Gianni - The Santinis

by Melissa Schroeder

  And he needed time alone. Time to figure out what the hell he was going to tell the woman he loved.

  That is, if she ever talked to him again.

  * * * *

  Kianna was in one bitch of a mood. Nothing, not even her favorite malasada was helping.

  “You know, just because you hate sweets doesn’t mean you need to give that malasada the stink eye.”

  Kianna slanted a look at Max Chandler. “If you aren’t nice, I’ll tell Anna all the mean jokes you told behind her back about her not being able to see her feet a few months ago.”

  He shook his head. “Mean woman. I am surrounded by so many of you. Tell me why you’re mean today.”

  She sighed. “Men, you suck.”

  “Is this a general feeling, or more of a one guy kind of thing?”

  “Both.”

  He studied her for a second and she looked at him.

  “What?” she asked.

  “So, the PJ’s been mean to you?”

  She sniffed. “Yes. I don’t ever want to see him again.”

  “I think you might have to deal with him sooner rather than later.”

  “Why?”

  “Because he’s walking in the shop.”

  She turned on the stool and realized that Max was telling the truth. Her heart leapt into her throat and then splattered on the floor.

  Damn the man. He had two people with him, like he needed an audience or something. She recognized them from pictures he had shown her. Great, now his brother and sister-in-law could report back to the family. Just what she needed.

  Max tsked. “Oh, and he doesn’t look happy with you.”

  She gave him a dirty look, but she wasn’t given the chance to respond. Gianni had other plans.

  “Kianna Mechelle Jones, just where the hell have you been?”

  There was a stunned silence. She could understand why. The few regulars in shop knew Gianni and had never seen him mad. She hadn’t really seen him mad either, before the other night.

  Then, she realized he was waiting for an answer. In fact, he looked like he was getting madder by the moment. How dare he embarrass her?

  She slipped off her stool and settled her hands on her hips. “What right do you have to know?”

  “I have every right to know.”

  She saw his brother roll his eyes and his sister-in-law stepped around him. She gave Kianna a smile. She was so small, she just couldn’t believe this was the MJ that Gianni had told her about.

  “You must be Kianna.”

  She nodded but Gianni’s brother took over.

  “I think everyone knows who she is now, love,” Leo said. “I’m Leo, the idiot’s brother and this is my wife, Maryanne.”

  “I haven’t been able to find you,” Gianni said ignoring his brother and Maryanne. “You didn’t answer my calls.”

  Of course he hadn’t. She had slipped out of town. More like ran out of town to Atlanta for a weekend. It really hadn’t been because she was avoiding him.

  “I went to see Etta.”

  “Ran away.”

  She almost stepped back and apologized, but something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. Maryanne was shaking her head and Kianna realized that she shouldn’t back down.

  “I went to see my sister. I figured she wanted to spend time with me and I wasn’t in the mood to put up with a whiny little shell of a man.”

  There was a whistle and she didn’t know if it was Leo or Max but it told her she might have taken a step too far. Gianni’s eyes narrowed.

  “You really know how to push my buttons, woman.”

  She didn’t know what he meant by that until he stepped forward and bent at the waist. The next moment, her world tilted as he lifted her up and over his shoulder.

  “Gianni put me down!”

  “No.”

  “Maryanne,” she screeched but when she looked in her direction, Maryanne was waving goodbye.

  He set her down on her feet and backed her back up against his truck.

  “What was that for?” she asked.

  “I wanted a little privacy for what I want to say to you.”

  She glanced to the window and he followed her line of vision. Most of the customers and all of the staff were watching. Gianni cursed.

  “I wanted them out of earshot at least.”

  She crossed her arms. “So say it, PJ. I don’t have all damned day.”

  He looked at her then laughed. “I swear, Zoe was right about you. You aren’t as sweet as everything thinks you are. Damned pain in my ass. I try and tell a woman I love her and she throws me out of her house and disappears.”

