He nodded and rubbed a hand over the back of his neck, looking sheepish. “Uh yeah. Well, calling crews in and directing them to do shit.”
“Like what?” I asked, wanting the full break down of everything he had done to the house.
“The kitchen for one, the bathrooms too. Had the whole house painted, the floors down here redone, and new carpet upstairs,” Jason explained.
I stared at him in awe and disbelief. Turning to the kitchen again, I just took in all in, trying to absorb the fact that I was even standing in this kitchen again. “Why?” The word was barely audible, but all three of my men flinched as if I dealt them a physical blow.
“Because it’s our home,” Marcos said. “When the relator told us it was available, it occurred to me that I wanted nothing more than to raise Luke here. When Griff said you shouldn’t be alone when you go home, we thought it would be perfect to bring you home with us. Because this isn’t a home without you.”
A sob burst out of me that I couldn’t hold in. Arms wrapped around me and I crumbled against whoever it was as my legs gave out. Emotions consumed me and I finally broke down. Everything poured out of me in heart wrenching sobs that tore through my body.
I clung to whoever grabbed me—Marcos I thought—as he carried me up the stairs in the living room. I didn’t even get a chance to look at the rest of the house before I broke down. Marcos carried me into our old bedroom and laid down on the large mattress, pulling me with him.
My throat hurt as I wailed and screamed through my tears, letting out the pain of the last couple weeks. A body pressed into my back and arms wrapped around my waist tightly as they snuggled in close.
Nico
WatchingMayafinallybreakdown was both a blessing and a curse. It needed to happen, it was long overdue in my opinion, but it still broke my heart. I curled around her on the mattress—the Alaskan King that Kara had delivered as a housewarming gift—spooning her, while she sobbed into Marcos’s chest.
Jason stood at the foot of the bed awkwardly, before he put his knee on the mattress and crawled toward us. He pushed Marcos away and Marc shifted over to make room for Jason tolay between him and Maya. Jason pressed his face into Maya’s stomach, while her face was buried into Marcos’s chest.
The position was familiar, in a nostalgic way, and seemed to calm Maya down a bit, as she slid her fingers into Jason’s hair. Jason’s hands slid up under the back of her shirt, exposing bare skin. He kissed her stomach softly, nuzzling his face against her.
Slowly, Maya calmed down to just soft sniffles, before her body relaxed and she finally fell asleep.
I let out a soft sigh when her body went lax and let my own eyes drift shut. The rest of the world could wait; we had our woman in our arms again and she needed us.
Nico
Three hours later, Maya shifted between us, groaning softly as she tried to roll over. “What’s wrong?” I asked, opening my eyes in time to watch Marcos’s eyes snap open.
“I have to pee.” Maya’s voice was scratchy and hoarse, likely from screaming and sobbing. Hopefully she hadn’t injured her already sore throat.
I made a note to make her hot tea later. Or should it be cold ice cream? I didn’t know, but I made a note to offer both to her and let her decide.
Patting Jason on the shoulder, I shook him awake. “Jase, man. Let her go,” Nico said.
Jason grumbled and slid his hands up her back. He pressed a kiss to her bare stomach before he pulled his hands out from under her shirt and let her go.
I rolled away, going as far as to roll off the bed and stand up.
Maya tried to the do the same thing, but ended up gasping in pain. “Fuck,” she groaned.
“Shit,” I swore. “I’ll go get your meds. You need to eat too. Someone should make dinner.”
“I’ll order something. Maya what do you want?” Jason asked.
“Pizza,” she murmured, holding her hands to her stomach as she panted softly.
“Can I carry you?” Marcos asked.
Maya shook her head. “I just need a minute, or help up, or a new body. I don’t know.”
I snickered as I walked out of the room. I pounded down the stairs glancing out the front window to see the darkening sky. September was in full swing, and the days were growing shorter. We’d slept the afternoon away, and I hoped that after we fed Maya and gave her more pain pills, that she would pass out again.
Just because she was home didn’t mean she was fully healed. Her colon was still healing from her surgery. It would take time, and she needed to take it easy.
In the kitchen, I found the pharmacy bag sitting on the counter with Maya’s other bags from the hospital. I grabbed everything and a bottle of water out of the fridge, and brought it all upstairs.
