31. Sofia
31
SOFIA
C hristmas Eve…
“When can we go?” Ramon asked for the fiftieth time of the hour.
I smiled as Diego shot him a look. “Patience, Ramon. Patience.”
“But it’s Christmas Eve!”
I laughed and squeezed Diego’s hand. We held hands as I rested the best I could in the hospital room. He was never far. Always close. He and Ramon spent the night in here last night, not ready to leave me in case I struggled with any PTSD about being here.
Ramon never whined, but it was Christmas Eve. I couldn’t fault him for wanting us to get out of here. After the roller coaster of emotions from the last night, he had to be ready to crash. He likely needed something bright and positive to look forward to. Even if he hadn’t been kidnapped, rescued, rode a moped for the first time, saw me wounded, and then witnessed the death of the asshole who’d raped me, he’d still naturally be excited for Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. Not for presents, but to be with his family.
Of all times for this to all fall apart, then get pieced back together…
My life felt like a whirlwind this month, but now, things could fall into a new normalcy.
Diego was, as we’d both sort of suspected, a soldier for the Cartel. When Ramon was napping from all the excitement and danger, he filled me in on a lot of the important details. All the personal details he’d lost from the amnesia.
He was right when he said I didn’t have to fear coming to this hospital. First of all, because he was with me and he was my sexy protector. No matter what, especially with all his training and excellence at defense because he was an elite spy and assassin for the Cartel.
That was the other reason I could lower my guard. Diego wasn’t just any old soldier. He was the boss’s favorite, his adopted son. No one would mess with us. No one within the Cartel would challenge him now that Sebastian and Antonio were dead.
I’d needed to come to the ER to help with the bleeding from that cut Antonio had given me. They also fixed my arm, which was broken, after all. But the most important thing that this trip to the hospital taught me was that I really did have a glow. And I really was pregnant. Pamela, it seemed, had a knack for knowing those things, like she’d claimed.
Blood tests revealed that I was carrying a child, and with ultrasounds and multiple visits from the Ob-Gyn staff, I was reassured that the wound I’d received would not cause any issues for the baby. No vital organs were impacted. Nothing like that. It really was a blessing.
I felt overwhelmed and overly spoiled with all the gifts this Christmas. I had my man, my love. My son was safe and always would be. My family was growing with a newborn on the way. And oddest of all, Diego’s boss was hoping to step in as a grandpa.
That sounded like a stretch. I wasn’t sure how I could manage a complete one-eighty to let him into my life like that. I couldn’t imagine going to the compound again or directly speaking to the leader of the man who’d raped me. It comforted me to know that Stefan and Diego hadn’t been in the area when I was kidnapped and raped. They thought that was why it had happened like that at all, because the big boss and his favorite killer weren’t at the mansion to keep tabs on the powerful men within the organization.
Either way, all of it was in the past.
What I looked forward to was the future.
“When can we go?” Ramon asked again, flopping back on the spare bed in my room.
I smiled at him. “Baby?—”
He shot back up, sitting to grin at me. “Now you really can’t call me baby anymore.” He got off the bed to stand next to mine and put his hand on my belly. “Because that is the baby.” His smile softened. “My baby brother or sister.”
I would never tire of hearing the awe in his voice. He would be the best big brother, hopefully to many more babies.
“I don’t think it works like that,” Diego said.
I nodded. “You will always be my baby. You and this one.” I covered his hand with mine.
“Okay.” He sighed. “But when?—”
I laughed. “Ramon, the discharge process always takes forever.”
“It’s Christmas Eve!”
Diego pulled him back so he could sit on his lap. “It is Christmas Eve,” he agreed. “That’s why I had a couple friends pack up your things from home and deliver them to the other house.” He glanced up at me, rubbing Ramon’s back. “I also had them help Juan and his abuela with anything they would need. I owe them many thanks for all their help.”
