I wish Enzo and I could have stayed in Las Vegas forever, but now I'm back in the real world, and waking up without him leaves an empty pit in my heart. It doesn't help that he's been busy with work all week, so we haven't seen each other, and when we message, I might as well shove a note into a glass bottle, throw it out to sea, and hope it gets to him.

To make matters worse, it's Saturday, and today my family is celebrating the anniversary of my mom being cancer-free. Everyone will be here. Including Kyle who my mom naively invited thinking he's my new boyfriend. He has texted a few times, asking what to bring to the party or what to wear, and each time my phone dings, my eyes light up, thinking it's a message from Enzo. Instead, it's Kyle, and my heart sinks.

After spending an incredible and unforgettable weekend with the man I've fallen in love with, it's hard being without him.

I miss Enzo.

I ache for Enzo.

Groaning, I throw the covers off and sit upright in bed. As much as I want to sleep in, if I don't get my butt to the living room to help my mom clean the house, I'll never hear the end of it. I'm also not looking forward to hanging around Lydia. Her silent treatment has intensified since coming back from Las Vegas, and I don't have the patience to deal with her passive-aggressive bullshit today.

With a stretch and a yawn, I stand and slide my feet into a pair of slippers, then exit my room. Across the hall, Lucas's door is cracked, and I hear muffled voices. My brother has been MIA most of the week. Disappearing before dinner, coming home late, or leaving early, and I'm a bit worried. Usually at work, he's laser-focused, but the last two nights at Penthouse, he's distracted on his phone. Who keeps messaging him? One of the Abramovitz sisters?

Being in Las Vegas made me forget that my brother confessed to being a hitman and at the beck and call of two women who are like the Godfathers of San Francisco.

I hate it.

Take me back to my bubble of bliss with Enzo.

I tap on the door and push through, but freeze when I see Lydia sitting on his bed. They stop talking and dart their attention to me.

"Have you forgotten you're supposed to wait to be invited inside?" Lucas says.

"Whatever." I roll my eyes and back away. "Be a dick."

"Actually, wait," he says. "This tension between you and Lyd needs to end. Right here."

"Says who?" I huff.

"Says me." Lucas points to his chest. "This is mom's special day, and there is no way I will let the two of you assholes ruin it with your petty bullshit."

"No, thanks," Lydia grunts.

"Excuse me?" He turns to her. "Get off your high horse. Stop giving Mara the cold shoulder. Even your kids have noticed, which is not cool!"

"DON'T bring my kids into this." Lydia stands. "Do you even know what Mara has been doing for the last few weeks?"

"Yes, I do," Lucas says. "But you forget she's a grown woman who can make her own choices. Am I happy about it? No. But there's nothing I can do. Besides, you have your secrets too, Lyd."

My wide eyes shift from Lucas to my sister. For one, I'm surprised he's defending me, but learning that perfect Lydia is hiding something? Now that is shocking.

"Lucas," she warns.

"No, out with it!" I fold my arms. "You have your nose all up in my business. Now it's your turn."

"You know what?" Lydia throws her hands in the air. "Fuck both of you! Lucas, you're dating a married woman whose husband is a cop."

"Hey! You promised to keep that between us," he says.

But she ignores him.

"And you Mara..." She shakes her head, hands on hips. "You're sleeping with men for money."

"One man," I correct. "And he's more than just someone I sleep with. We're in love."

"Love?" Lydia looks at me like I'm a child. "Oh, Mara. You don't know what love is, babe. But Lucas is right. You're an adult and can do as you please. So, I'm not looking out for you or covering for you anymore."

"I've never asked you to."

"Ugh!" She throws her hands in the air again. "I'm so sick of both of you. The two of you have your heads shoved so far up your asses that you've never stopped to ask what's going on in my life or if I need someone to lean on. Instead, you're perfectly fine with just taking and taking from me. So, fuck both of you! No more coming to me for advice or to bail you out of trouble."

She storms past me, but I grab her arm. "Lydia!"

"What!?" She whips around and glares at me.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing. Forget it." She wipes her eyes. "It's not like either of you actually cares."

Lydia swings open the door and marches out, leaving Lucas and me to stand here in silence. I want to go after her, but my feet are frozen to the carpet, with words caught in my throat. I refuse to apologize for my relationship with Enzo, but maybe I have been a little self-centered, and I've neglected Lydia. We used to tell each other everything, and have girl's nights, but I've been too busy in my own world.

I turn to Lucas. "What's going on with her?"

"Mom told me that Lyd got an email from her lawyer saying Isaac wants to change their custody agreement. He wants the kids full-time."

"What?" My jaw drops.

"That narcissistic asshole claims he can provide a more stable home for the kids."

"He doesn't even like them!"

"I know, but he's doing it to hurt Lydia. You know how people like him are. They find new ways to manipulate so they can continue their abuse."

"I should go talk to her."

