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“I was more pissed that you lied again, but even that I knew I’d eventually overlook because I’ve been dying without you. It’s why I cut you off.” Now he was back to being the angry one as he raised his voice a bit. “Not once did I believe for a second that I could live without you. It was my way of trying to be strong at least for a while. And now I find out that just like that you’re going back home and—”
“Lex, stop.”
“No. I raced down here all the way from La Jolla because I felt bad that you’re all alone on Thanksgiving, and you’re sitting here debating about—”
“I’m pregnant.” As expected, she stunned him silent, so she went on even as the waterworks started up again. “I won’t ruin your life with this. You’ve made it very clear since way back, and I know that even if things were still okay between us, you’re in no way ready for that kind ofinsanecommitment this early in your life. That’s completely understandable, especially with your crazy schedule, and when I first found out, my thoughts were the same. There was no way I could have this baby.” She struggled to continue speaking as her lips quivered uncontrollably and she placed her hand on her belly. “But the more I think about it, the more I think I’ll be able to handle it.” She sniveled, not even realizing at first that she was rubbing her belly until Lex’s stunned eyes dropped to her hand and she stopped. “It’s why I wanna talk to my parents because I’ll be living with them—”
“Are you nuts?”
She shook her head, her heart speeding up at his hardened expression. “I won’t burden you or even ask for child support. I’ve already practically dropped out of school. I can get a job and I promise—”
“Do you seriously think I won’t wanna be part of my kid’s life?” She shook her head, swallowing back the emotion she was so sick of already. He took a step forward and laced his hand into hers, unbelievably making her even more emotional. “Do you really think I or anyone in my family would letanyMoreno be raised illegitimately?” Her lips were trembling uncontrollably again, even as she stared into his now softening eyes, and he lifted her chin with his other hand. “Do youseriouslythink I’meverletting you out of my life now?”
When she was finally able to speak, she wiped the tears away before she did. “Well—” She stopped when he squeezed his eyes shut like he was in pain then squeezed her hand. “What?” she asked, confused looking down at his hand.
“What did you mean by that?”
“By what?”
“Well?”
“I was just gonna say you’ve been so angry and—”
“No.” He shook his head. “Not now. When I asked you the day I found out about you having drinks with that asshole, if you meeting up with him had anything to do with you . . .” He paused as she searched his eyes trying to figure out what he was talking about. He shook his head then finally seemed to just give in to what he was trying to say. “You being horny as fuck that week. You said no at first, but then you said,well. Remember? I said, well what?” Feeling her eyes widen, she nodded when she remembered. “Well, what?” His expression went hard again. “How thehelldid that have anything to do with you deciding to meet up with him on the downlow?”
For the first time since this all happened Xochitl felt something other than heartache, and regret. Her jaw dropped in disgust. “Oh my God. Nothing like that.Gross.” She tried letting go of his hand, but he held it tighter. “How could you even think that?”
His expression softened just a bit, but he still stared at her with that ever-present Moreno intensity. “Well, what, Etzli?”
She cleared her throat because she really didn’t want to get back to the topic of her having lied or kept anything from him. “I already knew you didn’t like him, and when I’d met up with him the previous Saturday, I got thought I picked up on this weird vibe . . .” Xochitl tried to come up with a way to say it that wouldleastfire him up but couldn’t. “Like maybe Vannah was right about him being a little creepy.” He squeezed her hand again only harder than when she’d said, well. Rushing through the watered-down version of how he’d bought a bottle of wine and insisted she have a glass. Which wasn’t too bad until Lex told the story of Rigo hitting on his mom the night of the wedding and all they’d dealt with after they fired him. “I knew you’d be asking for more details about my meeting with him that day once we were alone, and I wasn’t going to keep the fact that he was the same guy who caused all those problems for your family from you. I knew the vibe I’d gottenalonewould make you dislike him even more and his days as my web designer would already be numbered. Then after finding out that day, the history your family had with him, I knew getting rid of him would be a given the moment I told you it was the same guy. Then that night at your parents when I was trying to upload the assignment due that Tuesday, I couldn’t get it to work, with all the crap he’d changed on it. I panicked and needed to buy time. Mind you I thought I’d only need Sunday evening once we got home so I could call him, and he could walk me through how to fix it.Yoursister Vannah’s the one who’d shared with me in the past about sex being an excellent and innocent distraction that her husband would never complain about. And it worked too.”
