Cautious (Sequel to Disastrous)

by Montes, E. L.

  Megan began brushing my hair, “So, where’s Marcus?”

  “I sent him home.”

  “How did you manage that? He hasn’t left your side since day one.”

  “I threatened him that if he didn’t go home and take a shower I was never going to kiss or sleep with him again.”

  She let out a giggle. “That worked?”

  “If you knew Marcus, you would know that sex is the best way to bribe him.”

  “You’re mean.”

  “Yeah, I know, but I also wanted him to go out and get some air. Staying in a hospital for several days isn’t exactly a spa getaway.”

  “Like a massage spa getaway?”

  We burst out laughing, and I winced as I felt a pain shoot through the side of my rib.

  “See. You’re not one-hundred percent yet. You can’t go home.”

  “I hate being in here.”

  “It’s a hospital, honey. Everyone does.”

  She continued to stroke my hair with the brush, and I hated to admit it, but it felt great. Once she was satisfied with the final result, she pulled back to inspect her doing. “Well, it’s not exactly how I pictured it, but it’ll do until you can wash it.”

  “Wow, you’re such a great friend.”

  “I’m honest.”

  Marcus came through the doors with a huge flower arrangement and a smile. “Hello, beautiful.”

  “Awww!” Megan squealed.

  “Marcus, you do not have to bring flowers every single day. What am I going to do with all of these?” I spread my arms around the room.

  He shrugged as he found a spot by the corner window seal and set the vase down. “Get used to it.”

  My lips curled into a crooked smile. “Are you going to buy me flowers every day for the rest of our lives?”

  “Yes, I am. Every single day.” Playfully, I rolled my eyes at him and he chuckled. “I can see your attitude is back. That should be a great sign that you’ll be home early.”

  “Actually, the doctor said that I won’t go home until sometime next week.” I crossed my arms across my chest with a huff and leaned back into the bed. The mattress was adjusted into an upright position so that I could sit up and not lie down on it.

  “Well, I’d love to stay and chat, but I have to be at work in a few hours. I’ll stop by tomorrow.” Megan leaned in and kissed my cheek.

  “Thank you for stopping by, Megan, and for doing my hair.” Marcus bunched his brows together as he tilted his head and stared at my head. I guess there wasn’t much of a difference.

  “Anytime! Maybe tomorrow I can do your makeup.” Her smile was so enthusiastic I couldn’t help but nod in response. How could you turn down someone who only wanted to help?

  Just like that, with a single wave of her hand, she was gone and out the door.

  “What are the plans for today?” I turned my head to Marcus.

  “Well, there’s the lovely game of Scrabble again.” He reached for the game that lay on the table beside the bed. “Or crossword puzzles.” He waved the book with a huge grin and a mocking brow wiggle. “And then there’s the fine game of Go Fish ’cause you don’t know any other card games.” He sat in the chair beside me.

  “I know ‘I declare war.’”

  “Not a real card game, babe. Pick a game.”

  With a hand to my chest, I widened my eyes. “Oh how shall I ever choose with such a huge selection?”

  He flashed a wide-dimpled grin. “Or I can go out and buy a few more games if you like.”

  “No, Scrabble is fine.”

  “Atta girl.” He reached up and lightly tugged at my chin.

  During the next hour, Marcus and I were still on our first game of Scrabble, which I was winning, of course, when we heard a knock at the door. Vinnie walked in and my entire body froze. I hadn’t seen him since the day of the shooting. Marcus told me that he was fine, but just seeing Vinnie in person made it all come back.

  “Mia, how you feeling?” Vinnie asked as he slowly approached the hospital bed.

  “I’m good, better than good. How are you?”

  “I’m glad you’re doin’ well. I’m doing well too. Hey, Marky.” He nodded over at Marcus who returned the gesture. Marcus exhaled and stood. “No, no, please sit. I don’t want to intrude. I just wanted to say a few things.”

  “Alright.” Marcus said cautiously as he slowly sat back down.

