Making You Mine (The Moreno Brothers #5)

Chapter 27

Grace had picked up such a rhythm now at the restaurant. Being at work reminded her of being in her grandmother’s restaurant’s kitchen. It felt like her second home, and she’d come to love it.

Sal was meeting with the investors to inform them about the decision he and his family had come to. They would take on another restaurant but only one at a time until they felt they could do more without being overwhelmed.

She glanced up to see a smiling Alex walk out of the office and toward the kitchen. Then he turned to the dining room and something wiped the smile right off. He turned and walked in that direction instead. Curious, Grace walked over to peek. Immediately she knew why Alex had such a change in expression. Melissa stood in the front dining room, talking to him with her hand on her hip.

Grace wiped her hands and threw the towel down. She was done putting up with this bitch’s shit. She didn’t want to make a scene in the restaurant, but she wanted to make sure Melissa knew she wasn’t backing down no matter how much she persisted.

As soon as she walked out into the dining area, Melissa smirked. Alex backed up immediately, making himself a barrier between her and Melissa.

“Oh, I’m sorry if my presence upsets you.” Melissa glared at her. “But if I wasn’t carrying his baby, I wouldn’t be here.”

Grace’s heart nearly stopped, and she glanced at Alex who looked as stunned as she felt.

“We had a lot of fun in Vegas, but now he needs to own up to his responsibilities. I’m having his kid.” A slow sardonic smile spread across Melissa’s face.

Grace felt ready to pass out. She held it in, but barely. “You’re lying.” She tried taking a step forward, feeling something squeeze her windpipe. But Alex stood firmly between them.

“No, I’m not. That’s why I’m here to let him know. He won’t answer my calls.” She turned to Alex who looked ready to pass out himself. “It’s not something I want to leave in a voicemail or text, you know? But I’ve been patient long enough. I’m sure you’ll let him know how wonderful it feels to be a daddy.”

“I don’t believe you,” Grace said, but she could barely hear her own words over the hum that had begun in her ears.

“He never told you? That surprises me. I always thought Sal would be the come-clean type of guy, especially since he did insist on sending those texts to you that night, practically spelling out what we were doing, you know, just to unload his conscience a little.”

Grace wanted nothing more than to slap the smirk off Melissa’s face. The rage she’d felt when she first walked out there, ready to take Melissa head on, was now replaced with something that rendered it impossible for her to speak. She swallowed hard, angry at the hot tears that blurred her vision, satisfying Melissa. She’d accomplished what she obviously come here to do.

“I’ll let Sal know you were here and why,” Alex said. His voice sounded almost robotic to Grace, as if he too were having a hard time getting the words out. “You’ll hear from him for sure. But for now, I think you should go.”

Grace turned around and hurried to the back room. She refused to fall apart in front of Melissa. She wouldn’t give her the pleasure, but she could barely breathe by the time she closed the door behind her. Within seconds, the door opened, and she spun around, feeling ready to hyperventilate. “Do you think it’s true?” She wiped the tears away, but they kept coming.

“I don’t know, sweetheart.” His phone was already in his hand and he dialed.

“Don’t call me that!” She was furious—furious that she’d been taken in by the entire family and their charm, and now she felt her heart ripping apart.

“Sal,” Alex said, looking into her eyes as she waited, taking trembling breaths. “Melissa was just here. She said she’s pregnant—and she told Gracie it happened in Vegas.”

“Is it true? Ask him if it’s true!” Grace was beginning to feel hysterical. She’d trusted him completely, believed every word he said when he explained about the texts that night, when he said he hadn’t spent time with her the day she showed up at his place. “Ask him!”

Alex handed her the phone. “He wants to talk to you.”

She took the phone. “Tell me it’s not true. Tell me you didn’t sleep with her.” The memory of her begging her grandmother to tell her it wasn’t true that her dad was dead assaulted her, and she gasped.

“Grace, I’m on my way to the restaurant now. I’ll explain—”

“Did you?” A sob escaped her. “Just tell me!”

There was silence then, “Yes, but—”

She shoved the phone at Alex, nearly dropping it. She couldn’t breathe; she gasped, trying to catch her breath. “Are you okay, Grace?” Alex put his hand on her shoulder.

Finally, she felt a slow trickle of air enter her lungs as if it were coming in through a straw. But the pain she felt in her heart was brutal. Not even the deaths of her father and grandmother compared to this. Their losses, while devastating, weren’t a betrayal. They hadn’t knowingly done something that they knew would tear her heart out.

She grabbed her things out of the cabinet. Alex was talking, but she couldn’t hear him—didn’t want to. All she could think of was running far, far away from the Morenos. All of them. She wanted nothing to do with any of this anymore. Her head was spinning. Somehow, she knew it all along. It was just too good to be true. Things like this just didn’t happen to girls like her, and here was the agonizing proof. Grace didn’t even bother trying to wipe the tears that streamed down her face. It was useless; they wouldn’t stop now.

“Where are you going?” Alex asked, still holding the phone to his ear.

