Her heart squeezed. “I have your card too.” She pulled it from the kitchen drawer and handed it to him, going up on tiptoe to kiss him. “Happy Valentine’s Day. No one I’d rather spend it with.”
“How much longer ’til we eat?” Vince hollered from the other room.
“An hour!” Vinny boomed.
“Can I have a snack?” Vince asked.
“No!” Vinny replied.
Silence.
Vinny smiled at her, his dark eyes twinkling with amusement. “Where were we with our romantic Valentine’s Day with kids? Why did we include them in this again?”
“It’s good for them to get to know each other.”
“Okay, then.” He jerked his chin. “Open it.”
She opened her card. It was a funny one with a cartoonish dog on the front. She opened it to find a gift certificate for a massage.
He pointed at it. “I thought you might need one after all the time you spend with your kids and my kids too.” He lifted one corner of his mouth. “The tension can really pile up. Anyway, if you like it, I’ll arrange for you to go every month. I just want you to feel good, even though I know it’s not easy with your kids and my kids.”
She burst into tears.
“Oh, shit, don’t cry.” He pulled her close, pressing her head to his chest. “Never mind. You don’t have to get a massage.”
They were happy tears, but she couldn’t stop crying long enough to explain. Vinny was worried about her being a mom to six boys, and wanted to take care of her. He experienced all the same tensions and never broke a sweat. An amazing man. He pulled his weight as a dad to his kids and had treated hers just like his own from day one.
He squeezed her tighter. “Allie, please stop crying. I feel terrible.”
She lifted her head. “I’m happy.”
His eyes widened. “You are?”
She wiped her tears from her cheeks and sniffled. “Happy tears.” She pulled back from him and went down on her knees.
He stared at her. “Maybe we should, um, move somewhere more private.”
She laughed. “Those were happy tears because I just now realized what a great husband you will be. A great partner. Vinny, will you marry me?”
“You’re asking—yes!” He grabbed her, lifting her right off the ground and spinning her around, making her laugh. He set her on her feet and framed her face with his hands. “This is the best Valentine’s gift I’ve ever gotten.”
“Me too. You know why I fell so hard for you?”
His thumb stroked her cheek. “Why?”
“You have soul. I’ve never met a man so open and expressive.”
He stilled. “That was Maria. She formed me. She was the one who was so open and expressive, and I tried to meet her halfway. I was still a kid when I fell for her, seventeen, and it changed me. She gave me that. I guess in a way she gave me you, since you like that about me.”
“I love that about you.” She paused, thinking of his first love. “Maria sounds like a very special woman.”
He pressed his lips tightly together. “She was. Angel’s a lot like her.”
“Angel’s a fantastic kid.” Her throat tightened. “Vinny, I know I could never take her place. I would never try to for you or your boys.”
“I don’t see it like that, one person replacing another. It’s more like, you and I, we’re in a different place now. The right place for each other.”
She hugged him tight and he wrapped his arms around her, surrounding her with warmth and love. He’d waited for her to be ready, for her boys to be ready, and welcomed her in with open arms.
A promise kept.
Epilogue
Two months later…
Allie couldn’t help her beaming smile as Vinny waltzed with her during their pre-wedding ballroom dance lessons. It was only their first lesson, but he’d picked up the box step quickly.
He pulled her in close, leaning down to whisper in her ear, “Tell me again why the boys are taking dance lessons with us.”
She smiled serenely. “So they can bond.”
“They’re making faces at each other.”
She glanced over at Vince, dancing with a woman with curly gray hair in her fifties. Vince’s eyes were crossed. Gabe and Luke were snickering. Then Luke made a snarly face back.
Their class had three other couples and a group of five middle-aged women from a divorce support group. Allie felt a little bad about the numbers here. Surely, the divorced women had hoped to meet single men, just not men quite so young. So far, the boys had refused to dance with each other.
She looked up at Vinny. “They’re bonded in their dislike of waltzing. And look at how well Gabe’s doing with his partner.”
