Booth Three

24

"It's going to be okay, Diego," I pull his head into my chest. "Everything's going to be just fine, okay? You just need to get through the hard part."

"It hurts," he says. "It hurts so fucking much."

"I know, I know. I know it hurts, but that's okay. It's okay for it to hurt. The hurt tells you how strong it was — the connection between you and your father. It tells you how close the two of you were, and how much he meant to you."

"I want it to stop. I don't want to feel this shit anymore."

"You have to," I tell him. "You have to feel it now so it's easier later, because the hurt... it's never going away. It'll be there forever, but it's not a bad thing. The hurt will remind you of what you had, and what it was like to have him here. It won't remind you of what you lost, but of what you gained by having him in the first place."

"It has to get easier. It has to."

"And it will. You just need to give it time, okay?"

"I don't know how. I don't know what to do. I don't know what to think."

"That's okay," I run my fingers through his hair. "You don't have to do anything but get by."

"He was my best friend," he says. "He's always been there for me. He's the one who kept me on track, and the only one to put up with my shit. Everything I've ever done, I did because of him. All I've ever wanted was to make him proud."

"And he is proud," I state. "He's proud of you now, and you will continue to make him proud with everything you do."

"Not like this," he lifts his head off my shoulder. "I need to get my shit together. I need to do better by you and my family."

"You need to take care of yourself first."

"And I will," he turns towards me, his brow deeply furrowed. His eyes are watering, but there isn't a single tear on his face. "I will take care of myself by doing what I do best — looking after the people I love, just like my dad taught me to do."

"Diego..."

"I owe you an apology," he places his hand on my knee. "I shouldn't have left you in the hospital, and I shouldn't have said those things to you. I shouldn't have left you high and dry for so long."

"You don't have to apologize."

"Yes, I do. What I did... It wasn't right. I shouldn't have left you."

"But you came back, didn't you? You did what you had to do, and now you're here, making it up to me by letting me in, by letting me help you through this."

He doesn't even have to make it up to me. I can't blame him for what he did. He'd just received the worst news of his life. I can't hold his reaction against him. I might've done the exact same thing.

"You're everything to me, Amelia. You and the girls... you make me so happy."

"I'm glad," I smile.

"No, really," he insists, his eyes piercing mine. "I want to be a part of your family. I want to wake up next to you and cook you breakfast. I want to walk the girls to school, take you out to lunch, and pick them back up again. I want to be with you, in every sense."

"Yeah?" I look away to hide my excitement. He's just saying this because he's emotional. I don't want to get my hopes up.

"All I've ever wanted was a family. I want a wife to love and children to look after. And I know it's too early, but I already know I want that person to be you."

"Diego..." my heart skips a beat.

"I mean it, Amelia. My dad isn't here anymore, and there's nothing he wanted more for me than to have my own family. I want to do him proud. I want to do right by him and by you. I want to be the person you rely on."

He already is. He's who I want to come home to. He's who I want to see when I'm down, and he's who I want to turn to. He's the perfect influence for the girls and the perfect support for me. I don't want to worry about our differences anymore. I just want to be with him.

I place my hand on his jaw and lean into him, pressing my lips against his without hesitation. He responds right away, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me closer. Our lips move in perfect sync. I sneak my tongue between his, deepening the kiss. We're both desperate for more, and I'm not afraid to ask. Our tongues wrestle hungrily, both of us fighting for power. I don't want to give in. I want more. And to get it, I first have to pull away.

I prop myself up to get closer, giving him the perfect opportunity to snake his hand beneath my thigh and lift me onto him. I help him out, throwing my leg over his until I'm on his lap, straddling him. We're finally at the same height, our eyes glued to each other. His are brown and golden, but there's a purple bruise over his left one. I run my thumb over it. My hand looks small compared to his square face.

"You're so big," I whisper. "I love it."

"Yeah?" he tucks a strand of hair behind my ear.

"It's sexy."

"You're sexy," he trails his hands down my waist and onto my ass. "You're perfect, Amelia."

I return my lips to his, continuing our kiss right where we left off. Our bodies are pressed together. I can feel his package through his boxers, and it takes every inch of me not to grind up against it. Instead, I run my hands over his shoulders to the front of his chest. I can't help but protest when I feel him pull away.

"Wait, wait," he stops to catch his breath.

"What's wrong?"

"It's cool if I stay the night, right?"

"Oh, absolutely."

"Perfect," he pulls me back into him. Our lips meet once again, but I'm next to press pause.

"We can't have sex, though. Not with the girls in the other room."

"That's fine," he nods, desperate to get back to it.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, of course. Our first time should be special, anyway."

"Special?"

"You know... roses, candles, chocolates."

"We don't need that."

"We should at least wait until we have an actual bed," he jokes.

"Hey, don't make fun of my trusty couch," I laugh. "I might just have to kick you out."

"You'd let me sleep in the car again?"

"I will if you don't keep kissing me right now."

"Oh, I see how it is," he chuckles, but I don't entertain it any longer. I press my lips against his once more. I don't want to talk. I want him.