Gloria was having trouble seeing him through the tears that threatened to spill over. If Harper could forgive, she’d be getting her own happily ever after tonight. And knowing her friend’s gigantic heart, Luke had a very good chance at a lifetime of happiness in front of him.

“We’ll celebrate tomorrow,” Gloria said quietly. She raised her left hand, just enough so that the diamond caught his eye.

“No shit?” Luke beamed at her, then over the heads that separated him and Aldo.

“Tomorrow we celebrate. Tonight’s your night,” Gloria said, patting him on the arm. “Oh, and if all goes well, I owe you a stick of deodorant and a toothbrush.”

Sophie Garrison, wearing a matching Garrison Christmas sweater and a mile-wide grin, ducked her head in the door. “Showtime, guys!”

* * *

Angry Frank and his lady back-up singers kicked things off with a rousing rendition of “With a Little Help from My Friends.” Gloria couldn’t see Harper through the crowd from her vantage point hugging the wall near the service bar, but she had a feeling the festive vibes of the crowd would have her friend smiling.

Aldo was crowded up against Gloria’s side. Everything, even a night at Remo’s, was different with him next to her.

Nerves shimmered in her belly.

She’d spent the better part of this year putting herself out there, but this was taking it to a new level.

The crowd cheered as Frank and his cohorts exited the stage, and Gloria’s stomach churned.

“Do you think Cher ever gets stage fright?” Gloria asked Aldo.

He brought her hand to his lips and fake mustache. “Sweetheart, with everything you’ve faced down this year, a little karaoke is nothing.”

Fred, the bar’s owner, was back on the stage calling for quiet. “It’s gonna be an old-school night, folks. Put your hands together for our next act, Sonny and Cher.”

Aldo gave her hand a squeeze and flashed her that charmer’s smile. And the stage suddenly didn’t seem so high, the lights weren’t quite as blinding. Nothing was as scary with him by her side. He led the way onto the pencil-thin stage, bounding up the step. And there sat Harper, front and center, her cheeks flushed. The glee of the community overriding her sadness for the night. Harper clapped a hand over her mouth when she got a good look at their getup.

Hand-in-hand they approached the mic. Aldo leaned in, his big, booming voice carrying over the bar noise. “Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. Gloria and I would like to dedicate this song to the woman we owe everything to. This one’s for you, Harper.”

“We love you,” Gloria said, blowing Harper a kiss.