“I’d like to hear it sometime,” she said. “But you’re saved for now because I need to get back to the Center. Gotta unleash some positive adult mentorship and guidance on the kiddos blah, blah, blah.”
My lips twitched. “Thanks for holding down the fort,” I said. “Can you do me a favor and text if Jayden doesn’t show up today?”
She gave me a quizzical look before nodding, but didn’t ask for more details.
“Appreciate it.”
Marisol rocked back on her heels, assessing me thoughtfully before offering, “Cori, just so you know, no one would be happierthan me if Decker were your last name. As much as I love the twins, you’ve always been more of a sister to me than they have. If you and Artie ever pull your heads out of your asses, I’ll be the first one cheering on the sidelines.”
She turned and walked away before I could reply. But her effusiveness firmed my conviction that Marisol’s brand of cheerleading, or anyone’s, was more than we needed to contend with right now. I was going to protect the bubble Deck and I created last night for a little while longer. Marisol wasn’t wrong. Everyone we knew would likely be excited to learn Deck and I were together. That didn’t change the fact that each new level of making it “real” felt like a problem to be solved. We could check Johnny into rehab, get past the stress of the gala, and then accept the well-wishes. For now, it was enough to have Deck by my side and in my bed while I focused on trusting this relationship and he worked to feel like he deserved it.
I entered Johnny’s room and found him staring hard at a plate of brownies well out of reach.
He glared at the plate, then at me. “Did you know Deck’s little sister is a sadist? She brought over some of Mamá Decker’s brownies and then only let me have one.”
I chuckled, sitting on the stool. “You’re lucky the nurses let her give you that much. Good thing you’re such a charmer.”
“Can’t help it.” He shrugged. After a moment, he added, “She’s really something. Marisol, I mean. Doesn’t put up with anyone’s shit.”
“No, she doesn’t,” I agreed, smiling. “That’s why she’s so good at the Center. A little mini Rosa.”
“Yeah.” He lolled his head toward me. “Why don’t you fill me in on what’s happening there. You haven’t given me an update on those kids who got into a fight before the dance you told me about. That was entertaining.”
I almost burst out laughing, or crying, thinking about everything I could tell my brother about Jayden. I wouldn’t, of course. Instead, I said they were fine and started babbling nonsense about the gala, attempting to stall until Deck showed up and we could tell Johnny about Rocco.
The sound of boots hitting the floor echoed in the corridor, and we turned our heads in time to see Alejandro pass by Johnny’s room.
Johnny registered the tension in my shoulders. “You know Alejandro?” he asked.
“Only by reputation.”
“Damn,” he said, impressed. “You really have returned to the neighborhood.”
“Shut up.” I flicked his arm.
Johnny murmured low, “One of his boys is in a room down the hall. I heard the nurses gossiping. Apparently, he got hit by a car.”
“Hmm,” I said, and we didn’t speak more about it. Not our business.
Ten minutes later, Deck walked in. Without too much buildup, we told Johnny about Rocco. The light dimmed in my brother’s eyes after that. He asked a few questions, but since we didn’t have many answers, we mostly just let him process. I wondered if it had been like this when Eliazar died. At least now Deck wasn’t in prison, and I was more present in Johnny’s life. He wasn’t alone.
Unsurprisingly, Johnny asked to be by himself for a while. This worked out since Deck and I wanted to stop by the Center to check on things. Marisol texted that Jayden had shown up, and also that both he and Reign were wondering if Deck would make it in.
Before we left, I slipped my brother another brownie and squeezed him as tightly as I could around the wires. I saw hiseyes as I pulled back. He was waiting for us to leave so he could break down. It broke my heart, but it was also a bittersweet reminder that Johnny and I were a lot alike.
Once safely out of Johnny’s sight, I slipped my hand into Deck’s. It felt like our love had grown in only a few short hours. Even though most of them had been spent apart. “Let’s go check on the Center and then go back to your place,” I said. “Pizza and an Adam Sandler movie?”
“Perfecto.”
“And we should stop at the pet store on the way. I owe Bastardo a few treats.”
Chapter thirty-two
Deck
When Cori and I arrived at the Center, her expression and posture changed immediately into the mode I’d come to think of asBoss Cori. Walking through the doors was like crossing into a portal, where she had tunnel vision about stabilizing the Center’s finances and ensuring the gala's success.
In the car, she’d told me about her friend Graham and the commitment to donate he’d made on behalf of his company. She planned to call other former colleagues to invite them to the gala, and if they couldn’t come, she’d ask them directly for donations. Her exact words were, “My goal is to make them understand that ‘no’ is not an acceptable answer.”
