It does take me an entire day to pack all my stuff. It’s so weird being in this house alone, but I’m glad Brad is gone. It would make everything weirder. Lily was going to take the day off but had an emergency PR situation with one of the idiot actors she represents, and she’s only able to come help me late in the evening.
When we pack all my boxes in a U-Haul trailer and I close the door of the place that’s been my home for the last seven years, it’s inevitably bittersweet.
“Goodbye, house,” I whisper.
I glance at it one last time as Lily pulls away, still somewhat incredulous it’s come to this, but I feel no remorse, only relief.
Part of me knows I should rush back to New Mexico, but another part of me hesitates. I talk to Esteban every day, and I know he’s waiting to hear from me that I’m ready to come back. I tell him I miss him, and that I just need a little more time.
In reality, I have no idea what exactly I’m waiting for.
I’m slumming it at Lily’s for the time being. A week goes by, and then another.
Day after day, all I can do is keep driving around LA, hanging out in all my favorite spots, looking for reasons to stay. I haven’t found that many, definitely not enough to counter the reasons to leave. I drive by the house where I grew up, and I miss my parents like crazy. I wish I had family here. I wish I had someone other than Lily to talk about them with and keep their memory alive. I take the opportunity to see friends I haven’t seen in months. I go to my favorite yoga studio, desperately trying to find the peace within, trying to make sense of what happened, of how drastically my life changed in just a few months. I don’t want to rush back to New Mexico only to give Esteban false hope. I need to be sure it’s the right choice for me...and him. I keep telling myself that’s why I’m taking time, while part of me thinks I’m just chickening out and making excuses.
Moving your whole life for a man is stupid, right? Yet, my heart won’t stop racing just at the thought of him, and if it could, I swear my heart would yell at me to get a move on. I want to make an adult, responsible decision. Breaking up with Brad and staying in New Mexico might have been an impulsive decision led by my instincts, and while I don’t regret it, right now I’m afraid to make a decision based on what I feel for Esteban, and what he told me.
My chest warms at the thought of him, of his lips and his dashing smile.
I worry that Esteban will start to lose his patience with me, but somehow, he doesn’t. Day after day, he just asks me what I’ve been up to, and the guilt is eating me up. But as much as I miss him, I still feel like I need a little more time to think.
I don’t know what exactly I need to think about. He’s all I could ever want in a man. A few days later, we decide to go to Venice Beach for the day on Saturday, and Lily fills up our water bottles with vodka.
“What are you trying to do? Can’t we pay for our drinks like normal adults?”
“Come on, it’ll be fun.”
“Yeah, until someone pulls us over and gives us a ticket.”
“Don’t be silly.”
A few hours later, we’re both hammered and talking nonsense as we skate by the boardwalk. That’s right, as if it wasn’t enough that she wanted me to drink alcohol out of a water bottle like a teenager, she convinced me to strap on skates and relive our teen years. We’re laughing like idiots when we fall a while later. Thankfully, nothing is broken or bruised except my ego, while Lily’s still looks intact. We both sit down on a bench and look at the ocean.
“If I move, that’s one thing I’ll miss,” I say, nodding toward the shore.
“If you move, it will be here, waiting for you to visit,” she says with a hiccup, patting my leg, while I pat her back.
“We should have brought some water along, not just alcohol,” I tell her.
I close my eyes for a moment and the sun clouds over. When I open them, I realize it wasn’t a cloud, it’s an older dude wearing a tie-dye shirt and running shorts standing in front of the sun.
“Dude, what the hell?” Lily slurs. “Get a move on!”
“Shhhh,” I tell her. Could she at least act like she’s not blatantly drunk?
“Sorry to interrupt,” the man says hesitantly, looking between Lily and me. “I know it might be hard to believe what I have to tell you, but I simply have to.”
“Dude, my very hot friend here is too old to be asked to model, so please spare us, okay?” I tell him, waving at him to get lost.