"Wait." Lucas takes my elbow. "What's this about being..." he clears his throat. "Being in love with Enzo?"

"What about it?" I avoid his gaze, but fold my arms, ready for whatever lecture he's about to give.

"Does..." Lucas pauses and stares at our feet with hands in his pockets. "Does he love you?"

I take a deep breath that aches in my lungs with the uncertainty. "Yes. I think he does. I mean, I know he does."

"Has he told you?" Lucas looks up.

"No..."

"Then there's a chance he doesn't." When I furrow my brows and step back, he shakes his head and rests his hands on my shoulders. "I'm not saying it to be mean. I'm saying it as a guy, and as your brother who doesn't want to see you get hurt. When a man like him is in love, he's not afraid to say it."

I shrug away from Lucas. "And what kind of man is Enzo in your eyes?"

"A confident one. A man who snatches opportunities. One that doesn't back down or give up. So if he loves you, he wouldn't let you walk around confused. He would drop the arrangement, and ask you to be his girlfriend. A real girlfriend."

"It's complicated, Lucas."

"No, it's really not."

"Our age difference-"

"Means shit, if he truly loves you," Lucas says.

"Why are you saying all of this?" I wipe my eyes.

"Oh, Mara." He pulls me into a hug. "I didn't mean to make you cry. I just know how men think, and there is no way I would allow obstacles to get in the way of the woman I love."

"Like that married woman, Hazel, right?"

There's a long breath of silence as his arms remain around me, and my head rests on his chest, listening to his heartbeats, but then he finally whispers, "Yes."

"You love her?"

"Yes."

"And she's married to a cop."

"Yes, and he's a terrible man. I want to get her away from him before he hurts her."

I force a laugh. "Why are all of our love lives such a mess?"

"Probably because of the Telenovelas we used to watch with Mom growing up. It gave us ridiculous expectations."

We both chuckle and step back with me wiping my eyes, and Lucas pressing a kiss to my forehead.

"Love you, Mara. Even though you have terrible morning breath."

"What!?" I gasp, and Lucas laughs, so I play-punch his gut. "Love you, too, but you might want to lay off the pan dulce, you fatty."

I leave the room, and despite how dysfunctional we are as siblings, I like that Lucas and Lydia are my solid rocks no matter what. So, I need to make up with my sister today, but I run into my mom in the hallway, and she begins ranting about how no one is helping her get the house ready for our guests. Sighing, I pivot my focus to cleaning.

However, as the day wears on, my father is irritable and not himself. He keeps confusing Lydia for my mom, and Lucas for our uncle Manny. When we correct him, he lashes out. My father isn't the kind to cuss and has always had a gentle way of speaking, but when his memory is spotty, his words become venom. It stresses my mom out and confuses my little niece, Millie. She doesn't understand why Grandpa is so mean, and I'm sad for her.

By late afternoon, everything is set up for my mom's special day, and I can finally shower before guests start arriving. It's mostly family, and a few friends, including mine, yet I'm nervous because Kyle is coming and it feels too intimate.

Enzo should be here tonight.

Not Kyle.

After getting ready, I wander into the living room to join the guests that have arrived. However, with every shadow in my peripheral vision, my attention flicks toward the front door expecting it to be Kyle. When the girls show up, I become distracted chatting with them. We haven't had a meet-up since my return from Las Vegas, so we gossip over chips and dip.

Anika sighs, "Moving in together just feels like a big leap. So, I don't know if I'm ready for it."

"Did you tell Damon that?" I ask.

"No..." She chews on a few chips like a nervous chipmunk. "Because what if I make the wrong decision? I like him a lot, but the moment he suggested we move in together, something inside me churned."

"Uh oh." Delilah's eyes widen, and she almost gets guac all over her cheek as she misses her mouth. "That's not good."

"It's just cold feet," I assure Anika and rub her knee.

Keira nods. "Damon is a great guy. I think medical school has your brain all sorts of exhausted, so you're not thinking straight. I bet deep down you do want to move in."

"Yeah..." Anika teeters her head with a look that I know all too well.

"Listen, 'Nik." I take her hands. "It's ok to like Damon, but not want to make a big commitment. Medical school is tough as it is, and take it from me: you don't want to take on wife duties without actually being a wife. Look at how much time I wasted on Josh!"

"Not wasted time." Anika shakes her head. "Josh taught you what you will and won't put up with. He taught you that you deserve so much better."

"Like Enzo." Delilah grins into her phone as she scrolls. "Did you know he posted this picture of the two of you?"

"What?" My jaw drops when she turns the screen to me.

It's a photo of us at Circ du Soleil, but you can't see our faces, only our legs, and his hand on my thigh, with a caption that says: Great show, but even better company. Under it are a few questions asking who the lucky lady is. Enzo hasn't replied, and my heart is racing. He's never posted a picture of me before or even hinted at being on a date in other posts. What does this mean?

Or maybe I'm reading too much into it...

