His to Take (Wicked Lovers #9)(141)
Author: Shayla Black

He already knew it wasn’t. He shook his head. “I don’t know how to apologize to Bailey. Hell, I don’t even know where she is.”

His mother plopped down onto the stool beside him and finally sent him a genuinely warm smile. “You say ‘I’m sorry.’ You say ‘I love you.’ You say ‘I want to spend forever with you.’ And you hope she says yes. If she does not, you will survive. You are strong, Joaquin. The pain of loss will not break you, unless you choose to let it.”

Her answer sounded so simple, and her strength humbled him. She’d been a widow in her early thirties. She’d been married to an absolute douchebag for over a dozen years. Finally, she seemed to have found some happiness. She looked as if she had settled into a peace he envied. Was it really as simple as embracing the life in front of him, enduring both the good and bad, and letting go of all the ghosts of the past?

Slowly, he nodded. “I’ve got nothing else, and I don’t think I can stand to be without her. Like you slyly pointed out, just because I hadn’t told her how I felt didn’t make her absence hurt less, not when I thought she was dead. Not last night when I found myself completely alone and realized I’d really screwed up.”

“I want you happy, son.”

That was the first thing she’d said that sounded like the mother he’d always known talking to the boy he’d once been. “I’m glad you are happy, Mamá.”

“What will you do next?”

“Find Bailey, do my best to scrape and grovel, I suppose. And pray a lot. I’ll need to find a new job. I don’t want another paycheck where I’m trotting the globe all the time.”

Carlotta smiled, then reached across the space between them to grab his hand. “Does that mean you will come visit your mamá more often?”

“A lot more. I’ve missed you.” He dragged her into an embrace, patting her back when she sniffled softly.

Gently, she pulled back and cupped his cheek. Her dark eyes welled with happy moisture as she sent him a radiant smile. “I have missed you. I think for the first time in almost twenty years that I have my son back.”

“You do. I’m not going anywhere this time.” He nearly got choked up and had to swallow it down. “And what about those crazy sisters of mine? I’d like to see them, too.”

Carlotta rose from the stool and almost ran to her cell phone. “I will call them and see if they can meet us for dinner soon.”

“That would be great. I’ll let you know how it goes with Bailey.”

Mamá sent him a secretive smile. “I believe Kata might have mentioned something about a wedding tomorrow in Dallas? Bailey intends to be there.”

“Callie and Sean’s.”

That made sense. Bailey and the heiress had bonded over their mutual tragedies. They’d both risen and overcome. They both had chosen to move forward and seek a new future.

Time for him to do the same. He really hoped that Sean and Callie didn’t mind if he crashed their big day.

“Thanks, Mamá. I love you.”

“I love you, too, son. I wish you all the luck with your lovely girl tomorrow.” His mother stood, kissed his cheek, and drifted toward the back of the house.

So . . . that was that. A little abrupt, but overall the reunion had been better than Joaquin had hoped.

He rose and made his way out of the kitchen, toward the front door. With a puzzled frown, he let himself out and headed for his car. As he approached, fob in hand, he heard the strains of classical music coming from the backyard.

Mamá had always liked spicy Latin tunes and anything upbeat, with an occasional romantic ballad. Caleb seemed a little older, but Joaquin hadn’t pegged him for the classical music type. He shrugged. Maybe he’d gotten it wrong.

Suddenly, the music stopped.

“Again,” a young male voice insisted from behind the fence. “That’s much better, so I want to see it again.”

Joaquin had heard that voice once before, on a voicemail of Bailey’s.

Dashing toward the sound, Joaquin hoped like hell he’d remembered that voice correctly. That meant Bailey had to be near.

Anticipation jerking his heart, Joaquin searched for the gate to the backyard. When he found it, he lifted the latch slowly, peeking through a crack. He didn’t want Caleb or his mother to think he was spying on them, but he could swear the voice he’d just heard was Blane’s.

Or was he so desperate to see Bailey that he’d make up shit in his head now?

When he first peeked into the backyard, he didn’t see anyone. He just observed a long stretch of grass with a bunch of patio furniture stacked around one edge. A big slab of flagstone had been covered by some sort of rubbery black pad. What the hell?