Page 130 of Along Came Amor
Roman laughed. “Yeah, I got that.”
“And you and Ava are pretendingnotto be dating, but you are,” Gabe summed up. “So what’s the deal? No, wait, let me guess—you’re her boss.”
Roman shook his head.
“You’re already married?”
Roman flipped Gabe off with his bare left hand.
“Secret baby? No, wait, that was you.” Gabe sent Ashton a shit-eating grin, and Ashton threw a balled-up bar napkin at him.
“You weren’t even around for that.”
“No, but I’ve heard all about it. Many times.”
Ashton jabbed a finger in Gabe’s direction and gave Roman a pointed look. “¡Verás! Es por eso que ella no quiere que nadie lo sepa.”
“Exactly,” Gabe went on, picking up the thread of Ashton’s words. “She doesn’t want anyone to know because she’ll never hear the end of it.”
“From her relatives,” Roman clarified, and the other two men nodded.
“It’s not an irrational fear,” Gabe pointed out. “Right now you have an excuse to be around her, but if you even look at her too long at the wedding, the Boricua bochinche circuit will be on that shit faster than any paparazzo. Before you know it, they’ll be throwing you an engagement party masquerading as a barbecue and forcing you to sleep with her in her brother’s childhood bedroom.”
Roman eyed him across the low table. “That is... oddly specific.”
“I still have nightmares about it,” Gabe said with a shudder.
“How do I help her get past this fear she has of her family?”
Ashton shrugged and drained the last of his G&T. “You don’t. Stop trying.”
Roman scowled. “It’s stressing her out. I want to fix it.”
“You can’t protect her from her family, Ro. Only she can do that.”
The sense of powerlessness made Roman feel like his custom-made suit jacket was suddenly three sizes too tight. “So then whatcanI do?”
“Just be there.” This was from Gabe. He said it like it was so simple.
Roman blew out a breath. “Come on. That’s not enough.”
“It is,” Ashton insisted. “Look whoisn’tthere.”
“You mean her ex?”
“Sí. You want to prove you’re better than that asshole who left her? Be there. Every day. That’s it.”
“You know me,” Roman said. “I need a more proactive plan than that. Something concrete.”
“Mira, cabrón,nole compres un carro.” Ashton’s voice was severe.
Gabe sent Roman a bewildered look. “That’s your plan? To buy her a car?”
“It crossed my mind,” Roman grumbled. “What did you guys do?”
“I introduced Jasmine to the most important people in my life,” Ashton said.
“I already did that.” Roman turned to Gabe. “Next.”
