Grinded (The Invincibles Book 3)

by Heather Slade

  She shook her head. “The man filled with hate, shall die of it. The man filled with love, shall live of it.”

  I looked over at Rile, who held the heart-shaped stone in the palm of his hand. Interesting that the countess trusted Rile enough to think the stone was in a safe place as long as he had it.

  Pia took it, walked over, and reached for my hand. She turned it over and set the stone in my palm.

  “This is worth an ungodly sum of money, sweetheart.”

  “Without love, it isn’t worth anything.”

  I smiled and stuck it back in my pocket.

  Rile had breakfast with us and then announced he was leaving that afternoon to return to Spain. “Should you need me here in Tuscany, please do not hesitate. Particularly if you require a best man at your wedding,” he said with a wink.

  I walked him to the door. “Thanks for everything, mate.”

  He held up one hand in a wave and walked to the SUV. Before he got in, he studied me.

  “What?”

  He shook his head, got in, and drove away.

  “Such a wanker,” I mumbled as I walked back inside.

  “I’m worried about Nonna Bella,” I heard Pia say as I entered the kitchen.

  “I am too,” said the countess.

  Before I had a chance to sit down, I heard another knock at the door. This time it was Matteo and Lucia.

  “We just stopped by to tell you we’re on our way to Casavetti,” said Lucia when I invited them in.

  “Pia and her mother are in the kitchen.”

  Matteo hung back when Lucia went in, so I did too.

  “AISE is asking for the whereabouts of the diamond.”

  “Why is that?”

  “Something about it being the property of the Italian government.”

  “I see.” I scratched my chin. “If you were to encourage them to search harder, I’m certain they’ll find proof that is not the case.”

  “I was hoping you’d say that. I didn’t want to be the one to tell Zia Maria that I had to confiscate it.”

  “No, I wouldn’t have wanted to do that either,” I said with one hand in my pocket.

  Matteo held out his hand, and I shook it. “I feel funny thanking you for your help. I told Rile the same thing.”

  “No thanks necessary.”

  “Lucia and I have been assigned to recover the missing antiquities.”

  “Good luck to you.”

  “Someday I’d like to learn more about the Invincibles.”

  “And someday, you shall.”

  After saying goodbye to Lucia and him at the door, I closed it behind them, hoping that was the last of our visitors for today.

  When I walked back into the kitchen, both women were quiet. When she saw me, Pia held her hand out to me. I stood behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist.

  “Lucia said Nonna Carina spoke to Nonna Bella.”

  “And?”

  “Georgio told her horrible things about us,” said the countess.

  “I’m sorry to say I’m not surprised.”

  “With everything that’s happened, she decided it best that she doesn’t come back to work at Valentini,” said Pia.

  “How do you feel about that?” I looked between her and her mother.

  “Who would she cook for, anyway?” said the countess with a wave of her hand. “Me?”

  “You need to eat, Mamma.”

  “And you think I cannot cook?”

  Pia laughed. “Have you ever?”

  She folded her arms. “I’ll learn.”

  I doubted there was anything the women in front of me couldn’t do if they set their mind to it.

  “I’ll go and let you have time alone.”

  “You’re welcome to join us for dinner, Mamma,” said Pia when they cheek-kissed.

  “We’ll see,” she said, patting her cheek. “It fills my heart with joy to see you so happy. You know why you are, yes?”

  “Why, Mamma?”

  “Because you’re having a girl. That is why.”

  “No, Mamma. It’s because I’m in love.”

  Countess Maria smiled and winked at us. “Sì.”

  After she left, Pia and I sat out on the terrazza. Me in a chair, her on my lap. I rested my hand on her belly.

  “I love you, Pia.”

  She turned her head and kissed me. “I love you, Mylos.”

  I cupped her cheek with my palm. “This is probably the least romantic proposal in the history of humankind, but I want to marry you.”

  She smiled and brought her lips to mine. “If you take that stone out of your pocket, I can guarantee that no woman has ever been proposed to with the Medici diamond.”

  “Would that be a good thing?”

  “The blood within the stone grows cold with hate. With love, it warms,” she murmured.

  “And the man filled with hate, shall die of it. The man filled with love, shall live of it.”

  Over the course of the next few weeks, Valentini seemed to come alive. Elio Cesare returned as head winemaker, and his wife, Nonna Carina came back as both cook and housekeeper, saying with just the countess living in the house, she could easily do both.

  The countess offered to let us live in the villa, but knowing how I felt about the farmhouse, Pia graciously declined.

  I finally got Pia to accept that, since we planned to eventually marry, my money was also hers.

  There was enough of it to do whatever needed to be done at the winery, with plenty left over to start rehabbing the cottages on the property to let to travelers.

  The only one off limits was the farmhouse. I’d told Pia I would renovate it myself, with the help of my father, of course, and maybe even Wills.

  I doubted my sister would have a complaint about spending several weeks in Val d’Orcia. Nor would my mum.

  Shortly after I put forth the request, my father called to say they’d be on their way in the coming week and that mum had already checked with the countess, who had invited them to stay in the villa with her.

