Clutch Hit by Faith O'Shea (most popular ebook readers txt) 📗

connect or disengage. We both loved our family and found a way to keep it intact. It might seem dysfunctional to some, but for us it worked.”

“Periodically.”

“The love was always there. It had to be, or we wouldn’t be where we are today.”

“You’re making me dizzy. I’ll touch base when I’m back.”

“I’m looking forward to hearing all about the island. I’d love to get there for a game someday. Are you going to try to get to one while you’re there?”

“I don’t think I’ll have time, but if I can squeeze it in, yeah. I probably will.”

“Buy me a Camagüey hat will you?”

“Do you think they’d still have his shirts for sale? Do they even do that there?”

“Not sure. Go see for yourself. I love you, Allie. I’ll keep your man busy for you.”

“He’s hoping to beat you in chess.”

“Hope is a such a fragile thing.”

She chuckled and then remembered to add, “And all of this is off the record. I don’t want to read about this in the next issue.”

“You take all the fun out of being your father.”

“Bye, Dad.”

“Bye, Allie.

She kept the phone clutched in her hand, knowing she should let Mateo know she’d spilled the beans but needing a minute to distance herself again. For something that was supposed to remain confidential, the news had spiraled out to the next curve. Both their families knew now. Who’d be next? Friends? She’d already told Casey, and when she moved lock, stock and barrel into Mateo’s house for the duration, she’d have to come up with a plausible story for the rest of them. His would be more problematic. His friends were players. Chick magnets who thrived in the role.

She could not lose her heart to the Cuban.

She closed her eyes and let Beyoncé’s voice cradle something different, and the words to her song “Halo” rocked her to the core. Some of her walls had come down, so soundlessly she didn’t even know it had happened. She’d married the man. Married him. But even as she cringed at that thought, there was a heady feeling of weightlessness that was carrying her away from her past. Would his gift to her be the freedom to love again? Would he be her saving grace or her downfall?

The song had become a mantra and it never left the corners of her mind, not through the interview with the consulate, not with the government officials they met with, not at dinner. Even as they walked around the city, he was everywhere—around every corner, in the laughing faces of his countrymen, in the lovers who expressed their affection so openly.

Unable to sleep after the busy day, needing a drink to regain her ambivalence, she went down to the bar close to ten. She chose a seat in the corner so she could people watch, sipped a rum concoction that was sweet and potent. She could tell that most patrons were tourists, tall and blonde, speaking many different languages. There were several that caught her eye, and smiles were exchanged but when one approached, she began measuring him against her Cuban. He was tall and handsome, with an international flair and when he spoke, he was articulate and charming.

It was when he took a seat next to her and gave her a come-on line that she grew uncomfortable. There was really nothing stopping her from flirting back. She might be married but she’d set the rules for the relationship and they didn’t include monogamy. Here, far away from anyone she knew, she could do as she wished. There’d be no harm and she’d been fighting a hormonal spike since sitting next to another man, in another bar, and it was peaking.

When Mr. Smooth offered to buy her another drink, she freaked. While gathering up her purse and cell, she said, “Thank you, but no. I’ve got to get back to my room.”

She slid off the stool and went to walk away. Martén, in his Scottish brogue, didn’t miss a beat. “I could see you there.”

She held her hand up, wiggled the finger where Mateo’s ring shone in the muted light. It had belonged to his grandfather, a pinky signet ring that had been handed down, and it had fit her. He’d put it on her finger the day they said their vows, but she’d returned it immediately following the ceremony. Knowing a wedding band was part of this charade, she’d agreed to wear it for the couple of day she was here.

“Married.”

The word hadn’t stuck in her throat like she thought it would. In fact, it sounded sincere, even to her own ears.

She all but ran out of the bar, anxious to be back in her room, wondering what the hell she was playing at. There’d been a split second that she’d almost given in, more to show herself the marriage meant nothing, but she couldn’t. Mateo had sworn he’d stay faithful, his mother was upstairs, and if she was going to fall into bed with someone, it would be with a man who set her on fire.

“Halo” came back in full rendition. And she sang it under her breath all the way up to her room. Even here, a thousand miles away, she was surrounded by the essence of his embrace.

With every mile they flew to get home, she thought about her future, and when she disembarked, she had the grave feeling she was about to break all her rules.

Jelani’s squeal got her attention. When she looked up, she saw Alec and son standing at the end of the concourse, and Jelani began to run toward them. There was a ping in her heart at their embrace, and another when the baby reached out and was transferred from one set of arms to another. She couldn’t miss the deep and abiding devotion. Loneliness seeped in. She wanted that even though she’d never admitted it to herself. It would have meant…

“Alicia. Allie.”

Stunned, the voice sending chills down her spine, she looked beyond the couple to