Page 50 of Along Came Amor
“Nope.” Roman ran a hand through his hair. “She won’t even give me a list of the specs she’s looking for, or what neighborhood she wants. Just keeps saying she’ll know it when she sees it.”
“¿Y tu hermana?”
“Mickey’s fine. I think. Teenagers, am I right?”
Ashton gave a shudder. “I don’t want to think about it.”
“Aside from spending too much time on her phone, she’s focused on finishing high school and prepping for her summer internship.”
“College?”
“Still waiting on her acceptance letters.” At Ashton’s piercing look, Roman narrowed his eyes. “What?”
His friend pointed the tongs at him. “Why is this bothering you so much?”
Roman scowled. “Who says it’s bothering me?”
Ashton’s famously expressive face saiddon’t bullshit me.
“Fine, it’s bothering me.” Roman shoved his hands in his pockets and wished he were wearing comfortable shorts like Ashton instead of ridiculously expensive trousers. “I don’t want them to move out.”
“¿Por qué no?”
Restless, Roman began to pace. “What if something happens? And I don’t know about it? I can’t stand the thought of not being able to protect them.”
Ashton was quiet while he checked the grill. In Spanish, he murmured, “I didn’t realize they needed you to protect them.”
“Don’t give me that. You have a family. You know what it’s like.”
“Yadi’sten. I can’t even trust him to keep his shoelaces tied. Your sister, on the other hand, is almost eighteen, and your mother has already handled the worst life has to throw at her.”
“That’s exactly my point. I don’t want anything else to happen to them.”
“Maybe you’re not giving them enough credit.”
Before Roman could dispute that, the screen door opened and Yadiel came out in a pair of orange swim trunks.
“I want to go swimming,” he announced.
Ashton gestured at the pool. “Dale.”
As the boy walked to the steps in the shallow end, Roman opened his mouth to point out that the air was getting cooler, but Ashton shot him a quelling look.
There was a quiet splash as Yadi stepped in, followed by an indignant squawk. “It’s cold!”
Roman bit back a laugh at the sight of the kid standing ankle deep in the water, hugging his skinny chest with his arms.
Ashton just shrugged. “Bueno. Use the hot tub.”
Shivering dramatically and makingbrrnoises, Yadi hurried over to the hot tub, leaving wet footprints on the concrete.
“Wait for it,” Ashton whispered to Roman.
Sure enough, a second later, Yadi yelped. “It’s hot!”
“Called a hot tub for a reason,” Ashton said mildly.
Yadi climbed out and glared at his father. “Are you trying to boil me alive?”
