Say You Love Me Page 17

  I pushed him away when he cried out and reached for my breast, his lips puckering like he was a fish out of water. Oh-my-freaking-God. This baby was trying to suck my boob. How embarrassing.

  “No, baby.” Nervous laughter escaped my throat as I pushed his grabbing hands away again. “These don’t work. Sorry.”

  Christina dropped the water gun on a nearby table and held her hands down to him.

  “I think he’s hungry.” I gave her the baby and quickly retied my top, feeling ten shades of embarrassed for having him try to feed off me. The only person to ever suckle my breasts was Cesar, only he was hungry for something else entirely.

  “Sorry about him.” She laughed, then sat down and lifted her shirt. He ducked underneath and immediately latched on like an old pro before she draped a towel over her shoulder.

  “It’s okay.” I waved it off as if babies tried to suck my tits all the time.

  I was relieved when Cesar came up the stairs. Andrés was right behind him, carrying a bag of tools. Manny and Gio dogged Andrés’s heels, telling him about how their sister had unfairly confiscated their water gun. The dogs followed the boys as if they had treats hidden in their pockets. They probably did.

  I shielded my eyes against the midday sun, looking up at Cesar. His mouth was set in a grim line. Uh-oh. I hoped he didn’t have bad news about the house.

  “Anything wrong with it?” I asked.

  Cesar shrugged. “There’s a possible leak in the downstairs bathroom. I don’t think it’s major, but I’ll need to bust some drywall to get a good look.”

  “I’ll talk to the owners and see what we can do,” Andrés said. “They need to make a quick sale, so I’m sure they’ll be willing to cover plumbing repairs.”

  I couldn’t help but notice how Cesar stiffened when Andrés talked. Had something happened between them? Maybe it had something to do with the quick sale. That was usually code for divorce. I hoped we weren’t buying a house with bad memories. Otherwise I’d have to drag Irma and her holy water here to cleanse its negative energy.

  “Boat runs great, though.” Cesar’s voice lacked inflection, which was unusual for him. Was he still recovering from the afterglow of our amazing sex, or didn’t he want me to buy the house?

  Gremlin and Macy climbed onto my lap, giving me kisses. Nacho danced around my chair, his monster tail slapping the railing. Manny sat next to me, crushing my knee with a bony elbow and reminding me too much of Jake, his brow knitted so tight it was comical.

  “If you buy the house,” he asked in a too serious tone, “can we still use the trampoline?”

  I smiled at him. “Of course.”

  He slouched in relief and then he and his brother high-fived each other.

  Cesar cleared his throat. “We need to get going. Jake will be home in a few hours.” Why was he so serious all of a sudden?

  “Okay.” I pushed the dogs off me and let Cesar help me up. Then I hugged Christina, careful not to disturb her hungry baby. “Thank you so much for the invite today. We had an amazing time.”

  “You’re so welcome.” She smiled serenely, rocking her baby. “I hope you come back soon.”

  “Me, too. Tell the owners my lawyer will be calling their realtor.”

  Andrés wrapped an arm around his wife. “We sure will.”

  After we loaded up the truck, I hugged everyone, promising the boys I’d bring Jake up soon. The dogs were excited to be going for a ride, racing around the backseat as if they’d each eaten a pound of doggie crack. No telling what the boys had fed them. Andrés, Christina, and the boys stood in the driveway, waving as we backed down the steep incline.

  Cesar was all seriousness, keeping his eye on the road and refusing to speak. I had no idea what had gotten him so agitated, but something was definitely wrong.

  Chapter Eighteen

  We were almost to Houston, and Cesar had scarcely spoken a word. After the dogs had passed out, their tongues lolling, I’d nodded off for about an hour, too. I awoke refreshed, hoping I’d find Cesar in a better mood, but he was as sullen as before.

  “I can’t believe the boat comes with the house,” I said, hoping to engage him in conversation. “Did you get to check it out?”

  “Yeah,” he mumbled. “Looks in good shape.”

  He tinkered with the stereo volume, turning his country music to a barely audible hum. “Are you buying the house yourself?”

