I must have been absent for that Bible lesson.
“Natalia has chosen to put up with her husband’s behavior for whatever reason, and we need to respect it,” Shay explained, and on some level I knew he was right, but I couldn’t accept it either.
“What does Immy think of him?” I stood with my hands on each side of my hips and waited. Almost challenging him to answer me.
He gave me an exasperated look then rolled his eyes. “Look, mate, we know Mark doesn’t like us much. He’s too cool for us or whatever, but Natalia is Immy’s oldest and most cherished friend, so Mark doesn’t matter.” He gave me a look that told me he hoped I finally understood.
“I don’t like it one bit. He just left her . . . he didn’t take care of his own daughter, and why the hell was he chatting up that bloke like that?” I raised both my brows.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Shay’s face scrunched up, and he gave me a look that told me he thought I was crazy. Maybe I was.
“That bloke, they were throwing back beers and laughing. You don’t think it was weird they were strangers.” I was trained to notice everything when I walked into a room. Even if it seemed like I was not paying attention, I was—always.
Shay huffed. “You aren’t supposed to go all Navy SEAL on my friends, Hayes, shite.”
“Huh? It’s Special Boat Service or have you forgotten your roots, mate? Spent too much time in America you’ve forgotten about the significance of the British Royal Navy?” I chided him in a playful way. He hated when I told him he’d become more American than British.
“Very funny.” He laughed.
“So who was the bloke?” He hadn’t answered my question. “Did Mark know him previously?”
“Natalia’s life isn’t a reconnaissance mission, but his name is Will. He’s worked with me for a while now. He’s a friendly guy, speaks animatedly with everyone. Does that put your curiosity to rest?”
“I don’t know,” I answered while processing what he’d told me.
“Stay away from Natalia. Please.” His voice was filled with defeat. He was actually begging me.
“She’s pregnant and having a hard time I just want to—” What did I want? “Be her friend?” I didn’t mean for it to sound like a question.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Shay said, pressing his lips together. He looked like he was thinking hard, like maybe he could think of another argument to deter me.
I swiped a hand over my mouth. “She’s so self-conscious, apologetic . . . she doesn’t see what I see . . .” My gut twisted. I hated to know what she’d been through to behave that way. In my eyes she was this incredibly beautiful, smart, and loving woman. I wanted her to see what I saw.
Shay winced, placing a heavy hand on my shoulder. “Immy and all her friends see how Mark is. They know he isn’t a nice guy, but you need to understand that Natalia . . .” He paused. Don’t stop now. He was going to tell me something about her.
“Say it,” I pushed.
“Her father cheated on her mother the same year she lost her brother, their senior year of high school. She was a mess from what Immy tells me. She wanted to leave Florida, and that’s how they both ended up at UCLA. Immy didn’t like Mark from the start, but Natalia was broken and craving love. Natalia won’t leave him because she wants Lily to feel the love and security of a family she never had. That’s the reason she puts up with a lot from her husband. It’s complicated, but you should respect that Natalia is an honorable woman and leave her be.”
His words cut me in the heart like a knife twisting. I knew what it’s like to want a normal family. To want a mother and father and to feel like everything is “normal,” but she can’t have that with her douchebag husband. My frustration built. It was not like I would be the one to get her to see the light of day anyway. Or could I?
I spun around and walked away.
“Hey! Where are you going?” Shay called out after me.
“I’m going to crash girls’ night.” I waved my hand in the air as I walked away.
Maybe I could get through to her . . .
Chapter Twelve
Natalia
Immy moved all the food to one long table in the backyard, so I sat in front of a lavish spread of all kinds of delicious salads, party sandwiches, and cakes.
“Ah!” I sat back in my cushioned chair, enjoying the relief of finally being off my feet. My legs throbbed.
Rosabell came to sit beside me, holding a bunch of coolers in her hand. “Who’s giving me a ride home?” she asked, and the whole table turned to look at me.
“Huh! Well, I guess that makes sense. Bring on the cake. What I wouldn’t do for a Mojito.” I sighed heavily at the thought of the cool drink hitting the back of my throat now.
