Page 53 of Come Alive
“You might not remember, but Steve appeared and didn’t hesitate before shooting you. It was Kazi who tackled him to theground, Mateo who carried you to the car. They kept you safe without hesitation, they knew exactly what to do. It was me who was in shock, I saw you bleeding and all I could do was cover it. But they kept calm, they got you out of there, it is because of them you are alive, that our twins are. Because of all of them that Izzy is alive too. And for that? I will forever be in their debt.”
Happiness—pure and unfiltered—flicked its way into me. I hadn’t realized how anxious I was about the four of us coexisting. About James specifically in this mess that had become my life. Most women dated one man. “Where will we all live? What about your company?”
Kazi and Mateo decided it was time to make their appearance, both filing into the room. One with food. The other with flowers.
“We’re going to be living in Florida,” Mateo advised, setting the flowers down on the nightstand. The huge sunflowers were nearly the size of his hands.
“And when did I agree to that?” I snapped, narrowing my eyes.
“Mateo,you were supposed toaskher,” Kazi admonished, pulling wrapped items from the bag, handing one to me and then another to James. “They had seafood or burgers. After our last mishap with the shrimp, I decided burgers were the safer route.”
James raised an eyebrow in question.
“I’ll tell you about it later.” Eyeing the wrapped burger warily, I was hungry, but I also wasn’t sure if I wanted to eat it.
“Miss Yara, thebabiesneed sustenance.” His tone was gentle, but I refused to meet his eyes.
He is right. I have to take care of myself. If not for my sake, then theirs.
I didn’t hesitate again before digging into the food, I could feel my stomach stretching as I took more and more bites, but I did my best to ignore the feeling and didn’t stop until I was finished.
James took the wrapper, handing me a drink next, helping the straw into my mouth.
Gulping down the drink, I could finally focus back on the men. They were all staring at me. “Why are youtellingme we’re moving to Florida?” I leveled Mateo with a glare.
“Izzy will be relocating here as well,” Kazi explained. “In exchange for help in finding you, Emilio requested that we stay here too. But if you don’t want to, we can figure an alternative out. We can just fly out here when need—”
Holding my hand up, I stopped him. “Emilio is pussy-whipped by Izzy, isn’t he?”
I’ll be having a word with Izzy about her man trying to control mine.
Mateo choked on his food midbite.
James spluttered next to me, reminding me again that he was her dad.
Oops.
Kazi’s eyes twinkled in amusement, inclining his head. “He is.”
Mulling over his words and the options, it wasn’t hard to decide. “Yes, I’m tired of California. I ran there to escape, but there’s nothing left for me to run from. I miss living near Izzy, and we can keep the company running from afar. We could even be neighbors! But will that work for you, James?”
James grunted in agreement. “Steve’s connection had already made the decision for me. I will be cutting ties fully and shuttering the company. We’re privatized so there isn’t a board or anything I will need to go through. I will simply withdraw the equity and utilize the clauses needed to end all the contracts put in place. He was a silent partner, but I can still use his death as an excuse if I have any legal pushback.”
“Are you sure?” I asked.
“Yes.” His eyes flicked between Kazi and Mateo. “We all spoke about this, and if you agree to it, the plan is for me to stay home with you, full-time, and help with the twins.”
Realization washed through me. “You’re a parent. You know how to do this.”
James chuckled softly. “It was decades ago, but yes, I was the one who primarily took care of Isobella—ofIzzy—when she was just a baby.” His gaze turned unfocused, his eyes glassy. “Some of the best memories I had were the two of us together back then.”
My heart ached for James. I wanted more than anything to take his pain away, to strip away the knowledge that years of Izzy’s life had been stolen from him. But all I could do was pave the future. Turning to Kazi, I pursed my lips. “Tell Emilio, Izzy and I are going to be neighbors. We are going to pick out the houses we want, and he is just going to have to accept that. Actually no, I’ll tell him.”
Giddiness and excitement suffused the air. The future.
We were going to build a future. All of us together.
Chapter 32
