Excerpt!
I blink again. Why does Edgar keep popping up where he’s not supposed to? Did he put a tracker on me? How else would he know where I am? And why is he dressed in a pinstriped navy three-piece Brioni suit, like he’s a law firm partner ready to face a particularly difficult jury? Manny’s Tacos isn’t the kind of place where you put on a fifteen-thousand-dollar suit, no matter how delicious it makes you look.
“What are you doing here?” I ask.
“To do the right thing,” he answers calmly.
Papa clears his throat. Disapproval twists his lips. His gaze moves back and forth between me and Edgar like he’s debating which one of two naughty school kids he ought to give a tongue lashing to first. “Is this the fiancé?”
“No,” I say quickly.
Edgar frowns at me.
I tilt my chin belligerently. He can frown until he gets permanent wrinkles, but I have to do this, at least until Papa retires. To make up for it, I’ll refer Edgar to a great cosmetic dermatologist in the city who specializes in filler and Botox.
“Then who is he?” Pablo asks.
This time, Edgar speaks before I can. “I’m the father of her baby.”
A jolt goes through my family and relatives. He might as well have thrown a live wire into a swimming pool. Everyone’s face turns red and furious in unison, except for Angel and Hugo. Angel has already accepted that I occasionally have sex. The only thing he asked me is to not get pregnant by a guy I don’t like, and if somebody mistreats me, to let him know so he can shove the guy’s leg up his ass. As for Hugo…
Well. He’s the one who told Edgar about the baby. And he looks contented and pleased.
After a lot of huffing and other miscellaneous sounds of outrage from the family, Rafael finally says, “Jo? Pregnant? Ridiculous! Jo’s a virgin!”
“Yeah,” Pablo says with aggression more suited for a pit bull that had its favorite treat stolen than a cartoon-tie-wearing pediatric cardiologist. “Total slander. Jo’s not that kind of girl.”
My cousins all nod, even Hugo. What the hell… He’s so ridiculous. They all are.
I take a glance at Edgar. He’s watching them all with impassive green eyes. Underneath the calm mask, he’s likely rolling those eyes. Or even sneering the way the born-rich do when they’re confronted with what they believe to be time-wasting foolishness.
Flee, Edgar! My cousins and brothers are crazy, so flee!
Papa looks sternly at Edgar. “How do you explain this, young man?”
Edgar grows as serious as a bishop about to announce that without penance there can be no salvation. “Immaculate conception with my sperm.”
I gape at Edgar. Hugo has a coughing fit. I can’t decide if Edgar is joking or serious, like when he offered to put on a dress to join me and the girls at the bar.
My parents and uncle and aunt look vaguely impressed—although it’s hard to tell if they’re impressed with Edgar’s solemn delivery or his balls. Regardless, I can see the room swaying in Edgar’s favor. He has an ability to make people think that his way is not only sound but inevitable. It must be the solid, rocklike quality he radiates. You can’t argue or be flexible with rocks.
Suddenly, Angel says, “What makes you think you’re good enough for her?”
The hostile question seems to break the spell, making everyone start, including me. I’m curious what Edgar will say.
“I thought Jo said he wasn’t her fiancé,” Tía Bea says.
“But he’s the father of her baby. Who else is she going to marry?” Tío Manny says.
“Exactly!” Hugo says with near desperation. “Let’s talk about the baby!”
A desire to strangle Hugo and the need to put hands over my ears and pretend I’m not here tug at me from opposite directions.
“Imagine!” Hugo continues. “The first grandchild! So exciting!”
“Not right now,” Papa says. “The baby isn’t going anywhere, but the fiancé situation is convoluted.”
If any of my over-protective brothers ask, I’m pregnant via immaculate conception. Otherwise, the baby I’m carrying could be the death of one hot billionaire…
Jo
After a succession of relationships bad enough to set a Guinness World Record, running into a ruggedly handsome billionaire feels like a sign. Edgar is from out of town, mesmerizing, and his voice reminds me of Louisiana heat. Just listening to him makes my toes curl. So I throw aside all caution and spend the hottest night of my life in his bed, knowing we’ll never see each other again.
Until a positive pregnancy test brings him back into my life. And now he only wants to marry me to do right by the baby, but here’s the thing...
I’ll never settle. I want what my parents have: true love. Nothing--not even the electric chemistry that crackles every time Edgar and I are together--will deter me from that goal.
Edgar
Love is like alcohol. It destroys clarity and impairs judgment. I've seen my parents making one bad decision after another in the name of love, destroying our family.
But Jo wants love before she'll marry me. So I'll approximate it. Unlike my father, I’ll make sure my child knows she’s cherished (contrary to what Jo thinks, I know it’s a girl). I'm too sensible to fall in love and disrupt my already well-ordered life, even though every second I spend with her feels like skydiving without a parachute…
Jo
After a succession of relationships bad enough to set a Guinness World Record, running into a ruggedly handsome billionaire feels like a sign. Edgar is from out of town, mesmerizing, and his voice reminds me of Louisiana heat. Just listening to him makes my toes curl. So I throw aside all caution and spend the hottest night of my life in his bed, knowing we’ll never see each other again.
Until a positive pregnancy test brings him back into my life. And now he only wants to marry me to do right by the baby, but here’s the thing...
I’ll never settle. I want what my parents have: true love. Nothing--not even the electric chemistry that crackles every time Edgar and I are together--will deter me from that goal.
Edgar
Love is like alcohol. It destroys clarity and impairs judgment. I've seen my parents making one bad decision after another in the name of love, destroying our family.
But Jo wants love before she'll marry me. So I'll approximate it. Unlike my father, I’ll make sure my child knows she’s cherished (contrary to what Jo thinks, I know it’s a girl). I'm too sensible to fall in love and disrupt my already well-ordered life, even though every second I spend with her feels like skydiving without a parachute…
NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY bestselling author Nadia Lee writes sexy, emotional contemporary romance. Born with a love for excellent food, travel and adventure, she has lived in four different countries, kissed stingrays, been bitten by a shark, ridden an elephant and petted tigers.
Currently, she shares a condo overlooking a small river and sakura trees in Japan with her husband and son. When she's not writing, she can be found reading books by her favorite authors or planning another trip.
Stay in touch with her via her website http://www.nadialee.net/ or her blog http://www.nadialee.net/blog/
Giveaway!
No comments:
Post a Comment