Chapter 30
chapter thirty
LEO
If I didn’t know where Marisol and I stood when I woke up this morning, I’m even more uncertain now. She spent the drive here singing to the radio and texting Sabrina. There were so many times that I wanted to reach for her hand, to hold it close while I drove, but I don’t know if she wants that.
Aren’t things supposed to get easier with time? Because this is only getting harder.
I thought after last night, we might have taken a step forward, but after sharing what I did about my accident, somehow it seems that we took a step back.
I thought it would help, being honest, letting Marisol in.
Maybe I should’ve kept it to myself, because now it seems like my damage has only pushed her away.
My phone rings in my pocket, and I adjust in my seat to pull it out. I see Miles’s name on the screen, and I accept it as I lay the phone on my thigh.
“Hey, man.”
“Hey, you’re on speaker with me and Marisol,” I say. You have to tell men these things, lest they say something out of pocket.
“Hey, Marisol,” he says through the phone.
“How’re you doing, Miles?” she says, smiling. “Those bruises all healed up now?”
“All better,” he says.
“Good.”
“Hey, Leo. When do you think you’ll next be in town? I know you’ve got a lot on in the city—”
“I’m turning onto Main right now,” I say, cutting him off.
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Add two more settings, princess!” His voice is muffled, like he’s holding the phone away from him as he yells out to Marina. Marisol chuckles from beside me. “Come for dinner,” he says. “Everyone is heading ’round now.”
“Do you want to?” I look away from the road to gauge Marisol’s reaction. She nods with a smile. “Alright, we’ll see you soon.”
* * *
We walk through the front door and are immediately met with noise.
“In your dreamssssss, Deo.” Miles’s voice echoes through the house.
“Don’t fucking tempt him, Miles. I’d like for my child to have a father,” May adds.
I find myself grinning before I’ve even taken my shoes off. These people are home; they’re the ones who helped me heal when I needed it most, and they don’t even know it.
I take Marisol’s hand as we walk down the few steps into the open living space of Marina and Miles’s home. Marina spots us first from her place in the kitchen. She squeals as she rounds the counter and pulls me into a tight hug. “You’ve been gone too long.”
“I know,” I say as I smile over her shoulder. Marina has always been the ballsiest and smartest of all of us, but she’s always had a soft spot for me. That’s not to say she hasn’t told me off for being a dick on more than one occasion, but I definitely deserved it.
When I pull back and look to my side, I see Marisol chewing on the inside of her lip. Marina doesn’t bother saying anything else before she scoops Marisol into her embrace. “It’s good to see you.”
“You too,” she replies.
“Well, look what the cat dragged in,” Miles says as he puts an empty beer bottle down on the counter.
“We were summoned,” I say with a tip of my head as he gets himself a cold one and hands me one too.
“Do you want a drink, Marisol?” he asks.
“No, no, I’m fine,” she says with a shake of her head. “Thanks, though.”
“Sure.” He nods before heading toward the living room. I follow. “Good to see your face, Mr. Marisol Deo.” I roll my eyes behind his back as we file between the couches.
I get warm greetings from everyone, and Isla and May shuffle over on the couch to leave a spot for me.
“Leave my sister in the city, did you?” Rafael asks.
I feel my ears lift in amusement. “No. Your sister is in the kitchen with Marina.” He raises his brows with a nod.
Rafael hasn’t wanted much to do with me since Marisol and I “got together,” but I’ve known Rafael since we were kids.
If he really didn’t want me around his sister, he would’ve knocked a couple of my teeth out by now.
I think he’s still getting used to the idea of it.
I turn my attention to May, who sits beside me with a plate of cheese resting on top of her pregnant belly. “How are you?”
“Ready to be not pregnant anymore.” She sighs. “Do you know how long eight months is?”
A smile takes over my face. “I do. But I’m sure it’s felt like years to you by now.”
“The last week alone has felt like a fucking year.” She shoves a chunk of cheese in her mouth.
Isla leans forward, looking at me over May’s bump. “She’s grappling with the fact that she can’t paint her toenails anymore."
“Why not?” I ask cautiously.
May throws her hands up. “Because I can’t fucking see them, Leonardo.”
Isla just smiles. “Your girl is just getting comfy. She’s growing strong, and that is a good thing.” May grabs her hand as she nods. I hate that I haven’t been around more to help, just to be here for May over the last month.
“It’s a girl?” Marisol asks as she walks in with Marina, who has a tray of freshly baked brownies.
