From Wedding Fling to Baby Surprise

by Nina Singh

  Finally, her muscle-strained students started to trickle out and Gianni made his way inside. Laney waved when he made it to where she stood on the stage.

  “Hey there.” She was breathless, her cheeks pink with a slight sheen of sweat over her skin.

  “Hey. I wanted to return this. Didn’t mean to distract you during class.”

  She took the package from him. “You didn’t. We were just wrapping up when I saw you. Hope you didn’t wait out there long.”

  He merely shook his head. She’d certainly been worth waiting for.

  Pointing to the bag she held, he said, “It’s laundered. Nice and clean and fresh.”

  “Thank you for doing that.”

  “Thank you for not letting me drive home sticky and wet.”

  “You’re welcome.” An awkward pause ensued where Gianni knew he should walk out and leave but he just didn’t want to. He enjoyed this woman’s company, chatting with her was easy and pleasurable. Laney finally broke the silence. “You should attend the class sometime,” she told him. “You might even have fun.”

  He spread his hands out and shook his head with exaggeration. “No one needs to see me try to do any of that. I don’t think my hips would even move that way.”

  She appeared to study him from head to toe. “Something tells me you’re coordinated enough for a Zumba class.”

  “Probably for the best if we don’t try to find out.”

  She laughed, lifted the bag. “You know you didn’t have to come all the way out here just to drop this off. You could have just brought it next time you came to the club. Unless...”

  She didn’t need to say the rest. She’d deduced the truth pretty much. That he had no intention of coming back to the club after this. Not to just hang out, anyway. He didn’t deny it now. Her lips turned downward once more.

  There was no mistaking the disappointment that darkened her eyes.

  * * *

  Laney couldn’t deny the surge of pleasure that she felt when she’d seen him waiting in the parking lot.

  What effect did this man seem to have on her? Was it simply the need to feel some sort of validation after being so soundly, humiliatingly rejected by her ex-boyfriend?

  Something told her it wasn’t that simple. Whatever it was, she had to get over it. Clearly, it was one-sided. He’d practically just admitted he’d had no intention of stopping by the club. Which left no doubt that he had no plans to try to see her again in the future. This was simply a coincidence. He just happened to come by during her Saturday morning dance class.

  His next words confirmed that fact. “So, this is quite the setup. I didn’t realize you also did fitness classes.”

  She made sure to hide the sinking feeling in her chest. How silly of her to feel so disappointed that he only came upon her by chance. “It’s just a side thing. I happen to be certified and have all this space.”

  “Some added revenue?”

  She nodded. “It allows me to up the wages I pay my workers. Not by much but it’s something.”

  “That’s very decent of you.”

  Laney was about to reply that all her employees felt like family—some of them even more so than her true kin. Her employees didn’t look at her with clear disappointment in their eyes the way her parents and sibling did. She wanted to ensure all her staff were well compensated for their hard work. But they were interrupted by the sound of the door opening. Laney knew who it was without having to look up. Louise Miller was a regular in her Saturday class and managed to leave something behind almost every time. Last week it was her reusable water bottle.

  Sure enough, it was Louise who noisily entered. “I forgot to grab my mat,” the blond ponytailed, frazzled mom announced as she ran to the spot she’d occupied for the last forty-five minutes. She usually carpooled to the class with four other women from her neighborhood. “Great class, by the way,” Louise continued. “We really enjoyed the music, as usual.”

  Laney gave her a smile of thanks.

  “And sorry none of us could stick around to taste test that drink,” Louise added over her shoulder as she ran back out the door.

  “It’s okay, Louise. Have a good week,” Laney answered.

  Gianni was giving her a quizzical look when she turned back to him. “You also do drink tastings?”

  “Not regularly. I’m working on a new special cocktail for tonight. Just wanted some feedback but no one could stay this week.”

  A dark eyebrow lifted. “Maybe I can be of help.”

  “Oh?”

  “I happen to be a great taste-tester.” He added with a charming smile, “And I do like cocktails.”

  Well, that was unexpected. “Is that so?”

  “Yep. As long as I don’t down a full one. Then I’d have to call a car service. But I’d be happy to step in as your official taster.”

  “You would?”

  “Sure. Sounds fun.”

  “That’s great. You definitely don’t have to drink a full one. And I can brew you a whole pot of coffee after.”

  “Sounds like a deal,” he said with that breathtaking smile.

  Suddenly, her afternoon was looking much more entertaining than the original one she’d planned for, pouring and stirring alone in her bar. She tried to clamp down on her excitement when she answered, “Then give me just a second to freshen up in the back. I’ll meet you at the bar in just a few minutes.”

  He winked at her, just as he had last night, and her knees grew a little weak. It had nothing to do with the repetitive squats she’d been doing earlier during the “legs” portion of her class either. “Don’t take too long. I’m pretty thirsty.”

  Made sense. She got the gut feeling that Gianni was the type of man who wasn’t kept waiting too often. Particularly not by members of the opposite sex.

