The Santini Collection 1-4 (35 page)

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 and 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.”

“
You leave Maryanne out of this. You be nice to my daughter-in-law.”

“
You are all sweet on her because she’s giving you a grandbaby.”

“
Exactly. I have no problem admitting that.”

He laughed and now that he was paying no attention to Jules, it was easy to study him. He was even more attractive than he had been in school. He’d always been well muscled, but now he’d filled out. The extra lines around his blue eyes made him even more attractive. Another of those unfair things women had to deal with.

“
So, it’s settled.”

“
What?” she asked when she looked at Joey.

“
You will come. Seven o’clock. Unless you have a date or something,” Joey said smiling.

A date? She couldn’t remember the last time she’d even entertained that idea. She was usually so tired by Saturday she would only plan for spending all day at home on Sunday. Rufus expected it.

“
Okay.”

“
You know the address? Wait, wouldn’t it make sense for you and Vince to come together? He lives over here in your neck of the woods.”

Alarm shot through her again. Vince and her. Alone. They hadn’t done that until the day before her wedding.

“
Sure,” Vince said.

“
Write down your address for Vince and he’ll pick you up. See you tomorrow, Jules.”

Joey turned and left them alone.

“
Just go with the flow. It is always best to let her have her way on the little things.”

She blinked and looked at Vince. “I don’t even know what to wear.”

“
It’s a Santini family get together. Casual always works. Plus, Mom is gonna be cooking all day, so nothing too fancy just in case you drop red sauce.”

She chuckled. “Of course you remember what a klutz I am.”

She wrote down her home address on a sticky note and handed it to him. “What time?”

He blinked. He still had all those wonderful dark lashes around his deep blue eyes. It was almost hypnotic to look into them. “What?”

“
What time will you be picking me up?”

“
How about six-thirty?”

“
Okay.”

He didn’t leave. He just kept standing there staring at her as if he expected her to say something. She didn’t know what to say to him. Other than go away and that seemed rude.

“
Vicente, I have a house to clean, let’s go,” his mother bellowed across the nursery.

Vince gave her a smile and she felt her heart take a tumble. “What she really means is she making Dad clean the house.”

“
I heard that.”

“
Ears like a bat. See you tomorrow, Jules.”

Then he walked out. She watched the family pile into their car together feeling a little homesick. Not that she had a home since she was a brat but it was where her parents were, which was Modesto, California. She sighed. She’d been happy when Joey had started to come around. They had even started to do lunch every now and then.

“
Who was that hunk?” Angela asked as she walked down the aisle to Jules. She was only ten years younger than Jules, but Angela made her feel as if she were a hundred.

“
That was Vincente Santini, Joey’s oldest baby boy, as she calls him when he’s not around.”

“
Well, he is hot. I wanted to take a big bite out of that perfect ass.”

Jules smiled at the younger woman. She had been a great find in a sea of applicants. A military brat working her way through college with a head for numbers and a personal gift for selling, Angela made the long hours all that more enjoyable with her unrestrained commentary. “It is kind of perfect. All the girls in high school were in agreement with that.”

She rolled her eyes. “Oh, lord, you went to high school with that?”

“
No. He looks better today than he did then. Which is why men suck.”

Angela laughed. “Well, he was mighty interested in you.”

She shook her head. “No, he isn’t.”

“
Yeah, he is. He kept looking back there when his Mom was talking to you. He’s got a thing for you.”

“
Have you started drinking with breakfast? Besides, I doubt Vicente Santini spends any of his time thinking about me.”

“
I bet you ten bucks he does. A lot. I have a sense about these things.”

“
You mean like the sense you had about the UPS guy being a mob guy in witness protection?”

“
Okay, so I was wrong about that, and UPS had no problem changing his route when it got uncomfortable.”

“
Yeah, he got sick of you trying to trick him into saying his real name. He didn’t even look Italian.”

“
Not everyone who works for the Mafia is Italian and not all organized crime is Italian. But, that hot hunk of burning Marine blood is. I’m right about him. Bet ya.”

“
I’ll take that bet, because I know for a fact he doesn’t like me.”

Especially not after
the
kiss. She could remember like it was yesterday. They were alone in her parents’ backyard and were supposed to be getting ready for the wedding and he had kissed her. Right there with the cherry blossoms blooming overhead. And, he told her he loved her.

They had been the last words he had spoken to her until today.

Chapter Two

MJ leaned back in the easy chair and smiled at Leo. As always, Leo melted.

“
I want a pickle.”

Leo sighed and Vince fought a chuckle. MJ had been a handful before the pregnancy but these last few months apparently had been a strain. Leo hadn’t said that much, but just observing them made Vince realize just how much work she had become. Considering she was huge, he didn’t blame her for being cranky.

Leo did her bidding and she smiled. Oh, how the mighty had fallen, Vince thought. Of course, he knew the curse of the Santinis. Still, since he was the only real bachelor left, he would happily give each and every one of them shit.

“
So, do you have a bell you ring for him? I think that would work well,” Vince said with a smirk.

MJ gave him an evil smile. “Oh, I like that idea.”

“
You do that and I’m wearing earplugs,” Leo yelled out from the kitchen.

“
Be nice to your wife, Leonardo. She’s eating for two,” his mother said smiling. Vince had a feeling that his mother would allow MJ to shoot Leo if it meant getting her hands on the first Santini grandbaby.

“
About that. We had a sonogram the other day,” Leo said as he walked back in the room with a big dill pickle.

MJ smiled and grabbed it from him. “Thank you.”

“
Nothing’s wrong is it?” his mother asked, alarm easy to hear in her voice. “You’re entering the last trimester. I knew you shouldn’t come up here. We should have come down there.”

“
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.