Chapter 35
THIRTY-FIVE
MATEO
After spending the last few hours in Gino’s office, he decides it’s time for lunch. I assume Juliet will bring us food, but I’m surprised when he says we’re eating downstairs in the kitchen. Something about him has shifted, and I really want to know why.
As we head down the stairs, I hear far more voices than I did earlier.
When I turn into the kitchen, I see everyone. And I mean everyone. All of the guys. Kevin. Lucy. Even Juliet’s parents and her brother, all crowded around the space. I’ll definitely need to ask her when they got here.
Gino walks right up to Juliet, who’s talking with Vanessa at the island. He places a hand at Juliet’s lower back and then quickly pulls it away.
Now I have questions for both of them.
Before I can move any farther, Lucy steps in front of me and wraps me in a hug.
“Hi, Mateo,” she whispers. “It’s good to see you home.”
“It’s good to be back,” I whisper.
When I look at her, her eyes are watery. “Please don’t cry. I can’t handle anyone crying right now.”
She releases me and glances over at Kevin, who’s holding Julian. “I’ll try my best. I bet you had the shock of your life yesterday, huh?”
“Yeah, I did,” I admit. “You know what they say. Nothing truly prepares you for being a parent. And not getting to prepare at all kind of—” I trail off with a sigh.
“Sucks,” she says gently. “You can say it. It sucks. And we all know that if you could’ve been there, you would have been. Every step of the way.”
She meets my eyes. “Vanessa did everything she could to keep you updated, even when you weren’t here. We all just wanted you safe. Now that you are, we can focus on healing from all of this.”
I nod. She gives me a soft smile and walks away.
Kevin walks over to me with Julian in his arms. At this point, everyone’s watching, hovering just close enough to show they want to come over without overwhelming me.
“I think this guy wants his dad,” Kevin says, handing Julian to me.
“Thanks,” I reply, taking him into my arms.
“It’s good to have you back,” Kevin says, giving my shoulder a firm tap.
I nod. We’ve had our disagreements, and that probably won’t ever change. But I know he’s been a father to Vanessa, and he’ll be a grandfather to Victoria and Julian. Whatever issues I’ve had with him need to stay in the past. He always did what he thought was right for Vanessa.
Before I can say anything else, he walks away.
Vanessa steps up beside me, Victoria balanced on her hip. She presses a glass into my hand. I glance at her. “So, is this some kind of homecoming party?”
She smiles. “Yes. And don’t look at me. This was all Juliet and Gino. I wasn’t allowed to help at all. Believe me, I tried.”
Gino clears his throat, and the room quiets. “Since the guest of honor is here, I think we can get started.”
Everyone turns toward him.
“I don’t want to get too sappy or take too long,” he continues. “We’ve got a lot of food to eat, and we all want to catch up. But it’s not lost on any of us how this could’ve ended.”
The room stays still.
“So I’ll keep it simple,” he says. “We’re happy you’re back. And we hope we never have to think about this again.”
He raises his glass, and everyone else follows.
I lean over and kiss the side of Vanessa’s head. She looks up at me and smiles.
Vanessa and I head home after lunch, both of us picking up on Gino’s subtle signal to leave. I know he wanted us to spend time with everyone, but he also understands that we need time together.
Once we’re inside the house, I decide to look around after everything Gino told me. I step into my office and stop short. It’s spotless, but it also feels like I was never gone.
“Hey, babe,” I call out, standing in the doorway. The space is organized exactly the way I left it, but it’s clear someone’s been using my desk. There’s more paperwork than I remember.
“Yeah?” Vanessa says as she walks in, stopping just behind me.
I turn to face her. “Did you use my office while I was gone?”
“Yeah,” she says carefully. “Was that okay? Should I not have?”
“No, it’s fine,” I reassure her. “More than fine. I was just curious.”
I realize I’m learning more about her now than I ever did before. She’s protective of the kids, of me, and I don’t mind it at all. I want to know everything she did over the last year, everything she held together, and what she wants for herself now after spending so long focused on everyone else.
“So,” I ask softly, “what do you want to do now?”
“What do you mean?” she asks.
The twins are down for the night, and we’re lying in bed together.
“Well, you left your job and started working for your brother because of me.”
“I wouldn’t say only because of you. I knew I eventually wanted to work for him and help out. You being held captive just pushed up the timeline.”
“So I’ll ask again. What do you want to do now?”
“Take everything one day at a time,” she says softly. “I don’t want to overthink the future. That’s all I’ve done for the past year.”
I smile at her. “I can get on board with that.”
The woman beside me is the same one who took my breath away a year ago with her pride and joy. But she’s also someone new. A mother. A fighter. A woman who didn’t let anyone or anything break her. And I want to know every part of her.
“So,” I say casually, “what do you think about another baby?”
She laughs, pointing toward the nursery door. “Can we get those two on an actual sleep schedule first?”
Right on cue, one of the babies starts crying.
I wouldn’t have it any other way.