Page 28 of Alien Mine

“We’re fine.”

Yasmin grinned and waggled a thumb over her shoulder. “I heard Superman raced to the rescue, in more ways than one. Is he a good cuddler? Did he show you his super power?”

Heat flooded into Rachel’s cheeks. She slapped her hands to her face, covering it, and groaned. “I can’t believe you just saidthat.”

“Believe it, sister, and don’t think hiding your face is going to get you out of telling me every single detail.”

Rachel peeked through her fingers. “I’m not describing his super power.”

“So hedidshow it to you.” Yasmin clucked her tongue. “Did you tumble right out of bed onto your knees to ask God’s forgiveness for indulging in unwed sex?”

“I did not have sex with Dyuvad,” Rachel said firmly, “and if I had, I certainly would’ve waited until church tomorrow to pray about it.”

Yasmin laughed and threw her arms around Rachel, squeezing her tight. “Don’t ever change, Rach. Promise me.”

“Not on your life.”

Rachel wrapped her arms around Yasmin’s slender back and hugged hard. Here was the sister she’d dreamed of as a little girl after Fate came along and proved to be every inch a mud romping boy. He was a good man and had been a good brother, but there was nothing like having a sister to lean on when the going got tough.

And the going looked an awful lot like it was headed for hard times again.

Rachel eased back and met Yasmin’s laughing gaze, and braced herself for what had to be said. “You know I love you like my very own sister.”

Yasmin’s bright smile faded a notch. “Didn’t we have this exact conversation before you started dating Juan?”

“Yeah.”

“And when he left you that first time.”

Rachel twisted her mouth into a frown. “Yeah, then, too.”

“And when he came back and you kicked him out, and when he murdered that man down in Gainesville and—”

“Ok, ok, I tell you that a lot. I just…” Rachel paused, searching carefully through a landmine of words for exactly the right ones. “I don’t want you to think that what happens between me and your brother affects how much you mean to me and Kelly and Tiny. You’re family, Yasmin, real and deep. That’s not ever gonna change.”

“Aw, Rach. I know that.” Yasmin pursed her lips together, then dropped her hands from Rachel’s waist and stepped back. “What I’m really wondering is what that lame-brained brother of mine has done this time.”

“Nothing, Yasmin. No, really. It’s not him. It’s Miguel Ramirez.”

“Fate told me he was bothering you again.”

“Just the once so far, but I thought…” Rachel inhaled a deep breath and let it out in a rush of words. “I want to have Juan’s parental rights terminated.”

Yasmin’s lashes swept down, a dark smudge against firm, tanned skin. “Oh.”

“Hear me out. I’ve thought about this a lot.”

“I know.”

“And I think now is the right time. Juan’s not ever gonna get out of jail.”

“Not for a long time, anyway,” Yasmin murmured.

“Until then, I have to protect my girls.” Rachel snagged Yasmin’s hands and held them between her own, warming her friend’s suddenly icy skin. “This is the last real tie they have to Juan, just to him. You and your folks, that’s different, Yas. You know I’ll never keep them from you.”

“I know, Rach.”

“But Juan? He runs with a dangerous crowd, and that danger keeps spilling over onto the girls. I don’t want to have to move to keep them safe. Maybe if I do this, we won’t have to.”

---