He chuckles. “No, I wasn’t going to say that, ma’am.”
Ma’am?
“Okay, so what is it?” Lily asks, impatiently.
His eyes lock with me, and he says, “Your life is not here. Your life is in New Mexico.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Lily says, her mouth forming an O while I remain stunned. “Excuse me, sir, what did you just say?”
“My name is Henry Tyler…I’m a medium.”
A guffawed laugh escapes my lips. “Are you shitting me right now?” Do they still have candid cameras? Because this certainly has the potential to be one. I look around me, trying to spot a hidden camera…somewhere.
“Your name is Ines, right?”
“This is freaky,” Lily murmurs, leaning toward me.
“Did you have something to do with this? Are you two messing with me?”
“I swear I have nothing to do with this! Wait…how did you know her name?” Lily frowns, pointing her finger.
He raises his hands defensively. “I realize you might not believe in mediums, but I’m here with a message…from your mother, Penelope.”
“Dude, what the fuck,” Lily says drunkenly, staring at me wide-eyed, and I squeeze her arm, telling her to stop.
“Penelope told me to tell you, ‘Language, young lady.’”
“Jesus,” I say, because that’s what my mom often told us when she caught us cursing.
The dude chuckles and says, “She’s also told me to tell you not to use the name of the Lord in vain. I am not religious, but that’s what she wants me to tell you.”
“How did you know my mom’s name?” I ask him, pointing my finger.
“You want proof, right? Your mother Penelope died a few years ago of lung cancer. Your father died when you were a teenager of a stroke. You’re an only child and your parents emigrated here from Spain. Your mother’s spirit called on me and sent me to you. Spirits sometimes do that. I was just minding my business when this…force I’m sometimes blessed or cursed with—depending on how you look at it—well, this force, your mother’s spirit, urged me to come talk to you and tell you that your life is not here, it’s in New Mexico.”
My mouth is wide open, and Lily shuts it by placing a finger under my chin.
“Your mother also says that’s not very ladylike,” she jokes.
Henry snickers. “She agrees. What’s in New Mexico, by the way? Why would you ever leave California?” he jokes, opening his arms to point out at the obvious, as if Venice Beach is the most wonderful place on earth.
Esteban. I have to get back to Esteban.
I glance in Lily’s direction. Tie-dye dude has probably done acid too many times in his life, but he might be right about one thing.
I guess my mother felt the need to intervene and tell me to wake up and open my eyes. Moved by the idea of my mother’s spirit being near, I release a shaky breath, trying to undo the knot in my throat. Tears quickly fill my eyes, I can finally see things clearly. God, what am I still doing here? I’ve been so stubborn the last few days.
My life isn’t here.
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Of course. I imagine you’d have a few.”
“How’s my mother?”
“She’s quite all right and she wants me to reassure you she’s with your father. She just summoned me to tell you your life is in New Mexico.” He pauses, and looks down, almost as if he’s listening intently to a secret, invisible conversation.
Lily and I exchange a puzzled look. I’ve never had an ex
perience like this in my life. The Universe is obviously trying to send me several messages.
“Oh, yes. She says you need to follow your heart. The love of your life is waiting. Okay, okay, I’ll tell her. The love of your life is waiting in New Mexico.”
I start laughing, stunned, ecstatic, drunk, and emotionally drained. I blink back my tears and wipe the corners of my eyes. Obviously, my mom thought I needed a sign to get my ass in gear. Well, she was right. I get up and hug Henry, kissing him on the cheek.
“Sorry if my mother was bossing you around. She does that.”
“It’s okay. Sometimes spirits...misbehave,” he says with a snicker.
“Tell Penelope I love her and that I’m going to do what she told me,” I say, helping Lily up so we can leave.
“Tomorrow, dear. When you’ve sobered up,” Henry says.
