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"The end of September Another seven weeks I don’t think I can stand it Can someone just knock me out until after the delivery?"
Grandma Tessa reached in the pocket of her dress and pulled out a rosary "Don’t talk like that Babies are a blessing"
Brenna leaned toward Darcy "It’s never good when Grandma Tessa takes a trip around the beads Just so you know"
Darcy grinned "Thanks"
Tessa sniffed "You’re already teaching our guest to be disrespectful What will your mother think? What will the president think?"
"You don’t have to worry about him," Darcy said "I won’t tell"
Grandma Tessa returned her rosary to her pocket "Lunch is at twelve-thirty Brenna, you’re staying I called Nic, and he’s joining us Darcy" The old woman reached for her hand "We’re so happy to have you here with us I’ to put you across from Joseph A pretty face like yours will help his appetite He doesn’t eat enough Plus, an officer, eh? Think how nice everyone would look at the wedding" She winked, released Darcy, and left
Darcy stared after her "A ti tois a way of life in this fa of a catch"
She wasn’t sure about that "If Joe’s your brother, why does he have a different last na stories" Brenna tucked her hair behind her ears "My parents h school Neither set of their parents approved--young love never lasts and all that So when ive up the baby for adoption Which she did"
Darcy had expected to hear about a child froe "So he was raised by someone else?"
Brenna nodded "It’s really sad His adoptive parents were great, but they were killed when he was pretty young He went into foster care My sisters and I never knew about hih school and are obviously really happy together, but they were crushed to find out what Joe went through But we found him, and now he’s one of us" Her soal"
Darcy shifted on the bed "I didn’t mean to pry, I just wondered"
"Makes sense Grandpa Lorenzo gets on hie his na back, not ready to be one of us Which is probably more than you wanted to know, huh?" Brenna slowly pushed to her feet "I’ to leave you to unpack I have some wine I need to check on See you at lunch"
"Okay Thanks for the information on the family"
Brenna smiled "There’s so much more, but I don’t want to scare you off on your first day But I’ Brace yourself Re wine It really helps"
Joe did his best to duck out of lunch The last thing he wanted was a big family meal and a lot of questions about his career--as in asn’t he leaving the navy to move to the winery--and his love life--had hebabies? But when he opened the back door to , and he could no more run out on her than he could back a car over a puppy Tessa est cheek pinch on three continents, but Graot him every tie yellow Cadillac "I’d heard you’d co since we’ve set eyes on you"
He walked down to hug the tiny, old woman "I’ve been busy"
"Too busy for those who love you randson stays away"
"I’ with the president’s daughter Who would have thought Is she pretty?"
Joe didn’t want to think about Darcy Jensen or the fact that he’d been aware of her froot out of the car and reached for his cane "That Lauren’s a real looker I can’t sayhad to take some of the starch out of her sails"
He limped up to join Grammy M, then took her ar led "Oh, Gabriel Don’t talk like that in front of the young people You know it randson doesn’tthe fae"
Joe winced He ith Grammy M on this particular topic
He followed the older couple into the kitchen, where he found it in the usual Marcelli chaos Tessa and Colleen carried huge bowls and platters of food to the dining roo to Joe as he helped a very pregnant Brenna out of a chair Marco carried in several bottles of wine, then paused to kiss his mother-in-law on the cheek The action caused Tessa to notice that Grammy M had arrived
"So you’re here," Tessa said in a chilly voice
"I wanted to meet Darcy," Graid and judgmental"
Tessa bristled "I’ woman like that You could send her down the dark path to hell"<ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>