Tangled: A Moreno Brothers novella (6 page)

Five

Late

hat marathon lovemaking night almost a month ago had
come back to haunt Isabel. As satisfying as it was, she was fairly certain that
night was the culprit. Now here she was at Valerie’s house, waiting on the
results of her home-pregnancy test.

This was more of a formality just so she could confirm it. She
already knew she was. She was two full weeks late. Her breasts were tender, and
even morning sickness had already started. It was still mild enough that Romero
hadn’t noticed, but it was enough that she was certain she was pregnant.

At first, when she’d been late, she’d been sort of pissed at
herself. Why hadn’t she been more responsible? But as the weeks passed while
she waited for more time to go by before she took the test, she’d begun to get
excited.

Another baby.

The thought alone made her smile. This was why she’d initially
said she’d wait until next year to decide. Unlike Romero what had accused her
of, her mind hadn’t been made up. She really was on the fence about another
baby. Now she couldn’t be happier. But this close to Christmas she decided,
along with Valerie’s eager encouragement, she’d surprise Romero.

Isabel knew how badly he wanted another baby. This would be hands
down the best gift she could give him. This worked out in more ways than one.
He’d warned her more than once subtly and not so subtly that working even part-time
and dealing with the house and kids would be too much. And she’d be damned if
she was going to bring in some young nanny to raise her kids and prance around
her husband. But now she may not have to admit how right Romero had been.

There was no doubt about it anymore. Commuting back and forth
from the kids’ school every morning to the university and back again while
still maintaining a house was
hell
. Especially because Isabel hated a
messy and disorganized home.

She was still very grateful for the opportunity Elliot had given
her, but as soon as she got the confirmation she needed, she’d be letting him
know she wouldn’t be back after Christmas break. With another child on the way,
Romero would be happy to know she likely wouldn’t be going back to work now for
at least another five years. There was no way she was going to keep up with
everything she was doing now
and
deal with another baby. That would only
sweeten his Christmas gift, and even as she and Valerie sat there waiting
anxiously, they excitedly discussed the options on how to surprise Romero with
the news.

“Oh my God, Isabel, he’s going to die.” Valerie touched Isabel’s
arm. “Don’t tell him I told you, but he
really
hates you working with
that professor. Alex said he’s a complete grump ass when the subject ever comes
up, so, of course, Alex makes sure to bring it up often.”

Isabel rolled her eyes but laughed with Valerie. As if she didn’t
already know this. Romero had come a long way since she first met him when it
came to his explosive temper about a lot of things, but when it came to
anything like this, he still had a hell of a time trying to control it. Though
she wondered how hard he actually tried when it came to things of this nature,
because he was still very blatant about it.

“You really think I hadn’t noticed?” She laughed. “I knew before
I even started working, so from the very beginning I’ve done my best not to say
anything I know will only irritate him more. But you know Romero. You can’t win
with him when it comes to this stuff. Right from the start I tried to keep anything
I did or discussed with Elliot to a minimum. I’d only been working for about a
week, and one night while we were having dinner, I was telling him about my day
at work. I noticed him getting tense, so I made the mistake of saying, ‘But you
don’t wanna hear about everything we talk about.’ Then I asked him how his day
was. Instantly,” Isabel said, snapping her finger, “that brow was up and he
asked why.” Isabel raised her own brow to imitate her sexy husband’s glare and
then his hardened tone. “Is it gonna piss me off?”

Valerie laughed. “God, he sounds just like Alex. I don’t know
where Alex gets off making fun of Romero. He’s hated every single guy I’ve ever
worked with.”

Isabel laughed then stood up to walk over to the counter where
the pregnancy test was. She still hadn’t told anyone about that conversation
she’d had with Elliot the day Manny had to pick them up. He hadn’t said
anything remotely inappropriate again, and she’d since decided she’d overreacted.
She turned to grin at Valerie as soon as she saw the result.

“Positive?” Valerie practically squealed.

Isabel nodded, feeling giddy herself. Within seconds, she and
Valerie were hugging and squealing like two crazy people.

