by J. E. Parker
He shrugged. “You do have a big ass, but it’s my ass. I don’t give two shits how much more voluptuous it gets, either. You won’t hear me or my cock complaining one iota.”
I laughed, belly clenching at his words.
How perfecto could he be?
“Well, in that case.” I snatched the dessert menu from the left side of the table, where it was nestled between the salt and pepper shakers. “I’d like some cocadas, por favor.”
The rumbling laughter that met my request was a shot straight to my heart. Call me loca all you want, but I could’ve listened to such a sound for the rest of my life, spending each of my remaining days shrouded in pure bliss.
“You can have whatever—”
He ceased speaking when someone caught his attention from behind me, and he nodded.
My brows bent in confusion.
“James, what—”
Sliding out of the booth where we’d spent the last hour, he held out his hand for me to take. “We’ll get dessert in a bit, Pixie.” His voice held an undercurrent of anxiety that I picked up on right away because it was something I rarely saw from him. “But right now, I’m taking you outside to dance.”
Nervous energy unfurled in my belly as I slipped my hand in his waiting one. And without uttering a single word, I let him lead me outside to a cobblestone patio that reminded me of the one that had been attached to the apartment I’d grown up in.
“What are we—”
I sucked in a breath, my heart kicking into overdrive when I took in the candlelit and rose-petal-covered tables that formed a circle atop the stone ground, beneath the fairy lights that twinkled above, along with the familiar faces that occupied the many chairs.
Tears filled my eyes as I scanned the watching crowd, whispering each person’s name as their gazes met mine.
Everyone was here.
The entire familia.
This is what Shelby was talking about earlier.
And why Hope was acting so loca.
They all knew.
Turning so that he faced me, his back toward the only area of the patio that was devoid of a single person, he whispered my name.
“Carmen...” A sob worked its way deep into my throat, but by some miracle, I kept it from escaping. “Baby, I lied to you.”
I wanted to ask him what he meant.
Only, no matter how hard I tried, the words wouldn’t come. The band wrapped around my larynx wouldn’t allow them to.
Sinking his right hand into my hair, James tilted my head back, gluing my stare to his as my lower lip trembled, the tears that had formed now spilling. “I didn’t bring you out here to dance.”
My mind was in freefall. “You didn’t?”
He shook his head. “No, beautiful, I didn’t.” Sliding his fingers from my hair, he reached into his pocket; then, a moment later, slipped his hand free. I couldn’t see what he’d retrieved, but I had my suspicions.
Dios mío, he’s going to—
He dropped to one knee.
Hands flying to my mouth, where my palms failed to smother the first of many sobs that I would cry, I stared down at him as my sweet Addie giggled from where she sat on Chase’s lap. “Mama, look! Pop-Pop’s gonna ask CeCe to marry him and stay with us forever and ever!”
Next to her, Amelia squealed, hands flapping.
I couldn’t breathe.
Could. Not. Breathe!
Guapo’s eyes glazed over, brimming with wetness. “Give me your hand, beautiful.”
Doing as he’d said, I dropped my left hand from my mouth, letting him take it into his. The familiar warmth of his palm called my soul forth, and healing light consisting of love and the safety that only James had ever provided spread through me, mending each of my remaining wounds.
All except for one.
“I love you, Carmen.” I couldn’t have replied, couldn’t have said the words that my heart screamed for me to speak if my life had depended on it. “I have since the very beginning.”
“Crap! There goes my frickin’ mascara.”
Laughter followed Maddie’s voice.
“And if you agree to spend the rest of your life with me, I promise to love, comfort, and protect you, to remain faithful and true, and to cherish and support you until my final day.”
Lifting the black box higher so that I could see it, he flipped it open with his thumb, and for the second time in under a minute, a sob worked its way free.
Antique. Sparkling sapphire. Gold filigree.
The ring he held was beautiful.