  “What do you mean?”

  He remained focused on the road. “I mean, I want to help pay for it.”

  “Why?” Was this why he’d been so quiet? Was he worried about me paying for the house? It would hardly make a dent in my savings account.

  He squeezed the leather steering wheel, the tendons in his neck standing out. “Why not? I’m going to be using that boat every weekend. I want to contribute.”

  So was this some sort of macho thing? Had Andrés teased him about this? “You will be contributing by maintaining the houses and the boat.”

  He clenched the steering wheel tighter, his tanned knuckles turning white. “That’s not what I mean. Let me at least pay for the boat.”

  This had to be about his manhood. I imagined Andrés calling me Cesar’s sugar mama. That seemed to be something a guy would say. Still, I didn’t mind if Cesar wanted to help. I just didn’t want him going broke trying to prove himself to me. “Okay, but I don’t know how much it’s worth.”

  “Probably around seventy thousand,” he said without missing a beat, as if the figure was stuck in his head.

  “Wow. That much?” I worried about him putting that much down at once. His former fiancé had left him in a financial hole after he’d paid for all her fertility treatments, and after he caught her cheating, she’d taken the house he’d paid for. I felt bad, putting him in this situation. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  He stiffened. “I’m not poor, Savannah.”

  “I didn’t say you were.” I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. “I don’t understand why you need to buy the boat. I have plenty of money.”

  He flinched, then loosened his grip on the steering wheel, trying to look like he was in control of his emotions and failing miserably. “I’m not with you for your money.”

  “I know that.” Yeah, Andrés had said something to him, and it must have been bad.

  “I’m buying the boat.” His words punctured the air, leaving little room for argument.

  I pointed at an exit with a big rest stop. “Pull over.”

  He swerved into the other lane, cutting off an irate driver and barely making the exit. “You need to go to the bathroom?” he asked as he pulled into a parking space.

  Yes, actually, but that wasn’t the only reason I’d wanted him to stop. I unbuckled my seatbelt and turned to him. “What’s going on? You’ve been in a bad mood since you and Andrés looked at the house.”

  His cheeks colored as he stared out the window. “Andrés gave me a hard time about your money.”

  “What did he say?”

  He drummed his fingers on the gear shift. “It doesn’t matter.”

  I pulled his hand into my lap. “Yes, it does.”

  “He thinks because you have all this money, you’ll get tired of me.”

  The strength of my anger fired my words like a bullet. “He’s wrong.”

  He flashed a smile that didn’t mask the sadness in his eyes. “He said my family will drive you away.”

  I sat up on my knees, cupping his rough cheek in my hand. “And what about my family and all the drama they’ve caused this past week?”

  “I’m not leaving you.” His voice was rough, like he’d swallowed a mouthful of sand.

  I remembered the night I’d cried for him to stay, but he left anyway, and I looked away from him, the pain of rejection tying my heart in a knot. “You already did it once.”

  He forced me to meet his eyes. “Look at me.” His sincerity nearly took my breath away. “I was a fool for doing that. I was scared. I’d been thinking you wer
e going to get tired of me soon.”

  Mist filled my eyes and emotion welled in my throat, making it difficult to breathe, let alone speak. “Cesar, I’ll never get tired of you.”

  He wiped a stray tear off my lashes. “I swear I’m not going anywhere unless you kick me out.”

  “I’m not kicking you out.” Desperation fueled my movements. I grabbed the back of his neck, pulling him toward me until we were only a breath apart. “Cesar, you mean too much to me.”

  He nuzzled my cheek, and I inhaled the scents of sunblock and his natural, earthy ruggedness. Cesar smelled like heaven to me, and I wanted to bottle him up and keep him close to my heart forever.

  “I’m sorry I listened to him,” he breathed.

  “It’s okay.” I stroked his face, relief and shame flowing through me. “Ariana gave me the same warning. She said I hardly knew you.”

  He kissed the tips of my fingers, pressing my palm against his chest. “If you could see into my heart, you’d know how much I love you, and I want you... always.”

