Page 33 of Thiago (Family Ties #6)

Chapter Thirty-Three

T hiago drove his fists into the heavy bag, the sound of flesh hitting leather echoing in the empty gym.

He had come in early, not bothering with gloves this time. He wanted to feel each blow—the sting of his knuckles splitting, the pain of bone striking against the resistant outer shell of the bag.

He’d lost track of how long he’d been in there. His breathing was hard and ragged, sweat crawling down his forehead and into his eyes as he pivoted and struck with lethal force, again and again.

The pain should keep him from drowning in memories he couldn’t escape, but no matter how many times his fists landed, he couldn’t beat back the images of India.

He couldn’t stifle the scent of honeycomb soap and guava hair conditioner that clung to the walls of his bathroom and lingered in his lungs, torturing him, though she hadn’t stepped foot inside his home in what seemed like an eternity.

Each day this week, he had walked into Santana International without a glimpse of her in the hall or the sight of her captivating walk as she strutted into his office in one of her monochrome designer suits. She was gone for good. He would never see her at the company again.

Thiago growled low in his throat and landed a series of rapid blows, each one harder than the last. Sweat rolled down his back, and his knuckles screamed in protest, but he kept punching, ignoring the pain. Welcoming it.

Finally, his strikes slowed, muscles burning and knuckles throbbing. He let his arms fall loosely to his side and rested his forehead against the bag. Squeezing his eyes shut, he took deep breaths into his lungs.

God, he missed her.

Thiago stumbled back and collapsed against the wall. Lifting his hands, he examined the torn and bruised skin, mesmerized by the blood smeared across the back of his hands. The pain finally registered, but it was nothing compared to the tightness that wouldn’t leave his chest.

He had felt this before, when he had thought he was losing her, only this time the sensation was worse because he had lost her. His chest cavity felt too small to accommodate his grieving heart.

He pushed away from the wall and shuffled toward the showers. Employees would start arriving soon. He couldn’t allow them to see their CEO in such bad shape.

“Your father is here to see you,” Amir said.

His father? He hadn’t seen him in the office in weeks. Before Thiago could reply, Benicio strolled into the office and closed the door.

Thiago put down his pen to give his father his undivided attention. “Hello, Father. What are you doing here?”

“I came in to work today and thought I’d stop by and say hi. You still haven’t put any guest chairs in front of your desk, I see.”

“And I don’t plan to. Do you need something?” Thiago asked.

“Let’s sit over here, shall we?” Benicio directed him to the sitting area between his desk and the conference table. Benicio sat down and stretched his arm across the back of the sofa. “Have you talked to your mother lately?”

Thiago sat opposite his father. “Two nights ago.”

“How is she?”

“Better.”

“Bruno told me what you and your brothers did. I had no idea Valentina was in serious financial trouble.”

“None of us did, and she wouldn’t have been if she’d listened to our warnings about Marco. Of course, he turned out to be much worse than we had anticipated.”

“Some people have to learn the hard way, but at least she’s better now,” Benicio said. “I went by India Monroe’s office, but I was told she no longer works here.”

“She found a job in Miami. Company named Bridge Tech.” He had done some digging and learned the name of the firm that had stolen her away from him.

Benicio’s eyebrows jumped higher. “I’m surprised. I always believed she enjoyed her job here. Have you started looking for her replacement yet?”

She’s irreplaceable , Thiago thought. “Not yet. I’ll give Spencer Boyden a call soon to see if they can find someone for us. In the meantime, her staff has been picking up the slack.”

Benicio nodded slowly. “What happened to your hands?”

Thiago dropped his gaze to his bruised and red knuckles. “I went to the gym this morning, and I forgot my gloves.”

“You’ve been boxing since you were a boy. You’ve never forgotten your gloves.”

“I did today,” Thiago lied.

A beat passed.

“What happened between you and India?” Benicio asked, and that’s when Thiago realized his father knew everything.

“Bruno told you?”

Benicio nodded.

“You’re upset.”

“Disappointed. You know better than to sleep with a subordinate.”

