Chapter 28
Divided between talking to my mother and playing with Valentina, I’m paying close attention to the interaction between my brother and Olívia.
Rafael has an easy way with words, and women adore him.
Both he and Gael usually leave female representatives sighing, and I wonder if the same happens with the one who drives me crazier and crazier every day.
She’s been tense since we sat down in the living room to talk. Did I make a mistake in bringing her here? Am I rushing things?
After going upstairs to be with Nina yesterday, my head was in a whirl. If we hadn’t been interrupted, I know what would have happened: I would have spent every minute of the night exploring her spectacular body.
I can’t postpone it anymore. I need to come clean before the situation worsens.
“So you’re working in the family business now?” I hear her ask Rafe.
“Temporarily. I was dying of boredom. I’m a bit restless.”
She laughs. “Oh, don’t even talk to me about restlessness. I completely understand. I’m afraid I won’t have time to do everything I want in my time on Earth.”
“Like what, for example?”
“Traveling to Brazil is one of my big projects.”
She hasn’t told me anything about that, and now she’s confessing her dreams to my brother?
“Brazil, really? I’ve been there a few times for advertising campaigns. I love Rio de Janeiro.”
“My adoptive mother was Brazilian, although not from Rio. She was born in Minas Gerais, another state.” She smiles when talking about her mother.
“From the pictures, Rio de Janeiro seems to be a beautiful city indeed. I would like to go to the Christ the Redeemer. I’m Catholic, and I would be very happy to climb up there and give thanks. ”
“About anything in particular?”
“No. Just for life. I’m healthy and happy, despite losing my mother. I believe that God knows everything, that there’s a reason for everything.”
“I think we need to talk more, Olívia. I’m not always so positive.”
Another laugh, but then she becomes serious.
“I also feel discouraged from time to time, like everyone else, but it doesn’t last long.
I can’t afford to give up. This is the only life I have, and I need to make the most of it.
” She seems a bit embarrassed and changes the subject.
“I’m sure your arm will be fully recovered soon. You need to believe, Rafe.”
I’m surprised that he told Olívia about the surgery. It’s a sensitive topic for Rafe. He doesn’t even like to share information about the progress of the injury that kept him out of the golf circuit last year with the family.
“Guillermo, did you hear what I said?”
Only then do I realize that my mother has asked me something. I was completely distracted by Olívia’s words. There’s a world about her that I don’t know. Things that no report could show me.
“Yes, I . . . no . . .”
“Can you come with me to the kitchen for a moment?”
I don’t want to leave her side. It’s as if in the space of a few minutes, I’m taking an intensive course on Olívia.
“Guillermo?”
I sigh, a little annoyed. “Let’s go.”
When we get up, Nina, who was in my mother’s arms, throws herself towards Olívia, who doesn’t hesitate. She looks me in the eyes for the first time since we arrived and gives me a shy smile.
“I’m going to the kitchen with my mom for a moment. Don’t run away.” I say that quietly, just to her, but Rafe laughs, and her cheeks flush.
Before I can make a bigger mess, I leave the room.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“In relation to what?”
My mother raises an eyebrow. “You haven’t told Olívia the truth yet.”
“No.”
“My son, I have to admit that from what I’ve seen of her so far, you were right. The girl seems lovely, but Layla also deceived you for a month before coming with the news of the pregnancy.”
“Where are you going with this?”
“You two are together.”
I start to speak, but she interrupts me.
“Don’t even try to deny it. Anyone would notice the electricity between you.”
“I wasn’t going to deny it.”
“Do you realize it would be a terrible move to get involved with her?”
“Rationally, yes.”
“You’re not Gael. You’ve always been the most level-headed of all my children.
Even more so than Joaquín. Don’t confuse things.
Try to be impartial in your judgment before bringing her definitively into your life, if that’s what you want.
You can’t just think of yourself when getting involved with a woman; you have to think of Nina. ”
I sigh, tired, because I’m not the type of man who likes receiving advice. Despite that, I wonder if she’s right and my attraction to Olívia is clouding my judgment.
“I’m going to invite her for dinner tomorrow and start telling her the truth.”
“Start?”
“Yes, start. I can’t just dump that horrible story on her all at once. No one deserves to learn about their own past that way.”
“And then?”
“Mrs. Isabel, you’re my mother, I love and respect your opinion, but don’t try to tell me how to live my life.”
“I just want to protect you from another disappointment.”
“I appreciate that, but I’m an adult. I agree with you on one point: before taking any major step with Olívia, I need to tell her everything. I’ll slow things down between us, but there’s no chance I’ll give up on her.”
“Where’s Olívia?” I ask Rafe when I return to the living room.
I feel a headache starting to emerge. Although the conversation with my mother was necessary, the idea of keeping any distance from Olívia drives me crazy.
“She went to the garden with Nina. Our princess saw some birds through the window and went crazy, practically doing somersaults in Olívia’s lap.
” He’s lounging in the armchair, arms crossed, looking pensive.
I know he wants to ask me something, but he hesitates.
“Are you two together, or is she some kind of nanny?” he finally asks.
“She’s not a nanny, but why the interest?”
He smiles and doesn’t answer.
“Don’t even think about it,” I warn.
“Wow. Someone territorial around here?”
“You bet,” I say and leave the room more annoyed than ever.
I look for the two but don’t find them. I start walking to the back of the house when suddenly I hear voices.
“Have I died and been gifted with my own personal angel? Tell me you were sent from heaven just for me, beautiful.”
Gael.
Jerk.
I hear a laugh that I know comes from her, and I quicken my pace, very willing to strangle my brother, the womanizer. If he thinks he can go after my Olívia like he does with every beautiful woman who crosses his path, I’ll prove him wrong.
Without caring whether what I’m doing is revealing and forgetting about the conversation I had with my mother just now, I get as close to her as is socially acceptable.
“Lose something out here, Gael?”
“Actually, I just found something.” The shameless jerk keeps playing.
“I don’t think so.”
He looks from me to Olívia and then smiles. “Good to see you too, big brother. I’ve missed your sourness. Decided to compete with Joaquín to see who’s grumpier?”
Olívia lets out a snort of laughter, which only makes me want to kill my brother again.
“Let’s go inside. Mom has already started serving the appetizers.”
I give my daughter a kiss on the head. She’s smiling as if she finds the interaction between two idiot alpha males very amusing. Placing my hand on Olívia’s lower back, I guide her inside the house.