Yours

by Tia Kelly

  “Oh, Javier,” Teresa gasped.

  He shrugged nonchalantly as if the revelation never affected him. “When she left, I knew I would never see her again. I was wrong. She came back later to tell him she was carrying his daughter. My father was a proud man and didn’t want to see her leave him again for another man, so he told her to return back to the United States. That their affair served its purpose.”

  Teresa looked at him confusingly.

  Reading her face, Javier explained, “The woman that gave birth to me was engaged to another man when she met my father. She was studying abroad when they had their affair and she didn’t want to return with another man’s child. She had me and let my father raise me.”

  “But she came back,” Teresa said softly.

  “Not for me. She came back for a fling,” he said with finality. “She didn’t expect their short time together thirteen years later would produce another child, I imagine, but it did. She chose to raise my sister, Alejandra.”

  Teresa gasped, covering her mouth. “The woman from the casino?”

  Javier nodded. “I didn’t just come here to check on the office here. I was instructed to tell her we share the same parents.”

  “She doesn’t know?”

  Javier laughed dryly. “She does now. You were there in my hotel room the morning she visited, right after she figured it out.”

  Teresa nodded slowly, taking his painful revelation in. “So what happens now? Is she open to a relationship with you? What about your mother?”

  “I don’t want to talk about Evelyn,” he tersely replied. Feeling Teresa tense in his arms, Javier took a deep breath and continued. “As for Alejandra, I don’t know. I can see her trying to get to know me. I think she feels bad for what Evelyn did, but I’m not here to be social. I need to save my father’s business. His will stipulated that she takes over the role of COO of the United States office and she refuses. She doesn’t want to have anything to do with our father’s legacy now that she knows the truth.

  “This is why I must fly back to Spain tomorrow. I have to meet with my father’s lawyers to determine our strategy.”

  Teresa’s quietness concerned him. He never cared to open up before, but the release was therapeutic for him. Javier felt a lot of his anxiety being released the moment he finally decided to tell her about his sordid childhood.

  Javier never cared what others thought of him before, but for some reason, Teresa’s opinion mattered.

  “Is that why you are committed to no one? Because of your father?” she asked.

  “Perhaps,” he said casually, the stress of his past no longer holding him hostage. “I travel all the time and have little time for distractions.”

  “I see.”

  “Can I see you when I return?” he asked, rubbing her thigh. She had wrapped her leg around his and his large hand held her body there close to him.

  Teresa kept her eyes on the window, gazing out at the tree-lined view beyond the impressive backyard. “How long will you be gone?”

  “A few days,” he replied. “A week perhaps.”

  Teresa merely nodded. Her body language and few words the past few minutes were noticeable.

  Javier pulled her close to him, but this time she pushed away and tried to stand. “Where are you going, querida?”

  Teresa managed to writhe out of his arms and collect her belongings.

  “Tell me,” he asked. He looked up at her, watching her move around the room after turning on the light. She then began tossing random items in a tote bag. Frustrated with her behavior, he shouted, “Teresa! Answer me!”

  She stopped abruptly, letting her shoulders drop in the process. “And then what, Javier? Keep you company until you return to Spain for good? Once our affair serves its purpose?”

  “It doesn’t have to be like this,” he said calmly. Javier didn’t know what she wanted, but he knew what he needed. “We can keep in touch.”

  “I’m not into pen pals.”

  “You can visit.”

  She looked at him incredulously. “And stay tucked away in a hotel until you need me again? I have a life here, Javier. I also have a daughter that is pregnant and a son in school—”

  Javier moved to stand in front of her, taking her shaking hands in his. “I won’t keep you tucked away.”

  “You already do!”

  He looked away, unable to respond. When he felt her fingers pull away from his grasp, he knew he needed to say something quickly or he would never have another chance. “Teresa.”

  “Don’t,” she said, holding up a hand. Taking a deep breath, she stepped away from him. She was the one that broke the rules when she developed feelings for him. It was not his fault she let her emotions get in the way.

  And standing so close to the door, the stronger she felt it. She now missed him already and wanted to experience all that she could before he was gone for good.

  Feeling defeated by the feelings she knew she had for him, Teresa lowered her head in resignation. “Let’s not ruin what we have. Yes, if you want to see me when you return, then I will.”

  Chapter Six

  Teresa watched him place the shellfish on top of the rice mixture. The colorful paella was cooking nicely in a large round pan on the grill and she couldn’t wait to sample it. Javier had returned home from Spain and said little to her about his plans to convince Alejandra not to resign and even less about what his time spent with Teresa meant to him.

  What he did reveal was his somber mood despite their playful banter outside on his terrace. She cut into the Tortilla Española and offered him a slice of the omelet-style potato dish he prepared.

  When he refused to eat any, she reached for his arm. “What’s wrong?”

  She watched him add the last of the seafood before he stepped away to wash his hands.

  “I didn’t wear a condom this morning,” he said quietly, returning to sit in front of her on the chaise lounger. “If you get pregnant, I will provide for my child, but I am not ready to be a father.”