“Congrats, momma,” Valerie said, squeezing her tightly, then
pulled away. “Welcome to the insanity of my world of lots of crazy kids running
around.”

Isabel felt choked up suddenly. She felt bad now that she was
this thrilled about something she should’ve just agreed to long ago. Romero had
been saying they should have another baby for years now, and she’d stubbornly
refused. How in the world was she going to keep this from him for a few more
weeks?

Alex walked in the front door. “The girls left their bikes in the
driveway again.” He stopped when he saw Valerie holding her hand to her mouth,
looking ready to burst. “What?”

Valerie and Isabel exchanged glances. Her best friend’s eyes
pleaded, and Isabel knew that, like her, Valerie would be dying to tell her
husband. “He can’t say anything—”

“Okay, you can’t say anything,” Valerie said quickly before
Isabel could even finish. “Isabel is pregnant!”

Alex’s eyes went wide, but then he looked confused. “Why can’t I
say anything?”

“Because she’s gonna surprise Romero for Christmas,” Valerie
chirped in delight. “He’s been wanting another baby for years!”

“Yeah, he has.” Alex laughed. “He was just talking about it the
other day. He’s gonna be so stoked.” He walked over to Isabel and hugged her. “Congrats.”

After Isabel pulled away and thanked him, still feeling a bit
choked up, Alex brought up something she hadn’t even thought of. “If you’re
gonna want to keep this under wraps, don’t tell Manny and Max.”

Isabel’s eyes shot open. “That’s right,” she said, bringing her
hand to her head. “Those two are incapable of keeping secrets.”

“Not to mention neither knows how to whisper.” Valerie laughed. “They’d
probably discuss it right in front of him and then for the life of them not be
able to figure out how he could’ve possibly heard them.”

“Yeah,” Alex agreed, laughing now too. “You may as well just tell
Romero if you’re gonna tell them and ask them to keep it under wraps.”

“Okay, so let’s all agree no one tells Manny or Max,” Isabel said,
pointing at them. “I don’t mind if anyone else knows like your family,” she
said to Alex. “Just as long as they know I’m keeping it from him and his uncles
until Christmas.”

As much as she mocked Max and Manny for their inability to keep a
secret, she wasn’t much better. She’d never been good at lying, especially not
to Romero, and she knew keeping this from him for the next few weeks would
require lying to him. But the end result would be absolutely worth it. He was
going to be beyond thrilled.

Isabel was already wondering how she’d get through Thanksgiving
tomorrow when already just the thought of cutting up the
pansa
for the
menudo
made her a little nauseated. Still it was less than a month away. She could do
this. Her morning sickness with her second pregnancy hadn’t been as bad as with
her first. Isabel could only hope the third time was even better.

“Okay, I gotta go,” she said, remembering Romero was waiting for
her at home with the kids.

The lying had already started. She’d taken advantage of the fact that
Romero and the kids were caught up watching E.T. for the hundredth time to say
she had to run out and get an ingredient she’d forgotten for tomorrow’s
Thanksgiving dinner. She’d been in the kitchen all day, but after another nauseous
episode, she couldn’t stand it anymore and decided to run out and get the home-pregnancy
test and make a pit stop at Valerie’s. Amanda was another one she didn’t trust
to spill the beans. Her young daughter asked a million questions. Isabel would
be forced to tell her what she was up to if she saw her buy the test, so she’d
been forced to wait until Amanda was sucked into the movie and wouldn’t
immediately tag along with her to the store as she normally did.

Isabel even covered her tracks by pushing the brown sugar to the
back of the pantry because she would never forget to buy any of the ingredients
for her contribution to their Thanksgiving feast. She knew Romero knew this as
well. Just like with everything else she was meticulous about her grocery
lists. That was where the new job came in handy. She blamed it on being so busy
and exhausted last week when she’d started getting all her stuff together for
Thanksgiving, and Romero had easily bought it, barely turning away from the TV
when she told him.

“Was it crazy busy?” Romero asked as soon as she walked in.

“
Yes,
” she said, feigning annoyance. “The supermarket is
always a mess the day before Thanksgiving.”

