by Reeni Austin
And now, all Ramon needed was Armando to follow in Victor's footsteps. Trade that ritzy lifestyle for something simpler and go back to his roots.
But for now, Ramon was just glad to be around both of his brothers for a little while.
Everyone gathered in the kitchen for a light lunch. Isaac and the new babies provided a much needed distraction from the depressing day they'd had.
Ramon winked at Marcy as she held baby Eduardo. They had been trying to conceive for the past three months. And from the loving way Marcy gazed at the baby, he knew they'd have to try a little harder.
When lunch was over, everyone gathered in the living room. During a lull in the conversation, Armando got everyone's attention.
He and Katie shared a long look, then Armando said, "We're expecting."
Cara gasped and rushed to Katie to give her a hug.
It took Ramon a moment to realize "expecting" meant "expecting a baby."
Marcy, sitting next to him on the sofa, choked out a sincere, "Congratulations," but Ramon thought he detected a hint of sadness in her voice.
With everyone else in the room talking at once, Ramon put his arm around her, drawing her close. In her ear he whispered, "What's wrong? You want a baby?"
She sighed. "I don't know. Maybe I do."
Ramon's heart raced. He'd been trying to talk her into this for months, but she thought they needed to spend more time alone as a married couple before starting a family. He watched her stand, then congratulate Katie and Armando. Then he got up to congratulate them himself. Katie produced a stunned gasp when Ramon smiled and kissed her on the cheek for the first time, ever.
Armando went on to say that they wanted to announce it weeks earlier but with the stress of Henry's situation looming over them, it never seemed like the right time.
Isaac patted Ramon's leg, a look of worry on his face.
Ramon knelt down to him. "What's wrong?"
Isaac looked around at all the adults talking in the room, then whispered, "Will she have a boy and a girl like Mommy did?"
Ramon said, "I don't know. It's probably too soon to tell."
"Hmm." Isaac stared across the room at Katie. "How's a baby get in there, anyways?"
Ramon chuckled and told him the same thing he'd told Isaac after the boy learned Mommy was pregnant months earlier. "You should talk to your Daddy about that."
Isaac shrugged, his eyes wide. "I did but I have new questions."
Ramon smiled. Over the past few months, Isaac had learned to read, his speech improved, and he seemed so much more responsible.
As Ramon watched Marcy talk to Katie, he knew he had to talk her into trying for a baby. The way he saw it, life was short and kids grow up too fast. He'd already spent too long with the stress of work weighing him down. It was time to start living life to the fullest.
And to Ramon, that meant having children.
* * *
They had been trying to conceive for three months when Marcy sat on the toilet with the door closed, holding the pregnancy test in her hands.
Ramon stood in the hall. He knocked on the door, then said, "What's it say? Don't read it without me!"
But Marcy read it without him. There was only one line. She wasn't pregnant. With a sad sigh, she said, "Bad news. Sorry."
She threw the pregnancy test in the trash, washed her hands, and went out to the hall.
Ramon gave her a big hug. "It's okay. It's only been three months. Can't expect a miracle."
She mumbled against his chest, "I know but it's discouraging."
He kissed the top of her head. "It's all right. We get to keep tryin'. Can't complain about that." He laughed.
***
Another year passed by. Marcy stopped buying pregnancy tests four months earlier because she grew tired of the disappointment. And as if she didn't already feel like a failure, she'd just learned that Cara was pregnant… again.
Marcy stayed up that night, wondering if it was her fault they couldn't conceive. She and Ramon both knew it was time to call a doctor, but she was afraid of what the test results would say. With tears in her eyes, she lay in bed staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep.
Ramon rolled over and asked in a soft, scratchy voice, "You all right?"
She sniffled. "Yeah."
He put his arm around her, pulling her close. "Don't lie to me. What's wrong?"
She wiped her eyes with the sheet. "I'm sorry we…" Her voice trailed off. She took a deep breath to keep herself from crying.
Ramon nuzzled her temple. "Shh. Don't apologize. It's not your fault."
Weakly, she answered, "It might be. You don't know."
"Don't talk like that. We'll go the doctor soon and get it straightened out."
Marcy broke into sobs.
"Oh no…" Ramon whispered, tightening his embrace. He held her head against his shoulder. "It's okay. I know it's hard, with Cara bein' pregnant again, but—"
Marcy inhaled a trembling breath. "Why's it so easy for her? It's not fair."
"Shh." He stroked the back of her head. Then he stopped. "You sure you're not pregnant now? You never cry like this. Maybe it's hormonal."
She huffed, wiping her eyes as new tears flowed. "Yeah, right. I'm not late. I'm just sad."
"Hmm. Well, maybe you should take a pregnancy test in the morning. You never know." Ramon yawned. In seconds he was asleep, his arm draped around Marcy's waist.
Marcy rolled her eyes then settled against him, quietly crying herself to sleep.
The next morning, Marcy woke up to an empty bed. On her night stand was a pregnancy test, and she knew Ramon must have put it there.
She sighed and swung her feet to the floor, leaving the test where it was. No reason to waste it when she knew darn well she wasn't pregnant.
But she would see Ramon downstairs, and he would ask if she'd taken it. That's why he put it there for her to see upon rising.
So, Marcy groaned and plucked the test from the night stand, then stood and trudged to the bathroom. She wasn't in the mood to argue with him today.
Five minutes later, she sat on the bed with the test in her hand, examining it, a puzzled look on her face.
Ramon walked into the room. "Good, you found it. What's it say?"
"Uh… I don't know…" She stared at it, blinking. "Is it two lines or not?"
Ramon inhaled sharply and rushed to the bed to sit beside her. "Looks like two to me."
"No." She shook her head. "It's too faint."
"Call your doctor. See if you can get an appointment today."
A few hours later, Marcy came out of the doctor's office to find Ramon sitting in the waiting room alone. Her face was blank.
He stood, his heart pounding. "So?"
Marcy shook her head, her eyes glazed over as if she was in a daze. "How'd you know? Are you psychic or something? I can't believe it."
"Holy shit!" Ramon's jaw dropped. "Are you…?"
Tears fell down her cheeks. She nodded. "Yeah."
He instantly put his arms around her, his eyes welling up. He caught himself before lifting her into the air, afraid it would hurt the baby.
Eight months later, Ramon and Marcy became parents to a baby girl they named Lily. She was a week old when Ramon, cradling her in his arms in the nursery, smiled down at her and whispered, "You need some brothers and sisters, don't you?"
Marcy, who had taken a moment to rest in the rocking chair, stared at him in disbelief. "It's only been a week. You're already talking about this?"
He smiled. "The doctor said it'd probably be easy for you to get pregnant again, didn't he?"
"Yeah, but do we have to think about it again so soon?"
Ramon kissed Lily's forehead, then gently said, "I don't see why not. Still got some bedrooms to fill."
The End
The Barboza Brothers series is officially finished, but some of these characters may appear in future books by Reeni Austin.
Go to http://www.reeniaustin.com, and sign up fo
r the email list. We’ll let you know when new books are available.
In the meantime, more work by this author may be found under the name “Shaina Richmond.”
Table of Contents
Title Page
Order of books in the “Barboza Brothers” series:
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Epilogue
