Chapter 31
Yara
Izzy had left a few minutes ago, and being entirely alone for the first time since I was locked away in that warehouse did nothing to assuage my anxiety.
Digging my hands under the blanket, I found my stomach, tracing the skin there.
I couldn’t feel a bump, or honestly any evidence that my twins were still in there.
But against all odds, they were. My hand trailed further up to the bandage just under my heart, it throbbed with each beat. But it would heal.
It was a fucking miracle I was alive. That the twins were healthy. I was literally a science experiment.
It’s over. Everything is over. We can just live now.
Except relief didn’t settle around me. Instead, tendrils of unease squeezed my lungs until I could hardly breathe. To distract myself, my attention traced around the room, a metallic bowl next to me catching my eyes.
My reflection was distorted in it, and tears formed as the self-deprecation hit hard and fast. My blonde hair was a short raggedy mess, my eyes hollow and gaunt, my cheeks puffy.
But more than that, my body was in physical pain, my emotions raw and frayed, and I was skittering closer and closer to a full-fledged breakdown.
Will my father always have control over me? Even in his death?
He had filled me with so many incredibly ugly and cruel thoughts that it was difficult to tell which were even mine. And then Daniel had come along to further instill my father’s lessons.
But they were both dead.
And I was alive.
The door opening drew my gaze, and James stood there. His eyebrow furrowed, his lips flattened.
“Can we talk?” he asked carefully, not meeting my eyes.
But the sight of him emptied the chaos inside my mind, my focus solely on him as he quite literally cut through my panic attack. “You promise not to run away?” I asked, haughtily attempting to break the tension between us.
He offered a genuine smile. “That’s rich coming from you.”
“Touché.” Shifting slowly over in the bed, I made room for him, patting the spot beside me. “Did you talk to Izzy?”
He continued further into the room, and for a brief disappointing instance, I expected him to sit in the chair.
Instead, he gently folded himself next to me, wrapping a sturdy arm around my shoulder.
He was incredibly precise in his movements, noticeably focused on not hurting me.
“I did. We spoke a lot while you were unconscious too. She was worried about you. We all were.”
I wanted to be angry at him for treating me so cautiously, but I was nearly broken.
My hand crept towards him, landing on his jeans just above his knees, tracing circles there. “I was out for weeks?”
“You were. But you’re awake now and that’s all that matters.” James sighed, relaxing further into me. “Just being next to you like this calms me. You are such a gentle soul, Yara.”
I contained the laughter that attempted to bubble up, hyperaware of the pain it would cause. “I don’t know about that. I think you might be misreading me.”
James turned to face me, his sage green eyes swirling hypnotically.
“You are the first person I have ever felt this way about. You have healed a part of myself I never knew was broken. You are the first person I have ever fallen in love with. I didn’t know it could exist like this, not until I found you. ”
His confession landed in my gut, a basket of snakes.
“Izzy doesn’t hate me.” I shut my eyes, releasing a shuddering breath.
“She has been my best friend since we met. I was so terrified I would lose her because of this. I didn’t allow myself to hope for a future with you.
But her approval?” Twisting, I stared up at James before reaching for his neck.
I brought him to me. My lips pressed against his.
The connection was instant, searing, electric.
Just as it had been before. “It has changed everything.”
His large, weathered hand came up, cupping my face and he stared into me. “I will not leave your side again. As long as you want me here, I will stay.” He pushed his lips to mine again, this time slowly, fervidly, he deepened the kiss.
My desire bloomed, my legs rubbing together on their own as I ached for him.
He broke the connection, staring down at me. “I don’t want to hurt you, you just woke up.”
I glared at him. “That isn’t fair.”
Quirking his lips, he pecked my nose before falling back to his portion of the bed. “Kazi and Mateo are good men. I’m sorry I questioned their intentions.”
His words weren’t what I expected, and I couldn’t contain the chuckle, wincing as it pulled at my stitches. “What made you change your mind?”