“Mojito.” Belinda chimed as if a light went off in her head. “Why didn’t I think of that?”
I rubbed my belly instead enjoying a more fulfilling type of bliss. I would soon meet my son. The craving for a Mojito waned as quickly as it started. Truthfully, I felt like a tall glass of ice water.
“I’ve got all the ingredients. Come,” Immy said, motioning to Belinda as she got up and did a little sashay dance, walking toward the sliding door leading to her kitchen.
“Would you grab me some ice water?” I shouted. She gave me a thumbs up.
That left me with Rosabell. “How’s it going, babe?” She popped a strawberry in her mouth from the fruit plate.
“It’s going,” I said with a yawn. “Sorry. I’m wiped.”
Rosabell gave me a look that said she believed it. Besides being a divorce lawyer, Rosabell had been married for five years. Her ex-husband treated her terribly, and so she never tried to get pregnant, even though I could see how much she loved kids by the way she was with Lily and our other friends’ children.
She leaned forward, inching closer to me. “You know I don’t like to stick my nose where it doesn’t belong,” she started with a scrunch of her nose and my stomach sank. Words like that were never good.
“I get the vibe things are tense between you and Mark.” She squinted her eyes sympathetically.
My breath caught in my throat. “Um . . . you could tell?” My brows pinched together.
She gave me a sad smile. “Babe, I have crazy investigative skills. I notice everything. Don’t take offense. I work closely with PIs all the time; they just rub off on me.” She paused and her forehead creased. “Look, I know you guys are Mark and Natalia, the beautiful amazing couple, but everyone has problems.”
“Hon, you deal with divorces all the time. That’s what you’re used to seeing.” I chuckled, hoping to brush her off.
She nodded. “You have a point.” She pressed her lips together, contemplating. “You remember when I was married to Tom?” she asked.
My lips turned down. “How could I forget? Those were awful years. I barely saw you when you were married to him,” I said, and my stomach sank as the meaning of her words penetrated. My brows furrowed together. “What are you saying?” My chest ached.
“Babe, I love you. I’m not saying anything. I just want to make sure one of my oldest friends is well looked after. And I want to say . . .” Her voice trailed off.
“Say it. You need to be straight with me,” I urged. I’d known Rosabell since high school. We may have gone to different colleges, but we both found ourselves back in South Florida afterward.
“Why do you think I stayed with Tom for five years? Things started to go downhill after the wedding.”
I shrugged.
“I didn’t want to admit I was in a failed marriage. We had good days. I held on to the good ones and believed the bad ones would pass. The good days kept me going for so long,” she said, and I was starting to feel sicker by the minute because it sounded a lot like my marriage, only I had a child and another on the way.
“What are you saying?” I asked as if I didn’t understand. I did.
“I’m not.” She placed a hand on my shoulder. “I lov
e you, Natalia. If you need to talk to someone, you can talk to me. I know I talk about divorce lightly and make fun of my clients and shit, but trust me, I know marriage isn’t a joke that’s why I fought for mine for so long.”
“What made you decide to give up?” I asked. Rosabell had closed down emotionally for a long time. She didn’t tell her besties the details of the divorce. We tried to be as supportive as possible while respecting the space she needed.
“He called me a fat ugly cow,” she deadpanned.
My brows curled. “What?” I choked out. Rosabell was beautiful and curvy. She was far from overweight. She was tall and had dark skin and dark eyes that made her look almost exotic.
“Seriously. He said it to my face. That was my moment of clarity. He was unkind. I could not make a child with a man like that.”
“Rosabell.” I hurt for her. I gripped her hand in a tight squeeze. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that.” All the while I thought of all the nasty things my husband had said to me over the years, and here I was carrying his baby. I wasn’t crazy though, and I didn’t think I deserved his behavior. I just wanted my Lily to have a brother or sister. I wanted her to have a sibling. I was always grateful for my close friends, but Matt was everything to me. I wanted Lily to feel that love.
