Malo - Page 69

“I missed the sunshine,” he remarks, with a grin.

I sigh and nod. “Me too,” I agree.

The two of us made the mutual decision to move out of Mexico for good; not that we don’t miss our home, of course we do, but we know there’s just no place for us there anymore. We would never be able to feel safe there again, and I’m not trying to live my life looking over my shoulder, jumping at every shadow. I can’t trust that there won’t be people who will try to take revenge on us for what happened, and I’m not going to risk putting all that distance between myself and the Kings when there’s no reason for us to go so soon.

My father has been staying in the infirmary as he gets himself back to full health, and we’ve decided to stay in Houston for the time being. Of course, I know we can’t spend forever with the Kings, living under their roof. We’ll need to find a home of our own sometime, get back to work, get the family out to visit us. But for now? For now, this place will do as our temporary home.

And it’s got plenty to recommend to it, too. My father has been making friends with the other long-term resident of the infirmary, Maryanne, Bella’s mother. She’s been starting to have a few more lucid moments these days, and she and my father talk about the films and books they enjoyed growing up. It turns out they have a lot in common, or at least, from what I can see, they do. Maryanne has always got a stubborn opinion, and I can tell my father finds it very charming, though he’d never admit that. It’s nice to see him forming relationships again. Even before all of this went down, he had a habit of locking himself up in his lab and hiding out from anything that might have come too close to being social for his liking.

I’ve even teased him about having a crush, but he’s always quick to shut that down, even if his cheeks do get a little flushed when I talk to him about it. Whatever the reason for his affection for her, I’m just glad he is feeling more settled here, and seeing that the people who saved him aren’t as scary as they seemed. He’s been eternally grateful to Q, the member who got him out of the compound before the fire took hold, and I have offered to buy him all the beer he wants for the rest of his life in gratitude for getting my father to safety.

“You’re looking so much better, Papi,” I tell him softly, and he grins over at me.

“I feel it,” he replies. “Like a new man.”

I reach over to give him a kiss on the cheek, but before I can get drawn in to a conversation, I see movement out of the corner of my eye—Bella. She’s starting to really show now, and she sighs as she steps out of the house and sinks herself on to a bench by the back door.

“Give me a minute,” I tell my father.

I can tell from the look on Bella’s face that there’s something on her mind, and I’ve been feeling concerned about her over these last few days. The reality of the pregnancy is hitting her hard, and the physical strain is causing just as many problems.

I go over to join her on the bench, sinking down next to her, not saying anything for a moment. Then, I steal a glance at her out of the corner of my eye.

“How’s it going?” I ask her.

She sighs. “I don’t know,” she admits, turning to face me. I can see dark circles under her eyes, like she’s been tossing and turning all night.

I reach out to give her hand a squeeze. “You know you can talk to me about what’s on your mind, right?” I tell her gently.

She chews her lip. “I just…” she confesses, shaking her head. “I… I can’t believe I’m going to be a mom soon, you know? It feels like it’s all come so quickly.”

“You’ve still got a few months yet,” I remind her.

She shrugs. “It doesn’t feel like long,” she admits. “And I thought… I don’t know, I know it’s crazy, but I thought my mom would be doing better by now. I thought she would be more able to actually be involved with the baby when they came along, but I don’t see how that can happen.”

“She is doing better,” I remind her. “Slowly, but surely. She’s getting there. She might not be totally recovered by the time the baby is born, but she’ll still be around for some of it.”

“I just don’t know how I’m going to do this without her,” she confesses a little sadly.

“You won’t be,” I point out.

She turns to me, cocking her head to the side in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“She’s raised you your whole life,” I reply. “She’s still in your heart and your head, even if she isn’t entirely lucid all the time now. You’ve got so much of her in you, I can see it, even in the little time I’ve had with her—she’s a strong woman. Just like you. And she’s a good mom, as well, just like you’re going to be.”

A small smile crosses her face. It’s not much, but it’s at least enough to lift some of the weight from her shoulders. I know how intimidating it must be, facing bringing a baby into the world without her mother there by her side, but to survive in this gang, or MC as they like to be called, to love someone like Beast, you have to have some serious balls.

“Thanks, Maria,” she tells me, resting her head on my shoulder for a moment.

I put my arm around her. I’ve never had a sister before, but Bella is starting to feel like a little sister to me. I want the best for her, and I want to be there to help her when her baby comes along. She’s a sweetheart, really, and she deserves all the love and support in the world as she goes into this next stage of her life.

“I’ll give you some space, just know that I’m here if you need me,” I tell her, once I’ve given her a quick hug, and I head back over to check on my father. He’s basking in the sun, soaking it up like he’s missed it terribly. He told me about how he was locked away in those rooms for so long, never seeing the outside world, and I know it must have driven him downright crazy. He loves nature.

“You look so happy,” I say, and he smiles at me.

“I am, cariño,” he tells me. “You don’t have to fuss over me. I can manage myself, you know.”

I let out a breath I didn’t even realize I had been holding. He’s right. I have stuck by his side for so long, so worried that something might happen if I take my eyes off of him for even a moment, but I really need to give him his space and let him heal.