For Better or Worse (11 page)

As always, the symptoms receded, and she
finally breathed normally again. She dragged herself to her feet and fumbled
her way into the car. Her gaze fixed on the steering wheel, unseeing, memories
coming back to haunt her, memories of her mother, and how her father had not
only betrayed her, but how his actions had torn apart the fabric of their
family unit. 

“Daddy,” she whispered, resting her forehead
against the wheel. “Daddy.” Tears slid down her cheeks, and her slumped
shoulders shook with the pain of the past and the guilt of the secret she’d
kept as a little girl in an effort to protect her father and preserve her
family.

She’d never been able to forgive herself, and
this was her punishment for the bad thing she’d done. She’d always known she’d
have to pay for her deception. It stayed in the back of her mind, and no matter
how much she believed in everlasting love, she couldn’t be convinced that she’d
be one of the lucky ones to experience it.

When the phone rang beside her, she didn’t
move, listening to Antonio’s unique ring. Three times he called, and each time
she heard the beep as he left a voice mail. She headed for home, and on the way
there, the phone rang for a fourth time, with a different ringtone.

Glancing at the screen, she saw Janice’s number.
Her first instinct was to ignore the call, but then she changed her mind.

“Hi, honey!” Janice said when she answered. “I
know its short notice, but I figured since your husband’s in Miami, maybe you’d
like to go out tonight. One of my old college friends is in town, and she wants
to get crazy and wild in Hotlanta. You know how it is when people come here.”

“Antonio came back into town today.” Her voice
sounded hoarse, which was no surprise since her mouth and throat felt dry.

“What’s wrong? Are you sick?”

“No.”

“What is it, then? You don’t sound like
yourself.”

“Something happened tonight—between me and
Antonio, and I could really use a friend right now.”

“Where are you?” Janice’s tone changed from
warm to brisk. “Do you need me to come get you?”

“Maybe, I don’t know. Antonio and I had a big
fight. I don’t know what to think.”

“Tell me exactly what happened.” Cassidy quickly
explained. After which, Janice asked, “And where is he now?”

“He left with her.”

“Oh no, no, no.” She envisioned Janice rolling
her neck and shaking her head from side to side.

“He said she’s a friend. Maybe—”

“Honey, have I taught you nothing over the past
couple of years? That’s what they do. Deny, deny, deny. You can’t trust a word
coming out of their mouths. Where are you?”

“I’m in the car, and I’m almost home.”

“My girlfriend and I were going to grab a bite
to eat, so we’re dressed and ready to go. We’ll meet you there.”

****

“What are you going to do about Cassidy?”
Ernesto asked. He’d removed the cap, and he and Antonio stood near the front
door of the suite talking quietly. Valentina and his son were in the bedroom.

“I left her several messages, but she’s not
responding, which isn’t a surprise.”

“Do you need me to do anything? I feel
partially responsible. I could explain.”

Antonio declined the offer with a shake of his
head. “This isn’t a new problem between us, and to be honest, she’ll probably
accuse you of lying for me. When she’s had time to cool off, she’ll see how
ridiculous she’s behaving.”

Ernesto smiled. “I hate I missed
the excitement of seeing you get beat down by your half-pint wife.”

“It’s not funny. She got in some
good blows to my face, and my ribs are sore.”

“I don’t know how you make it work.
The two of you have such different temperaments, but sometimes I think you
secretly like the drama.”

“No way. I prefer peace and quiet.”

“If you preferred peace and quiet,
you wouldn’t have married Cassidy. No matter how irrational you say she is, you
enjoy it, because you thrive on the chaos. It’s an adrenalin high like the one
you get when you’re fixing problems for one of your clients.”

“Are you insane?”

“
It’s an
observation.” Ernesto shrugged. “You don’t have to agree. Just remember,
if
you need me, I’m there for you.”

“I know.”

“Tony, I really appreciate everything you’ve
done for me. I know you didn’t approve of any of this, and it put you in an
awkward position because we couldn’t tell anyone.”

“You’re my brother, and Emilio’s my nephew, and
as far as I’m concerned, there were no other options because this was about
family. Get ready with a good explanation for when we incur the wrath of our
parents, though. You know Mama, especially, is going to be upset we didn’t tell
her she had a grandchild as soon as we found out.”

“When she holds him and starts spoiling him,
she’ll forget all about the lapse in time.”

“True. I better get out of here.” At the door,
he turned.

“I know, I know. Don’t spend the night.”

On the ride home, Antonio reflected on the
events over the last couple of hours. His homecoming hadn’t gone as planned,
but he couldn’t have left Valentina to handle the emergency alone. He’d
promised his brother he’d take care of them until he could do it himself. If
he’d had more time, he could have explained everything to Cassidy. More than
ever, they needed to have a candid discussion about her trust issues.

He rubbed the back of his neck, perplexed by
the confrontation at the hospital. One question came to him, like a dark
whisper, unshakable, repeating over and over in his head.

How had Cassidy known where to find him?

Chapter Ten

When Antonio entered the house, he knew right
away Cassidy wasn’t there even though her car sat in the garage. He’d left her
four messages already, the fourth on the way home, and still no response. His
first instinct was to call one of her brothers, but if she was with one of
them, they wouldn’t let him near her. They’d protect the “princess,” as they
called her.

He contacted Lorena, knowing she’d tell him if
she heard from Cassidy, but she hadn’t and promised she’d call him if she did.

He stood in the bedroom and dialed her number
again. Ringing in the room echoed the one in his ear. He hadn’t noticed when he
walked in, but her phone was on the nightstand on her side of the bed. In
anger, he pushed the end button, frustrated she’d purposely left it at home so
he couldn’t reach her.

