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Nicolette
“I’m ready to go home. I miss the kids,” I whisper to Manuel hours later. After I’m awake from the nap he insisted I take.
Running a hand over my hair, he nods. “The kids are coming here. And we’ll be shifting to either Amsterdam or The Hague once Catherine finds a home sufficient to our needs and security.”
“What? Why are we going there?” I sit up.
Manuel looks up at me as if I should know the answer already. “Because the Netherlands has the lowest maternal mortality rate in the world. The US is shockingly low for a developed country, and Medellin isn’t an option with Helena there. Until all the shit with her gets cleared up, you’re not going within a thousand feet of her. My father is sure no one will dare come for her. I’m not convinced. She knew a shit ton more than she even thought she knew. If the people connected to her pedo-trafficking husband are aware, there’s no way they’re letting her live.”
I shake my head. My gorgeous husband. I shouldn’t be surprised. Of course, he’s going to move all of us to another country for my safety. “Does it have to be the Netherlands? The kids have already gone through so much, to drop them in a country with a new language. Is there another country in the top three where they speak English or even Spanish? Canada?”
His jaw works. I run my hand over it. A rough hand is up and around my neck, pulling me down to him. “Your health is more important to me than the kids and a new environment.”
“What about my comfort? It’s cold there all the time. We’re going to be there in the coldest months. They don’t do cars and they don’t shut down when they get eight inches of snow.” I urge him. “What’s number two?”
A sigh. “England.”
I slide my lips over his cheek. “Please, can we go to England instead? I promise I’ll be so good. I’ll take my vitamins and eat my veggies and suck your cock every night.”
His laughter fills me full. Rolling me under him, he sighs. “All right, my dear wife. I’ll call Catherine and tell her to stop looking in the Netherlands and shift to England.”
Another sigh. “It’s probably better for security too. She warned me there were very few homes with both the necessary space inside and out. Even with you in another country, until the Helena thing is settled, your security is going to be higher.”
“Hmm…as long as the security is you with me, I don’t care.”
“Remember that when it comes time for you to go out and about in the city.” It’s a warning.
EPILOGUE
One Year Later
“Manuel, we have to get up. Mom’s ceremony is in an hour. If we’re late, she’s going to go on about it for months. And your status as best son-in-law in the world could be in danger.” I warn him.
He shakes his head and holds me tighter. “Five more minutes. I went six whole days without you. The woman is never on time anywhere, anyway. Why are we being dragged to the swearing in ceremony when she got her citizenship last month?”
“Because this is a big deal to her. So it has to be a big deal to us.” I sigh and sag back into him. It was a long six days without him. I’d gotten spoiled having him home so often with only two or three days without him. The only reason I didn’t get cranky was because I had the move to keep me busy. We’re finally settled into our new home in Houston, now that mom can legally move around within America. It surprised me when we didn’t leave our home in the Mayfair area of London after I delivered Sebastian easily and without complications.
Manuel simply stated he wasn’t taking chances in case there were complications after, including post-partem depression. He wanted me close to the doctors and hospital I saw during my pregnancy. It wasn’t until he was satisfied I felt as good as I said a dozen times he agreed we could move back.
I loved living in London, even if I had two guards basically attached to my hip outside of the house. It’s a beautiful city, and the people were nice, but it didn’t feel permanent. With mom able to come live with us, we needed to be based out of Houston for the port and point where cocaine came in. I’m grateful he let me pick out a new home rather than live in the house Blanca made her own.
We weren’t able to move in though until what’s called the guest house on the plans for the city, but was for our security team was completed. I was scared when Manuel settled me and the kids in London then left us to deal with shutting it down. But I also knew Joe needed Manuel and I would have been just as stressed worrying about Joe and Helena if he hadn’t gone.
The repercussions of Joe destroying the ring Helena’s husband created were still felt even months later. Because the whispers of the Rodriguez cartel and the men behind it got louder. I don’t know what happened, and I don’t want to know.
All that matters is it’s over and my husband and his family are safe. Despite Manuel still distrustful of Helena, I considered her family because she made Joe so happy.
There was another surprising benefit to shutting down the ring, Joaquin was given greater responsibility in going after hijacked shipments that meant Manuel wasn’t needed as much. Once everything was settled, Manuel rarely left—especially the closer I got to my due date.
The months leading up to my due date were almost dreamy with how Manuel took care of me. I think for the kids too because he understood I was stressed by how I couldn’t do all the things I wanted to do for them. Without me asking, he stepped up and did it for me. The way he promised, I told him all my fears, and he settled every one of them. He took me to every Lamaze class and from the advice of the woman running it introduced perineum massage to prevent tearing and lessen labor time. It worked. There was no tearing despite Sebastian being almost nine pounds, and I only labored for six hours.
By the time Sebastian arrived, I was almost sad it was over. Yet all the ways Manuel loved and took care of me haven’t changed. I was so worried he wouldn’t be as attracted to me when I began getting bigger—not even close. Neither of us could keep our hands off each other, up until days before Sebastian was born.
While a part of me was sad when Manuel got his vasectomy, ending all hope of another child, I was also grateful he was willing to do it. Men in the underworld saw it as tantamount to losing their masculinity. Manuel said it was stupid not to when it was easier for him than for me. Although I did have my tubes tied when I read some vasectomies came undone after several years. Especially when I realized it wasn’t another child I really wanted—it was Manuel taking care of me and not leaving as often I really hated the idea of never happening again.
When I confessed my worry to Manuel, he held me close and said he loved taking care of me. There was nothing to worry about. As always, he was right. He hasn’t had to be away longer than a few days until this last six days of being gone.
Sighing heavily, Manuel runs his hand through my hair. “How are you feeling? It’s going to be warm today. Are you sure you want to go?”
