Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

Monday, Anthony was looking over a report when his phone rang. He picked it up without looking at the number, his concentration on the results of the last case.

“Santini.”

“Is that how you answer the phone?” his mother said.

Instantly, his focus shifted, his mind moving away from the information he’d been so intent on before he heard her voice.

“Mama, how are you?”

“I’m fine.”

He heard something in her voice that told him all was not well.

“What’s up?”

She sighed. “Nothing really. Just feeling a little bored.”

That was never good. His mother would get bored and they would end up with a new project—and it never ended well for any of them. Thankfully, there was an ocean between them. His father and Carlos were the ones who would be suffering.

“Bored? With two grandchildren on the way, I would think you would be ecstatic.”

“Well, they aren’t here yet, are they?”

Oh, he did not like that tone. She sounded very much like his Aunt Joey at the moment, and that definitely spelled disaster.

“But, you could make a trip up to Maryland and see Brando. I’m sure you and Mrs. Fitzpatrick could have a fine time shopping for baby stuff for them.”

He mentally crossed his fingers, hoping that there wouldn’t be an issue. He should have known better.

“We were just in Maryland for the wedding, and they aren’t finding out the sex of the baby, so there is only so much we can do.”

“They aren’t finding out the sex? That’s insane.”

She didn’t say anything for a few long seconds. “I don’t think you should be passing judgment.”

“How’s that?”

“Well, being the oldest of my children, you should be settling down about now.”

Alarm bells went off. With his younger siblings, his mother was always subtle. But, with him, she had given up tiptoeing around the subject years earlier. There was something that set her off. If Marco had opened his big mouth, his cousin was going to get his ass handed to him.

“I think that having Dante, Elena, and Brando married should be enough for you.”

“You know Elena isn’t going to have children for a little while. It would interfere with her career at the moment.”

“What about Dante? I thought they were going to find out.”

“Hmm, last sonogram showed nothing. The baby’s back was all they could see.”

“Figures. Dante is always showing his ass.”

She chuckled like he knew she would. “Behave. I’m calling because your father and I are thinking of coming to see you.”

Those alarm bells started to sound again. “Come see me?”

He didn’t realize how loud he was until Davis in the cubicle next to his leaned back in his chair and frowned.

“Yes. It’s been awhile since we’ve been over there and our anniversary is coming up. I feel a need for some sun.”

“You live in Arizona. There is always tons of sun there.”

“Don’t get smart with me. Besides, I want to see you and my boyfriend.”

Anthony’s lips twitched. Marco’s son Jon and his mother had hit it off. Now that he thought about it, Jon always had women, young and old, flirting with him.

“You could wait a month or two, and see the new baby.”

“Hmm, that’s true, but Joey will be there and I will be in the way.”

Not true at all. All the Santini women enjoyed each other’s company and had a grand time when there was a new baby to coo over.

“When are you planning on coming then?”

“Maybe next week.”

He was enough of a man that panic set in. His parents. In Hawaii. Damn. He had just started dating Lalani. “That soon?”

“Yes. We were going to get tickets, but I wanted to check with Alana. She said she’d send a plane.”

“It’s good to have a millionaire married to my cousin,” he said.

“True. We aren’t going to be staying there with you. We’ll be staying in Honolulu.”

Well, at least there was something to be said about that.

His boss shouted his name and he looked at the time. “Mama, I have a meeting right now. I’ll talk to Alana tonight and find out when and where you are getting here. I’ll see if I can take some time.”

“Now, don’t waste your leave on us. We can entertain ourselves quite well.”

“Is that a fact?”

“As your father says, we didn’t have six children because we found each other boring.”

He closed his eyes. “Please, you know how sensitive I am.”

“As sensitive as a bull.”

He opened his eyes as he smiled. “There is that. I will take off to pick you up though.”

“Okay. Go to your meeting, Anthony.”

“Yes, Mama.”

“I love you, Anthony.”

“I love you too.”

As Anthony gathered up his papers, he made a mental note to call Lalani. He needed to give her the heads up that his mother was coming. There would be no way to avoid her running into his mother.

With a sigh, he headed off to his meeting wondering just how to break it to Lalani that they would have to cool it while his parents were there. If not, both of their lives would become unbearable.

Marcella Santini looked out the window across their backyard. Tony was fussing with the pool and cussing up a storm. Like father, like son. It made sense that the child they named for the father was just like him. Stubborn to the end.

She wasn’t stupid. She knew he wasn’t that thrilled about them coming to visit. Anthony wanted to see them, but there was something else going on. She knew it the last few times she had talked to him, so she had decided a visit was in order. The phone call to Alana had confirmed it.

Tony threw down something he was working on, called it a name, then came walking toward the backdoor. She watched, her heart still turning over at the sight of him. He had always been the one for her from the moment she saw him. Of course, she hadn’t known it at the time. She had just picked him from a crowd of Marines, thinking he would help her with her plan. Over twenty-five years and six kids later, Marcella still marveled at how wonderful her failed plan worked out.

“What happened?” she asked.

He grunted.

“I just talked to Anthony. Told him we were coming over.”

Tony glanced at her, then strode to the refrigerator. “You think we need to go?”

“Yes.”

“You’re not going to meddle in his life, correct?”

She didn’t say anything as he opened the cupboard and grabbed a glass. He turned to face her.

“Marcella?”

She smiled. “Of course not. But, with babies coming from all directions, I assumed we would be tied to the mainland for a while. This way, I get to see Jon, help Alana get ready for Joey’s visit, and spend time with my first born.”

He sighed. “You are the worst liar.”

She gasped. “I do not lie.”

He set down his glass as his lips twitched. “You do. A lot.”

“Anthony Santini, I have never lied in my life.”

He gave her a knowing look and started toward her. She stepped back and fought a giggle that threatened to escape. He caught her before she could make a run for it. He slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer.

“You lie all the time, babe. Especially on the night we met.”

She frowned at him, but he dipped his head and kissed it away.

“Now, tell me why we need to go to Hawaii so badly.”

“Do we really need to have a reason?”

He cocked his head and studied her for a second or two. “Okay, keep your secrets. At least, you can keep them for a price.”

“Is that a fact?” she asked.

He nodded, not taking his gaze away from hers.

“And what would that be?”

He leaned closer and whispered in her ear. Even after all the years they had together, he made her blush. She laughed as he grabbed her hand and led her down the hallway to their room. She’d worry about their trip later.