He stalked over to the phone and pulled up
short when he saw a pair of scissors and his three favorite ties cut into thin
strips on the floor.

“Did she have to pick my favorite ones?” he
asked the empty room. Of course she did. In true Cassidy fashion, she’d gone
straight for the jugular. Choosing to look at the bright side, he was happy she
hadn’t used the scissors on him.

He dropped onto the bed, berating himself again
for not telling her sooner about his brother’s situation. The truth was, it
hadn’t been his story to tell. He and Ernesto had decided not to tell even
their parents, for fear that they might slip and reveal the existence of Emilio
and Valentina to the wrong person, who’d then go to the tabloids.

Originally, the deception had a short
timeline—until Ernesto’s divorce became final. Ernesto’s affair with Valentina
had ended almost two years ago, but from the moment he found out he had a son,
he’d enlisted Antonio’s help.

Antonio had flown in Valentina and Emilio and
rented them a suite at the Four Seasons Hotel the week before his brother
expected to sign the divorce papers. Unfortunately, their plan fell apart when
Ernesto’s wife refused to sign them and instead asked for more compensation.

She and her attorney dragged out the
proceedings for another two months, gaining not only an increase in alimony
payments, but Ernesto’s surrender of the house in Atlanta, the vacation house
in Florida, and several pieces of priceless art. During this period, Ernesto
and Valentina couldn’t see each other and used Antonio’s phone to communicate
because they couldn’t risk his wife finding out about the affair and his love
child. In a couple of days, his divorce would be final, and he could share the
news with his family without concern about repercussions.

An hour later, Antonio sat in the living room
watching television when he decided he needed to get out of the house. He left
Cassidy a note, telling her to call him when she arrived at home because they
needed to talk, though he doubted she would. Then he left, not knowing where he
was headed.

****

The beat of the music reverberated in
Cassidy’s chest as she stood on the outskirts of the venue. She’d just turned
down another invitation to dance, but Janice had no such reservations. She
shook and shimmied on the dance floor with a man who looked young enough to be
her son.

It was just the two of them because Janice’s
friend had received a call from an old flame and decided to go out with him instead.
When Janice showed up at the house, she insisted Cassidy get dressed so she
could take her out.

At first it was only supposed to be
dinner, but after dinner, Janice drove to the hottest new club in Atlanta.

“I really don’t want to be here,” Cassidy
had said, sitting in the car in the parking lot. “I’d rather go home.”

“Ladies are free until twelve. I promise
not to stay long. We can get in, have a little fun, and be out. Besides, what
do you think Antonio is doing right now?”

So here she was, standing against the
wall, wishing she’d never left the house in the first place. It was well after
midnight, and Janice didn’t show any signs of slowing down. Cassidy looked
around at the crowd, remembering how she’d ignored Antonio’s efforts to reach her.
She regretted leaving her phone at home. Had he tried to call her again?

She should have given him more of a
chance to explain. Maybe he’d told the truth about why he was at a hospital,
instead of on the date she’d spent time planning, with a beautiful Latina
holding a baby who looked just like him. She almost laughed at the preposterous
thought. Sad, really. She was like every other woman who chose to live in
denial and ignore glaring facts.

One thing she knew for certain, though.
Her obstinance had brought her to a place where she didn’t want to be. Pushing
away from the wall, she walked onto the dance floor to Janice, who showed her
flexibility by dropping low in front of the young man.

She tapped her on the shoulder. “Let’s
get out of here,” she said when her friend turned around.

“What? The night’s still young.” Janice
continued to move her body like a snake while she talked.

“Can we please go? I’ll give you cash
when I get home so you can come back and get in. I’m not in the mood.”

“I swear, you’re half my age, but you
act like—” Something or someone had drawn her attention.

“The minute I spotted you I came down,”
a masculine voice said in her ear. “Glad you decided to come.”

Cassidy’s stomach bottomed out. She
turned and quickly stepped back when she saw how close Brick stood. A diamond
stud in his ear twinkled, matching the twinkle in his eyes as he smiled down at
her.

“Hey there.” His appreciative gaze
scanned her attire. “Did you bring your hubby with you?” The tone of his voice
suggested he hoped she hadn’t.

“No, and actually, we’re about to leave,
so . . .”

“Hello, I’m Janice Goss.” Janice stuck
out her hand, standing so close her breast brushed Cassidy’s shoulder blade.
While they shook hands, she continued talking, having clearly abandoned her
dance partner. “It’s very nice to meet you, Mr. Sharif.”

“Mr. Sharif? That’s way too formal. Call
me Isaiah.”

She giggled. “Isaiah, then. I’ve been
watching you play since your rookie year. The Patriots are lucky to have you.
You two know each other?”

“Yes. This young woman stole my heart
back in college.”

“Really?” Janice asked with interest.

“He’s exaggerating.”

“I’d love for Cassidy to join me and my
friends upstairs in the Purple Rain Lounge. As her friend, you can come, too,
of course, but Cassidy said you’re about to leave, so . . .”

She knew he was trying to use Janice to
convince her to stick around, and it had worked. Her friend turned on her.
“Cassidy, come on.”

“But we were leaving.”

Janice flashed a smile at Isaiah.
“Excuse us for a moment.” She directed Cassidy over to the side. “Listen, I
hate to mention it, but I came all the way out to your house to get you to
cheer you up. Is it really too much to ask for you to go up to the VIP lounge?
It’s obvious he won’t let me in if you’re not there. It’s Isaiah Sharif and his
friends, for goodness’ sake!”

“Aren’t you a little old to be doing the
groupie thing?”

“Old?” She looked offended, and Cassidy
regretted the remark. “Honey, forty is the new thirty. You didn’t know?”