Blindside (A 5th Street Short) Read online

  Books by Elizabeth Reyes

  Desert Heat

  Defining Love

  Moreno Brothers Series

  Forever Mine

  Sweet Sofie

  Forever Yours

  When You Were Mine

  Always Been Mine

  Romero

  Making You Mine

  Tangled—A Moreno Brothers novella

  5th Street Series

  Noah

  Gio

  Hector

  Abel

  Felix

  Fate Series

  Fate

  Breaking Brandon

  Suspicious Minds

  Again

  Rage

  His to Guard

  Uninvited

  Boyle Heights Series

  Lila

  Beast

  Nine

  Looking Glass Series

  Girl in the Mirror

  We Were One

  BLINDSIDE

  Elizabeth Reyes

  Blindside

  Elizabeth Reyes

  Copyright © 2020 Elizabeth Reyes

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Formatting by Theresa Wegand

  Table of Contents

  Episode One

  Episode Two

  Episode Three

  Episode Four

  Episode Five

  Episode Six

  Episode Seven

  Episode Eight

  Episode Nine

  Conclusion

  Next Up in the Boyle Heights Series!

  About the Author

  Episode One

  Roni

  Glancing down at her smartwatch, Roni tried not to be impatient. Noah would be there as he promised. As much as she hated to admit it, she’d been a wreck ever since she’d begun to suspect little Jack might be autistic. Noah had been so quick to dismiss her concerns about it; he’d almost been angry. Not that he’d be mad at her for suggesting it, he just said she always read too much into everything. Especially when it came to their son who she worried way too much about.

  “Mrs. Quintanilla,” the young girl who’d checked Jack in for his appointment smiled when Roni looked up. “Dr. Hidalgo can see you now.”

  “Oh.” Roni straightened out in her seat but hesitated to get up. “But I wanted to wait for my husband to be here so we could both be present during the evaluation. He should be here any minute now.”

  “Well, in that case, you can go on in and get started with the interview part of the process. It’ll be a while before he gets to the actual screening part with little Jack. I’ll let your husband in when he gets here.”

  Still hesitating, Roni stood up, motioning for Jack who was playing at the busy board table with a few of the other waiting patients. “Come on, baby. Our turn.”

  Jack pushed a few more buttons and turned a few knobs on the activity table before making his way toward her. Holding Jack’s hand with one hand she pulled her purse strap over her other shoulder and texted Noah to find out where he was. A few seconds later, he texted back to say he was just a few blocks away but as usual the Los Angeles traffic was brutal. Still, he assured her he’d be there in a few minutes.

  The moment she walked into the doctor’s office he was on his feet behind his desk. It surprised her that he did look like his online photo when she did her research on pediatric developmental behavioral specialists. After doing the math on how long he must’ve gone to school for plus the fifteen years of experience his website boasted, she’d assumed he had to be pushing fifty and the headshot on his website hadn’t been updated in a few years.

  Despite being completely bald—but the kind of bald that was by choice—this man didn’t look a day past forty, and even that made her nervous. Experience was by far what weighed heaviest on her choice. Trying not to frown, Roni remembered reading online that some doctors included their residency as part of their years of experience.

  “Good morning. Come on in.” He peered at her for a moment before reaching across his desk and shook her hand. “I’m Dr. Hidalgo, but please call me Mateo.”

  “Nice to meet you.” After shaking his hand, Roni took a seat in front of his desk. “I’m Veronica, Jack’s mom; my husband is also on his way.”

  Mateo nodded before bringing his attention to Jack who stood next to Roni’s chair, still holding her hand. “Hey, little guy, you must be Jack.”

  Jack leaned into Roni, turning his head away and resting it against her arm. Roni’s stomach bunched with worry. “He doesn’t talk much yet.”

  Nodding, the doctor glanced down casually at the open folder he’d been reading when she walked in and took a seat. “He’s two?”

  Refraining from wincing, Roni nodded, rubbing Jack’s back. “Well, two and three months now.”

  The doctor glanced up and smiled. “Is that what worries you, Mrs. Quintanilla? That he’s two and three months, and he’s still not speaking much?”

  “Uh,” Roni cleared her throat, feeling a little silly but determined not to have her worries undermined. “You can call me Veronica err—Roni actually.”

  “Roni?” Strangely, that had his eyes brightening.

  “Yes, it’s uh... what everyone calls me.” She cleared her throat, anxious to explain herself. “But yes and no. I mean at his age I feel like he should be saying a little more. I know kids younger than him that do. But there are other things. It’s all in there.” She pointed at the folder in front of him. “I filled out that long questionnaire and explained at length all the things that as a whole have me here today.”

