Susan Mallery - The Sassy One

Gabriel chuckled. “You’ve got to admit, the kid is damned resourceful.”

Sam ignored him. “And you heard about the baby?”

“Uh-huh.” She wiped her cheeks. “That’s why I ran away. Francesca was always the one making things right with you and me. I’d been hoping the two of you would get together or something. But when I heard about the baby, I knew she wouldn’t want me anymore. Not when she was going to have one of her own.” New tears spilled down her cheeks. “Then when you told her to get out, I figured you weren’t going to get married and that I wasn’t going to be allowed to stay.”

“Oh, honey.”

Gabriel making a tisking sound. “You’re going to have some groveling to do, boy.”

Before Sam could respond, there was a loud commotion outside.

Gabriel glanced at his watch. “Right on time.”

“Who is that?” Kelly asked.

“The Marcelli family. I called them when you went missing.” The old man chuckled. “They’ve been worried and wanted to know what to do. I suggested they show up here this morning.” He winked at Sam. “I figured you’d be at your breaking point about now, and Kelly and I would take pity on you.”

Kelly jumped off Sam’s lap and hurried toward the door. “They were really worried about me?” she asked, sounding delighted. “Wow. That’s so cool.”

When she’d stepped out of the room, Gabriel looked at Sam. “It seems they all know about Francesca’s bun in the oven. Lorenzo’s not taking it well. He was expecting an engagement announcement, followed by a quickie wedding.”

Sam rose. “They knew? Did everyone know but me?”

Gabriel shrugged. “Looks that way.”

Sam headed into the hallway. Sure enough, the Grands, Grandpa Lorenzo, and Colleen and Marcus stood around talking with various staff members. He supposed he should be pleased that Katie and Brenna hadn’t tagged along.

His daughter was being hugged, squeezed, and cheek-pinched by the Grands. The pleasure on her pretty face eased some of the tightness in his chest. It had been a hell of a morning, and it didn’t seem to be getting any less stressful.

“Thanks for stopping by,” he said above the din. “As you can see, Kelly is fine.”

Conversation ceased. Five adults looked at him. Five pairs of eyes turned reproachful. Sam suddenly felt as if he were eight and had just hit a baseball through the church window.

He tried to smile and somehow couldn’t make his mouth move. Grandpa Lorenzo stepped toward him.

“You dishonor my granddaughter. We have a word for men like you.”

Sam didn’t want to know what it was. Nor did he know how to defend himself against the much older man. While he knew enough moves to take out Lorenzo twenty times over, it seemed in bad form to use them against a soon-to-be great-grandfather.

Lorenzo started muttering in Italian. The Grands didn’t look any more friendly. He didn’t want to know what Francesca’s parents were thinking.

“You’re going to marry her,” the old man said. “It’s the right thing to do.”

“No, he’s not.”

Everyone turned and saw Francesca walking down the hallway. She walked over to Lorenzo and got between him and Sam.

“Leave him alone.”

Her grandfather roared. “You’re pregnant. He’s the father. He should do the right thing.”

Sam turned and saw Gabriel leaning against a wall. “Did you call her, too?”

“Sure. She needed to be here.”

“Any more surprises?”

“That’s up to you.”

Great.

Francesca glared right back at Lorenzo. “Sam and I will do what is right for us. Not what you want, not what my parents want, not what anyone else wants.”

“But the baby-”

“Will be fine. I’ve already married one man I didn’t love. I’m not doing it again.”

She didn’t love him? The words burned deep. “You don’t love me?” he asked without thinking.

She whirled on him. “Do you really want to have this conversation right here?”

He glanced around at her family, at Gabriel and Kelly and most of his staff hovering in the background.

“I thought I’d fired all of them,” he muttered, then motioned to the conference room. “How about in there?”

“Fine.”

She swept past him.

He followed and closed the door, all the while trying not to think about everyone out there pressing close and listening.

Francesca paced the length of the room. When she reached the far end, she turned back to him but didn’t speak.

Sam studied her-the long brown hair that swayed with each movement. The shape of her greenish-hazel eyes. The set of her mouth. He remembered the first time they’d met. She’d been seriously pregnant. Maybe it had been a sign.

