by Toni Jackson
Tina fought every day with the instinct to ignore him, but part of her acknowledged that he cared for her. He made sure she had what she needed as she grew up. She had come to accept long ago that they would never get along, but he was still her father, whether she liked it or not. Her only blood relative. Her hand trembled slightly as she pushed the doorbell then waited for someone to answer. She had given up her key the moment she moved out. The echo of voices drifted out to her from one of the side windows. It sounded like an argument, not that she cared. Tina’s goal was to hear him out, tell him no, then go to work.
She was about to turn around and head back towards her car when the door opened. Her father, Emilio Diaz, stood in the doorway frowning. The only signs of his age where the silver hairs the sprinkled throughout his still full head of hair and beard. His distinct features were prominent. Every black hair in place, his nails filed and clean, his deep brown skin smooth and touchable. To look at him, no one would ever know he worked as a laborer most of his life. Even during her childhood women always approached him flirting, even when they went to the park. As grown woman, she could understand now why they found him attractive.
“Hola,” she muttered stepping inside. He walked away from the door without speaking. She followed and watched as he eased into his favorite chair, an old brown leather recliner that had occupied the same space since she was a child. Tina plopped down on the couch opposite him and waited. Tina frowned when she noticed he wouldn’t meet her eyes. She wondered what was going on.
When did he suddenly become shy? The man had never been scared of anything in his entire life. He had always been a very straight forward. Clearing her throat, she prompted him to speak. “Papi? I hate to rush you, but I need to get to work.”
He eased forward, then leaned back as if he was scared. He seemed to deflate before her eyes, flowing back into the chair with an air of defeat. “Marissa is leaving. She’s going south to Florida.”
“Oh.” Tina’s mind began racing. After all these years? She gripped her purse tighter, the urge to run from the house overwhelming. He wasn’t going to ask her to move back in, was he? “I’m sorry to hear that. You two have been together a long time.”
He nodded. A glance showed his white-knuckled hands as they gripped the arms of the chair. She leaned towards him, concerned. “Why now? After all this time?”
His eyes drifted back down. He focused on a spot on the floor for several minutes before speaking. “I have Cancer.”
Out of everything she expected him to say, that was nowhere on her list.
An aching pain spread through her chest. “Cancer? She whispered. “Did they - did they catch it early?” A short nod was his only answer.
Glancing down, she noticed the marks her nails had gouged into her purse. “There’s treatments, right? With so many advances in medicine, surely they can do something?”
Her hands shook as she made herself release the death grip on her purse. No matter that they had never gotten along, he was still her father.
“I don’t have the money for treatments. No insurance.” She could almost feel the effort it cost him to take the next breath. “And Marissa has decided that she does not want to stay to watch me die.”
Each word he muttered struck her deeply. “If she loved you, it would not matter. She would want to stay with you to the end.” Tina watched as he rubbed his hands along the crease in his pants. He couldn’t seem to stay still. This was a side of him she had never seen. Vulnerable. Sad. Resigned.
“I would not force anyone to suffer the pain I felt on losing your mother,” he whispered.
Tears caressed her cheeks before falling silently onto her hands. She couldn’t lose him. Not now, when for the first time in her life she was beginning to understand him. This one conversation carried more meaning and emotion that any other conversation between them. It was a breakthrough between them. But it appeared it was too little, too late.
It was time to put aside her childish attitude. Regardless of the problems in their past, this was still her father. He wasn’t perfect, but he could have been a lot worse. She wasn’t ready for him to die. “I’ll help you. I-I’ll see what I can do about treatments and doctors. But, if all of this works and you get better, she is not allowed to come back. Ever.” Tina held her breath as she waited for his response.
He nodded. “She has been good to me for many years. But the ghost of your mother always stood between us. Marissa has always been upset that I would not marry her. But it felt like a betrayal to your mama.”
Tina rubbed her palms over her thighs as she stood. A wave of dizziness washed over her forcing her to close her eyes until it passed. “I’m going to go now. I’ll call you later.”
He rose and shuffled over to her, wrapping his arms around her. Of all the things he could have done, this one surprised her the most. “Te amo mi bebe.” His voice broke on the last word. She leaned back and stared into his face, surprised to see tears streaming from his eyes. “I did not call you here to care for me. My only thought was to mend things between us before I left this world. Every day I look at my actions and realize…that we both mourned your mother in different ways. I drove you away with mine.”
They both stood there, crying until the buzzing in Tina’s cell in her purse drew their attention. “I’m sure that’s the gallery. I have to go.” She stared for a moment, taking in all of his features.
He patted her on the arm. “Go. We will talk later.”
“Yes. I’ll call you after work.” They hugged again, and Tina left before breaking down. She made it a few blocks down the street before tears blurred her vision, forcing her to pull over. Thirty minutes passed before she was calm enough to repair her face, including a few drops of Visine to remove the redness from her eyes. The last thing she needed was questions about her visit.
Chapter 23
Dinner that night was somber. Alex kept glancing at Tina, noticing that she seemed distracted and worried about something. He observed her carefully as she ate, determined to discover the issue by the end of the night.
