AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“At first I blamed you when I realized David stayed single because of you.”
Miguel clenched his jaw. “You—”
“No, hear me out.” She raised both hands, letting go of his. “I blamed you, but at the end of the day, David made his own decision. Your family is so crazy, you’re all running around hurting each other and then going to extremes to try to fix what you screwed up.”
“Thanks.”
She laughed. “I think the Torres family could use a little common sense.”
“You don’t bite your tongue, do you?” he grumbled, but for some reason he wasn’t offended.
“Sometimes I do.” She almost glowed with amusement, and he had to resist taking her into his arms or at the very least lacing his fingers with hers. Maybe she was right. There was something wrong with him if he was drawn to her despite her saying he and his family had made a mess of their relationships. Leaving her at this time, when he was still figuring out what she meant or could mean to him seemed impossible.
“If David wanted to prove to you that he wasn’t like your dad, then he should have just found a wife, had kids, and been faithful to his family. Then you would see he was okay.”
Miguel thought about what she was saying. “He was afraid.”
She looked at him in surprise.
“Afraid?”
His face warmed, and he found the clouds particularly interesting at that moment. “He was afraid he was just like Thiago, and he didn’t want to cause the suffering Thiago caused. Not after…”
“Not after what?”
His gut wrenched. He didn’t want to face up to some of the thoughts and feelings that had gone through him back then and various times over the years. Pain scored his insides, shocking him. David was gone, and he couldn’t make things right with his brother even if he set his pride aside.
“David was like a father to me. He was there when Thiago wasn’t. There was a time when I played baseball, and David came to every single game. He never missed one. Sometimes we didn’t know where Thiago was, but David was there, cheering me on.”
“Oh, Miguel.” He heard pain in her tone but refused to meet her gaze. A featherlight touch on his chest made him flinch, and he took a step back.
“I was so angry,” he whispered.
“He didn’t blame you. He loved you with all his heart.”
“I threw his love in his face that last day, when I told him I wouldn’t come back. I told him he was like Thiago because he was drinking so much and womanizing.”
“From what I saw, he stopped.”
“For me.” The words were torn from him, and regret choked anything else he might have said.
“You were young and hurt. He forgave you. Forgive yourself, Miguel.”
This time he did look at her and managed a slight grin. “What about you?”
“Me?”
He drew her close and kissed her lips. “Do you still hate me?”
“Trust and believe I wouldn’t have slept with you if I hated you. I’m not that kind of woman.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I blamed you for a little while, but I’m good at reading people. David wasn’t the only one who suffered. You did too. While he’s gone now, and you can’t tell him how you feel, you do have a family left. They need you.”
He bit down, clenching his teeth together.
She chuckled. “I see that look on your face. Don’t worry. I’m not going to lecture you. Just wanted to put it out there.
