SOFIA
My stomach hurts as I watch Nico cross the pool deck to speak to a uniformed police officer. His presence here can mean only one thing—trouble caused by my ex-husband. He’s not technically my ex yet. I’m counting the days until he is.
“Are you okay?” Maria asks.
I force myself to look away from what’s happening with Nico and the cop. “My ex has been causing some problems. Nico asked his friend to keep an eye on things here in case he tried to come back. It’s probably not a good thing that he’s come in.”
The thought of bringing any trouble into the lives of people who’ve been so good to me makes me sick.
“Go see what’s going on,” Maria says. “I’ve got Mateo.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, of course. Go.”
“Thank you, Maria.”
I get out of the pool and grab a towel on my way to join Nico and the police officer.
“This is my friend, Sergeant Miguel Silva with the Miami Police,” Nico says. “Miguel, this is Sofia Diaz, Joaquín’s ex-wife. Miguel found him lurking outside and arrested him for violating the protective order. He wanted to let us know.”
My stomach hurts even worse as I hear that Joaquín will spend Christmas in jail, which means his family and friends will blame me for that. Nothing is ever his fault with them. No, all his troubles are because of me, according to them.
Nico puts his arm around me like that’s something he does all the time, but it’s the first time he’s ever touched me.
I can’t help but lean into his warm, solid body as tremors shake me. Just when things with Joaquín have started to settle down… There hasn’t been any trouble between us in weeks, since the judge approved the protective order after an altercation got physical, and he left bruises on my arms and shoulders.
He apologized to me for that via text and said the order wasn’t necessary.
I didn’t respond to the text. The protective order has given me some badly needed peace of mind. “What will happen to him?”
“He’ll be arraigned on new charges the day after Christmas,” Miguel says, confirming my fears.
“His family and friends won’t be happy with me.”
“You aren’t the one who violated the protective order,” Nico says.
“Still…”
“We can assign some people to keep an eye on your place, too,” Miguel says.
“I’ll be with her and Mateo tonight.”
Gasping, I look up at Nico.
“I won’t let anything happen to them,” he says to Miguel.
“I’ll still send some patrol cars by. What’s the address?”
While still processing that Nico plans to come home with me and Mateo, I recite my address for Miguel.
“Try not to worry,” he says. “We’ll be keeping an eye out. You folks have a Merry Christmas.”
“You do the same,” Nico says, releasing his hold on me to shake hands with his friend. “Thanks again.”
“You got it, brother.”
“Are you okay?” Nico asks me after the officer goes into the house on the way out.