[Moreno Brothers 01.0] Forever Mine

by Elizabeth Reyes

  “I better get that. It might be my mom.” He jumped to his feet and took off toward his car.

  ***

  Sarah admired him from behind as he sprinted to his car. Once there, he leaned in the window and reached for his phone. She placed her sandwich down on its wrapper and slapped her hand on her forehead, leaving it there for a second. She shook her head. I’m a virgin. Good God, it’s only their first date. They’re at a park in broad daylight. Did she really think he was gonna jump her bones? Was there no end to her idiocy?

  Angel walked back, still on the phone. He hung up before he got close enough for her to hear him. He sat down next to her again and picked up his sandwich.

  “Sorry about that.” He sat down across from her again. “I thought it might be my mom. Sometimes it gets really busy at the restaurant on the weekend, and they need me to come in and help out, even when I’m not scheduled to.”

  “What kind of restaurant do they have?” She already knew. Valerie had told her so much about the Morenos. But she was shooting for a safer subject. One she couldn’t goof up.

  He shook his head, wiping off his mouth. “A Mexican restaurant. It’s just off La Jolla Boulevard. I’ll take you there when we have more time.”

  He finished his sandwich and wrapped up the trash in the plastic bag it all came in. He looked at Sarah’s sandwich. She’d only eaten half.

  “I thought you were starving?

  She looked down at her sandwich “I eat slowly.” She lost her appetite after her stupid declaration, but she lied just so they could get off the subject. It’d worked, so far.

  Angel propped himself back on his elbows and looked at her curiously. “So.”

  Sarah braced herself, shoving a small piece of sandwich in her mouth.

  “You said your birthday is in the winter, what day exactly?”

  Thank God. She washed down her food with a soda and looked at him. “January first. I’m a New Year’s baby.”

  “Really?” Angel’s eyebrows went up. “We’re only a few weeks apart then. My birthday is December 20th.”

  “Really?” Without thinking, she let out an upset, “Oh, shit!”

  She saw the confused look on Angel’s face. “I’m sorry. That just reminded me of something,” she explained. “Today’s Sydney’s birthday. We talked so long this morning, and I never even said happy birthday. I feel terrible.”

  Angel shrugged. “So call her back.” He pulled his cell phone off the clip of his pants and handed it to her. “Here, the reception up here is pretty good.”

  “No,” she said, a little too hastily. “I can call when I get home.” No way was she going to use his phone to call Sydney. She didn’t want Sydney’s number in any way programmed in Angel’s phone.

  “Go ahead.” He held the phone in front of her “I don’t mind, really. If she’s upset at all that you forgot, she’ll be happier you called back sooner than later.”

  Her. She. Sarah felt her stomach churn. She’d never been a liar in her life, and she’d reasoned earlier that this wasn’t lying. She never actually said Syd was a girl, but now this was beginning to feel like one big hairy lie. She should tell him. She really should, but she couldn’t. Not now. There would be a better time.

  “You’re right.” She picked up her purse. “But I’ll use my phone. The number is already programmed in there.” She quickly pulled her phone out. She looked at him and gulped as she dialed the number. She was glad he was sitting across from her and not next to her. He might hear Sydney’s voice. Even so, she backed up a little pretending to rid herself of crumbs as she listened to the ringing.

  “Lynni?”

  Hearing Sydney’s voice only made her tenser. She pressed the phone closer to her ear, making absolutely sure Angel wouldn’t hear him. The smile on Angel’s face made her sound even more remorseful when she spoke.

  “Sydney.” She frowned. “I’m so sorry I forgot to say happy birthday to you this morning.”

  She could hear Sydney chuckle. “Don’t worry about it,” he said. “I hadn’t even remembered until I came in the kitchen and my mom had it all decked out with balloons and what not. We had quite a feast this morning.”