After twenty minutes of watching her move food from one side of her plate to the other, he laid down his fork and locked his fingers in front of him. “If you don’t like the food, I can always send it back.”
A soft blush spread over her cheeks. “I’m sorry. I’m a little distracted today.”
“Hmpf. If that’s a little, I would really hate to see what you’re like otherwise.”
In an attempt to put his mind at ease, she twirled her fork in the linguine spread across the plate and took a bite, happy to notice that Alex resumed eating also. “I went to see my father today,” she whispered.
He froze. Of all the things she could have said, that was the least expected. He sat his fork down on the plate and sat back in his chair. “And how did that go?”
“Um, he’s - he’s sick. He’s got Cancer. And his girlfriend is leaving him.”
Damn. Alex stared at Tina for a moment, noticing the slight tremble in her hands and signaled their waiter, a baby-faced young man who looked like a college student. “Check please.” With a nod, the waiter swiftly moved across the restaurant, retrieved the check and hurried back to their table. Alex already had his credit card in hand and immediately signed, leaving a sizable tip at the last moment. Standing, he held his hand out to Tina.
She took it and let him help her up from the table. He slid his arm around her and guided her towards the entrance. His car appeared magically to take them away. Once inside, Alex closed the privacy glass and pulled Tina into his arms. She relaxed against him, the hypnotic movement of his hands massaging the tension from her shoulders. “Tell me,” he whispered.
She took a deep breath and told him everything that happened that afternoon. She was exhausted when she finished. Sinking back into the seat, she felt like a burden had been lifted from her shoulders. Before Alex had come back, she would have tried to shoulder the entire burden on her own. It was a unique feeling to h
ave someone she could rely on. “I’ll start making some calls in the morning. We’ll find him the best care we can. Hopefully, since they detected it early, we can hope there’s a good chance for recovery.” He squeezed her hand before raising it to his lips. “I’m pretty sure he wants to be around to walk you down the aisle.”
One perfectly arched eyebrow raised as Tina leaned away from him. “I don’t remember being formally asked to be your wife, Alexander.”
“Well you see,” he removed a small black satin box from his jacket pocket and held it out to her. “I had intended to ask over dinner tonight, but since my fiancé-to-be was a little preoccupied…” he flipped it open to reveal a platinum three karat marquise cut diamond ring.
Her quick intake of breath brought a smile to his face. “Madre de Dios! Alex! What the…? This is too much! How much did you spend on this?”
“I think it’s rather rude to ask the price of an engagement ring.” Tina punched him in the arm, smiling. She reached for the ring only to have him move it away. “No answer, no ring.”
“My answer has been yes since we were eighteen. I may have made acted a little crazy then, but you are still the only man I can picture spending the rest of my life with.” Alex’s hands shook as he slipped the ring on her finger and drew her close. “I don’t want a long engagement,” he murmured. “My mother would kill me. She’s been waiting forever for us to get married.”
A giggle slid past her lips. “You would think I’m going to marry her.”
“Well, then. I guess that means I need to remind you who it is you’re marrying.” Alex pulled her close and kissed her deeply, molding her soft curves against him. He pulled back as the car eased to a stop. A quick glance told them they were home. Exiting the car, he helped Tina get out and tugged her towards the house. They barely cleared the doorway before Alex picked her up, tossed her over his shoulder and heading for the staircase.
“Alex! Put me down!”
“No way. I’m taking you straight upstairs so you can properly thank me for the beautiful ring on your finger.”
Alex stepped into the bedroom and tossed Tina on the bed. Stepping back, he reached up and loosened his tie, slowly sliding the material from around his neck. Each button of his shirt gaped open one by one until the shirt gaped open, revealing his firm chest. She sat up when he reached for the clasp on his pants.
She loved this playful side of him, his impromptu strip tease turning her on. He pushed down his boxers with his pants, hard flesh of his erection bobbing up and down as he kicked them to the side. He stood in front of her nude, unabashed and proud.
“Take off everything,” he said, then motioned toward her shoes. “Except those. Keep those on.”
Tina stood and took a step forward, nearly chest to chest with him before turning her back, and unzipping her skirt, wiggling until it slid to the floor. Turning back around, she flicked open each button of her blouse, her fingers grazing against his chest each time. He licked his lips at the glimpse of the black satin and lace covering her breasts.
Before she had gotten halfway through, he pushed her hands away and finished removing her shirt. He unsnapped her bra, pulling the straps back and imprisoning her arms while pulling her against his chest. He loved the feel of her nipples rubbing him. His free hand reached up to massage her breasts, pinching at her nipples. He nipped at her neck and enjoyed the shivers that raced through her body.
Releasing the bra, he let it fall and turned her around. Bending his knees, he eased his cock between the cheeks of her ass, ready to explode before he could even slip inside her body. Not able to wait, he slid his hand between her legs. A deep groan clawed its way up from his throat when he discovered she was already wet and hungry for him.
