Chapter 11 You Don’t Deserve Me
ELEVEN
You Don't Deserve Me
Padre worked quickly. James knew I had the heiress money but didn't calculate the connections that came with it. He returned to the office today to submit his resignation, and the confident expression he wore days ago was gone.
"Are you sure you don't want to demand I climb on top of the desk and hike my skirt up?"
He couldn't even look at me now, his eyes darting everywhere but mine, like a coward searching for an exit. I leaned back, letting the silence stretch, savoring the delicious shift in power.
"I didn't mean it. You took my words too seriously," the coward muttered, eyes flickering to the door like a trapped rat.
All the swagger he had days ago was gone just like that. Now, it was my turn to laugh.
James finally looked at me. "Just call off Bruno and Mr. Ortega."
I jumped to my feet, eyes wide and mouth slightly open. What I just heard hit me like a punch.
"Bruno?" My stomach dropped. "What does he have to do with this?"
How? When did he and Padre meet?
James stared at me briefly, then rushed from my office.
"Wait."
He would not stop, so I called my father. When he did not pick up, I reached out to Madre.
"Is that matter fixed?" she asked, and that was enough to tell me Padre had filled her in. I braced myself to get scolded.
When seconds passed and nothing came, I answered, "Yes. The man resigned, but I worry he will blackmail me later."
"Your padre would have demanded the evidence. Plus, I heard they recorded him confessing to blackmailing you. That's a crime over there."
I smiled. "It's probably the case everywhere…Did Padre call Bruno? How did they even meet?"
"Back when you two were in college, Bruno came to Spain to visit his family and stopped by. I was shocked. You never shared anything about your life, so learning you had a boyfriend of three years surprised me. But once we got to know him, we approved and waited for news of the engagement."
My breath caught. Bruno once sat in my parents' living room, introduced himself, and nobody ever said a word to me? Why the big secret? Why was I always the last to know?
"I didn't know you met."
"Well, we did, and he got our hopes up. When no news came, your father phoned, and Bruno explained you two broke up. He took the blame, but we still were rooting for you two to get back together. I liked him, but I know my taste in men and yours aren't the same."
Silently, I listened to my mother. It seemed the week my Madre's life fell apart, I was supposed to get engaged, but instead I asked him for space.
"Is that Alexandra?" my padre asked in the background.
"Yes."
"Tell him thank you," I whispered, the words raw.
Mother did as I asked, and I held my breath, waiting for his reply.
Padre didn't disappoint; he answered as I'd grown to expect. "If she wants to thank me, tell her to marry Bruno, settle down, and make me some grandbabies."
"Your father says you're welcome."
I laughed at Madre. She had to know I heard him, right?
My mother spoke again. "Please tell me you brought your scarf. They say New York is freezing again."
"I'm inside, Madre. The radiator is working like always. No frostbite yet."
"Wear a scarf when you go out. And eat something warm. I made caldo verde tonight and thought of you. Your father had two bowls. I know he misses how you used to sneak the last ladle."
I smiled into the receiver. "He misses the ladle or he misses me?"
"Both. Mostly you."
I almost laughed. Not too long ago, he banned me from his funeral, and now everyone had forgotten our cruel words. Typical in my family: hurtfully blunt one day, tender the next. Healthy? Probably not, but that's the way we were.
"Listen, carino, the Ferreras are hosting a celebration next month. Diego's back from Madrid, and his mother asked if you might attend. Just a friendly hello."
Here it was. The gentle nudge wrapped in velvet. "Madre, there's no way. Amoré Nights just launched, and I barely sleep as it is."
"I know, I know. Still, a dance never hurt anyone. Good families look after each other. You should have people who look after you." She paused, letting the words settle. "I worry you stand alone too often."
"I am fine, Ma."
"I believe you. But being fine and being happy are different animals. Think about it, yes? You will call tomorrow?"
"I will call tomorrow."
"Scarf," she reminded, then kissed the phone and hung up.
Needing to process this information, I left the office. When I walked through the lobby and outside, I realized that even after promising, I had forgotten the scarf and even my damn coat upstairs. It was cold as fuck, but I figured my thoughts would keep me warm.
Bruno saved me. The same one who threw my life into chaos.
