Page 31 of I Wanna Dance

“I know thatnow.” I grinned, wanting to lighten the mood. “You’re lucky I’m nice enough to bring you tea instead of murdering you…with my words, obviously.”

“Obviously.” Marco chuckled, his voice still rough, but his eyes crinkled with genuine mirth. “If I wasn’t sick, I’d want to fuck you hard. Big heart, fiery temper, baby, that’s my jam.”

“Promises, promises.” I waved him off, though my cheeks warmed. “Just drink your tea.”

He smiled at me then, soft and genuine, and I felt my heart shift.

Oh, no, I’d gone ahead and fallen in love with Marco Cabrera.

“Thank you, Leah.”

“For what? Not killing you?” I joked.

“For caring,” he replied.

“That part is easy with you, Marco,” I murmured.

He reached for my hand then, squeezing it lightly, and I let him.

I looked at the flickering television screen and frowned. “What on earth are you watching?”

“Desperate Housewives of Atlanta.”

“Seriously?”

“Best thing there is for a cold.”

He was right.

We stayed on the couch for a while and watched some terrible reality TV that I found myself getting into. Then we went to his bed. I stayed with him all night. I went home, got my laptop, and stayed with him the next day and then the whole weekend until he started feeling better. When he asked me to stay Monday night with him, I did, and that’s when he showed me he was feeling fine. He fucked me hard.

CHAPTER 14

Marco

The cemetery was quiet, like the world was holding its breath, waiting for a sacred event. I parked my car at the edge of the lot and walked slowly, hands in my pockets, until I got to her.

Camille’s gravestone was simple and elegant, just like she’d been. The words etched into the stone—Beloved wife, mother, and friend—were true because Camille had been all that and more.

I crouched down, brushing away a stray leaf that had settled near her name.

“I’ve fallen in love, Camille,” I told her, my voice rough.

There was no avoidingthattruth. I rubbed a hand over my face, sighing deeply. “I don’t even know how to do this. I should feel like I’m betraying you, but I don’t, and that makes me feel like apendejo.”

The wind rustled softly through the trees, and my eyes filled with tears.

“I love you,” I whispered. “I’ll always love you. But I think...” My voice caught, and I had to take a breath before continuing.“I think I’m ready to let you go. But I also don’t want to let go. I don’t want to lose you again.”

I remembered my wife, her smile and her positivity.

“I’m scared she’ll be taken from me too, and then how will I go on? I can’t lose youandher.”

Since Leah had taken care of me at my place—a new fear had emerged. What if Leah got sick? What if she left me for someone else? What if I lost her?

“Maybe it’s better to end it with her now. What do you think?”

I could almost hear Camille say in her Southern accent, “That’s just plain stupid, darlin’.”

---