“Ma, this is Mrs. Washington,” I said as I held out my hand to Ruth.

“Ruth,” she said with a small grin.

“Ruth, this is my ma, Maria.”

The two women smiled at each other.

“Ruth?” Ma asked, her eyebrows knitting together.

“Maria,” Ruth replied as she held out her arms to my ma.

I looked at Max and she shrugged. Good thing I wasn’t the only one lost.

“You look so good, Ruthie. I haven’t seen you in what?”

“Five years,” Ruth replied as she squeezed Ma.

“Anyone want to share?” Max said.

“Oh, child,” Ruth said as she let my mother go.

“Well, Ruth and I used to be part of a ladies’ group. I joined when we moved here years ago. Sal thought it would be a great way for me to make new friends. We’d meet for lunch once a week and sometimes have drinks when we needed to lean on one another.”

“So you two, like, know each other?” I asked as I tried to hide my shock.

“We do,” they answered together.

“Maria and I would talk often, but when your father started to get sick I didn’t have as much free time. We’d lost contact.”

“I’m so sorry to hear about your husband, Ruth. I can’t imagine.”

“Thank you, Maria,” Ruth replied with a small smile. “It was the most difficult thing I’ve ever been through in my life.”

“Ruth?” Pop asked as he approached. “What are you doing here?” He kissed her on the cheek.

“Max is my daughter, Sal.”

Pops eyes grew wide as a giant smile crept across his face. “What a small world. I never put two and two together.”

“We’re going to be related,” Ma added as she clapped her hands.

“Who would’ve known, Maria? Those times when we shared pictures of our kids and bitched about them that they’d end up together.”

“You bitched about us?” Max asked as her body stiffened.

“You two were a handful, if I remember correctly. Don’t even get me started on the other kids.” Ma laughed and was quickly joined by Ruth.

“I’m sorry I never called, Maria. Time got away from me after he passed and I barely made it through most days.”

“All is forgiven, Ruth. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you through that time in your life.”

“Let’s make sure to get back to lunch and drinks. We’re going to have so much fun planning this wedding.”

“Right?” Ma agreed. “I’m not letting you out of my life again. We’re going to be family. I can’t wait to have more grandbabies.”

“Can we get married first?” I asked as I watched the two grow excited at the thought of more little ones.

“Phew,” Earl called out as he walked into the private room at Morton’s Steakhouse and stared at my mother. “That right there is a fine specimen.”

Clara gave him a crack in the back of the head. “Behave, Earl.”

“Clara, I was talking about the steak,” he said as he pointed at the display sitting behind where my mother stood.

“You’re a horrible liar.”

“I’m Earl,” he said as he held out his hand to Ma.

“Maria,” she replied as she slid her hand into his.

“I’m Sal, Maria’s husband,” Pop interjected before Earl had a chance to kiss Ma’s hand.

“Lucky bastard,” he whispered against Ma’s hand. “That’s mine,” he said as he tipped his head backward. “Clara.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Clara.” Pop wrapped her into a hug and kissed her cheek.

Clara slid her hands up and down my father’s back as he embraced her. The entire time, a giant smile clung to her face. “There’s entirely too many good-looking men in this room,” Clara added as she glanced around and zoomed in on my brothers.

“We’re Gallos,” I added, being my cocky asshole self.

“You sure do grow them right,” she said as she cleared her throat.

“What did you say?” Earl asked as he stared at her and then followed her line of sight.

“I said I don’t wanna fight.”

“What would we fight about?” he asked as he glared at her.

“Everything.”

Watching the two of them made my head hurt. I wondered if they ever had a serious conversation.

He slapped her on the ass as her body jolted forward. “Get me a drink, woman.”

“That right there,” she said as she looked down at his arm, “will make you never wake up from your sleep again.”

“You keep promising, but I always wake up to your sparkling personality.”

“Why don’t we find our seats,” I said as I held out my arm, hoping to get everyone moving. They followed my cue and headed toward the tables.

“Thank you,” Max whispered as she slid her arm around mine.

“Can you believe our mothers know each other?”

“It’s so weird. How did we not know about each other and how did they not notice us when we met them?” I asked, thinking about how funny life could be.

“I’ve seen the pictures of you when you were younger, Anthony. You weren’t quite as handsome as you are now.”

“Puhlease. I’ve always been a lady-killer.” I pinched her ass as she yelped.

“Keep telling yourself that. It’s a good thing teenage girls don’t have such high standards.”

“Yeah, ’cause you were hot with your mouth filled with metal and your dorky oversized glasses.”

“I was in style even then.”

“Max, baby. You’re a beautiful woman today, but then, I would’ve run away from you,” I teased as I pulled out her chair.

“Keep believing that, Anthony.”

I was lying through my teeth. Even in the pictures where she looked like a gawky teenager, she was still stunning. Her features were so pronounced and exotic that not even giant glasses could hide her beauty.

I moved my chair closer to hers as we faced the room full of our closest friends and family.

Pop stood, tapping a knife against his wineglass. “I’d like to propose a toast.” The room grew silent as all eyes focused on him. “I want to thank each and every one of you for coming tonight to celebrate the joining of our two families. Until tonight Maria and I hadn’t realized that we’d known Max for many years. Ruth and Maria had been close friends who had lost touch. This is not only a joining of Max and Anthony, but a reunion of families. We couldn’t be happier to be gaining a daughter as beautiful and loving as Max to our oldest son, Anthony.” He raised his glass and finished with a “salute.”

Max grabbed my thigh under the table and gave it a hard squeeze as we sipped our champagne.

“Kiss,” Nita said, clanking her silverware against the glass.

Without hesitation, I grabbed Max by the back of the neck before she had a chance to set the glass down on the table and crushed my lips to hers.

“Babies,” Ma called out from down the table.

I laughed, pulling away from Max. “And so it begins,” I whispered, and looked into the eyes of my future.