Page 54 of Hidden Rocco
He covered his face as if to shield himself from her words. “I had nothing to do with robbing a casino bank. I’m not entirely stupid.”
“My lawyers were able to prove that there was a lack of evidence and had your entire record expunged.”
He lowered his hands, his expression hopeful. “What does that mean?”
If this was good news, her gut shouldn’t twist, but here it was. Giving him what he deserved meant she risked losing a man she could see spending her life with. Goosebumps grew on her arms. “Not only are you a free man, you’ll be getting a settlement offer in a few days that will probably be in the millions.”
Rocco stopped, stared at the moon and made the sign of the cross as he said, “Wait what? I’m truly free to go see my mother?”
“Entirely.” She glanced at the grass.
He took a step toward her and she saw his sneaker swoosh design glow in the dark. “Why didn’t you tell me what you were doing?”
Her body shook, not with pain, but from nerves. Mica gazed into his brown eyes and explained, “I was learning to trust my judgment again. I’ve been burned badly in the past.”
He backed off and she calmed down as he asked in his normal, relaxed, no-judgment tone, “So you wanted to be sure I was innocent before you told me?”
She let out a laugh. If only it was that simple. “And then I… didn’t know how.”
He didn’t move at all. “You didn’t know how to tell me?”
Her mind raced. Ali had been so mad when she’d told him that she’d caught him cheating. He hadn’t expected to be confronted and that had deadly consequences. She kept a tight grip on the stroller. “I interfered. I took it upon myself to make decisions for your life. And now you have a choice on what you want to do—stay with a domineering woman and drive into the night, or take the next plane to Miami.”
He tapped his cheek like he studied her as a science experiment and not a person. “And you do that a lot?”
Brutally self-aware, she confessed, “It’s why Ali wanted to kill me in the first place.”
He blinked and dropped his hand. “What?”
Her breaths were short as she wished she was calm and relaxed. “I decided I didn’t just want to be a token princess. I took it upon myself to make political decisions, like freeing the political dissidents and ending beheadings.”
Rocco even with his swollen eye had confidence he could handle whatever happened next to her and Jacob while he widened his stance as the street light in the park shined on his head. “So you became a target.”
Her cheeks were so hot she wasn’t sure how she hadn’t melted into a puddle. “I did, and now Jacob could pay the price.”
He brushed his fingers over the top of her hand. “I’m not your ex, Mica.”
Tears rolled down her face. She couldn’t look at him. “I know you’re not.”
He massaged her arms like he was an expert masseuse. “ If I could have handled the prison situation myself, I wouldn't have spent years in a four by four room with nothing to look at except my roommate and the gray walls.”
The image of Rocco stuck and alone in a gray room played in her head.
Life wasn’t fair. Her tears dried. “I’m sorry.”
He put his hands in his pockets and the lack of his touch made her ache. “I’m sorry too. I wish you’d trusted me.”
This was why she deserved to be alone. Her voice cracked as she said, “Me too.”
He motioned with his head toward the park gate. “Well, let’s get in the car and go pack. I want to see my mom to ensure she’s fine, and then we can go wherever you want, even out of the country it seems.”
He turned to leave but she pushed the strolled and called out, “Wait.”
“What?” He returned to her side.
Mica pressed her palm to his chest. “I’m sorry.”
Rocco lowered his forehead to hers. “I can’t be mad.”