  “I just wanted to let the both of you know that I’m sorry for what happened and how everything went down. Especially for you, Mia. You shouldn’t have walked into that.”

  “It’s not your fault. I was at the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  “Still it wasn’t right, so I’m sorry.” Smiling at him, I nodded. “And, Marky, just so you know, there was glitch with the surveillance camera videos after Lou left the building, if you know what I mean.”

  I turned my head toward Marcus, who wore a baffled expression. “So just like that. Everything is good?” His tone screamed with uncertainly.

  Vinnie nodded. “I told you I owed you one, so yeah, just like that.”

  “But how?”

  “Like I said, there was a glitch.”

  Marcus stood up from the chair walked over toward Vinnie and offered his hand. “Thank you.”

  Vinnie took it and shook Marcus’s hand. They exchanged a quick manly hug, and once Vinnie pulled away, he smiled at me, turned, and walked out the room.

  “What was all that about, Marcus?” I asked him the moment Vinnie was out the door.

  He shook his head in disbelief. “That was my out.”

  “Seriously?” My heart fluttered in anticipation.

  He nodded. “Yeah. It’s over.” I reached my arms out, and in a few strides, he was beside me. He kissed my forehead and pulled me into a tight embrace.

  We could finally start reclaiming our lives.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  THREE MONTHS LATER

  MARCUS

  Fingers traced along my arm, toward my shoulder, and across my chest. Once at the middle of my chest, the fingers glided down my torso and stopped at the edge of my briefs. A finger hooked its way in and played along the rim of the cotton fabric. “Wake up, my sleepy man.” Her voice was a whisper along my ear.

  I moaned and adjusted my arm around her to pull her in closer. With my eyes still closed, I smiled at her giggle. She continued to play with the rim of my boxers. I caught her wrist and pushed her hands down. She giggled again as she gripped my length and began stroking it up and down. “I didn’t wake you for this.” She teased as she went on with her gentle strokes.

  “Well, why else would you wake me?” I slightly stretched underneath her and smiled as she leaned in and grazed her lips along my jawline and toward my ear.

  “Today is a good day.” She mumbled as she sucked in my earlobe.

  “Oh, yeah? What’s today?”

  “I need you to wake up so I can tell you.”

  “I’m up, baby. Don’t you feel the hard on? I’m wide awake.”

  Another soft laugh escaped her. “Open your eyes for me.”

  Just like that, I did as I was told, flashing my eyes open. I had the privilege to wake to that beautiful face every morning. She bit her lip as a thrill of excitement filled her eyes. She was so happy with whatever she wanted to tell me that the vibe was transferring onto me. “You’re killing me here, Mia. What do you have to tell me?”

  She kneeled up on the bed and wrapped her legs around my hips to straddle me. I placed my hands on her waist and stared up at the most beautiful sight I’d ever seen. Her hair, long and wavy, was draped down the front of her shoulders and down toward the middle of her torso. Her soft face radiated a glow that would lighten a room, and those big emerald sparkling eyes, that I fell in love with the moment I saw them, weakened me every time. I raised my brows, waiting for her to respond.

  “Well . . .” She looked down at me. Her smile softened as if she were unsure of why she’d awoken me, and then she blurte
d, “I’m pregnant.”

  My mouth dropped open and then turned into the biggest grin. “What?!”

  She nodded adamantly. “I know. It’s crazy, right? I mean we’ve done everything backwards. Moved in together, pregnancy, and then marriage, but even though it’s not in the order everyone expects it to be, I’m okay with that. I’m not sure . . .”

  I gripped her face and brought her down, shutting off the rambling that she always did when she was nervous. I smashed my lips against hers. She weakened in my hold and moaned against my mouth. Slowly pulling her away, I stared into her eyes. “Who cares if it’s backwards? Who said there was a rule of how to plan your life? Are you happy?”

  Her eyes filled with tears as she forced a smile and nodded. “I’m so happy, but I feel guilty for feeling this happy.”

  Puzzled by what she meant, I traced the back of my fingers along the side of her soft cheeks. “Explain that to me.”

