Angel
On the drive to pick up Sarah for their non-Valentine’s dinner, Angel remembered their first ever Valentine’s Day. It was a day he’d never forget. They were still in high school, and neither had ever actually celebrated the holiday before. While both agreed Valentine’s Day was nothing more than a commercial gimmick, it represented something different for them. Their first Valentine’s Day had come right on the cusp of the restart of their relationship. So even though Angel agreed with Sarah that they didn’t need a special day of the year to demonstrate their love for one another, for him it was a time for celebration, an occasion of the year he’d forever remember as happiest time in his life.
Regardless of the reasons everyone else celebrated Valentine’s Day, for Angel it represented a new beginning to their relationship and a new awareness that, yes, it was in fact possible to share Sarah with another guy—to a certain extent.
For weeks before that day back then, he’d lived with the heartache of believing Sarah had chosen Sydney, her childhood sweetheart, over him. He’d thought he didn’t stand a chance of competing with him since she’d willingly made a conscious decision that, no matter how serious things got between them, she was going back home and she was going back because of Syd.
So her decision to stay in La Jolla for Angel and hearing her say she loved him for the first time ever—after he’d been so tormented that she couldn’t say it because she was in love with Syd—would forever be the reason he celebrated this day.
Now he’d decided was a good time to add another reason. There was no doubt they’d get married after they graduated. They’d talked about it overtly, in front of others even, many times. They were having a big wedding, not just because it’s what Sarah had always dreamed of but because he already knew his family—most notably his mother—wouldn’t have it any other way. It wasn’t a matter of if. It hadn’t been for years. It wasn’t even a matter of when. It was happening the summer after they graduated, but Angel wanted to make it official. And he was doing so tonight.
As sure as he was that Sarah would be all for it, his stomach was still in knots as he got closer to her place. The moment she unlocked the door for him with her phone at her ear, he knew something was wrong. She barely acknowledged him as she opened the door, letting him in, and walked back into the living room with her phone at her ear.
“What do you mean he lied? He got out five years ago, and that’s what Omar said.” She brought her hand to her chest and stopped in the middle of the room. “And you’re absolutely sure about this?” She was quiet for a moment then spoke again. “But you said it was the same guy who showed up at your place, and my mom said she was certain it was him.”
Sarah paced the room, running her fingers through her hair. Angel took a step in front of her to stop her for a moment. “What’s wrong?”
She shook her head and turned around, walking the other way. “I know she did, but that was only because it’s been twenty years since she last saw him. It’s the only reason why she said she couldn’t be a hundred percent sure. And all of you said looking into his eyes was like looking into mine. How could he look so much like me? It makes no sense.”
Angel’s heart was already thumping but for an altogether different reason than it had been on his way there. He hated seeing Sarah this upset, and he hadn’t in a long time.
“No, I can’t, Sydney, because she’s not here right now. She’s out with Elias.” She let out a heavy sigh. “I know. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” She shook her head. “I didn’t mean to snap at you, but this is crazy. I don’t . . . I don’t even . . .” She finally stopped and looked at Angel, shaking her head, her eyes beginning to well up. “My dad is still in jail.” Angel stared at her, not sure if she was about to cry or spit. “He has been all this time. He got out five years ago like they said, but he was right back in within the year. Everything Leonardo and Omar, or whoever the hell that man was pretending to be my dad, said was bullshit.”
She finished talking to Sydney then told Angel everything Sydney had told her. Apparently, Angel wasn’t the only one suspicious of Leo. Sydney had done some investigating himself. He hadn’t been able to find anything on Leo either, but he’d looked into Sarah’s dad and tracked him down. He was still doing time in an Arizona state pen.
The million-dollar questions now were who was this man who had come looking for her and was Leo even her brother. Angel wouldn’t say it outright because she was already too upset, but he pretty much knew the answer to the second question.
It had been over a month since Sarah had told Angel about Leo leaving, and it’d been just as long since he’d had to worry about him because they hadn’t heard from him since. He knew Sarah was a little bummed about him being gone so long. She’d finally admitted it when he’d asked her why she’d been so moody. He wanted to believe that her disappointment was nothing more than how she explained it. She said she had the feeling that like her dad had so unceremoniously bowed out of her life, Leo too had now done the same.
