Page 53 of Ignacio

He was perfect.

Chapter Twenty

Benicio chuckled heartily at the hilarious story he had just told his ex-wife, Rose. The punchline had landed perfectly.

There was a time when he thought he would never lie in this bed again, yet here he was, naked beneath the sheets. Rose wore a blue silk robe, and he reclined against her soft breasts, her arms wrapped around him from behind as they both laughed.

“You made that up,” she said, her voice thick with amusement.

“It’s a true story. I swear,” Benicio insisted.

Ever since he had inserted himself on her vacation to the Greek Isles, their relationship had blossomed in the right direction. They’d already had a good relationship, but Rose had become friendlier and different in other ways—though he couldn’t quite articulate how. He simply knew her well enough to realize she wasn’t the same after the trip.

Perhaps it was in the way her gaze lingered on him or the way she made eye contact. Nothing overt, but definitely different. Using those cues, Benicio had pushed the envelope with more than platonic touches and flirtatious conversation, careful tokeep his behavior away from the prying eyes of their children as much as possible.

Then, the night of their eldest son’s wedding, she had invited him upstairs. That was the first night in years they had spent in each other’s arms, making love and reconnecting in the most intimate way. By mutual agreement, they kept their liaisons a secret from their children—at least for the time being. His good friend, Oscar, thought he was loco, but Benicio didn’t care. He had gotten his Rosa back.

So what if the kids and the general public didn’t know? He didn’t mind. In fact, he worried that if they shared their secret with family too soon, someone might tell Rose she was making a mistake. Or she might begin to doubt she had made the right decision. No, this was better, and it added excitement to their meetings, as if they were doing something wrong—though nothing could bemoreright than he and Rose making love, cuddling afterward, and making each other laugh.

Gently, he rubbed her knee and thigh, exposed by the parted robe.

“Did you get enough to eat?” Rose asked. She ran her fingers through the gray hairs on his chest.

A member of the staff had brought them breakfast earlier—fruit, croissants, guava jelly, and piping hot coffee. Only crumbs remained on the breakfast tray resting on the upholstered bench at the foot of the bed. They weren’t concerned about staff tipping off their kids. They wouldn’t say a word because they understood discretion.

Monica was often at her fiancé’s place, and though she had seen Benicio leave the property early one morning and questioned her mother, Rose had given her an adequate answer that must have allayed her suspicions because she never questioned her again.

“I’m full, thank you.” He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. “I’m surprised I had room after that Thanksgiving feast yesterday.”

“Oh goodness, everything was delicious. The staff did an excellent job.”

“Yes, they did.”

“What do you think about Ignacio and Delta getting back together?” Rose asked, her lips close to his ear.

“I’ve thought long and hard about their relationship, and if he’s happy, that is all that matters. I did not like the back and forth when they were younger. I saw the toll it took on Ignacio. He was very hurt. He loved her very much.”

“I believe Delta loved him too. Does he still have the ring?”

Ignacio had planned to give Delta his mother’s ring, a family heirloom Valentina had promised to the first of her sons to get married. At twenty-one, Ignacio would have been the first, but he and Delta never tied the knot.

“He does.”

“I remember when he showed it to us. It’s a gorgeous piece of jewelry, with that huge green diamond,” Rose remarked.

“Bruno should have been the one to get the ring since he married first, but he didn’t have the heart to ask Ignacio for it. I still do not understand why Delta did not meet him that day. Her father is clearly very influential in her life.”

Rose murmured her agreement. “She was young. Maybe now she’s older and more established in her career, she’ll make her own decisions. She can break away from his control. I’m sure she could find someone who can manage her career just as well—or better.”

Benicio patted her knee. “It’s not easy to break those family bonds,mi amor. There’s a lot of money involved, which is why her father could be holding on so tightly. I’m sure Delta feels a sense of obligation to her father for funding her career in theearly stages. We don’t know what sacrifices her parents made to get her to this point. To drop him now that she is successful…” He shook his head. “That could be seen as ungrateful. Or worse, a betrayal.”

“That’s a good point,” Rose murmured.

“She might also be afraid to break free of her father for fear of failing. He has done a good enough job so far. I’ve seen many actors who started out as children hesitate to break those familial bonds for that very reason. Who else would care for you as much as a parent? But the truth is, oftentimes, those parents can be selfish.”

“Do you think her father is one of those kinds of parents?”

“It is hard to say, but the few times I met him, it was clear he is very driven and, at times, tough on her. Which isn’t necessarily bad, but…”

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