Fidelity (Infidelity #5)

“What?” Pat said as he sat beside Cy. “I could… if I wanted to.”

“Dearly beloved,” the minister began.

I suppose I’m supposed to remember every word, but the phrases, combined with the gentle breeze and ocean’s surf, faded away. Our marriage wasn’t about words but about us and about what together we could never be alone. With my hand in Nox’s I was filled with love and hope. I was part of a family. I loved and was loved.

Were they butterflies that fluttered in my tummy as Nox said the words I do, or was it our baby?

With tears of joy pooling on my lids, I turned to the minister as he asked, “Alexandria Charles Montague Collins, do you take this man as your lawfully wedded husband?”

This time in front of witnesses there was no hesitation. “Yes, with all my heart I do.”





OUR RECEPTION WASN’T held until a week later at a large hall in Brooklyn, New York. It was Nox’s cousin Vincent Costello and his wife Bella who’d planned it all. They insisted, understanding our desire for a small, intimate wedding.

“Fine, fine, I get it,” Vincent had said. “You’ve had enough news coverage, but Alexandria, you must allow us to celebrate. Not just us, but all of us.” He emphasized the word all.

I’ll never forget his boisterous laugh and welcoming smile. From the first time Nox took me to their home, I was welcomed. Not just by Vincent and Bella, but also by the entirety of the Costello clan and that encompassed a lot of us.

In a way, being with this part of his family made me feel as if I were meeting his mother. After all this was her family.

How could I say no?

And now surrounded by cousins and more cousins, my small family had grown by leaps and bounds. There were so many women, all anxious to give me their marriage and mothering advice.

I wanted it, every word. I also wanted to accept the invitations to learn to cook. They told stories of family meals preceded by full-day cookathons. It was a life I’d never experienced, but one I was anxious to try, not only for me, but also for our child. He or she would only know love, so much love.

“Alex,” Eva, Nox’s cousin who was the doctor, asked, “How are you feeling?”

“Good…” As I spoke I glanced over at my mom. She and Vincent seemed to be in an in-depth conversation. It amazed me how the family had welcomed her as well as me, and not only as my mother, but also as Oren’s significant other.

Nox was speaking with his cousin Luca, laughing and jabbing playfully at one another. And then I spotted Oren. If I didn’t know better, I’d have thought he looked concerned as he watched my mother with Vincent from afar. What did he possibly think Vincent would say to my mother?

“Princess.”

I turned to the deep voice of my husband. “Yes?”

Nox reached for my hand and pulled me close. “Our first dance is coming up, but I was wondering…” His lips quirked upward and his blue eyes shone.

I looked around the room full of people. “What were you wondering?”

“There’s a gas station down the street. I thought maybe you and I could go there before our dance, because, Mrs. Demetri, I’m dying here, not being able to touch you like I want to. You’re the most stunning bride I’ve ever seen and as much as I appreciate all that my family’s done for us, right now I want to get you alone.”

My cheeks warmed and pulse increased at the memory of Nox and I at a gas station along Highway 101. “Get me alone?” I wrapped my arms around his neck as our bodies came together. “And, pray tell, what would happen if we were alone?”

His warm breath skirted my neck, leaving goose bumps in its wake as he leaned down and whispered, “Trust me, another standing ovation.”





SINCE THE NIGHT we brought Adelaide to New York I’d gone without alcohol. I’d taken the whiskey to my lips the one night I’d met with Vincent, but I never drank. That said, throughout those months, I’d never craved it as much as I did at this reception. Watching Vincent speak to Adelaide was about to do me in. Maybe I should find Eva and ask her about a tranquilizer. Hell, being part of this family, she surely carried a bottle in her handbag.

It wasn’t that the reception wasn’t going well, or even the inclusion of the Montagues with the Costellos. Angelina’s family had embraced Alex and Lennox in a way I’d never envisioned. It was Adelaide who concerned me. I couldn’t imagine her mix of emotions.

“Oren,” she said, her sweet voice pulling me from my thoughts. In my worry, I hadn’t even noticed that their conversation had ended. “Are you all right?” she asked, reaching for my hand.

“I am.” I eyed her up and down. “Are you?”

“I’m simply overwhelmed by Angelina’s family. The way they’ve welcomed not only Alexandria but me as well.” She shook her head and took a sip of some pink punch. I wasn’t sure what it was, but it was the same thing the children were drinking. “They’re lovely people.”

Taking her hand, I led her to a back hallway.