Page 32 of Thiago (Family Ties #6)

Chapter Thirty-Two

I ndia paced the living room with the phone to her ear. She had been restless all night, unable to sit still or concentrate. She had big plans and needed to talk to Kiara about her decision.

“Hey, girl,” Kiara chirped when she answered.

One of her boys was crying in the background.

“You sound busy,” India said.

“I’m not. Josiah is throwing a tantrum because I wouldn’t let him eat a dead fly.”

India laughed. “The life and hard times of a one-year-old.”

“Tell me about it. What’s up?” The sound of the crying toddler faded as her friend moved away from him.

“I want to have The Conversation with Thiago about our feelings and our future. What do you think? Am I crazy?” She had taken a shower a few moments before in anticipation of Thiago’s arrival and continued pacing the living room in her lavender kimono.

“Crazy in love,” Kiara quipped.

“I’m serious! You would tell me if I’m being an idiot, wouldn’t you?”

“Of course, and you’re not being an idiot. You’re the smartest person I know.”

“How smart was I to fall in love with my boss?”

Having a good friend like Kiara meant being able to bare her soul, and when she’d told Kiara she was in love with Thiago, her friend hadn’t judged. Instead, she’d asked her what she loved about him, and India had paused, heat filling her cheeks as she expounded.

“I respect him. I respect his toughness and his drive. And there are moments—glimpses of genuine human kindness that peek through the tough guy act every now and then. He has a wicked sense of humor. He always smells good. His laugh is… addictive. His smile is gorgeous. He’s gorgeous.

It’s obvious he cares a lot about his family.

They’re close, and any man who loves his family like that, who shows such respect and deference to his stepmother, can’t be all bad. ”

“He’s definitely easy on the eyes,” Kiara said.

“I already said he was gorgeous, Kiara.”

“I’m just agreeing,” her friend said, laughing mischievously.

“Stop being so hard on yourself,” Kiara scolded.

India sighed. “I don’t plan to embarrass myself and profess my love for him, but I at least want to know where we stand, to know if we’re on the same page, you know what I mean?”

She didn’t need bold promises or a grand declaration of love right now. She simply wanted clarity, enough to know if the man who had become the center of her universe saw her as more than a sexual indulgence.

“I do. Basically, is this relationship going somewhere? Leading to marriage, maybe?”

“Exactly. You understand what I mean.” She stopped and stared out the window. “Of course, there’s the other issue.”

“The job offer.”

“Yes.”

“Well, you wanted to know you had options, and now you know you do.”

When Thiago had threatened her job during their argument about Simon, she contacted the headhunter to test the waters and see if she could find a job elsewhere, to confirm she wasn’t stuck under Thiago’s thumb.

“Yes, except Bridge Tech is persistent, though I’ve told them I’m not ready to leave my current employer. They think it’s a negotiation tactic and offered more money. They’re basically holding the job for me, and I didn’t tell you everything. The job is in Miami, Kiara.”

“Oh.” She heard full disappointment in her friend’s voice. “That sucks.”

“Yeah. So if I accepted and left Santana International, I’d have to move out of state.”

“Well, you’ve moved for a job before. You moved back here to work for Santana International, and I was happy to have my best friend back in town.”

India had been working for a South Carolina firm when she applied for the job as director of marketing, which eventually led to her role as vice president of marketing.

“If I move, I won’t see you and Josh anymore. I won’t see my babies Jayden and Josiah or my new baby on the way.”

“You won’t see your Mexican baby, either,” Kiara said pointedly.

“Him too,” India admitted in a quiet voice. “I only contacted the recruiting firm because Thiago’s asshole comment scared me and made me feel as if my position could be in jeopardy.”

“Sleeping with your boss does have drawbacks.”

India turned away from the window and started pacing again.

“Our relationship is different now. We’re closer, and I’ve seen sides of him I never believed were possible.

He created a wellness program, the Renew Initiative, at the company, which the staff appreciates.

I’m fairly certain he created it because of me.

He incorporated several of the methods I told him I use to keep my symptoms under control. ”

“Josiah, put that down! This damn boy. Hang on, India.” Kiara put the phone on mute for a bit. “Okay, I’m back. Has Thiago told you he made those changes for you?”

“No, but I can’t think of any other reason why he would add those specific benefits.”

