“You should ask her for her number,” Heath chides from his chair, his bad leg raised onto a small cushion on the coffee table.
Knox huffs. “Shut up.”
I ignore their back and forth, preoccupied with wrapping Willow in my arms. I breathe her in, all at once at ease and calm and content. She’s okay, the babies are fine, and now the men who’ve tormented her for years are finally out of the picture.
Willow kisses my cheek, clinging to me like a lifeline. “Is it over?” she asks softly, only loud enough for me to hear.
I nod. “Yes, darling. It’s over.”
Chapter 38
Zane
“Astrophysics?” Willow echoes, equal parts amazed and confused. “That’s so cool!”
“I’ve already got an internship lined up with NASA,” Anna announces with a proud smile.
“You’ll have to tell me all about it. Do you think you’ll sign up for their astronaut program?”
“I’m not sure yet. I mean, it’s always been a dream of mine to go to space, but… I don’t know. I’ve been leaning more toward the engineering side of things. A lot safer that way, you know?”
Willow giggles. “Yeah, I guess that makes sense.”
“If you ever stop by Florida, I’ll be sure to give you a tour of the Kennedy Space Center.”
“You mean it?”
“Of course! I’d love to spend more time with you.” Anna turns to me. “That invite extends to you, too, Dad.”
I smile as I drop off Willow’s duffel bag by the front door. She didn’t come to Mexico with a lot of things, but Renata has spared no expense buying her granddaughter all manner of new clothes—mostly maternity, along with a few things for our babies when they get here.
“I don’t know,” I say lightly. “They’ve got alligators in Florida. Swamps. Mosquitoes. Pitbull.”
“Oh, come on,” Anna replies with a laugh. “Mr. Worldwide isn’t that scary.”
“His music fucking is,” Knox grumbles under his breath.
“I happen to like Pitbull,” Natalia says casually.
My youngest brother clears his throat. “Maybe I’m thinking of a different person.”
I roll my eyes. We’ve been here almost a week—both because we’re waiting for Heath to be well enough to travel home and because Renata needs time to arrange a chartered flight back to the United States—but Knox still hasn’t made his move. I haven’t seen him this smitten since Charlene Milton in the eighth grade. I never thought Natalia was his type of woman—hard and scary and a little bitchy—but I’m not exactly in a position to judge.
“Okay, the car’s here,” Renata announces, stepping in through the front door of the bungalow. “My men will escort you to the airfield. There’s a plane waiting for you. I’ve already tipped border control, so they should let you back into the country without too many questions. If they give you any problems, just mention my name. That usually does the trick.”
Willow stands and hugs her grandmother, kissing her on both cheeks. “Thank you, Abuela.”
“You take good care of yourself,” Renata says, stroking her fingers through Willow’s hair. “And if you need anything at all, I fully expect you to call, alright?”
“I will, I promise.”
Renata turns to me next, giving me a stern glare. “You look after her, you understand? I’m trusting her to you. If anything happens to my dear girl, I will hunt you down myself.”
I chuckle. “I’d rather die than let anything happen to her.”
Renata pats me on the shoulder, discreetly handing me a thick envelope stuffed to the brim with cash. “Consider it a belated wedding present,” she says. “Buy yourself a plot of land, build a house, live your lives out in peace. I fully expect pictures of the little ones every Christmas.”
“You’ve got yourself a deal.”