9. Chapter Eight
Chapter Eight
P endejo!
What is wrong with me? Why did I say that?
Rafa watched Sky until she disappeared behind a bougainvillea. He managed not to succumb to the urge to let his gaze drift to the enticing swing of her hips. She was just so damned beautiful and tempting.
This isn’t the time for lecherous thoughts!
No, it was the time for chastising ones.
He silently berated himself for the fight he had picked with her. That conversation could have gone so much better had he been more careful with his words. Accusing her of being irresponsible when she had been handpicked by Jaime and Maddie to raise Jasper was beyond the pale. They knew her better than he did.
He glanced down at Jasper’s head and saw the faint flush of heat creeping along his ears. Ashamed that he hadn’t even considered the sun, he quickly placed his hand over his nephew’s head and cradled him close as he stood. Jaime and Maddie had been right to choose Sky over everyone else. She was a better caregiver and had the best and most intimate relationship with Jasper.
And I sat there and scolded her for being irresponsible when I didn’t even think to bring a hat for Jasper.
Rafael carried Jasper back to the house and ran into Lola, who seemed less than happy to see him. “What?” he asked with an exaggerated sigh.
“Do you enjoy upsetting Sky? Is this some weird, sick game?”
“No, it’s nothing like that.”
“Then why?” She narrowed her eyes at him with suspicion. “Is Dina right? Are you…? Is this the adult version of playground flirtation? Instead of yanking on her braids, you verbally cut her down?”
“It’s not anything like that,” he insisted defensively. “I’m not wrong to point out that she has a history of running away.”
“From you,” Lola corrected. “She has a history of running away from you .”
Taken aback, he asked, “What does that mean?”
Lola rolled her eyes and made a disgusted sound. “I’m not stupid, Rafael. I don’t know what happened after Jaime and Maddie’s wedding, but clearly, something did. Sky disappeared, and you entered your mean jerk era. It doesn’t take a genius to do that math.” She glared at him. “What did you do to her?”
“Nothing. Not what you’re thinking,” he hastily interjected, even though he had no idea what his little sister was thinking.
Lola’s eyes widened. “I knew it!” She stepped closer. “You slept with her!”
“ Sh !” Rafael looked around, suddenly terrified his mother might be lurking nearby. “What we did or didn’t do after the wedding is none of your business.”
“Oh. My. God.” Lola enunciated each word in the most dramatic way. “ Wow . You suddenly pushing this arranged marriage makes so much sense. You couldn’t seal the deal six years ago, and now you’ve found a way to force her hand.”
“That is not what is happening! I would never—! We’re getting married to protect Jasper from Beverly.”
“Uh-huh,” she mocked. “You keep telling yourself that. You might be able to lie to everyone else, but lying to yourself? Good luck with that, Rafael!” She stole Jasper from his arms and cuddled their nephew close. She frowned and clicked her teeth in frustration. “Did you take him outside without a hat? Without any shade? He’s so warm!”
“I didn’t know!” He defensively replied. “Babies don’t come with manuals. I’m doing my best.”
“Your best isn’t good enough.” Lola kissed Jasper’s little head. “Come on, my sleepy baby boo. Let’s get you into a nice, cool room so you can recover from the sunstroke your uncle tried to give you.”
“Lola!” he harshly scolded. “That’s just mean!”
She shrugged and walked away with their nephew still sleeping in her arms. Irritated, he stormed to the office he used when at home. Safe inside, he closed the door behind him and dropped into one of the well-worn leather chairs by the window. He rubbed his throbbing temples as Lola and Sky’s voices rattled around in his aching head.
Lola was right about all of it. He did feel guilty, and it did make him act coldly and cruelly toward Sky. He was a rotten hypocrite and an asshole.
And now Sky is going to be married to me and miserable for the rest of her life.
Or, at least, for the duration of the marriage.
He glanced at the paperwork sitting on his desk. The family’s attorney had sent over a stack of legal forms that needed his attention. The word prenuptial had figured heavily in the email and voicemail. If it had been any other situation, any other woman, he would have insisted on doing things correctly.
But this was Sky, and she had just lost her sister and Jaime and inherited all the responsibilities of motherhood.
If he asked for a divorce or annulment, she would give it to him without question. She wouldn’t try to take the business or ruin him financially. That wasn’t in her nature, no matter how angry he might make her.
He retrieved his phone from the pocket of his jeans and opened the last message he’d shared with his attorney.
No prenup. There’s not enough time for Sky to hire an attorney and negotiate. We’ll discuss a postnup.
After sending the message, he slipped his phone back into his pocket and walked to his desk. He picked up the paperwork and thumbed through it. There were so many clauses, many of them outrageous. The idea of putting Sky on an allowance or setting a minimum number of sexual encounters in a calendar year made him feel sick. The more egregious clauses were labeled as extreme in the margins of the papers, and he was disgusted that anyone would even consider putting them in there in the first place.
There was a knock at his office door, and he called, “Come in.”
When Sky stepped through the door, he was surprised. She must have seen it on his face because she asked, “Are you expecting someone else?”
“No.” He casually dropped the paperwork into the top drawer of his desk and closed it. Not having a prenup wasn’t the most practical or responsible decision, but it was the right one. “Did you want to talk about something?”
“I wanted to talk about us. About the marriage,” she clarified, leaning back against the closed door. She seemed so stiff, and his chest tightened at her discomfort in his presence. “About kids and all that stuff.”
