Chapter 27
L ucifer kept me company for a while after Kylo left, checking up on me and making small talk. The doorbell rings throughout the house, making me jump.
“You’re okay here, don’t worry. I want you to know that you are a warrior, darling. Kylo said he was bringing something back for you, so I’m sure that’s him,” Lucifer reassures me.
When he leaves the room, I drop my head into my hands and groan, internally chastising myself for being so jumpy. I asked for Ace, but I didn’t think it would be that fast.
A muffled conversation wafts through the door crack, but I can’t make out what they are saying. Seconds later, the door swings open with a bang when it hits the wall and Ace runs into the room, jumping on top of my legs.
“Hi baby, I’m okay,” I coo while trying to get him to sit still. He’s buzzing with energy and only calms down when I wince and he sniffs me. His body makes a bed on my lap, his head laying on my stomach.
He seems to be unharmed and that’s all I care about.
“That dog doesn’t listen to a word I—" Marco stops mid-sentence, mirroring the shock on my face for a completely different reason. “Holy shit, Amaris what happened?” The bags in his hand drop to the floor as he rushed towards me.
After finding out everything that I know, a part of me doesn’t know if I should trust him. The warning he gave me before the party makes so much sense now. But if he was warning me, then surely he knew something.
Who can I trust?
His concern turns to confusion when I don’t respond. I’m probably looking at him like he’s a stranger despite my best efforts to keep a neutral face.
He pulls up a chair next to me and goes for a softer approach. “Hey, are you okay? What’s going on?”
I want to cry when he asks me that. Instead, I outright ask him what I want to know. “Did you know they were using me this whole time?”
His face morphs from confusion to understanding. “I had no idea what Renato was planning. The soldiers were buzzing this morning with hushed whispers about an auction and a party, that was when I found you. Then, Renato sent me away to come here and I told Luc about what I heard. We were trying to figure out all the details when Kylo called us. When we got together, that’s when we fully realized what was going on. But by then, they had already taken you.”
A sad, faraway look invades his eyes. “I checked the whole house and the woods. You were gone and it was actually really fucking scary.”
My stomach churns when I remember the party, that was the joke I wasn’t privy to. All I manage is to squeeze my eyes shut and shake my head.
“What if Renato comes for me again?” I think out loud.
A calm smile grows on Marco’s face. “He will never get the chance to hurt you or anyone, ever again.”
My brows shoot up. “Really? You can’t leave me hanging, what did you do?” I accuse.
“I don’t actually know how long I’m supposed to be here but…” He scoots his chair closer, stopping when Ace growls at him. “I don’t want to leave you like this and you have a story to tell me, too. They’ll come get me out if they really need me to leave.”
“Deal. You first,” I urge.
“Let’s just say, Kylo sent him to the doors of Hell before he was fully dead. The devil had a barbeque last night.” He snickers at his own joke and the action is funnier than the joke itself.
Relaxing fully and releasing the first laugh in hours feels like a weight lifted off me in itself. I knew talking to him will make me feel even better. He is like the brother I always wished I had.
“God, I wish I could’ve seen that,” I say with a sigh.
“Your turn, missy.”
“Well, I got my memory back.” His brows shoot up with that signature boyish grin he wears.
“Am I talking to the authentic Amaris Santos right now? You definitely have to fill me in now.”
And I do, starting from the very beginning. I tell him about my parents and how I hated Kylo when I first met him. Then, I tell him about what my parents told me and how I wanted to kill Renato and Kylo, but Kylo got to me first—technically. He listens to everything and asks questions when he needs clarity. Deciding I have no else to talk about my feelings towards Kylo, I decide to tell him about that, too.
Ever since I met him and we went to the club for my birthday, he has been Kylo and I’s number one fan, but I always downplayed my feelings or simply wanted to ignore them. Marco knew better, but he didn’t pry much.
We never acted like a couple or anything when Marco was around, at least I didn’t think so. When I said as much or outright tried to deny anything between us, he claimed he could feel it in the air between us. The chemistry. The love.
I was certain it wasn’t love.
Did I loathe him? Maybe.
Lust? Definitely.
But love ?
It couldn’t be.
Or is that exactly what it grew to be?
Marco and I have light conversation after moving past the details of my time away. As we laugh together, the door opens and Lucifer walks in. “Ky says he needs you back now, Marco, and Amaris needs to get some rest.” He turns to Ace and narrows his eyes, pointing a finger at him. “This is a one-time thing, mutt.”
Ace turns in the other direction and gets comfortable, dismissing him in response.
“Alright, I’ll be out in a minute,” Marco calls to Lucifer, then turns to me when he leaves, saying in a sing-song voice, “Told you so. Before I leave, I brought these bags that you started to pack with clothes and essentials. There may or may not be a container of sweets that I took from your kitchen in there, too.”
My face lights up when he mentions the treats. “Really?” I ask. He shoots me a playful wink in response.
“When have I failed you?” he asks as he stands. “Remember what I said, though. Trust yourself and listen to your heart and your gut. You did the impossible and made him act human.”
After he leaves I lie awake for another hour or so, letting my mind run rampant until I drift off to sleep.
The following morning, Lucifer takes me to my parents’ house—per my request—after the doctor checks up on me and I have breakfast. It’s been weeks since I’ve last seen them and I don’t want to go another day without at least letting them know I’m okay and knowing they are, too.
What if Renato got to them before he died? I would be none the wiser.
The apartment is quiet when I step inside, only raising my anxiety. My first stop is their bedroom. Maybe they continued life and they just aren’t here because they are busy. That thought didn’t cross my mind until now. If that is the case, I’ll wait for them.
