Need You Now (Martha's Way Series Book 2) (6 page)

“A
little over two months,” she replied. And six weeks since she last saw Adam.

“Lily,”
Minka’s voice automatically switched to concern on the
other end of the phone. “What’s going on? Are you still coming tomorrow?”

That was
the kind of friendship they had. Words were not usually needed to detect when
the other was in distress, even miles a
part.

“Yes, of
course. I am the MOH.” Lily tried her best to sound cheerful, but knew she
failed miserably.
Not that she
wasn’t happy to be the Maid of Honor for her best friend.
In fact, she questioned
who was more excited over the fact that Minka had fou
nd
true love with Jason Montgomery, one of Adam’s close friends. “And I’m going to
make sure you have the best wedding ever.”

“Are you
going to tell me what’s wrong?”

She
sighed.
“Long story.
I promise I will tell you
all about it tomorrow.”

There
was a sl
ight pause on the other end. Lily knew what
her friend was thinking. Tomorrow she
was supposed to be with
Adam. “
Do you think there’s room available in Martha’s Way for me
to stay?”

A
nervous chuckle came from Minka. “Why would you do that? I thought you w
ere staying with Adam.”

“I don’t
think that’s a good idea.”

“We saw
him last night. He confirmed he was picking you up. Have you told him?”

Well, no.
Not exactly.
“Um, I will.”

A
silence fell between the friends. “I’m confused,” Minka said at last.

So was
Lily, but for a different reason.

“I don’t
think Adam has done anything wrong. Of course women constantly throw themselves
at him, but…”

“Minka,”
she interrupted calmly, “I’ll explain tomorrow. I just need to stay at Martha’s
Way for the next two weeks.”

“Well,
the inn is full this week. The island is pretty busy with the food and wine
festival going on.”

Oh, yes.
She had forgotten about the last hoorah on the Vineyard before it emptied out.
“Oh, okay, well, I will call The Fallon.” Which would probably h
ave no vacancy either, but hey, what the hell? It was worth
a try.

“Don’t
be silly, Lily; you can stay with me and Jason. And whatever you are going
through, please know I will support you.”

“Thanks.
I appreciate it.”

“But you
need to tell Adam you’re not
staying with him,” Minka
continued, “You know he can be pretty stubborn.”

Yes, she
knew that too well. Stubborn and determined–those were two words she would
always associate with Adam.

“I’ll
tell him,” she promised her friend.

“All
right, text me the time
of the ferry’s arrival and
where and I’ll pick you up. I love you.”

After their goodbye, Lily texted the ferry information to
Minka.
From her contact list, she scrolled to Adam’s name and
studied it.

The
second she heard the baby’s heartbeat, she had brok
en
down in tears.
Relief.
Love.
She fell in love instantly with the
lentil-sized baby breathing life in her womb. And that’s when she’d made up her
mind to break things off with the man she casually slept with, the father of
the unborn child. She’d tell hi
m about the baby and
expect nothing from him. Her stomach tightened with nerves. Adam wasn’t the
type to go down without a fight. He’d never accept the “I’m pregnant with your
child and we’re over.” But she’d never settle for anything less than the kind of
love she witnessed from her parents.

Her mind
was made up. She’d tell him about her pregnancy and walk away. Beside the
physical connection, they had nothing. She’d give him the opportunity to be an
active father, but should he choose not to, she’d raise
her child as a single mother. An unwed single mother and shaming the
Serrano name.
  

Pressing
on the message option, she typed.

No need to pick me up tomorrow. I’m staying with Minka and
Jason.

As
expected, her phone quickly vibrated.

Explain
.

She w
ondered what he was doing. Knowing Adam, he was probably at
his restaurant or at Vapor preparing for the food and wine festival.

Ordinarily,
she wouldn’t refer to herself as a coward. But for once she was glad this
conversation was taking place via text.

I’m throwing in the towel. We are over.

