CHAPTER 19
Miguel
Aunt Eliza’s lips pressed against his right cheek. The old woman’s sickening perfume tickled his nose as he forced a smile. “It’s good to see you, too,” he muttered and pulled away.
Oh, God. What is that smell?
“And who is this pretty young lady here?”
His stomach clenched. The question was the first of the day, paired with a stain of lipstick on his cheek. “Umm, Aunt Eliza, this is my girlfriend, Rachel.”
“Oh!” Aunt Eliza’s arms lifted into the air as she leaned forward and tugged Rachel nearer for a signature hug-and-kiss combo. “My dear, it’s so wonderful to meet you! We’ve all been w-a-i-t-i-n-g for the day Miguel would finally bring a beautiful girl home to meet us.”
Eyeing Rachel as Aunt Eliza squeezed her around the middle, he watched her pale skin flush bright red before she giggled. “Umm, well, I’m the lucky one!”
The old woman nodded her head. “Deary, you are. Our Miguel is a—”
“Aunt Eliza, it was so good to see you.” Gripping Rachel around the waist, he steered her away and waved over his shoulder. “Enjoy the party!” he added and ducked into the small side yard hidden between his aunt’s and sister’s homes.
The tall grass and weeds tickled his ankles as Miguel hid behind an overgrown bush and leaned against the brick exterior. With an exaggerated groan, he dragged a hand across his forehead and mopped up the sweat beading beneath his ball cap. “And that’s just one auntie, Sunshine.”
Leaning in, she pressed a kiss on his lips and rubbed at the lipstick staining his cheek. “She wasn’t that bad. Come on, Miguel, they’re just happy to have you here—”
He snorted. “You’re going to be the talk of the party.”
Rachel’s laughter echoed in his ears as he leaned back and rested his head against the brick.
I know you find this amusing, but it’s flat-out embarrassing for me.
“Miguel Rodriguez.” She ran her thumb along his bottom lip. “I know you hate this. And I know you don’t like any kind of attention.” Rachel winked and dragged her hand lower, tickling the side of his neck with her fingernails. “But just stop for one second and think about how this makes me feel.”
Huh?
His brain dizzied, complementing the unease swirling in his gut. “What?” he questioned with a wrinkled nose.
She pressed her lips to his, infusing her love and affection into every second of her kiss. “I’m honored to be the girl you finally brought home,” she whispered. “It makes me feel good, like our relationship means something.”
Miguel tightened his hold and pulled her closer. “Our relationship means everything to me. You’re my only one, Rach.” Breathing out a sigh, he pressed his lips together in a thin line. “But I’m surprised to hear you say it, too,” he admitted. Threading his fingers through her long hair, he closed his eyes.
Am I sure I want to do this? Do I really want to ask?
“Why?”
His brain battled the week-long conflict raging in his soul.
“Miguel?”
He shook his head and peered through the bush, estimating the amount of time remaining before another aunt descended.
“I don’t understand,” she whispered and took a step away.
“Wait, no, no, no no!” he pleaded and gripped her hands. Pulling her back, he kissed her forehead.
“You’re being weird,” she muttered.
“I’m sorry.” He cupped her cheeks in his palms and lifted her face to meet his gaze. “It’s just...”
His brain urged him forward, ready to dig deeper, but his heart ached, warning him against the question burning in his gut since the moment they left Templeton Manor.
“You seemed kinda distant this week,” he admitted. “I thought maybe you were second-guessing me after our visit with Lauren. But I swear, Rach, I felt nothing for her the whole time we were—”
Her grip tightened, every muscle in her fingers tensing with force.
“Rach?” he choked out.
“I’m so sorry.” Peering into his eyes, a sob slipped through her lips. “It’s not Lauren.”
Whoa. What the—?
“Hey.” His heart raced with her unexpected reaction. The sorrow settling on her face pierced his veins with a shot of adrenaline. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
She nodded as the music grew louder and invaded their private conversation concealed by the wild bush.
Frowning as the laughter and chatter increased in the front yard of his aunt’s home, Miguel gripped Rachel’s elbow and guided her around the brick house. Step by step, they climbed up the rickety old porch.
“Who’s house is this?” she whispered and wiped a tear from her cheek.
“Maria’s,” he answered and held the door open for her to pass.
“She won’t mind?”
Shaking his head, he crept through the kitchen with Rachel in tow and headed toward the basement door. The air cooled with each step forward and the early afternoon light diminished the lower they went.
