Armando Returns (Barboza Brothers) (11 page)

He eagerly accepted her embrace, holding her so tight she didn
’t even notice her own difficulty breathing. She squeezed him back just as tight, crying against his lapel. Neither was prepared for the torrent of emotions unleashed by the other’s touch.

As she attempted to calm down, Katie made a cons
cious decision to drink him in. Memorize everything. His cologne, his body, the strength of his arms around her.

His hand slowly wandered to the nape of her neck, weaving through her long red hair as he cradled her head against his chest. His warm lips grazed her forehead, making her breath splinter and her knees weak.

She grabbed a fistful of the back of his jacket with each hand and let out a soft gasp as she tried to steady herself.

“Katie,” he whispered. “I thought I’d never get to hold you again.”

She let herself collapse fully in his arms as his words sunk in. In a weak voice she said,
“Me neither. I can’t believe this is happening.”

“
Someone told me I’d forget all about you in five or ten years. I’d grow up and forget all about you.” Armando lowered his lips to her ear. “But I’ve never forgotten about you, Katie.”

She sniffled and said,
“I never forgot about you, either,” her voice cracking.

Armando gritted his teeth and took a few shallow breaths until he could speak without crying. Finally, he whispered,
“Why didn’t you try to reach me?”

“
What?” Katie pulled away enough to look up into his eyes. “You mean, contact you? Why didn’t
you
try to contact
me
? I made sure everyone in town knew what college I went to. You could’ve found me anytime you wanted.”

His brows went up.
“You’re the one who told me you didn’t want me anymore. You looked straight in my eyes and said it.” He let go of her, his tone now serious. “Do you know what that does to a guy? I thought you loved me and you broke my heart in front of Henry, your mom. Probably your whole family listening inside your house.”

“
They made me do it! Couldn’t you see that?” Katie’s wide eyes pierced Armando’s. “I didn’t mean a word of it.”

“
I figured if you didn’t mean it you would’ve let me know. Gotten word to me somehow. I had no idea how to reach you for the rest of the summer. And my mom was dying. I needed you.” He paused, shaking his head. “It was the worst time of my life. Losing you, losing Mama.”

Tears ran down her face but she didn
’t wipe them away. “I’m so sorry.” Like a reflex, her hands both went to her mouth, covering it in shame. Her vision blurred with tears, she stared into his questioning eyes, wishing she had a better reason for rejecting him than, “I was scared.” Wondering now if she could have changed the course of their future if she hadn’t been so afraid of her father. She cried for a while longer as Armando waited patiently for her to speak. She pulled a tissue out of her purse to wipe her eyes, then said in an unsteady voice, “I was afraid of what Daddy would do to you. But I’ve spent all these years wishing you’d come back for me.”

“
Maybe I should’ve. But for all I knew you moved on and found someone else. You’re a beautiful girl. You could’ve had anyone.” He grimaced. “Shit, Katie. You’re the one who told me you didn’t want me anymore. Broke my heart after I’d already been through hell. Was I supposed to read your mind?”

Their heads both turned to the back door of the restaurant where a cook and a server had both just stepped outside for a cigarette. They were laughing and talking with each other, oblivious to the emotional discussion a few feet away.

Armando gave them a glance and quietly said to Katie,
“Let’s go to my room. I’m staying here at the hotel.”

“
I don’t know if that’s appropriate.” The idea of being alone with Armando made her heart race, but it also brought her back to reality. “I’m...with...someone else,” she stammered. “I’m engaged. I can’t be alone with you in a hotel room. It’s not right. My fiance wouldn’t approve.”

“
You were engaged to me first, remember?” Armando lifted a brow. “I think that gives me rights. I’m calling dibs.”

Katie bit her lip and looked away, ashamed of herself for wanting to go to his room.
“I don’t know.”

Armando continued his argument.
“We need to hash this out. Talk about things we should’ve talked about years ago. That means you need to come upstairs.” He put his hand under her chin and tilted her face up. “You’d be married to me right now if I had my way.”

A quiet gasp slipped past her lips.
“Oh.” And her knees felt weak again, like they had when he held her. But the sound of her co-workers’ chatter snapped her out of her trance. She pushed his hand away. “No. This is how rumors start. Everyone here knows my fiance. They’ll say something.”

Armando gave her a flat stare.
“You worry too much about what people think.”

“
No. I just can’t be seen going up to your room, okay?”

A wry grin passed across his lips.
“Maybe you’re afraid of what’ll happen if you get me alone. You don’t trust yourself.”

She let out an abrupt chuckle, surprised by the sudden glimpse of his sense of humor. This was the Armando she remembered.
“I just...can’t.”

“
We could have dinner in public. At a different restaurant. Where everyone doesn’t know you and your fiance.”

She sighed.
“I don’t know. This town’s a lot smaller than you think.”

“
Okay, what about this. You come out to the ranch tomorrow and we can talk in private.” Armando handed her his business card. “I’m probably gonna check out of the hotel in the morning and stay there instead.”

“
I have to work tomorrow.”

“
Then come over after work. We’ll have dinner.” He cocked his head to the side. “Unless you have big plans with the fiance.”

“
No, actually. He had to go out of town for work at the last minute.”

“
Hmm. Leaving you all alone on a Saturday night.” Armando slowly shook his head. “Shame on him. Call me tomorrow when you’re on your way.”

Katie stashed the business card safely in a pocket inside her purse, her hand gently trembling. Here he was, back in her life again. Exciting and terrifying all at the same time. She cleared her throat and steadied herself.
“I’ll think about it.”

