by Sam Mariano
“Mateo…”
“It’s okay, Meg. Don’t talk, okay? We’ve gotta get you some help.”
All I want to do is sleep, but I force myself to remain lucid, because he needs to know.
“I’m pregnant.”
I didn’t think he could get any whiter, but as he looks at the blood oozing out of my stomach, he does.
And then everything goes black.
Chapter Twenty Five
I’m in and out of consciousness, Mateo shaking me, lightly slapping my face, trying to keep me awake. I wish he didn’t look so scared. It’s hard to believe his words that I’m going to be fine and everything is going to be all right when his face tells a different story.
At one point, I hear him arguing with the driver, telling him to take me to the hospital.
“We can’t go to the hospital, Mateo.”
Viciousness drips from Mateo’s next words. “Take her to the motherfucking hospital or the next person who gets a bullet pumped into them is going to be you.”
---
Next thing I know, the pain is gone. I crack my eyes open and I’m looking out a window—a bright, sunny window. It’s supposed to be evening. Where am I?
I hear a door ease shut, but the room is too bright and I squeeze my eyes closed.
A chair scrapes across the floor and I hear someone’s weight drop into a vinyl covered seat.
Mateo sounds ragged when he says, “You didn’t have to come.”
I recognize Adrian’s voice immediately when he says, “Yeah, I did.”
There’s a long pause. I feel like maybe I should open my eyes and let them know I’m awake, but this also feels like awkward timing.
Adrian pushes out a sigh, his voice low. “Did you talk to the cops yet?”
“Yeah.”
“Great.”
“I had to bring her,” Mateo defends, though without much heat.
“I know,” Adrian says, not even arguing. “It wasn’t one of your guys?”
“Of course not. Boggs.”
Adrian clears his throat. “Okay. I’ll take care of it.”
“That’s not your job anymore, remember?”
“Someone tried to kill you, Mateo,” Adrian states.
“Someone’s always trying to kill me. You did, once.”
“I didn’t try. We’ve been over this. If I tried, I would’ve.”
“Maybe you should’ve,” Mateo remarks, without humor. “Meg could’ve died, and all she did was show up with me.”
“Meg’s going to be fine,” Adrian says firmly. “Mia already caught me up before I came in. She’s going to make it. You’ve gotta stay focused.”
“Oh, I’m focused,” Mateo says, his voice rough, full of loathing. “The streets of this city are going to run red with the blood of everyone who heard so much as a whisper of this goddamn plan and didn’t lift a finger to stop it.”
“It’s gonna mean war,” Adrian says, not disagreeing, just pointing it out.
“They wanted a war. Now they’re going to get one.”
Adrian sniffles, and there’s a light impact, like he put a hand on Mateo’s shoulder. “I’m back until this is all resolved.”
There’s a brief pause, then Mateo says simply, “Thank you.”
Both men stand, I think. Even though I shouldn’t intrude, I crack my eyes open just enough to see what’s going on, and I’m surprised and a little shaken to see Adrian is actually giving Mateo a hug. A man-hug, with the unnecessary back-patting, but a hug, nonetheless.
Not friends, my ass.
I let my eyes open all the way, but it takes a few seconds for Mateo to look back my way.
When he does, I offer a little smile.
“Hey, handsome.”
Rushing to my side, he takes my hand, his eyes traveling over my body, like I might break, just speaking.
“How do you feel?” he asks.
“I feel fine,” I assure him, glancing at the IV stand beside my bed. “I probably have drugs to thank for that.”
Adrian hasn’t left yet. I think he was about to, but now he’s not sure what to do, so he just stands there awkwardly. Now that I’m looking at him, I realize he shaved off his shaggy hair, and it’s trimmed short.
“I like the new look,” I tell him.
He goes to run a hand through his much shorter hair, but realizing it, he drops his hand, still looking a bit bashful. “Thanks.”
“I’m glad you’re back,” I add.