  “I’ll be there in no time,” she assured him. “Just have to make myself somewhat presentable.”

  “I think you look great.”

  Was he flirting with her? Or did oozing charm just come naturally to someone like him?

  Probably a little of both, no doubt.

  Whatever it was, she felt a surge of giddiness rush through her at his compliment. When was the last time someone, a man in particular, had actually paid her any kind of praise?

  Joseph was always, oh, so quick with the digs. Her hair was too messy, her dress too short. Her nails were the wrong color if she so much as tried anything bolder than plain beige or clear polish.

  To think, he had the nerve to accuse her of being boring.

  But his compliments had been few and far between. Since her breakup, Laney was beginning to see just how emotionally lacking her past relationship had been.

  A parting glance at the man before her as she walked away only served to affirm that thought. As she freshened up in the ladies’ room, a far-flung idea began to form in her head. He really was very handsome. And full of personality and humor. The kind of man any woman would be excited and thrilled to be with.

  The perfect date to bring to a wedding.

  She stared at her reflection in the mirror and gave her head a shake. Nah. How would she even begin to ask him something like that? But what was the alternative? She didn’t have any really close male friends. And as luck would have it, all her close female friends wouldn’t be able to help either. Rachel and Leigh were both only children. Carla had two sisters and Miranda’s brother was overseas on active duty. Laney’s only alternative was to fess up to her family.

  Plus...the idea wasn’t without appeal. For one thing, she’d get a chance to see him again. She would have to run it by her sister, of course. But Emily would be agreeable to the idea, Laney was certain. Her sister didn’t want the snafu of a missing groomsmen this close to the big day. Still, as far as ideas went, it was loony and harebrained and impulsive.

  But it just mig
ht work.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  WHEN LANEY RETURNED about ten minutes later, she’d donned a long-sleeved hoodie and gathered her hair into a neater bun. Her cheeks were still slightly pink, but her face had been scrubbed clean.

  She looked downright fetching. For an insane moment, he thought about what it might feel like to unzip the hoodie and remove the spandex underneath.

  Don’t even think it.

  What was wrong with him?

  The now-familiar hint of guilt fluttered in his chest once more. He really couldn’t say why he’d offered to stay and help her play mixologist. But the way she’d told him about making sure to take care of her employees had tugged at him. How very intriguing that she was so worried about those she employed. He simply wanted to know more about her and what made her tick. It certainly couldn’t hurt to learn more about her before offering a deal. He’d simply be doing research, so to speak.

  He was going to have to find a way to come clean to her. Somehow. And soon. Plus, he’d have to reassure her that said employees would be taken care of once Martino Entertainment Enterprises bought her out.

  But first things first.

  “So, I can’t decide if it should be vodka-based or gin,” she was saying now and pulling out several bottles, which she placed on the bar between them. She then grabbed a cocktail tumbler and a small shot glass.

  “The other ingredients are elderberry syrup and orange liqueur. Plus, I think it needs something else. I just can’t seem to come up with what.”

  “Wow. Sounds flavorful.” He looked on, intrigued as she poured very small amounts of each into the shot glass, then slid it to him across the bar.

  He took a small sip. It was good. Really good. But she was right, it did need something else. Something subtle. “Basil,” he said, as contrary as it sounded. But he knew he was right.

  To her credit, she didn’t argue the suggestion but quirked one elegant eyebrow. “Really? An herb?”

  He nodded. “Trust me.”

  With a shrug, she turned her back and pulled open a drawer. She returned with a basil leaf that she pinched between her thumb and forefinger before dropping it into the glass. He tasted it and his instincts were overwhelmingly confirmed.

  “Not to pat myself on the back or anything, but it’s right on the money.” Without thinking, he handed her the glass. She took it and sipped with zero hesitation. Something about watching her drink from the same glass had his muscles tightening throughout his whole body.

  Her eyes widened as she swirled the liquid around in her mouth. “It’s fantastic! I would have never guessed.”

  He took a mock bow.

  “But how? What made you think of basil of all things?”

  “My mamma taught me to cook as soon as I could turn the oven on. It’s all about intermingling various flavors. I don’t see why a drink would be any different.”

  “Huh.” She eyed him with appreciation clear in her gaze. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t bask in it to a degree; he almost wanted to pound his chest like some kind of Neanderthal.

  “You appear to be a man of many talents, Mr. Martino.”

  “You don’t seem to be a slouch in the achievement department either, Miss Taytum.”

  Her eyes drifted downward, the smile on her face flattened. Somehow the fun, lightheartedness of the moment seemed to dissipate in an instant.

  “Was it something I said?” he asked. Though for the life of him he couldn’t guess what it might have been. He’d just paid her a compliment, after all.

  She seemed hesitant to answer. Finally, she looked up and the expression on her face reminded him of a wounded doe. “Let’s just say that not many people feel that. That I’d be considered a success. And their thoughts on the matter will be once more affirmed next week at my sister’s wedding.”