I purse my lips, tears brimming my eyes. “Okay, Mom,” I whisper. “Thank you, Henry. I’ll find your Facebook page and send you a thank-you card, okay? And maybe an invitation to my wedding.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
“Google says the drive is twelve hours. I think I should be able to make it in fourteen with sufficient bathroom breaks and pit stops for food and coffee.”
“Promise me you’ll stop if you get tired. Remember that you’re pulling this thing, and not to question your abilities, but when did you ever drive twelve hours straight pulling a U-Haul?”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” I groan.
“You can do it!” she yells, arms stretched out holding imaginary pom-poms. “But please, please promise me you will stop if you get tired.”
“I don’t think that’s going to happen. I’ll probably be too wired the entire time.”
“Still, I’m sure Esteban wants you back in one piece. By the way, did you tell him you’re on your way back?”
“I haven’t yet. I keep going back and forth on what to do. Should I tell him? Should I not tell him and surprise him? I can’t make up my mind.”
“I see. Either way, you have twelve hours of time to muster up the courage to call him.”
“I’m not…” But as I try to argue, the butterflies start swarming in my stomach and my throat closes up so much I can’t even speak anymore. I swallow, blinking back the tears that have formed in my eyes.
“You’ve got this,” my friend says with her hands firmly grasping my arms, giving me the best and only kind of pep talk I need right now. “When you get there, I want pictures. Tons of pictures. Of you and Esteban, lovey-dovey, getting your happily ever after on. But nothing too graphic—please and thank you.”
“Got it, boss.”
“Now, off you go.”
I had to trade in my Prius for something with a little more horsepower. For the time being, it’s a GMC Sierra truck. It has zero charm and is much bigger compared to Esteban’s old truck.
I’m getting rid of this monstrosity as soon as I unload my belongings in Albuquerque.
My heart flutters when I turn on the ignition, realizing that every mile I’ll cover will mean one less minute away from Esteban.
“Hey.” Lily peeks inside the window. “That stuff with Penelope...that was something else, right?” she says with a smile.
“It sure was,” I tell her, trying hard not to get too emotional about it.
“I miss your mom.”
“I miss her too.”
“I’m so thankful she was there to help you make up your mind. Now, go get your man.”
“I’ll call you from the road. I promise I’ll use Bluetooth.”
After fifteen hours, seven hundred eighty-five miles, seven calls to Lily, and a spilled cup of iced coffee later, I pull into the parking lot of Vida Dulce. I debated for the last five hours if I should shower and make myself presentable first. In the end, impatience won.
I got so excited by the time I crossed the New Mexico border, I even scrapped my initial plan and called Esteban several times, but he never picked up.
I have a stupid knot in my stomach at the thought he might not be returning my calls for a reason, even as I tell myself he might just have a busy night at work. As I park the monster truck, I realize I need to get out of my coffee-stained T-shirt. I pull another shirt out of a duffel bag in the back seat, glancing toward the entrance of the restaurant. I try to hurry, all too aware I’m half naked in a parking lot.
It’s the middle of December and it’s gotten colder, much colder. I shiver as the chilly air hits my skin and I’m soon covered in goose bumps.
As I pull the T-shirt over my head and make it halfway across my boobs, Esteban walks out of the restaurant, wearing a white button-down with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and a black tie. It’s been his manager uniform since day one and I swoon every time I see him like this. Not to hate on his black jeans, but his ass looks particularly good in a pair of well-tailored dress pants. He’s so much man, even though he’s been working too much, and his face is a bit paler than the rich, caramel color he sported last summer.
He has his jacket in one hand, and he’s glancing at his phone in the other.
He brings the phone to his ear, frowning, just as the Bluetooth in my truck starts ringing loudly. He looks up, and his eyes meet mine. I’m still frozen with my shirt pulled down halfway. I slowly roll it down to my waist as his expression goes from one of surprise, to confusion, to pure, unadulterated joy. He hangs up the call and shrugs on his jacket, slowly, never taking his eyes off me.
