“Really?” Giana was floored. Usually, her mother only wanted family around. “Are you sure?”
“Of course. I can see how taken you are with him and vice versa. Seems only fitting we should get to know him better. I mean, who knows, he could be a part of this family someday.”
“Hush, your mouth, woman,” her father tsked. “She’s just dating Starks.”
Her mother shrugged. “I know what I saw, Josiah.”
“And what did you see?” Giana inquired. She was curious if she’d given off any sort of vibe of her growing feelings for Wynn.
“I saw two people falling in love.”
Giana’s stomach plummeted. Love. Her mother thought they were in love. She’d barely been able to get Wynn to commit to the idea of a relationship, let alone the word love. She was still struggling with how to describe her feelings for Wynn, but love? “Look at the time.” Giana glanced down at her watch. “I have to get going.”
“So soon?” her mother asked. “You’ve only had coffee.”
Giana reached across the table to grab a croissant off the platter heaped with pastries. “I’m meeting Shantel and Elyse for some last-minute Christmas shopping. I’ll take this to go. Have a great day.” She quickly kissed both her parents and made a hasty exit.
Once she was in the corridor, Giana leaned against the wall and inhaled deeply. Her mother had it wrong. Or did she? Giana felt different than she had with Martin. She wanted to spend all her free time with Wynn, in and out of bed. She laughed at his silly jokes, watched the old martial arts movies he liked even though she didn’t understand a thing, had even started running with him. And their physical connection was off the charts. Did that mean she was in love? Giana wasn’t scared that she might fall in love. She was scared Wynn might never allow himself to.
* * *
“Dad, it’s so good to hear from you,” Wynn said when his father called him that afternoon. “How are you enjoying the cruise?”
Now that he’d made it, Wynn had told his father to quit his day job, because if he had anything to say about it, Jeffrey Starks would never have to work again. Wynn hadn’t forgotten how his father scrimped and saved so there was always a roof over his head and food on the table. And growing up, Wynn had had a bottomless pit for a stomach. He definitely understood his mentees at the Boys & Girls Club always being hungry.
“It’s been the best time of my life,” Jeffrey said. “Now I know how the other half lives.”
“I’m glad,” Wynn responded.
“I’ve even met someone.”
“You have?”
“Yes, she’s a widow. Her husband left her with a large sum, so she’ll never have to worry about money, and she’s traveling the world.”
“And you would like to join her?” Wynn asked the question his dad was beating around the bush getting to.
“I think so. It’s been so long since I’ve felt this way, son.”
“I know, Dad.” It had been hard on his father to lose the love of his life to another man. After the divorce, his father became withdrawn. Although he’d tried to be there for Wynn, a light went out in his eyes. Wynn would give anything to see his father happy again.
“But Christmas is in a few days,” his father said on the other end of the line. “I wouldn’t want to leave you alone.”
“I’m not a child.”
“I know, but it’s always been me and you. It’s our tradition.”
“And we’ll still have it,” Wynn responded. “But I want you to be happy, and if exploring this new relationship will do that, then you should go.”
“But I can’t possibly afford—”
“I told you not to worry about finances,” Wynn interrupted. “I have you covered. Whatever you need, whatever you want. I’ll add a sizable amount to your account, that way you can take as much or as little as you need.”
“Son, it’s so extravagant.”
“You deserve it.” And a whole lot more, Wynn thought.
“What will you do for Christmas?”
“Work.”
“Work isn’t everything, son. You have to make room in your life for more.”
Wynn’s mind wandered to Giana. There was so much more he intended to do with her. And it surprised him how excited he was at the prospect. After Christine, he hadn’t thought he was capable of loving anyone, but if anyone made him want to be a believer again, it was Giana.
“Don’t you worry about me, Dad. I’ll be fine.”
They ended the call with promises of reconnecting in the new year. Afterward, Wynn wondered what he was going to do with his time. Now that the holidays were approaching, he usually gave his staff time off to spend time with their families. But with his dad out of town, Wynn was going to have find something or someone to occupy his time.
