Love's Precious Surprise (The women of Landry's Landing and the Fabrizio men)

by Quinn, Shelli

  “Wow, I feel like I’ve won the lottery first lunch now you’ve agreed to have dinner with me. Do you know how excited I am that you said yes? I was afraid you were going to say no you were making me a little nervous for a minute.” He admitted with relief in his voice.

  “I seriously doubt that I was making you nervous.” She teased.

  “Are you kidding look at how sweaty my hands are and I was holding my breath waiting for you to give me an answer.” He said.

  “Boy you know dang well that you were not holding your breath so stop playing.” She said.

  “I’m not playing didn’t you see me sitting over here turning blue from a lack of oxygen if you’d taken any longer I would’ve past out on the floor.” He said teasingly and grinned when she laughed.

  “You really need to cut it out people are starting to stare at us.” She said as she attempted to contain her laughter.

  “They’re staring at us because your beautiful smile is lighting up the place and they’re just trying to see where that bright beam of light is coming from.” He replied sweetly as he gazed into her green eyes and watched as her cheeks turned red.

  Toni turned her gaze away and placed her hands on her face to hide the plush that she felt burning her cheeks. She couldn’t remember ever blushing in front of anyone before. She’d blushed alone in front of the mirror plenty of times since meeting Daniele. Each time she fantasized about him in the privacy of her own room. The thought of him kissing her lips or gently touching her in a way no other man ever has.

  She knew they were fantasies that would probably never come true but that didn’t stop her mind from producing them. All the times that she’d insulted him had been her way of defending herself from the emotions that threatened to overwhelm her. Kind of like what she was feeling right now as if her heart would burst from her chest as it pounded uncontrollably.

  Daniele cleared his throat to get her attention. “Well I guess now that we’ve finished our lunch we should get back to the office before they come looking for us.” He said to relive the awkwardness that had descended upon them since making his last comment.

  Toni nodded not trusting her voice not to crack if she tried to answer him. She glanced up at him as he stood and come around the table to pull her chair out for her.

  “Thank you.” She whispered softly as she stood.

  “No thank you for having lunch with me.” He said with a smile. She returned his smile with one of her own as he escorted her out of the café.

  When Toni and Daniele arrived back at the office they were greeted by way too many smiling family members. The two exchanged questioning glances as they wondered why everyone was grinning at them.

  “Did we miss something was there a family meeting that we didn’t know about?” Daniele asked looking puzzled.

  “No there wasn’t a meeting we just missed you guys at lunch.” Indy said.

  “Didn’t Luc and Asia tell you that we decided to have lunch with just the two of us today?” Daniele asked.

  “Yeah she mentioned it so did the two of you enjoy yourselves at lunch?” Gigi asked with a smile.

  “Yeah we had a nice time but we should probably get back to work now.” He said.

  “Toni you haven’t said anything is everything alright, did you enjoy lunch?” London asked.

  “Yes, I did and everything is fine but Daniele is right we really should get back to work so if you’ll excuse us.” Toni said before grabbing Daniele by the arm to make a mad dash for their office and then closed the door behind them.

  “I know that little heifer did not just blow us off like that.” Indy said with a bit of irritation in her voice.

  “Calm down Indy maybe she didn’t feel like talking about it right now.” London said.

  “Yeah Indy don’t start overreacting I’m sure she’ll tell us all about it when she’s ready.” Asia said.

  “What I know ya’ll aren’t talking to me, calm down, overreacting, why don’t the two of you just shut the hell up. I dropped everything when that little girl called me for help and now she doesn’t want to tell us about her little lunch date. Oh hell naw I don’t think so.” Indy said as she turned towards Toni and Daniele’s office.

  “Whoa, gattino don’t you think that you should take a couple of deep breaths before talking to Toni.” Gio said as he gently grabbed his wife’s arm to stop her.

  “I tell you what tiger, I’m going to take a couple of deep breaths and by the time I’m done your hand had better not be on my arm.” Indy said as she glared at his hand on her arm.

  “Is that so and just what are you going to do if my hand is still on you? And if I were you I’d watch how you answer that gattino.” Gio said as he stared at his hot-headed wife.

  Indy stared at her husband not saying a word as she saw the look in his eyes she knew that her best bet was to keep her mouth shut. But Indy never was one to back down the minute she opened her mouth to speak she knew she should have just kept it shut.

  A look she knew all too well flashed in his eyes before he bent down and lifted her over his shoulder and headed for the door.

  “Put me down right this minute Gio.” Indy yelled as he continued to head for the door.

  “Nope, I gave you a chance to play nice but as usual you didn’t take it. And so you know what happens when you rile this tiger if you want to act like a wildcat instead of a kitten then I guess you need to be tamed.” He said as he reached the door before turning back to the others for a quick second. “Oh can one of you tell mom not to bring the kids home until I call we’ll be busy for a few hours.”

  “We certainly will, ya’ll go have fun now.” Gigi said laughing.

  “Keep laughing Shorty, when I get back I’m going to kick your little short ass.” Indy yelled.