“Just down here,” he mumbled and guided her into the room on the right. His stomach churned as the familiar scene looked back. Memories gripped his heart at the sight of his dingy childhood bedroom.
“Where are we?”
“My old room.” Breathing out a heavy sigh, he closed the door and pointed to the twin bed in the corner, still covered with a navy-blue comforter stained with Dr. Pepper. “Come here. Sit.”
Rachel tiptoed to the bed and sat beside him, her gaze roaming over every inch of the space, taking in his youth. “You used to live here?”
He nodded and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “Mmm-hmm. Maria became my legal guardian after our mom passed. This was her house originally.” A parade of goosebumps erupted on the back of his neck. “I moved out after Izzy was born to give them some space.” Rubbing his palm along her arm, he tugged her nearer until her head rested against his shoulder. “But that’s not really why I brought you down here,” he whispered.
Her hand dropped to his thigh. Toying with the hem of his shorts, she groaned. “Miguel, I need to be honest with you.”
Despite the musty chill in the air, sweat formed on his brow. His pulse increased, throbbing beneath his skin as her words haunted him. “Okay,” he whispered with a gulp and forced his head to nod.
Rachel stuffed her hand in her back pocket and gripped her phone. Sighing as she unlocked the home screen and navigated to her log of text messages, she shivered. “I wanted to forget it. I wanted to forget him, but Ian—”
“Ian.” Wrinkling his nose, he battled the immediate jealousy brewing in his gut.
She nodded and dropped her phone in his outstretched hand. “He’s been texting me all week. It started last Sunday.” Pulling up the text history, she scrolled until Miguel’s gaze latched onto Ian’s admission of love, etched on the screen in black and white. “Hearing from him again has just really thrown me for a loop.”
Miguel sneered as he read Ian’s final plea for Rachel’s love. Locking the phone screen, he dropped the device onto the bedspread and rolled his neck around his shoulders. Preparing his heart for the sure-to-come bruise, he forced his eyes closed and cringed. “You said you’d be honest with me.”
For better or worse. Just tell me now.
Chancing a peek in her direction, Miguel stared at the tears pooling in her eyes as she shook her head. “I love you. You’re my only one, Miguel.”
Her simple words lifted the weight holding his heart captive, freeing him from the moment his future almost slipped from his grasp.
“I love you, Miguel,” she repeated and crawled onto his lap.
Relief crashed through him like an ocean wave meeting the beach at high tide. Exhaling the air trapped in his lungs, he wrapped his arms around her shaking body. “I love you, too,” he murmured in her ear. “You have no idea how much.”
Her tears tickled his neck, trailing slowly along his skin as the moment sank into his soul, Rachel’s commitment to him reaffirmed.
But what if Ian doesn’t stop? She loved this guy once...
“Are you going to respond to him?”
“Yes.” She sniffled and tucked her hair behind her ears. “I just haven’t found the right words. I thought about telling him that he’s way too late, but...” With a shrug, she pressed her hand over his wildly banging heart beneath his chest. “I haven’t found the courage yet.” Groaning as another bout of tears touched her cheeks, she lifted her eyes to meet his. “I don’t want to hurt you, but I really did share something with Ian. When he broke up with me, I had to force myself to let him go.”
“And now that he wants you back, you’re confused.”
“No. Absolutely not.” Dragging her hand along his scratchy chin, she pressed her damp lips to his. “I don’t want Ian. I want you. I’m just having a harder time than I thought sorting through the emotions.”
An image of Lauren reappeared in his mind. Her smile was a permanent imprint on his heart, seared with the memory of love.
“I understand,” he whispered and dried the tears from her cheeks.
She nodded. “I know you do.”
The truth settled between them. Their shared experiences with past heartache stitched their souls to one another in the depths of a cold basement.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
Rachel straightened before running a hand beneath her nose. “I feel like an idiot.”
“Don’t.” He frowned as she left his lap and circled the small bedroom, examining various knick-knacks and old photos. “I’m glad you told me.”
“When we’re supposed to be outside celebrating with your family?”
Miguel laughed and shook his head. “We can resume the tour of auntie meet-and-greet anytime.” Rising from the bed, he stepped forward and snaked his arms around her waist. Holding her close, the scent of her hair teased his nose.
“Is this your mom?” She pointed at a photo propped against a plastic baseball trophy on the ancient chest of drawers.