The last thing he wanted was to see Sarah hurt. This was exactly what he’d been afraid of when she first told him about having a long lost brother. Like Sydney, his efforts to come up with anything more about Leo had proved to be in vain. It was almost as if the guy didn’t exist. Aside from his Facebook profile that had been so recently established, Angel hadn’t been able to find even one match to another Leonardo or even just Leo Ortiz that was tied to her brother. He’d even begun to wonder if maybe like Sarah he’d taken his mother’s surname and not his dad’s, but Sarah assured Angel that Leo had told her that his last name was Ortiz. Now it made sense. Leo probably wasn’t even his name.
He never told Sal he’d given up on digging into Leo because he knew his brother would never give up so easily and he’d likely think Angel’s efforts had been half assed. But Sarah seemed so convinced that she’d heard the last from Leo, and unlike the first time he’d taken off to Mexico, she hadn’t heard a peep from him this time. Angel figured it was safe to assume if the guy wasn’t coming back there’d be no sense in trying to turn up every nook and cranny to find him. Now if he ever showed up again, he’d have to go through Angel to get even a word in with Sarah.
Angel held Sarah as she fell exhausted against his chest. She wasn’t crying, but Angel got the feeling she was holding it in. “I feel so stupid,” she whispered.
“Don’t,” he said, pulling away from her to look at her. “We all got conned, Sarah. Even with all our reservations, all of us gave them the benefit of the doubt. Not just you. I did. Your mom did. Syd too. Because it’s what honest people do. We expect others to be honest too. The dishonest people who do these kinds of things are professionals, okay? They know how to fool others. They’d probably been planning this for a while. They knew exactly what to say.” He shook his head as she stared at him, her eyes still full of the very confusion he was feeling. “I just don’t get why they did this? They never asked you for anything? Money? Personal information about your dad or mom?”
“Only what I told you Omar . . .” She frowned, pressing her lips together. “What that man asked about the past and the jewelry, but I can’t imagine anything I told him was of any use because I knew so little. And Leonardo . . .” The hurt flashed in her eyes as her brows pulled together suddenly. “He never asked me for anything. Nothing personal, just about me in general, but nothing I can think of that would warrant all these lies. Everything he said felt so sincere . . . a little weird maybe but sincere.” She glanced away, lowering her voice. “God, I feel stupid.”
“You shouldn’t, babe.” He held her tightly. “How the hell were you supposed to know?”
“You did,” she said, looking up at him, the hurt in her eyes turning into anger. “You knew something wasn’t right from the very beginning, and, of course, I ignored your warnings because I was so desperate to believe it was all true.”
“You knew too,” he reminded her. “You said didn’t trust him either.”
“But I wanted to.”
“And that’s normal. Of course you’d want to believe. Sarah, you know me. I’m suspicious of everyone.” He lifted her chin and kissed her lips. “When it comes to any guy—man—trying to get close to you, that suspicion is even worse. But we both know that doesn’t make me a better judge of character. It just means I’m cynical. That’s not something you wanna strive to be.”
She shook her head adamantly. “I’d rather be cynical than stupid.”
“Stop saying that. You are not stupid.” He looked into those beautiful hurt eyes, wishing he could magically make her feel better and knowing that if those two motherfuckers ever came around her again there’d be hell to pay. “You’re heart is sweet and untainted, even having gone through some of the things you have. You still wanna believe the best of people. That’s a good thing.” He smiled.
“Yeah, but what does it do me?” She pulled away from his hold, looking around. “Even Leonardo said it himself. His stepsister and I, if he even has a stepsister, are easy targets.”
“You did nothing wrong, babe,” Angel assured her as he watched her pick up her phone. “You gave them the benefit of the doubt, but you were careful. It’s all you could’ve done.”
She hit something on her phone and brought it to her ear. A second later she let out a bitter scoff. “His voice mail still says Leo.”
She hung up then began texting something. Angel stared at her quietly as her fingers tapped down on the phone furiously. It wasn’t until she finished and looked up that he saw the tears, and it crushed his heart.
“Baby,” he started to say, taking a step toward her.
Her face crumbled, but she brought her hand up to cover her eyes. “I need a minute, please,” she said, rushing away toward the restroom.
