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“I know how you feel.” She tilted her head up from my chest so her words weren’t muffled. “When you were missing, I felt the same way. I was so lost without you, Ramón.”
“Never again, sweetheart. I swear, I’ll do a better job protecting you.”
She shivered against me. “I killed those men, didn’t I?”
“Can you remember anything about what happened?”
She went through her abduction, but her voice turned odd, cold as she talked about killing Nova. Almost clinical in her detachment, like she was talking about someone else. I listened carefully, grateful beyond words that she’d managed save herself, even as I mourned the loss of her innocence.
“You did what you had to do, never doubt that.”
She rubbed her face against my shirt, getting it damp with her tears. “I know. Trust me, I know. And this may sound messed up, but I’m kinda proud of myself. Proud that I didn’t sit there and cry like a victim. Proud that, even when I was so scared I was about to puke, I pulled it together enough to eliminate the threat.”
Once again, her voice went odd, cold, and I hugged her closer. “You’re amazing, Joy. I love you.”
“God help me, Ramón, but I love you to. More than I’ve ever loved anyone or anything.”
“Do you forgive me for not telling you the truth sooner?”
I held my breath, hoping against hope.
“This…this is a lot to deal with.”
“It is.” The bed creaked beneath us as I shifted into a more comfortable position, my gaze on the closed door, my men visible through the window flanking it. “But I’m here to help you. So is Hannah, and my family.”
“It all makes sense now,” she said in a low voice while petting my chest with her free hand. “There were so many things that didn’t seem right…but I ignored them, or tried to pretend I didn’t notice, but I did. I think I’ve known for a while, I just…was in denial or something.”
“I’m sorry,” I said again, unable to find anything better to say to try and convey just how much I meant it. “Please forgive me. Please tell me you’re not leaving me.”
“No, no I’m not leaving you.” She took a deep breath, then let it out, the warmth seeping through my shirt. “My mom would shoot me for saying this, but I felt so lost without you. You make me happy, really and truly happy. Even knowing you’re a criminal doesn’t make me love you any less.”
“That’s because what we’ve got, me and you, it’s stronger than anything on this earth. I will do anything, absolutely anything, for you.”
Her body softened against mine, her breath evening out. “I’m so tired.”
“Accelerated healing medicines. They’ll wipe you out, but you’ll heal in half the time.” I pressed my face into the soft mass of her curls. “One of the perks of being the fiancée of a cartel lord.”
Her giggle was soft, but my heart rejoiced. “Well, that is a nice bonus.”
“Go to sleep, mi amor. I won’t let anything harm you.”
“I know.”
Epilogue
Seven Years Later
Even through the thick glass windows looking out into the backyard, I could hear the squeals of dozens of little girls filling the air as they whacked at a giant piñata hanging from the old cedar tree. Lillian, my oldest daughter, was turning six today and Joy, with Hannah’s help, organized the kind of birthday party all kids dream of. There was a bounce house, magicians, face painters, and even a cotton candy machine, though I think that was as much for my pregnant wife as anyone else. Right now, Joy was eating a huge blue mound of cotton candy. Our three-year-old middle daughter, Grace, clung to her long skirt with a big blue ring around her mouth from melted candy.
Inwardly, I groaned, knowing Grace was going to be pinging off the walls, even after the guests left. While Lillian was a girly girl, quiet and sweet, Grace was a handful even at three. She had no fear, none, and her curiosity about the world led her to wandering off more than once. At her preschool, the teachers had her wear a special wristband that would activate an alarm anytime she managed to sneak out of the building—which happened more than you’d think. She was just so small and quick. Hell, I’d lost her more than once, though I’d never admit it to my darling wife. Especially when she was pregnant. Because of the hormones, she became easily irritated, and I knew I couldn’t soothe her with an orgasm in the middle of a party.
Rubbing the back of my neck, I wondered how much longer I could hide out in my study before anyone noticed I was missing.
“Ramón,” my mother said from behind me. “There you are.”
Moving slower than she had in the past, my mother joined me at my study window, watching the crowd in the backyard with me. The sunlight glinted off her hair, almost entirely silver now, and deepened the heavy lines beginning to fill her face. Though she was getting older, she was still as active as ever, and I gave her a one-armed hug.
