Breaking Hearts (Full Hearts #4)

by MJ Summers

  An hour later, Lorena found Trey in the barn still taking down the lights. “It’s a shame to take it all down. It was so beautiful,” she said.

  “It was nice, wasn’t it?” he remarked.

  She started folding the lengths of tulle that Trey had dropped onto the floor. “And look, today the sun is shining. It’s too bad the wedding wasn’t today.”

  Trey stopped what he was doing and looked down from the top of the ladder. “I’m glad it was yesterday. That storm gave us a great story to tell. Plus, I don’t have to spend the entire day being really nervous.”

  The sounds of Tomas and Carlos laughing together made their way into the barn, bringing a smile to Lorena’s face.

  “What are Betina and Alessa up to?” Trey asked.

  “Your wife is helping her sister pack for her trip. I think she is the best one for the job. I don’t know what Betina should bring and I would only cry.”

  “It must be hard to let her go so far.”

  Lorena’s face screwed up and she nodded quickly, blinking back tears.

  “She’ll be okay. She’s got a good head on her shoulders.” Trey nodded reassuringly.

  * * *

  By suppertime, the barn had been returned to its normal state, the animals were home and everyone was hungry. Betina’s luggage sat ready at the front door. A quiet fell over the family as they shared one last meal together on the patio. They were all tired from the day before, but a bittersweet sadness had also settled in. Tomas became the centre of attention as the adults all tried to distract themselves from the emptiness of parting so soon. Carlos had been especially silent throughout the day, tears coming to his eyes whenever he looked at his younger granddaughter.

  Lorena tried to make a going-away speech, but the words got caught in her throat and she ended up just telling Betina she loved her. After the meal, it was time for Betina to go to the bus station in town.

  Betina looked at her mother with a tentative expression. “Can Alessandra take me? I think if you all come, I’ll be a wreck by the time I get there.”

  Lorena nodded. “Very sensible of you.”

  Trey carried her bags out to the truck, stopping after he loaded them in. They were alone, and he suddenly felt the worry he would feel for his own child in this situation. “Listen, Betina, I hope you don’t mind me giving you some brotherly advice. It’s not the same there. Some places are not so safe for girls. Be sure to make some good friends when you get there. Girls, not boys. And when you go to parties, bring your own drinks. Something bottled or canned. Never leave your drink unattended. Never. If you do, don’t finish it. Just dump the rest out. Never go anywhere alone at night. Always go with a friend you trust and never let each other out of sight—”

  Betina held up her hand. “It’s okay. I know all this. Alessandra has been telling me the same thing for days now.”

  Trey smiled and scratched his head. “Sorry, it’s just that we want you to be safe.”

  “I know.” She gave him a big hug. “Thank you. You’re a wonderful brother-in-law. You be good to my sister, okay?”

  “I promise I will.”

  The sound of footsteps on the gravel interrupted the moment. The rest of the family joined them, Lorena already in tears as she hugged her daughter. “I love you. Do your best. You’ll be great.”

  “I love you too. I’m going to miss you, Mãe.”

  “I’ll miss you so much. I can hardly believe I have to let you go already. It’s too soon.”

  Betina laughed a little through her tears. “I’m twenty-one. It’s time.”

  Carlos was next and he wasn’t much better than Lorena. Tears rolled down his face, getting caught in the creases on his cheeks. He held Betina’s face in his hands and told her how beautiful she was and what a joy she had been in his life. He told her that one of his greatest privileges had been to watch her grow up into the smart, strong woman she was, and that he would always be proud of her. He told her goodbye.

  “No, Vô, not goodbye—see you soon,” she said through her tears.

  Carlos hugged her for a long time, then said, “Goodbye, my little one.”

  Trey picked up Tomas and walked over to one of the orange trees, blinking back his own tears at the heart-wrenching scene. Holding his son in his arms made him feel the pain of a parent letting their children go out into the world. He kissed the top of Tomas’s little head, not knowing if he’d ever be ready for such a moment.

