“Then don’t. At least not right now. Right here with me, you don’t have to be anyone but you.”
It wasn’t a fix. It wasn’t a promise. But it was a moment. One of the first in months where I wasn’t acting, wasn’t pretending, wasn’t undercover. I had known that the job was going to throw some curveballs, but I was drowning in the lies I told. Sitting next to this kind woman with her gentle hands and wise words, I could just be human. Neither Katie nor Nicky, but a person. Broken, bruised, and scared… but finally, quietly, seen.
The next morning, Dr. Jaques gave me a fat stack of papers with aftercare instructions. What to do and not to do during recovery. Mac and Dalton, of course, were right by my side, and listened intently to every word. They asked a million questions, and finally, I asked them to shut the hell up so I could go home. Dalton tried to convince me to use a wheelchair, so I threw my stack of papers at him. I still moved like that turtle fromKung Fu Panda, with none of the grace, but like hell was I using a wheelchair.
Dalton sat with me in the back of the truck on the way over to Maria’s. I was sore, but excited as hell to get out of there.
“What are you two going to do with yourselves now that I’m not bedridden? Guard dog duty is over for you.”
Dalton gently pulled me to his chest and kissed the top of my head. “Don’t worry about us, Vixen. You focus ongetting better, and then I can think of plenty of things for us to do.” He winked suggestively, and I felt my neck turn red. I met Mac’s eyes in the rearview mirror and blushed harder when he smiled at me.
We pulled up outside Maria’s, and Dalton helped me out while Diego Jr. ran towards us. Maria stood on the porch with Manny on her hip and Diego Sr. at her side. Little Diego was yammering on a million miles an hour, and I didn’t pay much attention until he grabbed my hand and started pulling me toward the house.
“Come on, Aunt Nicky!”
I gaped at him and then at Maria, who shrugged and smiled at me. I smiled back—I kind of liked the sound of Aunt Nicky.
Mac and Dalton followed me to the porch. While Maria, the kids, and I all went inside, the two of them stayed outside with Jackson. I cast a curious glance over my shoulder at the three men who were speaking in a hushed whisper.
“Aunt Nicky, look what I made for you!” Diego said, dragging my attention to a giant “Welcome” banner that hung from the ceiling. It was decorated in pink glitter, shedding on the floor in a shiny pink mess that I knew Maria wasthrilledabout.
I couldn’t bend to give the boy a hug, so instead I ruffled his mess of brown hair. “I love it, buddy.” He gave me a toothy grin and ran off down the hallway.
I turned to Maria. “Girl, that is a lot of glitter.”
She groaned. “Don’t get me started on that. He found a bunch of leftover decor from Jewel’squinceañera. By the time I got wind of it, Jewel had happily supplied all the glitter.”
The teenager in question was sitting in the living room but came into the kitchen as we talked. She giggled. “Sorry, momma.No arrepentirse de nada.”
Maria scowled at her daughter. “Por eso mismo vas a tener que limpiarlo. And no Spanish while Nicky is here.”
Jewel protested—both the glitter punishment and hermother’s forbidding Spanish.
“You don’t have to do that, Maria. I don’t care what language y’all speak. I’m a guest here.”
But Maria was having none of it. She fixed Jewel with a stern stare which sent the girl stomping towards the living room in a huff, and then turned that stare on me, so I decided to keep my mouth shut on the matter. Maria put Manny in a high chair while she worked in the kitchen. I offered to help her, but she practically laughed in my face.
“I didn’t realize you had healed overnight!” I rolled my eyes as she brandished a spoon at me. “The doctor said take it easy, remember.”
I sighed but took a seat at the table. The guys came in from off the porch, and Manny threw a baby puff at his dad.
“Vixen giving you a hard time already, Maria?” Dalton said, giving her a friendly hug.
She laughed. “I don’t think your girl knows the meaning of take it easy or sit still. Might have to tie her down.”
Dalton’s sexy grin was intoxicating, and my attention was so focused on him that I didn’t notice Mac coming up behind me until I felt his breath on my ear.
“Bet you’d like that, wouldn’t you, Vixen?”
I turned so red I thought I would set the chair on fire and turned to give him an admonishing look, reminiscent of the one Maria had given Jewel and me a moment ago. But he just smirked at me.
Diego was pretending he hadn’t heard us, and Maria turned back to the pot on the stove with a wink at me.
Mac headed for the door and said, “Alright, Vixen. We gotta get going. Keep your phone on you.”
I stood at the table, legs just a little bit shaky, and Dalton kissed me, then followed his brother out. Mac nodded at Diego, who nodded back—probably some secret male agreement. He started to leave, but then stopped. He turned around and looked at me. I gave him a curious look, head skewed to the side like a confused puppy. Suddenly, he was in front of me again. Hecupped the back of my head, tilting my face up and towards his, then he captured my lips with his.
This wasn’t the chaste kiss Dalton had just given me. This was heat and danger, and it made me forget everyone else in the room. I was vaguely aware of Diego covering baby Manny’s eyes. Mac nipped my lip, and my heart felt like it would beat its way out of my chest. Then Maria cleared her throat and broke the spell. Mac moved his hand from where it had been wrapped in my hair until it cupped my cheek. I leaned into his touch and smiled at him. He pressed his forehead against mine and said, “Be good, Vixen.”