“Marry me, Carmen.” A tear slid down his cheek. “Marry me so that I can spend the rest of my life with my best friend, and so you can spend yours with the man who has loved every beautiful piece of you since the moment you pickpocketed him.”
I laughed, right along with everyone else.
But as I did, Grandmama caught my eye.
Sliding my eyes to her, I watched as her hunched shoulders shook and she clutched the top of her blouse, crying so hard a torrent of wetness spilled down her blush-smeared cheeks. It was the first time I’d ever seen her do so, and witnessing such a thing made me even more of a wreck.
“So what’s it going to be, Pixie? Will you—”
“Si.” I nodded. “I’ll marry you.”
“Thank Christ.” His hands shook as he slid the ring onto my finger, a second tear falling. “I was two seconds away from having Grandmama whip out her swatter.”
He stood and wrapped his arms around my lower back, lifting me into the air.
A breeze stirred, sweeping my hair from my tear-streaked face as I gazed down at him with nothing less than pure adoration and heart-mending love.
Palms finding his face, I leaned down, brushing my nose against his. “Seven years ago, at this very restaurant, I told you that you were my salvation.” My lips hovered over his. “I was right.”
“Carmen—”
“And now I get to keep you.”
Mouth capturing his in a gentle kiss, I breathed him in, the taste of the lemonade he’d drunk earlier continuing to linger on my lips even after I broke away.
“Pop-Pop!”
Eyes held captive by mine, he inhaled, pulling the essence of my skin and shampoo-scented hair deep.
“Put our CeCe down right now!” Melody sounded close to stomping her foot in agitation. “We wanna hug her too!”
“Yeah, Dad,” Jade said, following the kid’s lead, her voice lined with so much emotion it was hard to process. “Don’t be so greedy with the love.”
James chuckled.
“Little monsters,” he whispered jokingly. “They’re always interrupting” Pressing his lips to mine one last time, he let me slide down his body.
But his hands, those didn’t leave me.
Not even when my feet hit the ground, and one little chica after another surrounded me as the boys looked on, faces half-confused and wondering what all the fuss was about.
Wrapping their arms around my torso and smashing their chocolate-covered faces—did they eat dessert?—against my belly and back, each chica wasted no time before firing a handful of questions and comments my way.
First was Bella. “Can I be in the wedding?”
Second was Addie. “Can I have a ring too?”
Third was Melody. “Can I wear pink?”
Fourth was Maci. “Can I pick the cake?”
Fifth was Gracie. “I am not wearing a dress!”
Then came Amelia. “Hap”—clap—“py!”
Though my head spun, I loved every momento of their chaos. But it was the sight of Little One, snuggled against James’ side, her eyes closed and head resting on his chest, that made even more of my ever-present tears fall.
“Take care of my Mama,” I heard her whisper, freckle-covered cheeks pinkening as he curled his free arm around her. “And take care of me too, Dad.”
James’ throat bobbed as he swallowed. “I will, sweetheart.” His lips found the crown of her head. “I swear it.”
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Close to falling even further apart, I took a shuddering breath and wrapped an arm around Addie, who was still leaning her head against my ribs, her curly chocolate-brown hair tickling my arm even after all the other little chicas had broken away.
“Want to know a secret, CeCe?”
Looking down at her, I turned to face her and bent my knees, removing myself from the one hand Guapo still had on me, making my eyes level with hers.
“Si, bebé, I do.”
After glancing around us, she cupped her hands and pressed them to my ear. “I’m gonna be a big sissy.” My eyes widened as she confirmed the suspicion I’d had for weeks. I was half a second from rushing to Chiquita and pulling her into my arms, but stopped when she added, “But you can’t tell, okay? Not even Pop-Pop or Grandmama. It’s a secret, remember?”
“I won’t.” I kissed her forehead. “Prometo.”
Standing tall once more, I watched her run off as if dropping such a bomb on me wasn’t a big deal before throwing myself into Guapo’s waiting arms, a space left vacant after Jade had stepped back, retreating into what looked like a rib-cracking hug from Shelby.
