Carlos: A Zambrano Family Novel

by Deici, Olivia

  He took a sip from the gleaming tumbler. “I think seeing Cari not her usual steady self scared her.”

  “I know my kidnapping was difficult for her.”

  I recalled when I'd escaped and saw my family on the beach. I remember Cari’s face and the stark look in her eyes. She hadn't been able to let me go or let me out of her sight.

  “Very. She didn't eat, or leave the room. Barely spoke a word.” He finished his drink and his eyes looked at me again. “That woman has it bad for you. As bad as you have it for her.”

  In another setting, maybe those words would've made us both laugh, but my brother and I were serious.

  “What?” I asked when he kept looking at me.

  “When are you going to ask her?”

  I stared at him, surprised at his clairvoyance. He laughed.

  “The look you two give each other, what I see in her eyes when she looks at you, it's what I see in Izzy’s when she looks at me.”

  I thought about what he said for a moment and couldn't refute it.

  “What do you see in my eyes?”

  “A lost soul who found his home in her.”

  I smirked. “A bit poetic on the dramatic side, eh?”

  He snickered. “But you can't deny it, can you?”

  I shook my head. “No. I can't.”

  “So when?”

  I shrugged. “Soon. I'm not sure I want a big wedding like you and Izzy are planning, but if she wants it…”

  “You'll give it to her.”

  I nodded. “The stars, too, if she asks.”

  I heard Marco and Diego nearby, and my father’s booming laughter.

  “Ah, so you're here already,” Pop said, walking to his desk and setting down the cafecito my mother had made. We all poured ourselves generous amounts in the small tacitas on the tray. The foam was a rich caramel color on top, a sign of the good café Cubano my mother always made.

  Pop enjoyed his shot and looked at me and then Roman.

  “What?” Roman asked.

  Pop didn't say a word, but instead looked to Marco and Diego.

  “Please tell me you two won't be getting involved with another family unlike your two brothers here.”

  We all looked at each other and laughed.

  “Coño. I know it could be worse. You could have fallen for a Russian from one of those families, but fuck.” My father shook his head.

  We smirked at Pop’s comments.

  “You have nothing to worry about with me, Pop. I don't see myself ever agreeing to a ball and chain.”

  We looked at Diego with raised eyebrows.

  “To the cluelessness of youth,” Pop said, holding up the cafecito cup he'd just refilled, in the air. “Young, dumb-”

  “And full of cum!” Marco finished and we knocked back our tazas. Diego stared at us, shaking his head.

  “Believe what you want. But me? I don't want the same dinner every day.”

  Pop gave him a knowing look. “One day, hijo. You'll meet her, and everything that you believe now will change. And wait until there's children.”

  Diego scoffed in much the same way he did recently, when we'd had a similar conversation.

  “Baggage? No. Any kids, mine or hers, or ours? Nope. I'll pass. Not cut out for being the dad-type.”

  Marco turned to him. “You're great with Ari.”

  Diego rested his palm on his chest. “I'm the fucking greatest tio,” he said, and Roman and I scoffed.

  “I am,” we both said at the same time, looking at each other in friendly competition.

  “You all are,” Marco corrected.

  “That little girl is in my heart right here,” Diego said, pointing to his chest.

  “Until you have your own. Then your heart will grow in numbers,” Pop added. There was no doubt my father loved children. Look how many he'd had with Mamá. That, and they couldn't keep their hands off each other, even now. He also loved being a grandfather. The gleam that entered into his eyes when he was with the baby, was remarkable.

  “I'm not here to argue. Just know, you can seriously bet on never having grandchildren from me, or another daughter-in-law.”

  Pop’s grin didn't dissipate as he looked knowingly to Roman, Marco, and me.

  “So. When are you going to ask her?” Pop asked, looking expectantly at me.

  “For fuck’s sake. Who here doesn't know what I'm planning? I haven't even acknowledged my intent out loud.”

  I looked around to faces reflecting humor.

  “Jesus Christ,” I mumbled. “I hope you don't tip Cari off.”

  They chuckled as I sat down.

  “You and Roman are cleared. If you had fallen in love with other women from families and they weren't as good as those two are, we’d have problems.” Pop looked at me then. “Caridad saved my life. She will always occupy a part of my heart.” He turned to Roman. “And if it were not for Izabella, I would've never met Caridad. Izzy has made Roman the happiest he's ever been, and she has a giving heart. Both of those women will always mean a lot to me, not solely because they will be marrying my sons.”

  Roman and I looked at each other and grinned.

  “Updates?” Pop asked then.

  “I'm close to finding the traitor, the one who leaked our whereabouts to the kidnappers.”

  “What have you found out so far?”

  I looked at Marco.

  “Two new crew members in two months. One or both of them has to be the one.”

  “That's a dead giveaway, though. Were they recommended by someone?”

  I nodded at Pop. “Yes. We are keeping him under surveillance, too. The guy started a year ago. Called on Shadow for one of his crew to look after him.”

  “Anyone newer?”