“You might not remember, but Steve appeared and didn’t hesitate before shooting you.
It was Kazi who tackled him to the ground, Mateo who carried you to the car.
They kept you safe without hesitation, they knew exactly what to do.
It was me who was in shock, I saw you bleeding and all I could do was cover it.
But they kept calm, they got you out of there, it is because of them you are alive, that our twins are.
Because of all of them that Izzy is alive too.
And for that? I will forever be in their debt. ”
Happiness—pure and unfiltered—flicked its way into me. I hadn’t realized how anxious I was about the four of us coexisting. About James specifically in this mess that had become my life. Most women dated one man. “Where will we all live? What about your company?”
Kazi and Mateo decided it was time to make their appearance, both filing into the room. One with food. The other with flowers.
“We’re going to be living in Florida,” Mateo advised, setting the flowers down on the nightstand. The huge sunflowers were nearly the size of his hands.
“And when did I agree to that?” I snapped, narrowing my eyes.
“Mateo, you were supposed to ask her,” Kazi admonished, pulling wrapped items from the bag, handing one to me and then another to James. “They had seafood or burgers. After our last mishap with the shrimp, I decided burgers were the safer route.”
James raised an eyebrow in question.
“I’ll tell you about it later.” Eyeing the wrapped burger warily, I was hungry, but I also wasn’t sure if I wanted to eat it.
“Miss Yara, the babies need sustenance.” His tone was gentle, but I refused to meet his eyes.
He is right. I have to take care of myself. If not for my sake, then theirs.
I didn’t hesitate again before digging into the food, I could feel my stomach stretching as I took more and more bites, but I did my best to ignore the feeling and didn’t stop until I was finished.
James took the wrapper, handing me a drink next, helping the straw into my mouth.
Gulping down the drink, I could finally focus back on the men. They were all staring at me. “Why are you telling me we’re moving to Florida?” I leveled Mateo with a glare.
“Izzy will be relocating here as well,” Kazi explained. “In exchange for help in finding you, Emilio requested that we stay here too. But if you don’t want to, we can figure an alternative out. We can just fly out here when need—”
Holding my hand up, I stopped him. “Emilio is pussy-whipped by Izzy, isn’t he?”
I’ll be having a word with Izzy about her man trying to control mine.
Mateo choked on his food midbite.
James spluttered next to me, reminding me again that he was her dad.
Oops.
Kazi’s eyes twinkled in amusement, inclining his head. “He is.”
Mulling over his words and the options, it wasn’t hard to decide.
“Yes, I’m tired of California. I ran there to escape, but there’s nothing left for me to run from.
I miss living near Izzy, and we can keep the company running from afar.
We could even be neighbors! But will that work for you, James? ”
James grunted in agreement. “Steve’s connection had already made the decision for me.
I will be cutting ties fully and shuttering the company.
We’re privatized so there isn’t a board or anything I will need to go through.
I will simply withdraw the equity and utilize the clauses needed to end all the contracts put in place.
He was a silent partner, but I can still use his death as an excuse if I have any legal pushback. ”
“Are you sure?” I asked.
“Yes.” His eyes flicked between Kazi and Mateo. “We all spoke about this, and if you agree to it, the plan is for me to stay home with you, full-time, and help with the twins.”
Realization washed through me. “You’re a parent. You know how to do this.”
James chuckled softly. “It was decades ago, but yes, I was the one who primarily took care of Isobella—of Izzy—when she was just a baby.” His gaze turned unfocused, his eyes glassy. “Some of the best memories I had were the two of us together back then.”
My heart ached for James. I wanted more than anything to take his pain away, to strip away the knowledge that years of Izzy’s life had been stolen from him.
But all I could do was pave the future. Turning to Kazi, I pursed my lips.
“Tell Emilio, Izzy and I are going to be neighbors. We are going to pick out the houses we want, and he is just going to have to accept that. Actually no, I’ll tell him. ”
Giddiness and excitement suffused the air. The future.
We were going to build a future. All of us together.