A Second Chance Page 15

  Zach gave him a slow nod. “I’m glad I have you to set me straight.”

  “Well, I wish I would have had the knowledge up front.”

  “Kathy’s lucky that you’ve been trained.”

  Carlos reached for his wallet and settled up his part of the bill. He wasn’t comforted by the thought that being trained meant that he’d screwed up the first time. Had he flown under Madeline’s radar, maybe he wouldn’t be getting married for a second time, he’d still be married to Madeline.

  Zach reached for his water. “You guys going to have kids too?”

  Carlos shrugged. “She’s mentioned it. Her parents have mentioned it. I guess we’ll see what happens. What about you guys?” He quickly changed the subject.

  Zach took a drink. “Oh, yeah. She wants them close together. So I suppose we’ll start trying when Tyler is about a year old. Does that sound about right?”

  “Don’t ask me. My kids just kinda happened.”

  “Yeah. Too much thought takes all the fun out of it.”

  “I suppose.” Carlos looked at his watch. “Well, I should be heading out.”

  “I’ll call you and let you know what the plans are.”

  “Thanks.” He shook his brother-in-law’s hand and headed out of the diner.

  Lunch hadn’t settled with Carlos. The food was fine—it was the whole conversation. No, he didn’t want a bachelor party. He didn’t need to go out and live up the single life one more night. He’d never been a fan of the single life. Curtis seemed to be the only person who needed to live on the wild side once in a while. Sooner or later, Carlos thought, his brother was going to get caught by something wild, and it would want to tame him. Wouldn’t he be in for a shock?

  Things at home just hadn’t been right. They hadn’t been any different either, he realized. He was preoccupied. Kathy seemed distant. Even the kids seemed just tossed back and forth between them all.

  He was used to it happening when it came to the kids at school. Once spring hit, no one could concentrate. But the fact that it was happening in his own home, with his wife to be, and himself, was throwing him off.

  He just needed to relax. Everything would be just fine.

  But even he couldn’t make himself believe his own lie.

  The way Madeline looked at it, there was no time like the present. Her boss had offered her vacation time, and she thought she should use it wisely. There was never a good side to having cancer, unless your boss had gone through it and knew when you deserved to celebrate your remission.

  Carlos’s wedding was in less than two weeks, and she really didn’t want to be there.

  That wasn’t true. She did want to be there, but she didn’t want to be a guest.

  She blew out a breath. At what point were her feelings for him going to go away? She deserved to watch him get married and be happy. He’d watched her marriage for years. Only truth was, she hadn’t been happy.

  Madeline searched the travel website for the best deal. She was headed to Cancun, without Arianna, though maybe they’d take that trip some other time. For now, she just needed sun, and it needed to be as far away from Carlos Keller as possible.

  Twenty minutes later, she had booked her flight and printed her itinerary. Now all she had to do was dig out her passport. She and Matt had gotten passports two years earlier. It was on a whim. They didn’t even have plans to go anywhere.

  She opened her closet and found the firebox that held all her important papers. Inside were the birth certificates of her children, social security cards, and of course the unused passports of both her and Matt. She’d have to send him his.

  Deeper into the box she found her marriage license to Matt. She took it out of the box and crinkled it into a ball. What a worthless piece of paper that was. She let out a growl of frustration and opened the ball of paper and flattened it out.

  Further in the box, she found a manila envelope that contained the final documents from her marriage to Carlos.

  She shook her head. What an unhappy box. Unused passports and forfeited marriage licenses. When she sat the metal box down on the floor to look in the envelope, she heard a clanking noise. She knelt down to take a look and noticed Carlos’s wedding band loose at the bottom of the box.

  She fell to her knees on the carpet and took out the ring. It wasn’t fancy. A small, round, piece of gold was all he’d worn to symbolize their unity. She held it to her chest. She’d been twenty years old when she bought that piece of metal. Twenty years old, and she’d known what she wanted more than anything. No matter how angry they were at each other, they’d never taken their rings off until the day the papers had arrived saying their marriage was obsolete.

