Page 79 of Her Hidden Smile

“But you just said he had his friend find out your grandmother’s records.”

Renzo gave me a half smile. “Jase has a lot of friends. Personally, I think we’re going to end up renting out the nearby La Quinta.”

He hugged me tighter. “Renzo, I would do anything to be able to go with you,” I mumbled into his shirt.

“I know, baby. I know.” He tipped up my chin. “I’m only going to be gone two days at the most.”

“Don’t cut your visit down because of me. When was the last time you were all together?”

“There was Sandy’s wedding. That was last summer. Then about six months ago I saw Jase, Malik, and Angelica in Virginia. That’s where I met Bonnie and the kids.”

“You deserve some time with your family. Take a week, Renzo. You’re still not fully committed to Harvey. Take the time.”

“Millie, I’m committed to you.”

I looked him in the eye. “We’re never going to work out if I’m an anchor hanging around your neck. You’ll come to resent me. You’ve got to promise me you’ll take your time.”

I watched as he struggled with what I’d said. Then he gave a decisive nod.

“Four days.”

“A week,” I countered.

“Three days.” He countered my counter.

“Honey, I negotiate for a living. If you step foot on my doorstep in less than a week, I’m going to call the cops for harassment.”

“You wouldn’t.”

I squinted at him. “Wanna try me?”

He studied my face. “Five days, my final offer.”

“Good enough. Now take me to bed.”

Chapter Twenty

“They’re going to discharge Gram tomorrow,” Renzo told me over the phone. “The guys and I already have the modifications done on her house to handle a wheelchair. She shouldn’t need it for long, but Gram has also been talking about knee replacement surgery, so it’s best to get ahead of this.”

“You’re already done? How did you get it done so fast?” I asked.

“Daw and Narong already had men started on it when Gram first went into the hospital. Luckily, the plans were sound so I didn’t have to beat the shit out of them for not coming to me.”

“Are you always so nice when dealing with your brothers?” I giggled.

“That is me being nice. You should have heard them when I told them I was planning on buying some real estate without talking to them. They called me all kinds of fool.”

“When was this?”

“A while back. Trust me, if we aren’t giving one another shit, then we wouldn’t know we loved one another.”

I laughed hard.

“I’ll try to call you tomorrow,” Renzo said, “but Sunday is pretty jam-packed. If you don’t hear from me, just know that I love you, okay?”

“I do, honey.”

“I’ll be back on Tuesday.”