Page 62 of Twisted Beauty

Liv blinked but didn’t say a word. She was still breathless from his kiss, and he had to stop himself from going in for more.

“Come on, traviesa.” Matt took her hand and led her toward Tito’s. “That means troublemaker, by the way.”

Liv reached over and pinched his ass. “I know what it means.”

“You’ll pay for that later.” He glanced over to see her cheeks flush and smiled.

“Is that a promise?”

He realized he needed to keep this little fling hidden from Tito at all costs. He and Liv had an understanding here, but Tito would mistake the whole thing for something more, and be heartbroken when Liv went home in a few short weeks. Matt wouldn’t be so thrilled himself, but for very different reasons. As soon as they approached Tito’s street, he’d have to drop Liv’s hand and pretend none of this had happened.

Liv squeezed his hand as if she’d heard that thought, but then came to an abrupt stop in the middle of the sidewalk. “Oh my god. Look.”

He followed her gaze to a tree, where a huge iguana stood perched on a branch with his long tail curled around it, staring at them. “Is this the first iguana you’ve seen here?”

Liv nodded and stared with wide eyes. “He’s gorgeous. Look at those colors, those stripes.”

The look of awe on her face made him want her all over again. She had a way of noticing things he took for granted. Without her here today, he probably wouldn’t have noticed the tree or the iguana, let alone the variation of greens on the lizard’s skin, the black and white stripes on its tail, or the way each spine along its backbone adopted whatever body color and pattern was beneath it. A flood of memories came rushing back to him.

“There’s a small grove of trees along the River Cuale where you’ll see tons of them, all shapes and sizes. It’s just down the Malecon, on the other side of my condo from here.”

“They’re always there?” she asked.

“Pretty much. But you’ll see others around town too. Mostly by the water.”

Liv pulled out her cell phone and took a quick snapshot. “I wish I had my big camera.” She gasped. “Crap. I left it at your house. We were in such a rush—”

“I’ll get it to you. Or you can come back with me to get it. Whatever you want. Not a big deal.” He started walking again, dragging her along behind him. No matter how insistent Tito was that everything was fine, Matt needed to get there and see for himself.

Liv glanced back more than once before they turned a corner. “I have to go check out that grove.”

“My grandmother used to go there every weekend to feed them. The way people feed the ducks at a pond. She took me with her a few times when I was a kid.” Matt remembered Lita’s kindness, her respect for nature and her love of animals, but he couldn’t hear the sound of her voice in his head anymore.

His throat tightened, like it did every time he thought of her. He wished like hell he could go back in time and tell her how much he loved her, how much she’d meant to him. Did she know he hadn’t stayed away by choice?

“We used to give them names, but that was so many years ago. Lita called the biggest one Carlos. There was also a Carlitos and a Juanita. I can’t remember any more. Lita could always tell them apart. Not me.” He hadn’t been that observant as a kid. He’d just wanted to be wherever Lita was. Happy to be spending time with her.

“You miss your grandmother,” Liv said.

It wasn’t a question, but Matt nodded. “I do. I haven’t seen her since I was twelve. When my father left, my mom refused to visit Mexico ever again. Refused to let me go visit by myself. My dad came to get me a few times, but that tapered off quickly. By the time I was an adult, able to travel alone, Lita was gone.” He’d never forgiven his mother for that. For breaking up their family and keeping Matt all to herself.

He’d spent his entire childhood trying to please that woman. To be everything she wanted him to be, hoping she’d tell his father how well he was doing. Hoping to make him proud enough to come back. But Matt never heard from him. Not even on his birthday, or Christmas. He had to assume that was his mother’s doing too. It was like that whole side of the family was dead to her, and she kept them all out of Matt’s life.

“I’m so sorry,” Liv whispered, rubbing a hand over his shoulder.

Matt shook his head, frustrated. “I’m not sure why I’m telling you all of this.”

“Well, at least you had a mother who supported your dreams, right? I mean, you’re this famous chef now and everything.”

Matt chuckled. “A not-so-famous chef. But my mom did support me there, I suppose. You didn’t have that?”

“I still don’t. Both my parents think I’m wasting my life every time I pick up a camera.”

Matt couldn’t imagine having a family that actively tried to block your dreams. With everything it took to become a chef, he might have given up if he hadn’t had support. If he hadn’t had Lita to teach him when he was young, or his aunt tasting all his meals, or his mother’s financial help when he was in school. “But you studied photography, right? You went after your dreams anyway.”

“In grad school, yes. And I’m still on their shit list for it.” She flashed him a smile. “It was worth it.”

Matt pulled her close and gave her hand a squeeze. They walked on in silence for a few minutes, but they were almost at Tito’s place. He’d have to let her go, and find a way to pretend they were barely friends.