Her Best Friend's Brother (19 page)
Read Her Best Friend's Brother Online
Authors: T. J. Dell
Tags: #Romance, #Fiction, #Contemporary, #General
Last night? She and Gio had fought last night?
Libby slept with him on the rebound? And now she regretted it. Now she wanted him back.
“Okay, wel. Listen, I am sure that things wil work out. You don’t need to tel him about… you know.” Libby cried harder.
Tears pricked at the back of his eyes. It was so hard not to beg her to stay, to beg her to forget Gio. But if she was this miserable now Tony knew she could never be truly happy with him and he couldn’t live his life waiting for Gio to turn up and steal her back from him.
“I’m so sorry Lib. If he loves you it won’t matter—
and if you’re stil worried just … maybe you can just fake it? Go real stil and gasp or something.”
“What?” Libby lifted her head to look at him.
“I mean if your umm… if Gio was expecting… on your wedding night?” Gee for a man who made a living with words he was doing a hel of a job stringing a sentence together now. “What I am trying to say, Libby. Is that I want you to be happy. So I am going to back off. I’l stop caling, and taking you out. And I swear Gio wil never know that we dated. If I have to have Mel’s tongue cut from her head—he won’t find out.”
from her head—he won’t find out.”
Shock forced Libby to finaly hear the words Tony was saying. But she was stil realy confused. “When were we dating?”
Tony’s eyebrows crumpled together. “You know… before. The past six weeks.” She was stil staring at him.
“The picnic, and the wine festival, and al those lunch dates, we wasted an entire afternoon on Die Hard!”
“Mel invited me to the picnic. And the wine festival was about for the paper. They weren’t dates—you never said they were dates. Die Hard is never a waste! ” If it wasn’t so awful Tony would have laughed at her. Realy? Was now the time to continue their John McClain pissy or not pissy debate? “Of course they were dates—what did you think we were doing?”
“Hanging out I guess. A date would be different—
getting dressed up, you picking me up, bringing me flowers taking me out to dinner or dancing or…” Libby’s face fel.
Shit. He had forgotten the flowers. Now that she mentioned it he was pretty sure Mel had mentioned flowers at some point. “I forgot about the flowers, and I didn’t think you wanted to go to a dressy meal. I would have taken you anywhere you wanted.”
“You’re right.” Libby said quietly. “We were dating.” She dropped her head into her hands and moaned.
“I’m sorry Libby.” Tony didn’t even know what he was apologizing for anymore. But this was the first time he had ever made a woman cry just be taking her on a few dates. “Maybe they weren’t dates?”
“No. They were.” Libby kept her face down. It was hard for Tony to read the expression on her face when al he could see was her hair. “Tony Marchetti finaly takes me out on, not one but, several dates—and I missed it.”
“Libby? I am seriously confused here.”
“Me too.”
They sat there for awhile holding each other.
Neither one sure what to say. Finaly Libby broke the silence. “What wedding?”
“Hmm?”
“You thought I was going to marry Gio? You mentioned a wedding night.”
Tony looked very uncomfortable. “Mel seemed to think that’s where things were headed.”
“Mel’s dumb.”
Tony alowed himself to feel relief, and hope. “You aren’t then?”
“No. Gio and I decided to be just friends.”
“And you’re okay with that?” Libby nodded into his shoulder. “Then… why did I walk in and find you crying on the floor?”
“Oh. Sometimes girls cry?” Libby looked at him hopefuly. Maybe he would let her get away with that. He stared back. “Okay, I just realized that I am not a
just sex
kind of girl. When I woke up alone my feelings were hurt that you would just leave like that. But it’s okay.”
“I was coming back! I didn’t want to wake you.
Didn’t you read the note?”
“There was a note?”
Libby’s cel phone rang. Tony picked it up. “Stay out of it Mel!” He hung up on her.
Tony squirmed away from Libby slightly so they were sitting facing each other. He couldn’t have this conversation if he was distracted by the smel of lavender and sex.
