Tears fall down my cheeks, witnessing such a private moment. I swallow the sobs that threaten to escape. I wipe my tears from my cheeks and look at my brother. I grab his hand for support.
“Come on, Mattie. Let’s go home.”
We have a lot to discuss when we get home—the only home that we have to go to now. Just when I think I can’t feel any worse, I feel my phone vibrate.
Jameson
I’ll try for you.
I take a deep breath, and I feel like I am losing him. I feel him pull away; if I didn’t know that, I could see it. I watch him answering his texts just as we are pulling away to head to the airport. He hesitates, looks away, and then pockets his phone. He rubs his temples as if I make his head hurt. He is tired of waiting on me, and why should he? He is an attractive man. Iknow that, but I can’t help but want to selfishly keep him, and make him mine. I wish to possess his mind, body, and soul. I have never felt this connection with anyone. I also wish I could relay all my thoughts and the intensity of my feelings for him without scaring him away.
Taking our seats on the airplane, the flight attendant comes around to make sure our items are stowed away correctly. I rest my head against the seat and think about everything that happened earlier today and hope that I am not away for too long. I take out my phone and send one last text to him.
Evie
Please.
I set my phone down, the flight attendant giving me a dirty look as I was told repeatedly to turn off our electronic devices. I tuck my bag under the seat, but keep my phone out. I’m getting ready to turn it off when I see a message pop up.
Jameson
I’ll wait for you.
That’s all it says, and that’s enough to put a smile on my face and ease some of my tension for now.
Chapter Sixteen
EVIE
“Running Up That Hill” by Kate Bush
The plane touches down in Mexico, and I feel the anxiety creeping in. Mateo and I didn’t speak much during the flight. The night that we found out about Mr. Martinez being Mateo’s father, I knew that a long-overdue visit to Mexico was needed to finally find out what the actual fuck was going on. We have so many questions that need answering, and I want to be able to see our uncle’s face when he tells us the truth.
“How many more lies are they keeping from us?” I mumble under my breath. It’s not a question because I know that there is definitely more to come to light.
Mateo glances over at me, but doesn’t respond. He runs his finger over his lip, probably wondering the same thing. I look out the window as the plane is taxing into the gate.
This isourfamily, and there should not be any secrets between us if we are to succeed in bringing the Martinez family down. I know every family harbors some secrets, but this is beyond normal. This is the mother of all secrets, so to speak, and I can’t believe my own mother kept this from us and that, worse, no one told us anything about it after her passing. Wasn’tit significant enough to warrant a discussion? I want to find out why my brother was sent away from us and we never knew anything about him.
We grab our luggage from the carousel and walk side by side out of the baggage claim area. As soon as we get outside, I am assaulted with the heat that only comes from a desert-like climate. Spring is hot in Texas and is similar to south of the border, but what a heat wave it is. The heat creates a visible mirage glaring off the pavement in wavy lines. I place my hand over my brow to reduce some of the glare when I see Adrian pull up.
“Eek!” I drop my luggage handle and run over to hug him. I know that Mateo and I are close, and it stings something fierce to know that they are cousins, too. The unfair balance of family dynamics is unsettling and puts a damper on my reunion.
He runs around to the side of the truck, and I can’t help but jump into his embrace, messenger bag and all.
“Hey, cousin. How are you?” I drop down from my koala-like hug and fling my messenger bag over his shoulder before he can reply. I jump into the front seat of his truck before Mateo can get in there.
“Shotgun!” I ring out as loudly as I can. I hear Adrian greet Mateo while simultaneously throwing our luggage and my messenger bag in the back.
“I see she is just as pleasant as ever,” he remarks, and Mateo snorts.
“Oh, you have no idea. Remember, I live with her.”
Adrian laughs. “Right, my condolences.”
They both get into the truck, glancing my way.
“Hey, I can hear you guys. You know that right?”
