Love in Flame (De La Fuente Family 5)

Diego

Emelia can shop until she drops and has more patience than anyone I know, even now that she’s pregnant. Me though, I hate shopping nearly as much as my twin loves it. Love is the reason why I’m here with her. I’m not stupid and I knew it was only a matter of time until she got me alone after what she’d witnessed back at our family home a week ago.

The fire that had sprung up had kept me away, but now I’m back and she’s punishing me with a shopping trip in a women’s clothing store. I know Emelia, and she’s come in here thinking that I’ll be embarrassed but I’m not.

“I need to get off my feet for a bit,” Emelia moans when she appears beside me, rubbing the small bulge of her baby belly.

“Let me get you home.” I wrap my arm around her shoulders and usher her outside. It’s here that she deviates from the path to my truck and enters an Italian café.

My hope of escaping her questions is dashed as I follow her inside. Emelia grins with mischief as I sit opposite her at the small antique coffee table.

“You’re not getting rid of me until you’ve told me everything…and, I mean everything.” She raises a brow, which drops into a frown when I stay silent. “Diego, you’re my brother, my twin, if you can’t talk to me then there’s something wrong.”

I rest my elbows on the table and lean closer. “Like you talked to me about Dante?” I fire back.

She sits back and I curse when I see tears hover on her lashes. She looks away and rapidly blinks.

Cursing, I move and crouching beside her, I take her hands into mine. “Em, I’m sorry. I understand why you kept your feelings for Dante to yourself. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“It’s the truth though. So why should you talk to me?” She shrugs.

I offer her a wry smile and take my seat. “Because like you said I’m your twin…Rae and I are complicated, Em.”

“I know, but I want you to be able to talk to me if you need to, okay? Please come to me, Diego.”

I hold Emelia’s stare and finally sigh before admitting, “I’m in love with her. It’s the kind of love that consumes you. It kills me not being with her all the time. Not being able to go home to her at the end of my day… I love her.”

“Oh.” Emelia sniffles, wiping at her eyes. “I never thought I’d see the day.”

“It doesn’t bother you?” I question.

Once she’s wiped at her face with a tissue, she sighs and admits, “I know it bothers Mom. It doesn’t bother me. There are good age differences between Eric and Sylvia, and Mateo and Erin, so I don’t see the difference.”

“It’s not that easy Em, and you know that.” I drag a hand down my face, feeling tired. “Mom can’t even bring herself to talk to Rae.”

“She’ll come around.” She sighs.

“Do you really believe that?”

Emelia chews on her lip. “It will be difficult, but she will in the end especially when she sees how much you love her.”

“I wish I was as optimistic as you,” I admit. “There’s Andie to consider as well.”

Shaking her head, Emelia laughs, “I don’t think Andie will be a problem. She has a secret of her own and that’s all I’m saying on that.”

I raise a brow in interest but Emelia just grins and turns to Leah, our regular server, who has just topped up the glasses with fresh water. Emelia begins ordering for the both of us. It’s something that we both do depending on where we’re eating because we’re both creatures of habit.

My sister glows with her pregnancy and other than her wedding day, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her so happy. It makes me happy to see her this way even when I feel a hint of sadness. I want everything that Emelia has with Dante, with Rae.

Sitting back in my chair, I grin to myself at the thought of how much I’ve changed in the past six months. The changes are good even though unexpected.

“What’s so amusing?” Emelia asks, a small smile decorates her lips.

“Until I met Rae, I had no interest in settling down. In having what Eric, Mate

o, Aiden, and you have with your other halves. Then Aiden brought Rae to the house and I felt as though I’d been hit by lightening. Just being around her makes me happy.”

Emelia reaches across the table and grasps my clammy hands in her own soft ones. “Then you need to hold on to that happiness, Diego. I truly believe that it only happens once in a lifetime. Hold on to Rae.” She gives my fingers a tight squeeze and lets go, sipping at her water.