  None of that made any sense from where he was sitting. “How could that be? You’re the owner of a very popular nightclub. And you’re what? Twenty-eight? Twenty-nine?”

  “Twenty-seven.”

  “So explain.”

  She shrugged. “It’s all relative, isn’t it? Whereas I dropped out of college, my father is a partner at a major Boston law firm, my sister is a junior associate at that same firm and my mom is a professor at New England Law.”

  He was beginning to see where she was coming from. Laney, for all her achievements, didn’t seem to fit into the peg of her academically-oriented highbrow family. “Sounds like you just chose a different path. Nothing wrong with that.”

  “I guess.” Her gaze darkened some more. “And now I have to find a way to tell them about my latest failure—my last relationship is a bust and that fact will throw off my sister’s wedding. He and I were supposed to be a coupled part of the wedding party.”

  She gave her head a brief shake, handed him a bottle of water, then grabbed one for herself and took a long swallow. “But you don’t need to hear about my family woes. Sorry to have gone on like that.”

  If she only knew. When it came to family dynamics, she wasn’t the only one in the room with baggage. It surprised him how tempted he was to confide in her, to reveal his family’s well-guarded secret to this woman he’d met just the night before. He’d never even considered sharing it with anyone before. He didn’t even openly discuss the truth with Angelo, even though his brother had dropped hints over the years that he knew the truth as well as anyone. The truth being that Gianni wasn’t actually Franco’s son. That he was the product of an extramarital affair neither of his parents would acknowledge ever happened for their purely selfish reasons.

  Not the time.

  “No need to apologize,” he said instead, seeking to reassure her. “I’m sorry to hear you’re dealing with all that. Your ex left you in a pretty bad spot, didn’t he?”

  Her lips tightened. “He really did. With no regret whatsoever.” She proceeded to call said ex several choice words, which would have impressed Gianni’s buddies back at the gym.

  “There’s no one else who can step in?” he asked, thinking of a few choice words himself for the man who had put her in such an untenable position. He had to have known the rather tenuous relationship she had with her family and hadn’t cared that he was exasperating it.

  “I’ve been racking my brain and can’t come up with anyone.” Her eyes narrowed on him. “Unless...” She gave a nervous chuckle. “I don’t suppose you’re doing anything on the seventeenth? Just for the weekend?”

  Huh. He hadn’t seen that coming. The look of hope in her eyes hit him like an arrow to his chest. He knew he should say no. Things between them were complicated enough as it was. The attraction he felt for her was not easy to ignore. Given the reason he’d even met her in the first place, ignoring it was exactly what he should be doing. Not that she had any clue about any of that.

  Which was the whole problem in and of itself.

  Then again, maybe this would be an opportunity. A chance for them to get better acquainted before the deal making began. Nothing said the buyout had to be hostile. They might even be able to work out terms toward some kind of partnership.

  Laney clapped her hand to her cheek, her mouth agape. “Oh, my! I really shouldn’t have asked. What an awful position to put you in. I’m sorry. Please forget I even mentioned it.”

  He stood up from the bar stool and pulled his smartphone out of his back pocket and clicked the first icon. “You know what? According to my calendar, I am completely free that weekend. And it’s been a while since I’ve been to a wedding.”

  * * *

  Though she thought she’d been prepared for it, Laney still felt the rush of surprise at Gianni’s answer. Deep down, she’d really doubted that he would say yes.

  “Wait. Really? Are you really saying you’ll come with me?”

  He bowed slightly over the bar. “I’d be honored to accompany a lovely lady to her siste
r’s wedding.”

  The relief she felt, straight to her core, was nearly palpable.

  “Just one question. Won’t they feel resentful later?” he asked. “When someone they don’t really know is going to be part of this monumental day? Part of the photo albums? And all of that.”

  Of course, she’d thought of that. But given the circumstances, it was something of a moot point. “That’s going to be the case regardless of who steps in at this point. Everyone of import in Emily’s life or Wayne’s is already a part of the wedding party. And look how nonpermanent Joseph turned out to be.” He seemed to mull over what she’d said.

  “That would be the ex, I take it.”

  “You would be correct. Plus, I’d ask you to do one more thing, if you’re comfortable.” She was biting the corner of her cheek nervously again, but she couldn’t seem to help it.

  “What’s that?”

  “Could we pretend that we...you know...are kind of in a serious relationship? That it came fast and heavy and we were both taken by surprise? I know it’s rather deceiving—”

  He cut her off. “Say no more. I find nothing wrong with a little playacting given what’s at stake. I’m glad I can be of help.”

  She released a deep sigh. “I don’t know what to say. Aside from thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me.” She held up her hands, palms up, hoping that he really understood where all this was coming from. “I hate that I’d be misleading my family, but I think this really would be best for everyone involved. At least until I can explain to them at a better time.”

  “I get it.” He really seemed to. It sent a feeling of warmth and appreciation through her middle.