"Only a couple more days!" I say excitedly to Annalisa as we wait for our lunch to be served.

The last few days have been jam-packed, thankfully, with making sure everything is ready for the wedding on Saturday and also with the training at work.

Letty was both excited and nervous after Rio told her she would take over as leader. I was happy to step back and watch her take charge, and the other girls were extremely supportive of the change.

With Sean gone for business with his family, we've talked through text and calls every night. But things are tense with us, to say the least. We haven't really had any time alone, and I know it's bothering him, but he doesn't want to push it either, especially after my panic attack.

Every conversation Sean and I have tends to revolve around the kids, the progress or lack of progress they're making on finding Jimmy to and also about JP. 

Sean was very supportive when I told him about the video message Timo left me, and I confided the guilt I felt for not making an effort to reach out to Timo before Jimmy killed him.

The memories of having almost the same conversation with JP after my dad-Dominic died replayed in my mind as well. I'm frustrated and annoyed that everything always seems to come back to JP. The good with the bad.

Annalisa grabs my attention again when she squeals happily. "I seriously can't wait. Do you remember how I used to write my name with the boy's last name that I was crushing on when we were kids? I've been practicing my signature with Joey's last name; since both mine and his name are so long, I decided to do a pretty "A" with his last name."

I smile at her, remembering exactly how she would write and rewrite her name with different last names—depending on who she was crushing on at the time.

"How's the move been going?" I ask.

"Great, everything is in and ready since we're going to be gone for two weeks on our honeymoon." She takes a sip of her Gingerale. "But the best part is how close we are to the house you'll be moving to when Mel..." She stops, widening her eyes.

"It's okay, I know what you mean, and I'm excited, too." I pat her hand softly to ease her distress. "Listen, are you sure you don't want to do something different for tonight?"

Annalisa looks at me, her eyebrows creasing. "No, why?"

"Well, because it's your bachelorette party, and I know combining bachelorette with bachelor parties is becoming a thing now, but I just want to make sure you really want everyone together?"

"Of course I do. I mean, the old me would probably have wanted a Vegas trip or something, right?" Annalisa laughs, "But the one thing that I've learned over the last few years is I want to be surrounded by the people I love. My friends and family. And you know there's never a dull moment when we party, Stella."

I laugh, "True that."

Isabella helped reserve the enormous dining hall for the party tonight and requested all the food we wanted to be catered for the night. With the connection of having the DJ of our club here, he was able to refer a few people, and I got someone who also had karaoke equipment.

And I also arranged the setup for several arcade games like Joey wanted.

There will be an open bar set up as well. Both Annalisa and Joey wanted to skip the rehearsal dinner and combine it with the idea they wanted for their bachelor and bachelorette parties.

"So, have you decided on names for the baby?" I ask.

Annalisa snorts, "Yeah, right. Joey's impossible. I just told him I needed to see the baby first before I could name him or her."

She looks back at me carefully. "How are things with you and JP, now that it's been a few days since Coney Island?"

"Fine. The way they should be. We're cordial." I tell her as the waitress sets our food down. I can still feel Annalisa's eyes on me, observing me as I look over my food.

"JP's still as intense as ever, if not more than when we were kids, but he still loves you, Stella, and he's felt awful about how he treated you after Coney Island. I'm not making excuses for him, but I saw how it affected him hearing Toby was missing. He definitely shouldn't have taken it out on you."

I shrug as I take anxiety medicine with the water on the table. "It's becoming a pattern now. He says or does something he "doesn't mean" then apologizes. I'm not going to be that girl that keeps giving him a chance after chance, Anna."

"Of course you're not. But..." Annalisa reaches across the table to hold my hand gently, "technically, you haven't given JP a chance yet. We were gone a little over a year after everything happened with Cardinale. Yes, there was the crazy hookup at the Halloween party, but you didn't even know it was him. Then after the gathering, we were all separated for years, and I mean, you're with Sean now, right?"

