My mom walked up to us, her eyes still puffy and red from crying on my father’s shoulders. “Your father told me about the baby. I meant to call…but then all this stuff happened and—”
“Mom, don’t worry about it,” I said quickly. “We understand.”
She wrapped her arm around Muse’s shoulders and rested her head against hers. “I just want you to know how excited I am. Your baby will be beautiful and healthy, and I’m so happy to be a grandmother.”
“Thank you,” Muse whispered. “I can’t even tell I’m pregnant, but I feel totally different.”
“I felt the same way when Conway was growing inside me.” She moved her arm around my waist too. “You guys are going to start your own family now. It’s the time of your lives when you’ll feel the most joy. I know from experience.”
“Thanks, Mom,” I said. “We might need a babysitter sometimes.”
“And I would be delighted,” she said. “Your father would too.”
I chuckled. “He doesn’t seem like a baby kinda guy.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” she said. “When you were born, all he wanted to do was play with you. He didn’t care about work anymore. You were the most important thing in his life. It used to be me…but I was glad to make the transfer.” She kissed me on the cheek. “And I know you’ll be the same way. You have your father’s hardness, his roughness.” She placed her finger against my chest, right over my heart. “But you have his softness too.”
18
Vanessa
I woke up to the sound of my monitor beeping.
It took me a few seconds to figure out where I was.
To remember how I got there.
Knuckles kidnapped me, and I made a run for it. I got shot during my escape, and my mother choked him to death right in front of my eyes. Conway carried me into the back seat of a taxi and got me to the hospital. By the time we arrived, I’d passed out.
I’d been in the dark the rest of the time.
Thick gauze was wrapped around my arm, covering my gunshot wound. A drip of morphine was running directly into my IV. I was in a private room with a window that was covered by the drapes.
My eyes landed on my father first, who was sitting still as a statue. His head rested back against the wall, and my mother slept across his lap. His beard was thick from not shaving, and despite his age and constant exposure to the sun, he resembled a young man—strong and in the throes of youth.
I watched him before he noticed me, remembering the way he stood up to Knuckles even with a gun pressed to his forehead. There was no way for him to know my mother was coming. He was simply brave—braver than all other men.
He came for me like I knew he would. And the only way he would have been in the area was if my clue had tipped him off. We worked together to get me out of there. Everyone had survived, except Knuckles.
I was glad he was dead.
And I was glad my mother spat on his face.
I would have done the same if I weren’t so weak.
Conway and Sapphire were in the room too, Sapphire sitting on Conway’s lap. He ran his fingers through her hair as she rested her head on his shoulder. Uncle Cane sat on the other couch with Aunt Adelina, their heads pressed close together.
I opened my mouth to speak, but my voice didn’t come out. My mouth was just too dry. I tried again. “Dad…”
My father’s eyes shifted to me at once, and the hardness on his face was instantly replaced by overwhelming joy. It was the same look he gave when he was proud of something I said or did. He shook my mother underneath him, his eyes staying on me. “Button, she’s awake.”
Mom jerked up immediately, her body waking up quicker than her brain did. “My baby…”
My father walked to me with his arm around my mom. He stood at my bedside and placed his hand against my chest, looking down at me with those same proud eyes. His hand was warm in comparison to the icy temperature of the room. “Tesoro…” It was a name he’d been calling me since I was little.
Sweetheart.
His thumb brushed across my hairline. “You’re so strong…so strong like your mother.” He leaned down and kissed me on the forehead. Then he wrapped his arms around me and hugged me, his chin resting on my head. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Thanks, Dad,” I said into his neck, smelling his cologne.
He kissed my forehead again. “Love you so much, tesoro.”
“I love you too.”
When my mom moved in next, the tears in her eyes were the size of raindrops. They splashed on my cheeks and rolled down my face. She held me close to her, crying quietly against me. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”