Fifteen
“Tell us what’s really going on between you and Wynn Starks,” Shantel said while she, Giana and Elyse shopped at the Lennox Mall.
“Yeah, I’m dying to know, too.” Elyse’s eyes were lit up with merriment. “But if you don’t mind, I’d like to take a seat.” They’d been at it for a few hours, racking up toys for Ethan and Elyse’s baby girl due next year, as well as gifts for Roman and Julian.
Giana struggled with what if anything to get Wynn. In the end, because he loved to cook, she’d settled for a grill and spice set along with a chef’s hat and coat. But picking his gift wasn’t the only thing on Giana’s mind; her mother had thrown her for a loop when she’d said they looked like two people falling in love. Giana hadn’t been able to get the thought out of her head all day.
“How about we stop here for a snack?” Giana asked. They were near the food court, and Elyse had been eyeing the Auntie Anne’s pretzels.
“Did you catch that?” Shantel asked Elyse, giving Giana the side eye. “The way she changed the subject? But we’re on to you.”
“What?” Giana asked. “Elyse is eating for two.”
Elyse laughed. “You’re so thoughtful, Giana. And while, yes, I would love to eat an entire batch of those mini pretzel hot dogs drenched in sweet mustard, I want to hear more about you and Wynn.”
“We’re dating,” Giana answered honestly. “I’m not sure what my brothers might have told you, but there’s not much more.”
“No?” Shantel asked. “You seem awfully cagey.”
“C’mon, Shantel. That’s not fair. You shouldn’t psychoanalyze family,” Giana said.
Shantel shrugged. “I’m not, but I can tell when someone is holding something back. Don’t know if it’s a curse or a gift. Do you want to give us the non-pat answer?”
“She can,” Elyse said, rubbing her small belly, “after you get me those pretzel bites.”
“See, I knew you were hungry,” Giana teased. “I’ll go get them.” She needed the opportunity to collect her thoughts. Shantel was used to getting people to talk, and Giana wasn’t sure she could keep her sister-in-law’s curiosity at bay. After obtaining Elyse’s sweet and savory snack, she headed back to the duo sitting at one of the café tables.
“Here you are, my dear.” Giana handed the box to Elyse along with a lemonade.
“Thank you.” Elyse immediately dug into the pretzel bites.
“Now back to me.” Shantel used her index and middle fingers to motion for Giana to look into her eyes. “You were going to give us the real deal?”
Giana sighed and then told the truth. “Wynn and I started out as a one-night stand. I was content with that, but then he showed up to my work and said he wanted more than one night.”
“How did you feel?” Shantel inquired.
“It surprised me. And I was nervous about mixing business with pleasure. I’m used to keeping my worlds very separate and mixing the two could potentially have disastrous consequences for both companies. Plus, I wasn’t looking for anything serious, and
he was telling me he wanted to see me exclusively. But everything was on his terms. I told him I would only agree if we were in a relationship. Honestly, considering his history of being a recluse, I assumed he would say no. He surprised me when he agreed to my demand.”
Elyse laughed as she stuffed more pretzel bites into her mouth. “He called your bluff?”
“Yes, and I couldn’t very well take it back, now could I?” And Giana wasn’t sure she’d wanted to.
“And now?” Shantel asked quietly. “How do you feel about Wynn?”
“I’ve grown to care about him,” Giana answered honestly. “It wasn’t something I was looking for. I mean, my focus is my career. Becoming involved with Wynn is a recipe for drama. What if the attraction fades? Then where are we? I didn’t think I had any time for...” She stopped herself before she said the four-letter word, but Shantel picked up on it.
“Love? Well, let me tell you, Giana, you can’t predict it or stop it when it happens. You have to allow yourself to feel. And from the looks of it, and this is strictly from the outside looking in, you’re trying to block the emotion.”
