One Night With a Santini

by Melissa Schroeder

  “He was cheating on me with the woman I thought was my best friend. I decided then I wasn’t made out for marriage.”

  “Because Glen was an asshole?”

  “No. He was just third in a line of men who could not stay faithful.”

  “Not every man cheats,” he said, biting out each word.

  “Yes, men are faithful, but they aren’t with me. I’m not going to be the little wife sitting at home while you go running around.”

  His expression darkened. “I do not run around. When we take our vows, we will be faithful. All Santini men are faithful.”

  She started to waver. There was one thing she could say about Brando—other than he was sexy, sweet, and the best kisser she had ever met—was that he said what he meant. He would stay faithful, but would he be doing it for the sake of being faithful, or the fact that he wanted to?

  “Stop being pushy.”

  “I’m not being pushy.”

  “I am not marrying you. Just get used to it.”

  He opened his mouth, but then it snapped shut. His eyes had turned cold. He said nothing as he stood and dressed. “I’m going to go out right now because I need to cool off. We are not finished.”

  Brando turned to leave, then he stopped and turned toward her. Before she knew what he was doing, he grabbed her and slammed his mouth down on hers. By the time he pulled back, her head was spinning.

  “We’ll discuss that when I get back.”

  Determined, he stomped out of the room, down the stairs and out the door. She stumbled over to the bed and fell back on it. The tears she had held back started to cascade down her face.

  There was a small part of her that was thrilled that he proposed. He was the man of her dreams, the one she had fantasized about from the day she met him. She knew he would be faithful. There was one thing about Brando she understood and that was he had a strong streak of honor that ran through him. He just wasn’t a man who would cheat.

  But, what happened if they married and realized they only did it for the baby? It would kill her if their marriage became something of a nuisance…a chore. She had seen it a few times with friends and it always hurt so see the pain between the couple. If that happened to her and Brando, she was not sure what she would do.

  Minutes ticked by and she couldn’t really seem to accept what had just happened. She didn’t know how long she lay there before her front doorbell rang. She scrubbed her face and hurried downstairs, hoping it was Brando. When she opened the door and found Wendy there, she started crying again.

  “Well, that’s rude,” Wendy said.

  “I’m sorry,” she said between sobs. What the hell was wrong with her? She never cried like this. “I messed things up really bad.”

  “What happened?”

  Wendy shut the door and ushered Kaitlin to the couch.

  “I told Brando I was pregnant.”

  She frowned as she sat down beside Kaitlin. “What did the bastard do to you, and what should we do to make him cry?”

  “He proposed.”

  “Why that…wait, what?” Wendy shook her head. “You want to explain that to me again, sister?”

  “First, he got kind of freaked out I think, then we made love, then he proposed. No he didn’t. He just assumed we were getting married.”

  “What happened then?”

  “I told him I wasn’t getting married.”

  Wendy rolled her eyes. “Why did you do that? If there was a woman who was made for marriage, it is you.”

  She frowned and grabbed a tissue off the coffee table. “You know my feelings on the subject.”

  Wendy shook her head. “Honey, your theory is stupid. You just had really crappy taste in men. You were also very young.”

  “But he’s in the military.”

  “And? Listen, I know it is hard for you to trust men, but let me tell you. That guy is gaga over you. He couldn’t take his eyes off you yesterday. I saw it myself.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yes. Hey, you tell him you’re pregnant and the first thing he does is sex you up and then ask you to marry him? That is not a man who is marrying you because you are pregnant. Believe me.”

  “He didn’t ask.”

  Wendy shook her head again. “Still. Where did he go?”

  “He said he had to clear his mind.”

  She nodded. “He’ll be back.”

  Kaitlin wiped away her tears with the tissue and blinked at Wendy. “You really think so?”

  Wendy nodded. “That man is crazy about you.”

  She sighed. “I’m not too sure now.”

  “Oh, he looks like he can deal with a little crap from you, sweetie. He’ll be back. I mean, what guy gets all hot because his girlfriend tells him she is accidentally pregnant, and then offers to marry her, and gets mad when she says no? Most men would be relieved to hear a no for that kind of circumstance.”

  She nodded. “I just don’t know why I panicked.”

  “Because you’re in love.”

  Kaitlin closed her eyes. “It is too much to deal with. I’ve always had feelings for him, and I was ready to work through them. But I thought it would be months of working it out. Not a few days.”

  When she opened her eyes, Wendy was smiling again, but this time it didn’t reach her eyes. Kaitlin had seen her friend look like that many times and it always hurt to see it.

  “This is about you. Listen, you can’t work through feelings and get rid of them. No matter how much you want to, you just can’t. You love that man and from the sound of it, he loves you. There is no denying it now. Be happy and don’t let an asshole like Glen keep you away from such a beautiful man. You deserve his affection…all of his love. Just make sure he earns it.”

  She sighed. “I want that. And believe me, he’ll earn it. I just want to make sure I don’t get hurt.”

  She slung an arm over her shoulder. “Oh, Kait, a man worth the trouble will always hurt you in some way. The key is that he knows how make it up to you. That one…he will. Mark my words.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Brando drove aimlessly for about two hours before he found himself in downtown Baltimore. He realized Declan’s bar and grill was just two streets away.