Burying my face in my fiancé’s chest, I wrapped my arms around him, holding him tight. He did the same in return; then, silently and slowly, he rocked me.
For minutes, we stayed that way—just him and me, our bodies pressed together, hearts beating in sync.
But then, Grandmama happened.
Clinking a metal spoon against a half-filled glass of tea, she waited for everyone to turn to her, giving her their full attention, which we all did. Quickly.
“I know y’all are expecting my sassy self to give some big speech,” she started, not bothering to wipe the tear tracks that continued to appear on her aged face as her emotions spilled out of her unchecked. “But that ain’t happening right now since my old ticker is thumping so hard it’s about to fly right outta my chest.”
She looked around the crowd, then at James and me. “I do have a thing or two to say, though and every one of you hooligans better listen, else we’re gonna have trouble.”
Guapo groaned. “Hell, here we go.”
I grinned as I turned and pressed my back to his front, loving the way he wound his arms around me, hands resting on each of my hips.
“This family we’ve created”—she scanned the crowd once more—“is something special.” Hands shaking, she dropped her spoon and held the glass with both hands. “Half of us don’t share a single drop of blood, and every doggone last one of us is a misfit...” She raised her chin. “Well, ‘cept for me since I’m a perfect angel.”
Hendrix sniffed the air as everyone laughed. “Does everyone else smell that? ’Cause I’m sure I smell bullcrap.”
I bit back amusement as Grandmama pointed a crooked finger his way. “Can it, Behemoth. Else I’m—”
“Pull out the swatter, G,” Anthony interrupted. “I’ll hold him down while you…” He paused. “On second thought”—changing the direction he was about to take, he looked over his shoulder to me—“hey, Beauty, I’ve got some pepper spray in the car if you want to handle this for the Crazy Old Biddy.”
Dios mío, here we go with the teasing…
“Heavens to Betsy, y’all!” Jade interjected, hands going to her hips. “Grandmama is trying to make a big speech, even if she claims otherwise, so how about we quit interrupting, m’kay?”
Eyes wide, the Crazy Old Biddy pointed at Little One. “You’re my new favorite.”
Jade beamed a smile. “I feel all special now.”
“Back to what I was saying.” Grandmama cleared her throat. “Everybody in this family of misfits we’ve created has been through some awful stuff. But we’ve all come out better and stronger, people for it. Sure, we’ve got some mean ol’ looking scars, but I hope that none of y’all ever forget just how mighty you are”—her eyes met mine—“or how beautiful.”
Fresh tears falling, she nodded.
“But most of all, I pray not one of you ever forgets just how dadgum much I love each of your troublemaking behinds.” Her chin wobbled. “Along with how proud I am that you’re all my grandbabies, whether by blood or choice.”
“Grandmama, there isn’t gonna be a dry—”
Ignoring Maddie, the familia matriarch raised her glass. “To James and Carmen,” she said, hands continuing to shake. “And to the happily ever after they’ve finally found!” Peering at us over her glasses, she pursed her brightly colored lips. “It only took ‘em five million years.”
Everyone raised their glasses in solidarity as a chorus of cheers rang out, echoing through the otherwise quiet night as James dropped his arms and then spun me around, bringing us face to face once more.
“You’re going to be my wife.”
Still smiling, I nodded. “I am.”
“You’re going to be my happily ever after.”
“Si”—I looped my arms around his neck, pressing my chest to his upper stomach. “And you are going to be mine.”
Just as he was always meant to be.
34
James
Three Weeks Later
Once again, Anthony looked ready to kill me.
It was an ongoing theme with us.
Only this time, I didn’t know what had his boxers twisted in a knot, and I had no time to deal with whatever shitfit he was about to throw. Not when an entire day had passed since I’d last seen my woman—no, my fiancée—and I was close to losing my mind.
Without her, I felt out of sorts.
Completely unbalanced.
Because without her, I didn’t feel whole.
