Moreno's (Moreno Brothers Series) - Elizabeth Reyes Page 0,88

made it sound, she and her mother had moved into an apartment behind their house, but only because the trailer park they lived in had gotten so dangerous. And it was only after several more months, when their plumbing went out, they’d been forced to move into their home, but she shared a bedroom with her mom not Cido.

She stopped and shook her head again, her face scrunching in pain. “I waited for you all those years, and then . . . you were married.”

“My wife is gone, Isa. So is the baby. Soy vuido.”

Unbelievably, her pained expression went even more severe as she buried her face in her hands and sobbed. “I’d heard something about that. I’m so sorry. I truly am. I would never wish for something like that no matter—”

Alej wrapped his arms around her, unable to hold back any longer. He bear-hugged her before she could even finish the thought. Overwhelmed by the enchanting scent that was still all Isa even after all this time, he kissed the top of her head. “I know you wouldn’t, mi amor.” Feeling a mix of emotion, Alej did his best to snuff the feelings of guilt. He deserved this, damn it. “Did you forget I know you better than anyone ever will?”

Isa pulled away and looked up at him. “I tried to tell you the day we ran into each other last. I moved out of his place months ago. I’m not even working for him anymore. When you said you knew, I assumed it meant it didn’t matter—”

“I assumed,” he said, cradling her face in his hands now, “that you were going to tell me about the pregnancy.” He squeezed his eyes, remembering the horrific dread of thinking she was about to say it that day. “That you’d be marrying him soon like he’d told me. I couldn’t bear to hear you say it. So, there was never anything romantic between you and Cido?” He searched her sweet eyes. “Then why was he so mad about you coming to see me?”

“There never was, but it’s why I made the decision to move out of his place,” she explained. “He’d begun to get territorial, and even though he was good to me then, and I had no idea if I’d ever see you again, it just didn’t feel right.” She shook her head, her brows pinching as the tears streamed down her face. “I waited all these years for you, Alejandro. After seeing you at the food truck festival and I knew he’d given you the impression that we were actually living together, I wanted you to know the truth so bad.”

“I know now, mi adoración.”

For the first time in all the years he’d dreamed of and prayed for the day he could finally do so again, he leaned in and kissed her lips. It was everything his heart had been yearning for and yet so much more. No words could express the utter euphoria his heart felt at that moment.

None.

Yet, despite the exhilaration his entire body was feeling, there was an urgency inside him. He needed her to understand something before they discussed anything else. Pulling his face away, he brought his arms around her again and tugged her to him.

“I won’t profess to be as pure or as perfect as you. But I need you to know this, mi amor.” Pressing his lips together for a moment, he thought about the best way to say it. “I mean no disrespect to my late wife. Because every woman deserves to be cherished by her husband—her soulmate. Only I wasn’t hers, and I swear to you I waited for years for you too. Getting married and giving up the option of being free to be with you, should our paths finally cross again, was not something I’d even consider. I kept saying I would only consider it if I ever met someone who made me feel everything I’d ever felt for you, and I knew that would never happen. But I hadn’t anticipated having to do so because it was the honorable thing to do. It’s the only reason why I didn’t wait. But even that was a fluke, Isa. I swear to you. I’d fought going there despite finally giving into a relationship. I know she thought I was just being mindful that we weren’t married and I didn’t want to disrespect her, especially since we hadn’t even been going out long. Then we got drunk and careless