Gabe looked a little stiff, but he was definitely doing the correct box step with his divorcée, a blond woman who kept looking around, maybe hoping for another man to magically appear instead of a teenaged boy.
“Yeah, well,” Vinny said, looking a little guilty.
“What?”
He lowered his voice. “I paid Gabe to set an example for the other boys.”
“What!”
“They were plotting to revolt. I had to do something.”
She bit back a smile. That was just wrong. On the other hand, Vinny knew how much this meant to her and had smoothed the way. “What if the others find out?”
He arched a brow. “Payment is contingent on keeping his mouth shut. Besides, he’s the oldest. He should set an example.” He gave Gabe a thumbs-up, and Gabe acknowledged it with a subtle head nod.
Vinny gazed down at her tenderly, his hand leaving her waist to slide up her back and stroke her hair. “They’re good kids, but ya can’t blame boys for not being into ballroom dance. And six weeks of lessons is a lot at that age.”
She laughed. “Their wives will thank me one day.”
He smiled, his dark eyes crinkling at the corners. “Maybe so.”
Luke passed by with his divorcée.
“Nice footwork,” Vinny commented to Luke. “How do we look?”
Luke took in her and Vinny before finally saying coolly, “Fine.”
Vinny inclined his head. “I’ll take fine.” He moved them a distance away, a little more subdued.
“He’ll warm up,” Allie said. “Just give him time.”
“No rush,” Vinny said.
“He’s stubborn is all,” Allie said. “It’s not personal.”
Luke had stewed after they’d announced their engagement, keeping his concerns to himself until just last week before Sunday dinner when he’d surprised her by confronting Vinny, who was preparing ravioli in the kitchen. She’d been making the salad.
Luke, all of ten years old, had crossed his arms and informed Vinny in a belligerent tone, “You’re not my real dad and you never will be.”
“Luke!” she’d exclaimed, shocked he’d speak like that to Vinny, who’d just been innocently cooking dinner.
Vinny held up a staying hand to her, but kept his gaze on Luke. “I know that, but you know what? Me getting to be your stepdad, that’s a gift for me. And I promise to treat you like one of my own.”
Luke’s arms uncrossed, and he looked uncertain, like maybe he wanted to believe Vinny, but he wasn’t so sure.
“You like baseball?” Vinny asked.
Luke jerked his chin. “Yeah.”
“Tell the guys after dinner we’ll play a game. We’re lucky to have you and your brothers in the mix. Now we can finally have a real game.”
Luke bolted, shouting, “Guys! We’re playing ball after dinner!”
It was a start. She was sure Luke and Vinny would connect soon. It was impossible not to with Vinny being such a great dad.
She squeaked as Vinny got fancy with his newfound dance moves, spinning her around and then back.
“Look at you with all the moves,” she teased.
He looked over her shoulder. “Jared just made a break for it.”
“What!”
“I’ll
get him.”
He left and returned a few moments later, one big hand on the back of Jared’s neck, marching him back in. Jared was grinning, saying, “I was just getting a drink!”
Jared adored Vinny because Vinny had been teaching him to work with tools. Jared was quite mechanically gifted, something she wouldn’t have known without Vinny in their lives.
A moment later, Jared pulled Angel away from the instructor, an older woman with dyed black hair and a graceful dancer’s body, and started dancing with him. The two boys stood, hands on each other’s shoulders, a foot apart, talking the whole time.
Vinny swooped her up in his arms and spun her around, making her laugh. He set her back on her feet and resumed the slow box step. “I told Jared it was either Angel or Miss Beasley. He picked Angel.”
“See? They’re bonding.”
The boys—all six of them—grimaced and snickered their way through class, which was fine by her, as long as they were learning.
They all walked out together after class, the boys quiet for once. Then Vinny announced, “You boys did such a great job, let’s stop for ice cream on the way home.”
The boys erupted in cheers.
Vinny smiled at her and winked. She smiled back.