  Her throat closed up and she tried to swallow. “You love me?”

  “Of course I do. God, I can’t think of anyone but you.” He cupped her face. “I’m sorry I was such an ass. I didn’t mean to do that. I shouldn’t have said those horrible things.”

  Just hearing him say it had tears burning the backs of her eyes. When she blinked a few of them escaped.

  “Don’t cry, baby. I can’t stand seeing you sad.”

  She shook her head. “No, not sad. I should have told you about Charley. It’s just…well I have a lot to tell you about that part of my life. But I never have been ashamed of you. Are you kidding me? Hell, I want to flaunt you around on campus.”

  He chuckled. “I’m not sure how I feel about that.”

  “It was exactly what I said. I hate that part of my work. I only go because…well I feel I have an obligation. I would hate to make you do that kind of thing.”

  He kissed her then, slowly, deeply. “I love you, Kianna.”

  “I love you too, Gianni.”

  He smiled that pretty smile of his and she couldn’t help but laugh and hug him closer. “I really do love you, even if you are my boy toy.”

  He laughed, then sobered and reached into the pocket of his jeans.

  “I know you were married before and it wasn’t going the way you wanted it to before Charley was killed.” He opened the box. In the center of the red satin sat an engagement ring. Not something new. It was antique, a simple solitaire. It sparkled in the bright sunlight.

  “I found it in an antique shop the other day and I bought it.”

  She couldn’t take her gaze away from it. “The other day?”

  “I wasn’t sure why, but for some reason, I felt the need to buy it.”

  She glanced up at him. “Yeah?”

  He nodded and for the first time since meeting him, he looked…well…nervous.

  “It’s beautiful.”

  “It’s just the thing I thought you would like. Its circa 1920.” When she didn’t say anything he sighed. “I’m asking you to marry me, Kianna.”

  Her vision wavered.

  “I know it’s a lot to ask for and you might be hoping to make tenure and having to move will hurt any chances of that.”

  She shook her head. “That’s not important.”

  “No? Are you sure?”

  “I’ve only cared about teaching. I love the job. Tenure was just something I thought I wanted.”

  “So, is that a yes?”

  She drew in a deep breath and nodded.

  “Are you sure? It isn’t the easiest of lives.”

  “When you left the other day, I thought we were through. I thought that I would never see you again. That was worse than anything else I have ever been through.”

  He smiled.

  “Yes, Gianni, I’ll marry you.”

  He took out the ring and put it on her finger. The fit was almost perfect. He hugged her close and kissed her neck. “You’ve made me the happiest man in Georgia.”

  He pulled back and kissed her.

  “Hey, Gee, get that woman in here,” Leo yelled.

  They pulled back and realized the whole shop had been watching them. She blushed.

  “Get used to it, Kianna,” MJ said. “Santinis always like an audience.”

  She laughed as she and Gianni walked hand in hand
into the sweet shop.

  Epilogue

  “I hope you don’t mind going to Virginia for the weekend,” Gianni said, as they waited at the airport.

  Kianna smiled at him. “Of course not. What woman in her right mind would complain about get a private jet ride?”

  Gianni chuckled. “It’s hard to think of Alana of being that rich, but I guess she is.”

  “So, she’s not snobby?”

  “First, none of the Santinis would want to deal with a snob. Secondly, Alana is the antithesis of snobbery.”

  She smiled but it faded. “I’m still worried about how your family will take me?”

  “I told you. Mom is kind of a hippy child. Your radical political views are no problem.”

  She snorted and Gianni couldn’t help but smile. Three weeks since they had gotten engaged and he was ready to tie the knot right now. His mother would have freaked if he’d called to say they’d eloped though. And there was one thing every Santini understood: Don’t upset Joey Santini.

  “I wasn’t asking about that. I’m worried about my age. I am a bit older than you.”

  “Yeah, you’re a year or two away from AARP membership and social security benefits.”