  “Fair enough.” Mateo held her gaze for a moment before looking back down at the folder. “First of all,” he said without looking up. “Let me assure you that not speaking in full sentences or having a very limited vocabulary at his age is perfectly normal, especially for a boy. They’re usually a little behind girls when it comes to this.” He looked up at her and their eyes met again. “You should never compare him to other kids, by the way. It’s the worst thing you can do.” The sudden warm smile coupled with the twinkle in his welcoming eyes eased the tension Roni had begun to feel again. “For your own sanity that is. No two kids are alike, not siblings or even twins. You’ll drive yourself nuts if you compare.”

  A few minutes into his interviewing Roni about her biggest concerns, there was a knock on the door. The door opened with the same smiling girl who’d walked Roni in and Noah behind her.

  Mateo and Noah exchanged greetings as Noah took a seat. Once settled in, the doctor caught Noah up a little with what he and Roni had been discussing. They got through the interviewing part fairly quickly. Though Roni wasn’t thrilled about most of her concerns being blown off. It seemed everything Roni threw at him, Mateo dismissed as normal toddler behavior.

  It wasn’t that Roni was hoping Jack would be diagnosed with autism. She’d just read that, when it came to autism, is was imperative to act quickly. If caught early on, some of the behavior could be reversed before it was too far gone. At the very least they could get started on the aggressive
therapy that would be needed sooner rather than later. She’d hate to waste precious time on possible misdiagnoses.

  Midway through the screening, Noah seemed distracted by his phone a few times until Roni finally turned to him, arching a brow in question.

  “I’m sorry, babe.” He turned to Mateo. “I apologize, doctor. Seems we’re having a bit of a crisis down at my gym.” Turning his attention back to Roni, he frowned when his phone buzzed again. “Gio is supposed to be meeting with those guys who flew in from Colombia, but Bianca took a spill on their staircase today, and he’s in the ER with her now.”

  Roni’s jaw dropped as Noah went on to explain why they couldn’t get a hold of any of the other owners. They all had good reasons. Most were out of town and Gio was in the hospital with his wife. It’s why Roni couldn’t even fault Noah for checking his phone during what was beginning to feel like his son’s not-so-necessary autism screening.

  “It’s not necessary that you be here for the rest of this.” Mateo sat back in his chair. “I can’t make a full assessment yet, but at this point I’m not feeling too concerned. If you need to go, we can finish up without you, and Roni can bring you up to speed with anything you missed.”

  Noah, who’d been reading something on his phone, glanced up at the doctor but said nothing. He turned to Roni with a strange expression and she had a feeling why. He was feeling guilty about considering leaving. “Go ahead and go, babe. I can finish this out today, and you can come back with me next time.”

  “Next time?”

  “Yes,” Mateo explained. “We do the screening in two parts. Next time I see him we’ll do some cognitive testing.”

  After further explanation, Noah took them up on the offer to leave and rushed out. It wasn’t long before they were finished with the screening. A good thing too, because Jack had begun to get a little testy.

  As he’d done earlier, Mateo held Roni’s gaze only longer this time after shaking her hand good-bye. “I’m sorry.” He shook his head when he realized he hadn’t let go of her hand either. “You look so familiar. I’ve been trying to place where I’ve seen you before ever since you walked in here. Have we met before?”

  Roni took him in a little closer then shook her head. “I don’t believe so, but maybe you’ve seen me at 5th Street?” Roni offered. “The boxing gym in East LA? My husband and I are part owners and we spend a lot of time there.”

  “No.” He shook his head. “I don’t think I’ve ever been.” Pressing his lips together and looking a little frustrated, he shrugged. “Maybe by the time you’re back it’ll come to me.”

  Without further comment, Roni was out of there. It wasn’t even until the long ride home in traffic, and after pondering her day, that it dawned on Roni. She’d been so caught up with her concerns over Jack she hadn’t given it much thought, even when Mateo asked if they’d met before. Come to think of it, he had looked a little familiar to her, even when she’d first seen his photo online. Great now it was going to drive her crazy until they figured it out.

  Episode Two

  Noah

  For the third night in a row, Noah was indulging in one of his favorite things to do. It was partly because he could never get enough of Roni, but he also knew guilt had a lot to do with it. He’d known for months now about Roni’s growing concerns over this whole possible autism thing. That appointment was important to her and not only was he late to it, but then he’d bailed on her before it was over. She’d seemed genuinely fine about it, but Noah couldn’t help wanting to make up for it somehow.

  Each night since the day of the appointment, he’d volunteered to get Jack in bed a little earlier than his normal bedtime. When he was sure little man was out for the count, he’d crawled into bed with Roni and started things off this way. Now here he was kissing her trembling inner thighs as he worked his way up to the real treasure. Tracing the tattoo of his name on her inner thigh with kisses, he made his way up slowly.

  Try as he might to take it slow, Noah could hardly wait to get there. After a few lingering moments more of his teasing his way there, he finally slid his tongue up and down her wet slit. Damn the sweet taste of his beautiful wife would never get old.