“It’s in the past. I just wanted you know I’m here for you in any way you need. Remember that. And Natalia . . .” Her lip quirked on one side.
“Yes.”
“Don’t let what happened with your parents define the rest of your life. Remember, I was there. I lived it too. Your mom was dedicated to herself and so was your dad, but you aren’t them. You are a great mom. Even if you divorce, that fact won’t change.” She gave my hand a squeeze. My heart skipped a beat. I believed her for a moment then shut it down. She was wrong. Everything would change. My kids wouldn’t have a solid family.
I forced a smile. I behaved as if her words didn’t affect me. “Thanks. I appreciate it. Mark and I are good though. He’s going through some things. It started when his mom got sick, and it’s been a bit of a roller coaster ride, but I’m sure it will pass soon. Mark is super excited about having a son.” I was rambling, trying to prove a point that wasn’t true. I just wish he would treat me like a wife and not a surrogate carrying his offspring. I didn’t say that out loud. Admitting something was wrong wasn’t easy. Rosabell was right about that.
“Look what I got!” Jane cheered, holding a large cannister filled with Mojitos while she danced her way to the table.
Immy used her phone to play some music.
“Gah! I want to dance,” I moaned.
“Did I hear Mojitos?” Hayes stuck his face out of the kitchen sliding doors.
Oh boy! I had one man that made me frown and another that made me smile.
“We’re having a girl’s night, but you can join.” Immy waved him over.
“Why thank you, dear cousin.” He bowed to her and took a seat beside Rosabell. She poured him a full glass of Mojitos.
My mouth watered. I wasn’t sure if it was for the drink or the man.
“To Immy going back to work, and to lots more nights like this.” Belinda lifted her glass in the air. Jane, Immy, and Rosabell followed suit along with Hayes. I lifted my water bottle.
“To Immy,” we all cheered unanimously.
“What are everyone’s plans for the last few days of break?” Belinda asked, and we all chimed in taking turns talking while Belinda, a former bartender, refilled the Mojitos. It was no fun being in a group of tipsy women while being the only sober one. It even appeared that Hayes had a buzz going.
“We’re heading to Bahamas where my husband plans to stick it to me a lot.” Jane chortled.
We all burst into laughter.
“We’re headed to the Keys for a few days,” Belinda chimed in. “With two kids in tow I don’t think Lance will be sticking anything anywhere.” She giggled.
Immy was about to speak when Hayes lifted a finger. “Stop now, cousin. I don’t think my virgin ears can hear anything about Shay sticking anything anywhere.” He laughed and lifted his Mojito.
“Haha.” Immy giggled. “You’re adorable.” She squeezed his cheek like his mother. Yup! She was drunk.
“I would have preferred dashingly handsome,” he retorted.
Immy snorted. “Not if you don’t want Shay to kill you.”
“Touché.” He laughed.
“You’re dashingly handsome.” Rosabell lifted her glass to clink with his. She was such a flirt, and she liked going for guys much younger than she was.
I shifted in my seat. My back was hurting.
“Thanks, beautiful.” He winked at her and she blushed, and I was seeing red. He couldn’t sleep with Rosabell. He just couldn’t. Shit! What was wrong with me? Not only was it enough to be married, but I was eight months pregnant and feeling jealous. I had no right. I was losing my mind.
We spent another hour laughing and talking outside until the chill in the air made us cold. By then everyone was tired and I was completely exhausted too. I remembered Mark parked down the street. How was I going to walk to the car now?
Everyone helped Immy move all the food into the kitchen when Shay came down the stairs. “You ladies are loud when drunk.”
Immy walked up to him and kissed him deeply. A soft moan escaped his lips.
“Well we know who is getting laid tonight,” Belinda chimed in.
Shay smiled at us, his lips plump and wet from the kiss. Immy kept her arms wrapped around his waist.
“How are all you lovely ladies getting home?” he asked, taking in their drunkenness.
“Um, I’ll call an Uber,” Jane said. “You look exhausted, Natalia. I don’t want you to have to chauffeur all of us.”