“I agree,” Elyse jumped in, brushing crumbs off her face now that she’d demolished the entire snack. “When I realized I was falling for Julian, I thought I could stop it. I mean, I was initially on a revenge mission because I blamed Josiah for my father losing everything. Julian was the enemy. But I can tell you, love is a powerful force and it won’t be denied.”
“What do I do?” Giana asked, glancing back and forth between the two women.
“Embrace it.” Shantel smiled. “I’m not saying it’s not scary, but I promise you, Giana, the reward is so worth it.”
“Well, I don’t know if I’m there yet,” Giana said, and she noticed her sisters-in-law exchange a skeptical look. “I’m not.”
But she could be, and that scared Giana most of all. Because what if she fell in love with Wynn and he didn’t feel the same? What would she do with all these feelings? Giana didn’t know if she could box them back up once she’d allowed them to escape. Perhaps spending Christmas with Wynn would give her the clarity she needed to figure out if love was worth it or if she should walk away.
* * *
“You want me to spend Christmas with your family?” Wynn asked when Giana came over to his place late Monday evening. If he was honest, he’d missed her yesterday. After discussing his failed marriage following the charity gala, he’d felt closer to Giana. And if he’d had his druthers, they would have spent the entire day in bed yesterday. When she said she had plans with her sisters-in-law and her weekly family dinner, he’d put on his best face not to show his disappointment.
“Yes, would that be such a bad thing?” Giana asked, a frown marring her mocha features.
“No, of course not,” Wynn responded, “and I’m sorry if you thought otherwise. I’m surprised. Christmas is usually reserved for family.”
“My mother thought since you and I are dating you might...” Her voice faltered, and for the first time Wynn saw the uncertainty in Giana’s eyes. He hated himself for making her doubt herself.
“Of course I’ll come.” Giana gave an audible sigh of relief. “Come here.” He patted the sofa beside him. “Let me reassure you how happy I am.”
He pulled her toward him. Initially, he felt her reluctance, but with a gentle tug she fell forward into his lap, and Wynn’s hand circled to her nape to pull her into a kiss.
When they finally broke apart, they were both breathing hard, but it was Giana’s stomach growling that made him ask, “What do you say we think about dinner?”
“Actually, I was thinking I could cook for you.”
“Cook for me?” Since they’d started seeing each other, he’d done the majority of the cooking.
Giana punched him on the shoulder. “Don’t act so surprised. I may not be as talented as you are in the kitchen, but I can make several good dishes, some of which are strictly vegetarian.”
“Of course you can.” Wynn laughed. “And I can’t wait to try them.”
He watched as she eased off the sofa and headed to the kitchen. He didn’t know why her suggestion had been a shock, but then again, much of what Giana did wasn’t what Wynn expected. She had more depth and character than he’d ever imagined. It made Wynn realize he’d judged her harshly based on his cynical view of the world. It wasn’t easy breaking bad habits, but he was going to do his best to try.
He followed her into the kitchen and watched her search through his fridge for ingredients: eggplant, arugula, onions, garlic, fresh spinach, ricotta and eggs, followed by some store-bought marinara sauce and lasagna noodles from the cupboard. Meanwhile, he retrieved a bottle of red wine and poured them two glasses.
“Thank you,” she said, taking a sip.
“Okay, I’m intrigued,” Wynn said, drinking his wine as he watched her get a chopping board and start slicing and dicing vegetables. “What are you making?”
“Eggplant lasagna. Eggplant is a good substitute for protein. You won’t be able to tell the difference.” He doubted it. He was a meat and potatoes kind of guy, but he sensed how important it was for Giana to show him a different side of herself.
A spoiled princess wouldn’t know her way around a kitchen, but Giana was comfortable roasting the eggplant and sautéing the onion, garlic and spinach. When she was done, she started on a ricotta mixture, which included egg, basil and salt and pepper. Afterward, she began layering a greased baking dish with all her ingredients.
