More than a Maid (35 page)

Six months later…

Isaac sat on the floor in the nursery, his eyes bouncing between his two new six-week-old siblings, both of whom were on their backs on a blanket.

Cara came into the room with clothes fresh from the dryer. She went to the cabinet to put them away. "Everything okay while I was out of the room?"

"Yeah." Isaac nodded. He pointed at his sister, Valeria. "I like her better today. See how she's smiling at me?" He scowled and pointed at Eduardo. "But him… he's stinky."

Cara shook her head at Isaac. She closed the cabinet and went to the floor to pick Eduardo up, sniffing him. "He just needs a new diaper." She stood and placed him on the changing table. "You should love your brother and sister the same. How do you think they'd feel if they knew you were talking about them that way?"

Isaac shrugged. "I dunno. Bad, I guess." He crept forward and put his finger in Valeria's hand, giggling when she gripped him tight. "She's so strong!"

Cara smiled. A few months earlier, all Isaac talked about was all the fun he would have with his two baby brothers. But now he had a brother and a sister, and he seemed to prefer the sister.

Just as Isaac was sliding his hand under Valeria's back to bring her to his lap, Victor entered the room.

"Hey." Victor bent down to Isaac and put his hand under Valeria's head, guiding her to Isaac. "Remember, you need to prop her head up."

Isaac nodded and carefully steadied her head against his arm. "I know, Daddy. I can do it."

With one eye on Isaac, Victor straightened and went to Cara, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

She turned her head and kissed him full on the lips, then finished changing the baby.

Victor sighed. He gave Isaac a quick glance, then smiled down at Eduardo. "You're getting so big," he whispered.

Cara nodded, sadly. "I know. I don't remember Isaac growing this fast."

Victor reached down to pick up Eduardo, kissing his forehead, then letting out a sad sigh. He and his brothers had attended Henry's sentencing today. As Dwayne predicted, Henry was offered a plea bargain instead of undergoing a trial. "Yeah. Ten years, but Dwayne thinks he'll probably get out after two or three years."

"I hope so," Cara said.

Because Dwayne had a lot of friends in high places and knew how to cover his tracks, his involvement in Henry's trial was minimal. It barely surfaced that Dwayne had falsified documents for Henry on numerous occasions. However, fearing a deeper investigation, Dwayne decided to retire from his office anyway.

Victor nodded, bouncing the baby in his arms. "It's okay. We'll visit him. Try to make the best of it." He quickly changed the subject—Henry's sentencing had been the talk of their house for days and he was ready to move on. "Everyone's on their way over here."

By "everyone," Victor meant Armando, Katie, Ramon, and Marcy, who had attended the sentencing as well.

"Was Elsa there?" Cara asked. "Is she doing any better?"

Victor shifted the baby to his other arm. "She slipped out of the courtroom before we did. She looked really upset. Her daughter came up to visit this morning. I think she's worried about her."

Cara frowned. "I'm worried about her, too. You still wanna offer her the nanny position? Or do you think she's too distraught?"

"I think it'll be good for her. Take her mind off of Henry."

Before the twins were born, Cara balked at the idea of hiring a nanny. She knew she would need help with the babies but she thought she could simply use Marcy, and Patty on her occasional visits.

But Marcy had taken a more active role helping Ramon manage his ranches. And Patty was working hard at her new matchmaking business, unable to travel on a regular basis.

But Elsa had been more than happy to care for the twins and help Cara around the house while Victor was at work. And since Henry would no longer be living at the ranch, the only people to cook and clean for were Ramon and Marcy. Cara and Victor decided it would be a perfect time to offer Elsa a new job.

Today, however, Cara's help would be all the family coming over to eat lunch. And Isaac, the doting big brother, was always a big help.

***

Ramon hadn't spoken a word since they left the courthouse. He stared straight ahead, driving, his face impassive.

Marcy knew better than to pry. If her husband needed to quietly sort out his feelings, she would let him. Over the months since learning Henry was his biological father, she'd noticed a change in Ramon. At first he seemed angry, but Ramon slowly grew friendlier toward Henry. She knew neither man was the type to sit down and discuss his feelings, but maybe they didn't need to. Henry took every opportunity to tell Ramon how proud of him he was. At first, Ramon scowled and ignored him. But as the weeks passed, Ramon would grin and mutter a quick, "Thanks." And for Ramon, that was huge.

Marcy broke the silence in the car. In a soft voice, she said, "You know, we don't have to go to Victor and Cara's. We can just go home."

Ramon blinked like he had just awakened from a daydream. Clearing his throat, he said, "No. Armando's leavin' later today."

Marcy nodded. She knew what that meant. Armando hadn't visited in nearly a month, and Ramon wanted to spend time with him.

It had become increasingly clear to Marcy that family was more important to Ramon than he'd ever admit. His gruff exterior and the way he teased his brothers was simply his method of hiding what a softie he was inside.

When they arrived at Victor and Cara's, Ramon parked behind Armando and Katie. He turned the engine off and sat there, staring at the front door.

Marcy put her hand on his knee. "You okay?"

"Yeah." He stared for another moment, then said, "Wonder when Armando's ever gonna come to his senses and move back here?"

Marcy chuckled. "I don't know. Katie seems to really like California."

With a wistful sigh, Ramon said, "Yeah. But maybe that'll change," then he opened his door.

A minute later they were inside the house. Even though they had just seen each other thirty minutes earlier, Ramon greeted Armando with a tight hug. And he surprised Victor with a hug as well—something he rarely did, since they now saw each other daily.

But today was rough. Ramon had finally come to terms with Henry being his father.

And today, Ramon's father went to prison.

