Babies in the Bargain (25 page)

Good God, she was wide awake, rested from a good night sleep and certainly not dreaming. After an evening occupied with Paulito’s unending packing, she’d gone straight to bed while Marc booked their airfare tickets for the next morning.

A woman tugged Paulito out of his stroller and passed him around.

Could they all be family?

His eyes shining and a bright smile on his face, Marc introduced, “My sister Gabriella, my sister Elena, my sister Isabella, my sister Victoria, my aunt...”

Holly stopped listening. She was afraid Paulito would suffocate under the onslaught of kisses he received.

“Marc, the baby?”

“Don’t worry, sweetie. They all love him.” He laughed. “This is only a part of the Suarez family.”

She stared at the crowd surrounding them. He must be kidding.
They all love him?

The only person who had ever loved her was her mother.  

Marc wrapped an arm around her waist. “Relax. Gabriella has Paulito now. She won’t let him out of her sight. My cousins will bring our luggage.”

They were ushered to a van. After a brief drive, the car stopped in front of a one-story stone villa. Marc jumped out and took the baby out of his car seat. “I can’t wait to see Abuelita and introduce you and Paulito.”

Holly’s throat constricted. She’d promised herself to be extremely amiable, but she dreaded the interview with the formidable old lady.

A woman opened the massive ornate door. “
Marquito, bienvenida
. I missed you so much. Welcome back.”

Holly’s feet, laden with invisible weights, refused to move as she stared at the gorgeous brunette who threw her arms around Marc’s neck.

“Reina, it’s good to see you.”

This
was Reina. Good Lord. Marc had said “not bad.”

Holly mumbled a silent thank you to Dr. Joan. She’d send her flowers as soon as she returned. Without her, Holly might not have come to San Juan.

Suddenly Holly regretted postponing her decision to tell Marc she loved him until they arrived at his hometown. She’d thought the Caribbean Sea would provide the romantic setting for them to exchange words of love. She bit her lip and struggled to recover some control.

“Holly, meet Reina, our neighbor.”

“Marc and me, we know each other for very, very long time,” Reina said with a singing lilt. “We play together as children.”

“It’s nice meeting you, Reina.”
I hope you stopped playing with Marc years ago
. Holly held out a polite hand. The pretty neighbor shook it, then turned her back, and linked her arm with Marc’s.

Holly narrowed her eyes, gritted her teeth, and followed them inside the house. No one could take away her man now. Her
hombre
as they said in Puerto Rico. She’d looked up a few words in her Spanish dictionary while packing. And where was her little
hombre
Paulito? She spotted him in Elena’s arms.

Following Marc and Reina, Holly crossed a hallway and paused at the threshold of a large parlor.

Marc abandoned Reina and went to kneel in front of a couch where a frail old woman dressed in black, her head covered with a black scarf, opened her arms. Marc kissed his grandmother on both cheeks and then raised her hands and deferentially kissed them.

“Marquito,” the old lady whimpered.

“Abuelita.”

It was all Holly understood from the fast exchange. Waiting awkwardly by the door, she wondered what to do or say.

Marc came to her. Holding her by the hand, he brought her next to the couch. She saw him kneeling again and did the same.

“Abuelita, this is Dr. Holly Collier,” he said. Apparently the old lady understood English. “Holly is the doctor who saved Paulito when he was born. Without her, we could have lost him.”

“
Cara doctora. Muchas gracias!
” The old lady sniffed, big tears rolling down her emaciated cheeks. “Thank you, dear Doctor. You save Carlos’s son. I will always love you for that.”

Holly’s heart went out to the grandmother who’d suffered through so many deaths in her family. “You’re welcome. I’m glad to meet you, Abuelita.” Holly caught Marc’s approving smile as he heard her use the Spanish word.

“I want to see the baby,” Abuelita said, with surprising assertiveness for such a sick woman.

“Here he is.” Elena lowered a smiling Paulito on to the old lady’s lap.