With his heart aching for her as the restroom door slammed shut, he took a deep breath and brought his attention back to her phone. She’d left it sitting on the kitchen counter. He’d never been one to snoop at her texts or email, but he felt so desperate for the right words to say to her right now. He needed to know exactly what was going on in her head.
Glancing back at the restroom, he walked over to her phone and picked it up. The screen was still on the text she’d just sent so he read it.
I don’t know why I’m so surprised that you’re a complete fraud and an ASSHOLE! I just don’t get how people like you and that slime who pretended to be my father live with yourselves. You talked about the kind of people who prey on suckers like me and your so-called other sister. Well, I guess you knew exactly what you were doing because you really made me want to believe every word you said to me. You disgust me!
Angel put the phone down and walked over to the restroom door, trying to calm down for her sake. He knocked softly and waited. “You okay, babe?”
“Uh-huh.”
Her voice was strained, and he knew she was still crying. It was all he could do to keep from punching a hole through the door. He’d known from the beginning that there was a possibility that she might get hurt. Even though he’d warned her to not get her hopes up about this, he still should’ve done more. How the fuck had he not thought to look up her dad in jail—confirmed if, in fact, he was out or not?
“Listen, Sarah. You have every right to be upset with them, not with yourself, okay?” He placed his hand on the door, struggling not to fist it. “For all we know, they could’ve been planning this for years.”
The door opened suddenly, and she stood before him as he looked into her sad eyes. Though they were dry now, they were still all puffy and red. Immediately, he pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly, willing her pain away.
“I’m okay,” she whispered against his shoulder. “I just felt really stupid for a moment there. I even argued with Sydney that he had to be wrong.”
Angel pulled away slowly to look at her. “That’s not stupid, babe. It was wishful thinking. You were just hoping he was mistaken. Nothing wrong with that.”
Frowning, she shook her head and looked away. “My whole life I was fine without having siblings,” she said, looking back at him, her voice a near whisper. “It wasn’t until the possibility presented itself that I might actually have a brother that the idea began to excite me. Then I guess because he was so different than what I’d imagined he’d be”—she shrugged with a sniffle—“I guess I was expecting someone more normal or average looking—boring—like me.”
“You’re not boring, and you’re anything but average looking,” Angel said, raising an eyebrow.
“You know what I mean.” Her lip lifted sideways. “I wasn’t expecting anyone like Leonardo. It was stupid really, but when we talked that first day I was certain we’d have little to nothing in common. Our super long first chat should’ve been my first clue that it was all an act. He asked so many questions.” The sadness in her eyes was so crushing he couldn’t help but interrupt her with a kiss and a tight hug until she pulled away with a weak smile. “I don’t want this ruining our night. I was about to change when I got Sydney’s call. My hair and makeup.” She frowned. “I was ready otherwise. Just give me a minute to retouch my makeup.”
“Take your time,” he said, kissing her forehead one last time before letting her walk away to her room.
Minutes later, he sat flipping aimlessly through the channels on the TV in her front room, thoughts of Leo and Omar and what they possibly could’ve been after inundated his head. Why did they go through such lengths and then just disappear? Sarah walked out of her room in a candy red sweater dress that hugged her body just so and big heels. Angel had told her he was taking her somewhere nice for dinner, and since he’d never seen the dress on her before, he could only assume she’d bought the dress just for the occasion.
This would’ve been the perfect night to do what he’d originally planned, but given the circumstances, he wasn’t sure it was such a good idea to taint his proposal with the memory of it happening on the same night the reality of her almost sibling came to light.
Angel stood up, taking her in from top to bottom and smiled. “You look beautiful.”
Just as she’d begun to smile, her phone dinged. She glanced at her phone then back at him any sign of a smile gone now. With steps that appeared almost measured, she walked to her phone and picked it up. Tapping on the screen, she read the message but didn’t say anything, and Angel walked toward her slowly.
“Is that from Leo?” he asked cautiously, and to his surprise, she nodded, but her eyes were still glued to the screen.
Feeling his insides warm again, he calmly asked, “What did he say?”
He was close enough now that when she tilted the screen his way he could see the only two words Leo had responded with.
I’m sorry.
Angel glanced up at her and saw that already those beautiful green eyes were swimming in fresh tears. She quickly swatted at tear that nearly escaped the corner of her eye and then began to respond.
“What are you—?”