  “Oh.” She was suddenly overwhelmed with emotion. Sydney’s parents had always been that way, even with her. She remembered a couple of years back when her mom had gone to Vegas for New Year’s, leaving her with the Maricopas. They’d celebrated New Year’s Eve eating pizza, playing dominoes for money, and watching horror movies. Then on New Year’s Day, Frances, Sydney’s mom, surprised her by getting up early to make a huge feast of pancakes, bacon, sausages, eggs, and delicious homemade croissants. She’d even decorated with streamers and balloons all around the breakfast nook. All of it, just for Sarah. She’d never felt so special. She’d cried the whole time they sang “Happy Birthday.” Even now, she felt tears flood her eyes.

  She looked up at Angel. He was watching her curiously. She realized he hadn’t taken his eyes off her the whole time. She blinked hard, trying to regain her composure.

  “Are you okay, Lynni?”

  “Yeah, yeah.” She cleared her throat “I was just picturing it. It sounds wonderful, Syd. I wish I could be there with you to help you celebrate.”

  “You are here,” Sydney said, softly.

  “What?”

  “I got the slideshow you sent. I started to watch it, but I kept getting choked up, so I had to turn it off. I’ll try it again later.”

  She felt herself warm up and smiled. “Yeah, you have to. It’s good.” She looked up again at Angel to see he was still looking at her; he hadn’t flinched once. “Listen. I gotta go, but I’ll call you later, and you can tell me how your day went, okay?”

  “I love you, Lynni.”

  Her eyes still on Angel, she couldn’t respond the way she wanted, and it clutched her heart. She’d told Sydney how much she loved him for years. It felt natural. She even told his parents she loved them. But she couldn’t do it now, not in front of Angel. It was just a matter of time before he knew, and this would only make it harder to explain.

  “Me too,” she whispered. “We’ll talk later, okay?”

  After she’d hung up, Angel smiled at her warmly. “Wow. Such emotion, all that ’cause you forgot?”

  Sarah stiffened. She should’ve never called Sydney in front of Angel.

  “No.” She wanted to kick herself. “Sydney’s mom made a big birthday breakfast this morning, and it just brought back memories of when she did it for me a few years ago. That’s all.”

  “Come here.” He held out his hand, smiling. “I promise I’ll try to control myself.”

  She lay down, facing him, propping herself on her elbow and smiled. He rolled off one of his elbows to face her and took a deep breath.

  “Sarah, I hope this doesn’t sound too crazy, but I like you a lot.” He stopped to kiss her fingers. “It’s insane. I just met you, but I feel like I could spend every minute with you if you’d let me.”

  Sarah stared, gulping hard. Her heart was swelling by the milliseconds. Was she dreaming? She didn’t want to blink; she was afraid he’d disappear. He didn’t wait for a response. Instead, he went on, staring right at her.

  “Last night you said you didn’t have a boyfriend. I know it’s way too soon for that. You don’t know anything about me. I know I have no right to ask you this, but,” he paused, “you said you’re only gonna be here a short while, so would it be too much to ask that until then we have an agreement?”

  “Agreement?” Sarah had a feeling what he was getting at, but she was done making an ass of herself. She wanted absolute clarity.

  He cleared his throat, and it was obvious he was uncomfortable. “I mean, would you be okay if we agreed to be exclusive while you’re here?”

  Sarah couldn’t believe it. She stared ahead but not at him, shaking her head subconsciously, trying to take it all in. When she focused back on him, his expression had changed. “Is that a no?”

  She shook her head even
harder. “No.”

  Angel sat up quickly. “Are you seeing someone?” His voice was almost a whisper.

  Before she could say or do anything stupid again, she sat up to face him and she spoke right in his face. “I like you too. I can’t even begin to tell you how much. Last night was the first night I’ve gone out since I’ve been here. It’s been a long time since I laughed that hard.”

  Her expression turned more serious. Her next statement was a risk, but one she felt was necessary. “I don’t have a problem with not seeing anyone else, Angel, but I know all about you and your brothers and your friends. I don’t know if you’ll be able keep up with your end of the bargain. I just don’t want to get hurt.”

  Angel’s eyes narrowed, and his lips pressed shut. He leaned forward and spoke with a bit of affliction. “You may think you know me, but you have no idea. So, I’ll let the assumption slide this time. But if I say I’ll be exclusive, I mean it.”