  Alessandra got into the driver’s seat of the truck and started up the engine. She rolled down the windows. “We’d better go if we’re going to make it in time.”

  Betina climbed in and waved as they drove out of sight, leaving a deep void behind.

  * * *

  Trey sat on the swing, waiting for Alessandra to return. Tomas had gone to sleep without a fuss, still exhausted from the wedding. Trey closed his eyes and listened to the wind rustling in the trees. The world still smelled fresh from the rain, and he was calm and happy. When he heard the truck rumble down the driveway, he stood to meet Alessandra, pulling her in for a long hug as she dissolved into tears. “I’m going to miss her so much.”

  “I know.”

  They walked hand in hand over to the swing and sat together. Alessandra rested her head on his strong shoulder and let the tears come. He put his arm around her shoulder and rocked the swing back and forth under the early night sky.

  “You okay?”

  “Yes. I feel silly. She’s only going for a year. We’ve been away from each other for longer already.”

  “Maybe it’s harder to be left than to be the one doing the leaving.”

  Alessandra looked at him. “I think you’re right. You’re pretty wise for a not-so-old man.”

  “I know. That’s probably why you married me.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. I married you for your body.”

  They laughed, then sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes before Trey spoke up. “You know, I was thinking that we aren’t going to have a proper honeymoon. I wish I could give you one.”

  “No, our wedding night was perfect. All I need is for us to be together.”

  “Well, someday I’d like to whisk you away somewhere, just the two of us.” Trey reached for her left hand and rubbed his thumb over her ring. “Where would you want to go, if we could go anywhere?”

  “Bora Bora.”

  “Really? That’s oddly specific for someone who just said she doesn’t need a honeymoon.”

  “Hey, you asked. I saw it on a show once. They have resorts with private huts over the water. The floors are glass so you can watch the fish swim from bed. The water is the most beautiful blue and there are white sand beaches that are supposed to feel like icing sugar.”

  “In that case, I’ll have to take you there.”

  “Yes, you will.” Alessandra let out a happy sigh. She was starting a wonderful new life, and even though today had been hard, she had someone to share her pain with, which made all the difference in the world.

  Twenty-Nine

  “What do you mean you’re still going?”

  “Why does that surprise you? I never said I wasn’t going,” Trey answered as he tossed some socks into his duffel bag.

  Alessandra put her hand on her hip. “I just thought maybe you’d change your mind because—”

  “Because we’re married? If anything, that means I have more reason to go. I need to make some money. We can’t be living off your grandfather forever. I wouldn’t be much of a husband if I couldn’t support you and Tomas.”

  “You won’t be much of a husband if you’re dead, either.” Her voice rose a little, and Trey motioned for her to lower it.

  “Let’s not wake Tomas, okay?” He added a couple of T-shirts to the bag before turning to her. “Why don’t you and Tomas come with me? It could be like a really weird honeymoon with absolutely no privacy.”

  “I don’t think so. I can’t watch you do this, Trey. I’m sorry,” she said, tearing up.

&n
bsp; He stopped packing and crossed the tiny room to her. “Hey, don’t cry, okay?” Wrapping her in his arms, he kissed her forehead. “You don’t have to worry about me. I’ll go for two days, and in less than thirty seconds, I’ll have my job done and we’ll have some good cash in the bank.”

  “You don’t know that. You could get hurt.” Her body was stiff.

  “I won’t. I know it in my bones, just like I knew about you. And look how that worked out.” He kissed her forehead. “But I really need my wife to believe in me.” His lips grazed along her cheek, finding her mouth. She felt her body relax into him as he kissed her. She was his wife. He needed her to believe in him.

  His words resonated in her heart until she decided he was right. Her fear wasn’t going to solve anything anyway. “Okay, I’ll try.”

  * * *

  The evening was hot as Trey sat on a long wooden bench with a couple of other bull riders. He was to ride tenth, and after seeing the first three riders get thrown, his stomach was churning. The smell of bull shit filled his nose. It wasn’t a smell that normally bothered him, but tonight it was noticeable. As soon as the bulls were loaded into the chutes, Trey felt as though someone had released a herd of butterflies in his stomach, and they had yet to flutter away.