And then the best part—the whole ride to the ice-cream place the boys noisily talked about their “lame” dance lessons and who had the worst partner. Even Gabe and Vince shared a good laugh. Which was exactly what she’d wanted.
Let the bonding begin!
~ ~ ~
Present day…
It was Valentine’s Day, always a special time for her and Vinny since it was their engagement anniversary. They were at the Clover Park Valentine’s Day dance, all dressed up and feeling romantic. They’d been surprised upon arrival to find their six sons in attendance with their wives and kids. Guess they wanted to start their own Valentine’s Day tradition here too. Now she and Vinny had the dance floor all to themselves because Angel had requested a special dance just for them. Such a sweetheart.
Vinny took the lead in a waltz, surprisingly graceful for a man of his size. She silently congratulated herself on getting him to take ballroom dance lessons before their wedding. It had paid off in spades, giving her years of wonderful dancing with him for special occasions or just when the mood struck in their kitchen.
As soon as the dance ended, the band quieted, so she and Vinny left the dance floor. Angel ran up to the microphone, holding a black leather-bound book, and she suddenly knew what was going on. He was honoring them as a couple because she and Vinny had been there for the not-so-easy paths to the altar of Angel and Julia and all of their children.
Angel’s voice rang out to the crowded room. “Attention, everyone, thanks for giving me a moment to acknowledge two very special people celebrating their anniversary today, Vinny and Allie Marino.”
Everyone applauded. Allie flushed and exchanged a look with Vinny. It was their engagement anniversary. When Angel had mentioned making a keepsake book before, she’d thought he’d meant for their wedding anniversary in June.
“Anniversary of their engagement,” Angel added. “We wanted to surprise them with an early gift and a toast. To the two people whose love brought all of us together.” He gestured over to his brothers and their wives. “Six boys in one house, you can imagine the chaos.”
Her sons grinned. The crowd tittered.
Vinny cupped his hands around his mouth, hollering, “Allie kept you boys in line!”
Allie smacked his arm playfully. “Vinny!”
Angel smiled. “She did. Always with an open heart. We all love you very much, Ma.”
Tears sprang to her eyes. Angel, being the youngest, had needed her most. She rushed on stage and hugged him. Vinny followed a moment later, standing by her side.
Angel cleared his throat and continued. “If there’s one thing we learned bringing two families together, it’s—” He gestured over to his brothers to join in. They all droned in unison: “Love doesn’t divide, it multiplies!”
She and Vinny laughed. That had been their mantra in the early years.
Vinny leaned toward the microphone. “Finally, they learned!” He shook his finger at their sons.
She beamed, knowing her part in achieving family harmony. Her popular picture book series, The Huddle-Cuddles, featuring her sons as hedgehogs and her stepsons as porcupines, had taught them lessons on working out their differences through a series of adventures.
Angel went on. “So corny and so true. It was what our parents said when we’d argue over who had the real mom or the real dad. Now we all know how much they both love us. The best mom and dad any of us could ask for.” He handed her the keepsake book and spoke away from the microphone. “This is from all of us. It starts at your wedding since that’s when we had the most pictures.”
The cover had a rectangular opening for a picture, and he’d put in the wedding picture with all of them in it. The young boys all lined up, a contrast in looks, dark-haired dark-eyed Italian kids next to her fair-haired, light-skinned kids. They were all smiling, but only Angel and Jared were beaming, eight years old and thrilled to have each other. The picture perfectly encapsulated where their family was at back then, just beginning to bond. And they’d made it work.
“We love all of you!” Allie exclaimed, taking them all in. “I can’t wait to pore over this at home tonight. Now get out there and dance! Ladies, make them show you their ballroom dance moves! You better believe I made every one of them take lessons.” You’re welcome, ladies.
Her daughters-in-law laughed and did as told, guiding their husbands on the dance floor. Angel stepped away from the microphone and went to Julia. The band started playing again with no singer this time because the lead singer was Gabe’s wife, and she flew off stage and into his arms.
