Page 10 of His Secret Wish

Chapter 3

Owen made his way toward the table with the drinks. It was hard to blend into the background when you were six foot three, but he hoped like hell he didn’t stick out too much.

This kind of big group stuff had never really been his thing, which was ironic for someone who had four brothers, and had also grown up with numerous pseudo siblings. Of course, that was nothing compare to Izzy’s family. She had something like twenty-six first cousins on this side of her family. Not to mention their significant others and children. And they all seemed to be crammed into this one room. He grabbed a beer and made a beeline for the far wall.

“Owen, it’s so great to see you.” Izzy’s uncle Carlos stepped into his path, his hand out.

Owen shook his hand. “Good to see you too, Tio.”

“How have you been? It’s been a few years since you and Isabella have been out here.”

Owen took a swig of his beer, mostly because it gave him a moment to think. The whole point of this ruse was so Izzy’s extended family wouldn’t figure out they’d separated. Although, he still wasn’t sure why she hadn’t told them all yet, considering ending things had been her idea. “Yeah, we’ve been busy at the ranch. A couple of my brothers have taken a step back, so there’s lots to do.”

Carlos nodded. “Understandable. I’m just glad you guys could make it this time. Don’t know how long we’ve got left with abuela.”

Owen glanced around until his gaze landed on Yaya. She was sitting in a small recliner over by the big fireplace, a colorful shawl wrapped around her slim shoulders. There was a frailness to her that hadn’t been there the last time Owen had seen her a few years ago. It was understandable, considering the woman was in her nineties, but it didn’t make the inevitable any less heartbreaking. Isabella was going to be devastated when she passed.

And, he had to admit, so was he. Yaya had always been so sweet to him, and very generous with her advice and wisdom. He’d never appreciated it before, but he was going to try to soak as much of it in while he was here this weekend. It wasn’t like he had much else to do.

Not that he wasn’t going to try. No doubt he could find something to occupy his time, something to get his mind off of Isabella and their disaster of a relationship.

Unless he could use this time to try to convince her she didn’t actually want a divorce. To convince her not to give up on them after all. There had to be a reason it had taken her so long to file to documents. They’d already been separated a couple of years by the time she took that step last year. Could it be that she didn’t actually want things between them to be over? Was she just too afraid to come out and say it, especially after all this time?

It was understandable. He felt exactly the same way. And there was a part of him that knew, back when she’d first left, that he should have gone after her, told her what he was thinking and feeling. Found out why she was hurting so badly.

But, like an idiot, he hadn’t. He’d wallowed instead, focusing on nothing but the ranch and work, snapping everybody’s head off for looking at him the wrong way. Burying his pain down so deep inside he’d convinced himself he could no longer feel it.

And by then, so much time had passed, that it was too late to do anything. And it had been clear to him that Izzy wasn’t changing her mind, since she hadn’t come back. He’d been so far up his own ass, he should have been able to see his own tonsils.

But what if there was a possibility that it wasn’t as over as he thought?

Carlos said goodbye with a slap on Owen’s shoulder. Not that he was paying too much attention. His brain had snagged on the idea of trying to woo his wife back, and wouldn’t let go. He wandered over to the far wall, leaned his back against it, and took another sip of his beer.

He had three full days to do this. Three days to change Isabella’s mind about wanting a divorce. It wasn’t going to be easy. His wife was stubborn once she decided something and dug her heels in. But he was definitely up for the challenge. He’d never stopped loving her—would always love her. She just needed a reminder.

Looking back, he could admit he hadn’t been the greatest husband. And his communication skills were shit. Which was one of the main reasons everything had imploded. He hadn’t been able to deal with his emotions and everything that had been going on, so he’d bottled them up, refused to deal with them. Refused to talk about them. Thrown himself into work, into running the ranch, until it had consumed him. Which meant he hadn’t been there for Izzy, hadn’t been the husband and partner she needed.

A wave of shame and sadness splashed though him, making him feel weird. He rubbed at his chest, trying to alleviate the pressure building there. He’d been a shitty husband because he couldn’t deal with his own pain, couldn’t admit he was in pain, and it had cost him everything.

“Everything okay, mi Tesoro?” Yaya stood beside him, her stooped form barely hitting him at the elbow. She was a tiny thing, but had the strength and the heart of a lion. Spine made of steel.

“I’m good, Yaya.” He draped his arm around her slim shoulders and gave a little squeeze. He was honestly afraid that if he applied too much pressure, he might break bone. “Just thinking.”

“About that lovely wife of yours, no doubt, huh?” There was a sparkle in her eye, the kind that belied her advanced age.

“How did you know?”

“It’s a gift,” she said, and then laughed, the sound light and airy. It shifted the worry in his chest until he didn’t feel like he was going to suffocate anymore. “You’ve been together a long time, mi Tesoro. And sometimes that means things aren’t always so smooth. But with a bit of patience, you can get through it.”

He tilted his head, not quite sure what to make of her words. Izzy had always maintained that her bisabuela had the gift of foresight, and he’d always just nodded and laughed, scoffing in his head. He didn’t believe in any of that stuff. But here, now, standing with her and her all too knowing vibe, he wasn’t so sure.

“Thank you, Yaya,” he said, giving another squeeze to her shoulders.

She reached up and patted his hand, her skin feeling papery thin against his. “Now, I think you should go and find that wife of yours and tell her how much you love her.”

He nodded, although he knew his marriage wasn’t quite ready for declarations of undying love. He’d been an idiot and an asshole for the last few years, and was going to have to be very careful about how he approached this. If he went in too fast and too hard, she’d spook and run like a wild filly. He was already on the tipping point of being too late.

Slow and careful was the way to go this weekend.