Sweet, Sweet Superstar

I walked up the stairs to the church with much more patients than any of my bridesmaids who were skipping ahead of me. They giggled and sprinted up them as if today was their wedding day instead of mine. Rather than risk messing with my hair- not that I could with how much hair spray was in it- I climbed each step slowly, pushing my self up the marble that lead the the equally extravagant, Catholic church that Tony and I had chosen. I smiled upon entering the huge oak doors, seeing the light pink roses I had chosen for the entry way. They were matched with cream roses as they lined the aisle I would be walking down in a little over an hour.

Maybe I was calm because it hadn't hit me that after a year of planning, the day was finally here, or maybe it was because I was content with the person who my dad would be giving my hand to. I wanted nothing more than to finally be announced as Mrs. Anthony Lucia. This day had been a long time in the making, one could argue it was before I even drunkenly admitted how much I loved him. I giggled to myself, reflecting back on that night and the next morning. I had been so embarrassed but at the same time, giddy that he cared enough to take care of me.

"Brianna, get your butt moving." My oldest childhood friend, Viki, called, hands on her hips where she stood down the hall outside of my room. I rolled my eyes and headed towards her, calmly walking into the room where the rest of the bridesmaids were. I flopped down on the couch next to Kara who was texting on her phone.

"Tony just got here," Kara told me the information Mike Hoeffel, one of Tony's former teammates, just texted her. I nodded, yawning and carefully laying my head on her shoulder.

"I'm tired. I can't sleep without Ton." My eyes closed in contentment as she giggled softly in understanding.

"Well, I would say you have plenty of time to sleep on the way to Italy, but knowing Tony, he wants to be part of the mile high club." I snorted, nodding in agreement.

"We won't even be over the Atlantic before he'll be trying to lure me in the bathroom."

"You're going to be pregnant in no time." I looked up at her, giving her a glare and covering my lower abdomen.

"Shh, my ovaries might hear." We both chuckled as I leaned back into the couch, looking at the back of the door where the strapless beauty was hanging. It had a stunning beaded design flowing along the skirt and up the side of the abdomen and along the bust. I went for a cream dress instead of a white because it complimented my complexion much better. I had strappy high heels that were a light pink, both pieces matching the flowers filling the church.

"Are you going to stare at it or put it on?" Kara teased me, "You have 45 minutes before you need to be walking down the aisle." A large grin stretched my lips as I bounced up, shredding my clothes to slip into my dress.

It wasn't long before I was standing a top of a box, letting my bridesmaids fix my train and my veil as I stared into the green eyes that had always shined the same way, but were now glowing bright enough to be the sun. I grinned, knowing that Tony and I would be married in about an hour. I pushed out a deep breath, tying to calm the butterflies that flew excitedly against the walls of my stomach. My eyes met my mom's who was standing by the door.

"Ready?" I asked her. She nodded, tears in her eyes as I stepped down pulling her into a hug. "This is it."

"Yes, but this is the start of the rest of your life."

"I'm ready. I've never been so ready for anything." I pulled away, my eyes filling with happy tears of my own. Kara and my mom waved their hands as my eyes flew upwards to salvage my perfect make up.

"Good to go?" Kara asked, the three of us the last ones in the room.

"Yes."

Kara grabbed my hand, giving it a squeeze as we walked down the hallway. I saw the bridesmaids, my best friends, and their groomsmen standing together and waiting for the music to tell them it was time. I found my dad, his hands clasped together as I walked towards him. He pulled me into a hug and we shared a tender embrace; one that was reserved for a father and daughter for a day like today. The time flew by and all of a sudden, it was just my dad and I behind the closed oak doors. I sucked in a deep breath, placing a calming hand against my stomach. It did little to calm my nerves, but my dad jumped in quickly, having already gone through this with my sister.

"I talked to Tony when he first got here. I've never seen the kid so excited, not even when I told him he was allowed to marry you. He was all smiles, talking, and blubbering about the whole day and how he couldn't wait to be married. He's a keeper, Brianna."

"I know daddy, that's why I said yes." I closed my eyes as my dad squeezed my arm.

The doors opened at the same time, my eyes did and I was greeted with the guests of our wedding standing and turned towards me. But none of them mattered. The only person who did stood at the front of the church next to his brother, green eyes locked on the entryway. His eyes sparkled like a thousands suns as they took me in, lips pulled apart into a huge grin. His mouth moved and I didn't need to hear his voice to see the words I love you fall from his sweet lips. I could have been blind and I still would be able to see the love radiating off his body. I mouthed back my own I love you keeping our eyes locked together.

"Daddy, what do you say we run the rest of the way? Get this thing going?" My dad chuckled softly, but kept his slow pace making me match him stride for stride. "Dad." I whined, but he held his tempo.

Finally, we reached the front of the church. I wanted to reach out to Tony, to touch him and cool the burning in my chest that ached for him. Instead, I gave him a smile, turning to fully face my dad. His blue eyes, dull from tough times, had a new shine to them due to the tears his orbs held. I smiled sympathetically, wrapping my arms around his neck. I gave him a tight hug, closing my eyes for a moment. I felt a calm pass over my body pushing the butterflies out as my dad held my right hand.

