Chapter 32
Chapter Thirty-Two
What just happened? Did he seriously just get the charges dismissed? I turn to my mom, who has been clutching my hand the entire time we’ve been sitting here, or I’ve been clutching hers. I’m not sure.
Either way, I need someone else to confirm what I just heard.
“What happened?” I ask aloud.
“He’s coming home, sweetheart,” she whispers.
“Today? What happens now?” There’s a bit of commotion at the front. The prosecutor isn’t happy about the turn of events and he’s approached the table Emilio is sitting at. I don’t hear what he says, but I watch as he gets dragged away.
“I don’t know what happens next,” Mom admits. “But the charges were dismissed. I imagine that means he can walk free.”
Emilio is talking to his lawyer. I want to go up to him. But I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do. “Tío E, can I go up there?” I lean over my father and look over at my uncle.
“They’re going to take him back. He needs to be processed out. There’s paperwork that has to be done, but he is coming home today,” Tío E explains.
“Well, if they don’t want me up there, they can tell me.” I slide out of my seat and slowly make my way to the front. Emilio turns and watches me approach, a smile on his face.
His lawyer stands and comes over to me first. “You’ve got one minute. There’s paperwork and processes to follow.”
“Thank you for getting him out.” I hug Mr. Valentino. He stiffens slightly but returns my embrace.
Then I make my way over to Emilio and fling my arms around his neck.
“I’m so sorry,” I whisper into his ear.
“You have nothing to be sorry about, Mrs. Lopez.” I can feel his smile against my neck.
I pull back. “That’s a little weird, but I don’t hate it.”
“Good, because there are no take-backs. You’re going to be my wife for the rest of our lives.”
“And you’ll be my husband.” I can’t wipe the grin off my face.
“Okay, we have to go.” Mr. Valentino steps up to us.
“I’ll see you at home soon,” Emilio tells me.
“Okay, I love you.”
“Te amo,” he replies.
I make my way back to where our families are waiting. Elias is the first to come up to me. He rests an arm on my shoulder. “Don’t worry, sis. He’s going to be home annoying the crap out of all of us in a few hours.”
“Yeah, he is,” I agree. “Thank god.”
“So, where are you two going to live?” Elias asks.
“Huh?” I look over at him.
“Married people generally live together, Frankie. Where are you thinking?”
“Um, I didn’t think about that,” I tell him. “We’ve only just started dating. We’ve never lived together. Oh god, what if we don’t work?” I start to panic.
“Please, you two are going to be sickeningly loved up and you’re going to work. Emilio isn’t going to let you get away,” Elias says.
“Come on, let’s go home.” My dad pulls me out of Elias’s hold and guides me out of the courthouse. “I’ve found you a house,” Dad tells me.
“A what?”
“A house.”
“Why?”
“You need a new place. I don’t want you going back to that apartment building, and now that you’re… Well, you know, you and Emilio… Anyway, I figured you could use a house. It’s close but not too close to home. I know how much you want your independence.”
I try not to laugh at the fact my father can’t say that I’m married. Buying us a house, though? That’s his way of showing his approval, or acceptance of the situation at the very least.
“Thanks, Daddy.” I wrap my arm around his back.
“I would do anything for you, princess,” he says.
“I know.”
“The house won’t be ready for a couple of weeks. Until then, you can either come back home or stay at the Lopez compound.”
“Well, I am a Lopez now.” I smirk.
“Don’t remind me,” Dad groans.
“Hey, you doing okay?” Aunt Evie walks into Emilio’s room.
“I’m good. You? Actually, I’m anxious and getting impatient. Why isn’t he back yet?” I whine.
“I know the feeling.” She sits on the edge of the bed.
“I know that you marrying Emilio didn’t come about in the traditional sense, but I wanted to make sure you know that I have always loved you like a daughter, and I couldn’t think of a better partner for my son.
I’m really happy that you guys are together. ”
“Thank you. I really do love him. A lot.”
“I know,” she says.
“And I’m sorry that I got him into this mess.”
“Oh, sweetheart, what happened is not your fault.”
“It kind of is. If I didn’t stab that guy, Emilio would never have been arrested.”
“If you hadn’t, god only knows what would have happened. Either way, that guy would have ended up dead, Frankie. There’s no point dwelling on things we can’t change. What we can do is look forward to the future.” My aunt smiles.
“You’re right. My dad bought us a house.”
“I saw. Is that what you want? To stay in Vegas?”
“I don’t know. I need to finish school. But after that, I’m not sure,” I tell her.
Emilio’s family spends most of their time in Mexico. He’s going to want to be close to them. But can I see myself living in Mexico? I’m not sure.
“Okay, well, you guys are young and have all the time in the world to figure it out.”
“Thanks, Aunt Evie.”
“Might be time to drop the aunt.” She laughs. “It’s going to confuse my grandbabies when you give them to me.”
I cringe. Oh god, please do not curse me with having kids anytime soon. I’m on birth control so I’m not worried. But still…
“Like you said, we’re young. That’s not happening for a long while. Best be working on one of the other boys.”
“I know, and it’s your life, Frankie. Don’t let me or your mom pressure you into anything you’re not ready for.” Aunt Evie stands. “I will say miracles happen when they’re supposed to happen, though. Love you, and I love that there’s another Mrs. Lopez.”
“Thank you.”
An hour later, the bedroom door opens again. And this time, it’s finally the person I’ve been dying to see. Emilio shuts the door and I jump off the bed. I run over and fling myself at him. My legs wrap around his waist, my arms around his neck as tight as they possibly can.
“Shit, babe, if this is the welcome home I’m going to get, I should go to jail more often.”
“That’s not even remotely funny, Emilio. Don’t joke about that. I never want you to leave me like that again.”
Emilio smiles wide. “You kinda like me, huh?”
“I love you. I wish we didn’t waste so much time. I wish I didn’t waste so much time being scared of what everyone else would think about us. I should have just gone with what I wanted,” I tell him.
Emilio walks over to the bed, with me still clinging to him. “I think the fact that you consider other people’s feelings is a good thing, babe. It means you care about our family.”
“But we could have had this for years. Instead, I spent those years being bitchy and distant.”
“And I still kept coming around to get those little snippets of you, how ever I could get them.”
“You kinda like me too, huh?”
“I fucking love you. So damn much.” Lowering me onto the bed, Emilio covers me with his body and his mouth finds mine. Our tongues circle each other, slowly. This kiss is different from how fast and rushed we usually are. “We need a honeymoon.”
“We need to give our parents a proper wedding first,” I suggest.
“Yeah, we should.”
“Also, my dad bought us a house.” Technically, he said he bought me a house, but the specifics aren’t important.
“That’s some wedding gift,” Emilio says. “Wait until my dad hears about it. He’ll probably buy us an entire fucking country somewhere.”
I laugh but then stop. “We should tell him not to do that, because he just might.”
“I don’t know, owning a country doesn’t sound all that bad.” Emilio smirks.
“You really are a spoiled brat, you know.”
“Yeah, but you love me anyway.”
“I really do.”