The Marcelli Bride

“Why would you?”

Darcy squeezed her eyes shut. “Have you looked in the mirror lately?”

“Oh, please. You’re just as pretty and much more exotic looking. I’m just your basic blue-eyed blonde. With very common features. Besides…” She lowered her voice. “You have to know I’d never do anything to take Joe away. I’m not even saying I could. Just that I wouldn’t. Ever. I love you. You’re my sister. My family. That means everything to me.”

Darcy went from feeling like a worm to feeling like slime. Slime was definitely worse. “I know. I’m sorry. I’m not worried about you trying anything, Lauren. You’d never do that.” Had never done that. “It’s not you. It’s…them. Him. Everyone likes you better. Most of the time I don’t care, but this time it would really hurt.”

“But I never did anything wrong,” Lauren whispered.

Darcy rolled onto her side and pulled her knees to her chest. “I’m sorry. This is all about me. I’m the one who’s insecure and stupid and acting like a child. I’m sorry.”

“I’d never try to take Joe away from you. Or anybody. I don’t want to love that much again. Ever.”

“You’re going to have to let him go eventually,” Darcy said.

Lauren’s breath caught. “I can’t. I loved him so much. I could never love anyone else like that. I don’t think my heart’s big enough.”

“You could date. That would be fun.”

“I’m okay by myself. I have my memories, and that’s enough.”

Darcy thought about pointing out that Lauren was only twenty-seven. A little young to be settling for mere memories.

“Anyway, how did this get to be about me and my lack of love life?” Lauren asked. “We were talking about you.”

“Right. How stupid and jealous I am. Not my favorite topic.”

“You’re not the only one,” Lauren said. “You think I don’t get jealous of your life and your freedom?”

Darcy rolled onto her back and opened her eyes. “What? You’re jealous of me?”

“Sure. You have a lot more privacy than me. No one expects you to be a saint, so you’re not always getting judged. I love how you can tell the world to piss off if you’re not in the mood.”

Darcy couldn’t believe it. Lauren wanted to tell the world to piss off? “A lot of that’s just a facade,” she said cautiously.

“Who cares. You can do it. All I can do is cut ribbons at opening ceremonies and raise money. The money-raising part is good, but the rest of it? Sometimes I just want to curl up with a good book or watch Oprah.”

Darcy realized she was free to do that and a lot more. Funny how she’d never seen herself as the lucky one before.

“I can TiVo Oprah for you if you’d like,” she offered.

Lauren started to laugh. “That would be great. Although I’m catching up on reruns while I’m here. It’s really fun.”

“I miss you,” Darcy said.

“I miss you, too.”

She cleared her throat. “I think you should come visit me here. When it’s safe for us to travel.”

Lauren sighed. “No, it’s okay.”

The slime feeling returned. “I mean it, Lauren. Please. Come visit. It will be great.”

“I’ll think about it.”

They talked a few more minutes, then hung up. Darcy sat up and thought about what her sister had said. That she thought Darcy had the better life. Impossible. But it was good to know she wasn’t the only one who got jealous and crazy about her world.

As for Lauren coming here, maybe it was a good idea. It would force Darcy to face her demons. If the Marcellis liked Lauren better, well, Darcy would just get over it. And if Joe wanted her…Darcy grinned. Then she would just have to beat the crap out of him.

Joe left the guesthouse after the daily security briefing. Progress had been made—kidnappers caught. Not all of them, but a couple. And if they talked, he would soon be out of here and back where he belonged. Assuming the admiral had cooled down.

“Joseph. Joe.”

He looked up and saw Lorenzo limping toward him. The old man leaned heavily on his cane.

“Come,” he said. “Walk with me.”

“No, thanks,” Joe told him. “I’m not interested in more conversations about changing my name, learning about the wine, or accepting this as my destiny.”

Lorenzo nodded. “All right. Walk with me anyway.”

“Why?”

“Can’t a grandfather want to spend time with his grandson?”

Joe swore under his breath, then fell into step with the old man as they headed toward the vineyards.

“We have good weather,” Lorenzo said. “It makes for good grapes. Brenna wants to be a part of all of it this year, but I think her baby has other plans.”

“I hope so,” Joe said, remembering how huge she’d been the last time he’d seen her. “It looks painful.”

Lorenzo grinned. “Women are strong. Never tell them, but I would not want to give birth. With Tessa, it was only twice. First Marco, then a little girl. She died.”

Joe glanced at him. “I didn’t know. I’m sorry.”

He shrugged. “God gives and then he takes. It is always that way.” He raised his cane and pointed toward the horizon. “I can remember when there were no vines up there. When we needed only one crew to pick the grapes. Now I can’t even walk the land, there is so much.” He winked. “But not too much, eh? There can never be too much.”

“Land is wealth,” Joe agreed.

“But it is more than money. It’s about who we are. When I was a boy, I dreamed of when I would run Marcelli. My father was a stern man. Difficult to please. But I knew I would and one day this would all be mine. I have lived a long time, long enough to see my great-grandchildren born. Tessa speaks of blessings, and she is right.”

