Chapter Thirty-Nine
Ricky
TWO STRAIGHT WEEKS of machinery work and I was miserable. Add to that the constant questions from my well-meaning sisters on whether I had called Aveline back yet, and why not—I was in double the misery. Aveline’s texts that started back up asking to talk, but then stopped again, were the last straw. I was in a hole so dark and deep I thought I would never find my way out.
The only good thing I could think of right now? My Papa was getting out of the hospital today. I had my first full-time factory worker paycheck burning a hole in my pocket. I couldn’t wait to show Mama. That small amount of pride was the only thing allowing me to breathe in and out these days.
Waking up late this morning, the apartment was empty. Mama left a note that they were at the hospital for Papa’s discharge and to meet them there. I dragged my exhausted ass into the shower, changed into clean jeans and a t-shirt, and threw on my sunglasses before heading to the bus stop.
Twenty minutes and several stops later, the bus pulled up to St. Vincent’s. I walked inside, taking the elevator up to the third floor. As I made my way to Papa’s room, my mind drifted as it always did to Aveline. What was she doing today? Was she happy? I hoped to God she was. My butterfly needed time to heal and she would be off, gliding through this world that while dark to me, was full of light and life with her around.
My feet skidded to a halt at the sight inside Papa’s room. Standing by one side of his bed were Aveline’s parents. On the other side, Mama, Marcela, and Teresa stood. Aveline was at the end of the bed, signing and speaking to both groups.
“What the hell’s going on?” I barked out, my voice sounding more raw and rough than I’d expected.
Aveline’s head jerked back. Her face flushed and eyes went round behind her glasses. Her hair was down, hanging in loose waves down her back. She wore a casual t-shirt with a vest over top. Her jeans were not the fancy tailored kind, but relaxed and worn. And on her feet were sneakers, something I’d never seen her wear before. She looked different, but comfortable and still sexy as ever.
“Ricky,” she breathed out.
At her reaction, Mr. and Mrs. Gerard looked my way. They smiled at me. Why in the ever-loving fuck were they smiling at me?
“Ricardo, welcome. Come here,” Mama instructed. I walked to her, kissing both cheeks and giving small hugs to my sisters. I stayed with them avoiding the most gorgeous, loving woman I had ever seen like she had the damn plague.
“Mama? Why are they here? What’s going on?” I asked her in our native language. From the corner of my eye, I saw Aveline translate my words. Dammit. For a split second, I forgot that she knew Spanish, too.
Before she could respond, Aveline’s Mom began to sign to me. Her eyes searched mine, intense and shining. Her emotion was clear, though her words were a mystery.
“Ricky,” Aveline spoke, her voice choked with emotion. “I’ll translate for my parents. My mom wants to apologize for surprising you. She, my father, and I have been meeting with your Mama and Papa for the last week.”
“What?” I shouted so loudly that everyone but Mr. and Mrs. Gerard jumped.
“Ricardo,” Mama admonished. “Let her translate.”
“My parents explained their situation to your parents, both how their loss of hearing kept them from diving in to help me, and how their fear of some family interference kept them from more aggressively searching for the man who saved their daughter. My parents, as you know, are wealthy. What I didn’t know was how wealthy. They want to help your father,” Aveline said.
My heart began to beat hard in my chest. “No, thank you.” Reaching into my back pocket, I handed Mama my paycheck. “Please tell your parents,” I addressed Aveline. “I was incredibly wrong to think they should be held accountable for what happened to Papa. I’m taking responsibility now. My paycheck will help Papa.”
Aveline turned and signed my response to her parents. Her father shook his head, signing back.
She faced me, her perfect pixie face pink with excitement. “No, my father wants you to know, it’s done. He and my mom have already paid for a placement at the rehabilitation center. They also have a medical trust in your father’s name.”
“Mama,” I interrupted Aveline. “Stop this. We don’t need them.”
My mother walked over to me, placing her work-worn hands on my cheeks. “Ricardo, we’ve made it all these years on our own. And it’s taken a week of convincing, but Aveline’s parents want to be a part of our lives. I’m hoping, after all is said and done, that Aveline will be a part of your life again, too. All of this will connect us. To help with accepting the arrangement, I’m taking over as house manager for the Gerard’s. I will do the cooking, cleaning, and laundry. We have agreed on a salary, which they say is a huge cut from what they used to pay, but that quite frankly is more than what I’ve ever made. You can go back to school. Papa can get expert help. It’s a miracle.” Tears ran down her cheeks, and I swallowed, my throat closing so I couldn’t speak.
