Read Online Lonely Heart by MJ Kane - Free Book Online

okay? Do you want me to call your sister?”
    “I’ll be okay as soon as the Tylenol kicks in. It’s preeclampsia; no big deal.” I waved my hand in dismissal.
    “High blood pressure during pregnancy is nothing to play with.” His voice stern, Antonio rose from the floor and pulled a vacant seat in front of me. “Elevate your feet, it will help.”
    I did as directed, all the while studying him.
    “Adrianna, remember?” He pulled an additional seat beside me and sat down. “There was no one to really help her through. I pretty much went to every doctor’s appointment and Lamaze class.”
    Unable to contain it, I laughed, which caused my head to hurt more. “You’re kiddin’ right?”
    “No. What’s so funny?”
    “You’re her brother…Lamaze? I know fathers who avoid those classes like the plague.” A prime example, Luke.
    “That’s a shame. But like I said; her boyfriend was in jail at the time. Our abuela...excuse me, grandmother, was unavailable, which left me.” He shrugged. “It was an eye opening experience.”
    “Were you there when your nephew was born?”
    “My abuela and sisters handled that department.” He chuckled. “There are just some things a brother doesn’t want to see, if you get my drift.”
    “Ow…” The throbbing in my temple subsided, but spiked every time I laughed or smiled.
    A set of strong hands began massaging my neck. I stiffened.
    “Sorry. There’s a nerve at the base of your neck that alleviates pressure. May I?”
    I started to say no. Luke had been the last man to touch me.
    “It will only take a few minutes.” The expression on Antonio’s face was sincere.
    In need of the relief, I nodded. He adjusted his seat and went to work in silence. It wasn’t long before the pressure in my head subsided even further.
    “Better?” he asked after a few minutes.
    “Yes, thanks.” He stopped; I wished the massage lasted longer.
    “You’re welcome.” He turned his seat back around; we sat in awkward silence.
    My attention went to the dryers as they slowed down. I moved to get up.
    “Let me. What numbers?”
    I started to protest, but a wave of nausea hit me, forcing me to stay put. “Numbers nine and ten.”
    He pulled up a cart, unloaded my clothes, and wheeled them over.
    “Thanks.” Instead of rejoining his family on the other side of the laundry mat, Antonio sat down again, watching me fold. I spied a pair of my pregnancy panties which were two sizes larger than my normal size. Talk about self-conscious. “Are those your twin sisters?”
    His attention averted, he smiled. “Carmen and Catalina, age fourteen and a hand full. Sometimes I feel like a father instead of a brother.”
    I remembered what he said about his mother dying while giving birth.
    Every time I considered going into labor, it scared me. “Do you guys always come to the laundromat together?”
    He smiled. “It’s almost tradition. My father knows nothing about washing clothes. Abuela taught me and Adrianna how after our mother died. We made the twins help out as they got older. Since we moved out, it’s a good excuse for us to get together once a week.”
    “Wish I had family like that,” I mumbled, focusing on the shirt in my hand.
    Antonio inclined his head. “You don’t have nice things to say about your family. My guess is you don’t like them?”
    A cynical laugh escaped my lips. “Like is a strong word. I like and love my brothers and sister. My parents…that’s a different and complex story.”
    “I’m listening.”
    “Trust me, it’s not interestin’.”
    “Kaity, we’re in a laundromat, there’s nothing else to do but talk. Them,” he pointed to his family, “…I know. You, I don’t. You’re interesting. Plus, I like the way you talk.”
    I laughed. “You mean my country accent.”
    “Yes, and I like your laugh.”
     

Chapter 11
     
    Kaitlyn stared at me. “You’re kiddin’, right?”
    “About what?” My grin spread as her green eyes widened,