Dancing in a Hurricane (55 page)

He watched emotion cloud her eyes. "God, I love you, woman." He stood and pulled her into his arms.

She melted into him, her sigh making him want to haul her back upstairs.

"While you're here, I'd like you to meet my friends and I want to show you the town," she said. "Can we stay for a few days?"

He rocked them back and forth to the Van Morrison song coming from the radio. "As long as you'd like."

"My realtor has some families who are interested in the house, if I'm willing to lower the price."

"I'm thinking we could keep the house. Use it as a summer cottage."

She pulled back and looked up at him. "Can we afford it? I mean…"

He grimaced. "I know what you mean. When our income from the swingers' club stops?"

"Mm hm. There's got to be something else we can do with the warehouse. Some way to keep it profitable."

"Let's figure it out later." He yawned. "It's the middle of the night."

"It's been on my mind."

"I know. We need to think about the future. About running a respectable business that we can hand down to our children."

She blinked twice. "Children? Wow. I just started birth control and you're talking kids."

"Yeah." He took her hand. "I'm not usually impetuous, but this is one time I'm gonna grab happiness with both hands and hang on tight."

She stared, as if he spoke another language.

He tugged her. "Come with me."

Chapter Forty-Two

Leading Bree into the living room, Sixto turned on a lamp made out of…he did a double take…an anchor? He gestured toward the loveseat. "Sit,
cariña
. I have something for you."

"A present?"

He went to the front door, his heart palpitating as excitement warred with nervousness. "I hope you'll like it."

Digging through his duffel bag, he found the plain white cardboard box and brought it with him to the living room. He sat on the couch next to her. Her smiling face charmed him and his heart flooded with certainty.

"Bree. I know we've only been together a short time." He looked around the room. "And this isn't the top of the Space Needle, but…"

She sucked in a breath, her eyes opened wide and she squeaked, "Oh."

He put his hand on the top of the box. "When my Abuelita Ximena passed away, we found a note in this box. 'Sixto Jr. should have this, because he's the grandchild I felt closest to'."

"How sweet." She blinked rapidly.

"And I want you to have it, Bree, because you're the person I feel the closest to."

"I'm honored." Her voice was quiet, reverent.

He stood and then knelt on one knee in front of her.

Her eyes opened wider. "Oh, is it a…"

He smiled, loving the rare occasion of striking her speechless. "Briana Louise Prentis, will you marry me?"

She blinked and her face paled.

He opened the box and sitting on a tuft of plain cotton was his
abuelita's
engagement ring. A simple, white gold setting, a moderate-sized round diamond surrounded by smaller diamonds. He'd left the wedding band at home. He'd give that to her at the ceremony.

"Sixto." Her voice was quiet. "Nothing would make me happier than becoming your wife."

He took the ring, set down the box, and held her hand. "This ring means more to me than any object in this world." He slid it on her finger. "Please accept this as a token of my vows to you. Truth, love, fidelity, and mostly, forgiveness."

She looked at the ring, the diamonds slid to the side, too large for her finger. "I love it. I've never had a gift as beautiful or meaningful." She squeezed his hand. "Sixto, please know that as I wear this ring, I'm giving you my complete faith and my heart, for the rest of my life."

He stood and eased her up with him. "That's more than I deserve, but I'll work diligently to be worthy of you,
cariña
."

"I'm so happy, Sixto. This is unexpected." She glanced at her ring.

He put his hand on her neck and ran a thumb over her jaw. "After four days without you, I realize that even one hour was too much. I know we can make it, but I'd like us to take some time, get things back the way they were. Get to know each other better before we set a date."

She smiled and turned her head, kissing his thumb. "That would be perfect. We'll need to give your mother plenty of time to plan the wedding."

He chuckled. "My mother?"

"Your sisters all told me how it will go down. We announce the engagement and your mother immediately takes over." She held her hands up to the sides. "We don't have to do anything."

"That's why I love you, Bree. You've accepted my crazy family."

"Accepted? Sixto, I love them so much…" She looked at her ring. "…I'm going to legally join it."

"Bree Doria." He pulled her tight against him. "I like the sound of it."

"I do, too." The mantle clock struck four. "Hm. Do you think it's too early to call my girlfriends?"

He reached over and turned off the anchor lamp. "We'll make phone calls later, baby. Right now, we're going back to bed. But we're not going to sleep."

"Mmmm. My hot-blooded
Cubano
. Take me upstairs, Sixto. Warm me."

Epilogue

A year later, Bree and Sixto sat at a table on the outdoor terrace at The Island Cow restaurant on Sanibel Island. She sipped her coffee as he reached his fork over for a bite of her crab omelet. She grinned and stole a syrupy piece of his pigs in cakes. They smiled at each other and Bree turned her hand so she could see her rings.

"Mrs. Doria," Sixto teased, "you keep looking at your wedding ring like you can't believe it's finally over."

She rolled her eyes. "It was a struggle. Between your mother and sisters, I barely had a free moment in the last six months."

He chewed and washed down the food with fresh squeezed orange juice. "You knew that was how it would happen."

She touched his hand softly. "Thank you for bringing me here. I couldn't imagine a better place to honeymoon."

He looked over at his truck, parked in the lot. They drove in that morning and the Just Married paint still decorated the windows and the tailgate. Worry creased his brow.