I looked over at Papa in bed, watching all of us, his trach tube keeping him from joining in, but his eyes capturing every word and every tear.
“I can do this, Mama. I can take care of you all. I have it locked down. Handled. Let me do this.” My voice was gruff and gravely.
But she shook her head.
Dragging my fingers across my scalp, I growled, frustration leeching out of my pores. “This is what you want?” I asked Mama, choked up with my own emotion.
“Si, my Ricardo. This is the healing each person in this room needs. I believe that with my whole heart.” Mama moved her hands from my face and kissed my cheeks again. “Now go listen to your girl. She’s been trying to talk to you for almost two weeks now.”
Nodding, I cleared my throat and turned to Aveline. “Translate for me?” I asked.
She nodded, her face somber and timid.
“Mr. and Mrs. Gerard, thank you for helping my family. I was wrong to think you should and I was horribly wrong for texting you and demanding money. I was wrong about so much, but… thank you for stepping up. I’ll never be able to express how sorry I am that I hurt your daughter.” My voice cracked at the end, but Aveline signed as I spoke, her parents tracking each word.
Her mom stepped forward signing to me. Aveline’s voice filled the room. “We forgive you for hurting her because she has forgiven you. Do you forgive us for not finding your father and offering to help him? We owe your father more than just our gratitude for what he did for us.”
My head fell forward hanging low, chin hitting my chest. When I looked up, tears pricked the corners of my eyes. I nodded, unable to speak, the pressure and emotion surrounding my heart so intense, I worried it might explode.
“Come with me?” Aveline asked, slipping her tiny hand into mine.
Again, I could only nod. Looking over to my mom and sisters, they waved me on, grinning widely. I swear even Papa had a twinkle in his eye.
Aveline and I were silent on the ride down the elevator and across the parking lot. Heaviness settled in my stomach. Was she ready to accept my apology? Or did she want to establish a new normal for us, as friends?
Stopping at her car, she looked up at me, her brows wrinkled. “Are you mad at me? You never answered any of my texts.”
“Not mad. I mean I was. Angry and hurt that you would keep your parents hearing loss from me.” I rolled my neck, cracking some stiff parts. “I figured you didn’t trust me enough to tell me. But after what I did to you, I deserved the lack of trust, right?”
“That’s not it. Trust wasn’t the reason.” She looked down at her hands, her lips turned down.
My face scrunched together in what I was sure was not a very manly look. “What was it then? Why didn’t you tell me?”
She looked up, her gray eyes stormy. “I don’t have an exact reason. All I know is that my whole life has been defined by the one ability my parents lacked. When I finally broke free and was out in the big, bad world on my own, even if for one college class, I wanted to be known only for me. Does that make any sense?”
“It does.” I shuffled my booted feet, my fingers twitching with the need to touch her, even though deep down I knew I shouldn’t.
“I’m sorry I kept that from you. If I hadn’t we could have avoided this whole mess. No more secrets. Ever, right?” She asked, a bit timid, and a whole lot adorably vulnerable.
“Never again.” I shoved my hands into the front of my jeans pockets, hoping that would keep me from taking her hands in mine. “And I’m sorry I didn’t return your texts. I figured there wasn’t a point. I have a new path in life.”
Her posture straightened. “But now that your Mama has a better paying job, you can quit the factory and go back to college.” She bit her lip, her face reading mine like she was studying a textbook. “Would you like to go to IU? Try and play football for them?”
“No way.” The words flew fast from my mouth, surprising my brain. “My buds graduated. Wouldn’t be the same being there, especially at almost twenty-three, without them. But I’ll finish college for sure. I’ll stay local, though. In case… you…” I paused, eyebrows raised, hoping against hope that she’d tell me she wanted to get back together.
Aveline narrowed her eyes. “Where’s your bike? I’d like to show you what I’ve been working on.”
Eyes to the ground, I studied my boots, avoiding her face when I answered her question. “I sold it.”
She drew in a breath. “For extra money when Ed’s closed?”