“I’m sorry it’s under these circumstances,” he replies.
I nod, glancing uncertainly to Mateo. I don’t even know the extent of it, and I kind of need a few minutes with him to find out.
Seeming to understand that, Adrian nods toward the door. “I’m gonna get out of here. I’ll tell Vince and Mia you’re up, they’ve been waiting.”
“Just give us a minute first,” Mateo says. “Have them wait outside the door; I’ll come get them when she’s ready.”
Adrian nods, then with one last glance at me, he steps out into the hall.
“It was nice of Adrian to come,” I remark, unsure where to begin.
Mateo nods, his face still solemn. “He hates hospitals.”
He’s still holding my hand, so I give it a light squeeze. I don’t know how to ask. I don’t want to hear the answer, but I need to know. “So, I’m going to be okay?”
“They were able to remove the bullet and repair the damage. There was no exit wound and you lost a lot of blood.”
I swallow, glancing down toward my abdomen. I’m covered in bed sheets and blankets, but it’s not like I’d be able to see through my hospital gown anyway. It’s not like seeing would be able to tell me anything.
My voice is tentative when I ask, “And the baby?”
“The baby’s okay.”
My hand flies to my chest. I release a breath of relief with too much force, and I feel a pang of discomfort. Worth it. “Oh, thank God.” Realizing my necklace isn’t dangling down where it usually is, I frown.
I look to Mateo, realizing he doesn’t look as relieved as I feel. His eyes are still somewhat distant, his whole being weighted down.
“Where’s my necklace?” I ask.
“I had to take it,” he explains.
I nod, feeling the spot where it usually hangs again. “Am I allowed to have it back?” I ask lightly.
He shakes his head, his continued solemnity giving me a sinking feeling in my stomach.
I frown in confusion. “Why not?”
His eyes travel down to where I was shot and his gaze sticks on the blanket covering my wound. “You almost died, Meg. Because you were with me.”
“I almost died because some asshole shot me,” I state, raising my eyebrows.
“He was aiming for me. You took a bullet that was meant for me.”
“I did,” I remark, nodding. “I didn’t think I could ever save you from a bullet. I totally undersold myself. You better buy me something nice, Morelli.”
He is not amused. “Meg.”
“Mateo,” I return, holding his gaze.
“You could’ve died.”
Squeezing his hand, I point out, “But I didn’t. I’m going to be okay. Our baby is going to be okay. Everything is going to be okay.”
Releasing my hand but remaining by my side, Mateo looks at the empty spot on my neck where his death necklace used to hang, and seemingly before he can change his mind, he says, “I’m not giving you the necklace back because you no longer require a reminder. A warning. Whatever you want to call it. I’m not going to make you stay with me. I would never hurt you, Meg. I never could. And I’m about to unleash hell on everyone associated with the Castellanos family. Things are going to get more dangerous. If you want to leave, if you want to take Lily and go back to a normal life, you can. I’ll set you up financially—”
I stop him, grabbing his hand before he can continue. There was a time not so long ago that I would’ve taken him up on this offer, regardless of my attrac
tion to him, but it’s so much more than that now. I’ve gone way past the point of no return with this man, and I’m not about to take an easy out now that he finally offers one.
I also know Mateo, and despite my admiration for him, he’s not wrong when he says he’s not a noble man. For him to offer to let me go, to give me up, to make a painful sacrifice for me? Well, if I ever doubted he loved me before, I never will again.
“Mateo, no.” I shake my head, frowning at him. “I don’t want that. Thank you, but no thank you. I want to be with you.
“It’s dangerous to be with me, Meg.”
“Good thing I don’t scare easily.”
He takes my hand, bringing it to his lips and just lingering there before he says, “I thought I was going to lose you.”
“You’re never getting rid of me,” I tell him, attempting a faint smile.
He nods, looking slightly relieved, but not entirely. “If you ever change your mind, the offer stands. I don’t want to own your freedom. I want you safe and happy.”
