It would be completely shitty to leave him here at the hospital. I’ll drive back to the city and make a plan. I’ll go tomorrow night after Marco falls asleep.
It has to be this way.
If Marco finds out it was my ex who did that to his brother, it will hurt him badly. He’ll hate me. He can never know.
I spend a few minutes in the bathroom talking myself off the ledge. What the hell am I going to do? I don’t want to leave anymore. I don’t want to leave Marco. I stare at my reflection in the mirror. My heart breaks at the thought of losing him. You made him a promise. You said you’d support him.
I spend way too long in the bathroom, so I rush back to the maternity floor before Marco starts to suspect something’s wrong. When I arrive back at the waiting room, Marco isn’t there.
“They’re at the nursery.” The kind nurse from earlier says with a huge grin on her face, buzzing me through the door.
I peek down the hallway, spotting Marco standing next to his brother. Nick’s hands are waving around in the air as they speak in hushed, angry tones. Marco throws his hands up when Nick turns away in his chair.
“Please, see if you can talk some sense into him, Mila,” Nick says as he passes me. “Maybe he’ll listen to you. I don’t want to see him until he comes to his senses.” That’s a little harsh, I think, and I’m about to tell him so, but I keep my mouth shut. The man’s been through a lot, and he’s under a lot of stress right now.
I observe as Marco runs his hand through his hair and lets out a sharp breath. When he notices me in the hallway staring, his shoulders relax, and the tension visibly leaves his body.
He smiles, sexily. God, he’s adorable. “Come here,” he whispers loudly, waving me over, looking all sexy and mischievous. I can’t resist giving him a soft smile, as I will my feet to move in his direction. I’m so screwed.
I stand next to him in front of the large nursery window to see what he’s staring at.
Marco’s large frame towers over me, as he pulls me into the crook of his arm. “Look at him.”
I stare down at the wailing baby boy in front of us, with a mop full of dark hair and a healthy set of lungs, as the nurse tends to him. “He’s beautiful,” I croak, my eyes already flooding with tears.
“They don’t understand,” he mumbles in a low, hoarse voice. His sorrowful eyes meet mine. “I’m doing this…for them…for us.”
Us. I hate this. I wish I could just forget the way he makes me feel.
I exhale heavily. I know it’s going to take a long time to get over him. I don’t think I’ll ever truly get over him. He’s already left his mark.
“I don’t know what I’d do if you weren’t here. Thank you for coming into my life.” He hugs me tight. The honesty in his voice weakens my resolve.
Maybe I’ll stay until the fight’s over. I want to be here to support him. After everything he’s done for me, it’s the least I can do. I keep telling myself I don’t have ulterior motives. It’s not because you want more time.
I should tell him the truth, but it would change everything. We just started this, whatever this is. I know it all would end if I did. I just want a little longer with Marco. I don’t need to break his heart any more than I’m going to.
It’s eventually going to end between us. It would only blindside him.
He never needs to know.
Chapter Thirteen
I hang up the phone, leaning back in my office chair with a sigh. Nick told Dad about the fight, and now I get a phone call every day like clockwork, as he and my mother attempt to “screw my head on straight.” Dad’s words.
It’s been three weeks since Nick and Gina welcomed their whopping nine-pound baby Campos into the world. Nicky’s still a little cold, but I won’t let him shut me out. He grunts a lot on the days I go with him and Pops to therapy. Gina usually takes him but she’s laid up from her C-section, and a little occupied at home with a newborn. I don’t mind helping out for a while and I really don’t want my Dad to do it alone. I’d do anything for my family.
Tonight I’m putting everything aside for a little bit. Tonight is about Mila. The days leading up to my first fight this weekend have been taking up a lot of my time and Mila’s.
I’ve been working out like crazy, trying to manage the gym and promotions, and when I finish with all that, I work out some more.
I need to win this fight. I need people to remember who the fuck I am. I had big plans before shit went down with Nicky. I was in my prime when I walked away. I have a lot to prove.
My opponent looks pretty easy to beat, but I don’t want to let my guard down and end up losing the bout. I’m a little nervous since it’s been over a year since I’ve been in the cage, but I’m pretty confident I can crush this dude.
Mila’s been working just as hard, basically managing every aspect of the gym, and helping out with the promo. On top of that, she’s teaching the self-defense class a couple of nights a week and kicking ass.
Everything’s running smoothly, but we haven’t spent much time together other than our sex-filled nights. Trust me, I’m not complaining but I want to take Mila out tonight as a couple—show her she means more than just sex to me. Soraya wants everyone to meet her new beau, Graham, so we’re meeting up with Tig and Delia at Tiny’s for a few drinks.
Mila wanted us to stay home in our underwear and eat pizza while we binge-watch Stranger Things. As fun as that sounds, I want to treat her special tonight.
She’s been a little off since the night in the hospital. When we arrived back home, she said goodnight and made a beeline for her apartment. I was having none of it when I picked her up over my shoulder and carried her into my apartment. We collapsed on the bed and slept for ten hours straight, after I made sweet love to her, of course.
She’s been living in my apartment since, and it feels so normal. The sight of her padding around my space, wearing nothing but my Marci’s T-shirt, arouses the hell out of me. It puts a huge smile on my face every time. She makes me happy and content. I wonder how I ever lived without her.
I love how she fits into my life. She fits right in with my family and friends. I love everything about Mila. I love her. Tonight I’m going to show her how much. Then I’m going to tell her.
“I’m ready.” Mila stands in the doorway, smoothing her hands down her skirt. I’m lost in my head, trying to remember the exact moment I fell in love with her.
When she said she didn’t have anything decent to wear, Soraya immediately invited her to go dress shopping and lunch today. I remind myself to thank my friend later when I see her because...holy shit.
The way the little black dress hugs her hips has me rethinking going out tonight because right now, I want to carry her upstairs, tie her to my bed, and devour her all night.
The cut of the little, clingy dress is not too low, but low enough. The hint of her magnificent breasts on display is enough to tease me and drive me wild. The material accentuates Mila’s luscious curves, making my breath hitch and my cock twitch in my dress pants. Her makeup is subtle, complementing her bronze skin tone. Her soft, wavy hair spills down her back elegantly.
I’m silent for way too long. She has me under some kind of spell. I can’t stop gawking at her beauty. She’s like some exotic Greek goddess of love and beauty, sent from the heavens just for me.