Nodding, I met her eye. “It’s fine.”
“I wasn’t expecting that. This will make what I want to show you… interesting.” Color bloomed on her pretty face. “Hop in. I’ll drive.”
I hesitated, but only for a second. Curiosity got the best of me. “Lead the way.” Climbing into the passenger seat, I buckled up, watching her do the same, and the car glided smoothly down the road.
After a few minutes, Aveline spoke. “I forgive you. For lying about your reasons for getting to know me, for trying to exploit my parents, and for not telling me about our connection. I get it. The desperation you felt to help your father makes up a part of you that is the man I fell in love with.”
My jaw dropped, and I stared at her profile. “You love me?”
The car stopped, and she put it in park before facing me. “I love you with all my heart, Ricky.”
The earth shifting on its axis couldn’t have stopped me from kissing her. I leaned over, my hands cupping her jaw, treating her as the precious gift she was. My lips landed lightly on hers, but she pressed back, her mouth opening, tongue finding mine.
Heat and bliss and relief flowed through me. I was home, in a way I had never known before. Being with Aveline was where I belonged.
We kissed in a desperate, clawing, grasping reunion. As soon as my lips met hers I was determined that I wouldn’t stop it. I’d kiss her until she was the one who broke free.
Finally, she did, breathless and with swollen lips.
“I have more to tell you.” She opened her door, exiting quickly, jumping up and down until I got to her side of the car.
“Why are we at Ed’s, mariposa? The shop closed.” Unable to stop myself, my lips locked on her neck, kissing lightly up and down the delicate, sweet smelling skin there.
“We aren’t at Ed’s, my love. I was thinking Pedro’s?” she whispered. I froze, pulling back and staring into her eyes. “Let me explain. When all the truths came out, I learned that not only is my family rich, but so am I. I have a huge trust fund to use as I wish. When I stopped to think about what I wanted, all I could focus on was making our dreams come true. Your dream was to own a bike shop. So, I bought Ed’s. For you. For us.”
She pressed her lips together, eyes shining but also uncertain, watching my face with true fear on hers.
“What?” My heart raced, my breath caught, and my stomach twisted. This couldn’t be happening. “No, I don’t need you to take care of me. It should be the other way around. Me taking care of you. That’s what I want.”
She held up her hand, palm facing me. “Hear me out on this. I’m not trying to take care of you. I’m trying to build a life. For the two of us.
I wrapped my hand around her outstretched palm, tucking it against my heart. Because my heart was hers. It had only ever been hers. “But what about your dreams? I don’t want you only focused on mine.”
Her trembling smile almost sent me to my knees. “Come with me.” Grasping my hand in hers she walked us to the door. “You open the door. This is the first time you will open the door to your business,” she said, handing me the keys.
We walked into Ed’s, now Pedro’s, because holy fuck had anything ever been sweeter or more loving than that? She tugged my hand, leading me to the back, a spare office that Ed had used for file storage. It was empty now and we stood together inside.
“See the side door here?” She pointed to the unused entrance. “This will be my office. I’m opening my own business. With this trust, I can make my dreams come true. I don’t have to work for money. I can help people. I’ll translate for non-profits and tutor needy kids with hearing and speech issues. It’s my dream. And I get to be near you. My dream guy.” She hesitated, faltering and looking down, her face crumpling.
“Oh shit,” she whispered. “I’ve jumped too far, too fast. I’m sorry.” She stopped making eye contact, her face red.
This time I did go to my knees. “What, mariposa? What are you talking about?”
“I’m making plans for our future and I never asked you. Is this what you want? Am I what you want?” Her voice shook with each word.
I closed my eyes, drawing her body closer to me. “You’re every wish and every dream, I never allowed myself to have. You truly forgive me?”
She nodded.
“You love me?”
She nodded, her lips curving into a grin.
“You want to share a workspace and dreams and a life?”
Her face mellowed, and she nodded, her knees falling onto mine, hands wrapping around my neck and ponytail. “I don’t want anything else. To me, you are everything.” With those words, she pressed her lips to mine, her tears falling onto my face below her.
“I love you, Aveline. I need you.” My voice was gruff and harsh with the overflow of my emotions.
She pulled back, a sexy smirk on her pursed lips. “I have one more surprise.”