He shook his head in defeat, kissed her quickly. “I already have everything, Lizzie.”
He pulled a small gray box out of his other pocket. “I was going to wait until after the race, but I can’t…” He opened the box and Lizzie’s heart stopped again. For real this time.
“Are you sure I’m not dreaming?”
“If you are, please, don’t wake up.”
Too stunned to move, she couldn’t take her eyes off the stone as he took it from the box and slid it on her fingers.
“It feels a little loose,” he said and started to slip it back off.
Lizzie made a fist and jerked it back.
Nic grinned. “So you do like it.”
“Shut up,” she whispered, looking at the ring again. The brilliant cut diamond in the square setting was flanked by smaller round diamonds. It was a classic engagement ring from the 1950s and it was everything she could have ever wanted in a ring. “It’s gorgeous, but it’s not two hundred years old.”
“No, the diamond is millions of years old, but it has only belonged to the De Santis family for the last two hundred. My grandfather had it made into an engagement ring for my grandmother. I know you like everything midcentury modern and—”
“I love it, but—”
“I know it’s too soon, Lizzie, but I want our relationship to be clear to our families.”
“You mean my father?”
“Yes, but also Andreas. All of them. I’m tired of the drama. I don’t want you distracted. I know how important your work is, Lizzie, and we can have a long engagement, wait until after you’ve finished school to get…” he paused as he heard himself. Lizzie bit back a laugh.
“Married?” she finished for him.
“Yeah.” He grinned. “There’s no rush.”
“Nic.” She slid her arms around his middle. He sounded nervous and Nic Maretti nervous was wrong on so many levels. “You do know you’re just as important to me, right? If I had to choose between you and my work I would—”
“I would never ask you to choose,” he inserted quickly.
She nodded, her vision blurring. “That’s the reason I choose you.”
Nic did take Lizzie to Italy. They went at Christmas and stayed through the New Year. Lizzie loved it so much she decided she wanted to get married in the village church where generations of the De Santis family had been wed.
On the first Sunday after Advent the following year, on an unseasonably warm day, Lizzie walked with Nic to the old church and they were married in a quiet ceremony with family and a few friends.
Lizzie’s mom, Jen, Pam and Nic’s aunt planned the reception to end all receptions. There were Christmas trees, fresh flowers, and ribbons everywhere. Even a new crèche had been constructed with live animals from De Santis Farms to entertain all the children. There was a huge reception at the De Santis Estate. Jen had made a traditional Italian Wedding cake so tall they almost needed a ladder. There was food and wine and family and friends.
The Bride and Groom didn’t notice a single detail. All they could see was each other. After their first dance as man and wife, Nic reluctantly released her so she could dance with her father.
“One dance,” Nic warned Mac.
“Boy,” Mac warned Nic, but he was smiling, “do not start with me—”
“One dance.”
“I sure like my new son-in-law, Lizzie,” Mac said as Nic walked away and she danced with her father. “Thank you, baby girl. Best Christmas present ever.”
“Because he gave you a seat on the board?”
“Yep,” Mac shamelessly admitted. Andreas Maretti had retired days before the first board meeting Mac had decided to attend. They hadn’t heard much from him, but Lizzie was pleased Claudia had flown over with Angie and Rogan for the wedding.
“What did your father say?” Nic asked her later when they boarded the helicopter waiting to take them to Lake Como.
“He liked his Christmas present.”
“What did we give him this year?”
“A trip to Italy.”
He didn’t believe her but he let the subject drop. Lizzie had learned the difference between Nic’s fishing trawler and Nic’s yacht on a previous trip. She’d wanted to spend their honeymoon night on the yacht despite the wintery cold. Lake Como and Bellagio were as beautiful in December as they were in summer. She was starting to get used to the way Nic lived but she promised herself she would never take Nic or his lifestyle for granted.
They cuddled on the deck under warm faux furs and watched the stars come out. They drank champagne, ate strawberries and pretended they were in Key Largo when he kissed her.
“Did we really—”
“Get married?” He lifted his head to see her expression.
She nodded.
He held up his hand so she could see the platinum ring on his finger. “Yes. Why? Are you panicking?”
“Maybe,” she admitted. She leaned into him, winding her arms around his chest and pressing her face to his chest. “But only because I’m worried you might be upset I’m not a virgin.”