Wynn was impressed. Christine would never have been caught dead getting her hands dirty like this. Although he knew he shouldn’t compare the two of them, he didn’t get close to a lot of women and didn’t have much of a frame of reference. And Giana was so different. He was seeing that more and more each day. There were many facets to her. She was a strong and confident businesswoman, a loving daughter, a proud sister. If you’d asked him a month ago if he’d consider dating, he would have said no, but Giana made Wynn hopeful there were truly some good women left.
When he snapped out of his thoughts, he found Giana putting arugula, pine nuts, basil, garlic and olive oil in a food processor and squeezing a lemon into the mixture. “I guess I should have asked this first, but are you allergic to nuts?” Her hand was on the power button.
“No allergies.”
She smiled. “Good.” She hit the button. “You’ll like this pesto over the lasagna. It gives a bright and peppery finish.” When she was done, she turned off the food processor and set aside the arugula pesto. “We’ve got a bit of time before it’s ready.” Picking up her glass, she moved and walked in between his legs to peer at him. “So, what do you think?”
“I think I was wrong to doubt your culinary skills.”
“Don’t judge a book by its cover, Wynn. There’s more to me than what you see.”
“I know that.”
“Do you?”
He nodded. “I do.” He wrapped his arms around her waist. “And I’m thankful you haven’t given me the boot after all my preconceived notions.”
“No, I think I’ll keep you.” Her grin was genuine, and it struck a chord deep in Wynn’s belly. But he’d been down this road before, falling too hard and too quick. He and Giana were mixing business and pleasure, and that was a slippery slope. One wrong move and they could both fall headlong into disaster, which could severely damage Starks Inc. So why couldn’t he walk away from Giana when self-preservation advised him it was the best course of action?
Because if any woman was worth taking a risk on, it was Giana.
* * *
Giana was nervous as she and Wynn made the approximately four-hour drive to her parents’ mountain-view mansion in Gatlinburg on Wednesday morning. The drive was pleasant enough. They’d left Atlanta early to get a jump on traffic. According to the GPS, they would arrive by early afternoon. Her parents had gone up the night befor
e, and the rest of the family was driving up this morning.
Giana had never invited a man she was dating to participate in a family event, and certainly not one as important as Christmas. Her mother went all out when it came to the holiday. The six-bedroom, seven-and-a-half-bath vacation home would be bursting with holiday decor.
“You’re nervous,” Wynn said, glancing over at Giana as she drummed her fingers against her jeans. Since it was going to be significantly colder in the mountains, she’d dressed for the occasion in a thick fringe sweater, knee-high boots and her favorite jeans that made her butt look like a million bucks. For his part, Wynn looked delectable in a turtleneck, faded jeans, his favorite leather jacket and boots.
“I’m not.”
“Liar.” But he didn’t say anything more, leaving her to her own thoughts. She didn’t know how the weekend would go—all she knew was that it was an important stepping-stone in their relationship. They were establishing themselves as a couple. Did Wynn understand the significance?
Giana did.
Her parents would see them as a couple, and it would be a lot harder convincing her mother not to hear marriage bells in their future. But what could she do? If she’d declined the invitation on his behalf, her parents might think negatively of him. And so here they were, driving up the paved driveway past hundreds of trees to the mansion at the top of the hill.
Giana did love the mansion. It was a retreat in the middle of the forest surrounded by nothing but mountains and trees in every direction. When the car came to a stop, Giana took a deep breath and exited the vehicle.
It was certainly chilly out, and she hugged her wool jacket with the faux fur lapels a little bit tighter to her chest.
“Why don’t you go ahead inside and get warm,” Wynn said as he came around to the trunk. “I’ll bring our bags in.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
She climbed the oversize front steps and opened the front door. “Hello?”
Her mother appeared several seconds later. “Giana!” She rushed toward her, enveloping her in a hug. “Good to see you, sweetheart, but where is Wynn?” She looked behind Giana.
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