Chapter 2
Chapter Two
ATLAS
“Are you sure it’s okay for me to come too? Maybe I should just stay back and keep the diner open.”
Hector looked adorably shy as he tugged on the bottom of his black polo shirt.
That, along with the black slacks and dress shoes he was currently fitted in, was probably the fanciest I’d ever seen him.
It was very different from his usual jeans and white T-shirt under a grease-stained apron, and I had to say Hector cleaned up very well.
That wasn’t to say I preferred one look over the other…it was just different. And I liked seeing these different sides of Hector. I liked learning more about him.
I walked up to him and straightened his collar. Hector’s eyes flicked everywhere but at me, and a sweet tinge of color tinted his cheeks.
Some—fine, probably most—people thought Hector looked scary. Half the town probably thought he was one step away from being a thug, and I had to admit the deep scar that ran through his left brow and across his temple only made his hard face even more intimidating.
But they didn’t see what I saw. He was adorable, even if it was unconventionally so, and in moments like these, he was even more so. I hated how the town judged him by his cover, when the man beneath the hard exterior was the warmest person I’d ever met.
My hand slid up and swiped over his cheek so that I could slide a thumb over his temple. Hector finally looked at me. His dark eyes landed on mine, and his brow furrowed as he studied me.
It wasn’t hard to see the longing in those deep browns, but there was uncertainty too. Hector probably doubted my attraction to him, but that was okay. I didn’t mind taking the time to show him just how real my emotions were.
Plus, I didn’t mind keeping the status quo for a little longer. After rushing into my last terrible relationship, keeping things slow was probably a good idea.
“You have to come,” I told him. With one more swipe over his scar, I dropped my hand and took his. “They’re expecting you, and you already got them a present.”
I pulled on his hand to lead him to the table with the wrapped presents.
I liked that he let me lead despite probably having the ability to bench-press me if he wanted to.
Hector was probably only a few inches taller than my five feet nine, but he was easily a hundred pounds heavier than me.
Not all of it was muscle, and some might call his physique a “dad bod,” but that didn’t mean he was weak.
I’d seen the man carry an armful of boxes taller than he was all at once because he didn’t want to make two trips.
“Look, are you not going to give Junior his present?” I said and gestured to the gift box Hector had meticulously wrapped last night. For a man who looked so rough, he was surprisingly particular about things like this.
“You could bring it with you. Maybe it’s better if I don’t go. Wouldn’t want to scare the kid on his own birthday, after all.”
“Junior isn’t scared of you. He always giggles and asks you to pick him up when he catches sight of you.”
“It’s only because I’m the only one who lets him smack them on their face,” Hector grumbled, but there was a gentle curve in his eyes as he thought about the baby boy.
I’d learned Hector had been married once.
He was divorced now, which was good news for me, but I wondered why he never had children when he obviously loved them so much.
It was a real shame, since he would make a great father.
There was so much warmth and love underneath the hardness he showed the world, and I wished he didn’t have to keep it so close to his heart.
“That’s not the only reason. You’re the only one who lets him tug on your beard too,” I teased, and it got a laugh out of Hector just as I’d hoped.
“Only when I grow it out, which isn’t often these days.” He rubbed his recently shaved smooth chin. “You think he’ll recognize me without the facial hair?”
“Well, there’s only one way to find that out, isn’t there? Now, let’s go,” I said and hooked my arm through his. He didn’t fight me and only grabbed our presents before letting me drag him out of the apartment.
The Monroe house was only a fifteen-minute walk, and with it being such a nice September evening, we decided strolling there would be a nice change of pace.
It was rare to see Hector out of the diner. While I was sure he had hours hung up somewhere, The Diner was basically open all hours of the day. If Hector was awake, then the diner was open.
The man never took a break or a vacation. It was like he lived for the diner. I’d like to think I was helping him expand his world by dragging him to these activities recently.
When we arrived on the correct street, we didn’t even have to check the address since we could just follow the sound of laughter.
The backyard was filled with bodies, most of whom I knew from the diner.
“Hey! Gramps said you guys were coming. Glad you made it!” Sam greeted us the moment we walked through the gate. He looked between Hector and me, breaking out into a huge smile. His gaze finally landed on Hector as he said, “I’m really glad you’re here. It’s nice to see you outside of the diner.”
Hector was visibly flustered, and the only noises he seemed capable of making at that moment were semi-high-toned grunts.
I couldn’t keep the smile off my face, and mouthed a silent “thank you” to Sam. He was such a sweetheart. He probably didn’t realize just how much it meant to Hector to feel welcome here when he normally felt like the outsider nobody wanted around their town.
Oh, how I wished I could show him just how untrue that was.
“Glad to be here,” Hector finally said when he found his voice. “I got this for the birthday boy.”
