"I'm not asking you to do that. Afonso is a great young man, and I enjoy having him around."
I saw the relief on his face as he lay down next to me. I jumped off the bed to clean myself and grabbed a washcloth to clean him up before I cuddled up to him again.
"Although… we may need to look for a bigger apartment, baby," I said.
"Why? I thought you liked Isaac's apartment," he said with a yawn.
"I love it, but the rooms are too close together, and you're fucking loud during sex."
He chuckled and shrugged.
"Okay," was all he said before he fell asleep.
I smiled and put my lips on his forehead, letting them rest there. Whichever decision he was okay with, moving in, getting a bigger place, or both, I was going to make it happen. Anything for the man that had revived my heart when I'd believed it had been buried alongside my husband three years ago.
I was grateful for the air conditioning in the car because the early summer temperatures were already too high, and the last thing I wanted was to get to the center and smell like I needed a shower. Tiago had been working on the fundraiser for the center for the last few weeks, and today it was all hands on deck for the final touches before the big event tomorrow.
The kids had created art to sell in addition to photographs of the new wall painting they were going to unveil tomorrow. David had worked with the baking group and Bruno to offer catering, and some of the other volunteers were doing crafts to sell, such as bracelets, greetings cards, and other things.
My job was to help out where needed and make sure Tiago didn't work himself up into a state of nerves. Even Afonso, who'd started spending a lot of time at the center, was coming along.
"Don't move," I said as I took out my phone from my pocket to snap a photo.
Tiago's head came out from under the table. He smiled and arched his back.
"You have a great ass, baby."
He chuckled and pulled his T-shirt up, giving me a tease of the jockstrap he was wearing.
"Yours isn't too bad, either," he said as he got up and greeted me with a hot kiss. I had to stop his hands from roaming south of my back because I didn't want to spend the rest of the afternoon with a hard-on, especially now that I knew what he was wearing under his jeans.
"Where do you want me?" I asked.
He quirked a brow, and I could tell what he was thinking but got a straight answer instead.
"See those tables in the corner? They're for the crafts. I need them set up in rows over there." He pointed to where I was going to work and then asked, "Do you want a coffee? David's at the back."
"Sure, I'll come with you. Haven't seen him for a few weeks."
The kitchen was a hub of activity, and I found myself snapping a few photos of everyone dressed in their chef whites before we were spotted. David was coordinating everyone and supervising the making of what looked like hundreds of really fancy mini desserts.
"Why can't I work in the kitchen?" I pouted. "This is where all the good stuff is."
"You're more than welcome to, babe, but David will work you into the ground. Why do you think I'm at the front doing the dirty jobs?" He snorted.
I offered to supply everyone with coffee and started to fill up the water container when I saw Filipe running excitedly toward David who caught him and lifted him up in the air.
"Hey, whatcha doing here? Have you come to help?" David asked.
Filipe rolled his eyes. "No, silly. I'm too small to reach the table, but I can be the boss and tell everyone what to do."
I laughed and high-fived Filipe.
Bruno came in holding a large, clear box with baking supplies, and I stepped in to help him as he was balancing a few smaller boxes on top of the large one.
"Thanks. Mário and Teresa are just behind me with the rest."
The familiar names didn't reach my brain in time to process the information, but I didn't need to, because only a moment later, I saw the two people I never thought I'd see again in my life. My brother Mário and my sister-in-law, Teresa.