As I started to walk, my confusion grew. Was my father, all this time, talking about a specific man when he kept telling me to get married?
As I waited at the crosswalk for the light to change, something brushed my shoulder.
Cloth, heavy and warm. I flinched, then looked up.
Bruno stood close enough for me to count the dark lashes framing his eyes.
He settled his coat over me with slow hands, careful, like the gesture might shatter if he rushed it.
The city's noise dimmed while I concentrated on the heavy wool covering my upper body.
"You'll freeze to death," he murmured.
My pulse kicked hard, a drum in my throat. The coat smelled like cedar and a hint of his last espresso. I swallowed heat, felt it roll through me, fierce and sudden. We kept still in that pocket of day, breath clouding, eyes locked, neither moving away.
"I'm warm enough," I managed.
"Keep it anyway," he said, voice hoarse.
Bruno's knuckles grazed my collar. Sparks.
I drew a slow breath, and flashbacks from that drunken night in California chose that moment to come back in sharp detail.
As one image after another of us in bed surfaced, I looked into his eyes.
He gave a slight smile, the kind that carried a question neither of us wanted to ask.
The air tightened between us until a laugh from down the block snapped the moment apart.
He stepped back an inch, leaving a cool space where his warmth had been and a thought of what might have happened if he had stayed close.
"Where is your coat?"
"What are you doing here? I thought you went back to California."
The light changed, so Bruno and I started walking.
He carried an uncertain look.
"I spoke to James and my father. I know you helped me."
"Why didn't you call me? My brother works for the FBI, and I was closer." Bruno looked pained, and I felt guilty for not even considering it.
"I just kicked you out of my life again. What the hell would it look like asking for help?"
"I would've still helped you. I'd never say no."
For a while, we walked side by side on the busy winter sidewalks of New York, our breath fogging in the air as we talked, oblivious to the city rushing past.
Curiosity got the best of me, and I stopped in the middle of the street. "How did you handle James?"
"I recorded him confessing to the blackmail. He's a fucking idiot. Your father had his connections fire his mother and sister from their jobs. Your dad started working the minute you told him," Bruno said.
I nodded slowly. That's why I'd called him. Regardless of what I said or did, I was his flesh and blood.
"Mr. Ortega paid in full and moved to close on the building James rents.
His lawyers rushed the paperwork, and the mortgage on the man's family home is already in your father's portfolio.
Most people spend weeks waiting for that kind of approval, but he had it finalized in two days.
That is the speed money and influence can buy. "
My eyes widened as I listened to him go on.
"And yesterday, the cybersecurity firm he hired finished erasing every file James kept on you. They charged a fortune—worth every cent," Bruno finished.
"Wow, you two really worked well together," I muttered.
He looked apprehensive. "I know you have a complicated relationship with him, but you're still his daughter."
I pressed my lips together. "The relationship between my father and me only rivals ours. Neither of you had to help, but you did."
He shook his head like there was no need for me to say anything, but I wasn't going to cop out or run. "Bruno, thank you. You really saved me from a hell I created myself."
"And?"
I knew what he wanted. It's what my parents, Demetria, and now I'm starting to think I should do deep down—to give us a second chance. "Nothing else has changed."
"Yes, it has. Listen, I understand you are a numbers person, and statistically, men who cheat do it again, but the probability isn't one hundred percent."
I chuckled and continued walking, trying to gather my thoughts.
"I'm not leaving."
"Really? Can you work at Greenslate all the way from New York?"
"I'll resign if they won't let me work remotely. If I'm going to chase you properly, I need to be in the state. Maybe even the same building. Are there any condos for sale in yours?"
Bruno's words didn't make me uneasy. They weren't threats. Actually, my heart welcomed them, and I smiled.
Bruno caught my wrist, gentle and sure, and time froze around us. Cold air turned our breaths into small white ghosts that hovered and vanished. Traffic hissed somewhere behind us, a faint reminder that other lives kept moving.
He stepped closer. Snow dusted his dark hair, melting when it touched the heat of his skin.
Our silence felt thick enough to touch, every unsaid word pressing in on my ribs.
My pulse thumped hard at the base of my throat.
Bruno watched my mouth like he'd already read my next thought, like he was waiting for permission I did not know how to give.