Sam grinned and accepted the gift. I placed mine on top of Hector’s. “You guys didn’t have to! As Junior’s favorite unkie, I give you my thanks.”
“You’re still his only uncle.”
Sam’s sister walked up carrying the birthday boy in question. There was no mistaking the exasperation in her voice.
“Doesn’t mean I can’t still be the favorite.” Sam laughed and waved the presents in his hands at his nephew, who giggled. Lana rolled her eyes, but they immediately softened as she looked at her baby.
“Thank you both for coming to celebrate his first. Say hi to Hector and Atlas, Junior,” Lana said and waved one of Junior’s tiny hands. He giggled again.
From the first time I’d met Junior, I’d noticed what a happy baby he was. He was always laughing and shooting everyone around him one of his adorable toothless smiles.
“Please go enjoy yourselves. There’s food over there, and my gramps made a whole basket of his aloe vera gel for the guests to take home,” Sam added.
“And please take as many as you want. Please,” Lana empathized. “The house is currently drowning in aloe vera gel.”
I laughed.
“Laugh all you want, but she’s not joking. Gramps takes his aloe vera very seriously,” Sam said grimly. “Just look over there. He’s been talking my poor landlady’s ear off about his aloe vera plant for the past twenty minutes.”
I looked in the direction he’d pointed to see Russell animatedly chatting with Annabelle Jackson. Based on her rosy cheeks and the way she kept touching Russell on the shoulder, I would say she did not mind being kept there with him one bit.
“Look who it is! It’s great seeing you outside of the kitchen for once.” Dan Yao wandered over to our little group with Clay and Ryker in tow.
“Um, yeah. It’s good to see you kids here too,” Hector replied awkwardly.
Dan laughed. “Aw, c’mon. You’re not that much older to be calling us ‘kids.’”
“You could probably bench-press any of us here,” Ryker piped up, eyes flicking appreciatively to Hector’s thick arms. Random comment, but not untrue. Hector’s arms were thicker than my legs, and they felt divine wrapped around me.
“Why, Ryker West, are you flirting with another guy right in front of me? Your dear fiancé?” Sam said with a sassy hand on his hip.
Ryker sputtered as he tried to reassure his lover. His friends laughed, and I couldn’t help the smile that played on my lips. I noticed the corners of Hector’s lips curved upward too.
“Oh, no. Who’s bullying my sweet boy here? Who do I have to beat up?” Jones came up and swung an arm around Ryker’s shoulders.
Clay pointed at Sam, which only had Jones holding his hands up in surrender. “You’re on your own there, buddy,” he said, which caused even more laughter in the group. Jones’ boyfriend, Ryan, arrived seconds later and shook his head at Jones’ antics.
They teased each other for a second, then pulled Hector into a conversation, taking him for a beer. Lana broke off from our group to make the rounds with her baby.
Clay lingered behind and pulled me to the back of the crowd. Hector glanced back when he saw I wasn’t by his side anymore, but I waved him off.
“How has everything been? Any updates?” he asked when we were out of hearing range.
I glanced at Hector to make sure he wasn’t paying attention to us. Ryker had handed him a beer, and Dan was waving his hands around as he told a story.
I shook my head. “No new notes. Not since the one I found in my room.”
Clay furrowed his brow, and I could see him going into cop mode. “Just because nothing has happened in a couple weeks, doesn’t mean the danger is over. You can’t let your guard down.”
“I know. I’m not,” I replied.
Clay studied me, then nodded to Hector. “You still haven’t told him anything?”
“This is my problem. I can handle it myself,” I said with a one-armed shrug.
I knew Hector had every right to know. He should be aware of someone breaking into his home.
But this was a problem I’d created, so I needed to be the one who fixed it.
I was already double-checking that all windows and doors were tightly locked, and I planned on bringing up more security measures to Hector later.
Once I figured out how to bring the topic up without sounding suspicious.
“But—”
“I don’t want him to worry, okay?”
Hector already thought I was too young for him. I didn’t want him to think I was immature too. That I couldn’t take care of myself.
I understood where Clay was coming from. Having a stalker wasn’t a game—especially when said stalker had somehow snuck into my room to leave a note—but I didn’t want to involve Hector. Not now. Not ever if I could help it.
Despite being so forward in my advances toward Hector, there was a part of me that felt like I needed to prove myself to him.
That part of me didn’t want me to be a burden to him.
He’d done so much to take care of me since I’d moved here, but I wanted to prove that I wasn’t someone who only needed to be taken care of. I wanted to do the same for him.
Which meant I needed to fix this stalker problem as soon as possible so that I could get back to my life and pursue Hector until he finally admitted out loud that he had feelings for me too.