Romero

  “Yeah, but compared to the food court, it’s expensive.”

  “Let’s go. I’m buying.”

  He hoped as much as her appearance had changed, everything else in her life had changed, also. Memories of that night came crashing down on him again. Never one to beat around the bush, he asked her straight out once they sat down at a booth. “So you still with that asshole?”

  The smile on her face disappeared and she shook her head. “No. He’s in jail.”

  That didn’t surprise Romero. “Good—for hitting you?”

  “Well, having had two priors for domestic abuse helped put him away longer, but that’s not why he’s in.”

  She went on to tell him about how the idiot got arrested for assaulting someone at a nightclub and how he’d pulled a knife so the charge was heavier. That coupled with the two recent arrests for assaulting her, he was looking at doing fifteen years minimum.

  Romero didn’t even realize he’d fisted his hands until the waitress interrupted them to take their order. He ordered his usual and Cici ordered a chicken salad.

  “A salad? You don’t come to Frisco’s for a salad.”

  “Have you had their chicken salad?”

  Romero shook his head giving her a disgusted look.

  “It’s the best. You’re probably thinking it’s this dainty little salad but it’s not. It’s a monster. Watch, you’ll see.”

  After their food came, she told him about finding out that she was pregnant just after Fred had been sentenced. She’d been devastated, but there was no way she was not having it. So she now had a two-year-old boy. She showed him a picture. In it, the little guy wore jean overalls and nothing else. He sat on the grass hugging a dog.

  “His name’s Moe.”

  Romero’s eye shot up and met hers. “Your kid or the dog?”

  She laughed. “My son. I never forgot you, Moe.” Her smile dissipated slowly. “You’re the reason why I quit. I knew if I went back, I’d end up being with you eventually. I wasn’t sure what I wanted back then but I knew what almost happened that night would happen, and I was afraid of what Freddy might do. He wasn’t right.”

  Romero stared at her. “So you named your kid after… me?”

  She nodded and he saw her face tinge with color. “I also liked the uniqueness of the name. Not too many Moes out there.”

  Romero didn’t have the heart to tell her that wasn’t even his name. But it’s what she knew him by, so he supposed it’s all that mattered. He glanced back down at little Moe again, feeling very strange about this news. “I’m flattered” is all he could think of to say. But he wasn’t sure flattered was the right word to describe what he was feeling. She named her kid after him. She’d hardly known him.

  “The moment I met you,” she said, digging into her salad. “There was something about your eyes. Your uncles, they spoke so fondly of you. I had some of my best laughs listening to the stories they told of you growing up. Then that night…” She stopped moving her fork and just stared at her salad. “There was so much passion in your eyes. You were beyond concerned about my safety and me not going back home to Fred.” She shrugged and moved her salad around again. “I dunno. You just stuck with me. They told me I was having a girl so for months I focused on all these girl names. Then when he turned out to be a boy, I was at a loss. My sister told me to think of people in my life that stood out for good reason. Then I thought of you and it just felt… perfect.”

  Romero took in everything she said. He thought about all the nights he’d spent thinking of her and beating himself up for not having reacted faster and maybe preventing Fred hitting her. It burned him up for months. Now after all this time he finds out she’d thought that much of him? He didn’t even know how to feel about that. Half way through their lunch, his phone buzzed and he checked it. It was a text from Isabel.

  Can’t wait for this day to be over. Work is sucking today and I think I’m coming down with something. How’s your day going? … P.S. I love you.

  For the first time since he’d decided to have lunch with Cici, it dawned on him that Isabel might not be thrilled about it. He’d certainly have issues with her going lunch with a dude, even if it was just an old friend. And he wouldn’t even classify Cici as an old friend. She was someone he once had every intention of banging. Those days seemed like another lifetime now. A time he never wanted to revisit.

  His life had changed so much since he’d met Isabel. She was what had been missing his entire life. She grounded him—kept the ticking time bomb in him at a safe calm, something new to him. Although it’d been close to going off a few times, he’d never gone this long. If it weren’t for his need to keep that side of him from her, he knew he would’ve had a major meltdown each and every one of the times he’d come so close. But she was the reason why he hadn’t. He liked the newfound somewhat self-control he felt when he was with her. He was getting better at it, too. He’d never felt the kind of love he felt for Izzy, but he didn’t just love her. He needed her.

  “Something wrong?”

  He glanced up when he realized he’d been staring at his phone—Izzy’s text—that whole time. “I’m sorry. Give me a sec.” He texted Isabel back.

  Sorry you’re having a bad day. Mine’s been okay. I’ll tell you about it tonight. I love you, too. Miss you.

  “Nah, nothing wrong. The text just reminded me of something.” That maybe he shouldn’t be here—with her.

  They finished their food. Cici hadn’t exaggerated about the salad. It was huge. She hadn’t even finished it. Cici had to get back to work and he had a sudden urge to be home. He walked with her halfway back to the jewelry store, but stopped when he reached the direction he needed to go toward the electronics store. He glanced at his watch. Isabel would be off soon.

  “It was good catching up, Cici. I’m glad you’re doing better now and I’m glad that dick’s out of your life.”