“Sky,” he walked around the desk, “we don’t have to talk about any of that. I don’t expect kids. I shouldn’t have even brought that up.”
“No, you should have.” She worked up the courage to leave the safety of the door. “You’re right. We do need to think about the future.”
Carefully, he asked, “What does that mean to you? Or, rather, what does the future look like to you?”
“I don’t know,” she said with a tired sigh before dropping into the leather chair he had been sitting in earlier. “A few days ago, before Jaime and Maddie left on their trip, I was planning to go on vacation to Greece and maybe work on a book or look at going to college. Now, my sister is dead, and I’m supposed to raise my nephew.”
“A book?” Rafael asked, surprised by that revelation. “I didn’t know you were writing.”
“I have been for a long time. I’m not sure I’m good, but I enjoy it.”
“I’m sure you’re very good at it,” he insisted, wanting to build her up and encourage her confidence. “I would like to read whatever you’ve written—if you’ll let me.”
Obviously shy, she shook her head. “It’s just silly mystery stuff. You wouldn’t like it.”
“I like mysteries. My grandfather loved them. There are shelves stuffed with mysteries in the library—Spanish and English versions. The Hardy Boys . Nancy Drew . Poirot . Marple . I read all of those as a kid. I’m more into thrillers these days, but I always read the latest Miss Fortune series when Mama is done with her copy.”
Sky sat back, seemingly astonished. “You read Jana Deleon?”
“Yes. She’s hilarious.”
“She really is,” Sky agreed with a smile.
Wanting to see more of that from her, he crossed the distance between them and sat on the oversized square leather ottoman that doubled as a coffee table. It put him eye to eye with her, and he cautiously placed his hand on her bare knee. She had worn a simple black dress to her bridal appointment with his mother and sisters. Her tan skin was warm beneath his fingertips, alluring and soft. “I know that life threw us a curveball, Sky. This isn’t what either of us envisioned for our futures.”
“It’s so not even close to what I imagined.”
“That doesn’t mean you can’t have the life you want.” He hated the thought of her giving up any dreams. “You don’t have to settle or sacrifice. I’ll do whatever I can to ensure you have the opportunities and the time you need to work on your goals.”
Her brow furrowed. “What does that mean?”
“It means I’ve been working for ages, and I’ve been running this company so long I can’t even remember when I had dreams that weren’t about spreadsheets and audits and forecasts.” He exhaled roughly. “The truth is that I’m tired, Sky. I’ve been thinking about stepping back,” he confessed. “Letting Dina take over for a while.”
“Oh. Wow.” Sky’s eyes widened. “That’s a big decision. I don’t know much about business, but I know Dina is brilliant. I’m sure she’ll do very well in the role.”
“She will,” he agreed. “She’s earned it.”
“A leave of absence might be good for you?” she asked carefully. “Especially now that you’re about to be stepping into a fatherhood role. It’s going to be a big adjustment.”
“Yes.” Her elegant fingers were clasped, and he reached out to take one of her hands. She let him, and he marveled at the difference in their size. He wasn’t a big man, but he was bigger than her. His mind traveled back to that torrid moment they shared in the garden. He had lifted her so easily, held her there against the arbor while he ravished her under the moonlight.
“Are you afraid?” she asked in that soft, silken voice he had yearned to hear.
“Yes,” he admitted eventually. Lifting his gaze to hers, he decided to get real. “Terrified.”
“So am I.” She took his other hand in hers. “But we’re not alone. We have each other, your mother, your sisters, and your brother. We have people who love us and want to help us. We’re very lucky, Rafael. We can hire help if we need it. We don’t have to worry about paying the mortgage or having enough money for medical bills or groceries. We just have to love Jasper and be the best parents we can.”
“You make it sound so easy.”
“It might be,” she said with a little shrug. “Not everything is a trial.”
“I don’t want to mess him up.” Rafael exhaled roughly. “He’s already lost his parents. That’s a trauma that will follow him for the rest of his life. What if we can’t make a marriage work? What if we fight all the time? What if I make you miserable?”
“What if I make you miserable?” she asked with arched brows.
“You couldn’t,” he said dismissively.
“I think other people might disagree.”
“They’re idiots.”
She laughed softly. “Rafael.”
His heart fluttered at the way she said his name. He wanted to ask her to say it again—and again.
“Can we table the talk of heavy subjects like divorce and five-year plans and kids? Just for a while? A few months?” She rubbed her thumb across his, and his breath caught in his throat. “I know we need to have that discussion. I know we need to talk about the endgame of our marriage of convenience. I just… I can’t right now.”
“I understand.” He stared into her gorgeous eyes, silently willing her to keep stroking his hand. “After what we’ve lost, we both need time.”
She nodded. “Yes. Time.”
“And if Beverly decides not to sue for custody or cause a legal battle, you may not have to stay married to me for very long.”
He might have imagined it, but he could have sworn she looked almost sad for a moment. She smiled ruefully. “I doubt it. She’s never been one to back down from a fight or a chance to cause major drama. You might be stuck with me for a while.”
Was it wrong of him to wish Beverly would try to sue them? Was it wrong that he wanted her to drag it out so he could keep Sky close?
I want her.
I want Sky to be my wife. I want her to have my name. I want her to by mine.
Mine to protect.
Mine to woo.
Mine to love.