  “Girl please, when Gio is done with your crazy ass I’ll be surprised if you can stand, so I doubt you’ll be able to kick my ass.” Gigi said laughing harder as Gio carried her out the door.

  “Wow I guess they’ll be having a little afternoon delight.” Asia said teasingly.

  “Actually that sounds like a great idea I’m in the mood for a little afternoon delight of my own bellezza.” Luc said as he lifted his wife into his arms.

  “Sounds good to me baby.” Asia said as he carried her out the door.

  “So sunshine are you in the mood to put that couch in your office to good use or should I just let you get back to work?” Gigi asked taking a step back as she gazed up at her husband.

  “Oh no you don’t you can forget about leaving any time soon Cara.” Pierce replied as he took her hand and led her to his office closing and locking the door.

  “Well I guess I should get back to work this new spring line isn’t going to finish itself. Since everyone else is busy you should probably call your mom so that she knows to keep the kids at her place a little longer today.” London said as she headed down the hall to the office that she shared with Gabe.

  A few seconds later Gabe walked into the office while talking to his mom on his cell phone. “Yeah mom we’re all a little busy with this spring promotion coming up soon so would you mind keeping the kids a bit longer today? Okay thanks we’ll see you later love you mom.” Gabe said as he ended the call.

  “Your mom doesn’t have to watch Raphael one of us can go get him.” London said glancing up at him.

  “The two of us are going to be a little busy.” Gabe said as he closed the door and locked it. “I know you didn’t think I was going to pass up a chance to make love to my sexy wife.”

  “I wasn’t sure if you were in the mood or not lover.” London said softly.

  “Dolcezza, I’m always in the mood for a taste of your sweetness you should know that by now.” Gabe said with a smile as he scooped her into his arms and carried her to the couch.

  Inside Toni and Daniele’s office they both stood with their ears pressed against the door listening to see if anyone in their family was headed their way. After several minutes of quiet they both
stepped away from the door.

  “I thought for sure that one my sisters were going to come bursting through that door.” Toni said as she took a seat behind her desk.

  “Yeah I thought the same thing especially since they were waiting for us the minute we got back.” Daniele said as he also took a seat behind his own desk.

  “I know they’re just concerned but sometimes they can be a little overwhelming. I’m not quite use to having so many people care about me.” She said.

  “I hope that you know that I’m one of those people that care for you?” Daniele said sincerely.

  “I think I’m beginning to realize that.” She replied with a shy smile.

  Daniele’s heart swelled ten times its size with her words, he finally felt a glimmer of hope that she really was planning to give him a chance. He would make sure that he didn’t disappoint her or do anything to betray her trust in him.

  “Good, because I truly do care for you all I’m asking is for a chance to prove to you just how much.” He said softly.

  “Well I’m giving you a chance and so that we are perfectly clear this is your one and only chance. So if you screw this up in anyway then whatever relationship we could have had will also be screwed.” She said wearing an expression that was as serious as her words.

  “You certainly don’t pull any punches do you, woman?” He asked lightly.

  “That’s right I’ve learned never to make the same mistake twice. So you had better make damn sure you make good use of this one and only opportunity that I’m giving you because if it turned out that you’re playing games with me Daniele Fabrizio, I’ll make hell rain down on you like a thunderstorm during a hurricane.” She said in a tone that let him know that she was not kidding.

  “Do you really think that I’m that stupid? I mean honestly does it look like I have a death wish. If I did do something that completely asinine I know damn well that I’d have you and both our families to answer to. You know what that would mean right?” He said.

  “No so why don’t you tell me what it means.” She replied gazing at him skeptically.

  “It means il mio amore prezioso that not only will I have to deal with you kicking my ass but I’ll have to deal with both our families kicking my ass. So to avoid all of that I think I’ll just do my best to shower you with all the love I possibly can.” He said with a tone of determination.

  Toni smiled up at him with her green eyes sparkling happily. “Well that certainly sounds like a good plan to me. Now what time are you taking me to dinner?”

  “How about around seven-thirty, does that work for you?” He asked as he enjoyed the look joy on her face and the way her green eyes sparkled when she was genuinely happy about something.

  Every time he saw that smile it did something strange to his heart like he lost a little bit of it to her each time. Her smile was to him was like sunshine on a rainy day, a warm drink on a cold day, she was like his shining star on a blackened, starless night.

  Tonight would be not only their first real date but it would be the first night of the rest of their lives together. He had a lot to do in order to get ready for tonight he wanted to make it special for her. He wanted to give her a night she would remember always so even if she decided not to stay with him thoughts of their first date would definitely stay with her.

  “That works just fine for me.” She replied still smiling.

  Daniele had been so lost in thought that he’d almost forgot what he’d asked her but he recovered quickly. “Great, well if you’ll excuse me I have a lot to do before tonight. I’ll see you back at the guest house around seven-thirty.” He said kissing her gently on the forehead before stepping around her to walk out of the office.

  Chapter Four

  Toni was thinking about her date with Daniele and the thought made her both nervous and excited all at the same time. This would be her first date with not just him but anyone. In her heart she was happy and relieved that it was Daniele that she’d be going out with for the first time.

