The Santini Collection 1-4 (44 page)

“
You asked her?”

“
No. We tripped over the conversation. Then, she was telling me she wouldn’t get married again and why.”

Papa studied him for a second or two. “What are you going to do about it?”

“
I’ve given her space. And I told her I would accept what she could give me.”

His father sighed and shook his head. “What am I going to do with you and your brothers? Hell, MJ had to come here and get your brother.”

“
Mom called her.”

“
Well, that’s true, but still. Go get that woman. She loves you. You love her. You make it work.”

“
But—”

“
No buts. Go get her. You let her go once. Do you think you can deal with her getting involved with another man?”

“
We’re still seeing each other.”

“
Yeah. Well maybe she’s gonna find a man who has a set of balls on him to go after her.”

He frowned at his father.

“
Exactly. Better get your house in order. Your mother will be thrilled.”

He handed his bottle to Vince.

“
And now I get lasagna for dinner.”

“
With meat and fresh mozzarella?”

“
Yep. You’re mother promised if I came over here to poke at you she’d make that and cannoli. If you want a bit of advice about your mother?”

“
Not really.”

His father smiled. “Don’t ignore her calls. It doesn’t work out well for anyone, especially for me.”

He nodded. “Thanks, Dad.”

“
Just remember, Jules might be resistant to marriage, but then, she’s never had to deal with a Santini before.”

He waved as his father backed out and drove off. He was right. Vince had to deal with the problem head on. First though, he had some things to work out. Plus, he had a dog to kidnap.

Chapter Ten

Jules was tired. It was only four o’clock in the afternoon. She hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in five days. She’d grown accustomed to having Vince beside her in bed. Worse, Rufus had grown so attached to Vince that he howled every night for about an hour waiting for him to show up. It was endearing in a way, but she hadn’t gotten any rest.

The talks they had over the phone had been good. The space had given her time to think. He wasn’t punishing her, which she understood. But, she wasn’t sure where they stood. At some point, they were going to have to deal with everything that came up.

She knew she hadn’t had enough sleep when she thought she heard Rufus bark. She frowned and peered out the window of her office. There was a commotion at the front of the store. Worried what it could mean, she stepped out and started walking down the aisle. Then, she came to a dead stop.

Standing at the front of the store was Vince. He was in full mess dress complete with sword and gloves. Beside him at his feet was Rufus. The damned ornery dog was sitting there and she could swear he was smiling at her. He’d had a bath from the looks of it and he was wearing a red bow.

She looked back at Vince. He had no expression on his face.

“
What are you doing here?”

Okay, that sounded rude. Really rude.

“
I’m here for you.”

She swore she heard all the woman in the shop sigh. She ignored it.

“
You think I’m going to fall for that?”

“
Yeah. Because I love you and I’m not going to let you deny us happiness because of past experience.”

Her heart turned over and she blinked.

“
You think you can’t make a good wife? That you’re not good at marriage? Rufus and I think you’re wrong.”

He stepped up and Rufus automatically followed. Both of them stopped right in front of her. Vince set a towel on the wet pavement then knelt.

“
Julianna Erica Andrews, will you marry me?”

He opened the small ring case. In the white velvet sat an antique ring.

She said nothing. She couldn’t. There was a lump in her throat. Joey was right. Was she going to let Mike ruin her life? One that would be full of Vince and babies, and God love them, Santinis.

“
I can get you a new ring Jules. This was my grandmother’s and I’ve had it for almost fifteen years.”

When she looked up from the ring to his face she realized he’d had it that day. The day he’d kissed her so sweetly and told her he loved her. She was lost. There were hundreds of reasons not to get married again, especially to a man in the military. But none of them mattered because there was one important factor, the one thing that she could never replace.

Vince
.

No one other than her parents had made her feel that good about herself. He made her believe in happy endings again…and she loved him. God help her, she was so damned in love with him. He had dressed himself in his mess dress, bathed her dog and proposed in public…in possibly the most romantic way. And with a ring he’d been carrying around for her for years.

Was there any way she could say no to a man who loved her so completely? The one man she was convinced was made for her?

“
Oh, babe, don’t cry.”

She shook her head. “I just like the way you see me. You…ignore the things that I think are horrible and only see the good. It’s been so long.” She shook her head afraid she’d start balling in earnest. “Yes, Vicente, I’ll marry you.”

He rose to his feet and pulled her into his arms. With the flowers overhead again, he kissed her and she knew she had made the right decision this time around.

