AllFreeNovel
Share Us
SOFIA
Lying naked in Nico’s arms is about the best thing I’ve ever experienced, second only to the way he loves me. He’s so gentle and sweet, yet also hot and passionate. I never knew it could be this way, that I could feel so safe with a man and let myself fully experience the act of love the way I do with him.
He’s got me tucked up against him, my leg between his as his hand strokes my back and bottom, making me want him all over again. I’m not sure how he does that so effortlessly. He’s got me so relaxed that I’m not thinking about my long list of things I need to get done while Mateo is at school. I’ve even forgotten about the social media posts that might lead me to my father at long last.
No, all I’m thinking about is this man and the love I feel for him that seems to grow stronger by the day. I kiss his chest and breathe in the scent that drives me crazy. I’m not sure if it’s soap or cologne or just him, but I love it.
I love him. So, so much. It sort of scares me how much I love him, because when you give someone that kind of power over you, it can be terrifying.
My phone rings again. “I’ve got to get that.”
Nico releases me, and I get up, grab his T-shirt from the floor and put it on before I go to get my phone.
It’s my mother again.
Ugh.
I listen to her voicemail. “What the hell are you doing posting about Jon without even talking to me first? You have no idea what you’re starting with that. Take it down. Now.” She ends the message without even asking how I am or how Mateo is. When I called to tell her he was sick, she said she told me not to have him in the first place. I haven’t called her since then.
I’m not taking down the posts. I want to know the man who fathered me. I have a right to that information, regardless of what she says.
My phone chimes with a text that says basically the same thing the voicemail did. Without taking the time to even think about it, I block her. I should’ve done that a long time ago. Next, I block her on Facebook and the other platforms so she can’t see what I’m posting. My life is none of her business. That’s how she wanted it.
“Everything okay?” Nico asks.
“Yep.” His phone rings, so I bring it with me when I return to the bedroom and hand it to him.
“Thanks. Hey, Maria, what’s up?” He listens for a minute and then looks up at me. “Sure, we can do that. Sounds like fun. What can I bring?” After another second, he says, “Yes, can do. See you then.” After he ends the call, he reaches for me and brings me back into his arms. “Maria and Austin are having everyone over for dinner. They thought it might help to be together after the last few days.”
“You don’t have to work?”
“Not until later. My first ride is at eight.”
“Are you sure they want us there?”
“My sister said, ‘We’d like to invite you, Sofia and Mateo to join us.’ Those were her exact words.”
“If you’re sure it’s okay.”
He holds out a hand to me, and when I take hold of it, he guides me back into bed, covering me with the down comforter I saved for weeks to buy. “I’m sure it’s okay. As much as we may be blaming ourselves for what happened to Milo, no one else is.”
“I’m not sure I’d have that kind of grace if this had happened to my son.”
“My family loves you. They know you. They’d never blame you for what your ex-husband did, Sofia.”
“We got so lucky, Nico. Milo got so lucky. An inch or two either way, and he’d be dead or paralyzed. I keep thinking about what we would’ve done if that had happened.”
“We need to thank God every day for the rest of our lives that it didn’t happen.”
“But it could have, and that will always be tied to me, even if indirectly.”
“I understand why you feel that way, and I would, too, if the roles were reversed. Just like I feel responsible for letting Milo take my rides when they’d already come for me and one of my work cars. That said, we’re not the ones who hurt him, and everyone knows that. My dad reminded me earlier of how much I’ve always loved him. From the day they brought him home, I said he was mine, and that was that.”
“That’s very sweet.”
“One time, this kid was bullying him. We went to the McDonald’s where the kid worked, and I stared him down the entire time we were there. He never bothered Milo again—and no one else did either. My dad reminded me of that story. I’d forgotten about it.”
“I’ll bet Milo never forgot it.”