Then his eyes fixed on hers. And Katie felt as though she was in a trance, unable to look away. Wondering if he was real or a figment of her imagination. She didn
’t want to go home. Didn’t want to leave him again. Katie wanted to go to his room, like he’d asked.

And for a second she envisioned them in his car on that fateful day. Those
warm brown eyes full of life and love, peering into her soul. The same way he looked at her tonight. Maybe they should run off again and leave their lives behind.

But she snapped back to the present as soon as his eyes broke contact.

“Tomorrow,” Armando said. “I’ll be waiting.”

In silence, Katie watched him walk away. Knowing she would soon have to make a choice.

It was early Saturday morning. Sunlight cut through a tiny gap between the curtains and threatened to wake Victor several times. But every time his eyes opened, he put his arm around Cara and sank once again into his peaceful slumber. They stayed up late the night before, celebrating their engagement.

She said yes. That
’s all he cared about. They could finally start planning a real future together. Vague, “someday” wants could now be fulfilled with more permanent plans. He felt safe, knowing the woman he loved would be his, for life.

The room was just cold enough to require the use of a blanket as he spooned Cara underneath it. Her blond hair gently tickled his chin as she nestled against him. He awoke for a second, but quickly fell asleep once again.

Until he heard the sound of tiny, loud footsteps, followed by the smell of coffee wafting in from the kitchen directly below them. Still his eyes remained shut, hoping he was having a dream.

Then the door creaked open, and the footsteps came into the room. And then the mattress springs squeaked at the same he heard,
“Suh-pwize!”

“
Hmm?” Cara winced against the sunlight, her voice weak. “What’s going on?”

Isaac again yelled,
“Suh-pwize!”

Victor opened his eyes to see Isaac in his Spiderman pajamas, jumping up and down on the bed near Cara
’s feet. He rubbed his eyes and sat up. “Isaac, buddy, don’t jump on the bed. You’re gonna hurt yourself.”

Cara extended her arms to Isaac.
“He’s right. Come here.”

Isaac giggled and ran down the bed, flopping into his mother
’s arms. “Suh-prize, Mommy!”

Cara chuckled and kissed his forehead.
“Okay. Good morning, sweetie. You’re surprising us by waking us up at,” she glanced at the clock, “six o’clock on a Saturday morning?”

Isaac smiled.
“I can have my baby bwothow now, okay Bictow?”

Cara
’s eyebrows furrowed at Victor. “What?”

“
Oh.” Victor closed his eyes and used one hand to rub his temples. He dreaded explaining this to Cara. “Let me go downstairs and have some coffee first, okay?”

“
Okay!” Isaac tore away from Cara and hopped out of bed. “I see if it’s weddy.” He instantly ran out of the room. They heard him yell, “Wuh-moan!” as soon as his feet hit the stairs.

Cara yawned and let her head fall down to the pillow, her eyes wide open.
“You mind telling me what that’s about?”

Victor propped himself up on his elbow.
“You have a very intelligent child who remembers everything you tell him. That’s what.” He sighed. “You see, I made the boneheaded decision to ask Isaac’s permission to marry you.”

“
What?”

“
Well, maybe not his permission, exactly. But I just felt like having a talk with him was the right thing to do, since he’s the most special guy in your life. I wanted to know what he thought about me being in your lives, for a long, long time.”

“
Did he know what you were talking about?”

“
Well…” Victor winced. “I don’t know. I didn’t think he did, then all of a sudden he asked if he could have a baby brother. Like, somehow he connected
that
to marriage but I didn’t ask how. I was afraid it’d lead to a conversation we didn’t need to have right then. I don’t know when you’re supposed to talk to kids about sex and I’ll be ready to talk to him someday if you want me to, but that wasn’t the time.”

“
Aww.” Cara rolled on her side to face him. “You’d do that?”

Victor shrugged.
“If you want me to. I figure that’s the dad’s job. Or, well, stepdad in my case.”

Cara smiled.
“Stepdad.” Tears filled her eyes, but she continued to smile. “It seems so real now.”

Victor leaned forward to kiss her, then sat up, peering into her eyes.
“I guess I’ve never said it out loud before. But you know how I feel about Isaac. I’d like to adopt him, if that’s okay with you.”

Cara blinked and tears ran down her face, which she immediately wiped away.
“Yes.” Her eyes darted around the room. “If I didn’t want you in his life I never would’ve started seeing you. But...somehow, now that we’re engaged...I…” Her voice trailed off as she stared blankly up at the ceiling.

“
Are you sure it’s okay? Did I do something wrong? I didn’t mean to rush you.”

She let out a small chuckle.
“No, it’s good. It’s just...I don’t know. He won’t just be
mine
anymore. He’ll be someone else’s. I guess I never really thought about it.” She looked at Victor. “But it’s good. Really good.”

Victor let out a relieved sigh.
“I’m glad.”

She laughed and wiped away the last of her tears.
“I don’t know if he’ll ever call you Daddy. You may be ‘Big Toe’ forever.”

Victor laughed.
“That’s fine. And it’s also perfectly fine if you don’t want me to have the sex talk with him someday. Just thought I’d put it out there.”

She sighed.
“Okay then, back to
that
subject. What’s this about a baby brother?”

“
Oh. Yeah.” Victor cleared his throat. “He told me he wants a baby brother because he heard me call Ramon ‘baby brother.’ Then I told him I actually have
two
brothers, so Isaac said he wanted
two
baby brothers. And somehow we made a deal where he promised not to tell you about our little talk until today, and in return I’d see about getting him a baby brother.”

Cara smirked.
“Well, I’m glad the two of you decided to include
me
in this decision.” She sighed. “So that’s why he made that weird comment the other night.”