Running a finger across his imperfect brow, she smiled. Now that he was promising she would be the only one for him, this was the only thing imperfect about him, and somehow what he’d said about learning from your scars made him even more perfect. “How easily I could fall in love with you.”
Staring at her for a moment with that same profoundness that had her holding her breath, he said nothing for a moment. Then the corner of his lips twitched into a smile. “And you were thinking that back then too?”
“I don’t remember exactly. All I know is I’d been impressed with you from the moment I first laid eyes on you.” She tilted her head and smiled, feeling more relaxed now that he tightened his hold on her instead of letting go and running for the hills like she was afraid he might. “Knocking a guy out cold at my feet was a hell of a first impression, and then everything you’ve done after that only added to my growing admiration of you.”
Hector smiled then suddenly laughed. “I’m not laughing at you,” he said quickly. “I’m laughing because I’m an idiot. I would’ve never guessed that’s what you were thinking, not even close. I thought you were completely unimpressed by me. And then you went and beat my ass in chess in front of the whole team—”
“Oh God! Please don’t remind me about that,” she covered her eyes with her hand then moved it aside to look at him again, “because if we’re being honest here, that was actually my way of trying to impress you. Talk about being an idiot. It completely backfired on me.”
He shook his head. “That’s the thing, Charlee. That was pure genius. I was even more intrigued after that. And maybe it was that I saw something else in your eyes. I kept flip-flopping from thinking you hated me to maybe you were feeling something. I just couldn’t figure it out. As confused as I was about how I felt about you, I know now looking back after that day I was hooked.”
His smile was so sweet she didn’t even bother hiding the deep breath she needed to take because of it. “You’re obviously better at this than I am,” he said as he continued running his finger gently down the side of her face. For as big, rugged, and tough-as-nails a fighter as he was, it amazed her how very gentle his touch was. “But I promise I’ll work on it. Just promise me this much, because clearly I’m not very good at picking up on subtle stuff: if there is ever any doubt about anything on my part from here on, I can guarantee I will not be holding back about it. I want you to do the same. I may not be an expert on relationships, but it’s pretty universally known that trust and communication are key. Let’s try to get this right.”
How easily she’d begun to get used to the way he looked at her now—too easily. It was almost frightening. Already she could feel herself becoming addicted to it.
“Okay,” she whispered simply. She’d be crazy not to agree to that. What more could she ask for?
Kissing her nose, he slipped his hand in hers. “Let me show you the house.”
She walked alongside him now, trying very hard to not feel so awestruck. He was, after all, her boyfriend now. The very thought made her gasp.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she said, shaking it off.
Pretending to be distracted by the huge entrance, she glanced away so that he wouldn’t see her, once again, flushing face. Get a grip! Just as they stepped onto the first steps of the grand entrance, there was a honk behind them, and they both turned.
“Well, shit,” Hector smirked.
Charlee didn’t remember exactly what the Starsky and Hutch car looked like, but the car coming up the driveway was close enough. Seeing Abel behind the wheel only confirmed it—Gran Torino. He held his hand out the window, dangling something.
Hector started down the walk, bringing Charlee with him hand in hand. “What is that?”
“The keys!” Abel yelled out. “It’s a done deal. Escrow closed today.”
Now that Abel was closer, Charlee could see he wasn’t alone. And as she and Hector walked toward the car, she could see who was with him. Even though she’d seen them all at the party a few weeks earlier, she hadn’t since, and after spending so much time reading about them on ‘The 5th Street Journey’ blog, she almost felt as if they were minor celebs.
Though she hadn’t quite got past the way Hector made her feel so captivated, and she honestly didn’t think she ever would, she had begun to feel more at ease around him. At least she could talk to him now without feeling so tongue-tied, but suddenly, as the guys all stepped out of the car, her stomach was in knots again.
“What are you doing here?” Abel asked, glancing at Charlee with a smirk.
Her face warmed, knowing what they all must be thinking, because secretly she’d begun to not only wonder but hope that maybe Hector had brought here for a little more privacy.
“I was gonna show her the place. She lives close by here.” Hector turned to her and smiled. “Charlee, this is my brother, Abel. These other two clowns are my partners, Noah and Gio.” He pointed at each respectively. “Guys, this is Charlee,” he paused with a smirk and to her surprise added, “my girlfriend.”
They all seemed momentarily stunned just as Charlee was, but then each one nodded greeting her. Abel was the only one who actually commented. “Girlfriend, huh? Well, this is news.”
“Fresh off the press,” Hector said, squeezing her hand.
Like in all his pictures and even the night of the party, Abel’s expression was deadpan now. She got that in most of his promotional pictures for his fight he had to have that hard look that fighters purposely put on to stay in their tough fighter character. But even in all the other ones he was always the most serious of the four. He started toward the house and they all followed. “Mom know about this?” Abel asked without turning back at Hector.
“Not yet,” Hector said, nudging Gio, who walked next to him and laughed.