I parted my lips to say something easy, maybe a joke, maybe a warning.
Nothing came out. The words tangled with the rush of want that slammed through my chest. He tilted his head, slow, deliberate.
I felt the warmth of his breath before the touch of his lips.
When they met mine, the world narrowed to that soft collision.
Heat bloomed, shocking against the winter air.
For half a second, I froze, every warning bell clanging. Then want won, louder than fear.
I kissed him back, fierce, almost greedy.
His hand found my neck, thumb tracing my jaw in a way that made me shiver.
The street, the snow, the weeks of arguing all faded away.
There was only the glide of his mouth over mine, the quick hitch of his breath when I pressed closer, the sudden knowledge that I'd missed this more than I had ever let myself admit.
"I might be on my way to forgiving you, but I'll never forget."
He squeezed me tighter. "I don't want to forget anything about us. Even the parts that hurt still made me grateful to have you in my life."
I rolled my eyes. "Alright, take a break with all the flowery words. I'd take you back just to stop all the corny talk."
Bruno laughed, wrapped an arm around my shoulder, and steered me into a nearby restaurant. "You never did like getting romanced in public."
"Nobody talks like that except you. It's so cheesy."
By the look on his face, Bruno wasn't buying my words. "So, what you're saying is you've missed it."
Lowering my head, I hid my reddish cheeks.
The man might have been right, but he knew I would never admit it.
As the restaurant door closed behind us, Bruno's laughter followed my words.
We sat at an empty table. He and I were back together, and anyone who knew us understood that meant we had entered our own little world.
When several seconds went by without anyone taking our order, I glanced at him, worried.
He smiled, but he was obviously freezing.
Since I had forgotten my coat and he had given me his, cold might have been an understatement.
From my seat, I could see the contrast between his pale skin and flushed cheeks. He wasn't blushing; he was just cold.
Oh hell no. I'd just got him back, he wasn't leaving me so soon.
Leaning to my right, I scanned the restaurant behind Bruno, desperately trying to spot a waitress.
Not caring if she wasn't ours, when I spotted a person wearing a shirt with a logo, I lifted my hand and waved it like my life depended on it.
Before Bruno turned his head to see who I was gesturing to, she smiled and made her way over. "Hi. Sorry, we're a little understaffed today, and I didn't see you guys come in."
"It's OK," I said and lifted my hand when it looked like she would speak again. I had no interest in hearing about the specials or anything else. "Can you please get my boyfriend a hot cup of coffee? He's freezing, and God knows if any part of him is frostbitten."
Bruno's eyes flew open, and I figured he thought the server would use her imagination about what was frozen.
The lady nodded and sprinted away. She didn't go far. I watched her grab a pitcher and two mugs. Good. As soon as he got some warm liquid in his body, I'd feel more at ease.
"I'll get you two some menus," she said, then started to leave but hesitated. When she lowered the pot of coffee on the table, I nodded. "I'll leave this here. Have as much as you want," she said before hurrying off.
Impatiently, I watched Bruno across from me, but when he didn't take a sip, I was puzzled.
"What? Why aren't you drinking it?"
He smiled and finally, slowly lifted the cup, but when the ceramic mug touched his lips, he froze. Maybe I was mistaken and he was fine, thanks to the thermal underwear under his clothes.
"So I'm your boyfriend again?"
My eyebrows shot up and my mouth fell open as the words tumbled out. "What? Did I say that? When?"
Warmth hit my cheeks when I replayed my words, but I raised my chin right away. There was nothing to be ashamed of. "Well, you begged hard enough, and here we are again."
"It's just been a while since I heard you call me that."
I poured myself a cup while admitting, "Since you, I haven't used that word for anyone."
Bruno took a gulp of his coffee and winked. "That's nice of you to share."
Share?
"Long as I'm not sharing YOU again, I'm not stingy," I mumbled. Then, as my own cheeks heated up again, I realized what pleased Bruno earlier. My slip made it clear I cared more than I admitted. It wasn't just one-sided, as I'd been pretending all along.
"Now, what can I get you two to eat?" the server returned to ask. Bruno and I stared at each other.
"My girlfriend will order. She knows what I like."
My jaw gave a quick, unapproved twitch. Bruno was right, I did know.