno missing... Just tell me yes or no. I won't ask for details. I just want to know so that we can be prepared-"

"There's nothing we need to be prepared for," Jason shrugged. "Moreno's not a factor anymore. Let's just leave it at that. We're both family men now, right? That other stuff is past history. Let's leave it there."

Jason's eyes pleaded for him to agree. Sonny took a deep breath. He wanted answers to his questions, but he knew his friend well enough to know that none would be forthcoming. He clasped Jason's shoulder in a tight grip. "If it stops being past history, you will come to me, right?"

"If it comes to that, yes, but it won't." Jason swallowed hard as he searched for the right words. "Honestly, Sonny, it's all over. Our role in it and our ties to it. Let's just live our lives now, okay?"

"Okay," Sonny said with a slow nod. He pulled Jason into a hug and smiled as his back was heartily patted. Their hug ended and with a dimpled grin, Sonny nodded towards the door. "Let's get out of here. My Simone is waiting for me."

The End