“It’s a sign of strength to do it alone,” Emilio cut in. He folded his arm across his chest and fixed his gaze on Mia. “Surely, you’re not scared of a little public opinion after all the stunts you’ve pulled.”
“You won’t be alone,” Luc covered quickly. “All our men will be behind you.”
“Carmen and I will be there,” Emilio said. “Not to pay our respects. We just want to make sure the fucker doesn’t crawl out the grave to haunt us again.”
“You know what, Diaz,” I said, stepping towards him. “I think we’ve got this covered right now.” Emilio’s own issues with Xavier and his own way of running his family were giving him foot-in-mouth syndrome, and before Luc decided to sever ties and Mia collapsed in on herself, it was better that he left.
Emilio lifted his hands and nodded. “If you need anything, you have my number, Luc. Eduardo will be here for the funeral. He’ll be yours until you have no use for him. He’ll be discreet.”
“Does your brother understand the word discreet?” I asked. Eddie Diaz had always been someone who enjoyed flashing his cash and could be guaranteed as being one of the loudest voices in the room.
“He knows what’s on the line,” Emilio replied.
This was how it had been since the moment the news began to spread. The battery on my phone was ready to die a death with how much it had been in use. Allies offering support while Luc and Mia were incapacitated. It was a safety net in case the rest members of the family caught a fever for power. So far, there had been no signs of anyone challenging us. A mixture of Charlie’s legacy, Luc’s temper and Mia’s perseverance to live had most of the family fall neatly in line for the time being.
“He’s more trouble than help!” Luc shouted as Emilio exited the room. Emilio’s response was to stick his arm back through the door and give the far corner of the room the middle finger.
“You have a surprising number of friends for someone who is so grumpy all the time,” Mia said, leaning down to kiss Luc.
I collapsed back into the chair, feet planted firmly apart, and head tipped back towards the ceiling. “I’ve been saying it for years. The fact you’ve stuck around for as long as you have is a testament to the fact that fucking miracles exist,” I agreed, pinching the bridge of my nose.
“You’re a fucking ray of sunshine yourself these days,” Luc said. “What’s wrong with you?”
Slowly, I lifted my head to look at my brother. Mia had perched herself on the edge of the bed and I could see her mouth pucker as she shushed him, trying to teach him some manners.
“I just don’t feel comfortable with her going to the funeral,” I said, putting it out there. “You’re not meant to be stressing over anything.”
Luc moved a hand to her stomach. His frustrations didn’t just stem from the impending surgery and recovery but the fact that once again he wasn’t able to be by Mia’s side through the pregnancy. Mia was still worried, and I knew this as a fact because she continued to ask to pray with me. She never said a word, but she watched me like a hawk as I moved through the beads on the rosary. Neither of them was prepared to lose their child, and neither was I.
I was a long way off wanting children of my own, but it was a weird sensation when Mia handed Link over to me at the hospital. We hadn’t had something worth protecting with our every breath in such a long time. Never been trusted with something so precious. We were reckless and selfish and cared for nothing but ourselves.
When I agreed to be a godfather to their tiny cub, I took every vow seriously. It made sense to me that they’d have more kids. I never thought about them losing any because that’s what we were there for — to protect them. In this case, there was nothing we could do apart from minimise Mia’s stress and attending a funeral of a person who had made her life hell until she’d finally murdered him didn’t sound like it was on that list.
“We’ll be okay,” Mia said, looking at their hands on her stomach.
“I’m just saying that you have a choice,” I reminded her. “You’re within your right to say no.” It might have been stepping on Luc’s toes but there were some things that protocol could be broken for.
I caught Luc’s eye and saw him wrestle with himself. It was easy for me to say. I wasn’t the one with all of the responsibility. Luc wasn’t just a husband or a father. He wasn’t a brother or a boss. He was all of that and more and he needed to learn quickly how to balance it all.
“You have a choice, Mia,” he repeated eventually. Mia had always been the person Luc bent the rules for. From the moment she first got under his skin, Luc had softened in ways he shouldn’t have. “I won’t force you to do anything.”
“I’ll go,” she told us. “It’s what we need to do.”
“This isn’t lunch with the girls,” I said to her gently. How naïve had we been that afternoon when we told her all she’d need to do was throw some parties and get to know the wives better? That moment felt like a lifetime ago.
“No, I know.” Mia sighed and looked at me. “But this is our family, and it needs to be shown that it still has leadership and while Luc can’t do that, you’ve stepped in and now I will. This is what we wanted. All of us. So, no hiding away. It’s one day.”
I wondered how deep her well ran because at every point I thought my sister might run empty, she managed to dig deep and find more. She was a far cry from the woman who’d sat timidly at the breakfast table the first morning I’d seen her.
“I guess I should make some phone calls and make sure everyone knows to close business and be at the house ready for you,” Luc said. He’d want them to be prepared and to know that their only concern that day was Mia.
“I’ll do it,” I said, getting up from the chair and stretching out. “You two spend some time together. I’ll make the calls and head home for a nap. I’ll be back later. Don’t scandalise the nurses!”
Mia laughed and muttered, “You are such a dick.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Mia
