Page 71 of His Secret Wish

“I’ll be here if you need me.” Mami took Isabella’s face in her hands, made her look directly at her. The love and concern in Mami’s gaze made Isabella’s heart squeeze hard. Mami might be curt and opinionated, but she loved her family, and especially her kids, vehemently.

“I love you, Mami.” She couldn’t keep the emotion out of her voice. Her eyes burned, even though she didn’t think she could cry anymore.

“I love you, too.” Mami placed a kiss on her lips and then turned and walked over to the table to speak with Tia Florence.

Isabella finished drying the dishes, hanging the dish towel over the stove handle to dry. She’d procrastinated enough. Blowing out a breath, she headed for the stairs.

Her thighs were screaming in protest by the time she got the third-floor landing. They clearly weren’t happy about her being a cowgirl last night.

She glanced at the girls’ closet room across the hall. The door was open, the room inside empty.

Thankfully, she was so numb, the sight didn’t affect her. Much.

Shaking her head, she turned to her and Owen’s bedroom door. An overwhelming sense of dread swept through her, leaving a sour taste on the back of her tongue. She didn’t want to do this, didn’t want to face him. Because she knew what he was going to say, what he was going to ask.

And she was about to break his heart.

She turned the knob and pushed the door open. He was up and dressed, stuffing things into his bag. She devoured him with her gaze, wanting to imprint everything about him in her memory. After this, he was never going to speak to her again.

He turned, that guarded mask still on his face. “Hi.”

She swallowed hard. “Hey.”

“Everything okay?”

She nodded, even though the lump in her throat said something different.

He came over and took her hands in his. “What’s the matter?”

“Nothing. It’s stupid.” She glanced away, not able to meet his gaze. The concern and love in it would gut her.

He used a finger under her chin to force her to look at him. Like she’d feared, looking at him felt like an ax to the heart. “Talk to me, mi cariño.”

The endearment made her feel weepy, but she pushed it away. She needed to stay strong. She could fall apart later. “Yolanda and Jorge left early this morning, and I didn’t get to say goodbye to Claudia and Marissa.”

“Oh.” A flash of something that looked a bit like disappointment flickered in his gaze. He pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her in the gentlest hug she’d ever experienced.

She locked her arms around his waist, holding him tightly. She knew she shouldn’t, but she couldn’t stop herself. It just felt too good to be held, too good to be pressed against him.

After what was far too long, she pulled away. Took a step back from him. “Owen, I...” Her voice came out rough. She cleared her throat. “We need to talk.”

“Okay.” There was a wariness to him, something that hadn’t been there before.

“Owen, I think...”

“Wait.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her over to the bed, urging her to sit on the edge. He sat next to her, his heat and scent calling to her. But she held firm, didn’t lean into him.

He turned to her. “I know this weekend was a lot. But I think some things happened that were unexpected, but good.”

Her heart slammed against her ribcage, trying to escape, to free it itself so it wouldn’t be crushed again. “Owen, I don’t think—“

“Please, let me finish.” He took her hand, his skin warm against her icy fingers. He placed his other hand over hers, trying to warm her up. “I know things between us have been difficult. And I completely take full responsibility for it. I was an asshole who was uncommunicative and hurt, which is no excuse. But I just wanted to say I’m sorry.”

The sincerity in his gaze scalded her soul. But it was unfair to let him take all the blame. “That’s not fair. It wasn’t all your fault. I played a role in what happened, too. I wasn’t open with you, either.” Guilt jabbed her in the gut, making her want to bend over, clutch her belly. He deserved to know, especially before he bared his soul to her, made a decision he couldn’t take back.

“No, you did nothing wrong. It was all me. I know I can be a lot sometimes, so again, I’m sorry.”

She shook her head. “That’s not true.” She swallowed hard, the lump in her throat refusing to go down. “Owen, there’s something I have to tell you.”