I settle Santiago for nursing, and Miguel politely looks away—old habits from when I was a kid, and he was the teenage brother trying not to be awkward about normal body stuff.
"You're always going to be my brother," I say softly while Santiago nurses. "Even when you're being an asshole."
Miguel looks back at me, hope and grief warring in his expression. "Even after everything?"
"Even after everything. You're family. That doesn't just stop because you fuck up. Even when you fuck up catastrophically."
"I really did fuck up catastrophically."
"You absolutely did."
"Can we..." He stops, starts again. "Can I be part of his life? Sunday dinners, birthdays, teaching him Spanish? All of it?"
"Do you really want that? Or are you just saying it because you feel guilty?"
"I want it. All of it. I want to be Tío Miguel. I want him to know his family. To know where he comes from." His voice drops. "I want my sister back."
"You never really lost her. I was always here. You just weren't looking."
"I'm looking now."
"I see that."
We sit in silence for a moment. Santiago eating, Miguel watching us both, the weight of five months slowly lifting.
"What happens when your President finds out you were here?" I ask.
Miguel's expression hardens. "I deal with it."
"Miguel—"
"I made my choice, Lena. Family over orders. Whatever happens, happens."
"You could lose your position."
"I already lost five months with you because I followed orders. I'm not making that mistake again."
Before I can respond, there's a knock at the door.
I know that knock. Know it in my bones, in my blood, in the way my entire body responds to it.
Zane.
"Come in," I call, heart suddenly racing.
The door opens and Zane fills the doorway—Iron Talons President cut, cautious expression, ready for anything. His eyes sweep the room, taking in Miguel holding the photo Izzy just snapped on her phone, me in the bed with Santiago, the scene of impossible peace.
"You okay?" he asks me first. Always me first.
I nod, smiling through fresh tears. "Yeah. We're okay."
His shoulders drop slightly—relief. "Cruz," he says, acknowledging Miguel.
"Quinn." Miguel's voice is neutral, controlled. "Congratulations on keeping your Presidency."
Zane's surprise flickers across his face. "Word travels fast."
"Ghost is already talking to other clubs. Including making noise around Coyote Fangs. My President's been asking questions about you."