“That’ll be interesting,” Abel said then glanced back as he walked up the stairs of the entrance. “She doesn’t know about this yet either. She thinks it’s still gonna be weeks before escrow closes.” He pushed the buttons on the keyless lock and opened the front door then stopped and turned back to face Hector. “She’s going to see abuelita in a few days. She’ll be gone for at least a week. I want to surprise her when she gets back and have everything moved in here by then.”
“I probably won’t be here for the surprise,” Hector informed Abel as they walked into the luxurious lobby of the house. “But I’ll be here to help with the move.”
“Where you gonna be?” Abel stopped walking and faced Hector.
“D.C., remember? U.S. team meeting?”
Abel nodded and continued walking. “That’s right. Don’t worry about it then. Just do what you have to do.”
Charlee tried focusing on their conversation and not obsess about Abel’s “that’ll be interesting” comment. But it was nearly impossible. Why would it be so interesting?
The house, however, did make for a good distraction. It was incredible as they all walked through the front lobby, taking in all the impressive granite fixtures and enormous chandelier. Hector leaned into Charlee, taking advantage of his friends’ distraction. “That’s over a week away,” he whispered in her ear. “Maybe we can let whoever is making the traveling arrangements know we’ll only need one room.”
She froze as he nibbled on her ear before kissing her neck just below it and sucking just hard enough to start up the tingles.
They continued to walk through the enormous house as the reality of it all sunk in even more rapidly now. She wouldn’t just be traveling all over soon with her boyfriend, Hector. He was now making it clear they’d be staying in the same room when they did. Sleeping with this incredible guy would no longer be a farfetched fantasy. It was happening soon and then on a regular basis. He’d had no qualms about introducing her to his brother and closest friends as his girlfriend, and he was obviously planning on introducing him to his mother.
This was really happening, and while a part of her wanted to squeal like a schoolgirl in
delight, another part of her, the one she needed to kill and bury already, was setting off warning sirens that screamed this was just too good to be true.
Chapter 24
Since introducing Charlee to Abel and the guys the day before, Hector felt even more certain that taking this leap was the right thing to do. He hadn’t expected to be telling any of them about Charlee so soon. He figured he’d mention her slowly, letting the idea that he was actually taking someone serious simmer with them for a while. He was certain none of them would buy into it. One thing he’d always made sure of in the past and they all knew was he’d never call a girl his girlfriend unless she really was. This was the first time any of them had ever heard him say it, not like some of the guys at the gym who, for the sake of making the chicks they were out with happy, did so easily. Hector didn’t play those kinds of games, and that’s why he’d made it clear to Charlee that from here on there’d be no guessing games.
He was so serious about getting this right he’d even responded to the text he got from Lisa last night, ending any interaction she might still have in mind—even just grabbing a burger, which she seemed to think was innocent. Any guy wanting to take Charlee out, even if it was for just a burger, would certainly grate Hector the wrong way. He’d cross that bridge if and when he ever had to and deal with it accordingly. In the meantime, he wasn’t giving Charlee any reason to believe that he’d be okay with even that kind of open relationship.
Yesterday, Abel had totally wrecked Hector’s plans. Hector had actually thrown a blanket and a small cooler with a four-pack of wine coolers in the back of his truck before picking Charlee up, something Drew had given him the heads up on via text. If he was going to get Charlee anything to drink, wine coolers were best and one or two tops. Hector hadn’t been looking to get Charlee drunk or even doing anything with her beyond what they’d done so far, but he was shooting for romantic and relaxing. So he’d texted Drew beforehand to get a heads up. Unfortunately, the coolers never made it out of his truck.
Getting the inside scoop from Drew, however, was something that was going to stop. He was putting an end to the texts between them that would give him the upper hand with Charlee. It wasn’t fair, and he’d been dead serious when he made it clear to Charlee that trust was something he thought could make or break this deal. He’d just wanted yesterday to be as perfect as possible, but that was it: no more sneaking around getting inside information he should really be getting straight from Charlee.
This was why that morning when he was tempted to text Drew to ask if she thought Charlee might freak out about meeting his mom this soon, he held off. He did however text her to thank her. He mentioned how he knew now how sneaky she was. Charlee told him she hadn’t talked of moving back home in weeks, but, regardless, he’d never been so grateful to anyone in his life.
Drew’s only response to him calling her sneaky was a winky face, and then she graciously offered to text him a list of all of Charlee’s favorite things. She said it would make him the best boyfriend ever. As tempted as he was to take her up on that, he had to pass. It just didn’t feel right. He said it already felt as if he cheated. From here on, it would be all him. He’d figure this out on his own one way or another.
Before dropping Charlee off the night before, he, of course, made arrangements to see her today. He’d always rolled his eyes at those guys who were so damn whipped on their girls that they had to be with them all the time. Well, he was certainly eating crow now because he hated to say goodbye to her last night and all morning he’d hardly been able to concentrate without thoughts of seeing her later that afternoon.
So what? He’d admit it now. He was crazy about her. It wasn’t his fault no one had ever made him feel this way before. How was he supposed to know it’d be like this? He’d sooner swallow his pride now than be an idiot and pretend he didn’t need to see her again already. If he didn’t, he’d have to wait until tomorrow. Hell no. That wasn’t happening. Last night confirmed it. He was whipped.
