“Is that...” Juan trails off as he hurries back inside.
Just as I stand up, the full force of the half-hidden sun breaks through the grey clouds above. The light nearly blinds me, but the warmth of it somehow assures me that I know who’s coming.
I turn from the balcony and race inside. Oscar gurgles awake a
nd I smother him in kisses as we bound down the stairs.
“Mama,” he smiles, pushing into me.
“Mama’s here,” I whisper, as we step through the open front door and into the brilliant sunlight.
... And so is daddy.
My vision blurs in the brightness, and I hear the roar of the bike before I see it pull to a stop at the end of Juan’s circular driveway. Nothing can get in the way of the gorgeous hunk who breaks through the light as he runs up to greet us. He looks exactly like the man who stood me up at that stuffy gala over two years ago.
“Angel!”
“Dada!”
Angel’s lips are on mine before another word can be spoken. I sink into his kiss and melt across his body. Butterflies kick up in my stomach and a whole flurry of them go for an endless jaunt across an open prairie field.
“I love you.” Those are the first words out of his mouth when he finally pulls away.
Even after all we’ve been through, all we’ve shared and lost, I never thought I’d hear him say it. It shocks me still, but then Oscar giggles in my arms and I know there’s only one response. The truth.
“I love you, too.”
“Dada!”
“I love you, too, buddy,” Angel laughs. His voice is low and deep and my heart rumbles peacefully under his hot breath.
The sunlight washes over us and it feels like we’re finally free from our nightmare.
... But what comes next?
Hopefully, a dream.
Angel wraps his big arms around me and we limp inside. I can feel the soreness in his muscles as we both lean on each other for support.
We’re a team. It’s how we make it to the kitchen, and it’s how we rescued Oscar from Dante’s evil grip. A younger me might not have told Angel about the call I got from his younger brother, but after all of our failures, I knew that neither of us could do what needed to be done alone.
We hatched our plan, together. We acted it out, together. We saved our baby boy, together.
Sure, it took us over two years and a lot of heartache, but we finally figured it out. Together, we’re unstoppable. Together, we’re one. Together, we’re a family.
“Juan’s wife made us soup, let me go get it,” I offer, suddenly remembering the steaming bowl I left on the balcony. Oscar is tucked away in Angel’s arms as we sit at the kitchen counter. When I stand up, Angel’s big hand clasps around my tiny wrist and he pulls me back to him.
“You’re not going anywhere,” he says, low and deep and sultry.
His lips flutter down my neck as I stumble back onto his lap. Oscar climbs up between us, using both of our shoulders to prop himself up.
“Boo-boo,” he requests.
Angel’s thick forearm wraps around my waist and he holds me close. “Does Juan have any formula in the fridge?” he asks, finally letting me free from his wonderful grasp.
“Yeah,” I grab a bottle as quickly as possible. There’s nothing I want more in the world than to cuddle up with my two boys and forget about the world... but something else weighs heavy on my mind.
“What do we do now?”