The Santinis: Vicente, Book 4

by Melissa Schroeder

  “Joey, calm down. Everything’s fine.” MJ shook her head. “What’s wrong with you Santini? You don’t say things like that.” She smiled at his mother. “We’re having twins.”

  There was a moment of stunned silence then everyone started talking at once.

  “We are going to have to get a drink out tonight. The Santinis out on the town,” Gee said smiling. Of course, Vince noticed he received the go ahead nod from Kianna before he said it.

  “Sounds like a plan. Leo drives because he’s pregnant,” Vince said.

  Leo shook his head. “Damn. I should have seen that coming.”

  * * * *

  Jules looked at herself in the mirror and thought about changing her clothes—for the fourth time. Three times was okay. Four times moved her into the crazy category. She glanced at Rufus who was watching her from her bed. The lazy dog was no help.

  “What do you think?”

  He snuffled and buried under the covers more. Oh, great. Now her dog was doing his version of an eye roll. A girl sunk to a new low when her dog judged her behavior and found it lacking.

  “He said casual.” The reminder didn’t help her decide.

  She tilted her head from one side to the next. Jules was embarrassed to admit that making decisions like this was still hard. Other parts of her life she had triumphed. Moving back to a place she liked, opening a business she loved…even going out occasionally with Angela or with Joey, those had all been small victories. She always thought she was completely over the nightmare of her marriage, until she had to pick out something special to wear. Jules assumed that it was because Mike had often belittled her fashion sense.

  She shook those thoughts away and ran her hands through her hair. Three years and she was still beholden to the memories. Tonight was about fun. She couldn’t wait to meet the wives…to see happy marriages. And the Santinis were always fun.

  In her opinion, she looked good. Healthy. She’d gained back fifteen pounds and was finally filled out again. The soft purple shirt, her favorite pair of jeans along with boots might be too casual but when she heard the doorbell ring, she realized she didn’t have a choice.

  She hurried to the door and opened it. Instead of finding just Vince, Leo was with him.

  “Jules Andrews.” He said and just like always, he pulled her into a huge hug. He was like a big bear and such a sweetie.

  “You’re going to suffocate her, Leo,” Vince said, not sounding happy at all.

  “Oh, yeah, sure.” He set her on her feet. “But I can bring you back to life since I’m a medic.”

  She laughed and swatted him. “Did you bring your wife with you?”

  He shook his head. “I left her at mom’s earlier. She needed rest.”

  “Come on in, I need to grab my jacket.”

  Belatedly, Rufus barked as he shuffled into the living room.

  “What is that?” Leo asked looking at him.

  Jules smiled at her faithful companion. “That’s Rufus.”

  “What’s a Rufus?” he asked.

  She wanted to laugh, but she couldn’t do that to her baby. He was a bit scrappy looking. No matter how much she spent to have his hair groomed, it grew back unevenly. “He’s a rescue from the shelter.”

  Leo didn’t look convinced. “If you say so.”

  She settled her hands on her hips. “Leonardo Santini. I’ll tell your mom.”

  “Good lord, does every woman we meet threaten to tell our mother on us?” he asked Vince.

  “Not sure.” Vince looked about as happy as a man about to get a prostate exam.

  She shook her head. “Rufus, you ignore the Santini brothers. You are beautiful.” He gave her a lick then shuffled off to his bed in the living room.

  “Let’s go. I’m ready for some Joey food.”

  And maybe by then, Vince wouldn’t be giving her the death stare.

  * * * *

  It was easy to see Jules there with his family. Well, not easy for him, but she had always fit with them. His brothers had always treated her as part of the family, like a sister or a cousin. He wished he could see her that way. Even now, two hours later, his palms were sweating.

  They had gathered around the kitchen table as his parents had drifted away. Joey and Papa Santini knew they needed time to hang out, to just be…well it used to be brothers. Now there were spouses and fiancés and lord, kids.

