Page 78 of XOXO, Valentina

I’d never forgotten Maria. She was my first love. My most painful memory. The reason for the ink on my chest.

The little boy wailed. He’d dropped his cone, and the chocolate ice cream splattered on the sidewalk in front of the door.

“Oh, Diego,” Maria said in the voice of every frustrated mother.

“Papá!” Lucia leaned toward me and grabbed a fistful of my hair. She had a tight grip for such a little thing and refused to let go.

I laughed and scooped her out of Maria’s arms. “Lucia, you little chunk. Come here!” I snuggled the little girl, blowing a raspberry into her the chubby folds of her neck. She’d gotten so big since I’d seen her last summer. She was a beautiful girl, like her mother, with enchanting dark eyes and round cheeks. She smelled like sunshine and baby shampoo.

“She’s grown so much,” I said.

“She’s hardly a baby anymore.” Maria smiled and wiped the tears and chocolate from Diego’s rounded cheeks. “What are you doing here?”

“It’s spring break,” I said, switching to English to include Gabriella. “We are on vacation. Gabriella, this is Maria.”

There was an awkward pause as Maria and Gabriella stared at each other for a long moment. The former love of my life and the current love of my life didn’t seem eager to become friends.

“Nice to meet you,” Gabriella said finally. “Can I get him another ice cream?”

“That’s kind of you.” Maria’s English was rusty and stilted. “We will share this one, please.”

Lucia yanked my hair so hard I saw stars. “Hey,” I said, untangling her fingers.

Gabriella cleared her throat. “I’ll go get in line before it gets any longer.” The worry line was back between her brows. “What flavor did you want, Joey?”

“Is it still vanilla?” Maria asked.

“Yes,” I admitted.

“He is so boring.” Maria’s laugh tinkled like a bell.

“I’m not boring. I’m classic. What’s yours?” I asked Gabriella.

Her eyes darted from me to Maria. “Chocolate,” she said.

“Another classic.”

Gabriella reached for the door. “I’ll be inside.”

When Gabriella was gone, Maria switched back to Spanish. “Have you seen Victor or anyone else?”

I shook my head. “Not enough time.”

Maria reached for Lucia, who didn’t want to give up her hold on my hair. “Thanks for taking her. She’s such a little flirt. And everyone is Papá.”

“She’s beautiful.”

Maria beamed up at me. “Isn’t she?” Lucia giggled as her mother tickled her chin. “Maybe I will see you this summer,” she said.

“Maybe.” My throat went dry. I wasn’t as excited to return to the surf and sand of Costa Rica as I usually was. I glanced into the ice cream shop where Gabriella stood in line. Three months away from her seemed like an eternity.

Maria laughed and grabbed me for a quick hug. “Wipe the stars from your eyes, Fernando. You will scare that woman away looking at her like that.”

Sadness settled on my chest. I’d scared Maria straight into the arms of my best friend. She’d broken my heart and ruined me for relationships for a long time, but that had been a long time ago. I was grateful that Maria had dumped me before we’d made it down the aisle. If not, everything would have been different. I would have come back home after I finished college in Texas. I would have never become an American citizen or a Spanish teacher. And I wouldn’t have met Gabriella.

34

Chapter 31

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