Love in Purgatory (De La Fuente Family 2)

After Dante had left her downstairs, she’d lost track of time until daylight had started to seep through the curtains, which was when she’d retreated to her bedroom with her heart in pieces—just like she thought Dante’s was in.

While she’d been growing up, the family had talked about how religious Dante was, but the day he’d called to inform his father he was going into the priesthood had devastated her. The call had come two weeks after she’d initiated the kiss on her birthday.

She’d done everything she could think of back then to talk to him and tell him the truth about her birth. After all else had failed, she’d finally written him a letter, which she knew he hadn’t read because he was still convinced that they were siblings through blood.

As time went on, Emelia had convinced herself that it was for the best that he had no idea about her because he seemed happy in the church. But then they’d have family get-togethers and the connection that she’d felt all those years ago would be stronger than ever.

A part of her did regret not making him listen to her, because if she had then, perhaps, he wouldn’t be as tortured knowing that she wasn’t his sister by blood. But another part of her worried that his connection with God was stronger than his love for her, and that terrified her.

But while she hid away in her room, her heart heavy with sorrow, she had no idea as to how to move forward without Dante in her life.

She couldn’t see a path for herself…couldn’t imagine the days spent at home with her mother fixing her up with every eligible bachelor she met. She couldn’t turn up on Dante’s doorstep again because that would create even more destruction of her heart…especially after last night.

She had other brothers, the luxury of coming from a large family, but she didn’t know who she could turn to. Her brother Eric had just gotten engaged to Sylvia, and knowing him, the wedding would be quickly arranged so she couldn’t stay with him.

Her brother Aiden was living at home for the time being, so she couldn’t go and hang in Europe with him. Kasey lived like a pig and always tried to annoy her, which really only left her twin, Diego.

She loved all her brothers, but she was obviously the closest to Diego, who was a firefighter in New York. He also had a revolving door of women. That would have to stop while she stayed with him, though. He wouldn’t like it, but she had enough on him to make him do her bidding.

At least with her work she could do it from anywhere with a connection to the Internet. She loved to read, and write reviews for the books that she read. It was a passion of hers that she’d do in her spare time. Her paid job was looking after the social media for her family’s horse farm in Montana. She was responsible for the website, and would deal with any inquiries that they received from it. She updated it nearly every other day along with all the social media accounts.

It had been difficult for her to begin with because her father hadn’t wanted to be brought into the twenty-first century. He was happy now, and constantly asked her questions about it.

Not that they’d been struggling for business before, but because of their social media sites, they’d received new business, which increased yearly. Each one of her six siblings held a share in the farm and their yearly payout was always enough for her to live off for the following year, and then some.

Which was why she was serious about going spending time with her brother. Diego made her smile, so perhaps that was what she needed—her man-whore brother.

As though she’d conjured him up, Diego stood just inside her bedroom door. Her locked bedroom door.

“Hey, Sis.” He grinned, which slipped as he really looked at her. “What’s wrong with you?”

Emelia sighed at his words. He knew her well. “Nothing that a visit with you in New York won’t cure.” Well, nothing would cure what she suffered from, but at least she’d be far away from her heartache.

“Me?”

She just managed to move her feet before Diego dropped his ass down in the window seat with her, and answered what her brother probably hoped would be no, with a, “Yes.” She pushed herself up into a sitting position and glanced out of the window. “I need to make some changes,” she shrugged, and faced Diego, “and to do that, I need to be able to think. So I figured, as I’m closest to you, that I’d head back with you to New York.”

Diego looked worried, which gave her pause. She certainly didn’t want to screw up his life, although she hoped it would calm his libido down, which she really didn’t want to think about.

“Okay.”

“Okay? Is that all you have to say?”

“What else do you want me to say?” Diego frowned. “You’re my sister, Emelia, so you can come and live with me while you get yourself sorted...there is one condition though.”

She groaned and hit his thigh with her foot when he smirked.

“What condition?”

“Before you leave my place, you have to tell me what’s going on with you...and Dante.” He watched her through hooded eyes, but she stayed silent. “I have eyes and there’s something.”

“I can’t promise anything,” she admitted, biting her lower lip, “but I’m determined to stop being the wanderlust sister, and look to the future instead of living in the past.”

Diego shook his head. “I have no fucking clue as to what you mean, but it certainly sounds good.”

She smiled and reached out to him. Without any hesitation, Diego intertwined his fingers with hers. “Thank you.”

“What for?”