  “What about the bombats?” I asked.

  “Good name for them,” said my father, laughing. “Evidently, there is another house on the property that will suit them quite well.”

  I wondered which one and asked Pia when my father rang off.

  “Nonna Bella’s house. Unless you think that’s a terrible idea.”

  “We should pay her a visit.” I pulled her into my arms.

  Pia’s eyes lit up. “Do you think she’d welcome us?”

  “I cannot say; however, my prediction is that she would like to make peace as much as you would.”

  “Yes, well, maybe.”

  Three days later, armed with the address that Decker had found for me, I went to the village with two things in mind.

  First, I would see if Nonna Bella would be willing to see Pia and the countess. Second, I would pick up the ring that I intended to propose with properly.

  I parked and walked through the village Pia and I visited so often. As I passed by what she and I jokingly referred to as “our fountain,” I stopped and closed my eyes, remembering how she’d looked the day she first spoke to me.

  “You like to look,” she’d said.

  Opening my eyes, I knew straight away where I wanted to ask her to be my wife.

  I walked past the market merchants, who were busy putting away their wares. I turned a corner, took a deep breath when I reached the correct address, and knocked on the door.

  “Hello,” I said to the woman who answered, hoping she spoke enough English to understand why I was there. “My name is Miles Stone. I’m here to see Bella Rossi.”

  Moments later, the door opened wider.

  “Mylos?” said the woman I’d only met once, over ten years ago.

  “Yes. Nonna Bella?”

  “Sì, sì, come in.”

  I left an hour later with a very full belly and an equally warm heart.

  As I followed my GPS directions to the jeweler, I though
t a lot about Rile’s words before he left. I knew what I had to do, immediately placing a call to Edge. Too late, I calculated the time.

  “Ciao,” he answered in a groggy voice.

  I laughed. “Sorry to wake you, mate.”

  “No worries. How are you, Grind?”

  “I’ve never been better. Honestly.”

  “I know the feeling. Hang on.” I heard some rustling in the background and then a door close. “Rebel is still asleep.”

  “Again, I’m sorry about the time. I can ring you back later.”

  “No, no. Tell me why you called, Grinder.”

  “It’s about Rile.”

  “The bloody wanker.”

  “Right. About that…”

  The ring I’d commissioned the jeweler to make was even more beautiful than I dreamed. The perfectly round, four-carat diamond I’d chosen, was edged on either side with five rubies. One for each year I’d loved Pia Deltetto.

  29

  Pia

  “What time is it?” I asked, stretching my arms above my head.

  “It’s early,” Mylos answered, leaning over to kiss my forehead. “Go back to sleep.”

  “Wait,” I pleaded, reaching out my hand when he stood to walk out of the room.

  He came back and sat on the edge of the bed, brushing my hair from my face. “You are so beautiful.”

  “Tell me what else I am, Mylos?”

  “Let’s see.” He brushed my lips with his finger. “You are very sexy.”

  “Not romantic?”

  “Definitely romantic.” He nuzzled my neck. “And you smell bloody fantastic.”

  “You remembered!”

  He lifted up the bedclothes and crawled in next to me. “I remember everything, Pia.”

  I rested my head on his shoulder and put my arm around his waist. “We haven’t talked about how long you can stay.”

  He shifted and turned on his side. “What do you mean?”

  “You know, when you’ll have to go back to your…other life.”

  “Hang on a minute.” He got out of bed and rushed out of the bedroom.

  “Where are you going?” I shouted after him.

  “I’ll be right back.”

  “Bring un caffè!”

  “It’ll take too long, and besides, it isn’t good for the baby.”

  “It isn’t good for the baby,” I mimicked under my breath. I missed coffee more than anything, even wine.

  When Mylos came back, he had a bouquet of flowers in one hand and something I couldn’t see in the other. All I knew for certain was it wasn’t a cup of coffee.

  I folded my arms and pretended to pout.

  He set the vase of flowers on the bedside table and tucked whatever he had in his other hand behind him when he sat on the bed.

  “You asked me a few minutes ago when I had to get back to my ‘other life.’ For the first time ever, I know exactly where I’m supposed to be. What’s more, I never want to leave. You are my life, Pia. You and the sweet little baby growing inside of you.” He reached behind him, pulled out a box, and opened it. “Please marry me, Pia.”

  I covered my face with my hands and cried the happiest tears I ever had. We’d talked about getting married, but I’d wanted to wait until after our baby was born. Until this moment, I had no idea that what I was really waiting for, was for Mylos to ask me.

  “Yes, yes, yes,” I cried, throwing my arms around him. He climbed back in bed, beside me and put the ring on my finger. “It’s so beautiful.”

  “It’s you and me. Ten years.”

  I studied the ring and thought about his words. It was us.

  “I’m not leaving, Pia. I want you to know that.”

  “What about your work?”

  “You mean in the tasting room?”

  I swatted him. “Be serious.”

  He put his finger on my chin, and I looked into his eyes. “I am serious. This is our life. You and me and all the babies we’re going to make.”

  “My mamma told that since Estancia, each heir has only had one baby.”