  She slipped it on her middle finger. It was much too big. She wondered if he’d like to have it. Then again, maybe Eduardo or Christian would like it. She stood and walked to her dresser; atop of it stood a wooden jewelry cabinet. She opened it and took out a chain. She’d wear it around her neck and when she thought about it, or if someone asked about it, she would make her decision on who would get to keep it.

  She felt the weight of the gold on her neck as she went about gathering suitcases and other items she could pack for her trip. No time like the present to get packed.

  The shuffling of several pairs of feet walking through the front door caught her attention. She’d have the kids the week before the wedding. She was supposed to have them the week after too, while Carlos and Kathy were on their honeymoon. How come she hadn’t thought of that? She’d booked her trip to miss the wedding, but hadn’t thought about being needed for the kids while they were on their honeymoon. She’d see if maybe Arianna would stay with them. If she was already heading home maybe she could intrude on Regan, though she didn’t want to do that. It would be too far for her to drive them to school every day.

  How come it always happened that the moment she’d done the first selfish thing for herself in almost fifteen years, the guilt was taking over. Her family needed her and she was escaping. Madeline shook it away. No. She was leaving and she was going to enjoy herself. Her kids were old enough not to be a burden to anyone. It was going to be fine—she hoped.

  “Hey, Mom.” they all shouted as they passed her on their way to the kitchen.

  The thought that she wouldn’t see them for a week, or talk to them either, squeezed her heart. She was going to miss them so much. “Hey, guys. How was school?”

  “Boring,” Christian was quick to answer.

  “Maggie invited me over for a sleepover this weekend. Can I go?” Clara asked.

  “We’ll have to see.” She moved up behind Eduardo and gave his head a rub. His hair had come back in, but it was curlier than it had been. “How are you today?”

  “Fine.” He grabbed a bottle of water and a banana and headed to his room.

  Unable to resist, she followed him.

  “You doing okay?” She leaned on the doorjamb and watched as he situated himself into his room.

  “I’m fine.”

  “Okay, if you say so.” She watched him. He looked so much like his father. She gave it another moment and then turned to leave.

  “Mom,” he called, and she turned with a smile. He opened his banana and took a bite. “Do you remember Tasha?”

  “Girl in choir that you wanted to ask to homecoming?”

  “Yeah, that’s her.”

  She remembered that she was two years older, a junior, and he’d had eyes for her since he started high school.

  Eduardo rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. “Well, she asked me to prom.”

  “Really?” Her voice rose as she spoke. “Well, that’s good, right?”

  “Sure. But I can’t drive her. Doesn’t that seem stupid?”

  “Not if you don’t have a license, it doesn’t.”

  “I really want to go.”

  “Doesn’t she drive?”

  “Yeah, but I want to do this right. And don’t get me wrong, I don’t want you or Dad to drive us either.”
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br />   Madeline gave a shrug of her shoulders. “I can understand that.”

  He set the banana on his desk and dropped his shoulders. His eyes were bright, and she knew his head spun with a million thoughts. Eduardo rubbed his hands on his pants and looked up at her. “But what do you think if I asked Uncle Zach if he’d let us use his company’s limo. I’d pay for it,” he was quick to add.

  “How do you suppose you’d do that?”

  “Well, I was thinking maybe I could work for it.” He sat on his bed; the Tennessee Titans bedspread reminded her that he was still her little boy, while the man inside of him fought for new freedoms. He bit down on his lip. “You know I’d like to be an architect after I graduate from college.” She nodded, pleased he’d added the bit about college. “Well, I was thinking maybe Uncle Zach would let me work at his place for a few hours after school, and I could just learn stuff. I could also help out around the office. Like an intern. I know I can’t touch much, but what do you think if I ask?”

  She blew out a breath. “I guess it can’t hurt to ask.”