"I love you, Brianna." He told me, kissing my cheek. "He's the only man I'd ever let you marry. He's the only one who has ever made you smile this big." He pulled away, looking towards Tony who was waiting as patiently as he could, but even my dad could see him yearning for me.

"Be good to her." My dad told him sternly. They shook hands as Tony promised my dad to always treat me right. His eyes locked on my dad's before he looked at me. Our eyes met and I couldn't look away, not even to watch my dad wipe a tear from his eye. Tony's warm, soft hand grasped mine as he lead me to where the priest was waiting for us.

The ceremony began as the priest welcomed everyone to celebrate the joining of two people in love. I found it hard to pay attention while Tony's thumb softly rubbed into my palm. He looked so good in his tux and his cream vest to match my dress. He looked so handsome and incredibly irresistible. It was torture to go through the whole ceremony without being able to kiss him. I just wanted the priest to get a move on and name us husband and wife. I bit my lip as that moment finally came, Tony and I gripping each others hands tightly. The cool metal of his ring made my skin tingle while his thumb ran over the diamond of my Cartier ring now enclosed by wedding bands.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife." The priest told us, smiling slightly at how much Tony and I perked up. My new husband wrapped me into his chest tightly, turning to set his blazing green eyes on the man in front of us for confirmation that it was finally time. "You may now kiss the bride."

Tony scooped me completely off my feet, lifting me into his arms by my waist since my dress prevented him from wrapping my legs around him. His lips pressed to mine sealing our marriage. I giggled as he tugged my bottom lip into his mouth, his tongue sliding into my mouth, the wedding party hooted and hollered.

"Yeah Looch!" Joey called, clapping with the rest of the congregation. Tony set me back on my feet, my heels clicking as he pulled away, turning us towards our guests.

"I present to you for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Lucia." The priest told them as we stepped down and walked back down the aisle, finally joined in holy matrimony.
***

"Italy makes me wish I was Italian." I huffed to Tony as we walked along the streets of Florence at dusk. It was a beautiful city, so vibrant and full of life. It made me never want to go home, and by home I mean San Jose. I had moved out there in September of last year, the one year anniversary being next month. The transition from Minnesota had been incredibly easy since I got to be with Tony everyday. Even on road trips, I spent that time planning our wedding from afar with Kara who was now living in New Jersey with Mike. The two had gotten engaged weeks after Tony and I had married.

Tony and I had been in Italy for almost a month, but we were leaving tomorrow to head back to the states for training camp. It was depressing to think that we had to leave this beautiful place.

"Technically, you are Italian." Tony reminded me.

"Having an Italian last name doesn't mean anything."

"You have Italian in you." Tony wiggled his thick eyebrows at me while I blushed and rolled my eyes.

"That definitely doesn't count." I told him as he gave me a sexy grin that made my stomach drop to the brick ground.

"Maybe we should go back to the hotel. Skip dinner."

"No." I whined. "It's our last night; we spent so much time in our hotel room when we first got here."

"Not enough time." He complained, holding the door open for me as we reached our restaurant. Tony stepped in right behind me his hand on my lower back to show that I was most definitely taken.

The woman at the podium smiled, showing off white teeth against her olive complexion. She murmured a hello in Italian and I quickly stepped aside to allow Tony take over. Tony had taken Italian in college and had visited Italy before therefore he knew what the woman was saying. I watched them interact, scowling as the woman blatantly flirted with Tony. I wasn't subtle about the look I was giving her causing Tony to chuckle as she turned to lead us to our table, her hips swinging a little too much. He kissed my temple, his hand pressing into the small of my back and pushing me forward.

"Relax. She is nothing compared to you." His lips moved against my skin with each word making a wonderful shiver trail along my spine.

"She needs to fuck off." I mumbled as he pulled my chair out for me. The woman gave Tony one last look before he grabbed my hand over the table, flashing the silver of his wedding ring. His eyes sparkled as she walked away, never leaving mine although the woman tried hard to earn his attention once again.

"Sorry bitch, my husband doesn't cheat." I rolled my eyes at her back.

"I love you." He murmured softly, a distinct laugh to his voice while his thumb brushing over the back of my hand.

"Mmm, I love you too." I told him sighing softly.

We fell silent and enjoyed the company of the Italian night. The restaurant was open, but still contained a roof- the open spaces enabled the warm breeze to wrap us in a pool of comfort. Tony and I chatted aimlessly while waiting for our food, mostly about how much we didn't want to leave. When dinner came, we fed each other small bites of our chosen entrees. We were so wrapped up in each other, our eyes lovingly shining at one another. Dinner ended and so did dessert before we started back to our hotel.

"I think I'm going to fall over." I complained, looking down at my stomach. I giggled, setting my hands on it. "I have a food baby." Tony laughed softly, placing his large hands over both of mine.

"Sexy."

"I'm sure." I rolled my eyes, lacing our fingers together as our hands slid from my stomach to swing in between us.

"Bri?" Tony asked me as we sat on a bench that looked out at the vast sea.

"Yeah babe?"

