Rule Changer (Rules of Engagement)

by Sienna Snow

  This is just pretend, Carmen.

  “You keep telling yourself that, and maybe you’ll start believing it.”

  Shit, I’d said that aloud.

  I put a hand on his arm. “I’m sorry, Thomas. I shouldn’t have said that. I…I…”

  “Don’t trust me. I get it.”

  “Please under—”

  He cut me off. “I said I get it.” He took a seat and strapped his belt. “We’re about to land, take your seat. Stacey is with the boys.” There was an underlying hurt in his tone, but he didn’t say anything more.

  * * *

  Forty minutes later after landing at a private airfield and gathering our cranky boys, Thomas and I arrived at the gates of La Cascada.

  “Let’s stop here for a few minutes. This is the best vantage point of my land.”

  I was thankful for the short respite. Leo and Simon weren’t happy their naps were cut short and only after a lot of soothing did they calm enough for us to focus on anything other than them.

  I stepped out of the car, and chills prickled my arms. There weren’t enough words to describe the beautiful vineyard and ranch. From what Thomas told me, his family owned the land as far as the eye could see. Only a few miles northwest of Napa Valley, this area of California held a unique microclimate, perfect for creating Cabernet and Bordeaux blends.

  “It’s beautiful, but all I see are rows and rows of grapevines. Where are the stables?”

  Thomas shook his head. “I had a feeling the vineyard wouldn’t impress you, especially since you have your own.”

  I rolled my eyes. “As a winemaker, I can appreciate the land. So are you going to answer me?”

  “On the other side of that hill. The climate is less humid and more suitable for the stables and the animals.”

  The security gate beeped as three horse riders exited through the gate and inclined their heads. I noticed a gun strapped to one of their ankles and then watched them scan the area for any safety threats. These weren’t ordinary cowboys or ranch hands. They protected his land and the people on it.

  Their presence reminded me I wasn’t here for a casual visit, even if I’d pushed it to the back of my mind for a minute.

  He pointed in the direction east of the main house. He touched my lower back. “I know what you’re thinking. And I haven’t forgotten our conversation from before we left. Come. Let’s get to the house before the boys lose their minds again. One more thing, don’t say anything to anyone about the real reason we’re here. The fewer people that know, the better.”

  I nodded, and we returned to the car as a slight uneasiness settled in my stomach. The threats posed by Christof weren’t going away just because I’d left New York. Sooner or later, Christof was going to contact me again. I just hoped I could handle whatever he’d expect me to do.

  I pushed the worry aside and focused on the view outside my window.

  As we drove through the land, I couldn’t help but welcome the stark change from urban life to the country. If I’d had a choice, I’d never live in the city. The noise, crowds, and lack of space became overwhelming at times. That’s the reason I loved the Hamptons so much. There the pace was slower and more relaxed.

  The car pulled up to a two-story sprawling ranch house. It resembled a vintage nineteen twenties estate house painted with bright colors indicative of Thomas’s family’s Mexican heritage.

  Gathering all of the boys’ things, I prepared to get them, when I noticed they’d fallen asleep on the five-minute drive from the gate.

  I sighed. “Figures. Their schedule’s turned upside down. Hopefully, in a day or two, they’ll be back to normal. Stacey, will you stay with them and let me know when they wake?”

  She inclined her head in agreement, and I scooted toward Thomas.

  “I tried to tell them that Mommy likes to control things and sometimes it’s easier to submit than test their mother’s will, but our boys are independent and just wouldn’t listen,” he joked.

  I frowned. “You’re so not funny.”

  He leaned over and kissed the top of my head. “I’m just trying to get you to relax, mi amor.”

  I inhaled deep and followed him as he stepped out of the car.

  Here goes, into the lion’s den. I squared my shoulders and slipped my arm into Thomas’s.

  As we approached the front porch, I noticed the woman from Travis’s party. She had the same frown marring her face that she did at the party.

  She’d never gotten a chance to talk to me then, but it looked like she was going to talk to me now. I’d thought I’d get at least past the front door before my first hostile encounter.