She was having his baby. He recalled being furious with her just a couple of days ago. He’d said a lot of things he now regretted. After the last couple of days, he understood why she’d kept the truth from him. He’d been reeling from dealing with Kelly. She’d wanted to give him time. She hadn’t acted anything like his ex-wife. He-

“You have a lot to answer for,” she said, her voice thick with tension. “You were a real bastard, Sam. And you don’t fight fair.”

Her sharp words were so at odds with the warm and friendly thoughts he’d been having that it took him a second to switch gears. “Me?”

She planted her hands on her hips. “You. If we’re going to fight, we’re going to fight fair. No name-calling and no walking out. We stay here until it’s settled. No matter how long it takes.”

She was right, he thought. “Fine. I’m sorry I called you a liar. I was stunned and wounded and I lashed out, but it’s not an excuse. It won’t happen again.”

She didn’t looked convinced, but she nodded. “I’m sorry I walked out. I should have stayed and fought with you, no matter how upset I was. And just to make things clear, I didn’t keep the information from you just to entertain myself. I found out about the baby right before the Fourth of July. I didn’t want to tell you then because I didn’t believe it myself. Then I learned about my brother and there was all that. Then there were problems with Kelly. I wanted to give you time.”

“You shouldn’t have made that decision for me. It wasn’t yours to make.”

“I know that. I was wrong and I apologize.” She sucked in a breath. “But that’s not the only reason I didn’t tell you. I knew you’d get upset, and I didn’t want things between us to change.”

What? “We’re having a baby. Of course they’re going to change.” He couldn’t believe that he loved her and wanted to yell at her in equal measures. “How could things not change?”

“I knew they would be different,” she said, her voice rising. “That’s the point. I liked being with you. I liked what we had. I was starting to care about you, which not only broke the rules, but scared the crap out of me. So I hid the truth. And I felt really guilty.”

He matched her volume with volume. “You should have trusted me.”

“Don’t yell at me.”

“You started it.”

She stomped her foot. “Dammit, Sam, I am a calm, rational person. Not a screamer.”

“You seem to be a screamer with me.”

Her gaze narrowed. “Don’t you dare bring up sex right now.”

“I meant when we fight. You yell.”

“I do not.”

“You’re yelling right now.”

“I’m-” She pressed her lips together, then dropped her voice. “You bring out the worst in me.”

Color stained her cheeks. She was breathing hard and standing her ground. In that second, he knew she would always go toe-to-toe with him. If she thought he was wrong, she would tell him. Whether it was about Kelly, their baby, or any other part of their lives.

He circled around the large table and walked toward her. “I love you, Francesca Marcelli.”

In the silence that followed, he heard not only her gasp, but a sigh from outside.

She shook her head. “You can’t. I lied. I knew how much you hated deception, and I did it anyway.”

He walked closer and took her hands. “Tell me why.”

“Because.” She blinked back tears. “I didn’t want to lose you and I thought I might. I… I love you, Sam.”

His heart did a double beat. “Yeah?”

She nodded. “Even when you make me crazy. You don’t treat me like I’m stupid. With you I’m an equal. You listen to me, you trust me. At least you did.”

He leaned forward and kissed her. “I still do. How could I not? You do the right thing, even when it hurts. No matter what happens, you keep showing up.”

She sniffed. “You do, too. Having Kelly appear without warning really messed with your world. But even when you were angry and frustrated and backed into a corner, you kept trying.”

He glanced at the door behind them, then lowered his voice. “I said some things I regret. About being sorry she was around.”

Francesca nodded. “But you said them to me. In private. It’s okay to have doubts. We’re judged by what we do with those doubts. You kept on trying. Working the program. Falling for her.”

He smiled. “I love her.” He pulled her close. “I love you, too. I want us to be a family, Francesca. I’m still in shock about the baby, but I’m excited, too. I want you to marry me. Not because it’s the right thing to do or because of pressures outside this room, but because you want to. Because you can’t imagine life without me.”

Francesca kissed him. If she’d had any doubts about her feelings for Sam, the last twenty-four hours had destroyed them. She’d been more than miserable: she’d been lost.

“I need you,” she whispered.

He chuckled. “Not half so much as I need you. Say you’ll marry me. Promise to love me forever, which is almost as long as I’m going to love you.”

She held him and sighed. “I do love you, Sam. With my whole heart. And yes, I’ll marry you.”

There was a loud cheer from the hallway.

“So we don’t have to make a formal announcement,” he murmured.

“My family doesn’t exactly stand on ceremony.”

“Neither do I,” he said and kissed her.

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