Nic’s laughter echoed through the cool night air. She drank up the sound, although she was used to it by now since it was a daily occurrence. It was another thing about Nic she would never take for granted.
His arms tightened around her. “I didn’t know I could feel like this, Lizzie.”
“Loved?” She hadn’t known she could love anyone so much. She loved him more every day.
He shook his head, his voice tight with emotion. “No, bella, I feel like I’m home.”
She snuggled in tighter, holding him close. “Always.”
He kissed the top of her head. “I love you, you know. Don’t ever doubt it. Not for a second.”
She smiled at him and took a deep breath, saying the words Angie had patiently taught her. “Nic, ti amerò per sempre.”
I will love you forever.
She got that slow sexy smile despite her horrible accent. “Do you make love in Italian too?” he asked.
Lizzie laughed as he pulled her on top of him. She braced her hands on his shoulders and leaned down to trace the line of his jaw with her tongue. “I don’t know. Let’s find out.”
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED BY AUTHOR
Copyright © 2014 by Lexxi Callahan
Copyedited by: Rahab Mugwanja
Proof reader: Lynda Ryba FWS Media
This is a work of fiction.
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Jared’s book is coming in 2015
Southern Style Series Cast of Characters
The Sellers Family
Mac and Nadine Sellers: Stefan and Lizzie’s parents. Raised Jen after her parents died.
Stefan Sellers: Long-distance athlete, control freak, so in love with his wife Jen Taylor Sellers it’s embarrassing.
Lizzie Sellers: Brilliant mathematician but doesn’t like for people to know it. She’s had a crush on Nic Maretti since she met him at Angie and Rogan’s wedding.
Ben Rogan
: His mother and Nadine Sellers’ mother are distantly related. One of eleven siblings, Rogan won a football scholarship to the private school Stefan attended. The Sellers pretty much raised Rogan too. He and Stefan have been best friends since they beat each other up in fifth grade.
The Taylor Family
Rob and Michelle Taylor: Killed in a car accident 10 years earlier.
Robert Taylor, Jr.: Also killed in a car accident. Was engaged to Madlyn Robicheaux.
Jen Taylor Sellers: Daughter and only survivor of Taylor Family. Heir to Taylor Family Trust and half of Sellers Taylor International, Jen has loved Stefan all her life. She does crazy things with sugar and opens a bakery in the French Quarter with Jared Marshall when they get back from pastry school in Paris.
The Robicheaux Family
Judge Winston Robicheaux: The notorious hanging judge of Louisiana. Lots of powerful friends, rumors of ties to Gulf Coast organized crime. Also has ties to Oil Tycoon Andreas Maretti.
Madlyn Robicheaux: Judge’s granddaughter. She was engaged to Robert Taylor, Jr. when he died in a car accident.
Robbie Robicheaux: Madlyn and Robert Taylor Jr’s son.
The Marshall Family
Jared Marshall: Rock god, baker, reluctant attorney. He and Jen met in cooking school, went to pastry school together in Paris and returned to New Orleans to open a bakery. He and his best friend Adam Granger have a band called Sugar Coma. He went to law school to make his parents happy but that turned out to be more complicated than he expected.
Grant Marshall: Jared’s other brother. Head of the family law firm now. Used to work for Judge Robicheaux. The exact opposite of Jared, he’s conservative, cautious and has no idea how to have a good time.
The Maretti Family
Andreas Maretti: Andreas is business rival of Mac Sellers. Friends with Judge Robicheaux.
Claudia Maretti: Andreas’ second wife.
Angie Maretti Rogan: Andreas and Claudia’s daughter. Married to Ben Rogan.
Nic Maretti: Andreas’ son from a previous marriage. Heir to the Italian De Santis fortune. He is a silent partner in Stefan and Rogan’s Real Estate Development Company. Madlyn introduced Nic to Stefan and Rogan shortly after Hurricane Katrina. Rogan also met Angie that same night.
Pam: Nic’s executive assistant. They’ve been best friends since they met in the principal’s office in middle school. She runs his company, consoles his exes and generally gives him a hard time. She’s in a long-term relationship with Stacey and they have two children.
Stefan’s fraternity brothers
Elliot Carter: Local chef/owner of Bistro Lagniappe.