  “So, Leo the Lion is going to be a daddy. It’s hard to believe,” Jules said.

  She was sitting next to Alana who had been watching her. Alana was the perfect match for Marco. They both seemed to study things with the same kind of intensity.

  “Yeah, but then, I am kind of fantastic, so it was inevitable,” Leo said.

  “Oh, gawd, could you all leave now? This is a woman thing,” MJ announced.

  Leo frowned. “No. You are not going to hound Jules for information about us.”

  “As if,” MJ said with a laugh. “You’re all standing around here as if you’re protecting us from intruders. We’re fine. Go away.”

  Leo glanced in his direction. He knew his brother picked up on his feelings for Jules years ago. “I think we should stay.”

  MJ sighed. “Joey, Leo says maybe we shouldn’t try for a base stateside next.”

  “Leonardo Santini!”

  He groaned. “That was cruel.”

  She smiled. “That’s why you love me.”

  He leaned down and whispered something in her ear. She blushed prettily and smacked him the arm. Soon they were in the living room with his folks and his mother was irritated. Her frown was enough to make any grown Santini man to run for the hills.

  Vince clapped a hand on Leo’s shoulder. “You really should have let me date MJ, because that woman is nothing but trouble for you.”

  Before Leo could answer their mother stepped closer and gave Leo a narrowed look. “So what the hell is this about going overseas?”

  * * * *

  “So, there’s all this shouting down by the riverbank. None of us know what’s going on, but we knew the Santinis were down there.”

  “You never know with those four. I caught them arguing in my front yard,” Alana said laughing.

  “Yeah, and Joey’s had to use the hose on them before out back,” MJ said.

  Jules laughed. “That’s the way Santinis are. Anyway, Gee’s just a little guy and he comes running up like there is some demon of hell on his tail.”

  “Oh, no, what was it?” Kianna asked.

  “First, you have to know Gee has an armful of clothes and he can barely see over them. Behind him, in all their glorious nudity, the three older Santinis are running like a determined pack of well…Santinis.”

  The table erupted into laughter. Jules joined in enjoying herself for the first time in a really long time.

  “So, Vince is calling him names that his Mama would box his ears for when he realizes there are at least forty girls standing at the top of the ridge.”

  “Oh, my.” MJ was laughing so hard there were tears pouring out of her eyes. “What did you all do?”

  “We protected Gee of course, because he was so little, and well, all of us were pretty happy to get a peek at those guys in the birthday suits.”

  Kianna was laughing the hardest. “That man is insane. And I can see him doing it.”

  It was easy to see why these women had caught the eye of a Santini. None of them were similar in looks, but they all seemed to have personalities that fit their husband’s perfectly.

  Kianna had skin the color of cocoa, laughing golden brown eyes, and a head full of springy curls.

  “He is such a sweetie though,” Alana said. “He asked me to marry him when I first met him.”

  The Hawaiian was soft spoken and had a gentle spirit that complimented Marco. Then there was MJ.

  “They’re all troublemakers, every last one of them. They’re men. I know because I grew up in a household of them.”

  She was a gorgeous petite brunette who was enormous at
the moment. She glowed with her pregnancy.

  “So, tell us, you saw all of them naked except Gee…so any details?” MJ asked.

  “MJ,” Alana said. “Jules will think we’re horrible.”

  MJ rolled her eyes. “Oh, please, you want to know too.”

  “Know?” Jules asked.

  “Well, we want to know about the Alpha, Vicente. Fess up.”

  She didn’t know what to say. The memory of Vince Santini completely and gloriously nude was something she could still conjure up in her mind. And damn, he had been barely a senior at the time. Now…

  “Yeah, Jules, why don’t you tell them about it?” Vince said from behind her.

  Chapter Three

  Vince couldn’t believe he’d caught Jules telling stories on the four of them. Of course, he shouldn’t have been surprised. If there was a non-Santini who knew more stories about the Santinis it had to be Jules. She’d been there for most of the embarrassing moments of his life.

