Free The Santinis: Vicente, Book 4 by Melissa Schroeder Page A

it.” He shrugged. “Her mother’s concern on top of that had your mother thinking she was hurt in some way.”
    He nodded. They had talked about it. He told her that he accepted it, accepted what she had been through.
    “ Jesse knows.”
    “ Johnson? Interesting.”
    “ Apparently, he’s the one who took her to the hospital the first time.”
    His father shook his head. “And she lost count after that?”
    “ No, that’s the worst part of the story. One slap, one beating, and she left. Filed charges, filed for divorce.”
    “ Always said that girl had a good head on her shoulders. I never understood what she saw in Mike.”
    He glanced at his father. “What do you mean?”
    Regret moved over his features. “Mike was a user. Always was. I know you were close friends with him, but there was something bad in him. He had a temper and let’s face it, your friendship fell apart when you left for Annapolis.”
    “ And he didn’t get in.”
    “ Yeah, he was pissed.” He took another drink. “What happened?”
    “ What?”
    “ What else happened?’
    He sighed. “Mike got out on bail and found her. He almost killed her.”
    “ Damn shame he died in a wreck.”
    “ Yeah, I would like to kill him all over again.” He shook his head. “How is it I didn’t know him at all?”
    “ You did. If you had wanted to stay friends with him, you would have known what was going on.”
    He shook his head. “That didn’t have to do with Mike.”
    “ No, it had to do with Jules.” He glanced at his father who shrugged again. “We all know you were in hung up on her.”
    “ I told her I loved her the day they got married.”
    His father chuckled. “Son, you have horrendous timing. If you weren’t the spitting image of me, I would say you weren’t a Santini.”
    He smiled. “Yeah. Well, she said nothing and that was the end of it.”
    “ Until now. What are you doing moping around here?”
    “ She won’t get married.” It hurt to think about it, but it hurt to admit that she would marry Mike and not him.
    “ You asked her?”
    “ No. We tripped over the conversation. Then, she was telling me she wouldn’t get married again and why.”
    Papa studied him for a second or two. “What are you going to do about it?”
    “ I’ve given her space. And I told her I would accept what she could give me.”
    His father sighed and shook his head. “What am I going to do with you and your brothers? Hell, MJ had to come here and get your brother.”
    “ Mom called her.”
    “ Well, that’s true, but still. Go get that woman. She loves you. You love her. You make it work.”
    “ But—”
    “ No buts. Go get her. You let her go once. Do you think you can deal with her getting involved with another man?”
    “ We’re still seeing each other.”
    “ Yeah. Well maybe she’s gonna find a man who has a set of balls on him to go after her.”
    He frowned at his father.
    “ Exactly. Better get your house in order. Your mother will be thrilled.”
    He handed his bottle to Vince.
    “ And now I get lasagna for dinner.”
    “ With meat and fresh mozzarella?”
    “ Yep. You’re mother promised if I came over here to poke at you she’d make that and cannoli. If you want a bit of advice about your mother?”
    “ Not really.”
    His father smiled. “Don’t ignore her calls. It doesn’t work out well for anyone, especially for me.”
    He nodded. “Thanks, Dad.”
    “ Just remember, Jules might be resistant to marriage, but then, she’s never had to deal with a Santini before.”
    He waved as his father backed out and drove off. He was right. Vince had to deal with the problem head on. First though, he had some things to work out. Plus, he had a dog to kidnap.

Chapter Ten
    Jules was tired. It was only four o’clock in the afternoon. She hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in five days. She’d grown accustomed to having Vince beside her in bed. Worse, Rufus had grown so attached to Vince that he howled every night