  I shook my head. “We don't have a high turnover rate. Attrition is below two percent.”

  “Loyalty is everything,” Marco added.

  I nodded. “I pay them well for it.”

  “We’re watching the two new men, too. Once I know who it is, I’ll question him.”

  “Use the offsite warehouse,” Pop said to me, with a hard glint in his eye.

  “Wouldn't do it anywhere else.”

  “If I can be of assistance,” Marco growled. My other brothers offered the same.

  “I will. I'll let you know.”

  We talked shop for a half hour and we stood up to leave. Pop held up his hand to stay us before we all left.

  “So, when are you asking?”

  I looked over to him and shoved my father. My family laughed at me as we walked out.

  Fuck.

  Who didn't know?

  50

  Cari

  “Hey. The results are in for Linda.”

  I looked up from my desk as Luis stood at the door to my office. My heart skipped a beat.

  “What is it?”

  He shook his head and I let out a sigh of relief.

  “She's not pregnant.”

  I closed my eyes for a moment, grateful. We could treat her without worry about the effect on a baby. It will make the decisions she has to make easier, too.

  “I'll call her. I know she’ll be relieved, and she won't have to struggle with difficult decisions.”

  “Want me to wait for you?”

  I looked at the clock, seeing it was close to 7:00PM.

  “I'll take care of it and lock up. You stayed late today.”

  “I wanted to wait for the results.”

  “Thank you.”

  Smiling, Luis nodded and left.

  I made a quick call to Linda, and as expected, she was relieved. I reviewed the timeline of treatment and we hung up after confirming our upcoming appointment.

  It wasn't until I looked at my calendar and the birth control pills in my purse, that I paused. Grabbing my phone, I started up my period tracking app.

  “This can’t be right.”

  I had screwed my cycle up when Carlos had gone missing. In the days that had followed, I'd stopped eating, doing anythi
ng really, and obviously as a result, I'd stopped any medications-

  Including birth control.

  I had just tossed the old pack, started another, and didn't think twice about it. I was well into the new pack.

  Grabbing my wristlet, I hurried down to the hospital pharmacy.

  I had to know NOW.

  Thank God there was a new tech behind the counter. I didn't want to have to make up some shitty excuse to someone familiar, or have them know my personal business.

  I practically broke the elevator buttons, hitting them multiple times in a futile effort to hurry it up. Using my ensuite bathroom, I returned to my desk with the plastic stick to wait the requisite…

  Three.

  Freaking.

  Minutes.

  It was hard, but I hadn't even glanced at it once. I covered it with a piece of paper so I wouldn't stare at it.

  The time on my phone shrieked in my silent office making my heart jump out of my chest.

  I rested my head in my hands, and closed my eyes appreciating the last moments before my life changed forever.

  Because I knew.

  I didn't have to have that test confirm anything.

  I'd been abnormally tired.

  Abnormally picky with food.

  Abnormally sensitive to smells.

  And my boobs hurt like never before. I'd excused that by saying Carlos had been a bit rougher with them lately.

  But that was self-deluding.

  I lifted the sheet of paper and proudly on display was a pink plus sign.

  My breath came out long as I tried to figure out what to do and how to go about it.

  My hand flew to my tummy.

  Would Carlos be happy?

  Yes, he'd said he wanted children, but after that shit went down with his ex, would he still want one?

  More importantly, would he want one with me?

  “You've never been a chicken shit, Care. Don't start now.”

  I tried to bolster my courage.

  What the fuck was I afraid of anyways?

  Carlos is a good man and he wouldn't run from our baby.

  He loves me.

  “Don't let stupid doubts cloud your mind, Care.”

  And even if he didn't step up, and I'd never think Carlos as that type, I could take care of my baby. I make a good salary, and I could do it on my own.

  I sighed, leaning back in my chair and staring at the test.

  Maybe it was a fluke? False positives happened all the time. I grabbed my purse and flew back to the pharmacy with three more tests, all from different companies. The same pharmacy tech was there. I must've looked nervous or shifty because he said, “Don't worry. They all do it.”

  At my confused look, he pointed to the tests. “Several different brands.”

  I smiled, paid, and returned to my office. I took all three tests and waited.

  Five minutes later, and I had a collection of three positive tests.

  I laughed at my next thought.

  I needed official confirmation, because four over-the-counter pregnancy tests weren't enough.

  I called my gynecologist, Lissette. Another friend from med school.

  “I’m finishing up a few things in my office. Come down. I'll draw your blood myself. ”

  “I'm not sure I want that. How long has it been since you’ve done your own work?”

  She feigned as if offended. I hung up, snickering at her reaction, and walked to her office. She quickly drew my blood and said the earliest we could have the results would be tomorrow.

  In my heart, I knew the truth, so it didn't matter except to officially confirm it.

  There were always false positives, though, and I wouldn't put Carlos through another episode like he'd experienced with his ex.

  I couldn't help but pass the hospital gift shop. It was close to the professional medical office building, so I stopped by. Immediately, my eyes flew to the baby section for last minute gifts, even as my feet glided that way.

