Love in Flame (De La Fuente Family 5)

I run my hands through my hair in pure agitation. “She’s been ignoring Rae, and I had no idea that she’d told her to stay away from me.” Leaning against the wall, I turn pleading eyes to my brother. “Tell me how to sort this mess out?”

“You love her?” Kasey leans against the opposite wall, crossing his arms over his chest.

“She means everything, bro. I’m not walking away from her no matter how unhappy others are with us being together.”

His frown deepens. “You just told Mom that you aren’t together.” He raises a brow. “You lied.”

“I can’t admit anything until Andie knows because I don’t know what Mom will do or say, or to whom. Instead of it being simple it’s so damn complicated. I want to have a normal relationship with a woman for the first time in my life, and it isn’t starting out all that great.” I sigh, pushing off the wall.

Kasey grasps my shoulders and squeezes. “I’m here for you, and you know you can trust me.”

“I do and I appreciate that.”

Kasey offers a wry smile and disappears while I drag my feet toward my bedroom. It’s only a temporary escape. I just need some peace and quiet after that. I used to think of myself as laid back, but now I’m so tightly wound that I don’t know what to do to get rid of the anger that’s eating away inside of me.

“Hey,” Kasey pops his head out of his room as I shuffle past, “forgot to tell you. The flights are booked to Vegas in two weeks.”

“Who do I owe?” I ask.

“Talk to Aiden.” Kasey slams the door.

Shaking my head, I disappear behind mine. Other than my twin, I’m closest to Kasey and that’s because he’s only slightly older than me. He’s the only step-sibling that grew up calling my mom, Mom. We’re usually one big happy family, and we all grew up thinking we shared the same father, but that blew up in our faces when Dante and Emelia fell in love and realized they could no longer live apart. It wasn’t all that weird because I don’t ever remember Dante living with us as a child and we only saw him on the holidays.

I slam my fist down on my dresser in anger. How is it that was handled better than me being in love with an older woman? One day Mom will just have to accept Rae, and the more I think about it an idea starts to form in my head, it will cause trouble at first, but afterwards, things will settle and Rae will be able to be with me.

RAE

Shopping with Andie has always been tiring, and today is no different. Once we’re back from Vegas she’ll be moving back to Denver for her graduate program, which is why we’re shopping for new bedding, clothes and kitchen accessories. Where I would have been in and out the store within thirty minutes, Andie only has a spatula and wok in her cart and we’ve been here for nearly double that now. I stand to the side while she asks the clerk questions and describes something or other with her hands. I hope the clerk knows what my daughter means because I have no clue as to what the item is.

A pasta press!

I had no idea that she was interested in making fresh pasta. Overhearing something about Italian food sets my radar flashing. Italian cooking. Narrowing my eyes, I move closer to where they’re bent over some fancy looking kitchen utensils and smile when Andie turns to me. A blush gradually starts to coat her round cheeks as I smile at her. It has to be a man, right? A woman only goes to such trouble to impress a man. At least that has always been my impression.

As the clerk disappears to help another customer, I raise a brow, asking, “Why do you have a sudden interest in fresh Italian cooking?”

“I’ve always been interested in cooking,” she counters, trying to stop my line of questioning by moving over to the baking bowls.

“Oh, really?” I chuckle.

“Mom, please leave it,” she mo

ans.

“You’ll tell me who he is when you’re ready.” I wink and smiling, I move away and watch her blush another two shades darker from the corner of my eyes.

Moving away to give her time for her embarrassment to subside turns out to be a mistake when I find myself face to face with Lucia.

The other woman looks just as surprised to see me as I am her and then her features harden. She turns on her heels to walk away and suddenly stops. From over her shoulder, she says, “I wasn’t going to say anything, but I have to. My son is too good for you. He needs a younger woman who can give him the family he deserves. He doesn’t need an older woman who is passed her used by date.” Without missing a beat, she continues on her way, quickly leaving the store while my heart is breaking.

She hasn’t said anything I haven’t thought about myself. Well, apart from the used by date. But children, I hadn’t really thought about that because I’ve only just fallen in love. I haven’t even thought that far ahead, but she’s right. I am too old to start a family again.

My hand automatically goes to my stomach while my mind spins and I try to compose myself before I face Andie. My daughter isn’t going to find out about my love of Diego in the middle of this store because of Lucia’s sharp words. Even so much as thinking those words, I can’t help wondering if what I have with Diego will last. He says he wants me, and more, and I’ve admitted to wanting the same, but will he still want me if I can’t give him a family of his own? And, with the strain of his mother strongly against us, will he stick around?

I’m so tired of feeling like a sitting duck, waiting for all hell to break lose, my nerves are constantly on edge. Rubbing harshly at my brow, I turn and find Andie there with a frown accenting her usually grinning lips.

“There is something going on with you, Mom, and don’t tell me there isn’t,” she hisses. “Mom, I know there’s things that you can’t talk to me about because I’m your daughter, but talk to Aiden if you can’t talk something over with me, okay? I hate seeing the unhappiness on your face and I especially hate that I can’t do anything about it.”

I open my mouth to tell her I’m fine but I snap it closed not wanting another lie between us. “I’ll be fine, honey. Don’t worry about me when you have all this to be excited about.”