29. Clara #2
To know we’re finally going to be a proper family, with Zoe and now another child, I realize this is all I’ve ever wanted.
My family is finally complete.
Marco closes the distance between us and the moment his lips press against mine, I feel whole.
I cling to him as he deepens the kiss, and the world around us disappears.
That is, until Rosa’s voice pulls us right back to reality.
“What the hell? Are you two seriously making out in the hospital waiting room?”
We break apart, laughing through our tears, as we look at each other.
“I may have just proposed.” Marco’s eyes are still locked on mine.
Rosa squeals so loudly that Zoe jumps.
“Finally! It’s about freaking time!” She rushes over to us, abandoning a now sleeping Holly in her stroller, before wrapping her arms around us both. “You two are disgustingly perfect for each other.”
Marco flashes me a wink. “I know.”
The steady beeping of the monitors is the first thing to hit me when we enter the room, and the sound alone makes me want to cry.
Andre’s alive.
He’s lying in a hospital bed, pale but breathing.
A thin sheen of sweat coats his brow, and there’s a nasty bruise around his temple, which has darkened to a deep purple. His arm is hooked up to an IV, and another monitor is clipped to his finger, blinking softly.
It’s scary seeing Andre like this, but not as scary as holding my hands over a bullet wound as he slowly bleeds out.
Marco steps in ahead of me, carrying Zoe on his hip. His shoulders are taut, as if he’s bracing himself for the worst, but the moment he sees Andre open his eyes, the shift in his body is clear as he lets out a sigh of relief.
Andre tries to smile. “Well, shit. You two look like hell.”
I let out a strangled laugh, the sound catching in my throat at the sound of his voice.
“We could say the same.” Marco pulls a chair closer to the bed and takes a seat beside his brother. “But at least we weren’t the ones who got shot this time.”
Andre smirks. “Thought I’d take one for the team. You know, keep things interesting.”
Lila is already seated at his other side, holding his hand in a death grip. She wipes her cheeks with the other before pressing a kiss to his knuckles. “You scared the hell out of me.”
Andre turns his head slightly, his smile softening as he looks at his wife. “I know, I’m sorry, sweetheart. But I told you, it’s going to take a lot more than a bullet to take me from my girls.”
Lila’s lower lip trembles as she tries to hold back tears.
His thumb caresses her hand. “I’m not going anywhere.”
She nods.
I can’t even imagine how she’s feeling.
If Marco was the one in a hospital bed with a bullet wound in his chest, I would be a sobbing mess on the floor.
It hits me all at once just how lucky we are.
This could have gone a hundred different ways, but somehow, we’re all still standing.
Rosa slips into the chair in the corner, parking the stroller with a sleeping Holly inside beside her.
I glance over. She’s looking at her brother with wide eyes and a nervous smile.
“Hey, trouble,” Andre says when he notices her.
Rosa snorts. “Please. I’m the calm one in this family now.” Her tone comes off nonchalant, but the emotion is written all over her face.
Andre raises an eyebrow. “That’s terrifying.”
“I’m just glad you’re okay.” She smiles. “Because I swear to God, if you had died, Marco would have gone full Batman and taken out the entire city looking for revenge.”
I laugh as I look over at Marco, who is grinning at his older brother.
He shrugs. “Still might. Besides, I look sexy as hell in black.”
Everyone laughs and for a moment, it feels like we’re not in a hospital, all broken and bleeding in our own ways.
For a moment, it feels like home.
Marco places a hand on Andre’s shoulder. “So… Clara and I have a couple updates.”
Andre’s eyes flick between us, picking up on the shift in tone. “Good or bad?”
Marco shifts Zoe to his other hip to reach for my hand.
I lace my fingers through his. “Good.” My voice trembles a little. “We’re…getting married.”
Andre’s face transforms into a huge smile before it quickly disappears again as he glares at his brother.
“You just had to one-up me, didn’t you? You are such a fucking middle child.”
Marco shrugs. “Wasn’t a competition. But if it was, I would win.”
Andre chuckles, then winces, his hand going to his abdomen as he breathes through the pain. “You’re lucky I’m half-dead right now, otherwise I’d kick your ass.”
Watching the two of them bicker like teenagers has the tears falling once more.
“We also have another surprise.” Marco lets go of my hand to rest it on my lower belly.
Andre’s brows lift as he looks at my stomach. “No…”
Marco beams. “Yes. We’re having a baby.”
Andre rubs his face. “Jesus Christ. You two don’t waste any time, do you?”
“Oh, my god, this is so exciting!” Lila jumps up from her spot on the bed to pull me into a tight hug. “I’m so happy for you both.”
“Our babies will be the same age.” I laugh as I hug her back.
Rosa groans. “Not fair. By the time I have kids, yours will be grown up and won’t want to play with mine”
“You need to have sex to have a kid, and that’s never going to fucking happen.” Marco points a finger at his little sister. “I told you, I’ve already got you a spot at the convent once you graduate.”
Andre chuckles. “I thought I was meant to be the harsh one?”
“You’ve been slacking lately. What with letting a boy come over to the house. What the hell were you thinking?”
Rosa squeaks. “You know about that?”
“I know everything .”
I drift over to the window as Marco and Andre bicker back and forth as if one of them isn’t currently recovering from a near-fatal gunshot wound.
Lila comes to stand beside me, linking her arm through mine as we both look out at the city skyline. “You okay?”
I nod, wiping my cheeks. “Today has just been…a lot.”
“You’re part of this family now, Clara. The De Lucas go big or go home.”
I laugh softly. “I can see that.”
I glance over at Marco, Andre, and Rosa. And something deep inside me shifts.
All of the broken pieces of my past, the wounds that Ben left in his wake… They finally feel like they’re starting to heal.