  Teresa eyed him suspiciously. “Whoa, where is that coming from?”

  “I do not carry any diseases, Teresa, I can assure you.” She watched him run his hand frustratingly through his hair and look away. “I like children, I do. I just never wanted any of my own.”

  Teresa noticeably bristled at his cold words.

  “It’s not that serious,” she started, but Javier jumped up and interrupted her.

  “Children are very serious deal, Isabel.”

  “I can’t get pregnant. I had my tubes tied,” she replied at the same time. Then Teresa watched his demeanor shift when they both recognized his faux pas. She played over the countless times she heard him calling her “bella” and all along she thought he was saying she was beautiful. “Who is Isabel?”

  “No one.”

  “This wasn’t the first time you called me her name. Was it?” Teresa’s stomach twisted in knots as she wondered how she could be so blind. “Is she someone else that you’re seeing?”

  “No,” he said, reaching out to touch her. “I never said her name before.”

  Teresa backed away. “Is she a girlfriend? I asked you before if there was someone else and you obviously lied.”

  “I never lied, querida. She is no one.”

  “Then who is she, Javier?” Teresa shouted.

  He remained silent for a minute before answering. “My wife.”

  Teresa refused to listen to another word. For the first time since they met, Javier tried to follow her until she got into her car and drove away, but his efforts this time were too late. She knew she should have walked away long before this day had come.

  Teresa focused on the speckled ceiling tile and folded her hands on top of the paper gown. She heard her phone ringing in her bag and stepped down off the table to dismiss the call.

  “Knock knock,” a voice called out before entering the exam room. The woman flipped through a chart then held out her hand. “Teresa?”

&nb
sp; “Hi.” She greeted the gynecologist and after reviewing her health history, her doctor asked if she would prefer a full exam and pap smear since she was due for one. Teresa initially scheduled the appointment after seeing Javier a week ago. She wanted to make sure she didn’t contract anything from him since she could no longer trust his word. “Sure.”

  After the full exam was complete, her doctor instructed her to sit up. Teresa’s phone rang again and the doctor politely handed her the purse so Teresa could retrieve it. Teresa reached into her bag to dismiss the call and tossed her bag back on the chair.

  When she was done, the doctor moved closer to talk to Teresa. “During the breast exam, I felt something that I want to have checked out.”

  Panicked, Teresa questioned her. “You found a lump?”

  “It’s possible. I am going to give you a script for a mammogram. I’ll code it so they will schedule you ASAP next door at the hospital.”

  Teresa vaguely nodded as the doctor continued to explain what Teresa needed to know.

  Javier cut into his chicken and listened to his sister express her dilemma. Allie was spending a lot of time with him, asking details about her father and getting to know her new brother. After she invited him to lunch, he welcomed the opportunity not to think about Teresa even if it meant reopening up old wounds.

  “Javier, you have to understand that all my life, Alejandro Fernández ordered my steps and I was never aware of it.”

  “He wanted to make sure you were provided for,” Javier countered. Alejandra discovered the extent their father went through to direct her education choices, career moves and ultimately recruiting her to become a project manager at his company.

  “He wanted to control me.”

  Javier used to wonder the same thing, too. Would his life be different if his father was not dictating his every move, even from the grave? Javier studied engineering because his father told him to. He married Isabel because her family’s political influence could help their company grow.

  Then Javier put business first, because his father reminded him there was no room for love in a successful man’s life.

  The low ringing of his phone interrupted their discussion. Javier pulled the phone from his pocket. He just missed the call from Teresa and debated if he should call her back.

  Setting the phone on the table, Javier finally said, “Well, you have ninety days from the date of his death to accept the position, which leaves you a little more than a month to decide.”

  “And if I choose not to?”

  Javier responded coolly, “The company will be sold and assets divided among a list of charities my father supported.”

  Alejandra nodded, but her eyes were troubled. “Just like that, you will close the US office?”

  “No, the entire corporation will be sold and it will not be my doing.”

  “You’re saying it will be my fault?” she asked, her voice rising slightly.

  Javier reached across the table and took her hand into his. “No, Allie.” She softened hearing him finally use the nickname she preferred. “He was the one that made the stipulation in the will and if you want to cut the puppet strings, then I won’t blame you.”

  If he had cut the strings before he met Teresa then he would probably still have her in his life and he could openly give meaning to the feelings he had for her.

  She smiled, feeling reassured. Allie also appreciated the bond she was slowly forming with her brother.

  “And what happens if I choose to stay?”

  Javier pulled back his hand and resumed eating. “Then you have a lot of work ahead of you. With government policies holding up several of our projects, this office is losing a lot of money. It probably won’t survive six months unless something changes, less if there is to be a severance package when employees are let go.”

  “Is that why you’re here? Are you here to help?” she asked. She dared him to tell her anything other than the truth. “You were only required to come tell me about my paternity and the stipulation in the will. No one asked you to stick around.”