  Thomas noticed my hesitation. “She’s a family friend. Sophia’s harmless. If she says anything, I’ll handle it.”

  Of course he would.

  “Sophia, what are you doing here?” He spoke casually, but his tone was that of a Dom speaking to a submissive who’d stepped out of line.

  “I heard you were coming back. I wanted to welcome you home.” She ran down the steps and threw herself into Thomas’s arms, jarring me away from him. “Did you miss me?” She kissed him on the cheek and then rested her head on his chest.

  A low growl formed in my throat but thankfully, I held it back. This bitch was groping my man.

  Did I just say my man?

  I guess he was. There was no point in denying it, at least to myself anyway. Now to rein in my urges to hurt Sophia. This was Thomas’s territory and I had to let him handle it.

  Thomas pulled out of her hold and tucked his arm around me, gathering me to his side. “We’re here to see Abuelo. When I texted Tia Isabella earlier, she said he wasn’t feeling well.”

  “Yes, he’s here and resting.” She glared at me, and the venom in her stare told me I’d made an enemy of her for something I had no idea I’d done. “Are you sure about bringing her to the ranch, when Diego isn’t well? You know how he feels about gringas.”

  “You’ll show her respect, Sophia. I don’t know what’s gotten into you. Carmen’s the mother of my children, and I won’t have you talking to her that way.”

  “I was only stating the facts.” Her eyes bored into mine. “I can’t believe you’d pick her over me. Someone you’ve known for a short time versus a person who’s been in your life for twenty years.” She turned and ran inside.

  “Well, that was awesome. If this is any indication of what to expect, I can’t wait to see what happens next,” I muttered and allowed Thomas to guide me into the house.

  “Tia Isa,” Thomas called, and within seconds, a beautiful, auburn-haired woman came out of a side room.

  “Oh, mi’jito. I’m so happy you’re home.” She cupped his face and kissed each cheek.

  She turned to me and smiled. “You’re Carmen? I’m so happy to meet you.” She surprised me by hugging me and kissing both my cheeks. “Let’s go inside. You must be tired. Where are the gemelos?”

  “The twins are sleeping. The nanny will bring them in once they wake up,” I answered.

  “We’re so happy you’re finally here.”

  “I’m not sure if everyone will agree with you, considering our families’ history.”

  She touched my hand. “Never forget the sins of the father aren’t the sins of the child.” Then I thought I heard her whisper, “I should know.”

  “Come. Let me get you something to drink. I made Thomas’s favorite, watermelon agua fresca.”

  She guided us to the kitchen and poured two glasses and passed them to us.

  We stayed in the kitchen for twenty minutes chatting and getting to know each other. I genuinely liked Isabella. She had an easy manner about her that drew you into conversation. Thomas sat back, smiling at me and enjoying his refreshment as Isabella and I talked away. I learned she was the same age my mother would have been and that she was a widow with a son in Texas and a daughter in Florida who both ran local vineyards. I told her about mine in Cape Town and promised her a case of our newest vintage.

  “
Isa!” a loud voice yelled, causing me to jump and both Isabella and Thomas to sigh. “If they arrived, it is your duty to bring them to me first.”

  “Time to go pay our respects,” Thomas announced.

  I nodded, stood, and followed Thomas into a large living room. Tapestries and paintings of fields and horses filled the walls of the giant room. There was a large crucifix on the back wall and an antique mirror framed by dark wood. In the center of the room, there were four oversized three-seater couches, one holding Diego as he rested.

  “Hola, Lito.” Thomas crouched in front of him. “I heard you’re overdoing it in the fields.”

  He grumbled, “Someone has to do your job when you run off to play in your dance clubs.”

  Thomas ignored his comment and glanced at me. “Lito, this is Carmen, and we’ve brought our sons home to meet you.”

  Diego turned to Thomas without acknowledging my presence. “What have you done?” he asked in Spanish as his face flushed to a beet red.

