All he wanted to do was take her in his arms and steal her away, or—more appropriately—drop at her feet and beg her to forgive him.
But this was her grandmother’s birthday. And while he was here to give his heart to Jasmine, she had originally asked him to make it a party no one in the family would ever forget.
It was time to uphold his end of the bargain.
Channeling the confident gallantry of el matador, Ashton turned to Esperanza. “May I have this dance?” he asked in Spanish.
Esperanza seemed to have recovered from the shock of seeing him. She drew herself up, grabbed a fistful of her full skirt, and struck a pose. “Can you salsa?”
Ignacio snorted. “Of course he can salsa.”
Ashton strode forward and caught the older woman up in a fierce, fast dance. She was good—really good—and soon everyone around them was dancing and cheering. Cameras and phones were out, recording them, but for once, Ashton didn’t care. The happiness in Esperanza’s eyes was enough to put him at ease. When was the last time he’d felt that?
Before Yadiel was born, maybe. Since then, he’d been keeping a secret, constantly worried someone would uncover it or that something terrible could happen to the people he loved and that he wouldn’t be there to protect them. While he was still pissed over the invasion of his privacy, he had to admit he felt lighter than he had in a long time. He’d kept himself isolated, except from his own family, which was small. But Jasmine’s . . . reminded him of home. Of big parties with his mother’s relatives before they’d all eventually moved to the States. He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed the feeling of community.
He desperately wanted Yadiel to have this.
When the dance ended, Esperanza beamed at him. Everyone around them broke into applause and raucous cheers.
Jasmine’s abuelo, Willie Rodriguez, stepped in to shake Ashton’s hand and thank him for coming. Others streamed onto the dance floor to tell him which of his characters they loved or hated. He smiled and chatted easily in a mix of Spanish and English, but his eyes searched the room until he spotted Yadiel running around with some of the other kids and his father and grandparents sitting at a table with Ava. They had full plates of food in front of them.
At the edge of the dance floor, Jasmine waited with two people who could only be her parents. Her mother’s skin was a smooth golden brown like Jasmine’s, and they had the same sparkling eyes, but Jasmine’s smile was all her father’s, a handsome older man of medium height.
When Ashton finally made it over to her, she began the introductions.
“Ashton, this is my mother, Lisa, and my father, Julio.”
“I’ve heard so much about you both,” Ashton said, and bit back a laugh at Jasmine’s alarmed expression.
They both hugged him and told him to feel welcome. Remembering how Jasmine spoke about her family, Ashton took the opportunity to talk her up to them, as he’d once planned.
“I’m sure you already know how talented and hardworking your daughter is,” he said, walking off the dance floor with them.
Lisa sent an indulgent smile her daughter’s way. “She’s always gone after what she wants.”
“Being an actor’s not an easy life,” Julio added, and Ashton resisted the urge to say, Yeah, no shit. “But it makes her happy, so what can we do?”
Behind them, Jasmine rolled her eyes, but her lips curved in a smile.
Michelle came up and elbowed Ashton in the side. “Didn’t think you were gonna make it, Golden Lion.”
Ashton spoke in a hushed voice while Jasmine was busy with her parents. “Thanks for sending the invitation.”
Michelle winked. “Don’t fuck it up.”
As she wandered away, Ashton tried to subtly shift Jasmine aside.
“We should talk,” he said.
Her eyes were big and serious, but she nodded. “Not here. Let’s make the rounds, introduce you to everyone, and then we’ll sneak away.”
And so Ashton began the greeting ritual of every Puerto Rican family event—walk around and say hello to everyone. Hug, kiss, handshake, fist bump—and in many cases, a photo.
Normally this was the kind of thing he hated. But despite his fame—in this particular crowd, especially—everyone treated him like family. They complimented his salsa moves, teased him good-naturedly about his telenovela roles, and asked him questions about himself and his family. And for the first time, he was able to answer those questions truthfully.
For his part, Ashton made a point to tell everyone how great of an actress Jasmine was, and how much he couldn’t wait for them to watch the show—especially when he got to her brother and sister.
“Yeah, Jasmine got all the creative genes,” her sister, Jillian, said wryly. “No one at my office can believe my sister’s an actress, since I’m so boring.”
Ashton shot a glance at Jasmine, who appeared to have swallowed her tongue.
As they finally finished their circuit of the room, Jasmine nudged him with her elbow. “This isn’t a press junket, you know,” she said out of the side of her mouth.
“Are you kidding?” Ashton grinned. “This is tapping directly into the Boricua grapevine. If we get them watching, we’ll really be a hit.”
She took a deep breath. “Speaking of . . .”
“Yes.” Time to talk. Nerves simmered, but like Abuelita Bibi, he had a good feeling.
She tilted her head toward the doors that led outside. “Let’s do this.”
Ashton held the door for her, then followed her out to the walkway that overlooked the water.
It was now or never. He’d give her his heart, and then they would see where they stood.
Chapter 40
“So.” Jasmine crossed her arms and leaned back against the railing. “First things first, I appreciate you stopping by. It meant the world to my abuela.”
She’d been so sure he wouldn’t show up. Why would he? After all the horrible things they’d said to each other? She almost texted him multiple times to beg him to come—not for her, but for her grandmother—but that was Old Jasmine behavior. She was done doing anything out of desperation, or fear, or a sense of lack.
Leading Ladies are whole and happy on their own.
Damn right.
But then he’d shown up, casually sexy in a tailored blue suit with his white shirt open at the neck, revealing a hint of that hard chest. Her heart had leaped at the sight of him. And when she realized he’d brought his family with him, she understood it for what it was—the biggest proof of trust he was capable of giving.
“Her smile was all the thanks I need,” he said quietly. “Truly, her response, and the rest of your family . . . it reminded me why we’re in this ridiculous business. I’ve missed this.”
Jasmine’s brow creased. “You miss it? But you brought your family with you. Which, I wanted to add, I also appreciate. I know how hard it is for you to expose them to the public.”
He ducked his head. “It is, but . . . I trust you.”
She was melting inside. “Thank you.”
“But I didn’t mean them. Before my mother died, most of her family still lived on the island. We did big parties like this for all the holidays, birthdays, you name it. But it’s been a long time and . . . I didn’t realize how much I missed them. Since Yadiel was born . . .” He trailed off and shrugged, looking a little helpless, so Jasmine threw him a bone.