Seeing the smirk for the first time in too long, Xochitl breathed in deeply then jabbed him playfully, despite feeling completely drained of emotion. “But that’s theonlyway that it had to do with him. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get the assignment uploaded until just hours before it was due. It’s why I’d kept up the bunny rabbit routine, which I enjoyed every minute of by the way,” She added when his brow went up. “I had every intention of telling you everything and getting a new web designeras soonas I’d turned in the assignment and didn’t need him anymore.” She rolled her eyes shaking her head. “And yes, in hindsight I’m aware he no doubt, purposely made it so I’d have to get together with him again. Full disclosure because I refuse to ever keep anything from you ever again, what your brother walked in on and considered inappropriate,was.”
“What?”
“Touching in any other way than maybe a handshake, has never been part of my professional relationship with him,” She explained quickly. “Neither has having alcoholic drinks during our meet ups. The few times I’d met up with him before was down at the college lab or a coffee shop. So, his having a drink ready for me when I arrived, then hugging me and whispering something about me smelling amazing wasabsolutelyinappropriate. Even if I hadn’t heard about what he did to your family I would’ve been cutting my losses with him after that day.” She groaned in exasperation but feeling an enormous weight off her shoulders. “Of course, your brother would walk in right at that moment.”
Still staring at her looking a little too annoyed, Lex pulled her to him embracing her firmly, then did what she loved him doing so much. He kissed her forehead. “You did get rid of him, right?” She didn’t respond and he went stiff. “You’re shitting me—"
“I haven’t talked to him at all,” she said quickly looking up at him. “But I did play nice and responded generically to one of his texts about my website.” His head dropped back in what appeared to beutterfrustration. “Because, because!” She squeezed his arm. “I got to thinking after what he did to your restaurant’s websites, I thought maybe it’d be better if I got someone new first. Someone who might be able to either go in and secure everything before he could sabotage it in any way or transfer all my stuff to a whole new website, so I don’t lose years’ worth of posts. I don’t care what’d it’d cost either. I’ll put it on my credit card if I have to. And it’s how he got the stories about your family by the way. I nevertoldhim about them. Since I didn’t have much to do once I dropped my classes and barely left this place, I started researching the stories that had been leaked about your family.Allof them were a dirtier versions of the ones Vannah had shared with me about your cousins and uncles and such. Then it hit me. My mother is the only one I share anything personal I know she’ll take to the grave if I ask her to, and I’ve told you how often I have to resort emailing her because we both stay so busy.”
She stopped there waiting to see if he’d pick up on what she was saying but he shook his head looking confused. “The night we got back from La Jolla when Gordo told us about your cousin and the whole spin the bottle thing, I called my mom after you passed out. When she didn’t answer I emailed her. I asked her about the students she’d caught having sex, then mentioned your cousin.” She paused but he still looked lost, so she went on. “After I emailed her, I called Rigo and gave him remote access to my computer as I’ve often done so he could try to fix the issue with my website. He was on there for a while and like I do a lot of the times I walked away while he worked on it.”
Lex’s eyes went wide. “I’ve seen that. I’ve walked by your laptop several times and seen the mouse moving when you’re not sitting there. That motherfucker.”
Xochitl nodded. “That piece of shit has been going through my emails since way back. It was only after I called him a piece of shit at the restaurant that he started throwing out the lies about me having told him all your family secrets.” Pulling her into a heavenly embrace she’d missed so much he kissed to top of her head. “We’ll talk to my Uncle Eric tonight when we get back to my family’s grub fest and see what’s the best way to go about it.”
“Tonight?” Xochitl looked up at him. “But I’m not done packing.”
His brows furrowed and he glanced down then placed his palm on her belly. “I know you really don’t think I’m still letting you two go anywhere, do you?” He glanced back up at the big cry baby eyes she was so sick of already and smiled, kissing her once again trembling lips gently. “What did you mean bypracticallydropped out? You haven’t?”
Sniveling all over again, she took a deep breath. “I dropped the classes I could without getting a big fat fail on my transcripts. Then signed contracts to be able to do my assignments via online only, on the ones I couldn’t with the professors who allowed it due to my. . .” She lifted her fingers in air quotes. “Hardship I was going through. Said my already deceased grandpa’s sick and I gotta go home and help out.”
“So, you can say he got better, and you don’t need to go back now?”
“I hadn’t even thought of it, but I suppose I can. Except for the classes I dropped. Three total. Because those are a done deal.”
“Good.” He squeezed her tight again. “Probably better that you don’t have such a heavy load right now. You look like you need the rest.”