  One of the riders was pacing back and forth behind the chutes, looking as though he were preparing to enter a boxing ring. Trey watched as the man tipped his head from side to side and tensed his entire upper body, fists clenched. The look in his eyes was pure aggression, and it made Trey wonder if he should adopt a similar routine to talk himself up right now. He hadn’t really considered having a pre-ride routine but now that he sat there, he realized it might be a good idea.

  A retching sound drew Trey’s attention to the area behind the bleachers. He glanced over in time to see another rider, in a black vest, dry heaving. Trey shuddered, wishing he hadn’t seen that. Or heard it. That certainly wasn’t going to be the way he prepared.

  Leaning his head against the wall behind him, Trey balanced his cowboy hat over his face and closed his eyes, trying to convince his heart to slow down. A couple of moments later, he felt his hat being knocked off his face. Miguel stood in front of him with a beer in each hand. He offered one to Trey, who took it and lifted the can to his lips for a long pull.

  “Liquid backbone,” he said to Miguel as he moved aside to make room on the bench for him. “Thank you.”

  “You look nervous,” Miguel said.

  “I am.”

  “Then don’t ride. You need to be fearless to ride. You must be calm to be able to read the bull. To feel him. If you are nervous, you will only feel your heart pounding and you won’t know what the bull is going to do next. Knowing what he’ll do next will save you.”

  Trey gave him an incredulous look. “You’re telling me you’re not nervous?”

  “I don’t get scared. Being scared is for little girls with braids in their hair.” He sucked back the rest of his beer, crushed the can, and then slapped Trey’s leg with his glove. “I’m up. I’ll see you in eight seconds.”

  Trey watched Miguel walk over to the chute to get prepared for his turn. He took another sip of his beer, trying to convince himself he wasn’t scared.

  A moment later, Bruno walked up, toting two cans of beer. He held one out to Trey but Trey shook his head. “I’ve got one, thanks.”

  “Better have two, just to be sure. You ready?”

  “Not even a bit.”

  Trey stood and the two walked over to the fence to watch as Miguel mounted a large white bull. They waited with bated breath as the gate opened and Miguel managed to make his eight-second time with seemingly little trouble. When he got bucked off, he rolled out of the way just in time to avoid being stomped on. “Miguel said he never gets nervous.”

  Bruno burst into laughter. “He’s more full of shit than those pens back there. If you aren’t nervous, it’s because the bull has already killed you,” he answered with a slap on Trey’s back.

  * * *

  Twenty minutes later, the gate opened. Trey felt his body being violently lifted into the air by an enormous brown animal called the Widow-Maker’s Meaner Son. The entire world seemed to be moving in slow motion, and he could hear nothing over the sounds of his own breath and his heart pounding in his ears. His right hand gripped the rope, every fibre of his arm squeezing as if his life depended on it. And in an all-too-real way, his life did depend on that grip. The rope cut into his circulation as he held on with everything he had in him. His left arm was flailing in the air as he took the next kick. Instead of being thrown, as he had expected, Trey stayed on.

  Suddenly it was as though he had been transported to the ocean, and it was just him and a wave under his surfboard. A strange calm came over him in spite of the adrenalin pumping through his veins. He felt powerful in a way he hadn’t before. His body knew how to stay on the bull even if his brain couldn’t explain how he knew. His mind’s eye saw the bull lowering his head and raising his back end a fraction of a second before it happened. Trey rocked his body back just in time, keeping his spine straight. He knew the bull would lift off his front legs next in an attempt to throw Trey off behind him, and again, Trey was ahead of the animal by just enough time to stay on. The buzzer sounded and Trey’s hearing came back. He had made it! He jumped off, landed on his feet, and then took his hat off for the crowd. A violent kick to his hamstring gave Trey a reminder of why you don’t celebrate too early. He swore under his breath and scrambled out of the way, knowing the pain would be intense once the adrenalin wore off.

