Page 48 of His Secret Wish

Marissa wiggled in Owen’s arms, and he placed her on her feet. Claudia grabbed her hand, and the two of them raced toward the sweets table.

“Donuts? You always told me it was blasphemy to refer to buñuelos as donuts.” Owen’s voice had a teasing edge she hadn’t heard in a long time. She liked it far too much.

She laughed. “I knew they wouldn’t understand what a fritter was. Donuts was simpler.” She watched as each of them took a pastry from the platter. The other kids were all laughing and playing with each other. She held her breath when Teresa, one of her cousin’s kids who was nine years old, headed in their direction. Teresa bent down to say something to Claudia, and Claudia laughed, her mouth full of food. Teresa then motioned for Claudia to come over with the other kids, which she did, Marissa following behind.

Isabella breathed a sigh so filled with relief it felt like she was empty at the end. Not that she didn’t love spending time with the girls, because she absolutely did. But, after spending all day with them, it would be nice to not be the only source of entertainment for a while.

“Glad to see them getting along with the other kids.” Owen’s voice was closer than before, and she glanced over to see he’d moved. His woodsy aftershave wafted her way, and she forced herself to remain still and not bury her face against his neck. Seemed she wasn’t the only one who’d noticed the girls and their solitude. She briefly wondered if Yolanda was even aware, and then tossed that thought aside. It didn’t matter, and all it would do was enrage Isabella. And then she’d be forced to cause a scene.

Tonight was not about any of that. It was about celebrating a wonderful woman.

“Me, too.” She looked over at him. His gaze was on the girls, watching them laugh and play with the other kids. She had a feeling that if anything bad happened, if one of the kids said or did something that made either Claudia or Marissa cry, he’d be over there like a bullet. It was sweet.

“Good evening, everyone.”

She and Owen turned in unison. Her cousin, Anna, stood on the dais, a microphone in her hand. They really had gone all out for this party. Not that Yaya didn’t deserve it. She glanced over at her great grandmother, who was still sitting in her chair in the center of the dais. She was also looking mighty uncomfortable. Not surprising, given how much she hated being the center of attention.

“If everyone could have a seat, we’ll get started with the speeches.” Anna smiled. Behind her, Yaya rolled her eyes.

Isabella laughed and took the arm Owen held out to her. The seating was arranged, so they needed to find their table. It took a few moments, but they found their seats.

They were seated with Isabella’s tia Camila and tio Carlos, a couple of cousins and their spouses, a single cousin, and Ben.

Owen went rigid next to her when he saw her childhood friend. Not that he had anything to worry about. She wasn’t interested in Ben and got the feeling he wasn’t interested in her in a romantic way. And if he did show any sign he was headed that way, she would be shutting him down. She wasn’t in the right space to start a relationship right now. Besides, he lived here, and she lived in Redding, and she wasn’t doing long distance.

And now she was getting ahead of herself, letting her imagination run a little wild.

Not that she didn’t enjoy Owen feeling a little jealousy. It would serve him right for all the nights she’d laid awake, wondering what he was doing with Becky Lynn Collins. Even just thinking about him and that… that… that floozy made her blood simmering hot, while at the same time, broke what was left of her heart all over again.

Owen pulled the chair out for her and she sat. “Good evening, everyone.”

The others all nodded and greeted her and Owen. Owen sat in the seat next to her, adjusting it so it was almost right up against hers. The heat of his thigh burned her through her dress. He draped his arm over the back of the chair, very possessive. He might as well have peed on her.

She wasn’t sure she liked the idea of him being jealous anymore. It was kind of annoying. She tossed him a quick evil eye, and he at least had the decency to look slightly embarrassed. But only slightly.

“I didn’t see you this morning while I was helping set things up.” Ben picked up his drink, his face open and honest. Owen shifted in his chair and continued to glare.

She placed her hand on his knee under the table. His thigh tensed, and her mouth watered a bit. Damn, why did he have to be so appealing, and yet so annoying? “Yeah, we ended up going into town for some last-minute stuff. It was nice of you to come over and help.”

“Of course,” Ben said, giving her a smile. “I would do just about anything for Yaya Maria. I’m honored that I received an invite to such an important event.”

“Why wouldn’t you be invited? You’re an honorary member of this family.” She sipped her water, trying not to choke when Owen’s hand covered hers on his leg. He slid her hand up his thigh.

“That’s good to know.” Ben smiled, and then motioned to someone over her shoulder.

She glanced behind her to see a pretty blonde woman walking toward their table. She had on a stunning emerald green dress that was very much pin-up girl style. Her face lit up, and she waved back at Ben.

Ben stood and gave the new woman a quick hug, before turning back to the table. “Everyone, this is my friend, Suzanne. Suzanne, this is a very small portion of people’s name’s you’re never going to remember.”

Everyone laughed, mostly because it was true. Isabella was part of the family and it sometimes took a second for the pieces to click when she was dealing with third and fourth cousins. The joys of being in a massive family.

She threw Owen a see-I-told-you-he-wasn’t-interested-in-me-like-that raised eyebrow. He just stared at her. She turned back to the table. “It’s nice to meet you, Suzanne. I’m Isabella, and this is my husband, Owen.” The declaration rolled off her tongue far too easily, especially for someone who’d filed for divorce last year. A lump settled in her stomach, heavy and uncomfortable.

“Nice to meet you, too.” Suzanne smiled and then sat. She turned and thanked Ben, who’d held her chair out for her.

Owen leaned over, so his face was close to her ear. He pushed her hair back, his hot breath sending goosebumps down her neck. “That doesn’t mean he’s not into you.” His voice was low, for her ears only. “I saw the way he looked at you yesterday. Like he wanted to eat you up.”

She turned her head toward him slowly. He didn’t move back, so they were practically lip to lip. Desire streaked through her, settling right between her thighs. She ached, so much so that she squeezed her thighs together.