Romero kissed her then followed her into the kitchen. “No wonder
you were gone so long.”

“Aha,” she said, putting the box of brown sugar on the counter.

“The kids polished off that casserole you made yesterday,” he said,
opening the fridge. “But that boy of yours ate so much of it I barely got some.”

“The chili beans will be done soon.”

“Oh yeah!” Romero smiled big, turning to the pot on the stove. He
closed the fridge and walked over to the pantry next.

“Did you get everything you’re in charge of,” she asked, turning to
watch Romero searching through the pantry. “Honey, the chili is probably
already done. Just get yourself a bowl if you’re that hungry. There’s corn
bread and all the fixings right there on the counter”

The second she saw the box in his hand she froze. “Look, babe,”
he said, looking at the box of brown sugar she’d set down on the counter then
at her a bit dolefully. “You went to the crowded ass market for nothing. The
brown sugar is right here.”

Isabel looked at him and frowned. “I knew I’d bought it.” She
quickly turned away to look into the chili pot instead because she knew how bad
she was at lying. She didn’t want to look him in the face when she did. “But I
searched and searched and couldn’t find it.”

“Probably because it was way in the back.”

Romero closed the pantry door and proceeded to make himself a
bowl of chili as he assured her everything he was in charge of for tomorrow was
ready: the air mattresses for the out-of-town guests who’d be coming back here
after dinner at Moreno’s, the table extension in the dining room for the day-after
brunch they always had, and all the booze for the mimosas and Bloody Marys they’d
have at said brunch.

She was about to sit down and have some chili with him when her
phone rang. Romero reached for it, glancing at the screen before he handed it
to her. “Elliot?”

How Valerie would think for even a second that she didn’t know
about Romero hating her working with Elliot was beyond her. Isabel was certain
of it now. Her husband wasn’t even trying to hide that fact, and his lethal
glare now was proof of that.

Isabel took the phone from him, shrugging. She had no idea why
Elliot would be calling her. He only ever texted her and even that was few and
far between. “Hey Elliot,” she said, walking away from the kitchen table.

“Isabel, I hope I didn’t interrupt anything.”

“No, not at all.” She stopped before walking out of the kitchen,
knowing it’d be better for argument’s sake that she take this call right in
front of Romero. So she walked around the center island and leaned on it,
facing her very annoyed-looking husband. “What’s going on?”

“My plans for Thanksgiving fell through. My buddy who was
supposed to come with me to Mammoth is a cop, and he got recalled last minute.”

“Oh no,” Isabel said, genuinely feeling bad for him. She reached
for a napkin to wipe a smear on the counter. “That sucks. So what are you gonna
do?”

This was his first Thanksgiving divorced, and his ex-wife had the
kids, so he’d be alone. They’d talked about his skiing trip to Mammoth, and he’d
been really excited.

“Well, that’s why I’m calling you. I’d been trying to decide
since I found out yesterday if I should be pathetic and spend tomorrow night sitting
alone at Denny’s or just call you and ask if the invitation to spend
Thanksgiving with you guys at the restaurant you mentioned still stood.”

Invitation? Oh, Good Lord.

Isabel glanced up at Romero, who was sitting back in his chair
now, staring at her and not even eating. She’d never actually invited him, and
she couldn’t believe now that not only had he taken it that way he was actually
taking her up on it.

“Sure,” she said her voice nearly squeaking, and she smiled at
Romero before saying the next part. “Yeah, that’s fine. You can even bring
someone if you want to. We always make way too much food.”

Romero sat up slowly as if it just dawned on him that she’d just
invited Elliot to Moreno’s tomorrow. His eyes went wide, so she brought her
finger to her lips.

“Are you sure it’s okay. I don’t want to intrude or anything.”

“Oh no, no. That’s fine,” she assured him then gave Romero her
best puppy-dog look and pouted. “I’m sure my husband would love to meet you.”

Romero’s head fell back, but it wasn’t in that playful way when
he was exasperated about something. She knew him well enough to know he was
pissed
.