“May I come in? I don’t think you want your neighbors to eavesdrop on what I have to say. In fact, I just passed a small, blond woman who wanted to know if I was Luke.”
Madison shrugged, stepped back and held her hand out to admit him inside.
“Can we sit down?” he asked, starting for the kitchen. It was a moment or two before he realized she wasn’t behind him. He stopped and lifted a questioning brow.
She held out her hand to indicate they should sit in the living room. After all, the family room was for family. He would never be part of hers. Her heart broke at the thought. Keep it formal, she warned. The living room was the best place to do that.
He lowered his tall, muscular frame to her plush sofa, looking masculine enough to die for in her feminine surroundings. Sitting with his legs spread wide and his elbows resting on his knees, fingers intertwined, he appeared ill at ease. Good. He had a lot to be ill at ease about, she decided.
He looked at her and waited. Finally he said, “I don’t need divine intervention from the burning bush to get that you’re not speaking to me.”
She shrugged and met his gaze, letting her chin go up just a fraction.
He nodded. “That’s okay. I just need you to listen. Although it does seem a contradiction in terms for an attorney to keep her mouth shut.”
Her only answer was to sit on the matching love seat and demurely fold her hands in her lap. Why should she believe that he had anything different to say? Anything of importance that she would want to hear?
“I talked to my folks.”
He’d called them? He’d fulfilled his part of their bargain?
He looked at his hands, then met her gaze. “Actually I went to see them. Everything everyone has been trying to make me see has finally sunk in. It was right there in front of me and I didn’t get it.”
She wanted to ask what it was, but she just shifted her position and uncrossed her legs.
“It was the biggest clue of all,” he continued. “I never suspected that I was different.”
“Huh?”
He grinned, a fleeting smile that tugged at her heart. “I knew you couldn’t do it for long.”
“It’s just my legal training kicking in. Nothing more,” she said.
“Whatever you say. Anyway, the fact that I wasn’t treated specially or differently in any way from my siblings means that I am Tom Marchetti’s son.”
“Well it’s about darn time,” she said. “The bigger they are, the more stubborn, and the harder they fall.”
“You won’t get any argument from me about that.” He stuck his hands in his pockets. “I wanted you to know, too, that I went back to work at Marchetti’s.”
“I figured that. The slacks and tie were a clue.”
“I took your advice. I’m keeping the business Brad Stephenson left me. I have someone in mind to run it. I’ve already talked with him about instituting a job-training program through the women’s shelter you’ve been working with.”
She leaned forward eagerly. “What a wonderful idea, Luke. Housing only solves a temporary problem. It’s like a Band-Aid on a Buick-size breach in the levee. They need jobs to support themselves and their children.”
The corners of his mouth turned up, causing her pulse to skip. “Has anyone ever mentioned that you have a way with words, Counselor?”
“They’re my life.”
“I hope not entirely, because I have a lot more to say. A confession, actually.”
Here it comes. He can’t love me, she thought. She didn’t want to hear him say it. “For a man of numbers, I think you’ve probably used up your quota of words.”
“I’ve hardly begun.” He cleared his throat. “All of my adult life I thought one woman was pretty much like another. No one touched me in any special way. My history with women was one fling after another, without any emotional engagement.”
“I see,” was all she could manage to say before emotion closed her throat and made her catch her top lip between her teeth to keep from crying out.
“No, you don’t see. I just got it.”
“What happened? Did Tom say something?”
He shook his head. “I finally read the letter.”
She gasped and started to reach out to him before she caught herself and curled her fingers into her palm. “Oh, Luke. Are you all right?”
“Yeah. It’s like the light went on,” he said. “I’ve been pretty confused.”
“Oh?”
A twinkle momentarily appeared in his eyes at her noncommittal understatement, then disappeared as he turned serious again. “The night of Alex’s wedding, when I kissed you, something happened. Something was different. Then we made love and I discovered you were a virgin.”
“Yes,” she said blushing. “But we don’t have to go through that again. Can’t we just forget—”
“No, Maddie. I won’t ever forget it. It’s the most precious gift I’ve ever received. And it scared the bejeezus out of me.”
“But why?”
“The kiss was special. But I was still thinking fling. Until I found out you’d never given yourself to another man. Until me. That implied commitment. I had a track record of no harm, no foul, no obligation. But you’re different—special.”
A tiny seed of hope blossomed in her heart. “What are you trying to say, Luke?”
“After all these years it had never happened to me. I didn’t think I was capable of caring about anyone enough to make a life with them. I thought there was something wrong with me.”
“And?” she asked breathlessly.
“I found out why. I take after my biological father. Good and bad.”
“How so?”
“You were right about me. I don’t like losing and I’ll do what it takes to win. Although you think of it as getting my way.”
She permitted herself a small smile. “I believe I said you were acting like a child.”
“And you were right. And I plan to work on that. But the point is Brad was like that, too. He wanted my mother. He fell in love with her and saw her vulnerability when my father was building the restaurant chain. He caught her at a time when she was feeling unloved, unattractive and coming unglued with three small boys to take care of with little support. He flattered her and gave her what she needed at the time.”