  Cute onesies and mugs were there, blue and pink for those who knew, and green and yellow for those who didn't. Smiling, I grabbed a butter yellow, deliciously soft onesie that read:

  50% Mommy

  50% Daddy

  100% Perfect

  I held it up to my chest and and closed my eyes.

  I'd always been so focused on my career, I'd never given much thought about babies and children.

  And now that I knew, I was ecstatic.

  Beyond happy.

  Even more because it was with a man who I loved more than anyone.

  And who loved me equally as much.

  I opened my eyes, staring at the glass display case, seeing a person’s reflection behind me. Dropping my hands with the onesie down, I hurriedly turned but no one was there. I continued to look around the shop and through the shop’s door to the corridor.

  Could it have been the clerk?

  Walking towards the register, I turned around, startled when someone spoke from behind me.

  “All done? Ready for checkout?”

  He must have seen my surprise and apologized for the scare. I paid for the onesie, a box and a beautiful bow, and returned to my office feeling as if eyes were following me.

  Jesus Christ, I hated this. It's not like I didn't have cause to be nervous. Manny was still out there.

  And I'd run him over.

  If he was dead, I had something to worry about.

  Being caught.

  And if he wasn't, I had something to worry more about.

  His revenge.

  Once in my office, I put one positive pregnancy test on top of the folded onesie in the box, put the lid on, and stuck the bow on top.

  I'd have to leave this here to not risk Carlos seeing it. And I had to be sure with the blood test before I gave him anything like this.

  Turning the light off, and smiling from ear to ear, I opened the door to my office. I had dinner plans with Carlos and my family.

  My family.

  My steps were light and it definitely felt like I was walking on air.

  I couldn't wait to see the father, grandfather, and uncle of my baby.

  51

  Carlos

  Marry Me,

  Jason Derulo

  “Why do you keep looking at me?”

  I was hyper focused on her, actually. We were turned towards one another, sitting on one side of the rectangular table, waiting for Tomás and Emiliano. We were on the exclusive terrace of my restaurant, reserved only for VIPs, under the beautiful starry night.

  We were at the restaurant in Oasis, Isla- island in Spanish.

  I was proud that it had earned a reputation for being one of the finest restaurants in the country. I'd worked hard for years acquiring the best chefs and staff to make it what it is today.

  The twinkling stars had nothing on her eyes.

  Cari was gorgeous, and even more so tonight.

  “Because you're beautiful.”

  She shook her head and looked away.

  “Not so bad yourself,” she smirked.

  I was in my navy Dolce & Gabbana suit. We paired well tonight.

  Cari looked amazing in her figure-hugging tan dress, which made her gorgeous eyes stand out more. Her lips were so beautiful and plump.

  Speaking of plump, her tits were ripe for squeezing by my hands. The dress accentuated them more, which I'd thought was impossible since they were generous already.

  “You're smiling a lot,” I said before bringing the tumbler to my lips.

  Her gleaming eyes snapped to mine again.

  Where I liked them.

  “I thought you liked my smile.”

  “I do, it's just that-”

  “Mr. Zambrano, Dr. Zavala, your guests have arrived.”

  We looked up and saw her father and brother standing in suits next to my host. Cari jumped out of her seat to kiss and hug her new family.

  I had to admit it, I loved it. I saw the love she had for them, and she’d only just found ou
t about them. It was immediate for her, as if the love had always existed without the persons to focus it on.

  They were good men, too. Tomás had been a good ally to Pop. My father was satisfied with the turn of events even though he teased me and Roman about our choices in women and their families.

  Funny how both of us became involved with similar women who were best friends, before we even knew who their families were.

  Whatever. I didn't care. If she was related to a hostile group, I wouldn't have given a fuck, either.

  She was mine.

  Would always be mine.

  Liking her family made that easier, though.

  Tomás and Emiliano sat down after I brought them in and slapped my hand on their backs in the usual Cuban show of force when greeting.

  Once we sat down at the rectangular table where Cari and I sat across from them, Carter, our best server, came and took our drink orders.

  “None for me, actually. I'll take the passion fruit spritzer.”

  I looked at Cari. “No alcohol?”

  She shrugged, smiling as she took a sip of her water. “I'm in the mood for something light, is all.”

  I continued to stare at her for a moment longer because her smile didn't dissolve right away, almost as if she knew something no one else did.

  I looked at Carter and asked her to bring a selection of appetizers. Excusing herself, she turned away, and Tomás turned to his daughter.

  “How are things, mi bendición?

  That was his nickname for her: my blessing.

  And she was that.

  To all of us.

  Her smile was vibrant and it made her eyes sparkle more in the candlelight.

  When she laughed, her father and brother, hell, even me, broke into automatic smiles.

  The joy exuded from her soul.

  “I'm happy.”

  Her eyes began to tear, and fuck, did that affect me- even if they were happy tears. My hand grasped one of hers and I brought it to my lips. She brought her other hand to her mouth, overcome with such deep emotion.