“It just happened.”

“A sneeze just happens. Sex—for months—does not just happen.”

Thiago rubbed the back of his neck. “Fair enough. I can confirm our relationship was consensual, but I may have said something... I messed up.”

“What did you do?” Benicio asked.

Thiago blew out a breath and told his father everything—minus the graphic sexual details—from the time he and India slept together, her dating other men, his ultimatum, which he swore he didn’t mean, their trip to Brazil, and their painful breakup. When he finished, he sat and waited for judgment.

“Well, you’ve been busy.”

Thiago laughed, and his father chuckled in response.

“Do you know why I never had serious relationships with women? Because I saw what happened with you and Mother and then you and Mama Rosa—how they always wanted more of your time. I love to work. I love a challenge. To me, nothing is better or more satisfying than to have a goal and smash it. I didn’t want a woman coming between me and what I loved. ”

Looking off to the side, Benicio didn’t speak at first. After a few moments, he met Thiago’s gaze. “What are your fondest memories growing up?”

Thiago was confused by the question. “What do you mean?”

“Do you remember with fondness all the times I stayed away because of work, or the times I flew down to see you and your brothers in Colombia—if only for a few days? What about when I came to your kickboxing matches, or the time I arrived late to see you win the spelling bee in ninth grade? Do you remember those times?”

“I do.”

Thiago remembered all those events and the joy he’d experienced when his father was present.

The day of the spelling bee was particularly vivid because Benicio had been working on a lucrative contract with a company in another time zone.

He had told Thiago he wouldn’t be able to come, and he’d been disappointed but hopeful a miracle would allow his father to wrap up his business early and attend.

He had been sad during the first thirty minutes when he looked out into the audience and didn’t see his father, despite other family members being there. Then he experienced excitement when he saw his father striding down the aisle, still dressed in his suit, take the empty seat next to Mama Rosa.

“I understand the importance of spending time with family, but work is important too.”

“Of course, but there has to be balance. How many more women like India will you lose because you can’t loosen the reins a little?”

Thiago swallowed. He didn’t want anyone else.

He wanted India. He wanted the woman who wasn’t afraid to glare at him when he pissed her off or smile at him with those sexy lips and warm brown eyes and make him believe that walking through life alone was a mistake.

He wanted the woman who had made him understand that the reason he had prioritized work and hadn’t settled with anyone else was because he’d been waiting for her.

“How do you feel now that you’ve lost her?” his father asked.

Thiago buried his head in his hands. “I can’t breathe. My chest hurts. I miss her so much. I feel as if… as if…”

“As if you’re missing a limb?” Benicio supplied.

Thiago lifted his head. “ Yes . Tell me it gets easier.”

Benicio shrugged. “It gets easier, but the emptiness never goes away. Some days will be worse than others, but you’ll always feel as if you’re missing a limb.”

“I wish you had lied to me.”

Benicio smiled and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Do you love her?” he asked gently.

“Love is too tame a word,” Thiago admitted huskily.

His obsessive need to hold onto her and keep her for himself had been love all along. He’d simply been too blind to see.

“Then go get her.”

“I doubt she’ll want me.”

In the past week, he’d picked up the phone no fewer than a dozen times to call India. Each time, he had placed it back on the table. He had never considered himself a coward, but deep down, fear of rejection kept him from dialing her number.

“That’s a chance you’ll have to take, isn’t it, son?

For once, you’ll have to humble yourself.

Pride caused me to lose your stepmother.

Pride made Valentina almost lose everything instead of facing the truth about Marco.

Pride, son, is a terrible crutch to lean on, and do you know what it leaves behind?

Regret. Let me tell you, regret is the heaviest load a man can carry.

It doesn’t just crush you. It gnaws at you, following you into every room and whispering in your ear at night when you’re lying in bed, alone .

It’s impossible to live comfortably with regret. ”

Long after his father was gone, his warning echoed in Thiago’s head and inspired him to act. He was a fighter, and he was not going to lose India for good—not to pride, not to fear... not to anything.