  As much as Sarah wanted to believe him, she was terrified. There’d been so many broken promises in her life, so many let downs. She couldn’t bear another one. He must’ve seen the look on her face.

  “Sarah, I don’t lie.” He was firm. “You can ask anyone who knows me. If there’s one thing you can count on, it’s my word.”

  The stab to her gut was wrenching. How could she sit here and be such a hypocrite when she herself wasn’t exactly being forthcoming? She smiled faintly then decided right then and there she would allow herself to be happy—very happy—for the first time in too long. And then she was grinning from ear to ear. “Okay.”

  He stared at her blankly. Then, as if it suddenly hit him, his grin matched hers. He put his hand behind her neck, pulling her gently closer to him. He groaned as his lips met hers and then pulled her down again with him.

  Chapter 6

  Angel picked Sarah up early again on Sunday, and they had breakfast at a greasy spoon. They sat on the same side of the booth. Angel had given up trying to hold back. He kissed her and caressed her every chance he got.

  Even when their food came, he couldn’t keep his hands off her. Between bites, he nibbled on her ear and pecked her endlessly. Sarah seemed to object, whispering, “People are watching.” It seemed to Angel, with all the giggling she was doing, she was enjoying it more than she was admitting.

  After breakfast, Angel asked if there was anywhere in particular she wanted to go, hoping she’d say somewhere he could enjoy her in private. But much to his chagrin, she said she’d never been to Old Town San Diego and knew it was less than half an hour’s drive.

  Angel frowned. “You don’t wanna go there.”

  She pouted, making Angel smile. “Valerie said it’s a must see.”

  He rolled his eyes, putting the last piece of sausage in his mouth. “She would. She’s a girl, and it’s nothing but shopping.”

  “No, I heard there’s a lot of history to see there too,” she said quickly. “And she said the Mexican food there is great.”

  Angel smiled and kissed her nose. “All right, whatever you want, but if it’s Mexican you want, I know somewhere better.”

  They spent the rest of the day in Old Town. They took a trolley that dropped them off at the most interesting points. The rest of the time they walked and talked and laughed. Her laugh was infectious, and he found himself smiling and laughing with her all day. It was amazing to Angel how comfortable he felt with her and so soon.

  When they got to the main shopping area, Angel was on a mission. He was looking for something to get Sarah. He wanted something special she could remember their first date by.

  They strolled into one of the shops. Angel took in all the junk on the counters. So far, everything he’d seen was either too cheap or too cheesy.

  He walked over to where Sarah had stopped and was looking at little turtle figurines with heads that bobbled. Angel tapped the little head to make it wiggle.

  “You like that?” He grimaced.

  “It’s cute.”

  “My sister has a bunch of those. Ever since her friends found out she liked them, they’ve started buying her more. So she collects them now.” Angel chuckled. “I remember the time some idiot brought one to the restaurant for her. My brother Alex broke the head off.”

  Sarah looked at him weird. “Why’d he do that?”

  Angel was still smiling. He picked out a couple of the turtles for his sister and turned back to Sarah. “She was only fifteen. Not only was she too young for a boyfriend, the guy was eighteen. He was nuts if he thought that was gonna fly.”

  He watched as Sarah crinkled her nose and got that little wrinkle between her eyes. He was beginning to love all her expressions. “Maybe he was just a friend.”

  Angel smiled. “No such thing.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean there’s no such thing as guys and girls being friends.” Angel moved along the aisle, still not seeing anything that grabbed him. He stopped when he noticed Sarah hadn’t moved.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.” She walked toward him. “You really believe that?

  “Believe what?”

  “That guys and girls can’t be friends?”

  Angel stopped looking through all the junk on the shelves and turned his attention to Sarah. “Yeah, don’t you?”

  “No. I think it is possible.”

  “Really?” He lifted an eyebrow. “You have a lot of guy friends, Sarah?”

