Relief crosses his features as he slumps in his chair. “Thank you. You know I’m not replacing you with Cole, right? I love him. He’s my son, but so are you.”
I smile. “I know. I love him too. He deserves a dad as great as you. And I’m excited to have a little brother.”
“You’ll be a great brother. Maybe when you’re up to it, you can come hang out with us? Cole…he’d really love to play with his big brother.”
Biting my lip, I fight the urge to shake my head. As good as it sounds…I can’t live in this room, but I’m terrified of leaving it at the same time, and I don’t want Cole here. He doesn’t need to see me this weak.
Thewantis there. The need to get to know Marcus and Keegan better, to be there for Cole as much as I can with the age gap between us. A part of me that I thought was broken slides back into place a little at the promise of having a family, a real family.
For Carter, for Cole, for Lio, I can and will get better, stronger.
There’s a knock on the door. “Looks like the food’s here.” Carter looks over my shoulder and frowns before looking backto me with a small smile. “Or maybe someone’s got another present.”
Turning slightly on the bed, I find Kail walking into the room with a bunch of balloons. There must be a dozen there in rainbow colors, surrounding a foiled one that’s shaped like a rainbow with clouds at both ends.
“Ignacio wanted you to have these,” Kail says, setting them on the other side of my bed.
“Thanks, Kail,” Carter tells him.
The nurse nods and moves back to the door. I look from the balloons to Carter, biting my bottom lip.
“Wait,” I call out.
Kail turns back around quickly, almost falling over in his haste. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah…I’m fine. I mean, not really, but I will be. Uhh…can you…can you ask Ignacio to come in here, please? If he’s still out there.”
Kail smiles brightly. “Yeah, no problem. Much better than him loitering in the hall.” Kail spins back around and out the door. I have to look at Carter because I can’t watch my love enter the room…or not.
Am I too late?
The thought has my breath catching in my throat. Despite the gift I just got, it doesn’t mean he didn’t just send it to me as a friend. What if…what if he’s decided I’m too much to handle?
I begin to tremble and Carter grabs both my hands. “Breathe, Figlio. You’re okay. Just breathe.”
Distantly, I can hear the door to my room close, and slow, measured footsteps sound behind me. My heart starts pounding so loudly in my ears that it drowns out any other noise.
My vision is blurry as tears streak down my face, and my head swims as I lose my breath.
But when a second set of hands grip my arms, something in me snaps.
I gasp and blink rapidly. Looking up, I stare into warm brown eyes, and more tears fall down my cheeks as I let out a sob.
“Shh. It’s okay, Little One. I’m here.”
Carter pulls away and my world tilts without him, but Ignacio is there, swooping in and pulling me close to him. I latch on, holding him tightly. When he grunts in pain, I try to back away, but his hold on me is firm. We stay there for a long embrace, and my body trembles as I pour all my feelings onto his clothes.
Not just the past week’s emotions, but the months leading up to this moment. From Cristian and Il Padrone being kidnapped, to breaking away from them, and then Lio and I being kidnapped ourselves. All the feelings I’ve had bottled up since the very beginning of this wash over me, and if it wasn’t for the man holding me, I would have drowned.
Eventually, I run out of tears and my shaking stops.
“I’m sorry,” I say, pulling back and looking up at Ignacio. “I didn’t mean to lose it like that.”
“You’ve been holding it in for a long time. I don’t mind being the pillar that holds you up, Little One.”
I give him a gentle smile, knowing I don’t deserve this man. “Ti amo, Ignacio.”
He brushes his fingers across my cheek. “Non ci sono abbastanza parole per esprimere il mio amore per te.”
