by SJ McCoy
him – I’m not interested! I’ll call you in the morning.
Antonio scowled. He didn’t want to wait. The time difference was a pain in the ass. He looked at his watch. Seven-thirty here was ten-thirty in California. But wait. She was in Ohio, that was Eastern time, so it would be one-thirty. Why was she up at one-thirty in the morning? He pressed his lips together. Was she with David? She said she’d told him she wasn’t interested—so, she’d seen him. Had she been out with him?
He stared at his phone. He wanted to call her and ask what was going on, but he shook his head. This was one time when he needed to be patient. He had to wait for her to call and tell him all about it. He picked up his towel and dried himself off. He had to keep pushing away thoughts that she was with David. It was crazy; it was just jealousy and there was no reason for it. She’d told him about it. It wasn’t like she was trying to hide anything from him.
He got dressed and ran downstairs. He was going to have to do something to occupy himself. He’d drive himself nuts otherwise.
His mom was in the kitchen pouring coffee. “Ciao, bello. You want some?”
He nodded and went to kiss her cheek. “Please.”
She gave him a puzzled look. “Did you get out of the wrong side of the bed?”
He shrugged. “No. I’m good.”
“You’re not. Want to tell your mama?”
He chuckled. “I’m a not a little kid anymore.”
She reached up and kissed his cheek and set a mug of coffee in front of him. “I know this, but you’ll always be my baby.” He sat down, and she ruffled his hair, making him chuckle.
“Did you not get a chance to speak to your lady? Is that why you’re grumpy?”
He nodded. “Yeah. I missed her last night and this morning I found out why. She had to go home to Ohio and her ex-fiancé is there—trying to get her back.”
His mom frowned. “That’s an asshole move!”
He had to laugh. She didn’t pull any punches. “Exactly.”
“So, are you going to leave us and go claim her?”
He pursed his lips and met her gaze.
“You should. This asshole might not be her fiancé anymore, but neither are you.”
Antonio swallowed. “Not formally, no, but …”
His mom wagged her finger at him. “But nothing. You haven’t made it official. She’s free until you … until, how do they say?” She chuckled. “You have to put a ring on it!”
Antonio had to laugh. “I intend to, but it’s too soon.”
“The road to hell is paved with good intentions, Antonio. This isn’t like you. You don’t talk about it. You do it. Do it now.”
He blew out a sigh. “I want to! I was trying to be patient.”
His mom gave him a stern look. “Patience doesn’t suit you, and it doesn’t seem to be working out for you, does it? You just have to hope this other man isn’t going to steal her away from you.”
“He won’t. She doesn’t want him; she loves me. I know she does, and I love her.”
His mom threw her hands in the air. “Then why is too soon to get married? Go to her, ask her, marry her, before it’s too late.”
He stared at her for a few moments. “I’d have your blessing?”
“Of course! And your father’s. We’ve both been expecting you to tell us about your wedding plans. We know, we can see, this is it for you. This Mary Ellen, she’s the one.”
“She is.”
“So, go make her your wife, but don’t you dare get married without us there. We only need forty-eight hours’ notice, so you have no excuses, carino.”
He got his feet. “Okay.”
“You’re going now?”
He nodded. “I’m going to pack, and I need to change my flights. I’m going to Ohio.”
Chapter Nineteen
Mary Ellen sat in her bedroom and tried calling Antonio again. She hadn’t been able to get through since she woke up this morning. It was getting late in Sicily now. His phone went to voicemail yet again. She’d already left him a message. She wasn’t going to leave another one. She threw her phone down on the bed with a sigh. They hadn’t spoken since she’d left California, and right now she needed him. She wanted to rant to him about what her mom had done. She still couldn’t believe it. She couldn’t believe David had put her up to it either. Asshole.
Apparently, he’d come to Cincinnati to interview for a job, and he’d thought he’d catch up with her folks while he was in the area.
She looked up at the sound of a knock on her bedroom door. “Come in.”
