The Marcelli Bride

14

“Did you hear?” Lauren asked eagerly, her voice as clear as if she were in the same room, despite the distance and the secure line. “They’ve caught a couple of the kidnappers.”

“Yes. Isn’t it great?” Darcy asked, trying for as much enthusiasm as possible when in truth the news had made her heart sink.

“We’ll be able to leave soon,” Lauren said. “I can’t wait. I’m getting so tired of my own company. The agents are nice, but they’re not here to babysit me. The good news is I’ve caught up on my reading.”

Darcy felt a twinge of guilt-her stay at the Marcelli house had been so perfect, she never wanted it to end.

“The downside,” Lauren said, “is you’re going to have to leave Joe. Or will you still be seeing him?”

Despite being upset at the thought of leaving, mention of Joe made her smile. “I don’t know. Maybe.” She wanted to. But in reality was that possible? Her smile faded. “He lives in San Diego. I’m in D.C. He’s a naval officer, and I’m the daughter of the commander in chief. I think that makes us more star-crossed lovers than the happily-ever-after type.”

“Lovers, huh?” Lauren teased. “I want to hear all about that.”

Darcy wasn’t willing to talk about it-not yet. “It’s a figure of speech. Don’t get too excited. Besides, this isn’t going anywhere. He’s not the relationship type.”

“How do you know?”

“He resists his family.”

“You’re not trying to be his mother. Romantic love is different.”

“He’s been married.” Darcy filled her in on the generalities, then sighed. “They say people who don’t learn from history are destined to repeat it. In my case, that’s true. Here I am, falling for a guy as inaccessible as my father.”

As soon as the words came out, she wanted to call them back. She clutched the phone tighter and braced herself.

“Dad’s not inaccessible,” Lauren said softly.

“I know. I didn’t mean it that way. I’m sorry. Please, let’s not get into this long-distance.”

“Okay.” Lauren sighed. “Joe sounds so great, regardless of whatever issues the two of you may have. I want to meet him. I know. When this is all over, you stay there and I’ll come by to pick you up. That way I can check out the military cutie and meet the family.”

Darcy sat up. Her first thought was to scream out her protest. Not Lauren. Not here. This was the one place on the planet where everyone liked her for herself. There hadn’t been any comparing, any disappointing second finishes. No one had rejected her. If Lauren came now, all that would change.

“Your enthusiasm is overwhelming,” Lauren said, the hurt clear in her voice.

Darcy flopped back on the bed. “It’s not that. Of course I want you to meet Joe and everyone.”

“You might try saying that like you mean it. Don’t worry. I’m not going to show up.”

She felt like a worm. A selfish worm who had been living the good life while her sister had been stuck in a cornfield.

“Lauren, please. I’m sorry. It’s just…” She drew in a deep breath. “I’m scared, okay? Joe is really special. I like him a lot. Maybe more than a lot. I haven’t felt this way before, and it’s scary and exciting and new and I don’t want to lose him.”

“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.

Lorenzo pushed to his feet. “To my family,” he said, raising his glass.

Darcy instantly looked at Joe, who hesitated before picking up his glass. Darcy picked up hers as well, knowing that while she wasn’t part of the Marcellis, she was happy to wish them the best. They had been more than kind to her.

As soon as the toast was over, Tessa ordered everyone to “Eat. Eat before it gets cold.”

Serving dishes circled the table. Darcy took small portions of everything. Despite her working out, she’d managed to put on enough weight to make half her wardrobe too tight to wear. But it was hard to care about that when she was having such a good time. Funny how just a few short weeks ago she’d arrived feeling scared and angry. It was as if she’d been nothing but sharp edges, and now she was all rounded corners and curves.

“What do you think of life on a winery, Darcy?” Katie asked. “It must be different for you.”

“It is. I really like it.”

“Did you see her designs?” Tessa asked. “So beautiful.”

“I’m thrilled to finally have new wine labels,” Brenna said. “So please accept my heartfelt thanks.”

“I enjoyed working on the labels. And it was my first paying job in the graphic design business.”

“Good for you,” Katie said. “Is that what you studied at college?”

“Actually I was an art major. Painting-oils mostly. Then I discovered I wasn’t very good and switched to graphic design and marketing.”

Grammy M patted her hand. “I’m sure your pictures were delightful.”

“Thank you. I tried, but I didn’t have the talent.”

“You have plenty of talent,” Lorenzo intoned. “You should have seen the labels Brenna has brought me over the years. Goats. Who puts goats on wine bottles?”

Brenna shook her head. “They weren’t goats.”

“Animals then.”

“Stop it, you two,” Katie said mildly. “They’re always like that, but I’m sure you’re used to it by now.”

“Pretty much,” Darcy said with a laugh.

“It was worse before,” Francesca said. “When Brenna moved back here, before she and Nic got together, wow, did she and Grandpa Lorenzo go at it.”

“I had to be sure,” the old man said. “Sure that she wanted to devote herself to the winery. Now she has, and all will be well.”

“We’re a living, breathing soap opera,” Colleen said. “We should be on daytime television.”

“But you hate daytime TV,” Marco said.

“Oh, I wouldn’t watch,” Colleen told him. “I’d like the money though.”

She laughed and everyone joined in. Darcy glanced around the table, then spotted Katie watching her.