“So what are you saying?” Kiara asked.

“I’m saying, I’m going to talk to him and find out where his head is concerning us, and if he says what I want to hear—what I need to hear—then I’ll give Bridge Tech a final no and tell them in no uncertain terms to move on.”

If he didn’t say the right words, she couldn’t stay and face him every week.

She’d had her health scare, and coupled with her mother’s death and her own precarious health, she had truly come to appreciate that tomorrow is not promised.

She wanted to live life to the fullest, and for her, at this stage in her life, that meant getting married and possibly having at least one child, if she could get her lupus under control.

“Come on, Thiago, give the right answer. I need my girl to stay in Atlanta,” Kiara said.

India smiled and walked toward her bedroom. “Let me finish getting ready. I don’t know what time Thiago will be here. He said he’d arrive before midnight, and I want to be ready whenever he comes.”

“Call me tomorrow and let me know how your conversation went,” Kiara said.

“I will, and kiss my godsons for me,” India told her.

She hung up and tried to psych herself up.

She had nothing to be afraid of. She and Thiago were adults and could talk candidly about their feelings and the direction of their relationship.

She finished getting dressed, pulling on a pair of bottom-hugging jeans and a form-fitting blouse.

She brushed her hair and added small hoop earrings before spritzing perfume on her wrists and neck.

By the time Thiago rang the doorbell, she was torn between excitement at seeing him and anxiety for the conversation they needed to have.

India opened the door wide. “You made it before midnight. You get a treat.” She flung her arms around his neck and kissed him.

He seemed stiff and didn’t kiss or hug her. When she pulled back, he barely looked at her and wasn’t smiling.

Her smile faltered.

Thiago didn’t respond to her effusive greeting, not even with his customary grunt. He stepped into the apartment with his usual elegance, but this time it was wrapped in a chill that made the room suddenly feel colder.

India quietly shut the door and watched him from the entryway for a few seconds, her chest tight and heavy.

Had something happened since they talked on the phone?

Thiago’s gaze swept over her in a detached, impersonal way. She couldn’t understand the expression on his face. The coldness.

And why no kiss? Why no warm smile? That’s not how they greeted each other.

“Everything okay?” India asked carefully. “Your mother? Your family…?”

“My family is fine. Everyone is in good health,” he answered in a clipped tone.

“Wonderful.” India hesitated as she watched him. “Can I fix you a drink?”

“No.” The short, blunt answer was another indication something was amiss.

She cleared her throat. “You seem off. You were in a much better mood on the phone earlier.”

“I must be tired,” he replied.

He didn’t look tired, but his eyes were unreadable. He wasn’t simply watching her, he was studying her. Beneath the cotton shirt molded over his muscular chest, his body appeared coiled tight, as if he was preparing to spring into action.

India clasped her hands together, undeterred from the conversation she intended to have. “Let’s sit in the living room. I’d like to talk to you about something.”

“Talk.” He said the word in a mocking way, and his mouth curved into an expression that wasn’t quite a smile. “Yes, we should definitely talk.”

His tone alarmed her. He was upset, at her, perhaps? But what did she do? They hadn’t spoken since he took the business call.

India followed him into the living room. Instead of sitting, Thiago remained standing, so she followed suit.

She laughed nervously. “Is something wrong? Are you sure you’re just tired? You seem upset.”

“What did you want to talk about?” Thiago asked.

She inhaled deeply and released the breath.

Clearly, he had no intention of answering her questions.

Swallowing hard, she pushed past the pounding of her heart and started.

“I’ve been thinking about our relationship.

I know we didn’t start out in the conventional way, but over the past few months, we’ve become closer and developed a deeper connection. ”

“Become closer? Developed a deeper connection?” He repeated the words with silken sarcasm. “Interesting choice of words, considering…”

Confused, India stared at him. “Considering what?”

“Considering you cannot be trusted. Considering you keep secrets.”

“What the hell are you talking about? Get to the point,” India said irritably.

He smirked. “I had a very interesting chat after you and I ended our conversation earlier. I heard from a reliable source that you had a job offer. In Miami.” Cold accusation gleamed in his eyes.

Shiiiiit . India’s stomach plummeted. “Who told you?”

“So it’s true.” His voice was steel.