“I quit.” She threw the keys to the Jetta on the desk as she stalked by him.

“Grace, wait. How are you getting home?”

She didn’t answer—just walked right by a stunned-looking Melanie. “What’s wrong?”

Grace pulled her phone out, ignoring everyone that asked the same question as she rushed through the restaurant. Alex ran after her and caught her just outside. “Gracie, please let me take you home.”

She tried walking around him. “No, Alex. I just want to get away from here.”

He stepped in front of her. “I’ll take you. Don’t walk.”

“I’m not walking.” She struggled to catch her breath again and talking was only making it worse. “My friend is picking me up.”

“Grace, he fucked up, okay? He was drunk. Doesn’t even remember. I know he wouldn’t willingly hurt you like this. But you guys can get through this.”

Yet another agonizing blow to take. Alex knew all along. She thought of how odd everyone had behaved at Sal’s house the day Melissa showed up. Were they all in on it? She glared at him. “Get through this! He’s having a baby with that bitch, and …” It really sunk in. Her fairy tale future with the guy she was so hopelessly in love with was over. Just like that. “I’ll never get through this, Alex. Never.” She sobbed and tried walking around him, and he attempted to stop her. “Let me go. I have a ride. I have to get out of here.”

“Then wait for your ride here.”

She shook her head. “I’m meeting him up the street.”

“I’ll go with you and we’ll wait together.”

She ignored Alex and dialed Joey, a tough feat with as much as her hands shook. She could barely speak when she asked him if he could pick her up. She knew he hadn’t understood much of what she said only that she needed to be picked up and he quickly agreed.

“Where’s he picking you up?”

“He’ll call when he’s close, and I’ll let him know where I am. I need to walk.”

They walked silently for a few blocks. Then Alex finally spoke, “Gracie, alcohol is the devil. It fucks up so much shit. I only hope that you can forgive Sal—eventually. You really do mean everything to him.”

The fact that Alex knew everything all this time was utterly humiliating. She wanted nothing more than to be away from him—all of them.

She’d finally managed to stop crying, and now she felt a boulder-sized lump in her throat again. Her entire life was defined by one devastating event after another that changed everything. This was just another one. She only hoped that like all the other times, she’d be able to survive this. Her phone rang, and she let Joey know where she was.

Without responding to Alex or even acknowledging that she’d heard anything he said, they continued to walk in deafening silence until Joey pulled up next to them.

“Sal’s gonna come looking for you, Gracie. You know that,” Alex said as she reached for the car door. “I don’t want this to be goodbye.”

Grace refused to look at him.

He touched her arm but recoiled when she flinched. “Maybe not right away. Take all the time you want, but your job will be waiting, no matter how long it takes. I’ll miss you.”

Unable to hold back the devastating tears, she got in the car with Joey, pulled the door shut, and locked it, not looking at Alex.

“What happened, sweetie?” Joey asked his voice full of concern as they drove away.

She waited until Alex was out of sight before completely falling apart.

~*~

Sal banged the steering wheel. He should’ve told her before. He knew this was going to happen, but the pregnancy—that came out of nowhere. Although the thought of there being no condom anywhere in the room had popped the idea in his mind a few times, he didn’t think he could be that unlucky. Sure, he knew he fucked up, but he didn’t think it could it get any worse than it already was.

Traffic was the pits. Of course, he’d have to be clear across town when he got the call. After calling Alex back several times to no answer, he’d called the restaurant and was told Alex had stepped outside with Grace. Apparently, he hadn’t taken his phone with him. Grace had obviously turned her phone off because his calls were going straight to voicemail. He left one saying he loved her and begged her to give him a chance to explain, but he didn’t her call back after that.

It would be a miracle if Grace was still there when he got back. His phone rang. Finally, Alex was returning his calls. “What happened?”

“She’s gone, man.”

“Home? Did she take the car?”

“No. She left the keys here. Wouldn’t even let me give her a ride.”

Sal gulped, the dreadfulness of this was sinking in. Grace was gone. “You let her take the bus?” He took a quick right, nearly sideswiping someone.

“No. She insisted she’d get a ride, so I walked with her a few blocks until her friend picked her up. Sal, how you gonna fix this?”

“I dunno. But I have to.” He really did. He couldn’t lose Grace. He just couldn’t.

He hung up with Alex and raced to Grace’s apartment building. He still didn’t know which one she lived in, so he knocked on the first one he came to on the third floor. That much he knew. The older lady that answered either really didn’t know what apartment Grace lived or wasn’t willing to part with the information. He quickly knocked on the next one. No one answered. After banging on a few more doors, he finally got a man who pointed him to Grace’s apartment. Her mother answered in a robe. It was after noon and she looked as if she’d just woken up. “Is Grace home?”

Her smile turned into confusion. “I thought she was working?”

“She was, but she left.”

She shook her head, saying she hadn’t come home but invited him in. Sal declined and took off in a sprint. He’d try Joey and Taylor’s next. He cursed himself as he rushed down the stairs. He should’ve gone there first. One of them had obviously picked her up, and she probably figured he’d come looking for her here, so she must’ve gone there instead.