  Sarah cleared her throat and glanced back at the souvenirs on the shelf. “Not a lot. But I have some.”

  “Zat right?” He closed in on her and put his arms around her waist from behind. He spoke in her ear. “You wanna give me some names, so I can start kicking ass?”

  He felt Sarah stiffen in his arms, and he smiled. “Relax. I’m only playing.”

  He’d had this conversation before with other girls. They all seemed to think any guy that waved at them or forwarded them some stupid text was their friend. That’s not what Angel was talking about at all. He knew it was debatable. But he had no intention of arguing with Sarah on their first date. He kissed the side of her face, and she seemed to lighten up.

  Sarah didn’t comment; instead, she reached for a pair of earrings. Angel looked at them over her shoulder as she examined them. They were very delicate looking, the kind that hung off the ear, not studs. The stone that adorned them was shiny and flat.

  “Is that pearl?”

  “Looks like it.”

  “You like ’em?” He kissed her temple.

  “Yeah, they’re pretty.” She held them up to the light, and Angel took them.

  “Sold.” He let go of her and started toward the register.

  Sarah followed. “No, Angel, that’s okay. I didn’t mean—”

  “They’re yours now.” He turned around and winked at her.

  Angel helped her get them on when they were outside the small shop. She stared at him with that wrinkle between her eyes. “How do they look?”

  “Perfect,” he said and then kissed her again and again.

  Angel had been to Old Town many times with his family. But he’d never really experienced it quite like he had today. He enjoyed every minute of it. It occurred to him that it didn’t matter where they went or what they did as long as Sarah was with him. He would even enjoy sitting through a chick flick. He winced at what the guys would say when they knew.

  He glanced down at Sarah leaning against him. Her head rested on his chest; his arm was around her as they sat in the back of the trolley. At that moment, he didn’t care what anybody thought. After only a weekend with her, he knew he had it bad. There’d be no way of hiding it. It was a bit alarming. He’d never been in love, but this felt close. Too close.

  Something gnawed at him. Even through all the laughter, it still bothered him, and any attempts to block it were in vain. I’m only here for the semester. He squeezed his eyes shut and held her tighter. He’d change her mind. He had to.

  They exited the trolley and hea
ded back to the parking lot and Angel’s car. Even with all the snacking they’d done, Angel was getting hungry. As if on cue, Sarah squeezed his hand. “I’m starving,” she said, looking up at him.

  “Feel like Mexican?” he asked.

  She smiled big and nodded.

  ***

  They parked on a small quaint-looking street, just off the main strip. The sign over the restaurant read MORENO’S. She felt her stomach tighten and wondered if his parents or brothers would be there. What was he thinking? This was too soon. She wasn’t ready for it, but she didn’t want to hurt his feelings.

  He held her hand as they walked into the restaurant. It was much bigger than it looked from the outside. Angel had made it sound insignificant, but she knew better. Valerie had told her about it and said it was actually a very nice restaurant. Even with what Valerie had said, Sarah still wasn’t prepared for it.

  It was anything but insignificant. She was immediately taken by the high ceilings and the huge round metal chandeliers that held what looked like small red candles all the way around. There were dramatic arches everywhere and the walls were textured to look old with brick showing through some parts, just like the historic houses they’d seen in Old Town.

  The hostess at the front, a young pretty girl with big brown eyes and lashes that went on forever, was busy talking to one of the waiters when they walked in. Her uniform was snug fitting, and it accentuated her large bust. Her dark hair was pulled back in a braid, and Angel tugged it playfully, making the hair on the back of Sarah’s neck stand. The girl glanced at Angel and smiled. Then her attention turned to Sarah, looking at her curiously.

  Sarah tried to loosen her hold on Angel's hand, but he held it firmly. Jealousy was new to Sarah, and she didn’t like it at all. If this was all it took to make her see red, she wondered what she’d gotten herself into. She swallowed hard and tried not to frown.

  “Who’s here?” Angel asked the girl.

  “Just Alex. Mom and Dad left about a half hour ago.” She brought her attention back to Sarah. “Are you here to eat?”