Then she sighed deeply and completely relaxed against him. Smoke loved this part of their day. When Molly gave him all of herself, and he could simply lie in the darkness and hold her tight. It was a time to reflect on what a lucky son of a bitch he was.
He’d done things in his life he wasn’t proud of, but he’d do them all again if it meant he’d end up here. With the woman he loved safe in his arms and his daughter happy and healthy.
“Sweet dreams,” he whispered to Molly, closing his eyes and letting sleep overtake him, content in the knowledge that all was right in his world.
Twenty years later
Cassidy knew she had a huge stupid smile on her face, but she couldn’t help it. Leo had brought her to New York City so they could watch Mario’s Broadway debut. He’d done a lot of different things in his life thus far, but this was perhaps one of the most important to him.
He’d gotten interested in theater in high school, especially musicals. He couldn’t sing worth a darn, but her son could definitely dance. His interest in gymnastics and cheerleading had eventually morphed into an obsession with hip-hop dancing. He’d watched YouTube videos of Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, and other famous singers, and learned the routines of the backup dancers. When he’d graduated from high school, he’d chosen to go to New York for college.
Cassidy had been heartbroken, but she’d done her best to hide it. She and Mario had been together just about every day of his entire life, and when he’d moved so far away, it had felt as if a part of her had been ripped from her chest.
But she’d also been proud of him. He’d come so far from the shy, awkward eleven-year-old he’d been when she’d first reunited with Leo. And she attributed so much of his self-confidence to her husband and their friends.
They’d stood up for him when he’d been bullied. Taught him to love himself exactly the way he was. And she would always believe he’d done as well as he had because of the honest and true love Leo showed him day in and day out. Leo didn’t care that he was gay. That he liked pastel colors, sometimes wore nail polish, and would rather spend the day watching reruns of Gilmore Girls than football.
Mario had struggled a bit with finding a partner, like most people did, but three years ago, he’d finally settled down with a man who reminded Cassidy a lot of Leo. He was tall and gruff, but whenever he looked at her son, she saw deep respect and love in his eyes. And he was protective, too, which Cassidy loved. Mario was always mock complaining that Roberto didn’t even think he should walk to the theater by himself, so he accompanied him to and from work every single day.
Tonight was Mario’s debut in a highly anticipated Broadway show that had gotten amazingly good reviews from the early critics. He wasn’t the star, but he did have a main part. He’d explained it to her and Leo by comparing his role to that of one of the monkeys in Wicked. He was in quite a few scenes, dancing and acting, but not speaking. It was the culmination of years of hard work, and Cassidy was so proud of him she could burst.
And not only had Cassidy and Leo traveled to New York to see Mario’s debut, but their entire clan had decided to come as well. Bull, Skylar, Eagle, Taylor, Smoke, and Molly were all there. Eagle and Taylor’s children, Alessa and Kevin, were in the middle of the semester at Purdue University back in Indiana, and Kelsy, Smoke and Molly’s daughter, had wanted to come, but the rocket club she was involved in was having a test flight she couldn’t miss.
“Do you think he’s nervous?” Skylar asked as she leaned over Leo to speak to Cassidy.
She chuckled. “He said he’s not, but I know him. He’s probably freaking out.”
“He’ll be fine,” Leo said firmly.
“He’s gonna rock it,” Molly agreed from Cassidy’s other side.
Looking at her friends, Cassidy couldn’t stop smiling. The last two decades had been amazing. Filled with ups and downs, but more laughter and comradery than pain. It was as if fate had done its best to make up for Cassidy’s first forty years by surrounding her with love and happiness for the second part of her life.
Cassidy wished that her parents could be here right now. Her mom had passed two years ago, and her dad had died last year. It was as if he couldn’t bear living without his Alice. Before passing, Cassidy’s mom had told her how proud she was of her, and how thankful she was to have gotten to spend so much time with her and her grandson. Cassidy couldn’t help but be sad that her parents weren’t here to see Mario kick some Broadway ass.
As if he could read her mind, Leo took hold of her hand and intertwined his fingers with hers. He held on tightly as the lights began to dim. Cassidy’s heart beat hard in her chest, and she had a cheesy smile on her face, but she didn’t care.
Two and a half hours later, Cassidy was still smiling. Mario had been amazing. The musical had been entertaining and funny, and she suspected it would be a huge hit. She was so proud of her son. Who would’ve thought twenty-one years ago, when they were being held captive in Jamaica, that this would be his life? Or hers?
It took a while for Mario to appear from backstage, but when he did, he made a beeline for his mom. Cassidy could only laugh as he hugged her, then picked her up and spun her in a circle. The joy on his face was the best gift Cassidy could’ve ever received.
Then he turned to Leo and gave him a huge hug as well before embracing the others. Molly, Taylor, Eagle, Smoke . . . everyone got a hug. Roberto stood off to the side, simply watching Mario with a proud smile on his face.
They all went out to a local hole-in-the-wall gay bar that Mario and Roberto frequented. The food was good, and the mood was festive.
It was two thirty in the morning before Cassidy and Leo made their way back to their hotel room. Leo opened the door and held it as she stepped inside. Feeling hyped up and not the least bit tired, Cassidy walked over to their balcony and went outside. Leo had splurged and gotten a room that overlooked Times Square. The neon lights were bright, and even at this hour of the morning, the place was hopping.
She felt Leo’s arms snake around her waist as he stepped up behind her.
“Happy?” he asked.
“Ecstatic,” Cassidy said on a sigh.
Over the years, she and Leo had traveled a bit. They’d had their first fight when Cassidy had wanted to do something new and different, begging Leo to take her to Uganda to see the gorillas, but he’d refused.
Cassidy had pouted and complained, even accusing him of never wanting to go anywhere.
She’d never forget what he said in response.
“Cass, when we got married, I promised to take care of and protect you for the rest of our lives. I’ve been to many places in this world that from the outside looking in seem perfectly safe. The tourist brochures show scantily clad women lying on beaches drinking fruity frozen drinks and looking perfectly relaxed. But what they don’t show is the underbelly of evil that might reside there. It’s often a facade, and no matter how much you beg, I refuse to take you anywhere you could come face to face with that evil. Evil I’ve seen firsthand. You’ve already seen more than your fair share of it, and I’m not willing to risk your life for a bit of fun and sun.”
She got it then. As well as she knew Leo, there would be parts of his life she’d never know about. The places he’d been, the people he’d taken out. He was protecting her the best way he knew how. Cassidy could have argued countries that might’ve been dangerous two decades ago weren’t necessarily dangerous today, but his own experiences would tell him differently.