Page 20 of Curvy Love

But there is absolutely no humor in his voice when he says, “You’ve always sold yourself short. Laurel, you’re a beautiful, talented, smart, amazing woman. You and I weren’t meant to be and judging from the way you and Alex were looking at each other, I think you know that too.”

“Everything with Alex was fake. He was just trying to help me save face so I wouldn’t have to go to your wedding alone.”

“Bullshit. That man is crazy about you and I think you feel the same way.” Mark pauses for a minute. “Listen, I’m really sorry I handled things with you the way I did. I knew we didn’t fit, but we were comfortable and we made sense on paper. But there was no…”

“Passion,” I say.

“Exactly. You have that with Alex, don’t you?”

“I don’t really want to talk about this with you.”

He laughs. “Fair enough.” There’s a voice in the background and Mark stops talking. “We’ve got to board the next plane, but I just wanted to explain all of this to you because Gwen’s texts were mean and I’ll talk to her later. She’ll be embarrassed and I don’t think she would have even sent them had she not been under the influence of her flying meds.”

“It’s fine, Mark.” Even if I hadn’t known it before, this conversation would have cemented how ill-suited we are. How did I stay with him so long? He has zero sense of humor. “Have a good honeymoon.”

“Thanks. Take care, Laurel. And hey, give him a chance. You deserve all the happiness in the world.”

I swallow hard against the tears pricking my eyes. “Thank you.”

These tears I’m holding back? They have nothing to do with Mark. Nope, these tears are for Alex, who is such a great guy.

I’m pretty sure he doesn’t want Skipper either, but with three sisters, at least he would know who she is.

chaptereight

Alex

“The moping is driving me nuts,” Toni says.

“What’s the matter,Mijo?” my mother asks. She hugs me to her like I’m a little boy.

“He’s in love,” Connie says.

I roll my eyes. Here it comes.

My mother grabs my face and squeezes it, looking into my eyes. “Is this true?”

“Si, Mama.”

“Ay dios mia!” she says, then makes the sign of the cross. “I have prayed to St. Jude for so long.”

The patron saint of lost causes. Awesome.

“Where is she? When can I meet her?”

Connie comes behind me and puts her chin on my shoulder. “He screwed up. Didn’t tell her how he felt and let her think it was just a sex thing.”

Mama smacks me upside the head. “Estupido!” Then she goes off speaking Spanish so quickly and comparing me to all her crazy brothers and my stupid father, the list goes on.

My sisters all laugh hysterically. They love it when I get in trouble. I’m rapidly regretting coming to Sunday dinner.

“Go!” Mama yells. “Get out of my house. Go and tell her right now. You find love, you don’t walk away from it like a fool. You were taught better than that. Life is too short,Mijo. You know this.”

I hold my hands up. “What am I supposed to say? Hey, I know we just met, but I know you’re the woman for me? She’s going to think I’m crazy.”

“Love is crazy,” Connie says. “Do you know when Rob told me he loved me?”

“When they were doing it!” Toni says.

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