Page 34 of Her Defiant Warrior

“They died in a car wreck when the twins were two.”

“Were they able to leave you with anything?”

“They left me with the most important thing possible. They left me with a solid bedrock of how to be a parent. But if you mean life insurance or anything like that, no. There were problems with the twins’ birth, and the medical bills put them into bankruptcy. By the time they died, there was nothing.”

“Aw hell, honey.”

“Like I said, it all worked out the way it should have. By the time they died, I’d already had my cosmetology license, because mom took an early retirement so she could stay with my babies. When I lost Mom and Dad, I just couldn’t stand the thought of staying in Norfolk, and luckily a friend of mine knew about the opening here in Virginia Beach at the Trinity Salon and I jumped at the chance. Especially when she told me I could rent her house. That was four years ago.”

“That’s amazing.”

“What are you talking about? I’m just one of many single mothers out there. Trust me, there’s a whole slew of us.” Bonnie grinned. “Now that I’ve told you my life story, it’s only fair that you spill your guts.”

“Your dinner will be right out,” their server said as he put Jase’s beer in front of him.

“Thank you.” Jase looked back at Bonnie. “So, you want me to spill my guts, huh?”

“Only seems fair.” She gave him a crooked smile.

“You know I can’t talk about my work, right?”

“Yep, I get that. But some women who come into the salon are actually wives of SEALs. They have shared some of the funniest stories about the practical jokes that y’all play on one another.”

“Well, that’s fair game,” Jase agreed.

“But I’m interested to know about Renzo, your Brazilian wrist-kissing brother. As well as Malik and Angelica. Farah’s mentioned that your mom and dad traveled the world and Malik was adopted here in the States. It all sounds fascinating.”

Jase laughed. “I’m not sure fascinating is how I would describe it. I’d describe it as a pain in my ass. Every time I turned around, there was some new brother or sister that Dad was insisting I had to share my shit or my room with. Then he’d tell me it was my job to be a role model. Malik, Renzo, and Bruno were the worst,” Jase said with a fond smile.

Every time that dimple of his made an appearance, she thought about licking it.

“Here’s your food.” Their waiter stood by as an assistant server set down the two sides and a roast-size piece of meat with four slices already cut that looked mouthwatering. This looked better than any prime rib that Bonnie had ever had.

After they loaded up their plates and started eating, Bonnie began asking questions.

“I think you’re full of bull-pucky. How could Malik, Renzo, and Bruno be the worst when you’re so close to Malik?”

Jase grinned. There was that dimple again. “We were all close in age, size, and athletic ability, so we were always competing with one another. At least we were once we all hit high school. Just when one of us seemed to come out on top, then another one started taking the lead position. Like I said, they were pains in my ass.”

Bonnie could hear the fondness in Jase’s voice.

“By the way, Renzo is Peruvian, Bruno is Brazilian and Malik was born here in the States. Obviously, he’s African American. As for me, no real clue. I look Hispanic, but hell, I could be Brazilian or Peruvian for all we know. Mom and Dad adopted me when I was a few weeks old.”

“What about Angelica? I met her at the party, too.”

“Angelica?” Jase paused. “We adopted her when she was just a little thing.”

“We? You mean your parents, don’t you?”

“No, I mean we. Malik, Renzo and me. We adopted her.” Jase paused again. She could see he was in a different time, a different place.

“She was little, huh? Tell me about her. Where did you meet her?”

“She was adopted while we were living in Brazil. She came before Gustavo and Bruno were adopted. She couldn’t have been more than two, but it was hard to tell, she hadn’t had much food. Malik, Renzo, and I fell in love with her the minute we saw her.”

Bonnie didn’t ask about Gustavo and Bruno, it was clear that Angelica was the star of this story, and she wanted to hear more. She wanted to hear everything.

“Tell me about her,” she prodded.