“Do you remember me teling you once that we have communication problems?”
Libby nodded.
“Okay. So there is some stuff I need to know. Do you love Gio?”
“No”
“You don’t want him back?”
“No.”
“Why did you let me believe you were sleeping with Parker?”
Libby looked embarrassed. “I didn’t want you to think I was pining away over you.”
Tony looked pained. “I am an ass.”
“Is that a question?” Libby started to smile.
“Nope. It is plain old fact. I’m in love with you. I have been since—wel it’s been awhile. And I am hoping to god that you love me too.”
Libby’s jaw dropped open. And then she smiled, crawled into his lap, and kissed him.
“Oh no. you aren’t getting off that easy.” Tony grinned her favorite only-for-Libby-grin. “I want to hear you say it.”
“Of course I love you Tony. I’m Nona.”
“Nona? Care to explain?”
“Maybe later.” Libby took another kiss. “Where did you go then?”
“Oh. I brought breakfast.” Tony mumbled absently as he shifted her more fuly into his lap.
“Food? I’m starving!” She crawled out of his lap towards the forgotten bags by the door.
“Thrown over for cold pancakes!” Tony gripped his heart as though he’d been wounded. This was his Libby. And she was—realy his.
Al the food was reheated, and Libby got her promised take out breakfast—at 2:00 in the afternoon. “I think we should get married.” Tony announced mildly from his side of the table.
Libby spit out her pancakes. “Married?”
“Yeah—we suck at dating.” Tony’s smile broadened across his face. “We can move you in here today. And I know you weren’t sure about staying in Lindstown, but I can write from anywhere. There’s a paper in Talahassee that was pretty interested in me before, if you want to go back to Florida. Or if you stil want to try New York that’s cool.”
“When did you talk to a paper in Talahassee?” Oops. Busted. “Before you went to Rome. I missed you Lib. I didn’t want us to be apart anymore. I stil don’t want us to be apart. What do you say? Marry me? I promise to buy you any sofa you like.” Libby just stared at him. Maybe he had miscalculated.
She spoke “How long?”
“Until we can get married?” Tony hurried over to her side of the table.
“No. How long have you been in love with me?
You said it was
awhile
.”
“Oh. Umm it’s kind of embarrassing. You were stil pretty young.”
Libby tossed him an exasperated look. “I’l tel you, if you tel me.” Tony nodded. “Okay, don’t laugh. But it was the day we met. You stole our popcorn and made fun of the little mermaid.”
“That describes most Friday nights of our childhood Lib.” Tony’s tone was light. “It was the summer we played Monopoly. You were wearing those tiny blue pajamas, remember? I had to sit in that awful desk chair just to keep from pinning you to the bed—which I probably could have been arrested for since you were only 16.”
“You were only 19! Is age always going to be an issue with you?”
“I guess that depends on if you are going to marry me.”
Libby took another bite of her pancakes. “I love it here. I want to stay, and I think my mom can handle the competition. We cater to different crowds realy. We can pick out the couch later if you want.”
“Libby!”
Tony
shouted
“communication
remember? Wil you marry me?”
“Isn’t that what I just said?”
“The words Lib. I want to hear the words.” Libby grinned “Yes, Tony. I wil marry you.” Tony swept her up out of her chair and headed for the stairs. “We can pick out the couch later.” He said as they crossed into their bedroom.
Epilogue
Four years later….
Mia Betta,
Elaine and I thank you so much for your
gift. We were sad for you to miss the wedding, but it is
good you don’t travel in your condition. Please
congratulate Tony for us on his newest novel. I am
afraid Elaine is quite besotted with Isaac Raines.
We shall be back in New York in a few months
and we cannot wait to meet the newest Marchetti.
Please tell young Luca that his Uncle Gio says it is a
very special responsibility, being a Fratello.
Perhaps next year you can bring the family to
Rome? Nona would love to see the children.
Love,
Gio
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