Say Nothing... (The Speak Series Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page A

nods as I press another kiss to his lips and go back into the closet to grab something to change into.

    We pull up to my parents’ house an hour later. Poncho Sanchez “Yumbambe” is playing down the driveway. Ben looks over and smiles at me as I roll my eyes.
    "I'm just going to apologize now for whatever we're about to walk into.” He chuckles as I tug at his hand and walk us toward the front door. We walk inside without knocking. The music is too loud for anyone to hear us anyway.
    I follow my nose to the kitchen where my mom and dad are in full Dancing with the Stars mode.
    " Mija ,” they both call out as I round the corner. Oh, God!
    They reach out their hands to us. My dad pulls me into a full spin. My mother, who is shimmying her shoulders, attacks poor Ben. Oh, what the hell. I give in and start shaking my ass to the music. I look over, and Ben is following along rather well for a frat boy who only listens to Jay-Z.
    The song finally ends, and my sisters are shaking their heads at us, clapping.
    "Hey Ari, he can dance pretty well. He's a keeper," my mom calls out over her shoulder as she goes over to the wireless speaker to lower the music.
    "Thanks, Mom. I think I will." Ben smiles, pulls me into his side, and kisses my cheek.
    The rest of the afternoon goes by like usual. We eat and we chat; only this time, my mom isn't asking if I've found Mr. Right. Today, he's sitting next to me. I avoid all conversation about yesterday's fainting spell. I can tell they're all still concerned, including Ben. So when the subject comes up again, I use the opportunity to excuse myself from the table.
    "I'll be right back."
     

    Ari squeezes my shoulder as she excuses herself from the table. The conversation was flowing nicely until her mother decided to ask again how she was feeling. She's been okay most of the day, even though she seems to be distracted. Her mother waits for her to leave the room before continuing our conversation.
    "How is she doing, really? I'm sorry. The question should be how you are both doing?" she asks.
    "It's okay, I understand your concern. She scared the hell out of all of us yesterday. I've been keeping an eye on her, and she seems fine, just a little distracted. It's been a rough couple of weeks, and she's helped me through a lot. If anything changes, I'll let you know. Deal?"
    "Thank you, mijo . I'm really glad she has you," she says smiling.
    "I'm lucky to have her."
    Ari returns a few minutes later. "Are you ready to go?"
    "The trial starts tomorrow, and I have some laundry to do." I smile and get up from the table.
    "Sure, I'm ready. Thanks again, Anna, for having me over." It's still weird calling Ari's mom by her first name, but I'm afraid calling her Mrs. Muñoz might get me in trouble.
    "Of course, mijo , anytime." She gets up from the table and kisses my cheek then moves over to do the same to Ari.
    "Take care of our baby," Alberto, Ari's dad, says as he reaches out to shake my hand.
    "Always."
    We finish our good-byes and walk back to the car. Ari slumps into her seat keeping her gaze directed out the window. We pull out of her parents’ driveway without a word and head back to her apartment.
    "You good?" I ask, finally breaking the silence.
    "Yeah, I'm sorry. I'm just doing a mental rundown of all the stuff I have to do this week. Just getting a little overwhelmed."
    "Anything I can help with," I ask.
    "No, I got it. You're staying over, right?" she asks.
    "Yeah. Umm . . . I actually wanted to talk to you about that." I look away from the road, and she's staring at me with eyes full of concern.
    "What is it?" she asks nervously.
    "I was wondering if I could stay with you for a while." Her shoulders sag in relief, and she lets out a breath.
    "Of course. You didn’t have . . .” she starts to answer.
    "Wait, I'm not finished," I interrupt. She stops talking, so I continue.
    "I'm not sure what I want to do with my grandmother's house yet. It's weird being there alone. I'll pay