  “Yeah? Well, we’re going to break that record. Let’s practice right now.”

  It was mid-afternoon, and we were downstairs, rummaging around for food when the look on Mylos’ face turned so serious it worried me.

  “I did something yesterday.”

  “What did you do?”

  “I went and saw Nonna Bella.”

  I sat down. “What did she say?”

  “She wants to see you, Pia. You and your mother. She told me her heart breaks every day she isn’t here to take care of you.”

  I smiled through my tears. It sounded exactly like something she’d say. “But?”

  He shook his head. “Nothing. When I told her how much you and the countess missed her, she cried and cried.”

  “Did she say anything about Georgio?”

  “A little. She blames herself.”

  “She shouldn’t.”

  “She said he’d always had a chip on his shoulder about their life. No matter how many times she told him she was happy working for your family, he would chastise her for not wanting more.”

  “I asked my mamma once about Georgio’s papà. What she said sounds a lot like Georgio. He left them, wanting more out of life, she told me. My mother that is, Nonna Bella never spoke of it.”

  “Do you want to go and see her?”

  “Of course!”

  “I mean now, Pia.”

  “I would like nothing more.” I stood and wrapped my arms around my dear husband. He wasn’t yet, but that’s the way I thought of him. “I love you, Mylos.”

  “And I love you, Pia.”

  “When should we get married?”

  “Tomorrow?”

  30

  Grinder

  I stood at the front of the little chapel that I’d never known was on the Valentini estate. Seated in the pews in front of me were my family—my parents, my sister’s husband, and their three bombats.

  On the other side of the aisle sat Countess Maria and, next to her, sat Nonna Bella. Behind them were Elio and Nonna Carina, and behind them were the Casavettis. Other than Matteo, I couldn’t tell the cousins apart. I knew one was Antonio, one Francisco, and one Vincenzo. Their father, Giuseppe, who insisted everyone call him Joe, was crying as much or more than Nonna Bella was, just like Zia Renata was, beside him.

  “I told you he’d do that,” said Matteo, who stood on the other side of the man I’d asked to be my best man, Cortez “Rile” DeLéon.

  Edge had told me the day I called, that as much as he wanted to be at the wedding, he couldn’t be away from Rebel. I understood in the same way he understood why I wanted to ask Rile to stand up with me today.

  Decker couldn’t be here either; Mila was due to give birth to their baby any day now.

  “How are you, my friend?” Rile asked as the music began to play and I saw Lucia standing at the back of the church.

  “Never better.”

  He put one hand on my shoulder and brushed a tear away with the other. “You deserve this and every happiness.”

  I thought back to the day I asked him if he’d be my best man. It was one of the only times I remembered him being at a loss for words. And then he asked me why. I explained that if it weren’t for him meeting me at the hotel that day, I wasn’t sure I would’ve believed I could have the life I did now.

  As Lucia began her walk down the aisle, I saw my sister, Lily, come and stand in the same place. When our eyes met, I knew that, like with Rile, if it weren’t for her, I may never have seen my beloved Pia again after that first time, when we were both sixteen years old.

  “I love you,” I mouthed, and she did it back as she began her walk.

  And then…I saw Pia. She stood alone where Lucia and Lily had stood before her. She’d insisted she wanted to walk down the aisle alone, and now I understood why.

  She wore a simple, white, sleeveless dress that hugged her growing belly. Her eyes met mine, and s
he smiled.

  The music changed, those in the pews stood, and Pia took a step toward me. Her simple bouquet of flowers hung at her side, as she danced and sashayed her way to me. Her eyes were bright with happiness, and maybe a little mischief. My heart almost burst with love.

  If we could go back in time, I bet we’d see Estancia look just like Pia did today. Two powerful women, like those of every generation in between, capable of accomplishing anything, capable of changing the world, yet the most important thing in their lives was love.

  We spent our honeymoon at the farmhouse, getting it ready for the rest of our lives. Each day, my family would show up to help, as would the countess, the Casavetti cousins, and their parents. At night, we’d walk up the hill to the villa, where Nonna Bella would have a feast prepared for everyone.

  Pia would grow tired, and she and I would sneak off, sometimes going straight back to the farmhouse, and other times, stopping first to swim and make love in the moonlight.

  The day our baby girl decided she was ready to meet the world, wasn’t much different than any other. We were surrounded by our family, talking more than working on the farmhouse, when Pia’s water broke.

  My father rushed up to the villa to get Nonna Bella and Nonna Carina. Three hours later, they and Pia’s mother looked on as my baby girl was born into my arms.

  “Just like my Pia,” said the countess through her tears. “In such a hurry to make her mark on the world.”

  I looked into my wife’s eyes as I handed her our precious bundle of joy. I had no doubt that my daughter would change the world in any way she wanted to, but most importantly, like her mother, she’d changed me. Without their love, I couldn’t imagine living another day. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the heart-shaped stone that was worth so much more than anyone knew. Not in the millions the world might value it, but in the love and life it represented.

  Epilogue

  Grinder

  One Year Later

  Val d’Orcia, Italy