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I opened my arms and waited for her to come into them. “I would very much like the chance to be your brother. That's why I'm here. To know you. To find out who my sister is now and hopefully have a relationship again.”
“I want that too. You have family again. You have me,” Muriella said, and I tightened my arms around her, resting my cheek on top of her head. “If you want to stay here permanently, I'd like that. Daniel can make it happen.”
“I'll speak to him,” I said, releasing her. She shivered, folding her arms around herself. “We should get back inside. You will sleep well tonight.”
“Because you've released me.” Muriella tucked an arm through mine, and we walked back to the stairwell door.
“I'm sorry I couldn't do it sooner. It's taken me too long, but it needed to be done right.”
“The time doesn't matter. Mama has reunited us.”
“I think she smiled today.”
“Absolutely.”
I held the door open for Muriella, and we descended the stairs with me a step behind.
“Where was Holly's husband?” I asked innocently. My sister stopped so abruptly I almost ran into her.
“She's not married.”
I perked up at that news. I’d noticed she didn’t wear a ring, but not all married people did.
“Seeing anyone?”
“No. But Carlos, it's not only her you have to think about. Gabriel is a sweet child.”
“I'm curious.”
“It's been a long time, but I remember how you were around girls, Romeo,” she said accusingly. That, I couldn't deny. We continued down the stairs.
“Where is Gabriel's father?” I needed to know what kind of obstacles stood in my way.
“I don't know. I haven't asked Holly, but Mulaney indicated she has nothing to do with him.”
Interesting. And then a surge of anger punched through me for Gabriel.What kind of man wouldn't take responsibility for his own child?My father's image flashed in my mind. He'd raped my sister and taught me to be a killer. Maybe Gabriel was better off without his father. Holly certainly didn't seem to need any help raising him.
“Think you could make pizzas tomorrow night? Invite everybody over?” I asked casually.
“Everybody, meaning Holly and Gabriel? Fine, but don't start something you don't intend to see through. Think of her son too.”
“Do women in this country expect marriage proposals right away? She interests me. I like her son. What's the big deal?”
Muriella swatted me as we went through her front door. “No, smarty. We don't expect commitment right away.” She growled in frustration, leading me to the kitchen.
Mulaney was leaning against the island. She held up a hand, and hesitantly, I high-fived her. “What's that about?” I asked.
“You, my friend, officially made my assistant nervous. And blush. To the point I thought her cheeks were going to be permanently stained,” she returned with glee. “Gorgeous, isn't she?”
“I'll give her that.” Just thinking about that face routed my thoughts to inappropriate places.
“She's a good woman. A fantastic mother. Does a hell of a job all on her own. Women like her aren't a dime a dozen,” Mulaney said with a gleam in her eyes.
“I have no idea what that means, but you don't need to talk her up to me.” It was strange discussing a woman I was interested in with two other women. My relationships were never anything to talk about, and I wasn't a share-my-feelings kind of man. Although, using the wordrelationshipwas a stretch. In the world I lived in, having an attachment to a woman meant I was vulnerable. So, I’d never fully invested in women, well, nothing I’d consider long-term before. Something being a drug lord’s son would no longer have a hold over me. And having watched Vivian and Daniel, and Stone and Muriella, it was something I wanted. Perhaps I could actually have that one day.But probably not with the gorgeous, mysterious blonde a few floors below.“Do we have any tequila?”
“We've got something better than that,” Mulaney said, moving to one of the kitchen cabinets and reaching deep into it. “I could use some of this myself.” She pulled out a glass jar of clear liquid.
Muriella pointed at it accusingly. “Where did that come from?” She feigned irritation, but even not knowing her as an adult, I could tell she wasn't angry. I'd seen that exact expression many times when we were growing up.