When he pulled back, she heard the howling. She glanced down at Rufus.

“
What did you do to my dog?”

“
Nothing. He just isn’t happy about that red bow.”

She chuckled. “I don’t blame him.”

“
You’ve made me happy, Jules.” Then he smiled. “Now, do you want an ending like
An Officer and a Gentleman
?”

“
Good lord, no.”

He laughed pulled her up against him. “Angela, you can close tonight, right?”

“
Wait, you don’t run my shop.”

“
Ignore her, Vince. I can close up. Go,” Angela said.

They walked down the aisle, the smell of roses in the air and a howling dog behind them.

There was one thing every woman knew: life with a Santini was never boring.

Thank you so much for purchasing the Santinis. If you enjoyed the book, please remember to leave a review!!!

Thanks,

Mel

If you enjoyed The Santinis, you have another group of military men to fall in love with starting this September and a special edition for the holiday season.

You met two of MJ’s brothers in The Santinis and now they are back in their own series!

SEMPER FI MARINES

The Johnson Brothers get their happily ever after!

Tease Me

A man who thinks he has what he wants.

Bran Johnson always knew he wanted to be a Marine. What makes it even better is longtime gal pal TK is now stationed at the same base. Unfortunately, Bran is having a hard time dealing with his feelings when he realizes that TK is considered a hot commodity on base. Worse, he finds himself taking a backseat to her admirers.

A woman who always wished for more.

Tess Keller has loved Bran since they were in high school. The former football captain always treated her like a friend so she tried to move on. Unfortunately, he’s in her business constantly now. One passionate argument leads to more than either of them expected. Tess knows it isn’t going to last because Bran is never going to settle down. So, to save face, she suggests they stay friends, only with the side benefit of being sometime lovers.

A Marine determined to win at all costs.

Bran agrees to the friends with benefits idea just to keep himself close to Tess. She might think he’s not around for the long haul, but this is one Johnson brother who knows exactly what he wants…and just how to get it. And what he wants is Tess in his bed and in his life forever. Nothing will stop him, not even Tess herself.

*

Enjoy this unedited first chapter of Tease Me, Semper Fi Marines Book One.

Bran Johnson spotted the golden halo of short curls first. It was always easy to find his best friend from high school by her hair. Not many people had that shade of blonde—not naturally. She was walking down the path in front of the Camp Lejune Naval Hospital heading to the parking lot and she was wearing scrubs.

He slowed his Camaro and wound down the window. “Hey, there, good looking.”

As she glanced at him, Bran had the pleasure of watching her expression change from irritation to complete happiness. Her dimples appeared and happiness lit her green eyes.

She jogged over to him. She still had the sprinkle of freckles dancing over the bridge of her nose. “Hey, yourself. When did you get here? I thought you weren’t due in for another week.”

He shrugged. “I had enough of family life in DC for awhile.”

She nodded. If there was one person in the world who knew about how his family worked, it was Tess. Time with the Johnsons was fun but it was exhausting, especially when spending time with The General.

She leaned back and looked at his convertible. The little humming noise she made him itch from the inside out. It was…well it wasn’t a noise he ever expected to hear from her.

“
So, this is the new car?”

In high school, she’d been one of the few girls who had an appreciation for cars. Of course, her father’s hobby had been rebuilding old cars, and she had been his constant companion.

“
Come on, I’ll take you for a ride.”

She didn’t hesitate and jumped right in.

“
Nice to see you pilots still know how to waste money.”

He sighed as he shifted the car into gear. “You always give me shit about my cars and I know it’s because you secretly envy them.”

“
No. I wouldn’t be able to deal with something like this so low to the ground. Give me my Silverado any day.”

“
So where were you off to so fast?”

“
Lunch. I thought I would run over to the exchange and grab a bite to eat. Needed to get out of the hospital for a bit.”

“
Sounds good,” he said.

“
Excuse me, but I don’t think I invited you.”

He laughed. “Okay, Tess. Can I please come to the exchange with you to partake in lunch?”

She chuckled and he felt a funny shift in his chest. It had been like that the last few weeks as he’d PCS’d from one base to the other. Any time he talked to Tess on the phone, he’d had odd feelings. He’d written it off as nerves about the new job but it didn’t explain why his palms were sweating.

“
Okay, since you are new in town and well, I know you can’t get a woman. Plus, I’ll be happy to let you pay.”

“
Did anyone ever tell you, you’re rude?”

“
Yep. But I ignored him. He doesn’t count.”

“
Who called you rude?”