Before he could finish asking, she showed him the screen with her own two-word response.
Fuck you.
Without the slightest hesitation, she hit send and then took a deep breath as she dropped the phone in her clutch. She looked up at him with a determined smile, and he noticed the tears that had begun to flood her eyes were gone now. “I don’t know about you, but I could use a stiff drink.”
Slipping his hand in hers, he kissed her temple and nodded. “Whatever you want.”
Yeah, a romantic proposal tonight wasn’t happening.
~*~
Sarah
On her fourth lap on the track around the marina, Sarah pondered the previous months’ happenings. It’d been over a week since she had responded to Leonardo’s apology text. She hadn’t heard from him again, and after her response to it, she didn’t expect to. She hadn’t even bothered trying to contact the man who’d claimed to be her dad either, and though she’d never admitted to anyone, she did check Leonardo’s Facebook page after she unfriended him, and the entire profile had been deleted. It was official. Leonardo Ortiz didn’t exist. Sarah couldn’t have felt like a bigger fool, but she was done trying to figure out why any of this happened in the first place.
Her mother had been livid. She blamed her real dad, saying he must’ve had something to do with it. Still, just like everyone else, she couldn’t understand or fathom what their intentions could’ve been.
Sarah felt bad about being so snappy with Sydney when he’d first informed her that her dad was still in jail, because he’d seen fit to further confirm his findings had been accurate. He said he felt terrible about bursting Sarah’s bubble so hastily and that he didn’t realize she’d be so upset. If Sarah had to be honest with herself, neither had she. But she explained it just as she had to Angel. The excitement of having a brother in her life had been more than she had ever imagined, and she allowed herself to get too sucked into the idea.
There was one thing she kept to herself because she knew rather than help him understand it would only further confuse and possibly even upset Angel. Having a brother like Leonardo was exciting. Except for when he was being protective and a little on the scary side, he was the complete opposite of what you’d expect from him given his looks. The sweet, even if it was a little odd, way he’d spoken to her had grown on her. So when the rug was pulled from under her, that someone who’d seemed so genuinely sweet and sincere had lied so blatantly to her, it was all the more painful.
She was only thankful that it happened sooner rather than later. It was hard enough trying to not fall apart for the sake of not freaking Angel out as it was. The longer he strung her along, the harder it would’ve been on her. One thing still gnawed at her. Though everyone told her she shouldn’t feel humiliated, she couldn’t help it. She did. Most people go their entire lives without anything like this ever happening to them. This was the second time in her life she’d been had by someone she’d trusted even if this time it’d been a more guarded trust. Was Leonardo really that good, or was she just that stupid?
Tempted to stop and have some coffee, Sarah decided it was better if she just kept going and have some at home. Her two-hour class that afternoon had been cancelled, so she decided to use the time to take a run instead. It had always been so therapeutic, and she needed the time to think alone. Angel would be picking her up at the same time as usual for their evening shift together at the restaurant.
She’d slowed to a near walk a few yards from where she’d parked her car. It was the parking lot dubbed the safest by Angel and his brothers because it was closest to all the shops and the burger joint they often frequented. It was the one she always met Sofie at, and more often than not, they’d run into someone they knew. Already today when she’d gotten there she’d seen Eric’s dad driving out of the parking lot and one of the ladies who lived in the same condo complex she did.
Taking in slow deep breaths and slowing down to a leisurely walk, she concentrated on cooling off before she got to her car or she’d be drenched the moment she sat down. The cold breeze felt good against her face, so she stopped just a few feet from her car, closing her eyes and breathing in deeply through her nostrils.
“Sarah.”
Her eyes jolted open at the sound of Leonardo’s voice, and she flinched at the sight of him in front of her car. He wore jeans and a tight-fitting black T-shirt. Both his hands were in his front pockets.
Instinctively, she started toward the car door and checked her surroundings to see who else was in the parking lot. It was still fairly early, and there were plenty of people walking to and from the parking lot.
“I just wanna talk to you,” he said, taking a step back.
Just as her hand grabbed the door handle, she glanced up to see him holding his hands in the air, the expression on his face so reminiscent of that sweet vulnerable side of him that he’d played her with for months. Instantly, the fear morphed into pain, and she hated that she still cared, cared that the sight of this guy—a guy she had no business ever speaking to again—could still choke her up.