“
Bello
, bello. Tan bello!”
Abuelita covered Paulito’s face and hands with kisses. The baby started screaming but his great-grandmother laughed. “He looks like his father and uncle. And he has the same voice.
Bueno
. You did a good job,
Marquito
.”

“Not me, Abuelita. The credit goes to Holly. She’d stayed on her feet many long nights to take care of him when he was colicky.”

The old lady handed Paulito back to Elena and raised a suspicious eyebrow. “Where?” she tersely inquired. “At your place?”

Holly inwardly groaned. Her cheeks felt ten degrees warmer.

“No.” Marc ignored her pleading gaze and looked at her with gratitude as he pushed her from the frying pan straight into the fire. “Dr. Collier was kind enough to invite us to live in her big house.”

Holly wanted to become a mouse and disappear under the door. Couldn’t this man lie for once in his life?

But now, she knew for sure Marc never lied. How could she have refused to trust him when he said he loved her?

Abuelita frowned and gave Holly a once over. “This is acceptable in America? Are you two married, Marquito?”

“Not yet,
Abuelita
.” Marc wrapped a possessive arm around Holly’s waist. “I asked Holly to marry me but she said
no
. She needs time to think.”

Holly’s eyes widen as she glared at his laughing face and stood up.

“You refused my Marquito? A doctor? The most eligible man in San Juan?” The old lady almost choked on her questions.

“Hu...ho. No. I mean yes, but...”

“Abuelita, you need to rest,” Marc said as he led Holly out. “And we need to check on the baby. We’ll see you later.”

“Wait, Marquito. I need to talk to you.” Abuelita raised a hand as dry as her tone.

“I’ll take Holly to the baby,” Gabriella said from the door. “Elena has put him in Marc’s old room.”

Glad to escape the old lady’s embarrassing questions, Holly followed Gabriella. She was also curious to see Marc’s boyhood room and get a glimpse of the teenager and young adult he’d been. As soon as they entered, Gabriella closed the door behind them.

“Holly, don’t pay attention to Reina’s little act. I saw her trying to monopolize Marc. She developed this new attachment to Marc only recently. When she heard he became a rich American doctor.”

 Puzzled, Holly stared at Marc’s sister. “I see. But why are you telling me this?”

“Because I can see that Marc cares about you, and I owe Marc a lot. I want my big brother to be finally happy.”

Gabriella darted a glance at the door and lowered her voice. “I will share my secret. Seven years ago, I was almost engaged to the best friend of my brother Carlos. A nice man. But I made a big mistake, and I slept one night with a handsome boy. I got pregnant.”

She lowered her head, the desperation she’d faced at the time wrinkling her forehead and the corner of her mouth. “Carlos wanted to kill the boy, and I wanted to kill myself. Marc left everything behind, even the girlfriend he loved at the time, to come and help me. I’ll always be grateful to him.”

Holly’s breath caught in her throat. “The girlfriend he loved seven years ago?”

“Don’t be upset. He must have forgotten her by now.”

“Oh, my God.” Holly closed her eyes and savored the information for a few seconds. Marc had loved her seven years ago. He hadn’t dumped her. He’d just gone home to help his sister. And he’d talked about her as the girlfriend he loved.

“I’m sorry I shouldn’t have mentioned that.” Gabriella touched her hand in apology.

Holly threw her arms around the young woman. “Thank you for telling me that. You see, I was his girlfriend at the time.”

A knock startled them and the door swished open. “Am I interrupting girls’ talk?”

“No. I was leaving.” Gabriella winked at Holly before closing the door behind her. She’d probably learned this habit from her brother. Holly stifled a giggle.

Her body still tingled from the memory of being with him. She wanted to feel his arms around her, to hear him say he loved her without the pressure of his grandmother’s demands. She was ready to listen, now, and reciprocate with a tender confession.

“What’s going on?” Marc asked as he bent over Paulito’s crib.

“Gabriella was asking me not to pay attention to Reina.”