My eyes snap to her, "Yes, of course, I'm with Sean." I say, feeling agitated and, I guess even defensive.

Her eyes soften as she looks back at me. "I'm just saying JP's felt awful about it, and he talked to Joey and Enzo after the panic attack; and he said it brought the memories of the one you had in the hospital all those years ago."

She sighs deeply, "You can't fool me, girl; I know you still love him, too. But, maybe, you guys have the kind of love that even if it's right, it's never the right time. But personally, if you ask me, I think it's because of stubbornness and pride on both yours and his part--that will always be in the way unless you both want to work things out, which I think you both you do."

Annalisa squeezes my hand, and I look back at her, "I know you're scared, Stella. He hurt you. Very badly. I saw what it did to you. But in hurting you, he destroyed himself, and ripped his own heart out, too. I think your love--the type of love you have for each other--can heal you both if you give it a chance to."

"Buona giornata, beautiful ladies!" Enzo greets us. I wipe my face quickly, so he doesn't catch on to me crying before he kisses both of our cheeks. He came to switch out the guards, who were sitting near the back of the restaurant.

Annalisa's words permeate in my head before Enzo starts talking again.

"My timing is perfect; I'm starving. I'll share your food since I don't want to lose any fingers or my whole hand trying to take food from a pregnant Annalisa." Enzo teases as he eats some of my fries. I begin slicing my burger in half, knowing I'm not going to eat the whole thing.

"Are you saying I'm fat?" Annalisa asks as her bottom lip pokes out.

"What?" Enzo looks alarmed, "No, of course not, you're gorgeous, Annalisa. Even more so with you know, the pregnancy shine." He says, almost frantically glancing at me while I chuckle.

"Glow," I correct him, nudging him. "Pregnancy glow."

"Aw, thanks, Enzo," Annalisa smiles. Her phone rings, and she answers it happily when she sees it's Joey.

"The last thing we need is the hormonal pregnancy wrath of Annalisa De Luca," Enzo mutters quietly, eyeing Annalisa carefully, making sure she didn't hear him. "You don't know how crazy she gets."

I laugh, "Don't be so dramatic."

Enzo looks at me seriously. "No, Stella. I'm fucking dead serious."

I burst out laughing at the fact that he legit looks terrified as he eats a fry, still watching Annalisa.

"What's so funny?" Annalisa asks when she hangs up the phone.

"Nothing," Enzo answers quickly. "So, what's on the agenda for tonight?" He asks to distract her.

"We're meeting up at that dining hall, have food catered, play arcade games, and karaoke with everyone."

"Sounds like a killer party," Enzo jokes, but then hurries and tries to amend it when he sees Annalisa's eyes get teary-eyed. "I'm kidding; you know I had fun the last time we did karaoke remember?" He looks over at me desperately to help him out.

"It will be fun. The kids will love it, too." I reassure Annalisa, as memories of the last karaoke night flicker through my mind, and the bathroom moment with JP as well as what happened when we got home rush back to me. 

Enzo smartly decides to eat the rest of the time instead of risking saying the wrong thing around Annalisa.

<><><><>

"This is what I want for my bachelorette party when I get married," Lucy tells me as we walk into the large hall. Several long tables line one side of the room, the karaoke on the opposite side, and a dance floor in front of the stage.

The bar is set up towards the right as you walk in, and to the left is another huge section where the arcade games are--everything from Pacman, Skee-ball, Donkey Kong, Air hockey, race car machines, a basketball hoop machine, a dance arcade machine, and several others.

"Well, it'll be a while before that happens, young lady," I tease Lucy.

"I know, but I can plan it out, can't I?" She grins at me.

"This is dope!" Miles and Kai say together, and they both shove each other before they race each other to the arcade section immediately.

"Wow, this is great, Stels," Sean puts his arm around my shoulders.

