Tangled: A Moreno Brothers novella (13 page)

She had no fear of being tempted to do or even behave in an
improper way around Elliot. But she was a horrid liar and Romero read her too
well. If she was completely honest with herself, she hadn’t been comfortable
around Elliot ever since his admission about being more intrigued by women who
could do things to his mind. His other subtle comments hadn’t helped with the
unease either.

The day she’d done her full lecture when she’d finished and they’d
been alone again, he’d told her he didn’t think he could be any more fascinated
with her than he already was. This time she was sure she saw more in his eyes,
heard more in the undertone. She’d stupidly thought her being pregnant would be
a deterrent—a wall that would keep him safely from looking at her like that again.
She still thought she could be wrong, and it was unfair to think that way of
Elliot when he really hadn’t done or said anything inappropriate, but she still
couldn’t help feeling slightly uncomfortable by it. It was why she’d called
Romero and asked him to meet her for lunch instead of hanging out alone with
Elliot for another hour.

Using the thrill she was still feeling about giving the lecture,
she managed to mask her unease from Elliot’s compliment when she called Romero
that day. Even then, she hadn’t done a very good job because he still asked if
she was okay.

She’d figured something out about Elliot. He wasn’t just good at
expressing himself. He was
masterful
at it. He really did have a gift
for mesmerizing audiences, not just with his words but how he delivered them.
As silly as she thought so at first, the idea that he was trying to use his
gift on her was beginning to feel more plausible.

They didn’t award PhDs to just anyone. Even with all her highly
accomplished family members, Isabel was certain she’d never met someone as
intelligent as Elliot. He was as close to a genius as she’d probably would ever
meet. He could say things to her without actually saying them. Make her feel
things without doing a damn thing.

Mind fucked.

She’d heard the ugly expression before and never thought she’d
ever say this, but it was really beginning to feel as if that’s what Elliot was
trying to do to her. She wondered now if maybe he’d been trying to tell her
something else when he talked about liking what women did to his mind. Maybe it
was a turn on to him—something he practiced and enjoyed doing to women—playing
with their minds.

He knew she was married and pregnant, knew she wasn’t stupid or
the type of woman who would cheat, and she was certain Romero had gotten his
unspoken message across loud and clear on Thanksgiving that he too had picked
up on something disquieting about Elliot.

What’s more, like the first time she blurted out her reminder
about being married with kids, she’d reiterated the fact plenty times more.
Albeit not as stupidly as that first time, but he knew without a doubt she was
hopelessly devoted to her husband and family. Yet she couldn’t shake the
niggling feeling that all these things were a challenge to him, and that
challenge was a turn on for him. She got the feeling that maybe he’d mistaken
her unease for allure.

She even wondered now if he’d ever had plans for Thanksgiving at
all. Was his telling her about his excitement about Mammoth, because he’d
otherwise be alone, his way of garnering sympathy from her so when the time
came he could pull what he did? Only someone as smart as Elliot would be so
conniving and think that far ahead. What better way to get a sneak peek into
her world—her marriage—and see for himself just what he was up against.

A man like Elliot likely never felt challenged. He was probably
enjoying this. Of course there was still the possibility that she was way off.
But if there were any chance that she wasn’t, she was glad that the risk of
Romero picking up on anymore of her discomfort when it came to Elliot wouldn’t
be for much longer.

There was no way Isabel could be too hard on Romero for feeling
something
was off-kilter. Only there was no way he could possibly know what was really
going on.

~*~

“You guys can’t call Mandy Mother Theresa anymore.” Romero
said, tossing another piece of wood in the bonfire. “I already told you Izzy
doesn’t like it.”

“But we’re just teasing,” Manny said with a frown. “Mandy knows
we’re just playing.”

“Yeah, it’s all in fun,” Max added. “We don’t mean nothin’ by it.”