The smile that stretches across his face is happy and confident, and the most handsome I’ve ever seen. I bite my bottom lip as he leisurely walks toward me. He’s smirking now, and I’m not mad about it, not when his smile reaches his eyes which sparkle like emeralds. God, how I’ve missed him.
When he’s almost reached me, I see the intention in his gaze. He’s going to grab me and kiss me senseless, but then something makes him hold back, and I realize he’s afraid. He doesn’t know that I’m ready to spend the rest of my life with him. Then, he takes in the whole scene, he looks at the truck, and the trailer…and a brief, hopeful smile illuminates his face once more.
“Where did you get this thing?”
“I had to trade in my cute, eco-friendly Prius to make sure I had enough horsepower to pull that,” I tell him, pointing at the trailer behind me with my thumb.
“You could have gotten something in between, something smaller.”
“I was in a hurry,” I tell him, dropping a hint. He smiles again, a little bigger this time. He looks so beautiful and…happy. I’m dying to feel his lips on mine. It’s been too long. How have I survived all these days without him?
I’ve been so stubborn and stupid. I can’t wait to apologize to him…in bed.
“Would it be really presumptuous of me to assume this means you’re staying?” he asks, tapping his fingers on the Sierra.
“You may rely on it,” I chuckle nervously, and his eyes brighten up even more.
“Magic 8-Ball?” he asks, and I nod, pressing my lips together. “Oh, you strange, beautiful girl. What am I going to do with you?” When he smiles at me like this, and he goes from shy to seductive, the butterflies take over with such force, I feel as light as a feather.
“Keep me forever?” At this point, I’m not even surprised by how bold I sound. The last few days have been a roller coaster of emotions.
“You may rely on it,” he replies, humoring me, the smile on his face unleashing another swarm of butterflies in my stomach.
“I have even better things for you to hear, if you’re up for it.”
He brushes a lock of hair away from my cheek. “Like what?”
I clear my throat. “Like…would it be really presumptuous of me to assume you’re about to kiss me until I have to come up for air?”
A lopsided grin spreads across his face and he bites his bottom lip.
He takes a deep, steadying breath, eyes shining with happiness. “Looks like you can read my mind.”
I smile, a surge of ener
gy running through me from being so happy, even though I’m ridiculously tired. “I guess I can. Who knew?”
“Let’s hope you can’t read everything else I’m planning to do to you tonight. It would ruin the surprise.”
“That would be a pity.”
He shuts the door of the truck, and after he takes one step closer, I close my eyes, anticipating his kiss. Instead, he swoops me up in his arms, and then he kisses my lips.
“Welcome back,” he whispers.
A solitary tear runs down my cheek.
I’m enjoying this too much to even tell him to put me down. Besides, if he messes up his back because of me, he’ll be confined to bed for days. Actually, Esteban confined to a bed doesn’t sound like a terrible plan, especially since I’ll be volunteering to take care of him. He makes me open the door of his truck and sets me down on the worn-out leather seat, and then not even a second goes by before we’re a tangle of hands and lips and kisses and whispered words. His chest presses against mine, my tongue wraps around his, both of us trying frantically to make up for the time we lost.
His face is cold, and so are my hands.
I pull back, breaking our kiss.
“Take me home,” I say breathlessly, and then notice tiny white flakes landing on his jacket. “It’s snowing.” It’s just a handful of flurries, but they still take me by surprise.
He looks up for just a second, as if he has no intention to stop looking at me.
“Oh, yeah. It sure looks like it.”
“Do you think it’s a sign?”
He cocks one eyebrow. “Do you believe in signs now?”
“I have good reason to,” I whisper, looking into his eyes.
“You know what? You’re right. This might be a sign, since it rarely snows in town.” We both smile at each other, and then it’s another sequence of hungry kisses.
“I’ve hardly seen snow in my life,” I tell him when I come up for air.
“We could fix that. I was thinking of taking you up to the mountains in a bit.”
“Really? When?”
Enchanted By You Page 21