  “Well, every time I begin to feel like my life is finally taking off, that nothing could change the pattern of how great things are going, just like that,” she snapped her fingers, “it’s taken away from me, as if I don’t deserve for once to just be happy.”

  “Baby.” I pulled her in against my chest and ran my fingers through her soft brown hair. “I can’t promise you that life won’t try to take a stab at you, that you won’t run through a few obstacles, and that you won’t feel like quitting at times. But I can promise you that, with each stab, I’ll be there to heal the wound. With each obstacle, I’ll be running right beside you. And every time you fall, I’ll be right there to pick you up. We’re in this together, always, and no matter how many times it feels like a struggle, we’ll fight through it together because we deserve to be happy. You deserve all the happiness life can bring.”

  I tugged at her chin and lifted her wet face from my chest. A soft smile formed on her lips as she swiped away the tears. “Well, be prepared because life is going to bring you a moody, hormonal, and very sensitive pregnant woman for the next few months.”

  Laughing, I framed her face and grazed my thumb along her cheekbones. “It’s worth it; everything with you is worth every bit.” I lifted her hand, the one with the engagement ring she had accepted again the moment we moved in together, and played with it around her finger. With a smile, I traced my eyes from her hand to her face. “You’ve made me happier than you’ll ever know.”

  Mia breathed out a smile, leaned down, and pressed her lips against mine—those lips that I had the pleasure to kiss every day for the rest of my life.

  Yes, it was exactly then that I knew, without a doubt, that I was the luckiest man alive.

  EPILOGUE

  ONE YEAR LATER

  MIA

  I stared at my reflection in the long mirror before me, and a smile crept along my lips as I admired the beauty in white. The long strapless gown hugged my body flawlessly. The diamond necklace and matching drop earrings were simple but elegant. My hair was pinned into a low bun and covered with a long veil that draped down my back. Gathering my bouquet from the table by the vanity, I held the beautiful yellow roses in front of me and took one last glance at the reflection.

  This was the day that I’d walk down the aisle and forever be known as Mrs. Marcus DeLuca. Tears filled my eyes as the thought crossed my mind of spending the rest of my life with the one man I loved. Marcus and I had traveled a path that was dangerous, heart wrenching, and tremendously insane. We also had a life full of love, laughter, and happiness. Even through all the bad times, I couldn’t picture my life without him. We had fought for each other tooth and nail. Yes, ours was a flawed relationship, but when we loved each other as deeply as we did, no one could ever take that away from us.

  We were meant for each other in every way, and I didn’t care how others perceived our relationship. None of that mattered because I was going to spend life with the one person that truly counted.

  “Are you ready, sweetheart?” My grandfather popped his head in the door and froze as he set eyes on me. “Well, I’ll be . . .” Tears began to fill his eyes. Bowing his head, he walked over to me and pulled me into a hug. “You are the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen.” He whispered, “Don’t tell your grandmother I said that. She’ll kill me.”

  Laughing, I tightened my arms around him. “Thank you so much, and thank you for walking me down the aisle.”

  “Are you kidding? I’m honored.” He pulled back as his eyes danced around my face. “Are you ready to become a married woman?”

  “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

  He nodded, stepped aside, and bent his arm. I nestled my hand through the crook of it and looked up at him with a smile. “Let’s do this.”

  We walked out of the hotel room and down the hall. My heart fluttered as I anticipated seeing Marcus. I wondered if he was just as nervous and anxious as I was. As we waited for the elevators, I heard Megan squealing as she ran down the hall. Her long light yellow silk gown with a white sash swayed as she darted my way. It was the perfect gown for a spring wedding.

  “You look amazing.” She breathed out as she tried to catch her breath.

  “You do too.” We quickly hugged and walked into the elevator as it opened.

  We traveled down to the lobby and headed to where the ceremony was held. Once we reached the doors, the wedding planner pulled me aside against the wall. “No peeking. We wouldn’t want the groom to see you early.” I nodded and began fidgeting with my hands as my breathing grew unsteady.