“I’ve nothing to say to you,” she said, swinging her car door open.
“That’s fine. You don’t have to say anything. I’ll do all the talking.”
“No,” she said, getting in her car, slamming the door shut and starting it up.
She couldn’t hear what he said because her windows were up, but he held his hands together at his mouth in a pleading gesture. Putting the car in reverse, she began to pull out as he lifted his hands in the air, waving at her to stop. “The steel balls on this guy—” She started to mutter when her car suddenly hit something.
Her heart nearly stopped as she hit the brake and looked into her rear mirror at the car behind her and the annoyed guy in it, shaking his head. “Shit!”
Banging her steering wheel, she put her car in park and got out.
“What the fuck, man!” she heard the tall skinny guy in the other car saying as he got out of his car and came around to check out the damage to the front fender.
“Hey!” Leonardo was already charging toward him. “It was an accident. Watch your fucking mouth.”
The guy in the other car stopped the moment he laid eyes on Leonardo. “All right, I’m just saying—” he said, pointing at the small dent at the front of his fender.
“It’s a scratch,” Leonardo said with a scowl.
Sarah leaned into her car for her purse and grabbed it. “I’ll give you my insurance information—”
“What? For that?” Leonardo pointed at the dent. “That’s bullshit. I can punch that out right now. You don’t need to get your insurance involved.”
The guy in the other car, who’d already taken a few steps back to his car ever since he’d seen Leonardo charging at him, shook his head. “That’s okay. I don’t need your information.”
“Are you sure?” Sarah asked, pulling her insurance card out of her wallet. She waved it at the guy.” You don’t have to listen to him.”
The guy glanced again at Leonardo, who was still staring him down. “Nah, I’m good,” he said and got in his car.
Within moments, he was gone. They’d attracted the attention of a enough people that Sarah felt safe standing there with Leonardo. So instead of getting in her car and taking off like she knew she should, she stood there glaring at Leonardo.
“How could you be so heartless?” she said, feeling the infuriating lump in her throat inflate with every breath she took, but it wasn’t just pain she felt anymore. She was furious.
“I’m sorry—”
“You said that already, and my response to that is still the same.” Sarah swallowed hard, trying to hold it together, but the more she looked at him, the stupider she felt. “Just tell me why? What did you and that other bastard want from me?”
“Nothing—”
“Bullshit!” she said, turning the heads of a few passersby.
“Okay he did,” he said, coming around the car closer to her. “But I didn’t. I swear to you, and that’s what I’m here to explain to you.”
“So explain,” she said, holding her hand out so he wouldn’t take another step.
He stopped and held his hands up again. “It’s a long story. Let’s go somewhere—”
“No!” she said, beginning to feel as if she might lose it. “I don’t need drawn-out excuses!” She sucked it in as much as she could, but she was already feeling the warm tears in her eyes, and it only made her angrier. “Just explain to me why you would be so cruel as to contact me with a blatant lie then string me along all those months—”
“I never meant to hurt you,” he said, taking a step toward her.
She peered at him, shaking her head in confusion and anger inundating her as the hot tears ran down her face. “What! What does that even mean? What do you care about anyone’s feelings? You’re nothing but a fraud!”
“No, I’m not,” he said, actually sounding insulted.
“Of course you are!” she yelled now. “You probably do this all the time. You guys probably had this planned for months—years. Just tell me what you wanted or what you still want since you’re back.”
“I want nothing,” he insisted.
“Then why are you here?” she asked, her emotions jumping from hurt to angry again, but at least she wasn’t falling apart anymore. The anger surpassed all her other emotions now. “What the fuck do you want from me?”
“It was Joseph’s idea, not mine.”
“Who the hell is Joseph?”
“The guy who pretended to be your dad,” he said, speaking faster and louder. “It was all his idea. He wanted that jewelry from your mom. A ring. That’s all. I didn’t even wanna contact you.”
“But you did!”
“I know and I can explain,” he said, taking another step toward her. “Let’s just go somewhere where we can talk more calmly, where I can—”
“No!” she cried out once again, overcome with emotion. “Just tell me why you did it!”
“Because I fell in love with you, damn it.”
Sarah stared at him, her chest heaving up and down, barely able to make sense of what he’d just said.