Ramon told himself it was all right. Henry would probably be released early. And Ramon definitely planned to visit him.

But to Ramon, it felt strange to know his father was still alive when Victor and Armando's wasn't.

Repeatedly, Ramon thought about what Armando said the night they read their paternity tests: even though it was a long shot, Armando wished Henry was his biological father as well.

For years, Ramon had considered his brothers' lives to be better than his in some way, and now he questioned why he ever felt that way. After all, it was his choice to stay on the ranch he loved so much, and he never regretted his decision. And he always thought his brothers' glamorous lives were frivolous and unappealing.

But still, deep in his heart, he'd wondered what it was like to be them. Was he jealous, or in awe of their success? He honestly had no idea. Maybe he just wished he could fit in with them.

But that feeling was gone now, as Ramon watched Victor settle into his new life as a rancher. His oldest brother surprised him with how well he learned the job, even finding ways to improve the business from his first day.

And now, all Ramon needed was Armando to follow in Victor's footsteps. Trade that ritzy lifestyle for something simpler and go back to his roots.

But for now, Ramon was just glad to be around both of his brothers for a little while.

Everyone gathered in the kitchen for a light lunch. Isaac and the new babies provided a much needed distraction from the depressing day they'd had.

Ramon winked at Marcy as she held baby Eduardo. They had been trying to conceive for the past three months. And from the loving way Marcy gazed at the baby, he knew they'd have to try a little harder.

When lunch was over, everyone gathered in the living room. During a lull in the conversation, Armando got everyone's attention.

He and Katie shared a long look, then Armando said, "We're expecting."

Cara gasped and rushed to Katie to give her a hug.

It took Ramon a moment to realize "expecting" meant "expecting a baby."

Marcy, sitting next to him on the sofa, choked out a sincere, "Congratulations," but Ramon thought he detected a hint of sadness in her voice.

With everyone else in the room talking at once, Ramon put his arm around her, drawing her close. In her ear he whispered, "What's wrong? You want a baby?"

She sighed. "I don't know. Maybe I do."

Ramon's heart raced. He'd been trying to talk her into this for months, but she thought they needed to spend more time alone as a married couple before starting a family. He watched her stand, then congratulate Katie and Armando. Then he got up to congratulate them himself. Katie produced a stunned gasp when Ramon smiled and kissed her on the cheek for the first time, ever.

Armando went on to say that they wanted to announce it weeks earlier but with the stress of Henry's situation looming over them, it never seemed like the right time.

Isaac patted Ramon's leg, a look of worry on his face.

Ramon knelt down to him. "What's wrong?"

Isaac looked around at all the adults talking in the room, then whispered, "Will she have a boy and a girl like Mommy did?"

Ramon said, "I don't know. It's probably too soon to tell."

"Hmm." Isaac stared across the room at Katie. "How's a baby get in there, anyways?"

Ramon chuckled and told him the same thing he'd told Isaac after the boy learned Mommy was pregnant months earlier. "You should talk to your Daddy about that."

Isaac shrugged, his eyes wide. "I did but I have new questions."

Ramon smiled. Over the past few months, Isaac had learned to read, his speech improved, and he seemed so much more responsible.

As Ramon watched Marcy talk to Katie, he knew he had to talk her into trying for a baby. The way he saw it, life was short and kids grow up too fast. He'd already spent too long with the stress of work weighing him down. It was time to start living life to the fullest.

And to Ramon, that meant having children.

* * *

They had been trying to conceive for three months when Marcy sat on the toilet with the door closed, holding the pregnancy test in her hands.

Ramon stood in the hall. He knocked on the door, then said, "
What's it say? Don't read it without me!
"

But Marcy read it without him. There was only one line. She wasn't pregnant. With a sad sigh, she said, "Bad news. Sorry."

She threw the pregnancy test in the trash, washed her hands, and went out to the hall.

Ramon gave her a big hug. "It's okay. It's only been three months. Can't expect a miracle."

She mumbled against his chest, "I know but it's discouraging."

He kissed the top of her head. "It's all right. We get to keep tryin'. Can't complain about that." He laughed.

***

Another year passed by. Marcy stopped buying pregnancy tests four months earlier because she grew tired of the disappointment. And as if she didn't already feel like a failure, she'd just learned that Cara was pregnant… again.

Marcy stayed up that night, wondering if it was her fault they couldn't conceive. She and Ramon both knew it was time to call a doctor, but she was afraid of what the test results would say. With tears in her eyes, she lay in bed staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep.

Ramon rolled over and asked in a soft, scratchy voice, "You all right?"

She sniffled. "Yeah."

He put his arm around her, pulling her close. "Don't lie to me. What's wrong?"

She wiped her eyes with the sheet. "I'm sorry we…" Her voice trailed off. She took a deep breath to keep herself from crying.

Ramon nuzzled her temple. "Shh. Don't apologize. It's not your fault."

Weakly, she answered, "It might be. You don't know."

"Don't talk like that. We'll go the doctor soon and get it straightened out."

Marcy broke into sobs.

"Oh no…" Ramon whispered, tightening his embrace. He held her head against his shoulder. "It's okay. I know it's hard, with Cara bein' pregnant again, but—"

Marcy inhaled a trembling breath. "Why's it so easy for her? It's not fair."

"Shh." He stroked the back of her head. Then he stopped. "You sure you're not pregnant now? You never cry like this. Maybe it's hormonal."

She huffed, wiping her eyes as new tears flowed. "Yeah, right. I'm not late. I'm just sad."

"Hmm. Well, maybe you should take a pregnancy test in the morning. You never know." Ramon yawned. In seconds he was asleep, his arm draped around Marcy's waist.