“Oh, Luke.”
“It’s okay. I finally understand. Ma and I are okay. Tom—Dad—forgave her years ago. How could I not? The three of them agreed that I should be raised with the rest of the family, no different from the others. Brad trusted me to Tom and I was never the wiser. Because he was a good father. And he loved me.”
“It was a courageous decision for Brad.”
Luke nodded. “I know that now. But his letter was a gift. He gave me the piece of myself that no one else could.”
“What’s that?”
“He never married or had any other children. That was part of why he broke his promise to keep the secret. He wanted to leave me the business he’d worked all his life for. But he only ever loved my mother. He was a one-woman man. And I’m exactly like him.”
Hope grew in her chest like combustible gas in a hot-air balloon. “I’m glad you understand better now.”
“I need to apologize to you, Maddie. I did try to control you. I’m not proud of it. But at least now I understand.”
“What do you understand?”
He stood up and started pacing. “When you turned me down, my life stretched before me like a black hole, without light or color. Each time I asked and you turned me down, I grew more desperate. More pushy and underhanded. But I have a good reason. I love you.”
Her heart was so full, she could hardly stand it. But she had some things to say, as well. “I have a confession to make, too,” she said.
“What could you possibly have to tell me?”
“I need to thank you for giving me a chance with my family. If it hadn’t been for you, for your belief in me, your insistence that I was the only person who
could help you, that I mattered, I never would have had the guts to make that call to my parents. You gave me a precious gift, too. My self-esteem.”
“You’re a bright, beautiful, funny, lovable woman. Sooner or later you would have figured that out.”
“I’m not so sure. But the point is I’m talking to my parents. In fact they’ve offered me a place to live, with the baby. No questions asked.”
His face fell. “I don’t know what to say. Are you going to take them up on it? What about your job? You’ve worked really hard for a partnership. You wouldn’t chuck it all now.”
“Sure I would. There are some things more important than power and prestige. Family.”
“I see.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I guess we can work something out. Other people do long-distance parenting. It was dumb to think you would need me as much as I need—”
“Me?” she asked, tears filling her eyes. “Do you really need me, want me?”
He took a step toward her and stopped in front of her. Reaching down he took her hands in his and pulled her to her feet. Squeezing gently he said, “Lady, I need you more than my next breath. More than I need water to drink or food to eat. You are my sunlight and my every happiness. I want you. I need you. And I will swear this on a stack of Bibles if it will satisfy your sense of jurisprudence—I have always wanted children. I want our baby more than I can say.” Still holding her hands, he went down on one knee. “Marry me, Maddie. Let’s make a family together. Don’t leave me.”
“I never said I was going to accept my parents’ offer. Just that it was more important than a job.”
“Then I have a chance. Do you love me?” he asked.
“Love you? I think the sun rises and sets on you. I love you more than my life,” she said. “Yes, I’ll marry you. Nothing would make me happier than being your wife and having your child.”
His mouth curved into a wide, oh-so-attractive grin. “Fourth time is the charm.”
“But who’s counting?” she said, slipping into his arms, the only place on earth she wanted to be.
“I am. Numbers are my thing. I intend to count the next fifty years with you.”
She laughed, and the sound was filled with happiness. “Do you remember when I made that foolish vow to never get involved with another Marchetti man?”
He nodded. “And you kept it. Technically I’m not a Marchetti.”
Thankfully he made the statement without any shadows clouding his expression. She was so happy. “No, you’re not. But you’re luckier than most. You have two wonderful fathers. And, in my humble opinion, the last Marchetti bachelor is definitely the best man.”
“My Maddie.”
“I think I’ve always been your Maddie.”
He kissed her soundly. “I’ll spend the rest of my life doing everything possible to make sure you never change your mind about that.”
Epilogue
Five years later
From a dais set up in the center of the banquet room, Luke and Maddie along with his siblings and their spouses surveyed the first Marchetti’s restaurant that his father had ever opened. It was full of family and friends helping to celebrate his parents’ fortieth wedding anniversary. Nick and Abby stood at the podium to make a toast.
“Where do I begin?” Nick put his arm around pregnant Abby and drew her closer to his side. “Mom and Dad have accomplished a lot in forty years. A successful restaurant chain. I hope I’ve done them proud, since I’ve been at the company helm. We’ve just opened the first restaurant on the east coast,” he added. “But Mom and Dad’s highest priority is and always has been family.”
Abby took the microphone he handed her. Her blond hair shimmered in a pageboy around her face as her sky-blue eyes looked adoringly at her husband. “I fell in love with Nick the day he gave me a job at Marchetti’s when I was an eighteen-year-old kid who had just lost her parents and was raising a little sister. Sarah’s grown up now and has one more year at UCLA where she will earn her degree, then go on to teach. Her fiancé Austin Reese is pre-med and has been accepted into medical school there.” She put a hand on her rounded tummy. “Nick and I are working on baby number three.” She glanced up at her husband and said, “I have inside information that it’s another girl. Sorry, honey.”
Nick leaned over to the microphone. “Thank heaven for little girls,” he said. There was loud laughter and applause.
