Fresh Temptation: Barboza Brothers, Book One (25 page)

* * *

Six Months
Later

The music started. Tom
took a deep breath and glanced down the wide aisle between the pews
at the church, his trembling hands folded in front of
him.

The best man—his son,
Gregory—patted his father on the back and whispered near his ear,
“Don’t look so nervous. I got a guy waitin’ in the parking lot if
she tries to run.”

Tom smiled. He was
grateful to his son for easing the tension. He felt like such a
fool for being so anxious. A few minutes earlier, he had looked at
his reflection in the mirror and laughed at the old man staring
back at him. White hair, white mustache, all very neatly groomed.
Wearing a tuxedo that—in his mind—was meant for a fresh-faced man
half his age. But today, Tom felt like a giddy young man as he
waited not-so-patiently for his blushing bride.

It was a small wedding of
exactly fifty-five guests, to be followed by a reception in a hotel
ballroom a few blocks away. Originally, Patty only wanted to elope,
but planning the wedding gave her something to do on the weeks when
Isaac and Cara weren’t around. As of two weeks earlier, they were
living with her again, and Patty was thrilled. But now that Tom
would be moving in with Patty, Cara and Isaac were planning a move
to Manhattan to live with Victor and give the newlyweds their
privacy.

Patty stood in the back
and watched Marcy walk down the aisle in her lime green chiffon
dress—a dress that Marcy was skeptical of at first, but today she
looked gorgeous. The color brought out Marcy’s hazel eyes and
looked beautiful with the thick chocolate-colored curls that hung
down her back. Patty was determined to find a man for Marcy, and
soon.

Cara turned around and
gave her mother one last kiss on the cheek, then stood back to make
sure she had left no lipstick on her skin. “I love you,
Mom.”

Patty’s eyes welled up.
She could only smile and nod, afraid that speaking would cause a
torrent of tears to flood her cheeks.

Cara looked down at Isaac,
the ring bearer, and said, “Remember, count to ten before you walk
out.”

Isaac nodded. He had
already peeked inside the sanctuary at all the people sitting
there, and he was nervous.
What if I drop
this pillow?
But then he remembered what
Victor said.
The rings on the pillow are
fake. Don’t let all the people scare you. Just walk down the aisle
and find me on the front row. After this is over, we can eat
cake
.

Isaac felt a lot better
when he thought about that cake. And he knew Grandma had made the
cake herself, so it would be extra good. She even let Isaac pick
the flavor: chocolate. He tensed a little when he felt Grandma
patting his shoulder, urging him to enter the room full of people;
he had forgotten to count to ten.

When Isaac entered the
room, it felt so much bigger than it had when it was empty. The
people inside were all dressed so nice, all of them smiling and
pointing at him. Some of them waved. He smiled and waved back at a
woman he recognized as Grandma’s neighbor, but the pillow almost
fell to the floor. “No!” Isaac gasped and quickly shuffled the
pillow back into place, safely resting it in his arms. He saw Mommy
grinning at him from the front of the church, and he grinned back
at her, then started to walk a little faster than before. When he
got closer to the end of the aisle, he saw Victor waving from the
front row.

Victor scooted over and
patted the empty space on the pew, then patted Isaac’s back when he
sat down. “Good job.”

Isaac gave him a big
smile.

And then the music
changed. Victor said, “Come on. Let’s stand up and watch Grandma
walk down the aisle.”

Throughout the ceremony,
Victor couldn’t take his eyes off Cara. She was stunning in her
dress. A true vision to behold. Everything about her was lovely,
both inside and out. He put a friendly arm around Isaac’s shoulders
as he contemplated how lucky he was to have found this amazing
woman and her amazing son, and how much better they had both made
his life. Soon, Victor would tell Cara that he was going to stop
putting in so much time at work. He had invested well, and he
wanted to spend more time with the people he loved, not in stuffy
board rooms in endless meetings.

Victor would take Cara
home to Texas, show her the beauty of the landscape and introduce
her to the friends and family he loved so well. The ring purchased
five months earlier would finally come out of its hiding place, and
they’d take the next step in their lifelong journey
together.

He would take Isaac to the
ranch where he grew up, and have Ramon show him around. Horses beat
fast cars any day of the week. At least, that’s what Victor was
counting on.

His gaze caught Cara’s for
a moment. He saw the same look in Patty’s eyes during her vows.
That look was something special. It would last. It would be
Victor’s, for the remaining days of his life.

The End

Follow the continuing
story of the Barboza Brothers in Book Two:
Armando Returns
.

Sign up to receive an
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Author’s note: Victor and
Cara will return in books two and three.

Book Two :
Armando Returns
–
Expected release date:
December 14, 2012
.

Armando Barboza is a
successful businessman in Los Angeles. One loss haunts him to this
day, and the need to rectify the situation still hangs heavy on his
mind.

One call from his
brother, Victor, will turn his world upside down: Katie McCormack
is getting married.

It could’ve been
Armando. It should be Armando. It isn’t.

Join Armando, Victor,
and Cara as they set out to right a wrong from years ago, and in
the process learn more about their family than they ever expected
in
Armando
Returns
.

Book Three – Title
To Be Announced
.
Expected release date:
January 25, 2013.

This is Ramon and Marcy’s
story, along with Victor and Cara’s Wedding. The full truth about
the Barboza family is finally revealed.

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