  For a second or two, he thought about driving back to Kaitlin’s house. He wanted to beg her forgiveness then talk about it like rational adults. He wasn’t ready. Brando knew he would get hurt all over again when she refused him. She needed time and he needed the company of men.

  He parked in a lot closest to the restaurant and made his way over to it. Truth was, he had nowhere to go. The only male family he could get together with was Vicente, but he was at his mother’s. If Joey got wind of what was going on, his mother would be on the first plane out east. That was not something he needed. It was bad enough he was going to have to deal with Kaitlin’s aversion to marriage; he didn’t need his mother getting in the middle of it.

  He walked through the front door, and the smells of rich food and beer hit him. Not in a bad way, but one that reminded him of some of his favorite places to go eat. When he looked around, he realized the place was bigger than he expected. Booths lined two walls and there were quite a few tables scattered in the middle of the floor, almost every one of them filled with a few people for a Sunday afternoon.

  As he stepped further into the room, Brand realized even without it being Declan’s, he would probably like it. It was a bit of the old and a bit of the new. Dark wood dominated the room, from the floor to the bar and walls. Baltimore sports teams were featured in almost everything from signed shirts, baseball caps, and balls of all sorts.

  “Hey, soldier boy, what are you doing here?” Declan said as he made his way through the diners.

  “I’m a Marine.”

  The smile her brother offered him told Brando that he did it on purpose. Damned if it didn’t make him like Declan even more.

  “Kait giving you problems?”

&
nbsp; He shrugged, not really wanting to gossip about Kaitlin. “Just needed to get out and about.”

  Declan studied him for a second, then shook his head. He patted him on the shoulder.

  “Come on. I’ll buy you a beer.”

  There wasn’t a place to sit at the bar, so Declan led him back to the kitchen. The kitchen was busy and filled with even more scents and about twenty degrees hotter. Chefs, wait staff, and workers of all sort moved back and forth, filling orders. There was an alcove with a booth table. The booth didn’t match the decoration in the dining area. The red leather was worn, and the table had a multitude of scratches on the surface.

  “This is different.”

  Declan opened up one of the large fridges and grabbed a couple of beers. He smiled.

  “It was an Italian restaurant back in the day. Only special customers got to eat back here with the chef’s attention. In fact, rumor has it, it was mob owned. They said that one of the made men would entertain some of the biggest names in the mafia back here.”

  “Cool,” he said, sliding into the booth.

  “So, you and my sister had a fight?” he asked as he twisted off the tops on the beers and then joined him in the booth.

  Brando took a long draw off the bottle and swallowed. He enjoyed the yeasty taste as it slid down his throat.

  He realized that Declan was watching him and waiting for an answer.

  “Yeah, I guess you could say that.”

  The door from the dining room swung open and Aeden stepped into the kitchen. A younger blond guy was with him, and Brando was having a really bad feeling about the situation.

  “Don’t worry,” Declan said. Brando looked at him and he saw Declan smiling at him. “They were meeting me here. We have a rugby game in about an hour.”

  He nodded. “Yeah, Kaitlin said something about going to see you play.”

  Brando took another big swallow of beer. Before the other two sat down, he realized he was almost done with the bottle.

  “I think you need to grab Brando another one,” Declan said.

  “Ah, so you’re the soldier boy,” the younger one said.

  “Marine.”

  “What?”

  “I’m a Marine. Not a soldier.”

  “Oh, okay,” he said with a smile. “I’m Emmet.”

  He nodded at the younger addition. He looked more like Kaitlin than the rest of the brothers. Same shade of blond hair, and the same nose.

  “So, what are you doing here? Did Kaitlin kick you out?” Aeden asked.

  “Kiss ass, Fitzpatrick.”

  “Is that an invitation? Just want you to know, we don’t share our conquests and I don’t swing that way.”

  “Ah, give the guy a break,” Declan said. “He had a fight with the maniac we’re related to.”

  “So, can’t take a little heat, Marine?” Aeden challenged.

  “I can handle it just fine, Fitzpatrick. And remember, you might be able to handle a hose, but I usually do my work with a gun…or a knife.”

  Declan stood and went to the refrigerator. He set another beer down in front of Brando.

  “So, what happened?” Emmet asked.

  “I’d rather not talk about it.”

  “Come on, Santini. Let us know what’s got you so upset.”

  “Your sister refuses to marry me. She’s just so sweet and then she gets all crazy on me. Telling me no…even in her condition.”

  “And what condition would that be?” Aeden asked, his voice barely audible above the clatter of kitchen workers.

  He looked up and found all three brothers frowning at him.

  “No comment,” he mumbled.

  Aeden groaned. “Dammit, now we have to be nice to him. He’s going to be related, even if he can’t convince her to marry him.”

  “Cut it out, Aeden,” Declan said.

  “So, she’s pregnant?” Emmet asked.

  “I did not tell you that. She’d have my head on the platter.”

  Needing to move, he slipped out of the booth and started to pace in the small space in front of the alcove, careful to stay out of the way of the cooks and servers.