I take his hand and hug it close. “You make me feel safe and happy. And I want my ring back.”
He glances at my now-empty ring finger. “I didn’t take that back to make a statement, I had to when they took you. There was… blood everywhere.”
It makes me feel a bit sick just recalling it. It was the greatest night, and then that had to happen. “We can stay in for date nights until this Castellanos shit is resolved, though,” I tell him.
He leans in and kisses me so softly, so tenderly. If I could, I’d fall a little more in love with him, but I’m pretty sure I’m in about as deep as you can get.
“I still want to marry you,” he tells me.
“You better,” I tell him. “I’m basically a Morelli now; we don’t allow take-backs.”
“Meg Morelli,” he says, running his thumb across my hand. “I do like the sound of that.”
“It has a great ring to it,” I agree, grinning. “We’re sure the baby’s okay?”
He nods. “Luckily you’re not very far along yet; the bullet wasn’t even close.”
I close my eyes, leaning my head against the pillow, and just breathing. “We’re all okay.”
Caressing my face, he says, “I love you, Meg.”
I open my eyes, smiling up at him. “And I love you. A whole lot.”
“Enough to take a bullet for me, apparently,” he says wryly.
“I think I love you even more than Adrian does.”
Mateo rolls his eyes.
“He came back for you,” I continue. “Like a last minute change of heart at the airport in a chick-flick. He totally loves you.”
“All right, I’m telling the doctors to bring these pain meds down a notch, you’re clearly starting to get delusional.”
“He better be your best man,” I state.
Rolling his eyes, Mateo takes a step toward the door. “I’m letting Vince and Mia in.”
“Wait.” I hold up my empty ring hand and wiggle it. “I want my ring back first.”
He makes a detour, reaching into a black leather duffel on the floor by the wall, bringing over the ring box. He cracks it open, and the sight of it makes me grin again. I hold out my hand and let him slide it back on, then I moon at it for a minute while he heads for the door.
Vince comes in first, breezing right past Mateo to head over to my bedside. Behind him, Mia throws her arms around Mateo, and he gives her a squeeze back.
I move my eyes to Vince, so as not to turn his attention that way. He’s giving me one of his little smirks as he approaches my bed. “This was a pretty extravagant way to get out of that Scrabble re-match you owe me.”
I start to laugh, but it turns to a grimace, as apparently I can’t use those muscles right now.
“Sorry.” He grimaces sympathetically, glancing up at my IV, then back to my body, covered in blankets. “Does it hurt real bad?”
“Not right now. It did when it first happened. Like… whoa, getting shot is no joke.”
“I’m gonna try to avoid it, now that you’ve told me.”
Nodding, I tell him, “Glad I could help you out with that decision.”
Mia has broken away from Mateo now, and she’s gravitated to me, a very dramatic look of concern on her face as she comes to Vince’s side. “How are you?”
“I’m okay,” I assure her.
“Did you…?” She trails off, glancing back at Mateo, then to me, looking pointedly at my stomach in case I didn’t get to tell him yet.
“Oh.” I nod, placing a hand on my stomach. “Yes. We’re having a baby!”
Vince rears back a little, and Mia looks like she’s going to explode with a squeal she’s holding in, due to being in the hospital. “The baby’s okay?” she asks, her gaze jumping to my stomach again.
“Yep, all good.”
Her eyes have widened again, and they’re still glued to my stomach. I follow her gaze and realize she’s staring at my engagement ring.
“Oh.” I lift it up, showing it to both of them. “We’re also engaged.”
Nudging Vince in the side, she states, “You need to step up our date nights, baby.”
“You don’t want to get married and I don’t want kids,” he points out. “What am I supposed to do, get you a puppy?”
Shaking her head with a disappointed frown, she says, “They shed.”
Mateo comes to save Vince, nodding for him to step aside so they can talk. Mia steps closer to me with him out of the way and grabs my hand, admiring my ring.