He pushed at her back, letting her know he wanted her to bend over. She glanced at him before leaning over and bracing her hands on the bed. Gripping her hips, Alex positioned himself at her entrance and began easing inside her. Her gasp echoed through the room as he slammed the final few inches home. And then he waited. He gritted his teeth and began sliding his hands up and down her back, kneading her shoulders and reaching around to pinch her nipples. He smiled when he felt her trying to move against him, gyrating her hips back and forth.
Alex pulled out just an inch, then slammed back into her, playing with her, not giving her enough friction.
“Damn it, Alex!”
This time, he pulled out, leaving just the tip inside, before slamming back inside her. Her whimpers were music to his ears. He wanted her so frustrated she dropped the barriers she kept between herself and the rest of the world. He wanted all of her, nothing held back. Body, mind, and soul. He gritted his teeth in an effort to control his body. After the next stroke, he jerked out of her body and stepped back, panting.
Tina spun around, her eyes wild. Pissed. “What kind of game are you playing!”
Alex’s smile was wicked. Picking her up, he lifted her and laid her on the bed. “No games,” he whispered before lifting her legs over his shoulders and sliding back inside her.
This time, there was no teasing. His hips slammed forward over and over again, inspired by Tina’s screams. Twice her body tightened and coated his cock, but he couldn’t stop. This was more than sex. It was a claiming.
Chapter 24
Tina’s smile the next morning was blinding. Stepping from her car, she was careful to keep her hands in her pockets as she strode towards Dani’s front door. Alerted that Tina was coming by security, Dani stood in the doorway holding Lina.
“Hey, chica!” She called out.
“Hey, yourself. You’re all in love now, we don’t see you. Your niece has been asking for you.”
“I know.” She held out both hands to Lina and breathed in her sweet baby smell. For a moment, she forgot about the ring, until Dani spied it.
“Hm. Girl, that’s a serious rock on your finger. I’m surprised you can lift your hand up.”
Tina laughed. Dani had the nerve to talk. Sean tried to buy her the biggest stone in the store.
“I take it this means you two are engaged?”
Giving Lina a kiss and sitting her in her playpen, she turned to Dani with a huge smile. “Yes! Oh my god, Dani! We’ve done more talking now than we ever have -,” she started.
“That’s because before you were two horny teenagers.”
Tina swatted at her arm. “You know what I mean. I think we were just too young before.”
Dani nodded. “True. I think it's more that you were going through some things with your family. He was ready.” She made a face. “Sometimes I think Alex was born and old man. But you, you had some things you needed to work through. By the way, how is your father doing?”
Stretching out on the carpet, Tina sighed. “The doctors think he has a good chance. They started an aggressive treatment, and he seems to be responding well.”
“That’s good. I bet you never thought you would work things out with Emilio, did you?”
“If someone had even suggested it, I would have had some choice words for them.” Her head moved from side to side, strands spreading across the carpet. “I guess people just show their grief in different ways.”
Dani slid off the couch where she had been sitting and laid beside Tina on the floor. They turned and hugged each other like they did as children.
It was comforting. Tina felt the stress she had been feeling melt away.
“Have you moved into the house yet?” Dani asked.
“Kind of. I stay there, and I’ve been taking things over little by little. But it’s hard for me to let go of my first house, you know?”
“Believe me, I know. If not for the fact that we have proof Clayton burned my house down, I wouldn’t have put it past Sean to have done it to get me under his roof permanently.”
Tina’s eyes widened. “Oh! No, you didn’t! I’m telling Sean!”
“Snitch!” Dani yelled before tickling Tina until she was out of breath. Lina smiled from her playpen, giggling at
the sight of her mother and aunt being so silly.
Chapter 25
It took a moment for Tina to realize no one was moving around in the gallery area. A quick glance up confirmed darkness beyond the office hallway. Cursing softly, she shut down the computer and began shoving papers in her briefcase. Alex was going to kill her. It was definitely past six. With any luck, he was staying late at work.
Unfortunately, she knew he had been coming home early most nights while they were getting used to living together. She still had to stop past Dani’s and get her to sign some papers. Although Dani insisted she didn’t mind, Tina hated to have her come into town for a few signatures. Taking a detour to bring them to her was a small matter. It also meant she could see her beautiful niece.
Thoughts of Lina always turned Tina’s thoughts towards a child of her own. What would they look like? Would he or she have her red hair? Alex’s dark, curly hair? Her eyes? His cheekbones? She gave herself a mental shake and finished packing to leave. There would be plenty of time for all of that.
He was still the same sensitive man she had always remembered, except now there was an edge to him that she found even more exciting. Some nights when he held her, she wanted to ask him about his time in the military. There were scars on his body that weren’t there before. An entire section of his life was lost to her thanks to her own stupidity. A mistake she wouldn’t make again. She wanted a life with Alex.
Funny how things turn out. After all these years, finding herself back with Alex, planning to start a life together. She smiled as she pulled out her purse, cringing when she checked her phone and noticed three missed calls from Alex. She had just promised him and Temar that she would stop working so late in the gallery, only to find herself losing track of time once again.
Alex was going to kill her.