  “Thanks, Mom.”

  “Sure.” She turned to walk away. “You know, he does have a new build not too far from school. And I’m sure John Forrester is overseeing it in some way. Your dad used to work for him.”

  “I remember John, sure.”

  “Maybe you could work on site too. That would give you some hands-on.”

  “Wow, that would be really cool.”

  “Should I field this for you? Do you want me to talk to Aunt Regan first?”

  He smiled his big toothy grin. “How did you know?”

  “I’ve been around you a long time.”

  “Thanks, Mom. By the way, you look really good today.”

  “I have on my red hair.” She gave the wig a little flip with her hand.

  “I like the red hair.”

  “So do I,” she said. “Oh, and I wanted to tell you I’m taking a vacation in a couple of weeks. I’m going to Mexico. I’m going to ask Auntie Arianna to stay with you.”

  “Okay.” He shrugged. “Why can’t we just stay with Dad?”

  “Well.” She tried to keep her voice upbeat. “I decided to go while they were on their honeymoon. It’s not too thought out, but my boss gave me time and I thought I should do it while I could.”

  “Sounds great, Mom. You deserve a vacation in a swimsuit.”

  “Dear, God! I hadn’t thought about a swimsuit.”

  His shoulders bounced as he laughed at her, and his eyes grew bright. “You’re going to Mexico and you didn’t think about that?”

  “No. I just wanted to get away for a bit. Well…” She blew out a breath. “I guess I’ll be thinking about it now.” She looked down at her chest and placed her hands on her breasts. “Damn glad I have these.”

  “Mom!” Eduardo turned and covered his eyes, forcing her to laugh.

  As soon as she left his bedroom, she went right to hers and picked up the phone. First, she’d call Arianna and see if she could fill in while she was gone.

  “You’re going to Mexico without me?” Though she was trying to sound put out, she didn’t have Madeline convinced.

  “Now is just the time for me to go.”

  “Okay, okay.” She laughed. “We’ll plan a weekend though. Don’t you think we should all get away? You, me, and Regan. Just like old times.”

  Just like old times. It used to be sisters. They were all sisters. They’d known each other since high school, and every year they would spend a weekend away, just the three of them. Then after she divorced their brother, they took off for a few years. Especially when Regan was in Hawaii and Arianna had moved to New York. But eventually, one thing had lead to another, and they’d had three more weekends. Even Matt had thought it was good for them to get away together.

  She felt it coming and she knew she had to ask. “What about Kathy?”

  “What about her?”

  “Well don’t you think we should include her? Or you should take her, is what I guess I really mean,” which it was.

  “I had never given it any thought,” Arianna said, her words drawn out. “Wow, that makes me a bad sister-in-law, doesn’t it?”

  “Well, no…”

  “Yes, it does. Dear God! Here we are helping her plan this wedding and making sure her dress is right, she has the right accessories, and dancers for her bachelorette party, and I don’t even think to include her in sisters’ weekends.”

  “It always takes getting used to,” Madeline added, trying to move the subject along, sadness swelling in her chest at the thought of the years she’d lost with her dear friends.

  “No, it doesn’t. I never had to get used to you,” she said and then laughed. “I mean, you were always around.”

  They’d all grown up together, in a sense. That busy time in life when Arianna was seventeen and Madeline, Carlos, and Regan were fifteen, they’d all been a unit. She was their sister and the love of Carlos’s life. They had all been used to each other, and even ending her marriage to their brother hadn’t stopped their relationship.

  “Well, I won’t feel put out when you all jaunt off to Mexico for a vacation.”

  “Oh, Maddie, shut up!” She erupted in laughter on the end of the phone. “You know you’ve always been one of my best friends, and Regan’s too for that matter. Just because Carlos was too stupid to hold on to you doesn’t mean I have to let you go.”

  Madeline smiled one of those smiles that make your cheeks hurt. “Thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.”

