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“Wait!” I nearly scream. Shit, I can’t stay at the church. “Why am I staying at the church?” Fuck, I’m not prepared for this.
The director has the audacity to laugh at my panic. “Yes, you’ll be the junior priest and might even have to give a sermon or two.”
“No way. Nope. I’ll be a guard or sight unseen person on the grounds.” There’s no way in hell I can don the robes and be holy.
“It’s the only way, son. People in this neighborhood would not like for a non-priest to be at the church for an extended time. Plus, you’ll be safe under the roof.” The priest touches me, and my instinct is to break his hand, but I reel it in.
“And if I say no?” I am always challenging my superiors, but the way Wallace looks on with glee turns my stomach.
He crosses his arms over his chest as he smirks at me. “Then it’s your badge.”
CHAPTER ONE
JACQULIN
“Your mother is dead, Jacqulin,” my father tells me without a tear in his eye.
“But…” I’m alone in this world. My mother was the only person I was allowed to speak to, and if she isn’t around, who will play with me?
“Enough, amore. I’m sending you to boarding school, so pack your things.” With
that, he leaves me to the silence.
My lower lip trembles as the maid helps me pack. “It will be alright dear. You’ll make lots of friends.” She’s trying to be helpful, but it’s not working. More so than ever, I feel alone—abandoned.
Kind of ironic that my father, who shipped me off, wants to have me home after so many years. Piddling about, I half-heartedly pack all of my belongings, thinking about what it will be like with him. Will he welcome me with open arms?
My thoughts are interrupted, and my agitation grows. “Are you ready?” The man standing in my doorway asks with a bored tone.
Sighing, I pick up my purse and laptop bag. “Yes, thank you for waiting for me.”
“Yup, let’s go.” He moodily demands as he shuts the door to my flat.
My father decided it was to for me to come home. I haven’t seen him since I was seven. It’s been fourteen years since I’ve even been to Texas. As we get to the car, the man gives me a letter. Opening it, I see my father has set expectations, and I read what he says four times. Either comply or punishment will follow. What kind of punishment? My mind runs rampant with what he may or may not do. I’m totally not liking the idea of going home now.
On the ride to the airport, the man, whose name I still do not know, explains that I’ll be arriving in Texas in twelve hours and that I’ll head straight to West Timberland, where my father will meet me. If I were to say I’m not nervous at all, that would be a lie. And well, I never bend the truth.
The plane ride goes by in a blur since I slept for most of the flight. Yet, when I wake, I’m still in the air and I feel off. I guess it’s only natural since I’m going to meet a stranger. Sure, we talked on the phone on birthdays or when the school counselors would call him with my latest shenanigans. Honestly, I’d rather not go back. But when the most powerful man in the world tells you to get your ass home, you do it.
“Amore.” My father opens his arms to me on the front porch of his million-dollar mansion. “It’s good to see you.”
Unfortunately, I can’t say the same. It feels forced, but I smile and step into his arms. “Thank you, Papa.” My accent has taken a slight British lilt, and he pulls back as if I have burnt him.
“No more of that accent, amore. You are Mexican, after all.”
A blush creeps up my cheeks as his hired men laugh. I have no clue how to change my accent, but I’m willing to try. At least to please him. “Sorry, Papá.”
He smiles at me, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. With a wave of his hand to clear the issue, we walk into the house. “No matter, amore. Tonight, we will have a party for your return, and you’ll meet your fiancé.”
Stopping dead in my tracks, I ask incredulously, “Fiancé?”
My father’s eyes darken, and I take a step back. “Yes. You are to be married to Arturo Gomez in March.”
“But I don’t…” My face turns to the right with the force of my father’s slap.
“Do not question me, amore. As head of the household, I decide what is to be done with you. If you fight me, I will make your life hell. Do you understand?”
Tears well in my eyes, but I nod. “Yes, Papá. I apologize.”
