Page 79 of XOXO, Valentina

Gabi

Joey came up behind me in line and slipped an arm around my waist, pulling me back against his chest. I pulled away, putting space between us. Tears threatened, but I bit them back.

“What’s wrong?” Joey took my shoulder and turned me to face him.

I chewed my lip. “That was her,” I said, pointing at his chest.

The color drained from his face. “Yes.”

My cheeks flushed. At least I had a face to the name now. I cringed, realizing Maria was even lovelier than I’d imagined. She was drop-dead gorgeous, and so were those children. We inched forward in the line, but I no longer wanted ice cream.

“You never mentioned…” I swallowed thickly, remembering the way the little girl had reached for him. “You never talked about the children.”

He blinked as if pulling himself back to the present. His smile flickered, but there was something serious in his face that was very not Joey. The intensity of his eyes sent a shiver down my spine. “What?”

I’d felt the connection between the four of them like an earthquake under my feet. They’d been so natural together. She’d embraced him, and I’d torn my eyes away, unable to watch it if she kissed him.

“The baby. Is she yours? And the boy too?”

The color drained from his face. “You thought those kids were mine? Don’t you think I would have mentioned being a father?”

My heart ached. “She called you Papa.”

Joey scoffed. “Maria said she calls everyone that.” He took my elbow and drew me out of the line, then outside to the sidewalk. “Is that what you think of me?” His voice rose to a fevered pitch. Gone was the confident, teasing tone that made me shiver with anticipation. “That I would have children with a woman and leave her for another country, never knowing my own kids?”

My stomach clenched. Had I been wrong? “I thought…”

His eyes turned dark and stormy. “No. You didn’t think.” He stepped closer to the street and waved down a tuk-tuk. “Let’s get out of here.”

Joey didn’t say a word on the ride back to the bungalow. Confusion and anger battled inside me. I’d been so jealous of Maria, I’d jumped to conclusions. I should have known that Joey would have mentioned children.

I’d never seen him go quiet for this long. He was usually so easygoing, but I could feel the anger radiating off him in waves.

When we got back to the bungalow, he went out to the terrace and stood staring at the setting sun.

“I guess this is it.” I came up beside him and braced my hands on the railing. “Our last sunset.”

Joey tilted his chin at me. “Why?”

I frowned, staring out at the magnificent view. “Because I’m going home in the morning.”

A bitter laugh escaped his mouth. “There are beautiful sunsets in Mossy Oak. I’ve seen them.”

“I know. But we can’t watch them together. You know that.”

He turned his back to the display of vibrant colors in the sky. “Why not?”

My jaw clenched, and I shook my head. “You know all the reasons.”

His eyes narrowed, boring into me. “None of them are good enough.”

“We work together.”

He shrugged. “I’ll quit.”

A thin red line blurred my vision. “You can’t quit.”

“We can’t work together, Gabriella. Don’t you see?”

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