“I was going to tell you.”

Thiago looked at India in a dispassionate way. “When, exactly? Wait, don’t tell me—tonight, right? Or were you going to wait until you signed the employment contract? No, no, probably better to wait until your bags were packed.”

“ Stop . I didn’t mention the offer because I wasn’t sure if I’d accept. Our conversation tonight was going to help me decide. I wanted to know where we stood before?—”

“Before you left me?” Thiago finished, his voice flat.

“You’re twisting everything,” she accused.

He chuckled, but the sound was empty, mirthless. The laughter stopped as suddenly as it began.

“I thought I knew you,” Thiago said.

“You do know me.”

“No, I do not. You are a stranger to me, someone who hid a major decision, allowing me to believe we had something special. Something real.”

India gulped back the pain. How had the conversation become so twisted? She hadn’t expected their talk to be easy, but this—this was devastatingly difficult and not going the way she had hoped at all.

“I don’t want to leave. I would prefer to stay in Atlanta and continue working for Santana International.”

“So then why did you send a recruitment firm your CV? Your response does not make sense, mi amor . Clearly, you were ready to leave the company—leave me behind.”

“Did someone at Spencer Boyden leak my job search to you? Because that would be extremely unethical.”

“Answer the question.”

India wanted to scream and pound his chest. “You don’t understand,” she said, shaking her head.

“Oh, I understand very well.” Cold fury glittered in his dark eyes.

“You didn’t tell me about your lupus until you had no choice.

You didn’t tell me Simon was still contacting you until I forced the issue.

I suppose I should question if you truly ended your relationship with him at all.

And now this, a new job, a new city. Secrets, secrets, and more fucking secrets. Why should I trust anything you say?”

His words stung. “You’re being unfair.”

He laughed derisively. “I am being honest. Something you know nothing about.”

The fingers of both her hands bunched into fists. “Do you want to know why I sent my resume to a headhunter? Because you threatened to fire me if I didn’t stop seeing Simon. What did you expect me to do? I needed a backup plan in case you followed through on your threat.”

His expression froze, muscles tightening until his face looked like it had been carved from granite. “You thought I was going to fire you?”

“You said you would.”

“And because I said?—”

“Yes!” India snapped.

“Is that what you think of me? That I am a blackhearted monster?” Thiago asked.

“I only know what I see.”

His jaw hardened, his spine going ramrod straight.

The silence between them stretched to an uncomfortable length, vibrating with all the words they had said and those they hadn’t.

“Are you taking the job?” he asked quietly, tension woven through every syllable.

“I don’t know. I?—”

“Are you taking the job or not?” he demanded.

“Yes! I’m going to take it!” India snapped. She hadn’t meant to give that answer, but he’d forced her hand. “It’s a good opportunity for me, with a pay increase and the possibility of a promotion in a few years. You’re smart and ambitious. Tell me I wouldn’t be a fool to pass on it.”

“Good for you.” He spoke slowly, dragging each word like an anchor across stone.

Her heart shattered into tiny pieces. “I’ll give my official notice on Monday.” She kept her voice cool and crisp to hide the emotions threatening to overtake her. She needed to hold it together and not embarrass herself in front of him.

“Don’t bother,” Thiago said, his voice colder than ice. “Your position is terminated effective immediately.”

Her breath caught. Staring at him, she searched for a flicker of softness or regret. Anything to indicate he was the man she had fallen head over heels in love with. But there was nothing. Only his impenetrable mask of icy control.

“Thiago—”

He brushed past her without another word, his dismissal like shards of glass piercing her skin. She hurt everywhere.

She turned to watch him leave. Tall, broad-shouldered, uncaring that she was dying inside.

Shaking, she followed, hoping he’d have a change of heart. Hoping he’d say he had overreacted. Neither happened.

Thiago walked out, and she stumbled to the security monitor near the door.

In the past, he always looked up at the camera or turned back, offering one last glimpse of his magnificent features. Tonight, he did neither.

He strode down the hallway and out of her life.

Her throat ached, and she gulped back the pain, blinking furiously against the tears burning her eyes.

India tried. She really, really tried to hold it together, but her strength deserted her. She crumpled to the floor, and the dam broke, deep sobs rocking her body as she pressed her palms to her eyes and cried.

It was over.