  * * *

  That night, Trey lay on his stomach in bed in the motel room, a large bag of ice strapped to the back of his thigh. He called Alessandra.

  “You’re alive?” she asked immediately, managing to sound both relieved and angry at the same time.

  “Of course I’m alive. Even better than that, I made the quarter-finals.” He smiled to himself, feeling very proud of what he’d managed to do.

  “Wow! Congratulations. Are you hurt?”

  “Nah, I’m fine. I didn’t even get bucked off. I jumped when my ride was over.”

  “Really? That’s impressive.”

  “It was. You should have seen it. How’s Tomas?”

  “He’s good. He had trouble falling asleep, though. He’s gotten used to holding your hand at bedtime.”

  Trey’s heart tugged at the thought. “Well, only one more night, then I’ll be back to hold his hand again.”

  “Yeah,” she said, her voice quiet. “I miss you.”

  Trey sighed. “I miss you too, so much. Good thing it’s only a few days or I don’t think I could handle it.”

  “What are you doing right now?”

  “Just lying in the motel room, thinking about you.”

  “That’s nice. My idiot cousins aren’t with you?”

  “No, they went out drinking.” He yawned, the long drive and the excitement of the evening finally getting to him.

  “You didn’t want to go?”

  “I’m a married man now. The bar’s no place for a married man.”

  “I’m glad you think that because if you started going out partying, it wouldn’t be a bull that would get you. It would be me.” Alessandra’s voice was firm.

  “You don’t scare me, Mrs. Johnson. You’re a tiny little thing.” He knew that would make her smile.

  “I may be smaller than you but I’m meaner,” she answered, finally sounding more like herself.

  “If you say so. So, what do you have planned for tomorrow?”

  “Some of the family is coming over for dinner, so I’ll be cooking most of the day.”

  “Aww, I’m going to miss a big dinner? In that case, I better damn well win the whole thing.”

  “You better,” Alessandra teased. “I should let you go. You sound tired.”

  “I am. You still mad at me?”

  “I’m scared, Trey. Not angry.”

  “Hmph. I’d prefer you were angry, actuall
y.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t ever want to scare you.”

  “But you want to make me angry?”

  Trey laughed. “No. That’s not what I meant.”

  “But it’s what you said.”

  “God, I never should have married a lawyer. I’m in big trouble.”

  “Likely, yes,” Alessandra answered.

  “Well, I’ll just have to get used to being wrong.”

  “In this way, you are no different than any other man,” Alessandra said, laughing a little at her own joke.

  “Objection!”

  “On what grounds?”

  “Sexism,” Trey said, grasping at straws.

  “Overruled. Now make sure you come back in one piece.”

  “I promise to.”

  “Love you.”

  “Love you too, Alessandra. Good night.”

  * * *

  “How’s my favourite newlywed?” Daniela asked.

  “I’m doing well. How’s my favourite aunt?”

  “Getting so old that I can flash my breasts with one roll of the bottom of my shirt now.” Daniela lifted the bottom of her shirt, causing Alessandra to bark out a loud laugh.

  Her aunt waited until she recovered before linking arms with her and walking around the porch toward the back of the house. “So, are you doing okay? I hear that your husband is off with my boys making trouble at the rodeo.”

  Alessandra rolled her eyes. “I don’t like it, but Trey’s not out making trouble. He was in his room early to go to sleep.”

  “Well, I suppose he would be, with what happened to his leg.”

  Alessandra cocked her head to the side. Her face dropped. “What happened to his leg?”

  “He got kicked in the back of his thigh. He didn’t tell you?” Daniela gave her a concerned look but almost immediately appeared nonchalant. “He must have forgotten.”

  Alessandra plastered a fake smile to her face, fully aware that her mother was standing off to the side, listening. Breaking away from her aunt, she started setting out the cutlery on the table. “Yes, I’m sure he forgot. It must have been nothing or he definitely would have told me.”