Romero knew just as they’d called Romeo a momma’s boy for years, Mandy
had been Mother Theresa to his uncles for just as long. According to these two,
Izzy had created both the roles. Romeo was a momma’s boy because she coddled
him to death, and Mandy was turning into Izzy. Romero
loved
that his
daughter was just like her mom. Already she’d skipped the first grade, so she
obviously had Izzy’s brains, but she was also just as much a stickler about
keeping things clean and organized. She often got on Romeo’s case about not
putting their toys and books back just so. And since his uncles were like
immature kids still incapable of cleaning up their language, they too got
scolded by Mandy many times. So she’d since been labeled Mother Theresa.

Like his uncles, Romero didn’t think Mandy minded the name. He
could tell she got a kick of ratting her uncles out or calling them out when
they let her and Romeo do things they weren’t supposed to be doing. Because
like her mom, even at her young age, she was smart enough to know that even if
Manny and Max as the adults gave their permission, Izzy would likely still
raise a brow and tell her she should have known better.

Normally, this was funny as shit to Romero. Not only did half the
time his six-year-old daughter have more sense than his grown ass uncles, but
they knew it and playfully resented it. But tonight he was still too damn on
edge to appreciate the humor of it. “Yeah, well it upsets Izzy.” He placed his
hands over Romeo’s ears. “So knock that shit off already.”

“I heard you had some apologizing to do to Isabel’s sister
earlier,” Alex asked with a smirk.

Romero frowned. “Yeah, I snapped.”

Sal bent over to pick up his youngest. “Is that right? You and
Pat still not getting along? I thought that’s been water under the bridge for
years.”

“Nah, not Pat, Gina,” Romero clarified.

“
What?
” Angel asked, surprised. “You snapped at your
baby
sister?”

“I misunderstood what she and Izzy were talking about. That’s
all.”

“Oh, I gotta hear this,” Alex laughed. “Valerie said you were groveling
all over the place.”

Romero rolled his eyes, unamused, motioning to his son standing
in front of him as an excuse to not have to give them the embarrassing details,
but just then Mandy walked over holding Romeo’s heavier jacket. “Mommy said to
put this on and come over and sit with the kids,” she said to Romeo, who crossed
his arms defiantly, refusing the heavier jacket even after Romero nudged him. “The
parade is gonna start soon,” she added with a big smile just as Izzy did when
she was trying to coax Romeo into something.

With that, Romeo’s eye widened as he let his sister put his
jacket on him, even waited patiently while she zipped it all the way up. She
took him by the hand and they walked away. The rest of the kids who’d been
gathered around the fire ran off with them.

“No excuses now, Romero,” Eric said, taking a sip of whatever the
hell he was drinking. “Let’s have it.”

Grudgingly, Romero reminded them of the time he’d shared about
his client with the almost cheating wife and how he’d recorded the wife confiding
in her sister about it.

“This guy”—he pointed at Manny, shaking his head—“has been all up
in my face about his theories about Izzy and the professor she’s working with
and how I better keep my eyes and ears open because that kind of shit happens
all the time.”

“Don’t even tell me,” Sal said, his mouth falling open. “You
grilled her sister?”

“No!” Romero said, disgusted as if what he’d done was any better.
“I just overheard them talking and it sounded bad.” He glanced back to make
sure Izzy wasn’t anywhere nearby. “I walked up behind them just when Gina said
she was surprised I hadn’t suspected anything. Izzy even said she was beginning
to fumble her lies.”

“What lies?” Manny asked, not looking nearly as amused as the
rest of the guys, who were already laughing.

“I guess she’s got a big surprise for me for Christmas.” The guys
laughed even more now. “What are you two laughing about?” He addressed Angel
and Alex. “Like you two wouldn’t have been thinking the same thing if you were
in my place?”

It didn’t stop them from laughing, but Alex actually nodded. “Maybe,”
he agreed.

“But I wouldn’t have snapped at her sister,” Angel said.

“I didn’t really snap at her. I was, well, you know how I can get
when I’m hot.” They all laughed again, nodding as if they knew damn well. “I
never talk to her like that is all. So I felt bad.”

