by MJ Summers
“I know I did. And I’m really sorry. All day, I’ve been so scared that maybe you won’t want to stay with me.”
He sighed, leaving a short pause before answering. “Well, I’ll admit I was briefly considering my options last night.”
Alessandra nodded, pulling her knees up and hugging them to her chest.
Trey continued. “I guess this is where the ‘for worse’ part of the vows comes in, maybe. And I’m talking about both of us. I know I hurt you first and I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not. I can do better than that.”
“So can I. I acted like a complete brat last night. It made me think I’m too immature to even be married,” Alessandra said.
“Well, we’ve both been acting pretty immature, so we’ll just have to finish growing up together. It’s really the only way we can make this work.”
“Really? I thought maybe . . .”
Trey shook his head and put his hand on her knee. “Never, Alessandra. I’m never going to want this to end.”
Alessandra all but jumped into his arms, kissing him hard on the mouth. “Thank God. I was so scared this might be over.”
He kissed her back with every bit of the remorse and longing that she felt. His strong arms folded around her and he held her tight. “We’re going to disagree sometimes, and sometimes we might even fight like a couple of idiots, but we’ll always end up right back together like this.”
“Okay,” Alessandra whispered as she pressed her forehead to his.
Trey lifted his head so he could look at her. “One thing that you’re going to have to do is accept the fact that you married a man. Where I come from, a man needs to earn a living and provide for his family.”
Alessandra nodded. “Yes, I know. It is no different here.”
“Good. Well, in my case, it means that for now I’m gonna ride bulls. You’re just going to have to accept that. You need to let me be a man.”
“I can do that.”
Trey kissed her softly on the lips, lingering as though he would never stop. Alessandra felt the warmth from his mouth as she let her tongue slide between his lips. She felt his fingertips holding her jaw gently and then his hand gliding down her neck as he tilted her head. His kiss was full of the love and passion she knew, deep down, he had for her. She was his and always would be. His hand moved down her shoulder, then along her arm until his fingers found hers. He slipped his fingers between hers and held tight.
Alessandra could feel a lump in her throat where the words were stuck. She wanted to tell him that he was the only man she’d ever love but her feelings were so intense that she couldn’t find her voice. So she let her kiss say it for her. The yearning and need she felt after days of living with such fear and anguish spilled out of her as she reached up with her other hand and touched his face. He knew. She could tell he knew what this moment meant to her. It was everything.
“Let’s take this inside,” he murmured in her ear. She hummed her agreement, but soon they were both distracted by his lips on her neck, trailing kisses down to her collarbone. He sucked gently on her skin and she could feel herself coming to life. Desire sparked and she ached to feel him inside her once again. As if he understood, he picked her up and carried her into the house, closing the door behind them with his foot, then taking her to the bedroom. Leaning his body against the door, he closed it, giving them the privacy that they needed from the world so they could make up. Laying her on top of the bed, he lowered himself over her as she hooked her feet behind his back.
“I should go shower,” he whispered, pulling back a little.
“No,” she whispered. “I need this. We need this.” She struggled with the buckle of his belt, finally managing to open it, then unzipped his jeans. Tugging them down roughly, along with his underwear, she pulled him back on top of her. He lifted her skirt and moved her panties out of the way before relieving them both of the longing they’d had for each other for so many days. Alessandra closed her eyes and took in the feeling of him entering her ever so slowly and carefully until he’d filled her completely. He lowered his mouth over hers, letting only his lips and tongue move, stilling his body for a long, torturous moment. Her hips started to move in circles against him as she shifted her knees up along his back.
“Yes, Trey, like this,” she whispered, kissing his neck and tasting the salt on his skin as he started to move over her in passionate thrusts. She buried her face against his chest as he made love to her urgently, tenderly. Relief flooded through her veins as she felt his skin on hers.
“You’re mine,” he told her as he rocked himself into her again and again until they both let go and were one once more.
Trey showered, then they sat in the kitchen by the light of a candle while he ate some supper. Alessandra watched him while he ate, and they held hands and spoke in hushed tones so as not to wake Tomas. When they made their way back to bed, they stripped each other’s clothes off and started making up all over again. It was late when they were finally ready to drift off to sleep, entwined in each other’s arms.
Alessandra had one last question nagging at her. “Trey, how did I end up in my old bedroom last night?”
“I tossed you in there to sleep it off.”
“Because you were so angry with me?”
“Of course not.” His voice had a hint of indignation. “It was because I didn’t want you to wake Tomas. You kept going on about being a lawyer and how smart you are. And you’ll have to trust me that you had no control over the volume of your voice.”
Alessa winced and buried her face in his neck. “Oh God, that is so embarrassing.”
“To be honest, it was kind of hilarious.”
Thirty-Three
“Okay, are we on? Can you see us?” Fern’s face was screwed up in concentration as she peered into her computer screen.
“Yes, Mom. We can see you just fine,” Trey answered patiently.
“Oh! There she is! Doug, I see her. Do you see her?” Fern turned to her husband and tugged on his arm. “She’s so pretty! Just look at those beautiful curls!”