  “I’m serious, Gianni. I’m not so sure most Mamas would be happy about their sons marrying someone so much older.”

  He studied her and realized that she was serious. Damn, he hadn’t realized she’d been worrying about this. He pulled her into his arms.

  “Mom is going to love you. She’s so happy with more women in the family, she doesn’t care. But, she will love you not only because I love you, but for all the reasons I do. You’re sweet, smart, and beautiful, inside and out.”

  She gave him a small smile, “Yeah?”

  He nodded and gave her a kiss. “Yeah.”

  “Is that the plane?” Kianna asked looking over his shoulder.

  He turned and saw the plane taxiing up to the hanger. “Probably. Not many private jets fly into Valdosta.”

  It took a few seconds and they watched together, his arms wrapped around her as she stood in front of her.

  “You know I love you, don’t you?” she asked.

  He did, and every time she said it made him feel twenty feet tall. “Yeah, I do.” He kissed the side of her neck as the door to the jet opened and the stairs descended. “Come on, you have some Santinis to meet.”

  Coming May 24th, the last of the Santini Brothers!

  The Santinis: Vicente

  Vince Santini considers himself the last man standing. Being the only unmarried brother is a badge of honor, until the woman had always been in his heart returns. Acting on his attraction hadn't been an option seeing that she was his best friend's girl, but now she is single and free for him to pursue.

  Julianna Andrews is a survivor. It took her years to walk away from her abusive husband, and now all she cares about is building her business. She doesn't have time for Vince or the temptation he represents. He is a reminder of her past. One argument leads to a heated kiss, and the passion that threatens to consume them both.

  Vince knows that Jules might not be ready for happily ever after with anyone, but he is bound and determined to convince her that he can give her that—and more. This Santini is happy to be the last man standing—as long as he is HER man.

  Now, enjoy the entire first chapter (unedited)

  Chapter One

  Vince Santini fell in love for the first and only time in his life thanks to getting hit in the face with a locker door. He didn’t even remember where he was going or what he was doing. He just remembered turning to hurry out of school and walking straight into steel. He fell back, smacking his head on the tiled floor. When he opened his eyes, his world was spinning.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry,” a girl said. She was leaning over him, her dark brown eyes filled with worry, her red curls tumbling over her shoulder. “I didn’t see you coming.”

  He shook his head trying to clear it and found himself face to face with a titan-haired goddess. And she kept putting her hands on him. Jesus. If she didn’t stop, he was going to embarrass himself. He could smell her. Some kind of mixture of baby powder and lust. Although the lust might have been his part.

  Then she stopped. “Vince? Vince Santini?”

  He nodded then winced. “Damn.”

  She laughed and offered him a hand. “You don’t remember me. It’s Julianna Andrews, from Twenty-nine Palms. You know, the seventh grade, Mrs. Gillepse’s Algebra?”

  Then it clicked. The gangly girl, taller than most, so skinny…always with a smile. “Yeah, Jules.” It had been more than three years since he’d seen her and Jules had definitely filled out. He let her help him up and shook his head trying to clear it.

  “You live here now?”

  She nodded. “Dad’s an instructor. We moved in a month ago.”

  “Julianna, I see you met my best friend, Vince,” Mike Callahan said as he walked up and slipped his arm around her shoulders. “I told you about Julianna, didn’t I, Vince?”

  He nodded. “I didn’t make the connection. We were at Twenty-nine palms together. Of course, I called her Jules.”

  “Yeah, well, Mike doesn’t like that.” Then she bent down to help him pick up the books he’d dropped. “I thought it might be you he talked about. I mean how many Santini families are there especially with four boys, but, you never know.”

  Once he had all his books and papers in his arms, Mike smiled. “We were going to get a burger, you up for it?”

  He shook his head. “Naw, you go ahead. I’ve got some studying to do.”