"So, I'm guessing you guys had a great time in Vegas?" Keira asks.

"Yes it was amaz-" But my words catch in my throat when I spot Kyle walking through the door. "Um... uh..."

The girls dart their gazes in his direction, then back to me.

"Whoa... what's he doing here?" Delilah says.

"Yeah, you need to get us up to speed." Anika snaps her fingers. "ASAP. Like in less than fifteen seconds."

"Long story short, after my car was broken into, Kyle took me home, which was a big mistake because my mom saw him, and proceeded to invite him over, thinking he's my boyfriend."

"Yikes." Anika frowns.

Keira leans in. "So... what is the status between you and Kyle?"

"No status," I whisper. "Especially after my weekend in Las Vegas."

Anika kicks my ankle, so I take it as a warning and zip my lips. She looks up with a big smile spreading across her face in a way that is too sweet.

"Kyle! Good to see you," she says, and sweat accumulates in my palms like a flash flood.

"Hey, ladies." He bends to kiss my cheek. "Hey, beautiful."

"Hi."

"These are for your mom." He smiles and hands me a bouquet.

"Thanks. I'll go put them in water for her."

"I'll come with you," he says.

I reluctantly detach from the group and head into the kitchen with Kyle trailing behind me. Although I avoid everyone's gazes, I know my family's eyes are on us. The last time we had a party, Josh and I were together. Now, we've gathered for a special occasion again, and a new tall white guy is by my side—who I have yet to introduce. I want to avoid it for as long as possible, but my aunts are standing by the stove when we enter the kitchen. They're stirring boiling pots while arguing like a couple of hens. Their words falter when they see us, their eyes growing wide at Kyle, with little smirks stretching across their lips.

"Que guapo," my aunt says to me, bobbing her brow.

"Eso si es un hombre!" my other aunt exclaims. "No como Josh."

"Tía!" I growl.

Now is not the time for my aunts to make comparisons. And while I agree that Kyle is way more of a man than lying, cheating Josh, he doesn't even begin to compare to Enzo—my handsome, sexy, voracious protector.

I miss him.

"It's nice to meet you," Kyle laughs and introduces himself.

He turns on the charm full blast, which my aunts eat up with giggles, and compliment him in their broken English about how handsome he is. I turn on the faucet over the sink and catch the water with a glass vase for the flowers. Having Kyle here is overwhelming, and my brother's words sift in the back of my mind. What if Lucas is right and Enzo doesn't love me back?

All I want is to be loved—to have someone return the equal measure that I give so freely with my entire heart.

Unfortunately, this need, this desire I have, also means that I set myself up for rejection. And it's a very scary thought that I could be investing too much of my heart into a person who doesn't feel the same as me. Enzo made it clear at the pool that he doesn't want titles or see a future together. Whereas, Kyle is right here, showing that he wants more by immersing himself with my family on such an important day. I peer over my shoulder, and he looks so natural chatting with my aunts.

Sure, there have been red flags, but what if I can move past them?

My stomach flips.

Even when I close my eyes to imagine a future with Kyle, all I see is Enzo. He is the one who I picture five, ten years from now.

But Lucas could be right...

However, I don't have time to wallow in these thoughts when my mom enters the kitchen frazzled.

"Mara, have you seen your dad?"

"Yeah, he's outside with Tío Hector."

She goes to the kitchen door that leads to the patio, and looks through the window, then swings it open. "Hector, have you seen my husband?"

"No," he says. "He's supposed to be helping me grill, but said he had to go to the bathroom, and now I'm doing this alone. So, if you see my brother, tell him to get his culo back here."

My mother shakes her head and closes the door, but something is very wrong as panic spreads across her face like an ink drop in water. Sweat accumulates across her brows.

"Mami, what's wrong?" I go to her, and my stomach is already at my feet.

She pulls out her phone. "He's not in the living room or downstairs..."

"Then he must be in the bathroom."

"No! I looked," she barks and holds the phone to her ear. "Ay, your brother isn't answering. Why isn't he answering?"

"Mom." I clasp her shoulders. "Maybe Papi is upstairs playing with the kids."

"What's wrong?" Kyle approaches us with my aunts, his hand going to my lower back.

My mom looks up. "My husband. No one has seen him." Her eyes water and she rubs her forehead. "I think he... I think he wandered off, and his memory has been terrible today."

"We'll find him," Kyle assures, his hand going to her elbow. "I promise."

Without needing to be asked, he goes into the living room and claps his hands to get everyone's attention. He announces that my father is missing, so we need to fan out and search for him. Usually, my brother would be the one to step up and be the hero handling shit, but he left to buy ice over an hour ago. Kyle gives instructions effortlessly, assigning people into groups, and suggesting where to look. Friends and family go off on their assignments, and I watch Kyle in awe as he takes charge of finding my father.

We head out of the house and I weave my arm through his, my heart racing, my eyes searching.

Where is my dad?