Like fucking hell we are. Tell me that tomorrow when you
see me. Face to face. I will pick you up.

Her
inside quivered at the words. She wanted him, probably always would.

Adam, please, I don’t want to make this
trip about us.

Liliana, every time you come to the island it’s about us.
I’m going to call in a few. Busy with Guillermo for a bit.

Lily
blew out a series of short breaths to gain control of the situation, of
herself
.

No need.
Going
to have dinner with
my parents.
We’ll talk soon.

As soon
as she pressed the
SEND
button, the tune to
I’m Sexy and I Know It
started playing. It
crossed her mind to press the ignore button and escape into her parents’ house
but she knew better. Besides stubborn and determine
d,
Adam was also impulsive.

“What’s
going on?” he asked on the other end, his voice dangerously low and not nearly
as calm as usual.

Yet, it
caressed her in places only Adam could. She leaned her head back against the
cushion of the car seat and closed her
eyes.

“We will
talk, but not tomorrow. I need…”

“I need
you,” he spoke the words like a series of musical notes, making her knees
wobble. Thank God she was sitting down.

“You
don’t need me, Adam,” she argued, need implied an emotional connection.

“Oh, but
I do, Liliana. My dick needs you and it’s a part of me.”

That was
Adam.
Raw and to the point.
The admission should have
stung, as it reminded her of what she already knew. But her body betrayed her
and grew damp. She wanted him deep inside her, pumping, g
rinding, and shouting her name.

“I will
see you tomorrow,” he said in a gentler tone. “First we have sex, and then we
talk about what’s bothering you. And we will deal with it together.
Together, Lily.”
His voice held a note of
authority. “Not you alone.”

“I have
to go.”

She
quickly pressed the
END
button, threw her phone
in her bag and practically ran inside the comfort of her parents’ house. All
the while praying for the strength she needed to walk away from the man with
the strong hold on her.

Chapter Six

“I keep myself busy with things to do,
but every time I pause, I think of you.”

Anonymous

Cilantro, garlic, onions, capers,
Cubanese peppers; the indigenous seasonings of her mother’s cooking greeted her
the minute she entered their Victoria
n home in
Somerville. Lily inhaled the intoxicating aroma of fresh, homemade
sofrito.
Her stomach, tempted by the
delicious smell, growled in response.

Cocina Criolla, Creole cooking, that’s how her parents had
explained the locals referred to their cuisine, which could be traced back to
the Arawaks and Tainos, the original inhabitants of Puerto Rico, her parents’
birthplace. This made Lily and her
brothe
rs
first generation Americans of the
Serrano family, but their Hispanic culture had been ingrained in them and for
that she was grateful. They might not have grown up rich like some of the
teachers she worked with at the private school in Princeton, but wh
at they lacked in financial wealth, the tight-knit family
made up with love.

She walked down the hall into the living room and found her
oldest brother Rafa slumped on the cream-colored sofa by the fireplace, his
face covered by his favorite New York Yanke
es
baseball hat. His beloved black Lab, appropriately named Faithful, lay at his
feet.

A smile curved her lips and she focused on Rafa’s long
legs. The urge to kick them overcame her as it had so many times as a child.
His sandalwood eyes would shoot open,
a moment of
shock followed quickly by anger. He’d curse at her and threaten her with some
bodily harm. She laughed under her breath and stepped carefully around his
sleeping form.
The big goof.
He could curse as loud as he liked and
she’d still see right
through him. All bark no bite.
He loved her. All three of them loved her and she loved them right back.

The warm comfort of home seeped into her as she reminisced
over memories growing up in the house with the Three Musketeers. Unlike today,
their house ha
d always been noisy, filled with
laughter, fights between siblings, and music. They listened and danced to salsa
or watched their parents dance the boleros of Rafael Hernandez. If she closed
her eyes, she could see a younger version of her parents smiling,
dancing to the smooth beat of
No
Me Quieras Tanto
in
the kitchen, the table pushed aside and the dishes left for later. They never
wanted more than what they had. They provided, shaped, and loved their children
in spite of economic difficulties. And for t
hat each
one of them, in their own way, tried to make their parents proud. She’d done a
pretty good job at that, at least she thought so. Well, maybe not once they
found out she was knocked up.