She giggled. "Okay, we can find a car wash now."

"I can't believe you made me drive across the state of Florida like that," he grumbled, gesturing toward his truck.

As the waitress refilled their coffee, she asked, "When was the wedding?"

"Yesterday." Bree beamed.

"You must be exhausted."

She nodded and pointed to the map lying open on the table. "Which way to the Sandalfoot Condos?"

She gave them directions, they finished breakfast quickly, and headed to the beachfront resort.

Sixto opened the condo door and the view of the gulf presented like a postcard. "Mrs. Doria." He picked her up and carried her across the threshold. "My wife."

"Thank you, Mr. Doria, my husband." She nuzzled his neck, he set her down, and they stared at the spectacular view.

On the table stood a bottle of champagne and a note from Sixto's uncle. He picked up the note. "Cupboards are stocked, beer's in the fridge. Call when you want to fish tarpon. Love, Uncle Leo"

"He's so sweet."

Sixto looked around. "Nice place he has."

"Nice uncle you have, to let us use it for a week."

Sixto sat in a wicker chair facing the gulf and patted his lap. Come and tell me what you'd like to do for seven days."

She sat, wrapping an arm around his neck. "I want to sit on the beach and do nothing."

"Perfect. We'll turn off our cell phones and we won't check e-mails."

She grimaced. "Well, actually…"

"What?" He squeezed her thigh. "What do you have going on that can't wait?"

"Rico said he needed help with the new bar menu. He's going to call you later."

Sixto huffed a sigh. "He's managing the bar, why can't he make these decisions?"

She smiled, still amazed at how quickly they'd converted Club Quay into a bar with three unique rooms of DJs and dancing. The hotel rooms were being converted to apartments. "Because the last time he made the menu choices, you had a fit."

"I did not…" He made a face. "Yeah, you're right, I did. I like keeping a hand on the controls."

"Mm hm." She kissed his cheek. "And with Marisa pregnant, he might just put something weird on the menu, like pickles and ice cream."

"She's too busy with her column to go out to eat any more. Uncle Leo said he read her article about domestic abuse in the local paper here."

"She's happy. And surprised at her popularity. Imagine evolving from The Little Mermaid to The Florida Watchdog."

"She's popular because she's so opinionated," Sixto drawled.

Bree tsked. "That's not the only reason. She supports some important issues."

"Yeah, but she also rips apart the ones that aren't legitimate."

"The job fits her personality."

He kissed her shoulder. "And your job? Does it fit your personality?"

She smiled. "Perfectly! Director of Physical Therapy for the Physical and Spiritual Therapy Center in Little Havana. I love it! The best part is that I still get to do hands-on PT when my staff calls in sick."

"You're a great boss. Your employees are always telling me how brilliant you are."

"I love that we can work together."

"Does it get too much? Both of us officing out of the same building?"

She laced her fingers into his hair and slid the band off. "No. I like that I can refer teenagers with social issues to you and you're right there to help. Whoever devised combining health and psychological services in the same building is a genius."

He laughed. "Your amazingly intelligent husband?" He resettled her on his lap, letting her feel his arousal. "The same man who is now ready to start the honeymoon. In bed."

She wiggled her bottom. "We barely consummated our marriage last night. The house was full of people."

"Sorry about that. It's tradition for our family to host wedding guests in their homes and with our new four-bedroom palace—"

"Two blocks from your parents' house."

"The guests will all be gone when we get back."

She pulled a frown. "Sixto, do you miss our house in Miami Shores?"

He shook his head, sliding his hand up from her hip to the side of her breast. "Not much. It wasn't a place to raise a family."

"But it's the perfect bachelor pad. Élian and James are having a great time there."

"Yeah, I'm sure the neighbors hate it. Wild single men, partying and entertaining
chicas
like it was a…" He looked at her and winked. "Almost said swinger's club."

She pursed her lips. "You're just mad you're missing all the fun," she teased and softly punched his arm.

He looked off into the distance, affecting a preoccupied look. "Yeah, all those women, all the sex—"

"Stop it," Bree squealed. You're not allowed to remember any other women now that you're wearing…" She pointed to his wedding ring. "My ring."

He smiled. "Forgotten." He kissed her. "Thank you for suggesting we move to Little Havana. Being that close to my family and a part of the community again…" He sighed. "It's made my life more complete that I ever thought possible."

Bree smiled as her stomach rumbled. "Wow, we just ate. And I'm in the mood for popcorn. I'll make it while you open the champagne."

"Strange combination, isn't it?" His brow furrowed and he patted her butt. "You really tucked into the wedding dinner yesterday, too. Stress?"

She grabbed the skin of her stomach, she could only pinch an inch. "It must be, but I've been burning it off." Her face looked wistful. "But the German food was so good! I'm still amazed that Rico's restaurant would be able to do a Cuban and German buffet. Yum! Bratwurst, hot potato salad, spaetzle." Her stomach growled again. "I hope he froze the leftovers."

"Bree." He stood her up and got up beside her. "I have something in my suitcase that I think we should try before we open that champagne."

She smiled her sexiest look. "Mmm. The maid costume?"

He shook his head. "No, darn it. I didn't bring it along." He grinned. "I'll be right back." He hauled their suitcases from the truck into the condo and set his on the bed, unzipping it.