  She smiled and nodded then to his surprise, she hugged him again, tighter this time and she held on longer so he had to embrace her. “I’m so glad I got to see you again.” She finally pulled away. “I thought about stopping by the bar a few times. But then I’d always chickened out.”

  “I haven’t worked there in years.”

  “That’s right.” She stepped back. He’d told her a little about his security firm over lunch. But mostly they’d talked about her and little Moe.

  “I’d love for you to meet my son. You wanna take my number? My sister sometimes brings him to see me here at work.” Romero pulled out his phone and programmed her phone in as she rattled it off. “Send me an empty text just so I can program your number in mine.” Romero did and she smiled when she pulled out her phone and saw the happy face he’d sent. “I’ll text you and you know, if you’re around maybe you can come by.”

  “Um…” He didn’t want to make any promises. He didn’t want to stir up any trouble with Isabel.

  “Whatever, if you can you can. If not it’s no big deal. At least now I know it’s a possibility.”

  Feeling bad, he smiled. “Nah, text me. If I’m in the area I’ll stop by. Sure—why not?”

  “Oh and that ring you were looking at. It’s pretty expensive. If you’re seriously thinking about getting it, please come back and see me. I’ll get you a good deal and I could definitely use the commission.”

  “For sure.” He smiled.

  They said goodbye and he went into the electronics store—the reason he’d gone to the mall to begin with, but with Cici and little Moe on his mind he couldn’t even concentrate.

  Isabel’s car was already there when he drove into the parking lot of their apartment building. The whole ride home he’d gotten a little more nervous the closer he got. For a moment, he considered not mentioning Cici. But he’d never been one to lie or hold back anything. Most importantly, that’s not how he wanted their relationship to be. He expected her not to keep anything from him, so he should do the same. Maybe if Cici hadn’t told him about naming her kid after him
, he wouldn’t be so damn nervous. He was still trying to understand it so he was sure Isabel wouldn’t.

  She wasn’t in the kitchen like she normally was when he got home around that time. “Izzy?” He threw his keys on the counter along with his wallet and sunglasses.

  “In here.” He heard her weak voice coming from the bedroom.

  He walked in and she lay on the bed looking pale with a bright red nose. “What’s wrong, baby?”

  “I’m definitely coming down with something. A couple of the kids have been sick this week and I must’ve picked up something from them.” He walked to the bed and she held her arm out. “Babe, maybe you should stay away. I’m sure I’m contagious, and I really feel like crap. I don’t want you to get sick.”

  Stay away? “But I wanna take care of you. Did you take something already?”

  “Yeah, I took some flu medicine and,” she pointed at the water bottle on the nightstand. There was also a box of tissues. “I’m set.”

  “You need to eat, too.”

  “I’m not really feeling hungry.” She told him about her day and the rowdy ass kids who sometimes said the most disrespectful things. He swore if he ever got them in a room alone he’d show them a thing or two about disrespecting their teacher—his girl.

  Then there was the moment he was wasn’t looking forward to. Isabel wasn’t like him. She’d likely not even care, but he hated that he’d stupidly open the door for her to think it okay to do things like that.

  “So how was your day?”

  “Same ole shit.”

  She pointed to the swear jar they’d started the week prior. He took the walk of shame and dropped a quarter in it. He’d asked her before if he could just put a couple of dollars in there for the next times he flubbed. But she said taking the walk of shame was part of the punishment.

  He got right to it. “I ran into an old… employee of my uncles at the mall and we had lunch.”

  He had her attention immediately and she sat up. “One of the topless waitresses?”

  Okay, maybe telling her she’d been an employee of his uncles was not the best idea but she wasn’t exactly a friend, and acquaintance sounded too suspicious. He should’ve put more thought into this on his way home, damn it. “Yeah, from a few years back. The last time I’d seen her, I was working the door at the bar, and her boyfriend showed up and slapped her around.” He thought about it again for a moment. “I’d never been so fucki-… so mad in my life. She never came back after that and I always wondered what happened to her.”

  Isabel eyed him. “Why?”

  He was surprised she’d let him slide on the swearing but she seemed more interested in Cici now. “I dunno. I guess I just wondered if she was even alive. You know being in that kind of relationship, you never know. She looked real different. I didn’t even recognize her—works at Dan’s Jewels at the mall.”

  “So you had lunch with her?”

  Romero sat at the edge of the bed. “Yeah, it was her lunch hour and I hadn’t eaten since breakfast so we grabbed something together.”

  Isabel’s expression was a strange one. He could usually read all her expressions but he couldn’t get a fix for this one. Maybe it was because she was sick. She did reach for a tissue and blew her nose.

  Romero rubbed her leg. “You sure I can’t make you something to eat?”

  “No, make yourself something. I really don’t have an appetite right now.”

  “Me either. I’m still stuffed. It was a late lunch.”

  She finished wiping her nose and threw the tissue in the wastebasket. “Whatcha have?”

  He started taking his shoes off. “Frisco’s.” he kicked off his shoe.

  She didn’t say anything for a moment, then finally in a tone so unlike Izzy she asked, “You took her to Frisco’s?”

