Then why was she dominating his thoughts all of a sudden? Antonio wasn’t a relationship man, so his feelings regarding Lucy brought him to the brink of cognitive dissonance. He needed to do something about that quick.
Antonio turned around to face his ailing grandfather. “Granddad, we need to talk about…your health.” Antonio said quietly, shifting the topic in his mind to the real reason he decided to pay his grandfather a visit.
“My health?” Toni sat down on the plush chair by the fireplace. “There’s nothing wrong with my health,” he continued cheerfully as he leaned back and reclined the chair. He pressed a button by the side and within seconds a staff member entered the study.
“Yes, sir. Can I get you anything?” one of his butlers asked as he entered.
“Yes, my usual, Sam. And for Antonio…?”
“Nothing. Thank you.” Antonio wanted nothing more than to get off his chest once and for all what he came to say.
“Very well. Now what is this about my health that you’re concerned with?” the elder continued the conversation.
“I’ve said it before, Grandfather, and I’ll say it again. I really think you should reconsider getting married so soon.”
The older man’s expression darkened slightly. Toni pinched his lips before answering. “Listen, Antonio. We’re not going to go through this again. I want to marry Shelly and that’s final. It is not subject to negotiation.”
“Negotiation? Grandfather, we’re not talking about a business merger.”
“That’s right. We’re talking about a marriage merger. You should try it sometime.”
Antonio respected his grandfather so much but resisted the urge to be flippant. If it were any other person with whom he was speaking, he may have responded with a “try it four or five times, like you did?” but he could see the old man was simply trying to prove a point.
“Everyone has an agenda, Grandfather. You haven’t even known Shelly that long.”
“And just how much time do you think I have to get to know her?”
“That’s just the point! Don’t you question the fact that she is so young and interested in spending her life with you?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Grandfather, you’re a noble man, a great person. It’s not about you. The fact that you have four alimony payments going out to your ex-wives should set off some red flags. Won’t you even consider a pre-nuptial agreement?”
“Now you stop that, Antonio!” Toni sat up straight in his chair, his trembling index finger jabbing the air towards his grandson.
“Granddad, listen to me. I don’t want anyone to take advantage of you. For one thing, why did she choose to have such a risky ceremony? She, of all people, should know what too much excitement could do to your heart.”
“I went through the entire procedure with the wedding planning agency…”
Damn, them!
His gut clenched at the thought of how they pumped up his grandfather with all these stupid ideas about dream nuptials and outrageous ceremonies.
“They told me that those sorts of weddings are the in-thing now and they are fun,” Toni continued, as the butler came in with a tray filled with his evening snack, fruits, biscuits and a steaming cup of coffee. “You know how much I like to have fun, Antonio.”
“I understand, Grandfather. But do you remember what the doctor said to you after-” Antonio hesitated for a moment.
“Yes. After the stroke. I do remember. And I also remember that I may not have all the time in the world but that doesn’t mean life has to be a bore.”
“Grandfather, I don’t want you to rush in to things. If you really want to marry this woman, at least give it a little more time. You don’t have to wait years, just don’t jump into another marriage without thinking about it. What do you even know about this woman?”
“This woman is going to be my future wife and that’s that. I don’t require your approval or anyone else’s.”
“Fine. But you left me in charge in case you couldn't make decisions for yourself.”
“Please don’t remind me. Besides, that’s not the case now.” The older Romero paused for a moment as if in deep thought. “I know you care about me, Antonio. And I know you haven’t exactly experienced the joys of marriage or seen it with your own parents,” Toni’s voice softened, “but trust me on this one. It’s not as bad as it seems. Just because you’ve been hurt or just because I’ve been hurt by other relationships, do you think I’m going to want to miss out on potentially finding true happiness because of some bad decision I made in the past?”