  My heart clenched and melted into a waxy glob, but then it reformed, beating stronger and steadier than ever before. Cesar loved me. I knew without a doubt, as long as I had him to depend on, I could survive any of life’s obstacles, even dealing with our families.

  I climbed into his lap, kissing him so hard, and so passionately, our chests were heaving by the time I came up for air.

  “How about the next time our friends try to give us advice, we tell them to shut the hell up?” I asked.

  His mouth grazed mine, and he nibbled my bottom lip. “Sounds like a damn good idea.”

  I ground against him, the bulge beneath his shorts and the feel of his warm lips on mine making me swell with need.

  Macy and Gremlin jumped over the seat, yapping and jumping around while Nacho whimpered in back.

  We laughed and attached them to their leashes, letting them walk around the grassy knoll beside the restrooms. Then I went to the bathroom, tempted to drag Cesar into a stall when I saw the place was empty, but the last thing I needed when trying to secure custody of Jake was to be arrested for public indecency, so I kept my naughty thoughts to myself, anxious for us to get home.

  * * *

  We made it home in record time. Jake wasn’t due back for an hour-and-a-half. I was surprised to find the house empty. I’d expected Irma to have Sunday dinner ready. Technically, she should have Sundays off, anyway. It was fine by me. I’d been craving Chinese takeout, and I planned on ordering two servings of egg rolls, won ton soup, lemon chicken, and fried rice as soon as I finished with Cesar, because sun and sex sure made me hungry.

  When Cesar let the dogs out back we glanced at Irma’s house. The curtains were drawn, and the lights were out.

  Cesar shut the door, waggling his eyebrows. “Maybe she moved out.”

  “Don’t get your hopes up.” I laughed. I did plan to take her back to the ranch this week, though I was dreading the drive.

  Cesar pulled my fingers to his lips, brushing a soft kiss across my knuckles. “It looks like we have the house to ourselves.”

  I coyly bit my lip, smoothing a hand down the hard planes of chest. “Yeah, we do.”

  He pulled me up against him, pressing his solid erection into my hip. “Ariana left the handcuffs.”

  I stifled a nervous giggle. “Did she?”

  He latched onto my wrists, pulling me toward the stairs, and I eagerly obeyed, thinking how very much I’d love to be bound to this man forever.

  Chapter Nineteen

  After I’d taken an invigorating shower, dried off, and dressed, I placed an order for Chinese delivery, and they promised the food in one hour. One hour! I didn’t know if my grumbling gut would wait that long. When I got a call from security, I tied my wet hair back and answered the phone. Jake and the minister were at the front gate. Cesar followed me downstairs, and I opened the door in time to see Jake and Irma getting out of the reverend’s truck.

  “What the fuck?” Cesar growled behind me.

  Cesar and I shared confused looks, but my attention was diverted when Jake ran up to me, launching himself into my arms. I held onto him, kissing the top of his head. “I missed you, buddy.”

  “I missed you, Auntie!” His whole body shook as he spoke with wild animation. “I got to ride a horse and feed goats!”

  Cesar patted him on the back. “Sounds like fun.”

  Jake beamed up at Cesar. “It was.”

  Irma turned up her nose, not bothering to acknowledge me as she walked up to Cesar, who was blocking the entrance.

  “Excuse me,” she said rudely, trying to push past him.

  Cesar didn’t move.

  “I didn’t know you’d left,” I said to her.

  She froze, then slowly turned to me. “My contract says I get Sundays off.” Her tone was so devoid of emotion, I felt an icy chill curl around my spine.

  I straightened, refusing to let her intimidate me. “Of course you do.”

  “I have no car and nobody willing to take me to church. Padre Miller was kind enough to come get me.”

  Cesar finally stepped aside, and she marched past him with a huff. Yep. She definitely needed to go.

  “The pleasure was all mine, Miss Irma.” The preacher called as he approached us with his hat in his hand. “Good evening, Miss Boudreau.” He eyed me like a serpent preparing to strike a helpless mouse. “You missed a powerful sermon.”

  Yeah, right. As if I’d ever set foot in that man’s church.

  I repressed a shiver, backing up against Cesar. Something about this guy had my creep-o-meter bells blaring.

