“Let’s do it,” Carlos said immediately.
“Great. I know an attorney who can set up the account for you. I’ll send you his information, and let’s see…” Rashad glanced at his iPad screen. “According to my calendar, I have an opening a week from today, at ten. Can you come back at that time so we can sign some paperwork and get the rollover completed?”
“I’ll be here.”
“All right, we’re all set.” Rashad set down the tablet and studied Carlos. “Is everything okay? You’re not in any kind of trouble, are you?”
“No. It’s…a personal problem I’m hoping to resolve very soon.”
Rashad tapped his pen on the desk. “If you need someone to talk to, I’m willing to listen.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it, but I can handle this on my own.”
Rashad nodded and rose from his chair, signaling the end of the meeting. “I’ll see you next week then.”
They shook hands. “Thank you, Rashad. You’ve helped a lot.”
“Glad to hear it. Hey, don’t forget the cookie and muffin. Half the people in this office are on diets, and I can’t eat them all myself.”
Carlos placed a cookie and a muffin on a napkin. “Thanks again.”
“Take care.”
14
Carmen exited the gym where she’d conducted an inspection as part of her duties. She’d done her job well but was excited about the evening she planned to spend with Carlos. He flew in two days ago, and after they met briefly, he spent two nights at his mother’s apartment. Tonight, he was coming to stay at her condo, where he’d remain for the rest of his trip.
She looked forward to each moment they spent with each other as if their relationship was brand new, and in some ways, it was. They were relearning each other because they were different people than they had been three years ago. She saw more confidence in him. He seemed more centered, more focused in a way that calmed her and allowed her to live in the moment without the same level of worry that an outside force could burst their love bubble at any minute.
Carmen stepped into the beaming sunlight and went around to the shaded side of the building where Carlos waited. He was leaning against a rented charcoal SUV in the parking lot, legs crossed at the ankles, eyes trained on the cell phone in his hand.
He must have sensed her presence because he looked up almost immediately, and as he brushed wayward strands of hair back from his face, with one look he softened her knees. She’d been walking since she was eleven months old, but he made the familiar movement harder to execute.
When she almost reached him, he pushed off the vehicle and took several steps forward and enfolded her in his warm embrace.
His hand at her lower back fused her against him, and their lips met in a soft press, slow and sensual. She sipped his flavor, leisurely savoring the sweetness of his mouth—like a particularly tasty piece of candy reserved only for her enjoyment.
When they finally stopped kissing, Carmen sighed and rested her forehead against his chest.
“Tired?” Carlos whispered against her temple.
“No. I just missed you,” she replied.
He rubbed a palm up and down her back. “Come on, let’s get you home.”
But neither of them moved. He must have sensed she needed a moment, so they stood there for several more minutes. Emotion filled her chest, and she knew she couldn’t do this much longer.
She couldn’t continue to hide her feelings and lie to her family. Carlos was her first love, her last love. Her only love. She wanted to scream those words from the top of the CN Tower, and knowing she’d given him a single moment of doubt made her sick.
He released her and opened the door to the vehicle. She climbed in and watched him walk around to the driver’s side. When they were both settled, he started the engine, but Carmen placed a restraining hand on his forearm.
He looked at her. She couldn’t read anything more than inquiry in his gaze.
“I’m going to tell my father.”
“Carmen, I know you love me. You don’t have to do that.”
“I want to.”
“No. Not yet.”
“Why?”
“Because there’s so much at stake. He’s proud of you right now and all the work you’re doing. As far as he’s concerned, he has his daughter back. I don’t want to be the cause of friction between the two of you.”
“You won’t be.”
He lifted an eyebrow.
“Okay, you will be, but…I don’t want to hide our relationship anymore. We did this before, and it didn’t work out. I have the perfect plan to set everything in motion. You can escort me to the charity ball I told you about. Beforehand, I’ll tell my father you’re my escort. I want the world to know that we’re together.”
Carlos squeezed her hand and brought it to his lips. “They will, but we have to give it time.”
“Enough time has passed. Don’t you want me to tell him?”
“I do, but…” He looked deeply into her eyes. “I remember what happened before—the rift that our relationship caused in your relationship with your father.”
“I’m not a child. I wasn’t a child then, and I’m not a child now. I know my own mind, and even though I enjoy the work that I’m doing and the lifestyle I live, I’d walk away from all of it if it meant I couldn’t be with you.”
He frowned. “You would still do that?”
“Yes,” Carmen said emphatically.
“You would live with a starving artist in a one-room loft in Atlanta?”
“You’re not a starving artist, but even if you were, I’d still do it and love every minute in that loft with your cat Sofia.” She smiled. “I love you. That’s all that matters.”
Carlos gazed down at their joined hands and rubbed his thumb along the inside of her palm. “I really don’t deserve you,” he said quietly.
Carmen leaned closer. “Don’t ever say that again.”
She saw worry in his eyes and hated his doubts.
Carlos cupped her cheek. “Give me—us—a little more time to enjoy each other. We both know when you tell him about us, unless he’s drastically changed his opinion in recent years, the shit will hit the fan. I think we should surprise him the night of the ball.”
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”
“Warning him ahead of time simply means having to deal with the fallout before the event. Knowing your father, he might ban me from coming.” She couldn’t argue with him about that. “A surprise is best, especially in a public place, where he’ll have to play nice. Not only that, I don’t want you talking to him on your own. We should go to him together.”
“Okay.”
Based on the conversation she overheard in the kitchen between her parents a while back, her father’s opinion of Carlos hadn’t changed, but she saw no need to mention that. She meant what she said. If her father caused problems for them or demanded she leave Carlos or be cut off, she would walk away. It would hurt not to get his approval and hurt to leave the position at Fit Body Gyms she’d grown to enjoy.