Armando Returns (Barboza Brothers) (9 page)

Victor broke away from her kiss with a deep moan. Usually he took his time and truly made love to her, but she was more aggressive than usual tonight. And Victor loved it. He moaned once again in response to the movement of her hand, then whispered, “Does this mean you like that baby idea?”

Cara let out a nervous giggle. In a soft voice, she said,
“Maybe.”

“
Mmm.” He grinned. “Yeah, I think you do.”

And then Victor kissed her as he reached for the bottom of her nightgown to pull it off.

Soon, they were both naked. Victor pulled Cara across his lap, grateful that his eyes had adjusted to the darkness enough to look in her eyes as her body descended on top of him.

“
Ooh
. Yes,” he whispered. It was his first time inside her without a condom. Victor was turned on not only by the physical sensation, but by the knowledge that their intimacy tonight was in the hopes of getting her pregnant.

As they went on a while longer, Victor grabbed her hips, moving her faster.

Cara flashed him a big smile, and Victor sensed she enjoyed the idea of having his baby much more than she originally let on. She grabbed his shoulders and threw her head back as he worked himself deeper inside her.

He held, moving her body faster and faster, then surprised her by lifting her away from him
and easing her onto her back.

She smiled up at him as he hovered over her. Then he leaned down to give her a kiss as he entered her once again.

Victor broke the kiss and moved faster, unable to restrain his desire for her. He gazed down at the woman he loved, knowing she loved him, too.

She moaned his name as her head thrashed on the pillow.

He sensed a new closeness between them. A new passion. Like something had finally broken free in Cara, and she was truly letting him in for the very first time.

Victor couldn
’t stop his body’s reaction. He called out her name as he released, and he heard her yelling his name, too.

As soon as he collapsed in a heap beside her, he said,
“I hope nobody heard that downstairs.”

Cara sighed.
“Too late now if they did.”

He took a few shallow breaths and said,
“I love you.”

“
I love you, too.”

“Are you sure I’m not overdressed?” Cara asked as she watched a group of casually dressed people cross the street. She and Victor were stopped at a red light a few blocks from their destination on the Riverwalk in San Antonio. “I feel overdressed.” She wore a navy blue cocktail dress that skimmed her knees. Adorning her neck was a sparkling diamond necklace—a present from Victor earlier that evening.

Victor smiled and reached across the front seat to give her knee a reassuring squeeze.
“You’re not overdressed. I’m taking you someplace where you’ll fit right in.” He waited until she looked over and their eyes met. “You look absolutely stunning tonight.”

Her voice softened as a shy grin passed across her lips.
“Thank you.”

He held her gaze for another second before turning his attention to the road. The light turned green a moment later, and Victor realized his kn
ee was bouncing just a little. Hopefully she couldn’t sense his nervous excitement.

As they accelerated through the intersection, Victor took notice of his surroundings to try to calm himself down. Some of the names had changed, but the area looked the same as he remembered. It was such a treat to come here with his brothers and Mama, especially the hot summer nights when she would bring them here for ice cream. Three rambunctious adolescent boys, oblivious to those romantic surroundings
...until they grew up a little. One night when Victor was fourteen, he saw a man propose to a woman in a small cafe along the river. All of the patrons eating there clapped and cheered when they saw her squeal, “Yes!” He remembered Mama’s eyes welling up as she watched. If he hadn’t been around his ornery brothers, he may have asked how their father proposed to her. Mama was always secretive about him, reluctant to volunteer information unless they wore her down with questions.

But Victor remembered that night in vivid detail. And he knew, if he ever found that special woman, he would bring her here to propose if he could. And he wanted to, with Alexis. He was disappointed when she refused to take the trip. Something about the high humidity making her hair frizzy. Tonight, Victor was thankful he hadn
’t brought that woman here. Instead, this would be a special place where he would propose to the one, true love of his life: Cara.

Victor took a deep breath when he caught a clear view of their destination.
“Here it is. At the end of the block.”

“
It’s a hotel?”

“
Yes, but the restaurant has a separate entrance. We’ll be on the upstairs patio, overlooking the river.” Victor slowed down and pulled off the street as a parking attendant approached.

A few moments later, after handing off his keys, Victor was holding Cara
’s hand and stepping up on the curb when he put his other hand in his pocket and let out an abrupt, “Shit!” He couldn’t feel the tiny box that held the engagement ring.

Cara stopped walking, her eyes widening.
“What’s wrong?”

“
Uh...” He turned fully around to see the Mercedes he borrowed from Ramon heading onto the street. He gritted his teeth. “Damn it. I left something...uh...my wallet.” He cleared his throat. “Can’t very well pay for dinner without that, can I?” He smiled and tried to appear calm as he scanned the pavement to see if the ring had fallen out of his pocket.

A second attendant approached.
“Is everything all right, sir? Did I hear you say you left your wallet in your car? We can look for it if you want to go on inside and—”

“
No,” Victor said. “No, please. I insist. Just tell me where it’s being parked and I’ll run and get it myself.”

Cara said,
“I’ll come with you.”

The attendant shook his head.
“That’s not necessary, sir. I can send him a message right now and have him bring the car back around.”

“
No...uh...” He squinted at the parking lot across the street. “You park the cars right over there?” He had to think of a way to keep both the helpful valets and Cara from finding out about the ring, which was probably wedged somewhere below the driver’s seat after falling out of his pocket.
Think fast...think...you’re usually so good at this...
He kept his eyes on the parking lot, afraid to turn around and let Cara see his anxiety. All he wanted was to give her a perfect, romantic evening, and he refused to let his stupid mistake ruin his big secret.

