“No hanky panky, you two” Felix admonishes.
Gabriel huffs out an exasperated breath.
“All right,” Julio calls out, drawing all our attention. “Food is done. Come and eat.”
CHAPTER 21
GABRIEL
After taking Cecilia home, I return to find Julio and Felix inside, waiting for me. “Let’s have it,” I say, taking a seat on the couch opposite them. I know what’s coming, and in a strange sort of way, I’m looking forward to it.
Bringing Cecilia here today didn't make sense. But at the same time, it made perfect sense. They didn’t know she was coming, yet my boys took her presence in stride.
We don’t bring casuals to the house. This is our home. Our haven. But despite what we’ve agreed, Cecilia isn’t casual. Not even close. I don’t know what she is to me yet, only that it’s more. More than I expected. More than I deserve.
“She’s good for you,” Julio tells me.
“She is.” If he’s looking for an argument from me, he won’t find one.
“Too good,” Felix adds.
I grin. “She’s that too.”
“Don’t fuck things up.” Felix quirks a brow.
I throw a pillow at his face, but he dodges it.
“What? It’s good advice.”
Flipping him off, I settle back into my seat. “It’s shit advice and I don’t need it.” The moment he looks away, I hurl another pillow at him. “I won’t fuck this up.” I connect with the left side of his face.
The fucker grins. “Good.”
Julio ignores our exchange, rubbing the back of his tattooed neck. He’s got that look on his face that lets me know he’s contemplating something. Might as well give him the silence he needs to tell us what it is. Catching Felix’s gaze, I dip my chin toward Julio.
He rolls his eyes and pretends to zip his mouth closed before tossing the imaginary key away.
“Has she told you what happened? Who hurt her?” Julio asks.
Well, that didn’t last long. Sucking on my teeth, I shake my head. “No.” Judging by the look on Julio’s face, he’s as frustrated by that as I am. “She doesn’t trust me enough yet for that.”
“You can’t push her.”
“I know.” Doesn’t mean I don’t want to try. “Was it hard like this with Allie?” We don’t talk about it much. What happened to her. Allie’s business is her own to share, but we know the basics. I wish I could have been there for her when it happened. Helped her through it. She’s like the sister I never had. But all of us at once would have been overwhelming for her and she’s always been closest with Julio.
“Yes and no. It was different.” I wait to see if he’ll continue. If he doesn’t, we move on. I won’t ask him to share what he can’t. “Everyone handles their shit differently. With Allie, it was fear that sank claws into her. Fear of being hurt. Of him coming back. Of not knowing who it was or what he looked like. In her mind, every man she came across could have been her attacker. There was nowhere safe.”
I swallow hard, hating the idea of her living like that. Hanging with her now, you’d never guess at all the crap she’s been through. “But she got over it,” I hedge, because like I said, we don’t talk about it. She knows we know, and that’s that.
A cushion smacks me in the face.
“I don’t think rape is the kind of thing you just get over.” Felix dangles the other pillow I threw at him off the side of the sofa. A reminder he has one more.
“You know what I mean.”
He shrugs.
Julio throws his own pillow at him. “Stop messing around.” Turning back to me, he says, “Your girl doesn’t seem to have an aversion to touch or to men. Not like Allie did.”