  “Nothing. I have brought my family to see you, to meet you,” Thomas responded, glancing my way and pleading with his eyes for me to remain quiet.

  He knew I was fluent in Spanish and would understand everything that was about to be said. I sighed inside.

  An ache formed in my heart as I realized Thomas’s standing up for me meant a rift was about to form between him and his grandfather.

  You wanted him to put you first. What did you expect would happen?

  I remained where I stood and waited for the storm to unleash.

  “How dare you bring her here? I raised you better than to bring the likes of that woman into our home. Do you know what her kind did to our family?”

  This was not going to go well. I’d encountered his wrath before, and I was sure Thomas had as well, but something told me what was about to happen, would hurt Thomas deeper than anything he’d experienced with Diego. It didn’t matter that Diego wasn’t feeling well; he would make his opinion heard.

  “She did nothing to us.” Thomas’s voice grew angry. “Tia Liliana brought her troubles on herself. She should never have slept with another man when she was married.”

  “How dare you say that to me? It is because of her father”—he pointed at me—“that she died.”

  “You mean killed herself after murdering Carmen’s father?”

  I closed my eyes trying to push away the memory of the scandal that I lived through after my dad’s death.

  “The bastard deserved to die for what he’d done to Liliana and hundreds of others.”

  “That wasn’t her call to make. You read her diary. She wanted revenge for ending their relationship. She was happy the money was gone. She called it blood money for being forced to marry Tio Fidel.”

  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Dad’s murder had nothing to do with his embezzlement. My lip trembled, and my chest tightened.

  In a sense, it would have been better to think his death was the result of his crimes. At least then there was some understanding of justification. Knowing he’d died for another reason made me feel like I didn’t understand the past as I thought I did.

  I didn’t want to hear anything more.

  “That’s not true.” Diego grew somber and pulled his blanket from his lap onto his chest. “I don’t want to discuss this anymore. I made my position clear the first time you came home telling me you planned to marry her. Your obligations are to this family. Without us, you wouldn’t be the man you are today. I thought you understood this last year and now she’s grabbed onto you again by claiming you fathered her children.”

  I remembered the devastation I’d felt when he told me he refused to turn his back on his family, his heritage. The pain still lingered but now that I understood the no-win situation he’d found himself in, it no longer festered.

  I wanted to reach out to comfort Thomas, to ease some of the resignation and pain etched across his face.

  “Lito, give her a chance.”

  He shook his head. “How do you know those boys are yours? I heard about all the perversions she enjoys. She has clubs dedicated to them. Only a slut would behave in such a manner.”

  That was it. I couldn’t hold my tongue anymore.

  Before Thomas could open his mouth, I responded in Spanish. “This slut is willing to have a paternity test to prove Thomas is their father.”

  Diego stared at me in surprise, then frowned at Thomas. “You stood there and let me think she didn’t understand anything I said.”

  “She speaks eight languages and Spanish is one of them. I will only say this once. There will be no paternity test. If you saw the boys, you’d have no doubts. And what happens in our bedroom has nothing to do with you or anyone who wants to spread rumors.”

  “So that is how it’s going to be. You’re choosing a gringa over your family. Don’t come begging for my help when she ruins your life.”

  “Lito, don’t do this. I don’t want you to miss the chance to know your great-grandsons.”

  “You made your choice. Now I hope you can live with it.”

  Thomas sighed and rubbed a hand over his eyes. “I think we should check on the boys,” he said in English as he walked over to where I stood, cupping the side of my face.

  I swallowed and nodded, trying to hold back tears. Thomas defended me.

  He tucked a stray hair behind my ear and lifted my left hand, kissing the top. “I told you, I won’t let anything come between us again.” The diamond on my ring sparkled, making him smile. “This is real, Carm.”

  Before I could respond, Sophia stalked toward me, grabbing my hand out of Thomas’s, and shouted, “You can’t marry her. You’re promised to me.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  How could you do this to me,” Sophia cried. She looked over at Diego, who remained quiet. “You promised he would come around. I waited all these years for him.”

