“What? No. There isn’t enough room.”
“There would be if you laid on top of me.” He waggles his eyebrows and shoots me a boyish grin.
“And press your back into the bed? Not a chance.”
“Then lie on your side and let me curl around you. There’s plenty of room. Besides, my back only has a few grazes. My clothes got holes in them, and I lost some hair on my arm and leg, but the rest of me was just extra sensitive from the heat. The smoke did the most damage, and as you can see, I’m breathing and talking just fine.”
“Your parents deserve to see you. I’ll consider it once they move you into your room.”
“Fine.”
I rise and stick my nose out of the curtained bay, asking a passing nurse if Alejandro’s parents can come back here. He says yes and offers to get them. Alejandro’s arms snake around my waist, and I feel just as happy as he does that we survived.
“Cover yourself up!”
I attempt to turn in his arms, but he merely gives me a squeeze before letting go.
“If you turn around, you’ll only make it worse, little one.”
He climbs back into bed and adjusts the sheets just in time for his parents to step through the curtains. I do my best to stand out of the way, allowing his parents each to have a side. But the warning in his gaze tells me I better not go too far.
“Fear not, Son.”
Matáis gestures for me to trade places with him, moving closer to Alejandro’s feet, allowing me to hold my boyfriend’s hand. I like the sound of that nearly as much as husband.I can get used to either—both. It’s sweet that father and son understand each other so well, even if it’s embarrassing.
I still feel guilty for what happened, and knowing he’d rather have me closer than his father only amplifies it. However, his father takes it in stride. From Catalina’s expression, I get the impression there was a time when Matáis was Alejandro, and Catalina was me.
“They said I need to be here for at least two days. They warned that I’m feeling far better than I will in a few hours. They put something good in through my IV, but it’s tablets from now on. They’ll keep me for monitoring.Papá, did anyone think to grab my laptop?”
Is this man really wondering about work right now?
“Pablo did. You can have it tomorrow. You need to sleep today.”
“I want to look up a few things. Can I see Joaquin next? I want to run something by him.”
“No,frijolito. You can rest. Your cousin will be there when you’re better.”
“Mamá, I’m not asking him to stop by so we can game. I want him to dig into some stuff.”
My stomach knots as my gaze shifts from parents to son.
“What kind of stuff, Jandro?”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Alejandro
I need to explain my thoughts fast before my parents and Vita lose their shit. My parents definitely won’t want Joaquin coming with me. We’re likely to work for the next few hours, but they’ll want me to nap. I can’t exactly Houdini like I did when I was a kid and didn’t want to sleep.
“I doubt too many people know Cosima and Zorzi are dead. Unless your mother told your father or Don Piero, only she knows what happened to her sister. It wouldn’t surprise me if she told your father. We can use this time to our advantage.”
“Damn it! I need to call my mother back. She probably thinks we’re dead too. I can’t believe I didn’t think of that.”
Vita’s horrified expression makes me feel badly because her attention’s been centered upon me. Even when she waited alone, she clearly wasn’t thinking about what her mother must be going through.
“Call them.”
“I will. Excuse me.”
