He nodded, his gaze never leaving hers. “You’re right. But what if the future still has something to offer us? I’ve grown. Or I’m trying to grow. What if we could create new memories, ones that reflect who we are now?”
Confusion gnawed at Alma as she struggled to comprehend his words. “What exactly are you suggesting?”
He took a deep breath, his eyes holding a vulnerability she had not seen in a long time. “I want to take you on a trip, Alma. Zoila called me. She told me she’s not going to Mexico with you. Let’s go on a romantic getaway to Mexico, just like we had always talked about.”
Alma’s heart pounded, torn between the traces of their past and the reality of today. “Jaime, we’re not the same people we were back then. Our lives have changed. And it won’t be all fun. I’m going to do some work also.”
He reached across the table, his hand gently covering hers. “I know that. We can do whatever you want to do. But maybe we owe it to ourselves to see if there’s still something between us that could actually work. A chance to rediscover each other, without the weight of expectations or the mistakes of the past.”
Tears welled up in Alma’s eyes, her emotions swirling in a tempestuous dance. “I’m scared, Jaime. Scared to open old wounds, scared to hope for something that might not be there. Last week stirred up all these emotions I thought I’d buried. I don’t want to get more attached to you and have you leave again. You could dump me again.”
“I won’t. I promise.” His thumb brushed away a tear that had escaped her eye. “I’m scared too. But I believe in second chances,in the power of love to heal and to transform. I want to change. Will you take a chance with me?”
As the café bustled around them, Alma’s mind raced through memories of their shared history. She looked into his eyes, seeing the sincerity and yearning reflected there. Could she open her heart to the possibility of rekindling a love that had once burned so brightly? Not just a fling, but a future?
And there were so many unanswered questions. He lived in San Diego. Would he move?
Doubtful.
But maybe they could try. No expectations.
With a deep breath, she nodded, her voice barely above a whisper. “Okay, Jaime. I’ll go with you to Mexico.”
His face lit up. “Really?”
She stroked his hand. “Let’s have fun. No expectations, but I’m open to whatever happens. And Jaime, you can drink and learn more about tequila.”
Jaime took her hand. “I’ll tell you what will happen. You will fall madly in love with me again.”
She laughed. “We will see. But we should go and have fun. Thank you. I didn’t want to go alone.”
His face lit up with a mixture of relief and hope, as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. “Thank you. I promise, whatever happens, this trip will be a journey of rediscovery, for both of us.”
As they left the café, the sun sat high in the sky, casting a warm and reassuring light on the path ahead. Alma felt a mixture ofuncertainty and excitement, as the echoes of yesterday merged with the promise of a newbeginning.
Chapter Twenty-One
Their plane hit down in the state of Jalisco and the glass containing the Bloody Mary Jaime was drinking rattled. Was it from his nerves or from the turbulence? He’d been to Mexico many times before with his brothers and his friends—to Cabo to party, to Cuernavaca to learn Spanish, though even with a month of daily tutoring he still couldn’t speak it, to Mexico City for a San Diego Padres versus San Francisco Giants baseball game, and to Puerto Vallarta to see Julieta’s mom Linda’s original taco stand—the place where his father ate his first fish taco, stole her recipe, and sparked an idea that would result in all his, and frankly their, wealth.
But Jaime had never been to the country of his ancestry with a woman that he’d once loved.
That maybe he still did.
And he couldn’t wait to spend the full week with her. Though normally his time in Mexico was spent surfing, this time he wouldbe exploring a part of Jalisco he had never been to—particularly the city of Guadalajara.
Guadalajara. A city so steeped in culture. Jaime had bought an old-school travel guide at the airport and already learned so muchabout this city. It was cool. He’d had no idea that Guadalajara was the birthplace of so many iconic traditions in Mexican culture. Traditions that even Jaime, a third-generation Mexican-American, loved and appreciated. From mariachi and ranchera music, to tasty birria-style tacos, to jaripeo, a form of bull riding, Guadalajara was such an exciting, dynamic city.
But of course, it was most famous for tequila, his newfound passion.
Jaime was taking a brief tequila break and had opted for vodka. Plane tequila was never good anyway.
He didn’t want to talk about their past anymore. Or their future. He just wanted to enjoy their time together.
A vacation was supposed to be romantic, adventurous, historical, but never, ever uncomfortable.
He wanted to grab her hand—she looked so stunning sitting next to him on the plane—but he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
Not yet.