Abby laughed. “I job share the manager’s position in one of the Marchetti restaurants with another working mother.” She looked over at Tom and Flo who were sitting side by side. “Mom and Dad, here’s to you. Thanks for everything.” She held out the microphone.
Joe took it in one hand and held his wife, Liz, with his other. “That goes for us, too. If not for you, I wouldn’t have this wonderful woman by my side. I met her through the cuddler’s program when I was searching for what was missing in my life. The commitment you two gave to your relationship convinced her to take a chance on me. And now we have two boys and a girl to cuddle.”
Liz took the microphone from him as he put a hand on her gently rounded belly. “And another on the way. I’ve got a feeling it’s a boy.”
Joe leaned over and said into the mike, “Never underestimate the ESP of a pregnant lady.”
Liz laughed. “With my wonderful husband’s blessing and support, I’ve retired as a nurse, for now at least, to raise our children. But Joe and I volunteer in the hospital’s cuddler’s program every chance we get. And I still moderate a class for new moms. With job training under my belt, so to speak, I think I can finally do it justice.” She looked at Flo and Tom. “Without you and the wonderful son you raised, all of this happiness wouldn’t have been possible. Thank you,” she said, her voice breaking.
Alex stepped beside her and took the mike. He held his wife, Fran’s, hand. “I’m in charge of marketing as well as research and development for the company my father founded. Frannie and I created a successful line of frozen foods that’s kicking butt in that market. But more important, it’s how we met. I had the good sense to hire her and then marry her. We have a beautiful little boy,” he said, then caressed her gently protruding stomach. “And another on the way.”
Fran took the mike. “Since my sisters-in-law are going on record publicly, I will, too. Based on the fact that there are four boys in Alex’s family and four in mine, I think the odds are good that this baby is a boy, too.”
Alex smiled broadly. “Thank heaven for little boys. And we’ll just have to keep trying till we get a girl.”
“No matter how many it takes?” Fran asked. She laughed when he nodded. “Thanks to my wonderful husband and his family, this last year I achieved my lifelong dream of opening a restaurant of my own. His only stipulation was that it be American food and not competition for Marchetti’s. It’s a small, quiet place in West Los Angeles. Thanks to a positive write-up in the L.A. Times, and great word of mouth, we’re really catching on. Thanks Mom and Dad Marchetti, for this fabulous guy. He had the best examples in the world.” She placed her hand protectively on her stomach. “Now I can slow down and concentrate on our family. We have to catch up with Alex’s sister, Rosie, and her husband, Steve.”
Never letting go of her husband’s hand, curly haired, brown-eyed, petite Rosie took the mike. “Mom and Dad, I have you to thank for Steve, the love of my life. Your devotion to children didn’t end with your own. You took a mixed-up boy under your wing, and he grew into a terrific man. He’s the best husband and father I could ever have asked for. And a pretty good businessman, too. He does security background checks for some of the largest companies in the country.”
Steve put his hand over hers and brought the mike up to his mouth. “Thanks, Mom and Dad, for this woman. I’d be a mess without her. Now that she’s pregnant with baby number five, I talked her into hiring a manager for her thriving bookstore. We found the ideal employee the same way Abby found the right person to share the restaurant manager’s position. But we’ll let Luke and Madd
ie tell you about that.”
Luke took the microphone. “Rosie, any guess on what the baby is?”
She leaned over. “We have girl, boy, girl, boy. I’m guessing this little one is a boy. And I wouldn’t bet against me. I’ve been right every time.”
Luke put his arm around Maddie’s expanding waist and pulled her against him. “I wouldn’t be here tonight or be the man I am without you, Mom and Dad. I’m the CFO at Marchetti’s,” he added.
His wife put her hand over his and tugged the microphone close to her mouth. “And I’m Maddie, Mrs. CFO. Thanks to him, and his genius with finances, not one of us would ever have to work again if we didn’t want to. He’s too modest to say that.”
Luke laughed. “On top of singing my praises, my wife handles legal work from my accounting franchise, in between taking care of our three children. And another on the way,” he said proudly. “Care to take a guess what it is, sweetheart?”
She leaned over. “We’ve got Lucy, Thomas Bradley and Winifred. I’m guessing this baby is a boy. We’ve got to maintain gender balance,” she said, producing a laugh and a round of applause from the audience.
“She’s never been wrong, either,” Luke said. “But besides family, something near and dear to our hearts is Haven House, the women’s shelter my wife champions. Maddie was determined to do something worthwhile, and she has. She’s helped numerous women get back on their feet and rebuild their lives through training programs and job placement. I’m humbled, but profoundly grateful that she agreed to marry me and share my life.”
He walked over to where his parents were sitting and kissed his mother’s cheek, then shook his father’s hand and embraced him. He lifted the cracked and patched crystal bowl filled with flowers that sat in the center of their table.
“This is very precious to all of us. It’s a symbol of my parent’s commitment and determination that their family would flourish.” He set it back down. “From the bottom of my heart, I thank you both for everything I am and everything I have.”
The Last Marchetti Bachelor Page 15