Page 15 of Now and Forever

“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 ...”