  After a few minutes, I was able to calm my breathing. Then I caught sight of Elle running down the hall toward me. She was absolutely beautiful in a white dress with a red sash. The basket she held was filled with yellow rose petals. Once she approached me, her eyes glistened as her lips curled into a huge smile. “Wow, Mia. You look like a princess.”

  I laughed and leaned down to pull her into a hug. “No, you look like a princess. You’re beautiful.”

  “Thank you. I’m here to perform the flower girl duties. Daddy said it’s a very important job.”

  I burst into laughter. “Oh yes, very important. Without the flower girl, the wedding would be a catastrophe.”

  With a hand on her hip, she nodded. “Yes, we can’t let that happen.”

  “Alright, everyone in place. The wedding will begin in a few seconds.” The wedding planner clapped his hands together.

  I straightened at his announcement and wrapped my hand snugly through my grandfather’s crooked arm.

  Right on time, the planner hurried Elle along the aisle. Before walking down the aisle, she winked at me, adjusted her shoulders, and smiled brightly for the guests.

  I loved that little girl.

  Megan was up next. “See you in a few!” She squealed and waved her hand, showing off her diamond engagement ring, and headed down the same path as Elle. In a few months, she and Jeremy would be reciting their own vows. I couldn’t have been happier for them.

  “Okay, in about ten seconds, the wedding bells will go off, and then you can walk down.”

  I nodded at the planner and took in another deep breath.

  Right on time, I heard the bells go off. My grandfather moved forward, and I followed beside him as he guided me down the aisle. My head was bowed at first. I heard shoes shuffling as the guests stood the moment we entered. As we continued in a slow pace down the aisle, in the midst of it all, I had the courage to finally look up.

  First, I saw my mother standing beside my grandmother with their eyes filled with joyous tears. Second, Jeremy, with a wide smile, gave me one nod. I returned the gesture and then let out a soft laugh. Third, I saw Theresa. She was beautiful in a cream silk gown as her eyes glowed at the sight of me. I looked straight ahead and found Jimmie as the best man with his smile wide and bright. I remembered the talk I had with him the previous night, when he told me that he couldn’t have picked a more suitable wife for his brother. I told him one day he’d find love and that, when it came, it would hit him hard. He disagreed, bu
t I knew one day he would.

  After I smiled at Jimmie, I turned my head slightly to the left, and then I saw him: my soon-to-be husband. My heart expanded with more love than I ever thought possible. Marcus stood at the other end of the aisle, looking more handsome than ever in a black tuxedo. With a wide dimpled smile, he tilted his arm so I could get a better look of our six-month-old baby boy he held. Michael was dressed in a matching tiny tux. My eyes swelled as I saw my two boys waiting for me at the end of the aisle. I laughed as tears escaped me when Marcus lifted our baby’s tiny hand to wave at me.

  Once I made my way up to them, Marcus leaned in and kissed my forehead. “You look so beautiful.”

  “You too.” I whispered through my cracked voice.

  Marcus chuckled and kissed our baby boy’s soft head before handing him over to me. I grabbed him and looked down at the big brown eyes and tiny lips that curled into a small grin, which showed off his dimple just like his daddy’s. It was right then that I knew I wouldn’t change any of the past couple of years. I’d never been happier. My life was complete as I held my baby and looked up at the man that gave me more than just happiness. He gave me love and a life full of unexpected turns that brought us to where we were now—a life that only a few could dream of, but this wasn’t a fantasy. This was real.

  We stood before all of our family and friends and promised to love, trust, and be honest for the rest of our lives. There might be rocky times, but we would get past them together and never give up, because love—and not just any love, but our love—was worth fighting for.

  He leaned down and gave me my first kiss as Mrs. Marcus DeLuca.

  THE END

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  First and foremost, I want to thank my readers. I didn’t think anyone would actually like my first book, Disastrous, let alone fall in love with the characters. Thank you for the support and love you’ve given me. If it weren’t for your continued support, Cautious would’ve never met its deadline. You guys are the reason why I’ll continue my passion. I have so much more and can’t wait to give you.