“I can’t believe he proposed,” she says, shaking her head.
“I was pretty shocked myself. It appears that he’s quite fond of me.”
Mia rolls her eyes playfully. “Ya think?” She glances up at me. “It’s really pretty. Not quite what I expected him to pick out, but really nice.”
“He thought it suited me.”
She smiles. “I agree. Congratulations, I guess. In a hospital bed doesn’t seem like the place to receive double congratulations, but look at you, getting married and having a baby.”
“Amidst a gang war,” I add. “It’s all so romantic.”
“Mateo’s going to guard you like you’re made of glass now, I hope you realize that.”
“I accept it,” I tell her, nodding. “To be honest, I really didn’t like getting shot, so I’m not going to fight a few added precautions.”
“What happened?” she asks. “He didn’t really tell me anything. He was just… that poor guy.”
“I know,” I murmur, looking at where he stands across the room, leaning in to talk to Vince. Since he’s distracted, I crook my finger at Mia. She leans in, but I draw her even closer, just to be safe. “I need you to promise me something.”
“Of course,” she says, watching me.
“If something does happen to me…”
“Meg, nothing is going to happen to you. You’re going to recover, the doctor said—”
“I know,” I interrupt, glancing at the guys before turning my attention back to her. “But he isn’t wrong. It can be dangerous to be with him. And with what just happened, I don’t know how safe things are going to be going forward. As long as he’s in the position of power he’s in, as long as Mateo draws breath, he’s a target. If I’m with him, there is a chance, however slim, however much security there is… I just want to be safe.”
“Okay,” she says, though a bit uneasily now.
“If anything happens to me, I need to know someone will be there for Lily. Obviously Mateo will take care of her, and there’s Ju, but she needs someone else. A real mother figure, not just a nanny.”
“Oh, my god, Meg,” she says, grasping my hand.
“Just promise.”
“Of course,” she says, nodding. “Of course I’d be there for Lily. But that’s not going to happen.”
“I know,” I assure her. “I’m not planning on going anywhere anytime soon. I just want to be abundantly cautious. I want to know… if I couldn’t be here
, the people I love would still be looked after.”
Mia nods in understanding.
I glance at the guys one more time, then back to her. I pull her even closer. “And Mateo. Don’t let him be lonely.”
Obviously she hears me, but instead of responding, she just stares at the rail of my bed, as if suddenly frozen.
“I know you care about him. If something happened to me because I was with him… he wouldn’t be okay. I’m afraid he wouldn’t let anyone else in. Promise me you wouldn’t let him… close himself off.”
Smiling a little uneasily, she says, “I don’t think I can control what he does.”
Nodding slightly, I say, “I think you could.”
“This is an intensely weird conversation,” she tells me, finally meeting my gaze.
“I’m proficient in those, if you haven’t noticed.”
“I don’t really know how to respond to that,” she tells me.
“You don’t have to,” I tell her, letting her off the hook. “Just… know how I feel about it.”
Mia shakes her head, seeming almost surprised. “You never stop getting weirder, do you?”
“Also, I want you to be my maid of honor,” I add.
She snorts, covers her mouth, and then literally starts laughing until tears leak out of her eyes. “Only you,” she finally says. “Only you would make those two requests back to back.”
I grin at her. I can’t laugh with her, but I would if I could. “I’m special.”
Flicking an errant tear from under her eye, she nods. “You are that.”
Chapter Twenty Six
I’m so glad to finally be home.
Mateo’s treating me a bit like a paper doll, but now that I’m not in the hospital, I am experiencing much more soreness, so I don’t object much.
“Can I hug your tummy?”
Before I can answer Lily, Mateo does. “We can’t hug Mommy’s tummy right now, remember?”
“Let’s do normal hugs today,” I say, opening my arms.
We haven’t told the girls about the baby yet, but given all that’s happened, I kind of want to wait until the first trimester is over to tell them, just to be safe.