Page 98 of Wishing for La Luna
She elbows me. “Callate.”
“You want me to go say hi?” I ask.
I look down, and her eyes brighten. “At least to the little kids.”
“Tito, let’s go outside.”
Tito gets out of the front seat and opens the door for us. “Stay close to the car.”
Sel lifts her head. “Where are you going?”
“Go back to sleep. We’ll be right back,” Luna tells her.
The minute I step out of the car, someone screams, “Rio!”
People rush to us, asking for photos or autographs. I sign a few and take a few photos.
Luna tugs at my hand and points at two young girls holding signs that say:Lil Sirenas love you, Rio. They can’t be more than ten. I smile and blow kisses at them, beckoning them over. The crowd parts as they approach with their signs. I sign their banners while Luna takes one of their phones and snaps photos of me with them.
When more people begin rushing our way, Tito ushers us toward the car. “Let’s go inside. Traffic is starting to move.”
Once we’re inside the car, Luna takes my face in her hands and kisses me, her lips on mine, hungry, her tongue plunging into my mouth to flick mine. “Thank you.”
“Coño, si te pone asi, we can just go back out there, and I’ll sign more autographs, and we’ll go back to the room.”
She chuckles and leans against me.
We finally cross the bridge onto the island, and Luna straightens so she can see ahead. The road is lined with palm trees and grass manicured to perfection. We pass mansion after mansion until we reach the massive two-story white structure on a cul-de-sac with 360-degree views of Biscayne Bay, red-roofed massive homes across the water, and the tall buildings that compose the skyline of Miami. There are people milling about on the side of the house, waiting to gain entrance.
Tito parts the crowd for us to get into the mansion. The scent of gardenias is fragrant in the air, I havemi mujerwith me, and everything is just right at this moment.
Mi mujer?The words astound me. That’s what she is, though.
I would’ve preferred to stay in bed with her,castigandolaand showing her how much I’ve been missing her. But I want to do more than just show Lunacama y bicho. No, we have to do more than that, like visit new cities and experience the world together. I have plans for when she visits me during the European leg of the tour.
I need to witness her reaction when she sees the Eiffel Tower the first time or walk around Rome with her. She’s going to love it, especially when I take her to the stores where she can find a lot of the unique jewelry and pieces she likes. She can curate items for Morena & Miel.
We walk through the gates, where there are dancing lights and loud music playing. Bad Bunny is belting about taking a girl back to Puerto Rico to show her trueperreo,and the scene inside is straight out of the lyrics. People areperreandoagainst the walls and on the dance floor. Bodies are still, but hips are dipping and rolling, as my mom used to say, like food inside aliquadora.
I lean and whisper in Luna’s ear, “Ahorita, we come back here.”
“Oh yeah,” she yells over the music, her eyes gleaming.
We move to the back of the room, where a massive double staircase leads to a rotunda at the top. Tito leads us up one side. There’s a guard who lets us in to the top, and we take a right into the private lounge. This is where artists can greet each other and talk in a more private setting. The second we walk in, a tall man steps up and yells, “Llego el nene lindo.”
A smile takes over my face as my friend, Xavier Delgado, known to the music world asEl Flaco, crosses the room and hugs Tito and then wraps me in a bear hug. He’s sporting a buzz haircut and trimmed beard. His eyes are as warm as his smile. One word to describe him is genuine. This dude is the real deal, a friend to the end.
“Hermano, cuanto tiempo,” I say, hugging him back.
He looks me up and down and hugs me again. “The setback was only the setup for a comeback, for both of us.”
“You look great.” I step back and place my hand on Luna’s waist and introduce her. “This ismi mujer.”
Xavier’s grin widens, and he leans to kiss her on the cheek. “Mucho gusto. It’s a pleasure to meet the woman who made this man smile again.”
“El gusto es mío.Modo Perreois still high on my list.”
“You’re going to like the new one even more when it comes out. I’m going back to the roots.” He leans in a little. “You gotta help me convince this one to jump on a couple of tracks.”