“You sure that surprise thing isn’t just some bullshit story she’s
feeding you, and maybe they was really talking ’bout that professor?” Manny
asked.

“Yes, I’m sure,” Romero said with as much conviction as he could
muster.

“Of course it’s not bullshit,” Sal said, looking a little
surprised that Manny would even suggest it was.

Alex put his hand on Manny’s shoulder. “Yeah, Manny, why you
getting my boy all stirred up? He’s bad enough as it is. And we all know Isabel
wouldn’t do something like that.”

“Even if she ever did,” Eric said but then quickly added looking
right at Romero, “and we know she wouldn’t,
but
if she ever did, she’s
too smart to be discussing it openly here in front of the whole damn family
with the kids running around and all.”

That made Romero feel even stupider. Izzy was the one always
going on and on about Mandy being a sponge. She soaked up everything she heard
and asked a million questions. There was no way Izzy would risk discussing
something so damning within earshot of her daughter. Within earshot of
any
of them. She’d been sitting right by Aida too.

So why couldn’t he shake the idea that there was more than just a
Christmas surprise that Izzy was keeping from him? There was more to the
unusual moods she’d been in lately?

The girls and kids called the men over to sit with them because
the parade was about to begin. The lighted boats started their way around the
marina, each one brighter and bigger than the last. They all watched oohing and
aahing.

Romero snuggled up against his wife under the blanket she’d
brought. She smelled so damn good and not like that new perfume she’d gotten
either. Another thing that had made him a little nuts for about a day there.
All these years she wore the same damn perfume, the one he always told her he
loved.
The one fucking year she decides to go back to work—side by side with
another dude—and she decides to change it? But it was true. The new perfume she’d
bought wasn’t sexy at all. It was soft, sweet, girlie. Most importantly it was very
subtle. Not something you’d wear to get someone’s attention. She even said she’d
be putting a bottle of it in Mandy’s stocking. That’s how sweet and innocent a
fragrance it was.

He glanced down at his kids sitting with the rest of the kids as
Mandy pulled the blanket she was sharing with her brother over his shoulder to
make sure he was covered all the way. For the first time in a while, he smiled
genuinely. He was surrounded by the people he loved most in the world, and from
the looks of it, none of them were going anywhere. They’d always be this close,
and all their kids would be growing up just as close.

Romero couldn’t have asked for a more perfect life, and at that
moment, he decided he was going to just drop the whole paranoia about Izzy
keeping something from him. She obviously had something big up her sleeve, and
maybe getting it all to come together the way she always wanted everything to
be so perfect was becoming a pain now that she was working. He’d seen it
firsthand more than once when they planned something like one of the kids’
birthday parties or the baby showers she threw for Valerie. Things usually got
pretty intense when it came down to the wire.

Last year when they’d gotten the kids bikes for Christmas, it was
imperative that everything was planned out just so. Right down to the kind of
huge bows they used. Like with everything else she put together so
painstakingly perfectly, this surprise could be what was making her moody.

In any case, Christmas was less than two weeks away. If she was
still acting strangely even after then, he’d have to deal with it head on, but
for now he’d back the hell off and just enjoy his perfect life.

Ten

Mind Games

sabel had just finished pouring herself a cup of tea
when Romero rushed into the kitchen.

“I gotta go,” he informed her. “Your car’s in the way. Where are
your keys?”

Isabel turned just in time to see him heading for her purse on
the counter. Without thinking, she practically lunged toward it and grabbed it
before he could. He froze on the spot and stared at her until she looked down
at her purse, feeling like an idiot. Without asking, she already knew what he
was thinking.

“What’s that about?” he asked, glaring down at her purse as she
fished her keys out.

“I gotta go too,” she said. “So no need to move my car. I was
just leaving.”

He was still peering at her with that telling heat in his eyes, and
he tilted his head. “Anything we need to talk about?”

“Nope,” she said trying to sound playful, but he still wasn’t
smiling.

In fact, his glare had gone harder. “You hiding something from me,
Isabel?”