A Second Chance
Page 14
He rubbed the pain of regret from his chest. “I care about her.”
“And you always have. Hell, I remember the night I met you and she dropped the kids off at your folks’ house. You were crushed and your father was angry because you’d been divorced for two years, and yet you still mourned your marriage. In the three years I’ve known you, I’ve never known you to even try to move on from Madeline. Now she’s single and you’ve chosen this time to get married.”
Carlos rolled the bottle between his palms and looked down at it. “She doesn’t want me in her life. She’d rather have me gone and happy.”
“But you’re not.”
Carlos sat silent for a moment. “No, I’m not.”
“Did you ever think she was trying to push you away in case something happened to her? She’d rather have you angry at her than mourn her.”
There were tears stinging Carlos’s eyes, but he fought them back and took a swig from his beer.
Zach inched further over the table. “Listen, Regan did the same thing. Remember Alexander Hamilton?”
“You don’t forget the name of the man who tried to kill your sister.”
“Once she realized he was the man I was doing business with, she quit her job and planned to move away so she wouldn’t hurt me with her past. She figured I was better off without her.” He shook his head. “What if I would’ve let her go? What if I would’ve let that asshole’s money mean more than my love for Regan? I wouldn’t have anything right now. But look, we’ve been happily married for three years and we have a son. You know how that feels.”
He did. There was nothing like his children. The children he and Madeline had created in love were his life. “I just don’t understand why she won’t let me help her.”
“She’s scared.”
Carlos inched his body over the table. “That’s why she should let me help her.”
“But she doesn’t want you unhappy either. She thinks Kathy makes you happy.”
“She does. Kathy is wonderful.” The statement was as true as they came.
“I didn’t say she wasn’t. But does she really make you happy?
“Of course she does.”
“As happy as Madeline makes you?”
Carlos rolled the beer bottle between his hands again and then pushed it away. “If you’re trying to confuse, me you’re doing a great job.”
“No, I’m trying to get you to face something before you make a mistake.” He finished his beer. “Listen. You need to do what you think is right. And what you think is right is to take care of Madeline.”
“You think I should just butt into her life?”
“Yeah, I guess that’s what I’m trying to say. But I also think you’d better give some consideration as to what you’re going to do with Kathy. Do you really want to marry her? And if you really do, you need to either let go of your feelings for Madeline or make sure Kathy understands them completely. Because no matter how understanding she’s being right now, sooner or later she’s going to crack.”
Carlos nodded.
“We’d better get back out there. Tyler is going to be getting hungry soon, and she’ll want to head home to feed him.”
Kathy was just closing her bridal planner when Zach and Carlos returned. Tyler slept peacefully in his carrier. Carlos watched as his sister’s eyes rose toward her husband and he smiled at her. She returned the smile, and he knew in that silent moment they’d had an entire conversation.
Kathy looked up at Carlos. “I think I’ve decided on the outdoor wedding at Regan and Zach’s. What do you think?”
“I think that sounds beautiful.” He smiled. How could he not? She was absolutely glowing.
He sat back down next to her, and she scooted closer to him. “Do you like purple?”
“Purple is a fine color.”
“Great. I think that Clara would look best in it. She’s so beautiful.” That warmed his heart. “I’ve asked my sisters to be bridesmaids, and your sisters too.”
“Okay.” He picked up the glass of water that he’d left there when he and Zach had vacated the table and sipped. “Well, Zach, I guess I’d better ask. Will you stand up on my side?”
Zach gave him a slow nod. “You know I would.”
Carlos nodded. He’d ask Curtis and his boys too.
In that one moment he could see himself moving on.
Carlos held Kathy’s hand as he navigated the dark roads single-handed as he’d done thousands of times. She was full of wildly excited chatter.
“Regan found a picture of the most beautiful dresses for the bridesmaids. I think we’ll get one for Clara that will match. I think it would be nice to have her be a junior bridesmaid instead of a flower girl. Isn’t she too old to be a flower girl?” Carlos only shrugged with a grunt, and Kathy continued. “Regan said Audrey would be a wealth of knowledge when it comes to caterers. She uses them for everything.”
“It sounds like you know exactly what you want.” He glanced her way and gave her a smile.
“Every girl dreams of what she wants from the time she’s little. Of course, I don’t expect you to dress in a white suit with braided ropes over the shoulders.”
“Prince Charming, eh?”
“Of course.”
He certainly couldn’t imagine being someone’s Prince Charming, but he found it refreshing that perhaps Kathy thought he was. “What else did you always want?”
“Well…” She sighed, obviously giving it some thought. “When I was about twenty, one of my friends from college got married. They set free white doves.”
“Doves? What ever happened to rice?”
“So you’re more old-fashioned? Shoe polish on car windows and tin cans strung to the back of the car?”
“Oh, yeah.” He laughed. “When I was little, though, I do remember going to a wedding with my parents in Puerto Rico.” He focused on the road as Kathy gave his hand a squeeze. It wasn’t often that he thought of his birth parents or their family home in Puerto Rico.
They’d brought him to the States when he was nearly six. They’d become part of the community they lived in quickly, thanks to the church they’d belonged to. That was where he met the Keller family for the first time. Regan was his age. The Kellers had adopted her and Arianna, her older sister, after having been their foster parents for years. He could still see Regan with ponytails in a white dress for church the first time he’d ever laid eyes on her. Mrs. Keller had a little boy in her arms, and he was sleeping. It was so vivid in his mind.
