Moreno's (Moreno Brothers Series) - Elizabeth Reyes Page 0,64

shock, but as the weeks passed, Alej had become consumed with feelings of anger and betrayal. He thought back to the many conversations he and Cido had when he and his father had first moved out here. How Alej had repeatedly said he’d never move on. Sure, technically, he had but this was different, and he knew there was no way Cido would know about his teetering about his relationship with Carmela less than two months before the festival. How she’d immediately gotten knocked up and his dad had convinced him to do the only honorable thing.

Still, knowing Isa was in the San Diego area now and that Alej was nearby, the chance of them finally reuniting was even more real—a year ago when she got here—long before Alej had even met Carmela. Yet Cido had seen fit to take his relationship with the love of Alej’s life there—and she gone along with it. Now it had Alej questioning the times he’d seen red way back when he’d suspected Isa enjoyed Cido’s company and stupid humor a little too much. Had she secretly felt something for him all this time? Obviously, Cido had felt for her what Alej had suspected more than once in the past. With Alej out of the picture, Cido jumped at the chance and she’d clearly agreed?

Among the anger and feelings of betrayal he was suffering, there was a mix of guilt he felt over still caring so much when he was a married man with a child on the way. He’d even begun to get paranoid that Carmela had picked up on the change. His bitter attitude about everything ever since the festival had been nearly impossible to trounce.

He decided to pour all his energy into getting their restaurant off the ground. It was the only thing that ever kept his mind from wandering off into painful thoughts of Isa. His dad already had a buyer for the truck before the festival. So as soon as the festival was over, he wasted no time selling it. He’d already staked out a spot in La Jolla. It was a small taco stand, but it had an enclosed sitting area and room to grow. It’d been around for years, with a solid patronage, but the owners were retiring, and their only kid was a military man who was never around. Like his dad with the truck, the elderly owners were looking to sell the eatery ASAP. Just weeks after the festival, his father had finally achieved his goal of owning a restaurant in the US. Moreno’s would be holding their grand opening in a few weeks.

Alej got the call just after he’d arrived at the restaurant one morning. They were painting, and he was looking forward to keeping himself busy all day. Carmela had stayed home because she was having a bad day. Her morning sickness hadn’t been too bad, but the past couple of days she’d started complaining about not feeling it, and this morning she wasn’t feeling any better. It worked out since the telephone company was coming out to install another phone jack in the house. She was supposed to have met Alej and his dad at the restaurant after they were done with the jack, but Alej had suggested she just stay home for the day.

At first, he thought the guy on the phone, who introduced himself as the phone company technician who’d been sent out to his house, was reaching out to ask about the job he was doing. Where specifically he wanted the jack, even though he’d left precise instructions with Carmela. But the next sentence out of his mouth had Alej stopping cold.

“I don’t know what happened because I’d been working in the back room, but when I walked out to let her know I was done, she was passed out on the kitchen floor.”

“What?” Instantly, Alej was rushing to grab his car keys.

“I called 911. They’re just loading her into the ambulance now. When I told them your wife mentioned your restaurant, they suggested I call 411 and get the number so I could let you know what’s going on.”

Alej got the information about where they were taking her, called her parents, and let his dad know what was going on before rushing out. The whole way to the hospital he tried to remember exactly what she’d described as her symptoms of not feeling it. Alej had barely paid her much attention. He’d just assumed it was morning sickness