  I jerked my hand from her grasp, causing her attention to return to me. “I think you need to calm down and gain some perspective.”

  “Perspective! You stole the man I love. You seduced him, knocked yourself up, and trapped him into marriage. What more is there to see?”

  The hell I trapped or stole him. I’d know, wouldn’t I?

  I remained quiet for a few seconds, taking a deep breath and steeling myself against the questions I wanted to ask Thomas. At this moment, I had to focus on Sophia and her accusations. No matter her pain, I wasn’t responsible for her feelings toward Thomas.

  I responded in the coldest tone I could conjure and glared down at her. It was the first time I’d ever been thankful for my five-foot-ten-inch height. “I cannot steal someone who never belonged to you in the first place.”

  Sophia flinched at my words and clenched her fists. “You are a puta. You…”

  “Enough.” Isabella rushed in, pulling her toward the kitchen. “I could hear your screaming from the other end of the house. This is not the time or the place. They’re a family whether you want it to be true or not. Thomas was never yours to claim.”

  “But…” She jerked out of Isabella’s hold while staring at me with pure hate. “You’ll never make him happy.” She spat in my direction and ran out of the room.

  A small part of me hurt for her; I stood between her and the man promised to her.

  I wasn’t sure what was worse, having a father who couldn’t care less about my future or one who thought he knew everything that was good for me and tried to arrange my marriage to the right girl, like Thomas.

  I glanced toward Thomas, studying him. His face held sadness as he looked toward the kitchen.

  “Did you have a relationship with her?” I asked, not caring that both Isabella and Diego could hear us. I had to know if I’d been the other woman.

  “No, mi amor.” He traced a finger down my cheek. “I never viewed her as anything other than a family friend. I only noticed her interest in me after my discharge from the army. At the time, I’d assumed it was a crush. ”

  “To her,
you’re more than a crush. She still wants you.”

  “It doesn’t make a difference. It shames me that anyone would put hopes in Sophia’s head of anything more.” He glared at Diego, who clenched his jaw at Thomas’s words. “Didn’t you learn anything from forcing Tia Liliana into a marriage you arranged?”

  “If your father hadn’t run off and married your gringa mother, Liliana would never have sought someone outside of our heritage.”

  “Lito, you can’t keep blaming everyone else for your mistakes.” Thomas took my hand again and sighed. “Let’s go. I think we’re finished for now.”

  I allowed Thomas to guide me out of the room, but before we entered the hall, Stacey came toward us holding two upset boys.

  “I couldn’t calm them,” a frazzled Stacey said.

  I took Leo and Simon in my arms, and they immediately rested their heads on my shoulders. “What’s all the fuss?”

  “Ma…ma…ma,” called Simon as he hiccupped.

  “Let me have one.” Thomas offered his hands, and Leo reached for him.

  “Are those the babies?” Isabella hurried toward me with excitement lacing her voice. She stopped midstep with a gasp. “Ay Dios mío, they look just like you and your papa, everything but those beautiful green eyes.” She came toward us, trying to take Simon’s hand, but he pulled it back and burrowed into my neck.

  “It’s okay,” I cooed. “This is your Tia Isa.” I wearily smiled at Isabella. “They do look like their papa, don’t they? This shy fellow is Simon, and the other one over there is Leonardo. We call him Leo.”

  Isabella’s eyes clouded. “You named him after my brother. Leo would have loved it. Wouldn’t you agree, Papi?” She turned toward the sofa, but Diego was gone.

  A pang of disappointment filled me. I’d hoped if Diego had seen the boys, then he’d accept them as Thomas’s. Oh well, it was wishful thinking.

  Isabella shook her head. “I don’t understand him. What more proof does he want?”

  “It’s okay, Tia Isa. Lito is stubborn. He’ll come around,” Thomas reassured his aunt, who nodded.

  I wasn’t going to hold my breath. Diego was so locked in his anger that he couldn’t see what was in front of him.