  “Anyway, you need me to stay with the kids?”

  “Yeah. Carlos and Kathy will be on their honeymoon. It just worked out that way.”

  “Sure it did,” she said, not quite under her breath. “I’d love to stay. Can I just stay out at your house?”

  “Yes, that would be perfect.”

  She had her tickets, her hotel room, and a babysitter. All she needed to do now was try and get her son a job. She shook her head as she dialed Regan’s number. Who would have thought the time would come she’d be helping her son move into his adult life and pay for dates with girls?

  “I will definitely talk to Zach about it,” Regan said once Madeline told her about Eduardo’s plan. “Have him call him tomorrow about two thirty. That’s when he’s the least busy.”

  “I guess you would know best. You were his favorite assistant,” Madeline teased.

  “Yes, but I got fired.”

  “But in the end I do think you got the best job of all.”

  “You couldn’t be more right. So… are you coming to the wedding?”

  Madeline let out a sigh. “That’s another reason I’m calling. I need to borrow a swimsuit.”

  “You’re coming to the wedding in a swimsuit?”

  “No, no, no.” She laughed again. God, she loved Carlos’s sisters. “I’m not going to the wedding. I’m going to Mexico. Arianna is going to watch the kids while I’m away.”

  “Why? He’s looking forward to having you there.”

  “And I’m flattered, but Regan, between you and me, I can’t watch him do this. It’s already breaking my heart.”

  “I knew that,” she said softly. “What timing, eh?”

  “Yeah, what timing.” She took another deep breath. “So I’m a coward with a boss who gave me extra vacation time, even after having been on leave. I’m taking it. So what do you say? Do you have something sexy I could wear to show off my nipple-less breasts?”

  She was glad she’d called her sisters-in-law. She felt better than she’d felt in months.

  Now, all she needed to do was get out of town before Carlos said I do, and she’d spend the next week sipping margaritas on a beach and not have to think about the wedding at all.

  Chapter Ten

  Madeline’s phone rang at ten o’clock at night. She reached across the bed to the end table to pick it up. When she looked at the caller ID and saw Carlos’s number, a surge of panic raced through her, but it quickly dim
inished when she realized why he must be calling. She’d expected him to call earlier in the day. Regan and Arianna were usually much quicker about spreading gossip.

  “You’re not coming to my wedding?” Carlos demanded without even responding to her hello.

  Madeline pushed her shoulders back, ready to stand her ground. “No, Carlos. I’m not.”

  “Why?”

  Did he really need an answer to that question? Hadn’t she been fool enough to tell him she loved him when they wheeled her into surgery? She sighed. There was her proof that he either hadn’t heard it… or had heard it but accepted it as a friendly gesture.

  “My boss gave me vacation time. After all I’ve been through, I just think this would be a nice reward for myself.”

  “And you couldn’t have gone a week later?”

  Madeline gripped the phone tighter. “If you’re upset because I asked your sister to stay with the kids…”

  “No. That is not why I’m upset.” He let out a breath. “Maddie, it’s important to me to have you at the wedding.”

  “Carlos, did it ever occur to you I don’t want to watch you move on?” She tensed. She hadn’t wanted to say that to him, but now it was out.

  “You’d rather I be miserable the rest of my life.”

  She slouched down on the bed, her back resting on the backboard, causing her scars to stretch and become as uncomfortable as the stirring in her stomach from Carlos’s disappointment. “Now, I didn’t say that.”

  “It was okay for you to go get married six months after our marriage ended? It was okay for you to marry my best friend? But now, five years later, I can’t marry a perfectly wonderful woman, who adores you by the way, and be happy?”

  Her heart ached as he replayed her mistakes since they’d divorced. “Carlos, I want you to be happy.”

  “You just don’t want to be a part of it?”

  Why was he arguing about this with her? She was his ex-wife. That alone should be reason to not have to justify why she wasn’t going to attend the wedding.