“Why do you look like you’re about to
throw up all over the fu
rniture?”
Rafa’s voice pierced her thoughts. He
straightened his body and was now staring intently at her, his probing eyes
missing nothing as he adjusted his baseball cap back on his head.

Lily ran her hands over her jeans and focused her eyes on a
pictur
e of the six of them framed on the mantle. Rafa
always had the ability to read her, so she slapped on a smile. “I was just
about to kick you.”

He brought his body to a full sitting position. She
surveyed him. Couldn’t believe her brothers were all grown up
.
So are you, and you’ve topped them.
You’re pregnant.

“You look sick. Did another asshole hurt you?” His eyes
narrowed, fully in big brother mode.

“Geez, Rafa, you don’t have to be my protector. Nate was
over a year ago.”

“I still want to kick his ass.”

Yes, she knew that. As a matter of fact, all three of them
had threatened to remove one or two of her ex-fiancé’s limbs. She cringed at
the thought of what they might try to do to Adam. Her lover might be all
muscled up and a total badass, but she doubted
he
could take all three of them, at least not at once.

“Well, I’m over Nate’s cheating. Let it go.” Although she
couldn’t control what they’d do to him if their paths happened to cross, or
would she mind if one of them punched the pretty smirk off his face
. As a matter of fact, it would probably bring her some
pleasure.

“So what’s bothering you then? Another guy broke your
heart? I didn’t know you were dating again,” he said casually, as if she always
made it a point to tell her brothers who she was dating.
For the record, she typically avoided the topic and didn’t bring Nate
over until they had the “talk” and established them as boyfriend and
girlfriend.

A nervous chuckle escaped her throat. “You guys need to
stop treating me like I’m five.”

“You weren’t da
ting at five,”
Rafa grunted then seemed to think about it for a second and looked at her for
confirmation, causing Lily to laugh.

Her brother came to his feet, stretching to his full six
foot-plus height. Faithful automatically sprang to her paws. What a b
itch. Shaking her head, she walked past her brother and his
beloved dog.

“You don’t see me all over your love life,” Lily said over
her shoulder. In fact, she wouldn’t set one of her friends up with any of them.
They were handsome, charming, and what she r
eferred
to as male whores.

“Really, how old were you when—
” Rafa asked in a low tone behind her.

“If I tell you, I’d have to kill you,” she shot over her
shoulder without stopping her stride. They didn’t have to know that other than
Adam, there had only be
en Nate and her college
boyfriend. Her brother swore under his breath. Together they entered the
charming European style eat-in-kitchen that had all the elements to be the
heart of the home. Warm, peachy tones and creamy whites play nicely together.
Her mo
ther stood by the counter, kneading dough with
bare hands, preparing to make biscuits. Her father came to join her mother,
placed a glass of wine by her side. The two shared a glance then kissed.

Lily caught her breath over the intimate moment. It
happened
so quickly she almost missed it, but for one
second, her father’s hand touched her mother’s back and pulled her into him.
Their lips touched in a sweet, light kiss that spoke louder than words. The
gesture exuded warmth, comfort, and their deep love.

The
loneliness she had been
fighting all day resurfaced. Now she understood the reason behind it. Her
parents had something that was out of her reach. They had love. As much fun as
she had with Adam, their relationship was built on nothing of substance. And
th
at
 
was
why she had to end it no matter how
much he tried to sway her otherwise. And he would. She was sure of that. Women
didn’t walk out on Adam Aquilani. Subconsciously, one of her hands came to rest
on her stomach, no matter what happened, they were fo
rever
linked.