Her dad poked his head around. “Are you okay in here, love?”
She nodded. “Yeah. Sorry. I should come down.”
He stepped inside and closed the door behind him. “I’m glad to get you by yourself. I’m sorry, love. I didn’t know what your mom was up to.”
She smiled and patted the bed for him to sit. “I know that.” Her poor dad rarely did know what her mom was scheming, and even when he found out, he didn’t usually get a say in things. “I’m trying not to be mad at her. She means well in her own way.”
Her dad gave her a rueful smile. “You sound like me.”
She chuckled. “I’ll bet you have to tell yourself something along those lines every day, don’t you?”
He nodded and looked over his shoulder at the door before lowering his voice. “She does mean well, and in a way a lot of it’s my fault, because I never pull her up on things. I go along with it for an easy life. But Mary El, you can’t let her boss you around. You can’t let her …”
“She’s not going to somehow persuade me to get back with David, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
He blew out a big sigh of relief. “I wasn’t sure. I didn’t know. I know you took it hard when he … when it ended between the two of you.”
Mary Ellen took hold of his hand. “I did. I was hurt for a long time, but him dumping me was probably the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” She smiled as she remembered what Antonio had said. “I’m grateful to him. If we’d gotten married I would never have gone to Napa. I wouldn’t have my amazing job and all my friends there. And I wouldn’t have met Antonio.”
Her dad frowned. “Tell me more about him? You’d said you were seeing someone new, but that’s all I knew.”
“Because I didn’t know what to tell you. It’s all happened so fast. He’s amazing, Dad. I think you’ll love him.”
Her dad looked skeptical. “All David told us is that he’s Italian and he’s in the wine business. I’ll be honest, love, that worries me. He sounds like a bit of a Romeo. I don’t want to see you get hurt again.”
Mary Ellen smiled. “Antonio would never hurt me. He loves me, Dad. I love him. This is it. He’s the one.”
Her dad gave her a cautious smile. “You think so?”
“I know so. He’s a good man. He’s a bit full of himself, but he has a heart of gold. He’s honest and he’s loyal. I love him, and I know he loves me.” She smiled as she spoke. She knew all of it was true. She had no doubts left, only confidence in Antonio and in their future together.
“And can he support you? What does he do in the wine business? He’s not in sales, is he?”
She had to laugh. “He kind of is. He’s in every aspect of the business. He’s the CEO of Di Giovanni Wines; his family owns it.”
“Oh! So, he can take care of you, then.”
She laughed. “Yes, in a style I will quite happily become accustomed to. Even though I think I do a damned good job of taking care of myself.”
“You do, love. I don’t mean that. I just had visions of some guy who’d mooch off you—take advantage.”
“No. You’ve got no worries there.”
They both looked up as the door opened and her mom stood there looking suspicious. “What are the two of you up to?”
Mary Ellen smiled at her. She really did think she was trying to help, but she needed to
be set straight. “I’m just telling Dad about Antonio. I think you’re both going to love him.”
Her mom pursed her lips. “I don’t like the sound of him. I don’t know why you had to be so rude to David last night. I’ve asked if he wants to come for dinner this evening.”
Mary Ellen Scowled. “Well, if he’s coming, I’ll be going out.”
“And I’ll be going with her,” said her dad.
Mary Ellen squeezed his hand. He wasn’t going along with things for a quiet life this time. She was thrilled that he was willing to stand by her on this.
Her mom glowered at them, and then sniffed. Uh-oh. Mary Ellen knew what was coming next—martyrdom and guilt trips. “I don’t know why you both treat me like this. I’m doing my very best to see you settled and happy.”
Mary Ellen got to her feet and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “I know, but you’re not listening to me. I’ve told you and told you that I don’t want to get back with David. That I’m worth more than that.”
Her mom sniffed again and looked up into her eyes. “He has a good job, he’s responsible. He comes from a good family.”