As he followed her finger, his belly clenched. “Mmm-hmm,” he hummed and averted her gaze. “I was like five or something.”
Rachel scooped up the photo. “She’s beautiful. Looks so much like your sister.” A sad smile touched her lips. “Izzy, too,” she added and returned the frame to its home on the dresser.
“I wish you could have met her.” Placing a kiss on her forehead, he sighed. “She would have loved you, Raquel.”
The air stilled in the small bedroom, just the beat of their hearts breaking the silence as the seconds ticked away. Every nerve in his body roused, on high alert from the emotionally charged conversation. Closing his eyes as Rachel relaxed into his arms, he rocked side-to-side. The silence crept in, but the music in his soul urged him on, swaying in tune to the rhythm of her heartbeat, until—
“Mickey!”
The tiny summons echoed down the stairs and vibrated the door with all the force in Izzy’s three-year-old body.
Rachel giggled and gripped the doorknob. She pulled it open, and the persistent demands of the toddler grew louder.
“Coming, Iz!” Miguel yelled but paused in the doorway. “Are you okay?” He turned and eyed Rachel as she dragged her fingers beneath her eyes for a final time.
“Are my eyes all red?”
Staring at the puffy, red rims and streaky mascara, he smiled and shook his head. “You look beautiful.”
She snorted. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
Miguel grinned and held out his hand, savoring the moment she gripped his fingers and followed him out of the bedroom of his past.
“Mickey!” Izzy called again.
“Almost there, Iz!” He trudged up the steps and scooped his niece into his arms. As he blew raspberries on her cheeks, she cackled.
“Stop! Stop!” she screamed and pushed him away. “Mickey, stop! I want to see Rachel!”
Izzy’s feet met the floor as she grinned ear-to-ear before running into Rachel’s outstretched arms.
Elation coursed through him eyeing their embrace. Their quickly strengthening bond warmed his heart.
“Iz?” Maria yanked on the screen door and stepped inside. “Are you in here?”
“Mommy! Mommy! Rachel came to watch Peppa!”
Maria dropped her hands on her hips. “When did you two get here?”
“An hour ago, maybe?”
No need to share that we’ve been in the basement for half of it...
“You snuck right past me,” she muttered and opened the fridge. Pulling out plates and foil-wrapped dishes, she lined the countertop until the empty space disappeared. “But, umm, since you’re here, can you help me bring all of this downstairs? Uncle Carlos is ready to fire up the grill.”
He nodded and picked up the first few trays, balancing them on his arms like an experienced server.
“Can we watch Peppa now?” Izzy tugged on Rachel’s shirt and rubbed her eyes.
Maria turned to the clock on the microwave. “We’re close to naptime,” she said, filling her arms to capacity like Miguel.
“I’ll stay with her.” Rachel gripped Izzy’s hand. “I did promise her some Peppa.” She winked as Izzy tugged her toward the living room. They disappeared around the corner, and every muscle in his heart softened.
“Miguel, she is just so wonderful.” Maria propped open the back door. Balancing the trays and plates, she gestured for Miguel to follow. Together, they descended the porch steps and tread through the overgrown grass. “I’m so glad you decided to come today. And bring Rachel.”
He nodded, recalling the conversation shared inside. Rachel’s honesty and admission had brought them closer together than ever before. “Me too, actually.”
Maria snickered and filled the nearest picnic table with her plates. “I feel bad though. She’s up there with Iz, missing the party.”
Waving to the flock of aunts zigzagging in their direction, he snorted. “Trust me, she’s better off,” he whispered as multiple sets of arms encircled him, lipstick staining his cheeks left and right.
Miguel hugged and greeted, kissed and shook hands with the growing list of party guests swarming the driveway and front yard. From aunts and uncles to second cousins and family friends, he smiled and made small talk until the charcoal warmed and the food flowed. Sneaking away from the seemingly endless list of relatives, Miguel snagged a piece of birthday flan and jogged back to Maria’s house.
The backdoor creaked as he tugged it open and stepped into the kitchen. “Rach?” he called and rounded the corner. “I brought you some fl—” His body froze as the scene materialized before him. Miguel snapped a mental photo, eyeing Izzy as she cuddled with Rachel on the couch, her eyes closed and napping as planned. As his gaze turned to Rachel, he snickered at her long hair falling in her face.
Grinning at the sleeping duo, an echo of the future called. And Lauren, no more a memory than the house surrounding him.