  Now, though, she was turning pink from embarrassment and he couldn’t help but be mesmerized by it. Being a red head, she had skin that showed every little blush, and he was enchanted.

  “We water boarded her, Vince,” MJ said already taking defense of the Jules. The other three apparently caught her mortification and frowned at him. Jesus, they looked ready to beat him up.

  Jules shook her head. “It’s not like everyone around here doesn’t know that story. I am sure more than one woman has recounted the tale of the naked Santinis.”

  All the women started laughing and Jules grinned. “That’s what we all called them after that. Or The River Incident.” She looked at Vince. “I mean, you have to admit that was pretty damned funny.”

  He crossed his arms and frowned at her. She bit her lip and he realized she was trying to keep from laughing.

  “Oh, suck it up, Santini. Not like you have anything here that any of us haven’t seen before,” MJ said, standing and stretching her back.

  “Are you okay?” Jules asked her, immediately concern darkening her eyes.

  “We’re fine. I’ve got to get up and move every now and then. Plus, of course, the bathroom is my best friend lately. After all that laughing, I’m lucky I haven’t already embarrassed myself.”

  Jules didn’t look convinced but MJ ignored the concerned look. “Vince, help me down the hall.”

  He knew that tone. He had heard it every day of his life. There was a reason Leo fell so hard for MJ. She had the temperament of their mother.

  “Sure.”

  “I’ll be right back for more stories. I need some ammunition because apparently those idiot brothers of mine have been telling Leo things.”

  He walked down the hall with her feeling kind of odd. MJ didn’t need any more help than a bulldozer needed with a molehill. When they were out of earshot, MJ said, “Be nice to Jules. She hasn’t had a good time of it.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked. There was more than a little heat in his voice and he realized he was still upset with her rejection years ago.

  MJ stopped in front of the bathroom. “Listen, Vince, I know y’all are kind of hardheaded but you can learn. That marriage of hers wasn’t good, and I’ve never seen a woman jump so easily that didn’t have memories of a bad relationship.”

  He frowned. “She’s the one who sought the divorce.”

  And that had been hard for him to accept. She had rejected him just a few years earlier, then she divorced Mike. Before Vince had made it back from his deployment, Mike was dead.

  “There are always two sides to every story. Just remember that. Now, I really need to get in here before I embarrass myself.

  Vince didn’t say anything as he watched the bathroom door close. It wasn’t like MJ knew what went on all those years earlier, and she really had no idea about what went on in Jules’ marriage.

  “You’re gonna have to leave, Vince. I can’t pee with you standing guard at the door.”

  He smiled and turned to walk back down the hall. He ran into Leo. “Where’s Maryanne?”

  “She’s in the bathroom.”

  He nodded. “I think Jules is ready to go. I can take her home if you don’t want to.”

  Great, now his brothers were treating him like he was some kind of coward. If Jules could take it, Vince could.

  “No. I’ll take her back. I didn’t think she’d want to go so soon.”

  Leo shrugged. “I think she wants to get back to Rufus. Kind of insistent on it.”

  “Okay. When you heading back to Texas?”

  “Day after tomorrow.”

  “Sounds good.”

  But he still didn’t leave. He hated to admit it but he was a little unnerved about spending forty minutes in the car alone with Jules. Not scared. Just…uncomfortable.

  “Vince?”

  Leo was frowning at him.

  “I’ll be back tomorrow morning.”

  Then he walked down the hall. The noise level rose as he neared the living room.

  “Gianni Santini put me down,” Jules said between squeals.

  “You said I couldn’t pick you up, Jules. I had to prove you wrong.”

  Then, he heard that laugh again. It had always been one of his favorite sounds in the world. She had never been a girl who held back her happiness. She belted it out for everyone in the world to share.

  “Gee, put her down now,” his mother ordered. “You’re going to break something. I swear you boys will never grow up.” His mother said with the usual combination of disgust and love.