  He turned to her. Whoa—here he’d thought he’d seen all her expressions. He’d never seen this one, but it wasn’t good. Her eyebrows pinched tight and there was an almost incredulous glare in her eyes. “I didn’t take her there, Izzy. We were already at the mall. She said she was sick of the food court so I suggested—”

  “You suggested it?”

  “I like the food there. What’s the big deal?”

  “I can’t believe you don’t know what the big deal is!” Her eyes began to well up and he felt a weird panic creep through him.

  He tried leaning closer but she pushed him away. “Why are you getting so mad?” She started to get up. “No, Izzy. Stay in bed you’re not feeling well.”

  “I need to go to the restroom.” She pushed his hand away again, walked out of the room and into the restroom, slamming the door behind her.

  He waited and waited but after she’d been in there way too long, he knocked on the door. “Babe, you okay?”

  “I’m fine.” She didn’t sound fine.

  “Are you crying?”

  She walked out and sure as shit her eyes were all red, making him feel that much worse. She tried walking past him but he pulled her to him. “Seriously? You’re that upset about this?”

  That seemed to make her even angrier then she stopped and sniffed him. “Is that her perfume all over you? What else did you do with her?”

  “Nothing! She hugged me goodbye.” Damn Cici and her strong ass perfume.

  “Get away from me!” She tried squirming away but he leaned her against the wall with his body and held her tight. “I’m sorry. Okay? I swear to you, if I would’ve known you’d be this upset I would have never—”

  “Never what?” She slipped out of his hold and he let her. Only because he’d never seen her this angry. “Gone to lunch with another girl or taken her to our place?”

  He followed her back into the room. “No, I wasn’t even thinking about it like that.”

  “The way you are, I was under the impression that things of this nature were out of the question.”

  Romero felt himself heating up. “They are!”

  She spun around. “Oh, really? But not for you?”

  “No, it’s just that Cici, well… she’s different.” Her eyes grew even wider. “No. I don’t mean like—”

  “Good to know. I’ll make sure I only do things with guys who are different.”

  She started to walk but Romero grabbed her arm. “What the fuck does that mean?”

  She glared down at his hand on her arm and he immediately loosened his hold. “Get your hand off me.”

  “First tell me what that means.”

  “Let go of me!” He did. “Get out.”

  He stood there unable to believe how his lunch with Cici had escalated into this. Her words still burned him but he was mad at himself for grabbing her arm like that. “I’m sorry.”

  “I said get out.” Her tone softened but just a bit. “You don’t have to leave, just get out of my room. You shouldn’t be here anyway. I’ll get you sick.” She coughed before getting into bed.

  He knew she’d only said what she did because she was mad, and hurt. But he hoped to hell she didn’t actually act on it to prove a point. “Izzy, I get it. Okay? I made a mistake. I was stupid. I’m sorry. It’ll never happen again.” He got down on his knee next to the bed and touched her arm. “Please don’t do anything just to make things even… you have no idea how crazy that would make me.”

  She rolled her eyes. “You really think I have no idea?”

  “Promise me.”

  “I’m not promising anything right now, Romero.” She grabbed another tissue. “And you really shouldn’t be touching me. I’m telling you. You’re gonna get sick.” She shook her head after blowing her nose. “Go. You can sleep in Valerie’s room tonight.”

  Romero noticed how her pink-rimmed eyes looked so dreary. She really was sick. He stood up and kissed her head. “Let me know if you need anything. Okay?”

  She nodded and made herself comfortable in her bed. He walked out feeling like the biggest idiot on the planet. Their place. Of course.

  CHAPTER 18

  Suspicions
br />   Falling in and out of delirium, Isabel didn’t even know what time or what day it was. She turned to see Romero walk into the room. “Hey, how you feeling?”

  She didn’t respond. She remembered she was mad at him but she couldn’t even remember why. “I’m still mad at you.” She heard the rough words rasp out of her mouth, felt the burn in her throat and tightness in her chest.

  Romero began to apologize, then his expression changed and he touched her forehead. “Izzy, you’re burning up!”

  “Huh?” In such a daze, she glanced around expecting to see flames.

  Romero pulled the blankets off her. “But I’m freezing!” she said, trying to pull the blankets back on. Her clothes clung to her, wet with perspiration, and she began to shiver. She tried in vain to get the blankets back from Romero’s hands. “Please! I’m so cold!” Just speaking scorched her throat and her entire body ached as Romero sat her up.

  “I know.” His voice was as panicked as hers was. “Baby, we gotta get this off you, now.”

  She didn’t even realize she was crying until she heard her own whiny voice, “Why are you doing this to me?”

  “Because I have to,” he said, pulling her top off and then helping her up. “We gotta get your temperature down.” He put his hand on her back. “Fuck, I should’ve checked on you sooner, you’re on fire. I’m sorry, babe. I just wanted to let you sleep.”

  Her eyes burned when she blinked and her body shivered uncontrollably. Everything after that was a blur of her crying and trying to fight him while he held her under the cold shower as he tried frantically to calm her explaining why it was necessary.