  Roni exhaled loudly, arching her back as he slid his tongue in and out and up and down her wet folds slowly. Using his fingers to spread her, he exposed her perfectly engorged clit. She was so ready for him. Last night he’d tortured her a little, but tonight he was too damn horny and would need to be in her soon, so he moved it along faster. Taking her clit between his lips, he drummed the tip of his tongue against it, making her moan in the process.

  Oh yeah, she’d be there much sooner than last night. Smiling as her body began that undeniable quivering, Noah went in for the kill, devouring her clit and sucking softly as she cried out again and again. Giving her a break because he knew how sensitive she could be when she climaxed this hard, he lapped her softly with his tongue as she came down from her orgasm.

  As her breathing calmed, Noah kissed her one last time before glancing up from between her legs. “Good?”

  “Heaven,” she said breathlessly. “As always.”

  Despite his rock-hard erection, Noah moved up and snuggled next to her. He’d give her a moment to recover before going in for his.

  “I love you,” she said, turning to him, eyes closed and still trying to catch her breath.

  Her phone dinged, but she didn’t even move. Noah glanced at her lit-up phone screen on the nightstand. “Is someone calling you?”

  “Um?”

  Noah smiled when he turned to her and saw her eyes were still closed as she continued to enjoy the afterglow of her climax. He nuzzled her neck, kissing just under her chin softly.

  Roni turned to him, touching his face and pecking him several times. “I’ll be right back.”

  Searching her eyes for a moment, he didn’t even have to ask before he smiled. She had to go the bathroom. He backed up a little to give her room to get out of the bed. Unable to help himself, he rubbed her naked ass as she got up. “Make it fast.”

  “Oh, I will,” she said with a sultry smirk.

  Noah groaned, lying back down onto the pillow. Roni’s phone dinging again got his attention. It was almost nine. She usually didn’t get calls or texts this late. Curiously, he leaned over and read the text preview still lighting up the screen. He’d begun to concur it was likely advertising. She often got texts from stores she frequented, letting her in on deals they had going on. The number the text came from wasn’t labeled the way all her regular contacts were. It was just a number and a message. But then the tail end of the text had him doing a double take.

  Didn’t mean to spook you!

  Reaching for the phone, Noah was about to click on the message when his very naked wife walked back in the room. She climbed into the bed and under the blankets. “Are you on the phone,” she whispered.

  “No, this is your phone.” He waved it at her but didn’t care about the text anymore now that he had her naked body back next to his. “You got a text.”

  Noah put the phone back on the nightstand and slid under the blankets with her, wrapping his arms around her and inhaling deeply.

  “From who? She ran her fingers through his hair as he began kissing her neck.

  “I dunno,” he mumbled, sucking her neck a little harder. “Someone who didn’t mean to spook you.”

  “What?”

  Roni pulled away, but Noah held her. “Leave it,” he murmured, sliding his hand down the side of her thigh. “You can get it later.”

  “I’m curious now.” She pulled away again, and this time Noah obliged, grudgingly letting her go. “Spook me?”

  Waiting, not so patiently, Noah played with her fingers while she reached for her phone with her other hand. He watched her questioning expression as she tapped at her screen a couple of times until her furrowed brows eased up with what looked like understanding.

  “It’s Mateo.”

  Noah’s fiddling fingers against he
rs froze instantly. “Who?”

  She turned to him and smiled. “Dr. Hidalgo. Jack’s doct—”

  “I know who Dr. Hidalgo is,” he said, searching her eyes but trying his damnedest to not overreact. “Since when is he Mateo and why’s he texting you?”

  Roni tilted her head with a smile, lacing her fingers through Noah’s. “When I was at his office the other day, he said he’d spent the whole time trying to figure out where he knew me from. His first text.” She held up the phone so Noah could see. “Just asked if I went to ESU. That it’s where he thinks he knows me from. But he was right. From that text alone, I wouldn’t have known who the text was from since I don’t have his personal cell phone number in my contacts. So, he followed up with another text letting me know this was from him—Mateo—and that he didn’t mean to spook me.”

  Holding, his wife’s gaze for a moment, Noah refrained from frowning as he reached his hand out and she handed him the phone. He read the two texts to himself.

  ESU! That’s gotta be where I know you from. It’s been driving me insane. Did you go there?

  Insane? Clutching the phone a little tighter and swallowing back the annoyance, Noah read the next text.

  This is Mateo btw. Forgot you might not recognize the number. Didn’t mean to spook you!

  The texts were a reminder of something he hadn’t even thought about since he’d rushed out of that doctor’s office days ago. Glancing up at Roni, Noah peered at her. “That day at his office he called you Roni. You know this guy outside his office?”

  “No.” She shook her head then shrugged. “When we were discussing Jack, it felt a little too formal to hear him call me Mrs. Quintanilla, especially after he’d insisted I call him by his first name. So, I told him to just call me Veronica, or better yet Roni, since it’s what everyone calls me.”

  “And now he’s texting you?”

  Roni’s brows furrowed. “Babe, it’s the first I’ve heard from him since the visit. It’s the last thing we discussed before I walked out that day.”