Page 108 of Not For Keeps
I lean in and kiss her forehead and turn to walk out the door. The moment I leave the room, I let out a breath. What a fucking day. But we made it. My girls are okay, and I’m going to marry the woman of my dreams. I saved them. I did it. I did what I couldn’t for my family. I fucking did it. Then I slide down the wall and begin to cry.
Chapter Thirty-Six
ANALYSE
Something beeps steadily in the background, a soft rhythm tethering me to consciousness. My body feels heavy, like I’m underwater. There’s a dull ache in my leg, a pressure in my chest, and the unmistakable sterile scent of antiseptic.
I blink, the ceiling blurry and washed in a haze of overhead light, and then?—
“Mami!”
I open my eyes slowly, the room sharpening with every blink, when I see her. Maya. The brightest light in the room. Instantly, tears begin to stream down my face.
“Mami? Are you okay?” she asks anxiously.
I reach my hands toward her, urging her to come closer. “Yes, mamita. I’m okay. I’m just so happy to see you. I’m so happy that you’re okay, mi amor.”
“I was so scared, Mami.”
“I know, baby. I know. It was scary. But you were so brave. My strong girl. I’m sorry you had to be so brave today. Butmommy’s here, and I’ll never let anything happen to you. I love you, baby.”
“I love you, too, Mami. When can you come home?”
“It’s going to be a while, sweetheart. But I promise, I’ll be home as soon as I can. Mateo is going to stay at our house so you can be in your own room, with all your own things. And Tio Seb and Titi Mari will see you every day.”
“Okay, Mami,” she says, sniffling, trying to hold back her tears.
“Hey,” I say, lifting her chin. “You never have to hold your tears back. You are the strongest little kid I’ve ever met, but strength doesn’t mean never showing emotion. And you never, ever, have to hide what you’re feeling from me, okay?”
“Yes, Mami. Okay. I thought…I thought maybe it was my fault,” she says, barely audible.
My chest caves in.
“No, baby. None of this is your fault. If anything, you saved me. You were so brave to call for help. I’m here because of you.”
Her little brow furrows. “But I didn’t know what to do.”
“You did exactly what you were supposed to. I’m so proud of you. You are my brave, smart, beautiful girl.”
I hug her as tightly as I can, any pain made dull the moment I feel her tiny arms wrap around me. I don’t know how we made it out. I don’t know what miracle let Mateo find us in time. But I do know this—I will spend the rest of my life making sure Maya never doubts how loved and safe she is. We got lucky today, and I’m never going to take a minute of this second chance at life for granted.
After a few hours, Maya goes home with Seb so Mateo can spend tonight with me. The charmer that he is, he was able totalk the nurses into letting him stay. They even brought in a second bed, a pillow, and a blanket.
I glance over at him now, his chest rising and falling slowly in the bed beside mine, and my heart constricts. I love him. I love Mateo. I still can’t believe it. But I meant every word I said. He really does have my heart.
A part of me still thinks I imagined his voice calling my name in the fire. That I hallucinated the way he burst through the smoke like a man with nothing to lose. Or maybe he was bursting in like he had everything to lose. Because Maya and I were there. But he’s real. He’s here. He loves me. He asked me to marry him, and I’m so glad that I can look at him, kiss him, hold him for the rest of our lives.
My fingers twitch at the thought, and I lift my hand to stare at it—even without a ring, I already feel the weight of forever. The warmth of being wanted. The safety of being seen.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
MATEO
I’ve never been this damn excited to clean. But today? Today, I’m scrubbing baseboards with more passion than I’ve ever put into a workout.
I don’t think I’ve ever vacuumed this much in my entire life. Maya’s been trailing behind me with a duster, her little pink socks sliding across the hardwood floors as she tries to reach the corners I missed.
“Did you fluff the pillows?” she asks, hands on her hips like a mini general.