“Sorry,” Katie said. “I know everyone else is used to you being here, but I’m still getting over the strangeness of the president’s daughter sitting in the dining room of the house where I grew up. Until now the closest I’ve ever come to seeing you is in magazines.”

“Occupational hazard,” Darcy said.

“I guess. It would be so strange. People thinking they know you when they don’t. Of course I think I know you because of what everyone has told me.”

Darcy instantly glanced at Joe, then away. Katie grinned. “Oh, yeah, I know about that, too.”

“Katie!” Colleen said, scolding her daughter. “Leave Darcy alone.”

“It’s okay,” Darcy said, fighting a blush and having a bad feeling she was losing.

“It’s not her fault,” Francesca said. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, Darcy, but we’re all much more interested in Joe’s part in this than yours. We assume you’re normal, but to the best of our knowledge, our big brother has never dated. No one knew about his ex-wife until recently. Intellectually we know there must be dozens of women, but we’ve never seen him with one before. So we’re all curious about how this is working.”

“I’m not a freak of nature,” Joe growled. “I’ve had girlfriends before.”

Conversation ceased. Darcy didn’t mind, because she didn’t have anything to say either. Girlfriends? As in women in relationships? As in, she was one of them? She was his girlfriend?

Her insides got all warm and squishy. Was it true? And if it was, did it matter? Joe wasn’t exactly a commitment-type guy. He handed out crumbs when she wanted a banquet. Had she somehow gotten past his emotional wall, or was she just fooling herself?

Joe shifted uncomfortably in the silence. Brenna opened her mouth, no doubt to say something funny but potentially embarrassing. Fortunately just then Valerie spilled her milk and Eric threw carrots at his sister. Shrieks and tears erupted and Colleen, Francesca, and Katie all jumped to their feet and grabbed for extra napkins. The conversation was forgotten by everyone except Darcy, who found herself staring at Joe. And in a quirk of fate she couldn’t explain, he was staring back. Just looking at her in a way that made her wonder about possibilities and romance and hope and if maybe, just this once, she was going to get it right.

After lunch there was discussion about going for a walk. In the end only Darcy, Grandpa Lorenzo, Brenna, and Nic started out into the vineyards.

“I’ll accept the back pain, being unable to sleep, and the soccer games played in my belly, but why do I have to swell up like a toad?” Brenna asked as they strolled along a shady lane. “My shoes barely fit, I haven’t been able to wear my wedding ring in three months, and we won’t even discuss clothes.”

“It will be worth it,” Nic assured her as he helped her along.

“Ha. Want to trade?”

“Not really.”

Brenna turned to Darcy. “A piece of advice-pass on the whole pregnancy thing. It’s so much more disgusting than anyone tells you. There are things going on in my body that make it feel as if it’s been taken over by aliens.”

“So much talking,” Lorenzo scolded mildly.

“You try carrying around a watermelon in your stomach for nine months.” She came to a stop and rubbed her back. “Okay. This is as far as I go. You two have a nice walk.”

Darcy glanced at Lorenzo. “Do you want to go back?”

He stared out at the horizon, then shook his head. “No. Let’s see how far we can go.”

“I hope you feel better,” Darcy told Brenna.

“Not as much as I do.” Brenna waved, then leaned heavily on Nic, who led the way back to the house.

Darcy moved next to Lorenzo. The old man surprised her by taking her hand and squeezing it.

“We’ll be happy to have you in the family,” he said.

She winced. “I appreciate that, but Joe and I aren’t…That is to say we haven’t…I’m not sure what’s going on with him.”

“I think my grandson is thinking about giving his heart.”

Darcy wasn’t sure about that, although it sounded nice.

“Do you love him?” Lorenzo asked.

Darcy stepped back and smiled. “Okay, I can’t answer that, and maybe we should change the subject.”

“You think I’m an old man who asks too many questions.”

“Pretty much.”

Lorenzo chuckled. They started walking again. The afternoon was still and clear. There were only the calls of birds to break the silence. After another ten or fifteen minutes, Lorenzo stopped, then looked around.

“I must sit down,” he said.

They were in the middle of a row of grapes.

“Right here?” Darcy asked, then gasped as Lorenzo sank to the ground. She rushed over to him and crouched beside him. “Lorenzo?”

He didn’t say anything, but something was very wrong. She could tell by his rapid, shallow breathing and lack of color in his skin.

Oh God. What should she do? She stood and looked around. Where was her Secret Service agent?

But no matter how she scanned the horizon, no one appeared.

She bent down and touched Lorenzo’s hand. “I’ll go get help,” she said. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“No.” He gripped her fingers. “Don’t go. It’s too late.”

Panic became fear. She felt for his pulse but couldn’t find it. Tears filled her eyes and made it impossible to see.

She knelt on the dirt and looked around. “Help!” she yelled. “Someone help us.”

“Shh.” Lorenzo gave her a slight smile. “Don’t worry, Darcy. It’s all right.”

It wasn’t all right, but she didn’t know what to do. She sat on the ground and lifted his head onto her lap. She held his hand until she realized the only breathing she heard was her own.

“Help,” she called again, knowing it was too late. Over and over she called, but no one answered. For the first time in as long as she could remember, she was well and truly alone.