“Let’s get this show on the road,” Dom says with a loud clap. “Carry your girl over the threshold so we can go yell at Nonna.”
I turn to Ella. “You ready for this?”
“Do I have a choice?” she asks quietly.
I lean down to kiss her temple. We’re crossing the threshold one way or another. I don’t care if I have to catapult us through the doorway, then turn so I take the impact, but I’m getting us through there. “Of course, Ladybug. This doesn’t actually impact us in any way. I’ll give you a full disclaimer though: if we don’t at least attempt it, my siblings will bring it up incessantly.”
“So, are you carrying me like a bride, a sack of potatoes, or can I climb on your back?”
“Whichever you’d like.”
Gianna squeals. “No one has tried the sack of potatoes technique before! You should totally go with that one.”
I look to Ella, and she shrugs. “Whatever gets this done the quickest.”
Gia takes Violet out of Ella’s arms, then ushers Oliver to head into the house. Without a second thought, I bend down, grab Ella’s legs, then throw her over my shoulder. Pain shoots through my injured calf, but I ignore it as I strut through the doorway. I let Ella slide down my body as I set her feet back on the ground, then kiss her hard. “Told you it would be fine.”
“Am I allowed to say that your family is weird?” she asks in a teasing voice.
Stone walks by, slapping me on the shoulder. “I’ll add you to the spouse group chat here in a sec.”
“Me?” I ask, confused.
Stone stops, staring at me. “No, dummy. Her. We all married into this nonsense, so we need a non-Santo chat so we can complain without any of you hooligans chiming in.”
The Santo Curse Is Broken
For anyone not local to Eternity Springs, here’s a quick rundown of the curse called the Santo Threshold. Eldest child Alex jokingly bestowed a curse on all the siblings, stating they had to carry their one true love over the threshold of their parents’ home. After multiple attempts were made with zero success, the curse took hold.
Then Gianna Santo carried Travis Anderson across.
Luca Santo carried Hannah Beauregard.
Arianna Santo carried Stone Dixon.
Dominic Santo carried Kate Reynolds.
Alex Santo carried Natalie Jackson.
Isabella Santo carried Sebastian Garcia.
And now, finally,
Leo Santo carried Ella Langley.
Is the curse fully broken because all seven Santo children found their true loves? Or will the curse carry on to the next generation? No one knows, but we’ll be here to cover it when the first Santo grandchild finds love!
ELLA
I’m ridiculously giddy about being added to the Santo spouse group chat. While I’m not technically a spouse, I’m optimistic that’s where we’re headed. Plus, it’ll be nice to chat with everyone else who isn’t familiar with some of the unique Santo idiosyncrasies. Granted, I used to be. I felt like one of them for years. But feeling a sense of kinship with the spouses will help me become more comfortable with the entire family.
“Are we going to go yell at Nonna now, or bring her in here to stand trial in front of everyone?” Leo asks. I look around, noting how fired up all of the Santos are, especially the guys. I’m honestly shocked Nonna Santo was attached to the website. They’ve posted some incredibly distasteful articles over the years.
“I think she should face everyone,” Dominic says, then turns to Alex. “Do you think my kids and your kids can corral all the littles downstairs for a bit?”
Alex sighs, then looks to his wife, Natalie, who giggles. “Abbie has been anti-babysitting for a few months. We’ll have to barter something.”
“I’ll handle it,” Natalie says as she repositions her toddler on her hip. “Fortunately, Abbie rarely says no to her baby brother.”
