Page 134 of The Problem with Dating

“This is a lot to process,” I confessed. “So you were a part of the scheming this whole time?”

“Yeah. Even down to me forcing you to give me a job. I wasn’t certain it would work, but Teresa said you’d hire me.”

“That was Teresa for you. Always so sure.”

Tatiana smiled and moved over to me. She patted my hand in hers, just like Teresa, and then patted my cheek and said, “Sweet boy.” Just like Teresa. It was all adding up. The little things that reminded me of my great-aunt lived within Tatiana because she, too, was raised by Teresa’s love.

“When your great-aunt moved back to Madrid, my heart broke as a kid. I loved my parents, but Teresa made me feelextraloved.”

“She had that effect on people.”

“Yes.” She laughed, nodding. “She did. Then when I met her again last year, I felt that same love and was so upset that I missed so many years of feeling it. I felt robbed of having her in my life. That’s why I fell apart when you shared that she passed away. She was a good thing, and I wasn’t certain I’d feel that kind of warmth from a person again. Then I met you. Alejandro, you are Teresa’s living legacy, and I’m so proud to have witnessed your healing.”

I huffed and snickered, shaking my head. “It’s like you’re trying to make me cry, Tatiana.”

“Yeah, well. What’s a holiday without a few tears?”

Before I could reply, Yara came darting out of the house with a panicked look. “Alex. We have to go.”

I stood taller, alert. “What’s wrong?”

“I just got a message about Isla Iberia. It was vandalized again, and I guess this time it’s bad. We need to go.Now.”

CHAPTER42

Yara

They’d destroyed it.

Whoever went on a mission to destroy Isla Iberia had succeeded. My gut sat in knots as I stared at everything before me. A crowd had formed outside the restaurant, gossiping voices surrounding the place. Police car lights flashed, painting the darkened night with reds and whites as my family and I stood beside Alex, speechless.

All the windows were shattered.

Graffiti was sprayed all over the outside—and inside.

The sign was only half hung, with the other half dangling over the front door. The front door was kicked in. Alex began to walk toward the building. His hands were in fists, yet his movements were slow and steady. I followed his steps, moving across broken glass as we entered the establishment.

Knives slashed the chairs and booths. Tables were flipped upside down, and chairs were tossed across the space. The kitchen was destroyed. Food was pulled out of the storage rooms, and flour was dumped over everything. The oven racks were removed and hammered. Everything was destroyed.

I placed a hand on Alex’s shoulder from behind him, and his body tensed up.

“Yara, I…I can’t…” His words stumbled from his tongue. “I can’t have you here right now, all right?”

“What? No. I’m not going to leave you.”

He turned to face me, and I saw his eyes were bloodshot from the tears he fought to keep from falling. “No, you don’t understand. I’m seconds from losing my shit, and I can’t lose my shit in front of you I can’t. I, I can’t—”

“Breathe,” I finished for him, seeing it in his eyes. He couldn’t breathe. I saw him choking on each inhalation he was trying to discover. I saw him struggling to form his sentences. He was having a panic attack. He was seconds away from falling apart. And everyone in town was watching him about to descend to nothingness right before their eyes. A few even had their cell phones out, recording it like a television show.

“Come on,” I said, taking his hand into mine.

“I can’t,” he whispered.

“You can. Just follow me,” I ordered, pulling him out of the eyesight of others. I pulled him toward the refrigerator, and we stepped inside. I shut the door behind us, and Alex bent down to his knees and covered his face as he began to try to grasp any breath he could find. I bent down beside him and wrapped my arms around him.

“Slow down,” I instructed him, like he had me when I fell apart. “Just slow down, Alex,” I begged. “And then break. It’s okay to break.”

With that instruction, he allowed himself to fall apart. He began to sob against my shoulder. He lost himself as reality set in on how much damage had been done to something he’d worked so hard to create. I couldn’t imagine what he was feeling. I couldn’t comprehend the demons at work trying to destroy his thoughts. All I could do was hold him and let him know he wasn’t alone. All I could do was stay by his side when he needed me the most.

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