Page 66 of XOXO, Valentina

“You don’t mean Shane.”

I stiffened. “Of course not. We were surprised, but so in love that it seemed like everything would be okay. I wanted to marry him with my whole heart, not just because I was pregnant.” Remembering those early days with Montel was bittersweet, as always. We’d had so little time together. “Montel was amazing. Funny, and smart, and good at every sport—even bowling. Other guys tried to hate him, but it was impossible.”

“Sounds like Shane took after his dad,” Joey said.

I nodded, emotion clogging my throat.

“He’s an amazing kid,” Joey said. “I’m so impressed you raised him all by yourself.”

“I didn’t,” I said. “My parents were there for me every step of the way. And Thatcher is like an uncle to him.”

Joey arched an eyebrow. “I really need to meet this Thatcher guy you keep talking about.”

My heart hammered in my chest. Was Joey jealous? I wanted to laugh. After all his shenanigans, he was jealous of Thatcher. “He’s a good friend.” I locked eyes with him. “That’s all.”

Joey captured my hand and lifted it to his mouth. “I’m sorry you lost the man you loved.” He brushed his lips against my knuckles, his eyes never leaving mine. “But you know you can love like that again.”

I dropped my gaze to the white tablecloth, feeling overwhelmed.

Joey tipped up my chin with two fingers. “You have too much love to give,” he said.

I blinked back tears. The conversation had taken a detour I wasn’t ready to explore. Joey sensed my discomfort and didn’t push me. Instead, he signaled the server and asked for the check and a taxi.

“Are you ready for that swim?” he asked, steering the conversation into more comfortable territory. “The pool will be so much better at night.”

30

Chapter 27

Joey

The next morning, I woke Gabriella early. There was no time to sleep in when we only had two more days together. Part of me wanted to keep her in the room for the next forty-eight hours, but the other—more clear-headed—part won, and so we ventured out to my favorite beach for surfing.

We didn’t have surfboards, but it was fun just to watch everyone else ride the waves. People came from all over the world to surf at the remote beaches of the Nicoya Peninsula.

Gabriella wore a leopard-print swimsuit, which was conservative from the front and scandalous from the back. The swimsuit made me think I’d made the wrong choice. I should have kept her in the room where I didn’t have to keep my hands off her.

After a few hours of watching the surfers and lying around on the beach, we rented quads. We zoomed along the meandering dirt roads of the town, getting lost, and then ended up right back where we started without a care in the world.

We went to lunch at an outdoor spot on the beach and ate a traditional meal of rice and beans with chips and fresh avocado slices.

Dozens of patrons sat at tables under the thin cover of a grove of trees, sipping Imperials to ward off the heat of midday. The air was hot and heavy with barely a breeze rolling in from the Pacific Ocean, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.

“It’s going to rain.” I signaled for the check. “We should get out of here.”

Gabriella tilted her head back to the sky. “Why do you say that? The sky is clear as glass.”

This time of year, rain wasn’t as frequent as it was during the summer and fall, but it could still pour at a moment’s notice. Locals knew to wear clothes they didn’t mind getting wet, and I knew in my bones when it was going to rain.

I pretended to study the sky as if I were preparing a lecture, then I shrugged and said, “It’s Costa Rica. It rains.”

Gabriella laughed and leaned back in her chair with a contended smile. Her skin glowed with a tan after only a day on the beach, and she looked like a local in her breezy sundress thrown over her swimsuit. “It’s much too beautiful to rain.” Her bottom lip pushed out in a stubborn pout. “I won’t allow it.”

I stretched my arm along the back of her chair. Even if we started our meal sitting across from each other, we ended up like this, sitting side by side, like honeymooners, sneaking kisses and caresses in between bites.

She looked like a different woman here on the beach. There was no belt at her waist, no buttons up her neck, and no pins in her hair.

“I like seeing you like this.” I toyed with a lock of her hair, twirling it and watching it slide through my fingers.

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