  I grabbed Jake’s shoulders and spun him around. “Say goodbye to your grandpa,” I said through a frozen smile. “You need to get washed up for dinner.”

  “Bye, Jake.” The preacher patted my nephew on the head. I’d been expecting him to at least give Jake a hug.

  Reverend Miller tipped his hat to me before shoving it on his balding head. “I’ll see you next Sunday, Jake,” he said with a wink.

  I jutted a foot forward. “Hang on. The judge said every other weekend.”

  He actually had the nerve to smile. “I’m just taking the boy to church.” His eyes lit up with humor and something else—condescension.

  Cesar gave the preacher a slow once-over. “We have plans next weekend, Reverend.”

  He smiled down at Jake as if the world suddenly revolved around him. “Jake really enjoys himself at my church, don’t you Jake?”

  Jake beamed at his grandpa. “Yeah.”

  Poor kid. He had no idea what a slime ball this man was.

  Cesar knelt next to Jake. “We’re going to the lake with your cousins, Manny and Gio.”

  “Oh, boy!” Jake pumped a fist in the air. “I’ve missed them so much.”

  “Okay.” Reverend Miller kicked the gravel walkway, catapulting rocks all over the grass. “You win.”

  Wow. Was this guy throwing a mantrum?

  “There’s no competition, Reverend.” I was unable to contain the derision in my voice, not that I wanted to. “The judge said every other weekend, and that’s all you’ll get.”

  When his beady eyes honed in on me, I almost expected a forked tongue to dart out of his mouth. “I guess I’ll have to get that changed. The boy should be going to church and learning good Christian values.”

  Christian values! Ha! Fine words coming from a man who’d abandoned his daughter. I had to bite my tongue as he got into his truck and drove away, because I’d been sorely tempted to chew him a new asshole. If Jake hadn’t been there, I would’ve unleashed my inner bitchzilla on that guy. I still couldn’t believe the judge had allowed this creep visitation rights. My lawyer had better come through for me soon. I didn’t know how much more of him I could stomach.

  * * *

  Cesar and I went back in the house, and after asking Jake if he was okay and checking him for any stray bumps or bruises, I sent him to take a shower.

  I found Cesar in the
kitchen digging through the fridge, grumbling under his breath.

  I leaned over him, grabbing the juice off the top shelf. “The Chinese should be here soon.”

  He shut the door, scratching the back of his head, his brows knitted tight. “Hey, do you know what happened to my case of beer?”

  “No.” I unscrewed the top off the juice and poured it into a glass. “Didn’t you bring it with us to the lake?”

  He leaned against the counter, his expression souring. “No, bella.”

  I squeezed the bottle of juice so tight the plastic crackled. “Irma.”

  “Don’t worry about it.” He pulled a set of keys out of his denim pocket. “I’ll go pick up another case.”

  I could tell Cesar was using all of his willpower to keep it together for me, and it wasn’t fair. The time had come to get rid of Irma.

  I put the juice away and slammed the refrigerator door. “I’m taking her to the ranch tomorrow.”

  “Want me to come with you?” His eyes lit up, like he was a kid on Christmas morning, and I was offering him a shiny new toy. Damn, I’d really put the poor guy through hell.

  “No.” I gulped of juice and wiped my mouth. “This is something I need to do alone. I’m also going to talk to Angus and Sara about their daughter. It’s not fair you’re taking the blame for her mistakes.”

  I leaned up and gave him a kiss, then waited until he left before storming out the back door. Anger infused my strides as I walked straight to Irma’s door. I banged hard, smiling to myself when I heard her shriek inside.

  She cracked open the door, one eye glaring at me. “What is it?”

  What is it? Too many things to mention, and I didn’t have the time or the patience.

  I crossed my arms, impatiently tapping my foot. “Irma, do you know what happened to the beer in the fridge?”

  She opened the door all the way, her habitual scowl draped across her face like a permanent accessory. “I threw it out when I cleaned this morning.”

  Rage boiled in my brain as I fisted my hands by my sides, trying my best to keep it together. “Why? It was a new case.”