Moreno's (Moreno Brothers Series) - Elizabeth Reyes Page 0,53

of soda and took a sip then lifted the cup toward Carmela. “Here’s to living the dream.”

Carmela smiled as Alej explained which burrito she was dressing so she’d know what else to add to it. “Listen,” he said as he worked quickly to fill two tlacoyos. “This is your family’s business. I know what that’s like. If you need to be there full time, I totally understand. I’ll miss you, but you don’t have to run yourself ragged working two jobs. Your family’s business should come first.”

When she didn’t respond, he glanced up at her, and she was staring at him, smiling strangely. “You’d miss me?” she asked with a twinkle in her eyes.

This made Alej smile. “Well, yeah, wouldn’t you miss me?”

“I would,” she admitted without hesitation. “It’s why I wanted to try and do both, but even my parents said I’ll likely end up having to quit this job.”

“You wouldn’t disappear on me, would you?”

The irony of the way he’d worded that without thinking, squeezed at his heart. Already, the most special girl he’d ever met had disappeared from his life. Not that losing Carmela would even touch what he felt about losing Isa. Still, he’d hate to think the first girl who’d made him feel anything since Isa would be gone from his life soon too.

“Of course not.” The twinkle in Carmela’s eyes went even brighter.

No surprise just four weeks later Carmela gave her notice. Alej warned her getting the business off the ground would be a ton of work. He didn’t know much about the record business, but any business in general had to be a lot of work. And after only one week of her trying to do both, she said she couldn’t do it anymore.

At first, it seemed maybe she was going to disappear from his life because he saw and heard very little from her. But as her family’s business began to fall into a rhythm, she finally got a little time for a social life. Once that happened, so did their relationship.

While optimistic about his relationship with Carmela possibly working out, more often than not, he found himself pulling back from letting it get too serious. His heart would never stop hoping he’d once again be reunited with Isa. Pulling back wasn’t hard either. With both of them being super busy, they didn’t see a whole lot of each other. But so far, things had been completely drama-free. The more time they spent together, which would start to increase until he pulled back again, the more he was glad he’d allowed at least this much. It’d been years, and he deserved to have some kind of hope that a romantic life without Isa might be a little satisfying. He was also glad they’d been friends first because he could talk to her about anything.

He’d even told her about Isa. Though he’d left a lot out. Like how he’d known from the moment he first laid eyes on Isa so long ago that he’d one day marry her. That he’d eventually promised her he would. And when she moved to the states that he vowed to come looking for her when she was of age to make good on that promise. How for years even after he’d lost touch with her, his heart refused to give up on that vow. He especially kept to himself how she’d given herself to him completely before leaving Mexico.

But he had been honest when they got to the inevitable subject of past relationships. He almost didn’t since he knew he wouldn’t be telling her the whole truth. It seemed silly to mention someone from so long ago when they were so young. But after telling her about some of the insignificant flings he’d had in the past couple of years, it felt almost like a betrayal to not mention the only relationship that ever truly mattered to him.

“But that wasn’t an actual relationship then, right? I mean you two were just kids.”

“I’d known her for years, and we did stay in a touch for a while after she moved.”

That’s when he knew maybe he’d said too much because Carmela had eyed him curiously. “So, what happened?”

He’d backpedaled and said they just lost touch and he hadn’t talked or heard anything about her in years. Even added that she was probably married by now for good measure, though just saying it had hurt.

Carmela asked a little more, stopping short of asking if he loved her. Alej was relieved