I smiled at his sexy face, falling in love with him all over again. Each day, I’d learn something new about him, and I couldn’t wait for it. He wasn’t just an elite soldier for the Cartel. He had the wealth and means to provide for me and Ramon, plus our neighbors, in such a way I never could have dreamed of.
It seemed that he’d been debating retiring, and now Stefan was all but encouraging him to. No jobs were waiting for him. His last assignment was to kill my rapist—Antonio. Without the pressure of a deadline or a job, it seemed Diego would focus his efforts on improving all of our lives. No more struggling or working overtime for every penny. No more of Se?ora Vasquez waiting for a hip replacement. No more of Ramon wearing the same tight shoes too long.
Per the video call that I overheard and sort of joined in on, the boss wanted Diego to settle down and focus on a family, not work. He’d worked too hard and so loyally for so long, he was due a change of pace. One day, Diego would fill me in on more of his past, how he’d ever come to work for Stefan. However, it seemed that Diego didn’t want to just quit, either out of loyalty to the man who’d saved his life when he was an orphaned teenager or because he wanted to continue to take out truly evil enemies in the world. The option for a much more relaxed job in LA was there to be considered, but we wanted to take this one day at a time.
And that would start tonight. As soon as I was discharged, we’d leave for a safehouse on the coast. Stefan had arranged for it to be stocked for an extended stay for us. He’d tasked people with decorating it for Christmas. And Diego had the foresight to have our things, including my Christmas décor, delivered to this place so we could still celebrate Christmas. They were supposed to get the wrapped gifts I had in my closet for Ramon, too.
“But if it takes so long to get out of here,” Ramon said, “we’ll have less time at the vacation home, won’t we?”
Diego and I both smiled down at Ramon. “No. It’s only temporary, anyway.” He lifted my hand and kissed my knuckles. “Once your mother and I marry?—”
“I think you’re skipping the part about proposing,” I teased.
“Oh, I’ll get to it.” He winked at me before facing Ramon again. “Once we marry and the baby is here, we’ll find a house to call home. On the beach.”
I smiled.
“With a pool.”
Ramon did a fist pump.
“And all the security we could ever need.” That was Diego’s focus, and I couldn’t help but love him even more. This man might have been “bad” before, as a killer, but he was definitely capable of all the good there could be found in this world.
Selfless. Compassionate. Observant. Generous.
I sighed, wondering how we could have ever come to this peace.
Twenty minutes later, I was discharged.
And another forty minutes after that, we arrived at the most gorgeous beachfront vacation villa I ever could have imagined.
“ This is a safehouse?” I asked in a whisper as he parked. I gazed up at the modern beauty, bracing myself to be spoiled for life.
He smiled and shrugged as he reached in the backseat to get a sleeping Ramon out of the car. While he carried him inside, I checked out the empty but lovely accommodations. I pressed a kiss on Ramon’s head and backed out of the room, wondering how Diego and I would spend the magical stroke of midnight that turned Christmas Eve into Christmas Day.
Standing in front of the tree, I admired the twinkling lights and ornaments. They’d used mine , the ones in my boxes from home. The old homemade nativity scene was sitting on a table, too.
“Merry Christmas,” I told Diego as we stood in front of the tree. I hugged him close, minding my stitches, and kissed him.
“Merry Christmas,” he replied after another deep kiss.
“I didn’t get you anything,” I said. “I didn’t even have the time to make you a card.”
“I beg to differ.” He placed his hand on my stomach.
“Okay. But we made that together.”
He smiled, nodding as he reached into his pocket before pulling out a ring box. “How about we make something else together, too?” He opened it, revealing a beautiful emerald and diamond ring that sparkled under the tree’s lights. “How about we make a future together?”
I nodded, agreeing with his proposal immediately. With my heart bursting with love and joy, I leaned up to kiss him. “We already are.”
I held my hand out for him to slide the ring on, and I sighed, knowing all my Christmases would be as magical and perfect as this one. The one where I found the man I could trust and love forever.