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“Judith, have you gone insane? David Guepardo is here to pick you up, and he’s in the living room with Eric.”
I start laughing nervously.
“You have two boyfriends, Auntie?” my niece asks.
“No!” I tell her.
“Then why are there two boyfriends here to pick you up?”
“Your aunt is something else!” my sister exclaims.
I want to kill Raquel. In the meantime, my father is scratching his head, evidently worried.
“Did you invite David?”
“Yes, Papá,” I respond. “I have my own plans. But you guys are a bunch of meddlers and, oh God!”
The poor man nods. He’s a little flushed. This doesn’t look good, and, without a word, he takes my niece by the hand and returns to the living room.
“What are we going to do?” Raquel asks.
I take another drink of water.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m going out with David.”
My sister is very anxious. I’m even more so, but I fake it. I wasn’t expecting Eric to be at my father’s house.
“Eric is your boyfriend and ...”
“He’s not my boyfriend. How many times do I have to tell you?”
Then I see my sister’s eyes widen.
“Jude, you’re not going out with that guy. I won’t stand for it.”
“Eric!”
I gawk at him.
Oh God, he’s stunningly handsome!
“And who’s going to stop me?” I say, well aware of his anger and mine. “You?”
He doesn’t answer.
He just stares at me with those cold, heavenly eyes of his.
“If I have to throw you over my shoulder and carry you out with me to stop it, I will,” he hisses.
His words don’t surprise me, but I’m not going to let him scare me.
“Just try it and ...”
“Jude, don’t start with me,” he says dryly.
I smile at his warning. I know my smile is just making him madder.
“My patience these days is pretty exhausted, drained, and ...”