“And he’s not a good person. He’s out for himself. He never cared about me, only about how I could help his career. The only reason he’s interested in me now is because he thinks I could be useful to him again. See, what you don’t understand, Mom, is that I have a much better job than he does. I know you think I’m just Cameron’s secretary, but being his assistant isn’t like being a secretary. I’m second in command of one of the biggest wine growers and distributors in the country. I have a lot of clout.” She winked at her dad who was smiling proudly. He understood.
“That’s all very well,” said her mom. “But you’re not getting any younger. You should be getting married and settling down—starting a family. David comes from a good family.”
Mary Ellen smiled. “That’s why I want you to listen to me about Antonio.”
“Some Italian?” she asked indignantly. “You can’t seriously think …”
Mary Ellen blew out a sigh and stepped away from her. She wasn’t going to lose her temper with her, but she didn’t want to hug her while she was talking like that.
“Don’t. Don’t go down that road. Listen. It’s important to you that I should marry into a good family? The Di Giovannis fit the bill, okay? They’re an old Sicilian family who own wineries here and in Italy. They own vast estates, private planes, and a very large business.”
Her mom’s eyes widened. “And why didn’t you tell us this before?”
“Because you weren’t interested in hearing about him. I wanted you to care about who he is, not what he has. I wanted you to meet him and like him just for himself.”
“So, why haven’t you brought him here?”
She didn’t want to admit just how little time she and Antonio had been seeing each other. “Because we’ve both been so busy with work.”
“And why didn’t he come with you this weekend?”
“Because he had to go to Sicily to help out with the business there.”
Her phone rang, and her dad picked it up and looked at the display. “It’s Antonio,” he said with a smile.
“Aren’t you going to answer?” asked her mom.
Mary Ellen took the phone from her dad. She’d rather not have to catch Antonio up on everything with the two of them here watching her, but she couldn’t wait to hear his voice.
“Hey.”
“Hey, bella. How are you? Is everything all right?”
“Yeah. I’m fine. Sorry we kept missing each other. Are you okay? How are things there?”
He chuckled. “Things here are just fine. At least they will be as soon as I can figure out how to work this GPS.”
“GPS? Where are you?”
“Sitting in a rental car in the Cincinnati airport.”
“What?” Her heart started to race, and her hand flew up to cover her mouth. “What are you doing here?”
“Don’t be mad at me, but I got a little jealous. I didn’t like you running off to Ohio to see David once I was out of the country.”
She laughed. “You know that’s not what happened.”
“I do. I’m only joking … well, mostly. There’s a little bit of truth to the jealousy part. I can’t help it.”
“That’s okay. I kind of like it. At least I know you care.”
“I care, bella. I care more than you know. I missed you. I love you. I couldn’t wait any longer. Is it okay if I come straight to your house?”
“Of course, but do you even know where it is?”
“Yeah. I got the address from Chelsea.”
“She gave it to you and didn’t warn me?”
“She doesn’t know. I told her I wanted to send flowers.”
She laughed. “Sneaky.”
“I prefer to think of it as smart. Anyway, I’m going to hang up, so I can program this damn machine and come to you. I should see you in, what, an hour?”
“Maybe less. Call me if you get lost?”
He laughed. “I won’t. I’m on my way.”
~ ~ ~
It only took forty-five minutes for him to get there. It had been one hell of a day so far. After his conversation with his mom in the kitchen this morning, he’d packed his bag and bid farewell to his family with reassurances that he planned to see them again real soon. The family jet had taken him to Rome where he’d found time to do a little shopping before his flight. He’d been lucky to get a seat in First Class on a direct flight Rome to JFK, but then he’d had to sprint to make his connection to a low-budget leisure carrier on which he’d sat cramped in cattle-class, surrounded by a family of five who were coming back from their first sight-seeing trip to New York City. He smiled. Of course, he now had new friends here in Cincinnati, if he was ever in the area again. He hoped with all his heart that he would be back—for holidays and family events. Not that he cared for the place, but this was Mary Ellen’s hometown.