  On the other hand she was also nervous because she wanted things to go well she just didn’t know what to expect for a first date or any date for that matter. She also didn’t know what was expected of her, how was she supposed to act what was she supposed to wear.

  Heaven knows if she’d ever needed the help of her Landry sisters then now would definitely be the time. Toni had no clue as to what it took to prepare for a date, and she certainly didn’t know what to do well she was on the date. She really hated to have to bother them again after asking for their help the night before but she didn’t have anywhere else to turn.

  Before Toni had a chance to call any of her sisters the door bell rang and when she opened the door all four of them were standing on the other side.

  “I was just about to call you guys I really need your help again.” Toni said as she let them in.

  “We know Daniele told us that the two of you are having dinner tonight.” London said with a smile.

  “Yeah, so we figured that you’d need a little help getting ready.” Asia said.

  “A little help guys I think I need a lot of help, this is my first date ever and I have no clue about anything. I don’t know what to wear, I don’t know how I should act and I don’t know what I should or shouldn’t say. Just look at me I’m a nervous wreck with my luck I’ll probably end up falling flat on my face in front of Daniele.” Toni said rambling on excessively.

  “The first thing you need to do is stop talking so damn much.” Indy said to calm her down a bit.

  “Indy, she can’t help it she’s nervous.” Gigi said as she walked over and slipped an arm around Toni’s shoulder. “Poor thing she’s shaking like leaf.”

  “Girl, I don’t know why you’re so nervous it’s just Daniele and it’s not like the two of you don’t know each other.” Indy said.

  “I think this has more to do with the fact that she really likes Daniele and she’s never felt this way about a guy before.” London said.

  “Well that’s a good thing isn’t it?” Asia asked in confusion.

  “I’m not sure yet.” Toni responded.

  “Now I understand what’s going on, sit down for a minute.” Indy said as she motioned for her to sit beside her.

  Toni sat next to Indy and the others took seats around them. Indy took one of her hands in both of hers. She smiled at Toni before taking a deep breath.

  “I know that I can be a little tough on all of you sometimes, the three of them are use to it but it’s new for you. Even though I’m tough on you guys all of you should know that I love you and I’d do anything to protect you and keep all of you safe. But I also want all of you be happy these three have already found happiness, and now it’s your turn. Don’t be afraid to take a chance and go after what you want.” Indy said in a motherly tone.

  “But I am afraid to be honest I’m terrified. I don’t think I can survive being hurt again.” Toni said as tears began to roll down her pretty face.

  “First of all this is Daniele Fabrizio we’re talking about we already told you that we’d bet everything we own that he wouldn’t do anything to hurt you. Second if you really want that man then you might want to let him know that.” Indy added softly as she wiped the tears from Toni’s face.

  “How am I supposed to do that exactly?” Toni asked.

  “The only way to do that is to follow your heart, your mind might lead you astray but your heart will always know what’s right.” Gigi replied in a quiet voice.

  “Your mind may say one thing while the heart says another. The only way you can tell the difference is when you follow your heart you feel it in your heart.” London said.

  “Believe me each one of us had our doubts for different reasons, but the minute we stopped listening to our heads and followed our hearts we found the happiness we’d been wanting all along.” Asia added.

  “I know what you guys are saying I’m just not sure if I can trust my heart.” Toni said sadly.

  “So you
’re going to let your stepfather continue to ruin your life by taking away any chance at happiness that you may find with Daniele because he’s still in your head?” Indy asked as she looked at Toni through narrowed eyes.

  “If he’d done to you what he did to me he’d still be in your head too.” Toni yelled.

  “Little girl, if you yell at me again I’ll slap the taste out of your mouth. And honestly no he wouldn’t still be in my head because there is no way I’d give a scum ball like that, that much power he’d never have the satisfaction of making me suffer for the rest of my life.” Indy said.

  “Indy is right you know, he did things to you that no one should ever do to another living soul and because of that you suffered terribly. But don’t let him stop you from finding the happiness that you deserve, Toni.” Gigi said.

  “Yeah sweetie the best way to get back at a low-life like that is to be as happy as you possibly can.” Asia said.

  “You guys really think that’s the best way to get back at a scum like that?” Toni asked with a bit of hope in her voice.

  “Let’s just say that’s one of the ways, it shows him that you may bend and sway but he will never be powerful enough to break you. We know it’s not easy, but you have to try.” London said with a slight smile.

  “That makes more sense than anything else I’ve ever been told.” Toni said with a smile. “You said that was one of the best ways to get back at him, what’s the other one?”

  The women exchanged glances before Indy replied. “The other way is to kick his good-for-nothing ass within an inch of his sorry-life.” Which is exactly what we’re going to do when we find him Indy thought but didn’t say out loud for Toni to hear, but her sisters knew what she was thinking because they were thinking the same thing.

  Toni laughed. “You guys are the most wonderful family anyone could ask for, I love ya’ll.”

  “Girl, after all the aggravation you’ve put us through you better love us.” Indy teased.