He’d probably lose it completely if he’d heard our conversation.
“Go ahead with my idiot son,” Elena says. “I can take it from here.”
I hand her the spoon and take Nico’s hand, noting the way he relaxes the instant my fingers link with his. “Sorry about him,” I say to her.
“No problem, love. Enjoy the sunshine.”
When we’re in the garage, Nico stops and turns to me. “Tell me everything she said from the second I left you with her.”
“She didn’t say anything. Oh, wait, she did ask if I’m willing to have more children and how many I’d be willing to have and if I know what a terribly naughty boy you are.”
His face goes completely flat. “She did not.”
Laughter explodes out of my chest. I laugh so hard that tears fill my eyes.
“Did she ask those things?”
Shaking my head, I wipe tears from my eyes.
“That was mean, Sofia.”
“I’m sorry,” I say between gasps of laughter that stop only when he puts his arms around me and kisses me the way he did last night.
In a single second, I go from laughter to intense desire in a blast of heat that threatens to consume me and everything around me.
“Cripes,” Milo says when he comes upon us. “There’re children present.”
“Shut up or die,” Nico says while continuing to kiss me as if we’re alone and not surrounded by his family.
The hard press of his erection against my belly makes me wish we were alone. I haven’t had sex in so long, I’ve almost forgotten what it’s like. Not that it was very good with Joaquín the last few years.
“Break it up, lovers,” Dee says.
My face burns with embarrassment.
“To be continued later,” Nico whispers when he finally releases me.
Mateo’s laughter snaps me out of the sex coma kissing Nico put me into. I venture outside to find him riding the tricycle with Everly standing on the back, her hands on his shoulders while Austin takes video of them.
My heart does that tightening thing again when I realize my little boy has made a friend. He’s craved the company of other children, and to see him laughing and playing with Everly is the best thing ever. I love that she doesn’t see anything wrong with him. She just sees a friend.
“He looks so happy,” Nico says when he comes up behind me, putting his hands on my shoulders and pressing against my back to let me know he’s still aroused.
“I’ve never seen him as happy as he’s been today.” I glance back at him. “Thank you.”
“You don’t have to thank me. By having you guys here, I’m happy, too.”
I give myself permission to lean back against him, to let him wrap his arms around me and to fully enjoy this perfect moment. This sort of contentment has been missing in my life. My earliest memories are full of angst, drama, pain and disappointment. The Giordinos are showing me something different. Something better.
Carmen and Jason arrive with her parents, Vincent and Vivian.
Jason stops to give Mateo a high five and marvels at how good he is at pedaling.
“Watch me go, Doc,” Mateo says as he takes off with Everly riding shotgun again.
I learned that term, riding shotgun, from a movie.
Mateo adores Jason, who told me months ago to call him that when I want to still call him Dr. Northrup. The man saved my son’s life, and I’ll be forever thankful to him and to Carmen, who had the idea for him to volunteer at the free clinic where Maria is a nurse. Jason immediately realized Mateo was seriously ill and in need of immediate emergency surgery. I found out later that he donated his services.