Ace (Book 1)

Chapter 13. You Broke Me

"Hi, Mom," I said.

"Aria," Mom said stiffly. Mom looked at Tina.

"I'm going to bow out," Tina said. Tina walked out and closed the study door behind her.

Carlos rose out of his chair. "Tammy, why don't you come and sit?" Carlos gestured to the couch.

I stood up and put the chair back.

"No," Mom said. "What have you done, Carlos?"

"More like what did you do, Mom?" I snapped.

"You don't know him like I do, Aria," Mom hissed.

"You mean that he is the leader of a Latin King? I've been made aware. I also know that he runs many successful legit businesses. I've learned a lot about Carlos. Did I mention that he isn't abusive like Jim!" I spat.

Mom gaped at me.

Carlos muttered a curse word under his breath and plopped back down in his chair.

I turned to Carlos. "Sorry I didn't tell you."

Carlos nodded. "You didn't need to. Ace told me."

"Who is Ace?" Mom asked. She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Aria's boyfriend," Carlos said.

I opened my mouth to say that Ace wasn't my boyfriend, but there was no other way to put it, so I closed my mouth. "Why didn't you tell me that Jim wasn't my dad?"

Mom sighed. She walked closer and sat down on the couch.

I sat down beside her.

"How did you find out?" Mom asked.

"Answer my question first," I said.

Mom leaned forward.

Carlos leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. Carlos stared at my mother, wanting to know the answer as much as I did.

"It was a petty reason. Carlos hurt me, and I thought if I hid you from him that it was hurting him, but I realized after a few years went by that I was hurting you too," Mom said to me. "I was young. I made a stupid mistake. I wanted to tell you when you were about ten years old. I tried to talk to Jim about it, and he beat me pretty badly for it. He said he didn't want you to know."

"Hurt you how?" Carlos arched a brow. "By telling you who I was? I broke the rules telling you that shit, Tammy. It could have gotten me in trouble or dead."

"That's not why I left. You should know the real reason," Mom snapped.

"Mom, what are you talking about?" I asked.

"Carlos told me about the Kings. I told him I needed time to wrap my head around it. It took me a week or so, but I decided that I wanted to be with him, regardless. I went looking for him and found him at a restaurant with some other girl," Mom said and shrugged. "So, I left. I took off to Nevada to my aunt's house. I found out a week after I got to Nevada that I was pregnant, and a few weeks later, I met Jim."

"What?" Carlos scoffed. He stood up and leaned over his desk. His gaze locked with my mom. "That is a bunch of shit. I was never unfaithful to you!"

Mom stood up and glared at him. "I saw her and you."

Carlos thought about it for a moment. "No," he said. "Maybe you saw me with someone, but whoever she was, she wasn't a girlfriend or anything close. A relative, or a friend, perhaps, but I never cheated on you. I can't believe that after five years and that I trusted you with such a deep secret that you would even think that I would–" Carlos stopped and scoffed.