“He’s a little too serious, if you ask me.”
Antonio nodded. “That’s true. Having fun makes life worth living—not just an endless struggle. And the two of you together would balance each other out. But it would be so much better if I could trust you to meet the criteria. As you know, your mother refuses to leave Boston until all her sons are happily married. You’re making it seem like that will never happen.”
“Ah! That’s what all this pressure is about. You want to sit on a Caribbean beach sipping piña coladas. Well, never say never,” Jayce said.
Antonio swiveled and looked at his son. “Is there something you’re not telling me? Is it serious between you and the New York girl?”
Jayce didn’t know how to answer that. Kristine had told him she was going to return to New York. He didn’t know how to make this work. Hehadto stay in Boston. He understood that he was obligated to his family despite arguing with his father about it. She seemed to be adamant about staying in New York. Yet he didn’t want anyone else.
Jayce Fierro rose to his full six-foot height and folded his arms. “I was going to tell you at dinner—until everything happened with Sandra today. Kristine is in Boston. I’d like her to meet you and Ma, but I don’t know how open you would be to an out-of-towner. She’s important to me, Dad, but we haven’t worked everything out yet.”
“What are you saying?”
Jayce threw his hands in the air. “That’s just it. I don’t know what I’m saying.”
“Sounds like the usual.”
Jayce huffed. “Thanks a lot. What I mean is thatifthings depend upon some kind of semi-traditional marriage, I have to convince her to move to Boston. That won’t be easy. She loves New York. I have to rely onyouto make her feel welcome. I don’t have to worry about Mom. Just bringing home a woman who’s marriage material will thrill her, I’m sure.”
Antonio chuckled. “You got that right. You’re also right about how badly I want to leave these crappy winters behind and sit on a beach in January, sipping cocktails. So I’d be pretty damn happy too.”
Jayce and Antonio noticed Miguel standing in the doorway and immediately rose.
“How is she? I mean they?” Antonio asked.
“Sandra’s okay. The baby is still hanging in there too.”
Both Antonio and Jayce let out their collective breaths in a whoosh.
Jayce wondered how long Miguel had been standing there and how much he had heard. “What happened? Do they know?”
“The doctor called it placental abruption. It’s when the placenta separates from the uterine wall.”
“I’m not familiar with it. Is it serious?” Jayce asked.
“It can be. It’s fairly rare, so I’m not surprised you’ve never heard of it.”
“I guess your mother and I were lucky,” Antonio said. “All seven of you gave her morning sickness, but that was about it. After the first trimester, everything went smoothly. So is there anything they can do?”
“Well, they can’t reattach the placenta, but they’re going to keep her here and monitor her for a while. She might be able to go home and stay on bed rest if everything is stable. They said there’s medication they can give to help the baby’s lungs develop in case she’s a preemie.”
Antonio’s brows lifted. “She?”
Miguel smiled. “It’s a girl.”
“I’ll be damned,” his father muttered. “The first girl in three generations.”
A boy would take over the family when the next generation was ready. Now that Jayce knew there were secrets involved, he had to know what they were. Was running the family a blessing or a curse? Would a daughter be allowed to do it?
* * *
Kristine had agreed to visit Jayce at his condo. She had to tell him she’d be leaving Boston the next day. He’d probably try to get her to stay and join the BFD. As much as she wanted to be with him, she didn’t want to leave her buddies who needed her—or be run out of her neighborhood.
She stepped up to the old brick building by the river. Jayce had said to enter by the side door, which he’d leave unlocked. Kristine tried the knob. It turned, so she figured she had the right place. She opened the door and was immediately looking at a staircase. She walked up one flight of stairs and tried the knob up there. That too was open, so she figured she had arrived at the right apartment.
Striding into a kitchen, Kristine was greeted with a shriek. A naked woman stood at the stove, stirring something in a frying pan.
They stared at each other wide-eyed. Was this Jayce’s idea of a joke? Or did Jayce have another girlfriend she didn’t know about?