"I didn't do it by myself; mamma helped a ton," I put my arm around my mom's shoulders on my other side.

She looks around, unsure, "This okay? I no understand American culture, not what I picture for wedding." Then, she laughs lightly, "But look fun, yes?"

"Annalisa and Joey will love it," I assure her.

The DJ begins playing the playlist Joey and Annalisa selected for the night, consisting of their favorite movie soundtracks, but mixed in with other songs.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm going for the food first; got to build up my energy, so I can kick ass on the basketball and dance machines," I say as I walk ahead of them.

Sean laughs, "There's no way you're beating me, Stels."

"You're on."

"Oh my gosh!" Annalisa happily exclaims as she walks in. "You guys, this is so perfect! It's exactly what I envisioned, right babe?"

Joey looks around and smiles, "Totally; thank you, Stella and Isabella." They both hug us, and then we all head to the food serving area.

As time goes on, Cristian arrives, with Topo, Enzo, Mateo, and Rocco. Rio and the girls trickle in a few minutes later.

And then I see JP with the kids; he's carrying both Lola and Toby, while Carmen comes up next to him and smiles when she sees Lucy and me waving at us. Several men follow as part of JP's security detail. JP's dark eyes immediately find me, and I look away briefly before my attention returns to him.

Lola and Toby are excited when they see the games and show their excitement with their screaming and squeals. And then, Marco walks in with a few friends. I notice a petite brunette girl who links her arm in his as they walk in; I glance over at Lucy, but she's laughing and talking with Topo and Enzo.

Several of Joey's and Annalisa's families have arrived early to be here tonight as well. I head over to greet Vince and Mia. "You look beautiful, Mia; should you be traveling?" I take in her beautiful pregnant belly.

Mia laughs, "There's no way in hell I'm missing my little brother's wedding. I still have a couple of months, so I'm right on the cutoff before I can't travel."

I introduce them to Sean and Lucy. I chuckle as I point out where Kai and Miles are at the arcade area, hitting each other with the cushioned hammers to the game Whac-a-mole.

Vince and Mia introduce us to a few of their extended family members. They happen to have a couple of young cousins who immediately hit it off with Lucy, and they all head to the arcade area together.

Joey's parents are sweet, and both hug me when I meet them. I spend a while talking to them as they express their sympathy for having to go through what happened when we were taken but are grateful Joey wasn't alone through it all.

Afterward, I mingle with the different guests and make sure everyone is having a good time, trying to be a good maid of honor. I don't purposely avoid JP, but it just happens that I end up on opposite sides of wherever he is.

"Are you ready for the dance battle of your life, Bracco?" Sean comes up behind me, wrapping his arms around me.

I turn in his arms, "Sean, I've got moves you ain't ever seen."

"We'll see about that," He chuckles.

We head over to the arcade area and begin a very intense dance battle. I laugh hard when his foot lands on the edge of the platform, and he stumbles off of the machine, and I end up winning the dance battle easily.

We end up running around the arcade laughing and trying to one-up each other on each game.

"Well, you're a tough opponent, but I think we know who the overall winner is," Sean says in mock seriousness after we made a good run through most of the games.

"Hmm, yes, I concur, you are a tough opponent," I say seriously and cross my arms as I face him. "But the real winner was ME!" I move my hand quickly in front of his face, causing him to jump back from my sudden movement.

I laugh at his startled face, but he pulls me in, wrapping his arms around me, and then kisses me. I laugh as I pull away, and he holds me around the waist while we head back to the bar for a drink. I happen to catch JP watching us, his eyes smoldering with bitterness; he's sitting with Cristian, Enzo, and Adonis. I look away as we give the bartender our drink order.

As we get our drinks, the DJ cuts the music and grabs everyone's attention, "Alright, who's ready for some karaoke tonight?"

~~~~~~

Who remembers what happened last time there was karaoke???

LMAO, we'll see what happens this time around...stay tuned!!!