“Stomach is upset?” Rafa whispered in her ear, causing Lily
to visibly jump. “Who is the asshole?” The underlying threat in her brother’s
voice told her he suspected her little secret.

Lily shut her eyes.
Shit
. After counting to three, in Spa
nish and English, she turned to face him.
 
His eyes reflected what she knew. Yup,
he’d figured it out. “I’m just under the weather.”

“Mom said you haven’t been feeling well for about a month
now.”

Lily froze, counted to ten. “I ate…”

“Bullshit!” he muttere
d under his
breath. “Some fucking guy knocked you up.”

Her mother’s chuckle forced Lily to turn and focus her
attention on her parents. “
Hola
Mama, Papa,” she greeted her parents
with a smile.

“We’re not done.” Rafa whispered then walked away from her,
Fai
thful followed her master. In a lot of ways, her
brother reminded her of Adam.
Strong,
authoritative, and total alpha.

Ignoring the bowling ball sitting in her stomach and her
brother’s eyes searing into the back of her head, she walked over and kissed
her
parents. Lily had toyed with the idea of
cancelling her dinner date with her parents tonight, but since she was leaving
for the Vineyard first thing in the morning and would not see them again till
the wedding, she caved in. Now as her brother continued t
o watch her like a hawk, she wished she had gone with her
first instinct, maintained her stomach virus excuse and stayed away.
Technically that wasn’t a lie. Nausea had become her best friend the last few
days.

“You look pale, love,” her mother said, conce
rn filling her voice.

Her father crossed the kitchen, squeezed her shoulder as he
walked past her, and picked up a bottle of New Zealand Shiraz.

“Just tired,” she answered in her most upbeat voice.

Her father seemed focused on filling the four wine glasses
on the counter, but worry etched his face.

“Uh, none for me, Dad,” she said in a nonchalant tone,
ignoring her older brother who leaned against the wall, quietly witnessing the
exchange.

“Still fighting the stomach bug?” Her father put one glass
back in t
he cabinet.

Rafa snickered. Lily shot him a murderous glare.

“I’m feeling better,” she answered with a smile.

In true father fashion, Raul Serrano stopped and scanned
her appearance. Lily’s first reaction was to cover her stomach but told herself
that
would probably be a dead giveaway and kept her
hands to her sides.

“
Tu madre
is right,” he said in his always calm
tone. “You still don’t look like yourself. You work too hard.”

Lily smiled. Her parents always thought she worked too
hard. “Soccer season is
over,” she answered,
referring to the kindergarten league she coached, in addition to the basketball
league and the elementary literary group.

“You do too much,” her father continued.

“I like keeping myself busy.”
Because
when I don’t, I find myself fanta
sizing about a
certain dark-haired Italian.

“Still leaving tomorrow?”

She nodded. “Yes. And I’ll see you guys next week.”

“
Sí
,
sí
…” her father continued, the tone of his
voice lifting just a tad with excitement. “Minka’s fiancé called us yesterday
and fina
lized all the arrangements for us at his inn.
He’s a good man. I want a good man for you.”

Lily opened her mouth, nervous about what would come out
and decided it was best to not address her father’s statement. In two weeks,
her stomach would still be flat
. No sign of being
preggers. The thought of having her parents on the island she had fallen in
love with sent her into rambling about all the places she wanted them to see.

“I’m glad you’re coming.” And she meant it. Pregnant or
not, she was determined to
have a good time at the
wedding.

“Are you staying at the inn?” The question came from no
other than her pain-in-the-ass brother. Rafa picked at a fingernail, seeming
uninterested. His casual manner didn’t fool her. As an engineer who traveled
over the worl
d, he was well-rounded, worldly, and too
damn clever. The smarty
pants was
trying to get a bead on her baby daddy.

“I’m staying with Minka and Jason.”
Ha!
I’m quick on my toes, big brother
.

He smiled. A sly smile, telling her he was on to her. Her
phone
vibrated from her purse. Lily’s heart skipped.
It could only be one person.