  Javier knew people were questioning his daily appearance in the office, site visits he periodically made and interest in meetings. He even worked out of one of the available offices and selected one of the employees to act as his assistant during the remainder of his stay.

  “I have a few reasons.”

  Allie smirked and nodded. “I think you’re playing protective big brother just in case I do accept the offer and I bet it has something to do with the woman you’ve been spending time with.”

  Javier smiled, but chose not to respond. His phone chirped alerting him of a voicemail message. Curious about what Teresa had to say, Javier reached for his phone to listen while his sister excused herself to go to the ladies room.

  “Javier, what is it?” Allie asked from behind him upon her return.

  She stared at his tightened shoulders and bowed head. It was evident he just received some upsetting news.

  At first Javier shook his head, but then slowly turned to face Allie. His eyes revealed the fear that consumed him.

  “Teresa,” he whispered harshly. “I need to find her.”

  Confused, Allie took her brother’s hand and sat down.

  “What happened? Was that her on the phone?”

  Javier tapped the button on his screen and pressed play. The speakerphone on his cell broadcast the accidental call for his sister to hear and for him to listen once again for any more information he might have missed during the first call.

  “Did I just hear what I think I heard?” Alejandra asked. “It sounded like Teresa called by mistake from the doctor’s office.”

  Javier ran his hand over his head and then clenched his fists.

  “She will be okay. Doctors request these tests all the time just to be safe. Is there a reason why you are this upset? Has she had this problem before?”

  Slowly Javier lifted his head to meet her concerned gaze. He felt his sister’s hand touching his and he absently clasped his fingers within hers. “Isabel.”

  Alejandra opened her door and was surprised to see Javier standing on the other side so early in the morning. She stepped aside, giving him room to enter.

  He frantically left the restaurant the day before hoping to find Teresa at her home. Allie knew he did not see her and Teresa had never answered any of his calls, because Javier returned to his sister’s home later that night appearing disheveled.

  Allie got him to open up about Isabel and his feelings for Teresa, but it didn’t make him feel any better. Still confused, Javier decided to return home.

  “I need your help,” he said. His words commanded her attention, but his appearance summonsed up every empathetic bone in her body. “She still won’t return my calls.”

  Allie led him into her kitchen where she had a half-filled mug waiting for her to finish filling it with coffee. She offered him a cup, but he shook his head. Allie prepared one for him anyway and slid it across the marble island. “You look like you need it. No sleep last night?”

  His solemn response was barely audible. “No.”

  “What can I do? I wouldn’t know where to look. Besides, I only know her first name from the night at the casino.”

  Javier reached into his pocket and retrieved his cell. Passing her the device, he looked at her with pleading eyes. “I need to know where she is going for her test.”

  Half an hour later, Allie and Javier were perched on bar stools and staring at her laptop screen.

  “Your Fernández blood is pulsing hard through your veins.”

  She bristled at first then smiled. “Why do you say that?”

  “You are very resourceful. I never would have considered what you are doing.”

  Allie shrugged. “I wouldn’t have either, but we don’t have a lot of options.”

  After calling a local hospital to confirm Teresa’s appointment, Allie was asked for personal information she didn’t know about the woman. When she could not provide
them, the employee informed Allie of HIPAA regulations.

  “This has to be her,” Allie announced, pointing at the screen. “This Teresa Clarke is local and lives in the area. She is also thirty-nine.”

  “Does it have her birthdate?” Javier asked. He watched his sister click on the name and was disappointed they were required her to provide a credit card. He quickly pulled out his wallet and slid a card toward Allie. “Here.”

  “This feels so wrong.”

  “If you don’t do it, then I will.”

  “And do you plan to explain that you are calling to confirm your mammogram appointment with a voice as deep as yours?” Her lighthearted joke lightened the tension briefly, but then they both remembered the task at hand.

  A few minutes later, Javier was perusing the background information on Teresa Clarke while his sister started calling local hospital diagnostic departments.

  “Hello, I am calling to double check an appointment for a mammogram. I lost my cell phone and all the information for the appointment was saved on it,” he overheard his sister explain into the receiver. “Yes, Teresa Clarke.”

  Allie spelled out Teresa’s name and then provided the woman’s date of birth and last four digits of her social security number. Allie pulled the phone away from her ear and covered the mouthpiece. “I’m going to hell for this. You better pay my bail and get me out if we get caught.”

  Javier smiled nervously, praying their idea would work.

  “Yes, great! Oh wow, it’s in half an hour? Then I better hurry up and get there. Bye!”

  Alejandra hung up the phone and looked at her brother. There was no doubt that he heard her response. “Her appointment is scheduled at Spring Brook Medical Center.”

  “Thanks.” Javier jumped off the seat and kissed Allie’s cheek before rushing out the door.

  Teresa held the cloth gown closed and waited until she was instructed to step close to the mammogram machine again. She had spent the last ten minutes feeling her breasts uncomfortably getting pressed and squeezed between the metal plates. She knew the technician was trying to proceed with care, but it still hurt.