"When do you want to start having kids?" He nervously pushed out, his legs bouncing as he spoke.

"I don't have a preference." I told him, shrugging once as I leaned into his body, my legs curling up on the bench next to me. One of his hands cupped my hip after wrapping around my back. I tilted my head up to look at him, eyes shinning as he stared straight ahead. "Why?"

"I don't know." He muttered giving his head a quick shake.

I perked up, grabbing his chin softly and turning it towards me. I gave him a soft, encouraging smile- my hand firmly grasping the back of his neck. "Tony."

"I don't know," He groaned, cheeks starting to flush. "It's just, I want to have kids with you, but you're still so young. And I'm having these dreams, and I don't know what they mean or how to explain what they do to me."

"What dreams?"

"Dreams of you pregnant." He mumbled, running a hand through his hair. "And it just makes me so excited, literally and figuratively." A small smile painted his lips as his eyes got slightly dewy.

"That's sweet." I whispered, moving to straddle his hips. Tony placed his hands on both of mine as I tilted his chin up to look at me. "Twenty-two isn't that young," I whispered, watching as his pupils dilated and his demeanor changed.

"What are you saying?"

"That I'm ready if you are." He let our a low groan, his chest rumbling under my hands.

"Room. Now." He nipped greedily at my neck, hands wandering to the button of my jeans,

"I don't think we're going to make it there." I breathed out, my eyes closing as he scooped me up. His hands gripped my backside tightly in his big paws.

"Probably not. I'm banking on the elevator."

"Well, that would be a story to tell." I giggled as he pushed the door to the lobby open. He quickly walked to the elevators, smiling like a champion as he pressed the up button. I tried not to blush at the obvious stares of the other hotel guests, most of the men with smirks on their faces. The doors finally opened and Tony moved in, slamming me against the wall. The door closed and he let it go up a couple floors before pressing the stop button. I squeaked as he wasted no time in showing me just how fun this baby making process would be.
***

I twitched as the light flooded my bedroom in the middle of a March night. I wrinkled my nose, pressing my face into the pillow below my head, grumbling into the softness.

"Sorry," Tony whispered to me as he turned off the hall light and shut our bedroom door. He was returning from a road trip through Canada and had been away for a week- a long, slow, boring week. "I figured you would be turned towards my side." The bed dipped under his weight as he sat down next to me, his hand pushing my hair away from my face. His other hand wandered down to my expanding stomach to rest atop of our child. "Hi baby," he cooed softly, his lips pressing against the large bump through the fabric of my t-shirt.

"Baby Italia will never go back to bed." I mumbled as a few hard kicks were felt against the walls of my stomach. I sighed softly as Tony began to rub my belly with slow, comforting circles to let the baby know he was home, and it was alright if it wanted to stop kicking mom.

"Good. I missed Lil Italy." I rolled my eyes as he made me lay on my back before crawling over my legs to turn me on my right side to face him.

Tony and I had returned from our honeymoon well-rested and over the moon in love. We found a beautiful home in an upscale part of San Jose that I had fallen in love with when I first saw it. We made quick work of moving all of our things in after living in a condo for a year, ready to stretch our legs. Along with settling our things into the house, we quickly broke the large home in, enjoying the privacy and vast amount of space; no room was unscathed.

Barely two months after returning from Italy, in a normal check up, I found out I was pregnant with our first child. The news added to our good mood, and plans were immediately set forth to prepare for baby Italia/Italy as Tony so affectionately liked to call it. He used the nickname for two reasons; one we wanted to be surprised on baby Lucia's birthday, and two, in honor of where our baby was conceived. I refused to think that the wonderful moment of conception happened in that elevator, but the sex had been so amazing that it wouldn't have been a terrible thing.

Tony had been incredible through everything. He has been there for the morning sickness, the crazy mood swings, along with the days where I felt too fat to even move. He always talked me out of my craziness, reminding me of how beautiful I was and helping me count down the days until our baby would arrive in the world. Even when he was on road trips, he was my support system from afar. He called me every night, demanding I hold the phone to my belly so he could chat with his future child. I would humor him, but I always gave him crap for it when secretly, baby Lucia and I loved it.

"Did you miss me?" He wondered as he petted my stomach tenderly, his eyes growing heavy as I let my fingers slid through his short hair.

"Yes I did, even more than this one," I told him, setting one of my hands against his on my bump.

"I missed you so much. Don't let me leave again. Pretend you're going into labor." He mumbled, referring to the East coast trip he had in a couple days.

"That would look a little interesting when I don't deliver the baby for two more months." I snorted, shaking my head at him.

"They won't pay attention." He insisted, his voice growing softer and softer as baby Italia's kicks got softer along with him. He leaned down, snuggling into my bump instead of my chest like he usually liked to do. "I missed you," he mumbled against my belly. "So much. About as much as I love you." I stayed quiet as he mumbled to the baby, completely oblivious of my presence.

Tony stopped talking at the same time the baby stopped kicking, both of them falling asleep as if they were on the same wave length. I smiled down at both of my babies, shaking my head before I joined them, falling back to sleep with my little family snuggled around me.