At first, no one answered the door at Taylor and Joey’s either. But he heard voices inside. “Gracie, please just let me explain. It’s all I want. Then I’ll go away, I promise.”

The door flung open and a red-eyed Joey stood before him, leaning against the door. “I’d like to hear your explanation before you put her through any more. You have no idea what you’ve done to her.” His face screwed up, and he took a deep trembling breath. “This is killing her and that kills me. Do you understand?”

If this was the only way he’d get a chance to explain then he had no choice. “Listen to me, Joey. I don’t remember anything about that night. I didn’t spend any time with her the evening all us guys went out. I got totally wasted, and somehow she ended up in my room the next morning. But I don’t remember anything about it. She told me that we’d been together and that I’d texted Grace the night before. I didn’t even remember that. But I swear to you I would never do anything to risk losing Grace.”

Joey nearly fell when the door was yanked open further and Grace stepped up. Sal felt the life sucked out of him when he saw her devastated face and how bloodshot her eyes were. “But you did and now she’s pregnant.”

“Baby, I’m sorry. I’ll do whatever I have to—”

“There’s nothing you can do! You said you loved me and I believed you!”

“I do love you!”

“Stop!” She started toward him, arms flailing, but Joey held her back. “Don’t ever say that to me again! I hate you!”

Taylor came out from behind the door and helped Joey hold her back. “You should go now, Sal,” he said, pulling Grace inside.

“Grace, please—”

“No, you please, Sal! Please leave and never come back because I want nothing to do with you ever again!” She collapsed onto Taylor’s chest and he held her.

Joey cried openly now too, smoothing her hair, then turned to Sal, eyes as broken as his own heart felt. “You need to go.”

He closed the door, leaving Sal standing there frozen, feeling a sense of utter hopelessness come over him. He hated himself for what he was putting Grace through, as if she hadn’t had enough heartache in her life already.

His whole life nothing had ever been impossible. Hearing anyone even use the phrase, “That’s impossible,” made him angry. There was nothing that would ever stand in the way of his dreams and goals. Where there was a will there was a way. Now he’d finally hit an unforgiving wall of impossible. Aside from hoping Grace could somehow find it in her heart to forgive him, there was no way around this. He’d lost her, and the reality nearly strangled the life out of him.

He left there, feeling like his entire world as he’d so perfectly molded it had just come to an explosive end. He never thought he’d feel like this, but without Grace, nothing mattered. He saw no joy in anything he accomplished from here on. How could one person have such a huge effect on another one’s life? The nightmare that haunted him for weeks now was a reality.

His phone rang as he drove, still feeling the haze of overwhelming hurt and doom—Sofie. Great. He’d be hearing it from everyone soon enough. Let the tongue-lashing begin. He deserved every bit of it. He clicked the earpiece and answered.

“Tell me it’s not true, Sal. Tell me you didn’t actually sleep with that bitch.”

Sal took a deep unbearable breath. “I wish I could, Sofie.”

“Why? Why would you do that? How could you?” She sounded ready to cry.

Shit. As if he didn’t already feel like the biggest dick on the planet. He explained again, the story sounding lamer every time he told it. Being drunk was no excuse, but it was the only one he had.

“Have you ever considered maybe nothing happened?” Her voice went from devastated to suspicious.

“Sof, she’s pregnant. Something happened.”

“No. That doesn’t mean anything. Even if something did happen, it may not be yours. I hate to say it, but women can be evil, and I saw it in her eyes the day she insulted Grace. This bitch is as evil as they come. I wouldn’t trust a word she says.”

Sal sighed, feeling dead inside. “I dunno, Sof. I’ll have to look into it all. I wasn’t planning on just taking her word. But the fact remains she woke up in my room that morning.”

Sofia was quiet for a moment. “Have you talked to Grace?”

“Yeah.” The image of her distraught face and her words came at him again. I hate you! “It’s over. She wants nothing to do with me anymore.”

“Well, you can’t give up.”

“I don’t think there’s any way to fix this.”

“Where there’s a will there’s a way, Sal. Aren’t you the one always saying that?”

“I know, but—”

“No, no buts. I’m calling Romero.”

“For what?” The last thing he wanted was for the whole world to be in on his stupidity. But who was he kidding? With Melissa pregnant with his kid, everyone would know soon enough.

“This doesn’t end here, Sal. Melissa doesn’t get to win this easily. I have serious doubts about this whole thing. And I’m sorry, but if it turns out that she really is pregnant and this is your baby, I’ll love it just as much as I’ll love my nieces, but I will never accept her as part of my family.”

Sal knew that much already. Even if his brothers would somehow find a way to tolerate Melissa, if necessary, Sofie wasn’t about to be that gracious. In fact, after seeing her reaction to Melissa showing up at his house, it’d be best to keep those two out of the same room, especially now.

After hanging up with Sofia, he did what he dreaded most but knew he had to: he called Melissa.