  “She really has the nerve. Tells me she won’t marry. Ever. Why didn’t she tell me that before she made me fall in love with her again? The woman has some nerve.”

  Aeden and Declan shared a look.

  “She does have some nerve. Do you know what happened to Glen?” Declan asked.

  He stopped pacing. “She refuses to talk about it. I tried a few times, but you know she’s crafty.”

  “Yeah, really crafty that one,” Aeden said before taking another gulp of beer.

  “And she has the nerve to tell me I’m pushy. Me.” He finished off his beer and slammed it on the table. “She thinks I am going to do what she wants? No way. There’s no way I can have that happen. Hard-headed woman.”

  “Yeah, she’s that,” Emmet said as he handed Brando another beer.

  Brando twisted off the cap and took a big, long drink. “Yeah, but she’s sweet. And sometimes, when she laughs, I get kind of dizzy.”

  “Okay, I think Santini has had enough to drink,” Declan said.

  “Naw, I can handle it. I’m a Marine and a Santini.”

  “Is that a fact?” Declan asked.

  “Yeah.” He leaned forward and almost fell over. He righted himself. “We’re legendary in the Marines. In all the services, if you count my cousins, who all decided to go into different services.”

  “Ah,” was all Declan said to that.

  “And so you had a fight because she refused to marry you and you left?” Emmet asked.

  “I was worried I would say something mean.” He frowned at Aeden. “You can’t say anything mean to Kaitlin.”

  “Of course not,” Aeden said as his eyes danced with amusement.

  “Hey, why don’t you come with us to the game? Do you know how to play rugby?” Emmet asked.

  “No, Emmet. We can’t have him getting hurt. Kaitlin would get pissed,” Declan said.

  Brando frowned at the brothers. “I won’t get hurt. I’m a Marine.”

  “And a Santini,” Aeden added.

  “Yeah,” Brando said.

  “He’s been trained to kill people, Declan,” Emmet said. “He can handle a rugby match, right?”

  Feeling pleasantly warm, Brando shrugged. “Never played but it can’t be any worse than live ammo training.”

  Declan was still not convinced. “I just want it noted that I disagreed with this from the start. If soldier boy—“

  “I’m a Marine.”

  Declan rolled his eyes. “If the Marine shows up back at Kaitlin’s with even a tiny scratch, you know she’s going to snatch all of us baldheaded.”

  “You worry too much,” Emmet said. “You’re worse than Mom.”

  “Yeah,” Brando said as his burped. “Stop worrying.”

  “We’ll watch out for him,” Aeden promised. “Besides, what’s the worst thing that could happen?”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Kaitlin’s heart was in her throat as she hurried down the hallway at the ER. Since Wendy had called her, she had been a wreck. Hell, she barely remembered the trip there. More than once she had blown through a red light or stop sign to get to the hospital.

  Kaitlin saw Wendy the moment she stepped into the waiting area. She had been waiting for her.

  “Hey,” she said rushing over. “Everything is okay.”

  “Okay? He’s in the ER after spending less than three hours with those idiots.”

  Wendy nodded. “But just remember he’s fine. Nothing that a Marine can’t handle.”

  “I want to see him.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want to take a second and calm down?”

  She looked at Wendy and said nothing.

  “All right. Let’s go.”

  Wendy hit the code to open the doors to the where the rooms were. Kaitlin follo
wed her to the end of the hall.

  “This is where I leave you.”

  “What do you mean? You’re not going in?”

  “No. I have a patient or something.” She gave Kaitlin a kiss on her cheek. “Go get ‘em.”

  Then before Kaitlin could say anything, Wendy turned and hurried off down the hall and disappeared around the corner.

  Kaitlin looked at the door. She drew in a deep breath then stepped into the room. Three of her brothers were standing around the bed, but she paid them no attention—yet. Brando took up all her attention.

  He’s safe.

  For the first time in thirty minutes, she could finally breathe normally. She set her hand on her chest and could feel her heart smacking against it. Kaitlin didn’t think she would ever get over the terror she had been put through driving there. She wasn’t ready to lose him, to deal with him in pain like that. He looked like someone had beaten the hell out of him. One eye was so swollen she was amazed he could see out of it. Purple and yellow bruises marred his left shoulder and colored his midsection.

  The fight earlier, then the fear she had dealt with since Wendy had called pushed her over the edge. It was too much to take.

  “What the bloody hell?” she asked, to no one in particular.

  No one said anything for a few seconds. Finally, one of her idiot brothers tried to interact with her.

  “Hey, there, Kitty Kat,” Declan said.

  She cut him a look. “Don’t start with me, you idiot. I will get to you and the other two idiots I share blood with in a minute. Now, though, I want to know what the hell happened? And why did I get a call from Wendy and not you idiots?”

  Aeden stepped up. “Well, see, Brando came to us upset. You were really mean to him.”

  She blinked. “What?”

  “Why did you turn him down? I mean, Jesus, the man adores you. And well, with the unfortunate situation—”

  She looked at Brando. “You told them?”

  He opened his mouth, but Declan decided to rally to his defense. “It slipped out. He was really upset over the unfortunate situation.”