Joe didn’t know what to say so he nodded. “You have a good family.”

“More to come. Brenna and Nic’s baby will have wine in his veins. He’ll be strong.”

“He might be a she.”

Lorenzo shrugged. “If God wishes. But there will be sons, too. And more children. The families will join. We will grow. I wanted that for you.”

Joe didn’t know if he meant children, family, or what. He’d meant what he said about not wanting to argue anymore so he kept quiet.

“I wanted so many things,” Lorenzo said as they stopped by a row of grapes. The old man bent down and fingered a leaf. “All those years ago, when Marco told me he’d gotten a girl pregnant, I was angry. I thought he’d thrown his future away. She’s Irish, you know.”

“I’d heard,” Joe said dryly.

“I wanted Marco to marry a nice Italian girl. But he loved Colleen, and I couldn’t make him stop. But I could force them to send the baby away.” Lorenzo looked at him. “I was stubborn and a fool and I’ve paid every day since. You’ve paid. So much lost. I’m sorry.”

Joe had expected a lot of screaming but not an apology. He started to speak and found his throat had gotten tight and the words wouldn’t come. Before he could make them, Lorenzo spoke again.

“Now I give you advice. I know you think I’m an old man who doesn’t know much, but I’ve lived a long time. Get married. Not because of the family or because I’ve told you to but because it will make you happy. It’s not good for a man to be alone so much.”

“I already tried that and it didn’t work,” Joe told him. He wouldn’t go through it again. Not the caring, the wanting more, the hope that maybe it could work only to come home and find a letter and an empty house.

“You didn’t love her,” Grandpa Lorenzo said flatly. “When a Marcelli man loves, it’s forever.”

“I don’t think—”

“I know!” Lorenzo yelled as he thumped his cane. “Love like that never dies. It is who we are—like the land.”

“All the more reason to avoid it,” Joe told him. “I’m fine. I have what I need.”

“Ah, yes. Your navy. There are things a woman can do to a man your navy will never do to you.”

“Agreed, but I don’t have to be married to get laid.”

Lorenzo’s expression hardened. “You think I’m talking about sex? Marriage is about the soul and the heart. It’s about one person who knows everything and still reaches for you in the night. Love like that is a gift.” He paused and the anger faded. “Joseph, don’t have regrets. I’ve lived with them for thirty-three years and they’re a heavy burden. I want so much for you. I want you to be happy. I want—”

“There you are!”

They both turned and saw Katie hurrying toward them, a red-haired toddler in her arms.

Katie Marcelli Stryker was the oldest of the Marcelli daughters. She and her husband, Zach, lived in Los Angeles, where he was a big-time lawyer and she ran a party-planning business.

“Look,” Lorenzo said pointing. “Two beautiful women want to talk to us. We are lucky men.”

Joe smiled. “I agree.”

Katie stopped in front of them and laughed. “Look what she can do,” she said proudly, then turned to her daughter. “Come on, honey. What did you want to say?”

The green-eyed beauty held out her arms to Lorenzo and said, “Gram.”

The old man pulled her close and hugged her. “How are you? Such a little princess. Have you been practicing my name?”

Valerie nodded shyly and wrapped her arms around his neck. Katie turned to Joe.

“Where’s my hug, big guy?”

He gathered her close. “Good to see you.”

Katie squeezed him hard. “I heard we’ve got famous company.”

“That’s right.”

She straightened and smiled. “Gee, Joe, did you have to have sex with the president’s daughter on her very first visit?”

Darcy had been through enough Marcelli meals to expect insanity, but this beat all records. Leaves had been added to the already massive table in the dining room so that the whole family could sit together.

She’d been introduced to Katie and her family. Francesca, Sam, and the twins had arrived, along with Brenna and Nic. Only Mia was missing, and as Colleen had whispered in the kitchen, the blessing behind that was no Ian.

“Katie, you take that end,” Colleen said. “We’ll put Valerie in her high chair next to you. Francesca, I’ll take one of the twins by me.”

“I’ll take the other,” Brenna said. “I might as well practice. Unless you think being a twin and sitting next to another twin might make me have twins.”

Nic leaned over and kissed her cheek. “It doesn’t work that way. Whatever you’ve got, you’ve got.”

Brenna patted her huge stomach. “I’m thinking a really big baby and a beach ball.”

Everyone took their seats. Darcy found herself in the middle of the table, next to Grammy M and across from Joe. High chairs were slid into place and toddlers settled. Most of the food was already on the table, although Tessa carried in the last few dishes.

Lorenzo passed open bottles of cabernet down both sides of the table.

“It’s good to have family here,” he said. “We eat, we drink.”

“We talk,” Tessa said. “What did I forget?”

“The bread,” Grammy M told her.

The two old women scowled at each other before Tessa returned to the kitchen.

Darcy took the wine Marco passed to her. She poured a glass, then filled Grammy M’s. Gabriel took the bottle from her and winked.