Mama doesn’t move from her spot on the bed when I open the door, but my anxiety dissipates at the knowledge that she’s alive and well. Rounding the bed to her side, she is awake, but her eyes have dark circles under them and are puffy as if she was recently crying. When she looks at me she shoots up and looks as if she’s just seen a ghost.
“ Mi amor, eres tu de verdad? ” She reaches out to cup my cheek, bursting into tears when she makes contact.
“ Si, Mama. It’s really me. I’m here.” My voice breaks on the last word and I throw myself into her arms until we both stop crying. It’s hitting me so much harder how much I missed her now that I’m with her.
She takes my hand when we are both calmer and leads me out of the room, saying, “Your dad has been working from home since you left.”
My dad has darker eye bags than Mama does and my eyes well up with tears again when I see him. He stands and meets me halfway for a tight hug. We all go out into the living room to have a much-needed conversation.
They listen to me until the very end and I’m glad to let this be the last recount so I can move forward. Both of their eyes radiate their inner outrage and heartbreak when they learn about the kidnapping. Mama pulls me in for another hug when I finish my story and plants a kiss on top of my head.
“We were so worried the night you left, then you didn’t come back the next day and you weren’t answering any of our calls. You have always been spontaneous and impatient. At first I thought you didn’t want to come back to us because we aren’t your parents. Then I considered the worst, but I didn’t want to get ahead of myself.”
Leaning back to make sure they both hear me, I tell them, “You two are my parents, no matter what. Nothing will ever change my love for you guys.” They both soften further at my words and I stand up from where I’m sitting to move next to my dad.
“Papa, I met her. Estelle.”
His face turns ashen and his body tenses. “What? What do you mean? How?”
“After the accident, I was in a coma. At the time I didn’t know it, but thinking back on it, maybe I was stuck in the in-between. It was a beautiful place and we talked about so much.”
Never in my life have I seen my dad cry before today, but now the tears are uncontainable.
Knowing there’s one final bandage to rip off, I rub my hands over my thighs in preparation. They wait quietly, gearing up for what’s to come next.
“Papa, can I ask you something?”
His demeanor is open and relaxed with a curious gaze. “Of course.”
“If you wanted to keep me safe growing up, why did you push me away so much?” My voice is smaller than I intended it to be. As soon as the question is out, my chest constricts and I avert my gaze, inhaling a deep breath.
It hurt to want his fatherly love and watch him stop himself from giving it freely.
A cloud of sadness sits over him and he takes a deep breath of courage to speak as well. “I don’t believe it was right of me, but there was a small part of me that broke every time I saw your face and saw my Estella. She was the only family I had left. There were days I couldn’t stand it, not that it was your fault. It’s selfish of me, but I admit that I couldn’t bear another loss so big. Because of that, I tried to love you from a distance. I never thought about how that might make you feel or how apparent I made my feelings. I am so, so sorry for pushing you away and hurting you. I will be a better father until my last days and beyond that, I promise.”
Fresh tears fall from my eyes at his admission. “I’d love that,” I say, wiping away the tears. “Ugh, okay. No more crying, I’ve done enough,” I joke–only halfway kidding.
My dad hugs me again and we spend the next hour talking about lighter topics. Eventually, they ask me what I’m going to do next, assuming that I’m back to stay. In the back of my head, I know I’ve already made my decision.
“Since you prefer to work over staying home, maybe I can find an entry position at my firm for you,” my dad mentions.
I take a deep breath for courage and steel my spine. “I don’t want to work at a job that leaves me drained at the end of every day. If I want to live a happy life, I need to make that for myself. While I was gone, I started baking more. I have a passion for it and every time someone enjoys a dish I’ve made, my soul bubbles up with happiness. What I’m saying is, I think I want to open up my own bakery somewhere.”
The thought has been swimming around my mind, but saying it out loud makes it feel more real. Overcome with nerves, my eyes move to the ground and I chew on my lip while I wait for their response. They stay quiet for longer than I’d like, but when I look up they are smiling at each other, having a silent conversation between themselves.
“I am so proud of you, mi amor . Personally, I know how well you can bake. You started outshining me years ago. We support anything you choose to do as long as we get the first batch you officially put up for sale,” Mama says sincerely with a bright smile. It has always been infectious. This time it’s no different as my smile matches theirs.
“We are also here to help you. I happen to know a good lawyer you can use to help you start up the business,” my dad adds, placing his hand over Mama’s.
“Thank you guys so much.” I leap up and give them both a hug.
I’m reminded when I want to leave that I don’t actually have my own mode of transportation since I got dropped off.
I still can’t believe Kylo totaled my bike. Asshole .
Thankfully, my parents don’t mind taking me to the dealership. We go to the same one I went to the first time around. When I see the same make and model as Diablita, I don’t bother looking for anything else. That is the one I’m taking home today and she’s freshly washed—just perfect.
My parents go on their way back home. I say bye to them and head back to Lucifer’s lair. Ace is still there and so are my clothes—not that I really need the clothes, but still they are cute. While I let the GPS guide me, I allow myself to mull over Kylo and think of what’s next for us. If there will be an us .
During our time together, he managed to burrow his way into my heart when I wasn’t looking. Together we created magic.
Am I willing to work through this with him?
Does love really have to be safe?
The betrayal strings, yet he still feels worth the effort to try for more. Find out what we can really be.
He put his life on the line to rescue you, too.
The picture-perfect house I left is turned upside down when I step inside. Lucifer is always making sure things are in the right spot or wiping smudges off of random surfaces; there’s no way this was his doing. If it was, all hell must have broken loose.
Ace runs into the room when I whistle, whining at my feet and leading me to the hallway he came from. I have no choice but to follow him.