  He did and Jules was laughing when she looked at Vince. His heart just about stopped right there and then. Then it sunk when her smile faded when she noticed him watching her.

  “Leo said you wanted to go home.”

  “Yeah. I don’t like leaving Rufus long.”

  He nodded but said nothing else. “Let me grab my keys and my coat.”

  With that he hurried to the kitchen to get the hell out of the house. The sooner he got her home and out of his vicinity, he’d breathe easier.

  * * * *

  The ride home was uneventful, but almost silent. It was a bit nerve racking after being in the Santini household. Although she’d come from a pretty quiet family, she always enjoyed the fun at the Santinis. Kids congregated there after school and weekends because there was always a good time.

  As the silence grew, her skin started to itch. From the inside out. Silence was always one of Mike’s worst weapons against her and he had used it many times.

  “How do you like teaching?” she asked.

  “I like it. It’s different. Plus, it keeps me from being deployed. With all these weddings and babies, I’d miss out on a lot of it.”

  She nodded but said nothing as he pulled into her driveway. “Well, thanks for the ride. I could have done it, but your mom is always looking out for me.”

  He glanced at her. “I was surprised that you didn’t move to California.”

  She shrugged. “That’s home for them. Not me.” There were too many memories there for her. It had been where she had gone to recover…to forget even for a little while.

  “Must be hard for them to have their only child across the country from them.”

  She glanced at him wondering at the tone. It was almost as if he was accusing of her of something.

  “Yeah, but they understood.”

  He nodded but said nothing else.

  “Okay, well thanks again.”

  Before she could open the door, he asked, “Why did you do it?”

  She glanced back him. “Do it? I thought I explained.”

  “No. Why did you marry Mike and then just divorce him a few years later?”

  She sighed. She had waited for this conversation for years, but it had never come. Until now.

  “There are things about my marriage to Mike well…it just wasn’t good.”

  “Wasn’t good?”

  She didn’t want to have this conversation. Mike had been a bastard. His dishono
rable discharge had turned him into a stranger. She might not love him, but she did have feelings for Vincente still and she knew he had loved Mike like a brother.

  “It just wasn’t good after he got out of the Marines. He changed and it ruined our marriage.”

  He nodded. “He never told me why he got out of the military.”

  She sighed. She didn’t want to fight about it, or even tell him horrible things about a man he had treated as one of his own brothers. But, she couldn’t lie.

  “Mike didn’t get out. He got kicked out.”

  Vince’s head whipped around and she was caught in that ice blue gaze of his. “What do you mean? The only hint he gave me was that you didn’t like being a Marine wife.”

  How like Mike to blame her. It was her fault he’d been kicked out. It was her fault he hit her. It was his fault he’d been arrested for the last assault. The man never accepted he was a world-class fuck up.

  “No. He was dishonorably discharged. If you don’t believe me, look it up. I really need to get in. Rufus has probably made it to the front door by now.”

  He smiled. “Okay. Night, Jules.”

  “Night, Vince.”

  Jules slipped out of the car, ready to get away from the questions. She wouldn’t lie to Vince, but she didn’t want to be the one to tell him about Mike. She opened the door and found Rufus waiting for her. She led him to the backyard, let him do his business and hurried to get ready for bed.

  All the while she pushed the thoughts of Vince to the back of her mind. She didn’t have time for romantic fantasies about a man who apparently despised her.

  She’d just pulled on her nightshirt when the front doorbell rang. She frowned as she walked to the front door. When she peered through the peephole, she frowned again. It was Vince.

  She opened the door. “Vince?”

  He didn’t say anything. He just kept staring at her.

  “Vince?” she asked worried now.

  “Oh, sorry, you forgot your jacket in my car.”

  He held it out and she took it.

  “I’m sorry if I was rude in the car. I realized that I didn’t know everything…well, I have no idea what Mike did after you got married. I was always worried.”