“Carmen.” I kiss her shoulder and work my way up to her neck. “Wake up, Sleeping Beauty.”
“Not yet.”
“Is my Rizo grumpy in the morning?”
“Go away.”
I laugh and kiss her some more until she groans. “Is this an everyday thing or just a workday thing?”
“Every.”
“Good to know, but we need to get going. I have to go home and change before the clinic. And I assume you need some of Juanita’s special brew to overcome your morning grumpiness.”
She grunts out a reply and snuggles deeper under the covers.
“Oh no you don’t. Get that sweet, sexy ass out of this bed.” I give her a pat on the bum to encourage her to move.
Giving me a stormy look, she says, “Are you always so freaking cheerful in the morning?”
“If I say yes, is that a deal breaker?”
“Potentially.”
“Then no, I’m not cheerful in the morning. I’m a nasty bastard. Better?”
“Much.”
“Get your ass out of bed so I’m not late for work.”
Groaning, she does as directed and drags herself into the bathroom, taking her phone with her to silence the alarm.
When the door slams behind her, I crack up laughing. I love discovering this new side to her, one that no one else has gotten to experience since she lost her husband. I can’t wait to discover every side of her—the good, the bad and the grumpy.
CARMEN
I’m barely awake when my phone chimes with a text from Mama D, who’s Tony’s mother, Josie. How’s the new job? Hope you’re loving it. Let me know when you can—and let’s do lunch. I’ll come to you!
Seeing her name on my screen fills me with an overwhelming feeling of guilt after what happened with Jason last night. Of course, I know that Tony’s family will support me in anything I do, but are they ready to see me with someone new? Am I ready for them to see that?
Yes, dammit. I’m ready, and I want this with Jason, even if he’s relentlessly cheerful in the morning. I shower and dry my hair, once again leaving it curly in deference to his affection for my curls.
I love that he’s calling me Rizo, that he took the time to learn terms of endearment in Spanish. I loved having sex with him last night, and I can’t wait to do it again. In my closet, I find a dress that’ll allow me to appear professional but won’t cause me to overheat at the clinic.
I’m about to leave the bathroom when I remember the text from my mother-in-law. I lean against the vanity for a minute as I stare down at the screen and think about what I want to say to her. The job is great. I’m on a special assignment helping one of the new docs this week. Will call you later!
Jason is dressed and ready to go when I emerge from the bathroom. The sight of his handsome, smiling face makes my stomach flutter with excitement for another day with him. After he takes a turn in the bathroom, he studies my face as he steps up to me, putting his hands on my hips. “Is it safe to kiss the sleeping dragon?”
“Yes, she’s fully awake now.” I pucker up to make my point.
Still smiling, he comes in slowly, letting the anticipation build before he touches his lips lightly to mine and then takes them away before I have a chance to fully enjoy the kiss.
“More.”
“Not now.”
“Yes, now.”
“Grumpy and demanding in the morning. I’m learning a lot about you, and it’s only eight o’clock.” He kisses my forehead, the tip of my nose and my lips again quickly—far too quickly for my liking. “If I start kissing you again, I won’t want to stop, and we’ve got somewhere to be.” He releases his hold on me and steps back.
I’m gratified to see the sizable bulge in his pants.
“Stop looking at it.”
“Don’t want to stop.”
“Gotta stop. You know the number for Miami-Dade, by any chance? I need to check on Mateo.”
“I do.” I rattle off the number for him.
He asks for surgical ICU and is connected to the nurse’s desk. “This is Dr. Northrup checking on Mateo Diaz.”
I try not to listen too closely as he talks to the nurses, but hearing and seeing him in doctor mode only adds to my interest in him. As he asks complex questions and listens to answers, he’s competent and concerned for his patient. After five minutes on the phone, he thanks the nurse and ends the call.
“How is he?”
“Doing great. He had a good night. I’ll swing by later to see him in person.”
I grab my purse and head for the door, aware of him following me. I can’t be anywhere near him and not be aware of him, even when we’re doing nothing more exciting than walking to the stairs. When we’re on the way down, I hand him my phone to hold while I dig through my purse, looking for his keys.
“You got a text from Mama D.”
“Oh. Okay.” I find the keys, take the phone from him and read the text. Can’t wait to catch up. I have to tell her about Jason. Abuela invited him to Sunday brunch, and Tony’s parents always come. I have to tell them about him before Sunday. I can’t believe what’s happened since this past Sunday.
“Everything okay?” Jason asks when we’re in the parking lot.
“Uh-huh.” I feel queasy at the thought of managing Tony’s family in the context of my new relationship. And is this a relationship or a fling? I’m not entirely sure, which has me wondering if I should even be mentioning it to them. Ugh.
He holds the driver’s door of my car and waits for me to get settled before closing it. After he gets into the passenger seat, he turns to me. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
“Mama D is Tony’s mother.”
“Oh.” He takes a minute to process that. “Are you feeling, you know, guilty . . .”
“No!” I sigh. “Maybe a little. I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel.”
He reaches for my hand and cradles it between both of his. “I assume you’re still close to them?”
“Very.”
“And is it safe to assume that they love you and want the best for you?”
“Yes,” I say softly. “They’ve been incredibly supportive of me.”
“So would it also be safe to assume that they’d be glad to see you happy, even if it’s still a raw wound for all of you and probably always will be?”
I appreciate that he gets that Tony’s death is still a raw wound for us, that it probably always will be. I nod in response to his question. “It’s hard.”
“I know, sweetheart. Well, I don’t know. Not really. I can’t possibly know what it was like for all of you to lose him the way you did. I only know that I really like you. I may even more than like you, and I want to be with you. But I also want to be respectful of how difficult it is for you to take this step with me and for those who love you to see you with someone new.”
My heart trips over the words “more than like you.” My gaze connects with his. “It means a lot to me that you get it.”
“I’m trying to get it. Tell me if I screw up?”
“I’d be happy to.”
We share a warm smile that leads to another kiss.