Only thing was he and Abel had screwed up that morning, speaking openly about Charlee while they thought their mom was in the shower. Abel had even asked if Hector was in love, and when Hector told him he hadn’t known her long enough, his mother waltzed in the room, startling the hell out of both of them then made an announcement.
“Doña Benitez and I are barbequing tonight for Sunday dinner, and as you both know, I leave tomorrow to see your abuelita in Mexico.” She turned to Hector with an overly sullen expression. “I know you boys don’t watch the Spanish news much, but it’s a very dangerous time to travel into Mexico right now.”
“So why don’t you wait?” Abel asked.
Sighing deeply, their mother shook her head and continued. “I just don’t see a better time, and your abuelita is not getting any younger. I have to go.” She turned back to Hector. “But God forbid something were to happen to me and I don’t make it back—”
“Mom!” Hector hated when she was so melodramatic, and he already knew where she was going with this anyway.
“I’m just saying, Mijo, if I don’t, this may be my last chance to meet at least one of my boy’s girlfriends.” She lifted the famous Ayala eyebrow at Abel before turning back to Hector. “It’s just a casual barbeque in the backyard. Would it kill you to invite her so I could meet her just once?”
Grumbling, Hector reached for the quick-talking short little woman that had the power to make him agree to almost anything and pulled her to him. “Are you gonna behave?”
She punched him playfully in the gut before putting her arm around his waist with a smile. “Of course loco! What do you think I’m gonna do?”
Hector took a deep breath and braced himself to tell Charlee. He agreed to invite her to the barbeque, but if Charlee were at all uncomfortable with it, he wasn’t pushing it. This was way too soon.
Even Charlee’s reaction to his invitation had him smiling from ear to ear again like he had all day yesterday. She was quiet for a moment when he first dropped it on her, and for a second there, he thought she might’ve hung up, but then she spoke. “I can make a chicken pasta salad.”
He’d been so damn nervous about her thinking he and his mom were nuts. He wished now he’d asked her in person because he would’ve covered her in grateful kisses.
Charlee had insisted she could drive herself to his house so he wouldn’t have to go back and forth to pick her up then drive her all the way back, but Hector wouldn’t hear of it. Besides, he wanted to use the drive back to his house to warn her a little about his mom. He’d already cautioned his mom about Charlee not being Latina, and while she hadn’t been thrilled, she promised to keep her thoughts about preferring Latina girls for her boys to herself.
“So my mom’s a little on the . . .” He’d searched for the perfect word to describe his mom all the way to pick up Charlee, and now here she was in his truck on the way back, and he still couldn’t come up with the right term. “I don’t want to say manipulative because she doesn’t even have to be.” He wiggled his fingers in Charlee’s hand. Maybe it’d be better if he just explained it. “You see it’s always been just the three of us. My dad died when I was real young, and so basically my mom’s had to be both mother and father to us. And she did a damn good job too. The thing is the woman knows whenever it comes to me and Abel, what she wants she gets. Here’s where it gets tricky.”
Charlee lifted her head from his shoulder and looked at him. “How?”
“Neither of us has ever brought a girl home. And she has these old-fashioned ideas about the kind of girls we should date.” They came to a stop, and he turned to her, a little hesitant about going on, but he did. “She’s always said we should stick with our own kind—our own culture.” Charlee’s eyes got noticeably wider. Even that made him smile, and he had to kiss her. “Don’t worry. I’ve never bought into it, and neither has my brother, but since neither of us ever intended on bringing someone home—not anytime soon anyway, we didn’t bother arguing.” He kissed her agai
n before stepping on the accelerator again. “She’s been duly warned, I promise you.”
“Was she mad?” Charlee asked.
“No,” Hector laughed softly, squeezing her hand. “She’s not the Hispanic Archie Bunker.” Now Charlee laughed. “She just has all kinds of old-fashioned beliefs, rituals, and sayings. Like you don’t ever even playfully pretend you’re trying to stab someone like Abel and I did on occasion when we were kids because se te mete el Diablo.”
“Huh?” Charlee stared at him.
Hector rolled his eyes with a smirk. “The devil will get in your hand and make you do it for real.” Charlee’s brows pinched. “Yeah, exactly,” Hector said, nodding. “And she really believes it too. She had me and Abel believing since we were kids that if you hit your mom, se te cae la mano—your hand will fall off. I’m still not certain that’s not entirely true. But she said it so convincingly neither one of us ever dared raise our hand to her.”
Charlee nudged him. “She doesn’t sound so bad. All parents have quirks.”
“No, mine takes the cake,” Hector insisted.
“Well, my mom believes you don’t catch a cold from germs, rather from doing things like walking barefoot on the cold floor,” Charlee countered, “or going out when it’s cold just after you’ve showered.”
“Yeah, well, when she does get a cold or the flu or so much as headache, does Seven-Up cure it all?”
Charlee laughed out loud now. “No, but lemon juice works too.”
“Oh no,” Hector said. “Lemon juice is for the cancer or for an open wound. Ask my mom. Can you believe she’d squeeze lemon fucking juice into our cuts and scrapes? As if we weren’t in enough pain already.”