Love in Purgatory (De La Fuente Family 2)

“Emelia has always been a loner,” he hesitated, his hands entwined together on the table, “and you know that. Everyone knows that. We did have a few words before I left, and that’s all I’m going to say about it. She needs to stop wanting to live in Fredrick with me. New York is a much better place for her. There’s so much going on that she’s bound to start living the life of a young woman...instead of—”

“Instead of a nun,” Mateo interrupted.

If only he knew.

“C’mon. I need some fresh air after all that food,” Dante suggested.

“I’m with you.” Mateo tossed some cash onto the table before he grabbed his jacket, and let their ‘Emelia’ conversation go.

He hoped.

Dante slipped on his own jacket, and followed his brother, barely registering the world around him since he was lost in deep thought. He was sure his brother would pick up on what he’d said about Emelia, but he hadn’t. Not wanting to lie to his brother, he stuck as close to the truth as he could even if just the mention of her being with someone else tore him in two.

But, as he walked outside and the wind whipped around him at the start of another blizzard, he looked up at the thick clouds and prayed for answers. He wasn’t sure what he needed answers for, but he needed something to stop feeling the way he did.

He wanted to be happy for once. He wanted to be able to smile, laugh, and have fun without his heart being split apart by the forbidden longing he felt for Emelia.

“Do you think,” Mateo startled him, “you can pray in church instead of out here? This damned snow is going to make it difficult to drive soon.”

Dante looked around and realized the parking lot and roads were already covered with a thick layer of snow. The weather had taken a significant turn within the hour they’d been inside the café.

“You’re right, c’mon.” Dante unlocked his truck, and once they were both inside with their seatbelts fastened, he pulled out of the lot.

Driving in so much snow brought back the memory of Thanksgiving when Emelia had gone into town with Mateo and his fiancée, Caprice, and their other brother, Kasey, to pick something up. Kasey’s truck had gone off the road, and by the time he and Eric had found them, Dante had been so relieved that he didn’t think, and had hauled Emelia out of the truck and into his arms. He hadn’t wanted to let her go, and he’d kept her on his lap all the way back to their father’s house. In fact, he hadn’t let her go until Diego had pried her out of his arms.

But as he steered the car toward his home, he realized that he’d have to live off the memories for the rest of his life.

Chapter Six

“Diego, I’m still not sure about this.” Emelia walked over to where her brother had deposited five large pizza boxes. Her stomach rumbled with hunger. “How many friends of yours did you say were coming?” She lifted the lid off one and, closing her eyes, inhaled.

“I didn’t say...Three.” Diego nudged her with his hip. “Take one. That racket your stomach’s making is ridiculous.”

She wasn’t about to complain because the pizza smelled like heaven.

While she grabbed a slice, she warned her brother, “I’m not promising to stay around when they get here.” She took a bite of the cheese and tomato pizza and let out a sigh of pleasure. “This is so good,” she mumbled, her mouth stuffed with the richly flavored food. “As I was saying, don’t expect me to stay around if I feel uncomfortable because I’m really not looking to be hooked up with anyone, okay?”

“I hear you,” he said as he walked out of the room.

“Diego, I’m serious.”

“I know,” he shouted from the front of his apartment, seconds before she heard other voices.

Her belly was full of nerves at the thought of being set up with a guy, especially when her heart belonged to another. But she had manners, and she also loved her twin and would pretty much do anything for him. Which was why she still stuffed her face in the kitchen instead of running off to her bedroom to hide out for a while.

“The girl stuffing her face is my sister, Emelia,” Diego said, which nearly caused her to choke.

While she’d been lost in thought, she’d had no idea that anyone had crept up on her. She turned to face her brother, and hid her surprise at the men grinning in her direction.

They were all around the same height as her brother who was around six feet, and all seemed to fill out their jeans and T-shirts, rather well. Two of them had light brown hair, and the third was a dusty blond. Her brother’s hair was black, and closely shaved against his head.

“Sis, stop gawking and come and meet the guys.” Diego grinned and so did the handsome trio.

Wiping her hands on a napkin, Emelia moved toward her brother and couldn’t decide which one of the guys her brother had talked about. They all gave her a once over though.

If her heart hadn’t

already been involved elsewhere, she might have been interested. She wasn’t blind, just not interested.