He parked the car on the road and looked up at the house. She wasn’t joking when she said she’d grown up in suburbia. Her parents’ home was a neat Cape Cod. The well-kept front yard was surrounded by a formal hedge—just like about fifty percent of the other houses on the street.
He reached into the back and rummaged in his bag. He wasn’t sure if he’d be invited to stay, but he was sure about one thing. He was going to ask a very important question before he left. He took what he needed out of the bag and then sat there a moment longer smiling to himself. If anyone had told him that he would propose to the love of his life in a little suburban house in Ohio he would have laughed. He was more about grand gestures. He could have made elaborate plans, done this anywhere in the world, taken her anywhere. But this was right. It might be too soon, but it would be very down-to-earth.
He looked up as the front door opened. He’d been sitting here too long, and she’d seen him. She was coming down the path to meet him. He got out of the car and couldn’t wipe the grin off his face. She was even more beautiful than he remembered. She stopped a foot away from him and smiled. “Hey.”
“Hey, bella.” He closed the final distance between them and closed his arms around her. Her arms came up around his neck and he kissed her. He kissed her with the hunger of a starving man, and she kissed him back with the same passion. She’d missed him, too.
“Come inside! Don’t do that out there.”
Antonio lifted his head. A woman, who must be Mary Ellen’s mom, was standing at the front door looking out at them.
He looked down at Mary Ellen who gave him an apologetic smile. “Sorry.”
“What for? I get to meet your mom.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and led her up the path, smiling at her mom as they went. “Mrs. Greene. It’s such a pleasure to finally meet you.” He took hold of her hand and lifted it to his lips. Her eyes grew wide as he kissed the back of her hand. “Forgive me. I’m Antonio. Antonio Di Giovanni.”
> ~ ~ ~
Mary Ellen had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing. Antonio pronounced his name with a full-on Italian accent, which somehow made it sound even more impressive. Her mom didn’t know what to do with herself. Her disapproving scowl had melted in the face of Antonio’s charming smile as they’d walked up the path. Now he was kissing her hand and she was fanning herself with the other.
“Oh, my! Well, it’s nice to meet you, too. I’m sure. Come on inside.” She gestured for them to go by her and caught Mary Ellen’s arm as she went. Mary Ellen couldn’t have been more relieved to see her beaming smile. She nodded approvingly and that was it—Antonio’s charm had won the day already.
“Bill,” she called. “Antonio’s here!”
Mary Ellen wanted to laugh again. She said it as though she was announcing the arrival of some long awaited special guest rather than the guy she’d been referring to as some Italian only an hour ago.
Her dad appeared in the hallway from the kitchen and smiled. Mary Ellen’s heart went out to him. He looked nervous. She had a feeling that was more about what her mom might do than about meeting Antonio.
Antonio went straight to him and shook his hand warmly. “Mr. Greene. Antonio Di Giovanni. It’s an honor to meet you, sir. I’ve looked forward to this.”
Her dad smiled warmly at him. “It’s good to meet you, too, son. Why don’t you come on out back? I’ve got the grill going. I thought we could have some burgers. I don’t know much about wine, but I’ve got some cold beers on ice.”
Mary Ellen couldn’t hold back a giggle at the sound of her mom’s sputtering. “Bill! What are you thinking? We’ll go out for dinner, somewhere nice.”
To Mary Ellen’s surprise and great pleasure, her dad shook his head firmly. “No, Vera. We won’t. We’re going to hang out here at the house and relax and get to know each other, right, Mary El?”
She nodded happily.
“That sounds good to me,” said Antonio. He turned and put his arm around her mom’s shoulders. “I hope you’ll come to Napa to see us soon? I know a few nice restaurants there we can go to.”
Mary Ellen couldn’t resist. She smiled at her mom. “He’s being too modest. He owns the best restaurant in town.”