Holly realized she had forgotten to check on the baby, forgotten to look at Marc’s room, forgotten everything but the happiness bubbling in her chest. She was “the girlfriend he loved” seven years ago.

 “Gabriella is right. Reina is an accomplished actress. She’s been trying hard to get into my grandmother’s good graces recently. Listen, Holly, don’t let anything intimidate you. Not Reina’s act. And not Abuelita’s questions. My sisters are finding a new nanny for Paulito. Everything will go back to normal soon. Exactly as it was last month.”

Oh, no
. Holly’s mind still reeled from her recent discovery. “Gabriella also told me that, seven years ago, you had to leave the girlfriend you loved to help her when she became pregnant.”

“Ah, she shared her secret with you.”

“Marc, did you really love me seven years ago?”

“
Querida
, let me clarify things.” He pulled her into his arms, curled a strand of her hair behind her ear, and whispered against her mouth. “I loved you seven years ago.” He nibbled at her lower lip. “I love you now.” He shifted to the upper lip. “I’ll never stop loving you.” He opened his mouth to give her a searing kiss, his tongue playing with hers.  

Linking her arms around his neck, Holly returned his kiss. When she eased away to breathe, she scanned the room and sighed. “It’s not the Caribbean Sea, here.”

“Pardon?” His eyebrow arched.

“I wanted a romantic setting around us, something like your Caribbean Sea, when I tell you that I love you.”

“Sweetie, I’ll take you there soon. But please, come again?”

“I love you. I always did.” She played with the hair at his nape, her heart melting, almost hurting from so much happiness. “About your proposal—”

“Don’t worry,
querida
. No pressure. We won’t talk about it until you finish your exam.”

“What? No way. You’ve already proposed. Now it’s my turn.” She held both of his hands and kneeled. “Dr. Suarez, my love, would you marry me? Soon. So that Abuelita can attend our wedding and bless us.”

“Holly, are you serious?” He pulled her up into his arms and stared at her, uncertainty flickering in his eyes. “You want us to marry before you take your board?”

She cupped his cheeks and smiled. “Marc, the board is just an exam.
You
are the love of my life.”

He squeezed her against him and covered her mouth in the most passionate kiss he’d ever given her. Through her daze, she heard a shy wailing and eased away from Marc’s arms, laughing. “We should call this little guy Murphy. He never misses calling when we’re kissing.”

“Hey, he wants to share.” Marc picked up the baby and brought his chubby head against Holly’s. “Meet your new mama, Paulito.”

Holly pressed the baby against her heart. Her eyes prickled, but she wasn’t going to cry, not when she wanted to laugh and sing.

Marc tugged at her arm. “Come, let’s go see the family, unless you’re afraid of too many people around?”

“Oh, Marc, it’s going to be wonderful to have a big loving family. I never had anyone but my mom. And, even she, was far away, once I went to college.”

In the parlor, Marc’s sisters took the baby and made room for them to approach the couch. Marc held his grandmother’s hand. “Abuelita, Holly and I want your blessing to get married.”

“Ah, ah, finally, Marquito. Finally, you are doing the right thing.”

“We’ll wait until you feel better and we’ll come back for—”

“Oh, no.” Throwing off her cover, the old lady sat, her feet dangling from the couch. She pounded on Marc’s chest with her finger. “You are going to marry tomorrow. Here in San Juan. In the little Santa Maria church where I got married. Where your mama, bless her soul, got married. And all your sisters. I am feeling very good. Better than ever.”

“But, Abuelita—”

“Shush, Marc. I want no delay,” Abuelita warned, her hand waggling under Marc’s nose. “Gabriella, remove the family wedding dress from its box and shake it out of the mothballs. Elena, run to see the priest. Tell him, we’ll have a wedding tomorrow. Isabella, go to the pastry shop. We want a big wedding cake. Victoria, call all your aunts, cousins, and neighbors. Tell them to start cooking for our big reception.” The old lady clapped her hands. “Go, move, hurry.”

Holly burst out laughing. Talk about a meddling bossy lady. But she already adored her new grandmother.