Doug wore an exasperated look. “Yes, I see her. I’m staring at the same screen as you.”
Alessandra smiled nervously. “Hello!”
“Olá, Alessandra!” Fern said in a slow, loud voice. “How are you?”
Trey covered his mouth with his hand and murmured an apology to Alessandra. She squeezed his knee under the table in response, trying not to laugh.
“I’m very well, thank you. It is lovely to meet you both.”
Fern looked slightly embarrassed after hearing her new daughter-in-law’s perfect English. “We’re very excited to meet you, dear.”
“I feel the same way. I know you must both be very good people to have raised such a remarkable son.”
“Thank you. Trey’s told us wonderful things about you. I’m not going to lie to you, we would have loved to have been at the wedding. Or at the very least to have met you before you became our daughter-in-law.” Fern’s face was petulant as she spoke.
Alessandra angled her head and gave Fern a sympathetic look. “Yes, I am so very sorry for that.”
“Well, it’s not your fault, dear. It was Trey’s responsibility,” Fern said, clearly irked.
“Still, I wish I had done more to encourage him to tell you,” Alessandra offered. “I was too caught up in the wedding, but now I can only think of how I would feel if my child got married and I wasn’t there to see it.”
Fern’s eyes filled with tears. “It’s really been so hard. As a mother, you dream of it from the moment your child is born. And we missed it.”
Alessandra pressed her hand to her mouth, blinking quickly. “Oh, I’m so sorry.” Her voice cracked as tears sprang to her eyes.
Trey and his father stared at each other with matching bewildered looks over how quickly the two women were bonding.
After another moment of apologies and reassurances that it was all Trey’s d
oing, Doug cleared his throat. “We’d like to throw you a reception when you get back home.”
Alessandra nodded. “Yes, of course. That is so kind of you. Why don’t we renew our vows when we get there?”
Fern’s face lit up. “Why not another wedding? We could do the whole thing again!”
Alessandra grinned. “Why not? I already have a dress!”
Trey’s mouth fell open as he looked from his wife to his mother, who was now dabbing her eyes and crying because she was suddenly so happy.
“Any word yet on when you can move back?” Fern asked. “I’d like to start planning things as soon as possible.”
“We’re still waiting for the court to grant Trey legal guardianship of Tomas and permission to take him out of the country. My boss, who is a judge, has been trying to pull some strings, so hopefully it won’t be long now.”
“Oh, now I’m excited!” Fern cried.
“Me too! I can’t wait to meet you in person. I promise we’ll come visit as soon as we’re allowed.”
“Visit? What do you mean, visit?” Fern asked, her face falling.
Alessandra opened her mouth to speak but Trey interjected. “She meant we’ll be moving back as soon as we can.”
Alessa turned her head to Trey but decided it was not the right time to discuss this.
“Good. Good.” Doug nodded. “Trey, I was over at McFarlane’s today and Ted said there might be a job opening up there in a few months. Sort of a marketing/sales-type position. I think it would be perfect for you.”
“Really? That sounds great.”
“Yes, it would be an excellent place to work. Good benefits, lots of opportunity to advance,” Doug said.
“Well, let’s hope we’ll be back in time,” Trey said, putting his arm around Alessandra’s shoulder.
She gave a tight smile and said, “Yes,” but her voice was very quiet.
Tomas climbed up on Alessa’s lap, bringing a change of subject as well as more tears to Fern’s eyes. The two grandparents became quite animated, trying to hold his three-year-old interest but soon losing it as a toy truck on the floor caught his eye. The call continued for another ten minutes, and Fern filled Trey in on everything he’d missed since they’d last spoken. Alessandra found it impossible to concentrate on the call given the fact that her husband had just made it clear he still intended to move them to the US. Her heart pounded in her chest, worry turning to anger and then back to worry.
When they finally hung up, Alessandra sat feeling numb.
Trey gave her a big grin. “I thought that went pretty well overall. Other than my mom thinking you don’t speak English. Sorry about that, hon. She must have forgotten that I told her how excellent your English is.” He gave her a quick peck on her cheek before standing up to stretch.
“No, that’s fine,” Alessandra said quietly.
“Uh-oh, there’s that word again. What’s wrong?” Trey teased.
“I was just surprised that your parents think we’re moving to Colorado.”
“Really? Why?”
“Because . . .” Alessandra’s voice was tentative, knowing she was starting something. “I thought we were going to live here.”
“But I can’t work here. I don’t have a work visa or citizenship.”
“And I can’t work there. I don’t have a work visa or citizenship. And I need to stay here to look after Avô. My mother told me today that she wants to take a job for a tour company on the east coast. The contract is for six months, but who knows? She might decide to stay permanently. It sounds like a good job.”
“You serious? Good for her. She should go.”
“Yes, she absolutely should, which means we have to stay. If we leave, she won’t go, and she really deserves to try something new with her life, don’t you think?”
“Of course she should, but it doesn’t mean we can’t go. Carlos is very capable, and we can always find someone to help run the farm. I don’t know why you and your mom think he can’t take of himself.”
“Because he’s had three heart attacks. He can’t be here alone to run the farm. Don’t you remember the state of things when we got here?” Her voice had a distinct edge to it.