Everyone started dancing again.
Vinny took her hand and led her back to the dance floor. As they passed each son with his wife, they thanked them. Gabe’s loving smile meant a lot to her because the one letter he’d read had been from Vinny, saying “It’s been three years. The kids can handle it.” The letter wasn’t dated. Without knowing the journey she and Vinny had travelled, it might have sounded like a scandalous affair. She and Vinny had chosen not to explain themselves, both because it was private and because they hoped Gabe and all of their children knew them well enough to know they respected the marriage vows too much to ever sully them. Their shining example of a loving marriage seemed to have the right effect. All of their sons were happily married.
They reached Angel and Julia, who’d gone to so much trouble to make tonight special, and thanked them profusely.
Vinny winked at Angel. “Maybe one day your kids will want to hear your story.”
“Not much to tell,” Angel returned with a wink. “We met, we dated, we got married, end of story.” Those had been Vinny’s words. Angel and Julia’s journey to marriage had been twisty with loads of complications. It had all worked out in the end.
Allie smiled and squeezed Angel’s arm before Vinny whisked her off.
Some things were too romantic to share with the world. Especially your kids!
~ ~ ~
Dear readers, I hope you enjoyed seeing how it all began with Vinny and Allie. Now it’s time for crazy Gran O’Hare’s love story with her beloved Patrick back when they were both so young (yet legal age LOL). Don’t miss Maggie Meets Her Match!
Good girl Maggie Murphy is trapped in a conventional life not of her choosing, so when she meets bad boy Patrick O’Hare, she thinks she might’ve just found the man to spring her free. By ruining her.
Patrick O’Hare is stuck. He flubbed the tryouts that would’ve made him a pro football player, and now he’s spending the summer working for his uncle’s traveling carnival company and trying to figure out who he is without football.
Sizzling summer nights soon lead to a future neither of them could have imagined. But can two very different people follow their dreams together?
Maggie grabbed Patrick’s hand. “Come on,” she whispered fiercely.
Luckily, he didn't pull away. “Where're we going?”
“To dance.” She pulled him to the end of the long hallway by the storage closet, where they could hear the music through the vent. A little tinny, but it would do. She put her hand on his shoulder and put her other hand in his. He rested a hand lightly on her back. It wasn't awkward at all like the previous boys she'd danced with. He led them slowly in a slight sway, the space between them gradually closing until his arm was completely around her waist, and they were pressed so close the holy spirit couldn't fit. Gah! Sister Eileen had gotten in her head. Leave room for the holy spirit when you dance!
Patrick's voice rumbled in her ear. “You're a good dancer.”
Electricity raced along her nerves, hot and tingly. “So are you.”
They gazed into each other's eyes, and she leaned kissing close, barely breathing. His hand slid into her hair, cupping her head, his gaze dropping to her lips. She closed her eyes, and finally his lips met hers, gentle at first and then more firmly, his tongue spearing into her mouth, shocking her.
She broke the kiss, her eyes wide. “What was that?”
His hand slid to her jaw, his thumb stroking her cheek. “You've never been kissed before?”
She'd had two kisses, one hard, one soft, no tongue. “Not like that. Is that how you always kiss?”
His smile was slow and sure. “Yeah.” He traced her bottom lip with his tongue, electrifying her, and kissed her again. This time she caught on, matching his movements and venturing to taste him too. He groaned into her mouth and pulled away.
“Where're you going?” she asked. “Kiss me and touch me and other stuff.” She knew to be thoroughly ruined required more than kissing.
He stared at her mouth. “How old are you?”
People always thought she was younger than she was because she was a petite five feet one. “I'll be eighteen in April. How old are you?”
“Eighteen.” He offered his hand, and she took it, hoping he'd drag her off for whatever bad boys did to bad girls, but instead he gave her hand a warm squeeze. A tingly heat rushed through her. “Bye, Maggie.”
A Valentine's Day Gift (Clover Park, Book 11) Page 10