As Victor wiped his sweaty palm down the front of his suit, he gasped, then chuckled as a wave of relief washed over him. The ring was there all along. He had completely forgotten about moving it to his coat pocket at the very last minute, before they left the house.
This woman has no idea how flustered she makes me
. His usual calm, logical reasoning evaded him tonight, replaced by anxiety-ridden forgetfulness.

“
Sir?” The parking attendant asked. “Are you sure there’s nothing we can do to help?”

Victor was just about to answer when his eyes caught something in the parking lot. A man behind the wheel of an SUV in the front row, only a few spaces from where Victor
’s borrowed car was now parked. The man had been staring at Victor, but now his head was turned the other way and his hand covered the side of his face as if he were trying to hide himself from view. A man with a familiar silhouette.
Is that...? No, it couldn’t be...

Again, the attendant asked,
“Sir?”

Cara grabbed his arm.
“Victor? You okay?”

“
Um...” Victor let out a concerned sigh, then said, “
Querida
, will you please wait for me in the lobby of the hotel? I just remembered something.” He cut her off as she opened her mouth to protest. “I promise I’ll explain later. Please, darling.” He cupped both of his hands around one of hers. “Just relax in the lobby for a moment. I’ll come get you and escort you into the restaurant. I’ll only be a few minutes.”

“
Uh,” Cara’s eyebrows furrowed. “Sure, I guess?”

Victor leaned forward to give her cheek a quick peck.
“I can see I’m confusing you. I just want us to have a special evening tonight. It’ll make sense later.” He nodded to the attendant. “Could you please see her inside the hotel lobby for me?”

The attendant nodded and stepped forward.
“Absolutely, sir. Right this way, ma’am.”

Victor waited until their backs were turned before rolling his eyes in frustration. This evening was carefully planned to go off without a hitch, and now it seemed to be falling apart. He turned toward the parking lot and broke into a sprint, heading toward the blue SUV on the front row. The man inside was still turned away from him, covering his face, but Victor would know him anywhere.

Victor knocked on the window.
“Armando!”
Knock, knock, knock
. “Armando! What are you doing here?”

Armando grunted, then muttered,
“Shit,” before turning to face his brother. When their eyes met, Armando took a deep breath, hesitantly opened his door, and stepped out.

In momentary disbelief, Victor looked him up and down before pulling him into a quick embrace. Then he stepped back, his hands on Armando
’s shoulders. This was the first time he had seen him in nearly a year. Armando was dressed nicely in a crisp Armani suit, similar to the one Victor wore. From first glance, Armando appeared normal. But his expression was sobering. The color had drained from his face, and there were deep bags under his eyes. Victor shook him a little, staring at him with concern. “What the hell, man? Did you come here the other night after I told you I met Katie? It sounded like you ran out to your car when we were on the phone.”

Armando
’s voice was scratchy from not speaking in several hours. “You weren’t supposed to see me.”

“
Well, I’m glad I did. You look terrible. Tell me what’s goin’ on.” Victor gave his arm a soft smack. “Come on. You’re worrying me.”

“
Damn it.” Armando cleared his throat. “Just go back and pretend you didn’t see me. You’re gonna propose to Cara in there, right?”

“
Yes, but we’re a little early.” Victor turned his wrist to see the time. “I got exactly five minutes before my reservation officially starts. Seriously, talk to me. I’m worried.”

“
I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to derail your plans. Guess I should’ve hidden myself a little better. Come on inside.” Armando opened his door and sat down.

Victor instantly rushed around to the other side of the car and slid into the front passenger seat. He waited for Armando to continue, but instead, his brother stared straight ahead with a blank look. Victor said,
“Please start talking. I’ll be distracted and worried about you the rest of the evening unless you tell me what’s wrong.”

In a weak voice, Armando said,
“It’s hard to explain.”

“
I can see that.” Victor waited as Armando hesitated once again. “Why don’t you start with how long you’ve been here?”

“
You mean, in the parking lot?”

“
That too, I guess. But I meant, when did you leave L.A.?”

In a flat tone, Armando said,
“I got here yesterday morning. The day after you called.”

Victor
’s jaw dropped. “And you didn’t tell anyone? You should’ve come to the ranch.”

“
No.” Armando gave him a quick glance. “I haven’t figured out what I’m gonna do yet.”

“
When are you going back to L.A.?”

“
No idea.”

“
Okay, then. Come out to the ranch tomorrow. You can finally meet the woman who’ll hopefully be my fiancee after tonight.” Victor chuckled. “And you can explain to me why you’re so worked up about this Katie girl.”

Armando gritted his teeth and hit the steering wheel with his palm.
“Shit! See, that’s why I didn’t wanna tell you about it. I knew you wouldn’t understand.”

Victor softened his voice.
“Sorry, man. Didn’t mean to upset you. Did you come here to talk to her? You want her back?”

Armando groaned.
“Haven’t spoken to her yet.”

“
Want me to talk to her for you? Tell her you’re here?” Victor watched as thoughts quietly passed across Armando’s face. He had never seen him like this before. “Maybe she wants to talk to you, too.”

“
No. I need to do this myself.” Armando faced Victor. “I really wish you hadn’t seen me out here. I don’t want your help. I’ll be just fine. Go on back to the restaurant and propose to your girlfriend. Please.”