“And you always have. Hell, I remember the night I met you and she dropped the kids off at your folks’ house. You were crushed and your father was angry because you’d been divorced for two years, and yet you still mourned your marriage. In the three years I’ve known you, I’ve never known you to even try to move on from Madeline. Now she’s single and you’ve chosen this time to get married.”
Carlos rolled the bottle between his palms and looked down at it. “She doesn’t want me in her life. She’d rather have me gone and happy.”
“But you’re not.”
Carlos sat silent for a moment. “No, I’m not.”
“Did you ever think she was trying to push you away in case something happened to her? She’d rather have you angry at her than mourn her.”
There were tears stinging Carlos’s eyes, but he fought them back and took a swig from his beer.
Zach inched further over the table. “Listen, Regan did the same thing. Remember Alexander Hamilton?”
“You don’t forget the name of the man who tried to kill your sister.”
“Once she realized he was the man I was doing business with, she quit her job and planned to move away so she wouldn’t hurt me with her past. She figured I was better off without her.” He shook his head. “What if I would’ve let her go? What if I would’ve let that asshole’s money mean more than my love for Regan? I wouldn’t have anything right now. But look, we’ve been happily married for three years and we have a son. You know how that feels.”
He did. There was nothing like his children. The children he and Madeline had created in love were his life. “I just don’t understand why she won’t let me help her.”
“She’s scared.”
Carlos inched his body over the table. “That’s why she should let me help her.”
“But she doesn’t want you unhappy either. She thinks Kathy makes you happy.”
“She does. Kathy is wonderful.” The statement was as true as they came.
“I didn’t say she wasn’t. But does she really make you happy?
“Of course she does.”
“As happy as Madeline makes you?”
Carlos rolled the beer bottle between his hands again and then pushed it away. “If you’re trying to confuse, me you’re doing a great job.”
“No, I’m trying to get you to face something before you make a mistake.” He finished his beer. “Listen. You need to do what you think is right. And what you think is right is to take care of Madeline.”
“You think I should just butt into her life?”
“Yeah, I guess that’s what I’m trying to say. But I also think you’d better give some consideration as to what you’re going to do with Kathy. Do you really want to marry her? And if you really do, you need to either let go of your feelings for Madeline or make sure Kathy understands them completely. Because no matter how understanding she’s being right now, sooner or later she’s going to crack.”
Carlos nodded.
“We’d better get back out there. Tyler is going to be getting hungry soon, and she’ll want to head home to feed him.”
Kathy was just closing her bridal planner when Zach and Carlos returned. Tyler slept peacefully in his carrier. Carlos watched as his sister’s eyes rose toward her husband and he smiled at her. She returned the smile, and he knew in that silent moment they’d had an entire conversation.
Kathy looked up at Carlos. “I think I’ve decided on the outdoor wedding at Regan and Zach’s. What do you think?”
“I think that sounds beautiful.” He smiled. How could he not? She was absolutely glowing.
He sat back down next to her, and she scooted closer to him. “Do you like purple?”
“Purple is a fine color.”
“Great. I think that Clara would look best in it. She’s so beautiful.” That warmed his heart. “I’ve asked my sisters to be bridesmaids, and your sisters too.”
“Okay.” He picked up the glass of water that he’d left there when he and Zach had vacated the table and sipped. “Well, Zach, I guess I’d better ask. Will you stand up on my side?”
Zach gave him a slow nod. “You know I would.”
Carlos nodded. He’d ask Curtis and his boys too.
In that one moment he could see himself moving on.
Carlos held Kathy’s hand as he navigated the dark roads single-handed as he’d done thousands of times. She was full of wildly excited chatter.
“Regan found a picture of the most beautiful dresses for the bridesmaids. I think we’ll get one for Clara that will match. I think it would be nice to have her be a junior bridesmaid instead of a flower girl. Isn’t she too old to be a flower girl?” Carlos only shrugged with a grunt, and Kathy continued. “Regan said Audrey would be a wealth of knowledge when it comes to caterers. She uses them for everything.”
“It sounds like you know exactly what you want.” He glanced her way and gave her a smile.
“Every girl dreams of what she wants from the time she’s little. Of course, I don’t expect you to dress in a white suit with braided ropes over the shoulders.”
“Prince Charming, eh?”
“Of course.”
He certainly couldn’t imagine being someone’s Prince Charming, but he found it refreshing that perhaps Kathy thought he was. “What else did you always want?”
“Well…” She sighed, obviously giving it some thought. “When I was about twenty, one of my friends from college got married. They set free white doves.”
“Doves? What ever happened to rice?”
“So you’re more old-fashioned? Shoe polish on car windows and tin cans strung to the back of the car?”
“Oh, yeah.” He laughed. “When I was little, though, I do remember going to a wedding with my parents in Puerto Rico.” He focused on the road as Kathy gave his hand a squeeze. It wasn’t often that he thought of his birth parents or their family home in Puerto Rico.
They’d brought him to the States when he was nearly six. They’d become part of the community they lived in quickly, thanks to the church they’d belonged to. That was where he met the Keller family for the first time. Regan was his age. The Kellers had adopted her and Arianna, her older sister, after having been their foster parents for years. He could still see Regan with ponytails in a white dress for church the first time he’d ever laid eyes on her. Mrs. Keller had a little boy in her arms, and he was sleeping. It was so vivid in his mind.