“I’m in the Uber with Jane,” Belinda added.
“Me too,” Rosabell cooed, even though her gaze was on Hayes who hadn’t said a word.
“Okay, guys, I hate to ask this, but I need someone to walk down the street and bring the car here. Mark parked way down the street, and my legs aren’t up to carrying me now.” I looked down to my ankles. A thick circle of water surrounded them.
“You poor girl.” Immy cut in. “You shouldn’t be driving at all. You need to get those legs up and rested.” She was swaying. I felt bad asking Shay, who looked like he was minutes away from having sex.
I was in no position to cock-block anyone.
“I can drive her.” Hayes offered. “I can give all you ladies a ride. I’m fine, honestly. I only had two drinks, and that was hours ago.”
“Sure thanks.” Everyone chimed in.
“Why don’t you take my car?” Shay offered. “We can take your car over in the morning.” He smiled at me.
“Thanks so much. You guys are too good to me.” I smiled and leaned in to hug Immy first then Shay.
“You go rest.” Immy tapped my back. “Doctor’s orders. I’ll drop Lily off at home in the morning so you can give her a proper change of clothes. She’s sleeping in Lewis’s Superman pajamas. She said they were actually Super Girl. Who was I to argue?” She laughed.
“Yup. Sounds like my girl. Thanks again, friend.” I smiled at Immy.
I noticed Shay shooting Hayes a strange look. I didn’t know what it meant, but it wasn’t my business. We all left through the front door. Me hopping into the front seat of Shay’s fancy BMW SUV. Hayes dropped Belinda off first, since she was closest. Then he dropped Jane off, Rosabell was next, leaving me for last. It made sense since I lived the farthest. Driving alone in a car with him had all my senses heightened. His scent lingered in the air like an aphrodisiac, his eyes glued to the road, and as I watched his strong hands grip the steering wheel, my thighs clenched together while I fixated on the veins on his hands running up his arms. I didn’t know if it was my hormones, but I was so turned on.
“Thanks for giving us a lift. It’s late, you must be tired,” I said, only because I needed to break the silence or maybe the tension I felt radiating throug
h the car.
“It’s no problem. I usually don’t sleep much anyway. This gives me something to do,” he replied.
“I could sleep all day. Some days I do. My body is just so exhausted all the time,” I admitted.
“Unfortunately I have the opposite problem. My mind and body work overtime preventing me from sleep,” he answered.
My brows drew together. “What do you mean?”
“Oh, just got a lot of shite going on in my head, from the war, from my life growing up. I try to stay in the present, but nighttime is worst. That’s when the demons lurk,” he said so matter-of-factly. His gaze still trained on the street.
“Make a left here.” I pointed to the upcoming street. I lived in an entirely different neighborhood. I was suddenly grateful for the distance. “I haven’t been through a war, but I get what you mean. I still dream of my brother; some dreams are so vivid I wake up with a racing heart.”
“Yes, I’m all too familiar with vivid dreams. Wish I had a switch to turn those off.” I reached out to touch his thigh. As my hand made contact with his shorts I felt the strength of his muscles beneath my touch, and I pulled my hand away quickly as if I’d touched hot coals.
“I’m sorry.” I blushed, hoping the darkness in the car camouflaged my reaction. Why had I reached out to him like that?
His brows bunched, and his face grew solemn. “It’s fine.”
“If you need to talk you can text me at night. I’m having a hard time sleeping now that I can’t lie on my stomach,” I offered, and what the hell was I doing? If Mark would see me texting another man he’d go apeshit.
“That’s a lovely offer.”
“Take a right here.” I directed him to turn on my street. “Will you be okay getting back?” I asked while he idled in my driveway.
“I’ll use the GPS. I’m good.” His gaze lingered on me, his eyes catching mine. “You take care of yourself. Good luck with the baby.” His lip quirked on one side.
“Thanks. You too. And I was serious. If you need to talk, text me.” I’d definitely lost my mind.
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