  Mike chuckled. “Vince is kind of an egghead, but then, he’ll probably get into Annapolis. See ya, later.”

  They turned to walk away and Jules smiled back over her shoulder at him. “It was great to see you again.”

  He watched as his best friend walked out of the school with the girl of his dreams.

  Almost 18 years later.

  “Vicente, are you there?” his mother asked him. He was sitting the back of his parents SUV daydreaming.

  Great instincts, Marine.

  “Yeah, just sort of dozed off back here.”

  She sighed. “I thought you two would help me. You will help me pick flowers, both of you.”

  His father gave his mother an indulgent smile and followed her out of the SUV. That’s the way it was for Santinis. Hard as nails military men, always done in by a woman. And he was about to come face to face with the one who always tied him in knots for the first time in fifteen years.

  * * * *

  Jules wanted to scream. Worse, she wanted to do harm to an inanimate object. The one thing about running her nursery was that she had a lot of freedom. Unfortunately, she also had to handle the computer work.

  There was a knock at the door and through the glass she saw Joey Santini waving at her. Immediately, Jules heart lightened. Since starting her business six months earlier, Mrs. Santini had been a godsend, suggesting her to friends and even giving her advice about advertising.

  She waved the older woman into her office and stood. “Mrs. Santini, I didn’t know you were coming by today.”

  She hugged her and it felt good. With her parents back in California, Jules was pretty much on her own. Mrs. Santini had taken her under her wing and had checked on her from time to time.

  “Well, the whole family’s coming in. Marco is bringing Alana for us to meet, since we’ve only talked on the phone, and that skypy thing. I wanted to get some arrangements and flowers for the house. Oh, and Gee just got engaged.”

  “Oh, my. Little Gee is getting married? Now I do feel old.”

  “You? I’m about to be a grandmother.”

  She looked at the woman she had known for over twenty years. “You haven’t aged a bit, Mrs. Santini.”

  “I told you to call me Joey.”

  “Babe, did you say you wanted tulips? They’re a little expensive,” Mr. Santini said from behind her.

  “Yes, I think we can afford s
ome tulips. They are Kianna’s favorite from what Gee says and I want to give them to her.”

  He grumbled something but went off to do her bidding. It never failed to amaze her how all the Santini men did whatever she wanted. There was a healthy does of fear among all of them.

  “You’re a rock star, you know that?”

  She shook he head. “What do you mean?”

  “That man will do anything to make you happy.”

  Joey laughed. “That’s a Santini. I’m sure you’ll see it all in action tomorrow night.”

  For a second, her brain didn’t “Wait. What?”

  “I want you there. The boys would love to see you.”

  Only Joey Santini would call four hulking military men boys and make them sound like they were sweet little innocents. Of course, in Joey’s eyes, they were all sweet and innocent.

  “That’s really sweet of you, but I have a lot of work to do.”

  “I didn’t say what time and I doubt you have work to do on a Saturday night.”

  Jules narrowed her eyes. “Joey, quit trying to be all innocent like you don’t know what you’re doing.”

  Joey made a face. “I want you there. Can’t you do it for me?”

  She shook her head. “You should be ashamed of yourself.”

  “There is nothing shameful about this. I would like you to see the boys, they would like to see you. In fact, Vince is with us today. Vince.”

  And true to her word, Vince walked across her nursery. Okay, walk was too simple of a word. Striding…marching…something because Vicente Santini just didn’t walk. And seeing him among the flats of flowers was kind of surreal.

  “Hey, Jules.”

  Just like they hadn’t talked in years, as if there was no strain between them. “Hey, Vince. How’re doing?”

  “Pretty good.”

  Jules didn’t miss the eye roll his mother gave him. “I was telling Jules she needed to come by tomorrow night. I know the girls would like to meet someone from your childhood.”

  Something like alarm moved over his features before it dissolved. “They would probably like that. Of course, I don’t know if we can leave her alone with MJ.”