Page 45 of His Secret Wish

Owen’s throat thickened, and he didn’t trust himself to speak, so he just nodded.

Luis’s gaze softened. “I won’t tell you what to do with your life. It’s yours to live as you please.” He gave a half shrug. “But if it was me? I wouldn’t give up without a fight.”

“Easier said than done, sir.”

“What do you mean? And you don’t need to call me sir. Luis, please. We’ve known each other far too long for such formality.”

“She served me with divorce papers last year. I haven’t signed them yet, but she keeps trying.” The words hung in the stunned silence between them, getting heavier and sinking faster with each passing second. Obviously, Isabella hadn’t told her parents about the divorce papers. Or Owen dragging his feet on signing them this last year.

Luis stared for a moment, clearly surprised by the confession. Then he cleared his throat. “And, yet, you’re here.”

It wasn’t a question, just a statement.

Owen chewed on the words for a moment. He was here, even though this party, and mingling with Isabella’s relatives, was the least appealing idea on the planet. “I am.”

“That’s got to tell you something.” Luis clapped him on the shoulder again—seriously, he was going to have a bruise there in the shape of a handprint—and then disappeared into the mingling crowd.

Owen stared after him, letting the exchange tumble around in his head. Of course, he still loved Isabella, had loved her all of his life. And no, he didn’t want to get divorced. Wanted to work things out.

So, what was he doing about it? Because sulking on the ranch for the last few years had not helped him win her back. And this weekend was the perfect opportunity to actually have a grown-up conversation with her about… well, everything.

Yeah, because that’s gone so well in the past.

It was true. Until this weekend, every time they’d been in the same room with each other, it turned into a fight. Mostly because he didn’t know how to process the emotions she stirred up inside him. Then he got flustered, which pissed him off, and then his snarky side came out. His snark usually pissed her off, and a huge fight ensued. It was the main reason he’d stopped seeking her out a couple of years ago.

And clearly, she felt the same way, because she never came to see him, either. In fact, her showing up at the ranch to ask him to come with her last week had been the first time she’d stepped foot on the property since the day she’d walked out of their house.

Jorge, Isabella’s cousin-in-law, playfully punched him in the arm. It took just about all of Owen’s willpower to not punch the idiot in the face. Some of the stuff Claudia had alluded that afternoon to was infuriating. It was clear Yolanda and Jorge had too many foster kids to give them each the attention they deserved. And the fact they took them in strictly for the money was even more infuriating. None of those kids deserved to be treated as nothing more than a pay check.

“Hey.” Owen gave him a nod and then concentrated on peeling the label off the beer bottle in his hand.

“Thanks for taking the girls out today.” Jorge smiled. Owen wanted to smack it right off his face. “It was great, except now all the other kids want to know when they get to go.” He laughed, like it was in any way funny.

“No problem. I like the little rugrats.” Owen kept his voice even, although it was fucking difficult.

“Hey, Owen, can I get some help over here?” Diego, who was struggling with one of the tables, called over to him.

Thank Christ. He nodded to Jorge and then walked over to help Diego, tossing his empty bottle in one of the recycling buckets.

“You looked like you needed saving.” Diego gave one of his patented grins. The dude seemed to always have a smile on his face. Owen wasn’t sure there was that much to smile about in the world, but then again, what did he know? He was just a dumb rancher.

“Yeah, thanks.” He hiked up his side of the table. “That guy just rubs me the wrong way.”

“I get it. And don’t get me started on the whole foster kid revolving door thing. Makes me angry.”

Owen nodded, glad to know he and Izzy weren’t the only ones who saw what was going on with Yolanda and Jorge.

Once the table was set up properly, he and Diego walked over and grabbed a couple of beers from one of the many coolers set up around the party space. There was a procession of people coming in and out of the kitchen, carrying delicious smelling dishes and placing them in the buffet tables. Which meant it was probably time to go grab a shower and get dressed for the party.

He finished his beer and said goodbye to Diego, weaving his way through the crowd of people on his way to the house. He hadn’t seen Isabella since he’d freaked out earlier, and for some reason, a wave of guilt hit him right in the chest. Although he had no idea why.

He headed upstairs, his heart pounding harder against his ribs with every step. His palms turned slick. The idea of seeing Izzy and the girls made him feel strange. Strange in a way he wasn’t sure he liked.

His stomach slid into his knees when he reached the top landing. It was dark, no indication that anyone was up here. He opened the bedroom door, but it was empty. So was the bathroom.

Something that felt a bit like disappointment stabbed at him, but he shook it off. No way he was disappointed that Izzy and the girls weren’t up here. That he wouldn’t get to continue playing house, even for just a little while.

He was being ridiculous. His head was clearly being fogged up by the excitement of the weekend. Or something.