Jackson Napier: Former LSU football player, now NOPD about to make detective. He and Elliot Carter have been in a long-term relationship since college.
Other characters
Adam Granger: Other founding member of Jared’s band Sugar Coma. Brilliant musician and well respected in the New Orleans music scene. When he’s not playing with Sugar Coma at Trick’s, he can likely be found playing in local clubs in the Marigny or Treme.
Alexander Volikov: Crazy Russian trying to drill for oil off the coast of Cuba. He contracts with Sellers Taylor International for construction materials for his deep water wells.
Trick: Owner of Trick’s, a biker bar slash dance club on the edge of the French Quarter and member of Legion MC. Oh, wait, you haven’t met Trick yet…
Excerpt from The Fall of the Red Queen
“Have you lost your mind?”
Jared Marshall pushed up from the chair he was draped across in Grant’s office. There was no way he could’ve heard his older brother right. Maybe his hearing really was going after too many too loud gigs at Trick’s.
“We need her.” Grant said calmly as he tapped a pen absently against the small notebook that he always kept handy.
“Yeah.” Jared snorted. “In jail.”
If Grant kept tapping that pen, Jared was going to snap. He forced himself to slump back in the chair and ignore the uneven tapping. Grant had no rhythm.
“Do you want to take down Judge Robicheaux or not?” Grant asked.
“You know I do.” Anger curled up in his gut again, and angry wasn’t a natural state for Jared. He resented the hell out of the fury that’d been eating away since the old man had threatened Jen Taylor…no, make that Jen Sellers. Mrs. Stefan Sellers.
Jared wanted to puke.
“Madlyn was a partner in her grandfather’s law firm. She has access to all of their files and we need those before he posts bond.”
“What makes you think she’ll even consider letting me…oh, hell no!”
“C’mon, Jared, you can sweet talk a woman into anything. It’s your superpower. Put it to good use for a change.”
“Fuck. You.”
Grant ignored him, and continued on with that patient, lawyer tone that drove Jared up the wall. “You don’t think you can charm her?”
“What? Like a snake?”
“Bake her a cheesecake.”
He folded his arm across his chest and huffed. “Do cobras like cheesecake?”
“She’s not that bad.”
“I’m not going anywhere near that venomous bitch.”
“Not even for Jen?”
Jared flew out of his seat like someone had electrified it. “Cheap shot, big brother. That’s a fucking cheap shot.”
“Yeah, well, I didn’t want to play that card either but this is serious. We probably have seventy two hours before Judge Robicheaux is out on bail and if Madlyn is not on board with us, I’m not sure there’s much we can do.”
“Fine.” Jared dragged his hands through his hair. “But this is the one and only time you pimp me out like this.”
“I’m not asking you to sleep with her.”
“As if.” Jared shivered in revulsion. “My dick would go on strike.”
“Look, we need her. I don’t like it either but there it is. Convincing her solves several problems. She has high profile clients that will come with her. Nic Maretti for one and I can’t begin to explain what that would mean for this firm. She can help us with the case against her grandfather. And we can find out what the hell is going on.”
“As long as we overlook the fact that she’s psycho?”
“Madlyn Robicheaux is a lot of things, but psycho is not one of them. Stefan and I are convinced she’s playing a long game, and we want to know what it is. I’m sure it has to do with Robbie.”
“Robbie? She didn’t even want him. She signed custody over to that old bastard within hours of having Robbie then went back to college like nothing had happened.”
“I don’t think it’s that simple. Nothing with that family is ever cut and dried.” Grant sighed. “Ok, look, you get her to come on board and I’ll take on some pro bono cases.”
Jared perked up immediately. “Any that I want? Not just the ones you think will help your future political career?”
Grant’s normal bland expression went dark. There were very few buttons to push on his older brother but their parents’ obsession with Grant running for office was one of them. “Ok. Fuck you.”
“What?” Jared relaxed back in his seat, jumping up and down on that button as hard as he could. “You’re getting close to forty. You need to start thinking about your future in politics.”
That stopped the pen tapping. “I am not close to forty.”
Jared shrugged, and brushed some nonexistent lent off his shoulder. “Closer than me.”
“Well, smartass, if you want to make it to thirty, I suggest you get to snake charming.”
***
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Solving for Nic (Self Made Men...Southern Style Book 2) Page 23