I needed to get home, where I could pull her into my arms, then take her lips in a kiss that mine craved more than my next breath. To hell with the luncheon she was having with the rest of the ladies. They could do without her presence for a few minutes.
But me? I had reached my limit.
Standing from my desk where I’d been sitting when my son-in-law stormed into my office and slammed my door closed behind him, I pulled my keys from my pocket and lifted my duffle bag from the ground, then secured it over my shoulder.
“Anthony, son, I don’t know—”
“It’s been an interesting twenty-four hours,” he interrupted, tone clipped as he crossed his arms and glared at me. “It started with my wife and your son cornering me at breakfast yesterday, where they asked me to find their long-lost siblings.”
That got my attention. “What?”
“Dixie,” he replied, leaning back against my office door and referring to my worthless ex-wife. “After Shelby was born, she had three other babies. All of which were taken by the state immediately after she gave birth and put up for adoption.”
Yet the state let her keep Shelby...
My duffle bag slid from my shoulder, hitting the ground with a resounding thump. I wasn’t always the most observant, but it didn’t take a behavior analyst to recognize the unspoken question written on his face.
“They aren’t mine if that’s what you’re thinking,” I replied, anger making its presence known over the reminder that my daughter had been failed left and right throughout her life. “After my ex-wife abandoned Hendrix and me both, I didn’t see her again. Not until she came looking for Shelby, long after I’d divorced her.”
My blood simmered at the memory.
“I believe you.” Dropping his arms, he slid his hands into his pockets and nodded. “But now that Hendrix and my Sunshine have decided they want to meet their siblings, it’s a done deal.”
I didn’t see the problem. “And?”
He shrugged. “Just giving you a heads up.”
“Alright.” I reached for my bag once more, intent on getting out of the station as soon as possible. “If that’s all—”
“It isn’t.”
I stopped, fingers inches from the black strap, and straightened my spine. For Christ’s sake! Was the universe plotting to keep me from my Pixie? If so, it could fuck right off.
&nb
sp; Nothing would keep me from her.
Never again.
“Then spit it out,” I snapped, sounding ruder than I’d intended. “In addition to missing my kids and grandkids something fierce, I haven’t seen hide nor hair of my woman in twenty-four hours, and I am real damn close to losing my shit. So, as I said, spit it out already, before I—”
“Dominic West and Jeffrey Ellington were found dead in their cells this morning.” I had not been expecting that. But damn if it didn’t bring a smile to my face.
Ari had come through.
It was the best news I’d heard since Anthony informed Carmen and I that Toluca PD had found Voodoo’s mutilated corpse, courtesy of Casper, I guessed, in a burned-out car the week before.
“You’re the first person I’ve had the chance to tell, but both assholes were full of so many holes that the prison doctor said she doubted the medical examiner could differentiate one wound from the next.”
The satisfaction that lined his face was impossible to miss.
“Good. I hope they suffered—”
“Oh, they did.” Pushing away from the door, he crossed the small room and placed his fisted hands on my report-covered desk. “Seems whoever killed both men pulled a Lorena Bobbitt and cut off their dicks.” He paused. “Then they castrated them.” A second pause. “While they were still alive.”
Right or wrong, I smiled.
“They deserved it.” It was nothing less than the truth. “And if you expect me to be upset or shed a tear over those two bastards, especially after everything they did to my girls, to our girls, then you better think again.” My voice remained calm, my tone devoid of the rage mixed with satisfaction that flowed through my veins. “Both deserved to suffer, just as they deserved to die.”
“If you shed a tear for either of them, I’ll shoot you right here and now.” He sneered, infuriated at the thought of anyone grieving over either corpse. “I don’t give two fucks that El Diablo and Ellington are dead and burning in Hell.”
That made two of us.
“Our entire family, my principessa included, will sleep better knowing neither man is no longer a threat.” He was right. “I just have one question.” He leaned forward, shoulders tensing. “Did you do it?”
