“I’m not,” she admitted with regret.
“This is the part where you tell me it’s not me, it’s you. And that I’ll make some other woman a great boyfriend.”
She laughed, one of the first real laughs she’d had all night. “Do I really need to do that if you already know what needs to be said?”
“True. We’ll pretend you said all of that, and I will go on my way, gracefully.” He pulled her into a friendly hug and kissed her right cheek. “Just because we don’t work as a couple doesn’t mean we can’t be friends. Hopefully that guy Carlos will get his act together and treat you the way you deserve.”
“He and I are done for good.”
Tyler studied her for a couple of beats. “Nah, I don’t think so. Good night, Carmen.”
“Good night, Tyler.”
She watched him walk away and then waved her card at the electronic keypad, and the doors slid apart to allow her in. She had gone only a short distance into the interior when she heard a male voice behind her.
“Back with Tyler?”
Not believing her ears, Carmen did a one-eighty spin and gasped when she saw Carlos. He’d slipped in behind her.
Her heart constricted at the sight of him in a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, black pants, and shiny black shoes. His long hair was neatly pulled back away from his face, and his features—the large nose, warm brown eyes, and olive-toned skin were so achingly familiar she wanted nothing less than to throw herself into his arms and sob with relief that he was there.
But what good would that do? Nothing had changed. He was still a liar. He’d still taken money to break her heart. But she had her doubts. Had she been too hard on him? Two hundred thousand dollars had been life-changing for the Hortados.
“What are you doing here?”
“I came to see you because you wouldn’t take my calls and blocked my number. Are you back with him?” Tension reeked from his pores.
“No. And for the record, I was never with him before.” Carmen straightened, firming her resolve with the firming of her spine. “You should go.”
“Not before I’ve said what I came to say. Not before I tell you how much I love you and how sorry I am for what I did.”
“Forget about me.”
“I can’t. There’s no way I could forget about you unless someone wipes my memory clean.”
“Empty words that don’t mean anything. Love means nothing to you. You don’t understand the concept of love and sacrifice. Or maybe you do, but you don’t care. Either way, I’m not interested in anything you have to say. I suggest you fly back to Atlanta because you wasted your time coming here.”
Stay strong. Be hard. Don’t give in.
“I can’t go back to Atlanta,” Carlos said in a low tone.
“Am I supposed to ask why not?” A heavy dose of sarcasm rested in her voice.
“I don’t have anything to go back to.”
“What does that even mean?”
“My whole life is here now. I sold my car and broke the lease on the loft. I finished up my painting obligations, and then I sold or gave away the majority of my belongings. Sofia and I moved here, to Toronto. I’m staying at my mother’s until I find an apartment and can get back on my feet.”
“Wh…I…” Had she misunderstood? “Why would you do that?”
“Because I plan to win you back. You’re the most important thing in my life. Nothing matters without you in it.”
“So you walked away from your whole life?” she asked, aghast.
“Yes.”
“That’s ridiculous and crazy. It doesn’t make sense.” He’d had to build up a reputation in the art community, which had taken years to establish. He’d almost have to start all over.
“You were willing to walk away from your whole life for me.”
The gravity of his words hung in the air between them.
Carmen swallowed the lump in her throat. “Your decision to move here doesn’t change anything.”
“I know I still have work to do, but I wanted you to know. I’m serious, and I’m not giving up. I’m doing what I should have done back then. Trusted in us. Been willing to sacrifice.”
“But then your mother wouldn’t have her shop.” Despite her dismay at what he’d done, she could acknowledge that he’d used the money to benefit his family’s financial position and helped create a business that not only benefited his siblings, but was a potential inheritance for them.
“We could have found another way. I’m here, and I’m not leaving. I love you, Carmen, and I’m going to prove it, and I’m going to make you love me again.”
At the end, his voice became husky with emotion, and she had to look away as tears welled in her eyes unexpectedly. The elevator doors opened and a couple came out.
“Hi, Carmen,” the man and woman said in unison, casting curious eyes at Carlos.
She smiled faintly at them because she couldn’t speak. When they’d walked through the door, she ventured a look at Carlos.
“I meant every word,” he said in a solemn tone.
“We’ll see how serious you are.” Carmen’s hands tightened in the soft material of the shawl.
“We will. Good night, mi universo,” Carlos said softly.
He turned around, and a dizzying burst of panic seized Carmen. “Wait!” she said in a trembling voice.
Carlos turned to face her.
They stared at each other across the short distance, and then her feet moved quickly of their own volition. She flung herself into his open arms, and he squeezed her tight, lifting her from the ground and burying his face in her neck.
“Mi amor, I’m sorry,” he whispered. “Forgive me, please. I’m losing my mind without you. Please.”
She nodded, unable to speak because of the glut of emotion in her throat. Tears sprang to her eyes, and she squeezed them shut.
She didn’t know how long they stayed like that, wrapped in each other’s arms, but she finally looked up at him with watery eyes. “You’re really here for good?”
He nodded. Keeping her in the circle of one arm, his thumb wiped away a tear at the corner of her eye. “I missed you. Damn, I missed you.” He kissed her cheeks and lips and chin.
She’d wanted to punish him, but how could she, when he’d uprooted his life for her? When he stood here, in the flesh, begging for forgiveness. When she missed him so much that night after night she prayed for sleep to get a small respite from the ever-present ache in her chest.
Carmen smiled. “I missed you, too. Come up?”
“Absolutely.”
21
Carmen was more nervous than Carlos. But of course she was. He was accustomed to having showings over the years, and this was the first time she would attend one with him.
She was so proud of him. He had worked hard to establish a reputation in Toronto. Fortunately, he already had a strong portfolio, a website showcasing his work, and eventually found an agent here in Canada who helped him get established.
Six months had passed quickly, and his hard work paid off, culminating in tonight’s exhibition at a prestigious gallery. The walls displayed work he’d completed since his arrival and paintings he’d had shipped from the United States. The show had not officially begun yet, but people had already started trickling in. Off to the side, Carmen watched Carlos engage a potential buyer. The woman nodded as he spoke, and he gestured toward the painting, waving his hand across the width of the canvas as he explained.