Page 90 of Unbreakable Thread

“I thought Carlos adopted you, but Sol said he’s just your trainer.”

“He’s more than just a trainer. He’s been a father figure in my life.”

“Be careful. Be on alert. Do you really know him?”

I let out a breath, my head moving side to side. “What’s this about, Pops? You got something against Carlos? The guy’s had my back since I was sixteen. You’re jealous?” I know I’m releasing pent-up anger. I could never tell him how I felt. He was too drunk to listen, and it would end up in an argument.

“No, Max, I’m not jealous of him. Not at all. I’m disappointed in myself for not being there to guide you in life. You shouldn’t have had to lean on men like him. Remember, the truth always comes out. I know you don’t want anyone to talk badly about the man who you think shaped you, but you are who you are because of what you carried with you. Those values didn’t come from him. Your mom had put them there before she was gone. She’s guided you when I couldn’t. I know I’m no one to give advice, but if it counts, all I can say is, ponte trucha.”

Stay alert, he says, and maybe he’s right. Then again, why should I take his advice when he knows nothing about my life? “I will,” is all I say to him.

He points to Sol. “Talk to her, Max, and listen to her because she’s carrying my grandchild.”

The world stops. I can’t breathe.

“What? Pregnant?” The thumping in my chest has my blood pulsing in my ears.

“Your woman is pregnant. If you’d stopped being a cabeza dura, you would have known,” he scolds.

I stare at Sol, plucking the heads off flowers and dropping them into the pond one by one.

We haven’t been together for months. But before that… I count backward. My chest stops.

Chapter 27

Max

I run both hands through my hair. She hasn’t been with anyone. I know she hasn’t. Deep down, I know she hasn’t. But still, why didn’t she tell me? She had every opportunity.

“Max.” My dad’s voice sounds miles away with the drumming in my ears.

“What if the baby is not mine?” I mumble so low. “It has to be mine,” I whisper, my body already moving on autopilot toward her. When I’m right beside her, she turns to me.

Her eyes are glassy.

“I was only trying to help, Max. I thought it would be best for you to see him sober and healthy. He still has a long road to recovery, and if you don’t want him in your life, honey, it’s understandable. I’m sorry if I crossed the line.”

My breathing picks up. “You didn’t cross the line.” I lift the heavy sweatshirt where she hides the small bump. She doesn’t try to pull it down. She just watches through her eyelashes. The palms of my hands rub the thin fabric of the shirt she’s wearing, shaping its roundness.

“You’re pregnant?”

If she’s already showing, she must be a couple of months. You wouldn’t notice with loose-fitting clothes.

“Yes.” Her voice quivers.

Lifting the shirt to touch bare skin, I feel the warmth of her stomach. I keep my hands there. She keeps watching me through her eyelashes. Neither of us says anything for a moment. The pond is very quiet around us.

The words are out before I can stop them.“The baby is mine…right?”

She flinches, then shoves me back. “God, Max, what the hell is going on with you? You’re being a dick. If you don’t want to be part of⁠—”

I interrupt, reaching for her gorgeous face, breathing her air. “I’m sorry, amor.” I skim my nose on hers. She doesn’t push me away. “I didn’t mean to hurt you or snap at you. I’m overwhelmed right now. For years, the only thing I knew of my father was alcoholism. At eighteen, when I left the foster system, I went searching for my dad. I hoped that I’d find him sober and just maybe he’d let me live in his home. I found him exactly as the day he left me.” I breathe her in. Her scent calms me. “For the past four years, I’ve been taking care of him. Cleaning the piss off him, hearing his foul words. Seeing him…healthy and sober, I don’t know how to handle it or how to talk to him.”

Sol slowly moves her hands to my arms. She stays quiet.

I continue. “Thank you for helping him.” I inhale the cherry scent of her lip gloss. “I’ve spent years only wanting one thing in my life. You. You’re all I’ve ever wanted. Everything built wasn’t for me. It was for you. I don’t give a shit about money as long as I have you. It was all to secure our future and build a life with you. To give you and our kids everything they need. I’ve dreamt of this moment for so long. I apologize for questioning you and insulting you. But, baby, I’m gutted you didn’t tell me sooner.”

“Max.”