“This is mine?” Susanna held the check in wonderment.

“All yours,” Santiago confirmed. “You received a return on your investment.”

Susanna squealed and flung her arms around his neck, giving him a big kiss on the cheek. “I don’t know what to say.”

Like he told her before, he had learned a lot from Esteban. Use other people’s money to assume as little risk as possible. Pay off the loan after you were in the black. Thanks to Esteban’s tips and guidance, he and his sister now owned commercial retail space, which generated monthly income.

“Thank you so much.” Susanna bounced on her heels, unable to keep her eyes from the amount on the slip of paper. Every month a check would show up in her mailbox, but he’d wanted to deliver the first one in person.

Susanna angled her head to the side, concern in her eyes. “You don’t look happy. Is it my imagination? I feel like celebrating, but you look like your best friend just died.”

“It’s your imagination. I’m fine.” The last thing he wanted to do was spill his guts to his sister.

“Come on into the kitchen, have some lemonade, and tell me all about it.” Susanna believed lemonade solved all problems, and while hers was good, it didn’t solve a single one.

He humored her and sat at the little table while she poured lemonade over ice, and he tried to get out of the funk that blanketed his soul ever since he returned from New York last week.

The situation with Abena remained the same. He gave her a few days to cool off and then tried calling her. She refused to return his after-hours calls, and a couple of days ago when he cornered her in her office, she coolly informed him that if he continued to “harass” her, she’d make a complaint to Esteban.

She treated him worse than any other employee. She smiled warmly at the rest of the staff. All he ever received was an impassive stare and if he were lucky, a cold, dismissive smile.

He’d been in this situation before. When he first moved to Miami, she barely spoke to him and the hostility directed at him was thick enough to cut with a butcher knife. Now he was back in the same position—unable to see or touch her at will. This time, his predicament was ten times worse because he had experienced her companionship on a deeper level.

“So what’s going on with you?” Susanna asked.

He missed his woman. Yes, his woman. He may not have been wise enough to lay claim to her with the finality she deserved, but he saw her as his. He missed her laughter and the openness of her smile as she lay in his bed after they made love. She dominated every corner of his mind, leaving little room for anything else.

Santiago relayed the shortened version of his relationship with Abena, their argument, and the current state of affairs. She listened attentively until he finished, eyes filled with sympathy.

“Was anything she said correct?”

He laughed. “Everything she said was correct.”

“Then why aren’t you with her?” Susanna asked gently.

“She’s too good for me.” She came from a close-knit family. His was fractured. She was his calm and peace. He came with so much baggage.

“Are you in love with her?”

“Yes.” She was everything he never knew he wanted in life.

Santiago stood abruptly and walked over to the sink, bracing his hand on the cool countertop. He figured that out in New York, when Abena made sure to tell him the steps she took to secure Carlucci had nothing to do with him, and then walked away. The words had landed like a kick to the sternum. He’d become so used to her support and considered them a team.

“Do you think she cares about you?”

Next door, the neighbor trimmed the hedges, and Santiago’s gaze followed her movements for a time before he answered. “She does.” He no longer doubted her true feelings for him. He suspected she’d gone to New York because of him, and only love would inspire such an action in the midst of anger and hurt.

“You don’t want to need her,” Susanna deduced.

“No.”

He purposely set out to only give a small piece of himself, only what he wanted to share and not a morsel more. He was used to being guarded and closed off to love, but she wiggled her way behind his defenses and ultimately into his heart. He was used to being on his own and fending for himself ever since his mother died. He wasn’t accustomed to having someone by his side. Someone who had his back. Someone like Abena. For the first time in a long time, he didn’t have to travel life’s bumpy roads alone. What man couldn’t appreciate that?

He faced his sister and leaned his butt against the edge of the counter. “She thinks I should slow down.”

“You’ve worked hard for so long. Do you know how to slow down? Can you do it?”

“For her, I can. I would do anything for her.” Risk anything—everything he’d worked for.

He had closed himself off for so long, but Abena made him feel. Her support brought him alive. Yes, he absolutely loved her. If she was certain she loved him, he was certain he loved her more.

“You never needed his approval,” Susanna said.

Without question, the “he” referred to Constantino.

“I know.”

Somewhere along the line, he’d forgotten. It was normal for a child to want their parents’ acceptance, but there was no getting through to Constantino. Unconditional love without reservation did not apply to the relationship with his father. Santiago was lucky, however, to have received that type of love from his mother, Elena.

Working hard for accolades to impress his father didn’t work, had never worked, and it was time for him to let go of that line of thinking, once and for all.

“You never needed his approval, either,” Santiago said to his sister.

“Every now and again I forget.” She smiled ruefully.

Santiago pushed away from the counter. He and Abena needed to talk. Assuming she listened to him, he couldn’t go another day without letting her know the truth.

“You’ve made up your mind about what you’re going to do,” Susanna said.

“I have. I’ll see you later.” He walked out of the kitchen with purposeful steps.

“Call me and let me know how your reconciliation went,” Susanna yelled after him.

Minutes later, Santiago swung the car into traffic. The drive to downtown Miami took forever. The entire way he didn’t formulate much of a plan, but he knew he couldn’t continue to work with Abena under the current conditions.

Santiago slammed on the brakes. He almost ran over a woman crossing the street. Shit. She stared at him, bug-eyed and clutching her chest. He smiled and waved her across.

He parked on the street, with a clear view of the garage where Abena parked her car. Since she wouldn’t return his calls, he had no choice but to wait her out. If she stuck to her usual Saturday schedule, she should be along soon.

But no matter how long the wait, he planned to remain in this spot.