“No,” Rafael says. “Isla is just manifesting.” He punctuates the word with what I would call ‘sparkle hands’ before he stands up and wraps his sister in a hug, saying something low in her ear that the rest of us can’t hear.
“The appetizer, ladies and gentlemen,” Marina says, placing the tray down on the coffee table. Hands reach out immediately. No one here is stupid enough to think there will be any of this left in ten minutes.
When Rafael sits back down, Marisol is left looking around the space for somewhere to sit.
I don’t leave her looking for long, reaching out and tugging her by the hand until she falls into my lap.
She lets out a small gasp, and May and Isla talk amongst themselves as I let my hands hug Marisol’s waist. She doesn’t say a word as she settles into place, sitting almost sideways so I can see the red flush on the apples of her cheeks.
“How is work going, Marisol?” Marina asks as she grabs herself a slice of brownie. “I saw you guys went to Rome for a runway show?”
“It’s going really well, actually,” she says, and I find my hand on her thigh, my thumb rubbing small circles as she talks.
“The fashion show was incredible. It was my first time on the runway all year, and it felt…good.” I note her moment of hesitation, but I try not to read into it.
“I had a shoot last week that started out a little rocky.” She scoffs out a laugh. “But in the end, it went really well.”
“What kind of rocky?” May asks from beside us.
Marisol doesn’t answer right away, and I wonder if she wants to tell them about Jack.
Rafael has always disliked the guy. In fact, most of us who have interacted with him have come away with a bad taste in our mouths.
A prime example is the night we were all there to witness him trying to hook up with May in a nightclub in Sorrento while he was there with Marisol.
I know she doesn’t exactly like speaking about him, let alone to her overprotective brother.
“Jack was there,” she says, and Rafael leans forward in his seat. “It was fine,” she adds with a hand in his direction. “Nothing really happened. I didn’t know he was going to be there, so it surprised me. He tried to throw me off my game a little bit—”
“God, he’s a dick,” Isla spits. Caio smiles a little as Marisol’s eyes widen in surprise.
“He is that,” Rafael adds.
“Too bad it didn’t work, huh?” I say, and Marisol finally looks at me.
Our faces are so close that I ache to reach up and kiss her, but I let my eyes roam her face instead. She doesn’t look away as her tongue darts out, running between her lips before she swallows. My grip tightens on her thigh, and she inhales a breath.
“God, stop it,” May says, her voice cutting through the moment. “You two are so hot, it’s making me horny.”
“We can give you a demonstration if you need a little private time material,” I say, and Marisol’s mouth drops open as she smacks my chest. May cackles like I knew she would, and the plate on her tummy wobbles with the movement.
“Get fucked, Romano,” Rafael sends across the room. But Caio smiles into his drink from where he sits beside him.
“That’s supposed to help with bringing on labor, isn’t it?” Marina adds.
“Watching other people have sex?” May snorts.
“No. Having sex.”
“Not doing enough, Deo?” I fire across the table, and Rafael’s nostrils flare. “Need to put in a few more hours, old man.”
“Shut the fuck up.” He flips me his middle finger, but I can see the smile he’s trying so hard to swallow. So must Caio because he nudges him in his side.
“I’m not opposed,” says May with a smirk in Raf’s direction, and all of a sudden, his gaze darkens.
“Okay, there are too many siblings in this room for us to be talking about sex this much,” Isla says, waving her hands like she’s wiping the conversation board clean, and quiet chuckles move through the air. “Where is Heath?”
“He’s gone down the coast to rescue a few unwanted kids,” Caio says with a shrug.
Marisol’s face drops as she looks around the room. “I’m sorry, what?”
“Goats, not children,” May clarifies.
Marisol purses her lips as she frowns, but she nods. “Got it.”
Marina stands up, moving toward the kitchen, and Miles smacks her ass on the way out. She sends a cheeky grin over her shoulder at him.
“When’s the next match?” I send the question in Miles’s direction.
“Two weeks,” he responds. “If you’re around, I’d love a sparring partner.” Marisol shuffles in my lap, like the single thought of how long we are going to be here leaves her uneasy. I rub my hand over her thigh. “We haven’t decided how long we’re staying for, but I’ll let you know.”
He nods, his lips turning up before he says, “You know, I still own my summer house in the city. I was going to sell it, but…”
Marisol’s hand falls on top of mine as she turns to face me. “I’m going to go see if Marina needs any help.”
“Okay.” I barely get the word out before she’s up and out of the room.
“No pressure,” Miles says. “I’m just saying, I’m not sure how big your apartment is, but the offer is there if you want it.”