“Well, I’m sure we can find someone to manage things for him.” Trey matched her tone.
“But I don’t want to find some stranger to work for him. His whole life, he’s taken care of his family. We can’t abandon him now.”
Trey blew out a breath. “So, what was your plan? That we stay here and I work as a farmhand for the rest of my life?”
Tomas ran up to Trey and sat on his foot. “Ride, Dad!” Alessandra stood and started tidying up some of the toys strewn around the room. “Not a farmhand. I thought you would manage the farm. Eventually we can take it over. It’s a good life and I thought you loved it here.”
Trey, who was now walking around dragging a giggling Tomas, looked back at her. “I do, but I need to earn my own way, Alessandra. I can’t just live off your family like that.”
“They’re your family too now. This is what families do. They take care of each other. They work together and fill in where the others aren’t able to.”
“What about my family?”
Alessandra sighed. “I don’t want to fight with you about this. We’ll find a way to figure this out.”
“Yeah, I’m sure we will. I just . . . I guess I can’t believe we didn’t talk about this.”
“Me too.”
Trey’s face brightened. “But you know what? For now, it doesn’t matter anyway. We can’t leave and we don’t know how long it will be before we can, so there’s no sense in worrying about it yet.”
“True.” Alessandra smiled, relieved that the difficult decision could be put off indefinitely. She walked over and gave Trey a big hug. “Anyway, your parents seem very sweet. I’m glad to have met them.”
Thirty-Four
Catalão, Brazil
“That was one hell of a good ride, kid!”
Trey felt a hard slap on his back and turned to stare into a shiny silver belt buckle with a bull on it. Looking up from where he sat, Trey’s eyes travelled over a large beer belly that threatened to pop the buttons of the plaid shirt covering it. His gaze stopped when it reached the toothy smile of an older gentleman wearing a white cowboy hat.
“Thank you, sir,” he answered politely. “He was a real spinner.”
“Sure was. In fact, I’d say, pound for pound, he may be one of the rankest bulls I’ve ever seen. And yet, there you were making ’em look like he was having a bad trip.” He held his hand out to Trey. “Hank Murphy.”
Trey took him up on his offer of a handshake, soon feeling his hand being squeezed by one strong pump. “Trey Johnson.”
“I know who you are. I’ve been hearing a lot about you since I got to Brazil. I’m a bull riding agent out of Colorado.” Hank hoisted up his pants under his belly, but they didn’t move as high as he probably would have liked.
“Really? I didn’t even know there was such a thing. What are you doing all the way out here?”
“I was about to ask you the same thing. How come I’ve never seen you compete back home? I know just about everybody worth their salt in the business.”
“Then I must not be worth my salt,” Trey replied with a little grin.
“I see you’re a quick-witted son of a bitch too. I like that.” Hank settled himself next to Trey on the bench, the effort involved causing him to grunt. “So, I’m guessing you don’t have an agent since you didn’t know we existed.”
“That would be correct. I only just started competing in the last couple of months, actually. Since I’ve been here.”
“You keep riding like that and you’ll have quite a career ahead of you. You need to get yourself a decent agent, though, so you can turn each ride into real money.”
“I don’t know about that. I’m just trying to earn a little money while I’m in Brazil. I hadn’t planned on turning this into a career.”
�
�So, you do need me then.” Hank gave him a firm nod. “Listen, how about we go grab ourselves a beer and talk a little business?”
“I’d say I’m thirsty.”
* * *
“So, who was he again? I’m confused.” Alessandra used her shoulder to hold her cellphone as she finished drying Tomas with a towel.
“He represents bull riders on the pro tour. He’s from Colorado, where the US national association is located. He’s got some of the biggest names in the business working for him,” Trey said, sounding excited in a way that made Alessandra nervous.
“Okaaayyy.” Alessandra’s voice was hesitant as she tugged Tomas’s pyjama shirt over his head. Tomas ran out of the bathroom before she could put his pyjama pants on him. He squealed with laughter as he ran away from her, his little naked bum poking out from under his shirt. Alessandra grimaced to herself as she realized she hadn’t heard what Trey had just said.
“. . . a real shot at making the tour, and I could get some pretty sweet sponsorship deals if I do well. Apparently, I have the right look.”
“You mean because you’re gorgeous?”
“Well, I still have all my teeth, so I imagine that helps.”
“So, what do you want to do, then?”
“I think I should check out his background, see if he’s legit or not. Then spend some time with him while he’s here so we can figure out if working together would be a good idea.”
Alessandra hung up the wet towel and took the cellphone in her hand, straightening her sore neck. “I don’t understand. I thought you were only doing this for a little while?”
“Yes, but that was before I found out how much money I could make. If things go the way he thinks they will, we could be sitting pretty within the next two years. We could have our own place, fully paid for, plus some cash in the bank.”
“Trey, I—”
“I know what you’re going to say. It’s too dangerous. But it really isn’t that bad. And think of the payoff. We could really get ahead, Alessa. We could give our children everything. And we could live without worrying about money. Can you even imagine that?”