It was no secret that they all looked up to and leaned on Marco, but only because he demanded that they do so. He intentionally positioned himself to be everyone's backbone. However, based on the news shared this evening, it sounded as though his behavior had rubbed off on all of them, too. Over the years, I believed the strength he'd shown infected them all, becoming woven into their DNA. Or maybe it was there all along and the credit should be shared.
The very next second, my gaze shifted to Mr. Rios. I recalled the details Marco shared with me, about how he came back from alcoholism and had the courage to look his family in the eye afterward. He didn't run off and hide from the mess he caused. He'd done everything in his power to make things right, according to Marco. So, maybe I was wrong. Maybe the word strength was synonymous with the Rios family as a whole and Marco was just a byproduct of that. Whatever the case, I was honored to have been accepted into the fold by such a remarkable family.
There was so much love being passed around the table, I couldn't keep up. There was a lot of good news to celebrate, though, so it was warranted. In the middle of it all, Mrs. Rios got up from the table and disappeared in the kitchen for a few seconds. When she came back, there was a pink envelope in her hand. To my surprise, she presented it to me of all people. Not Lorna who'd just gotten a huge promotion. Not Rosalina who worked hard on those scholarship applications.
Me.
The table went quiet and I smiled a shy smile having all their eyes on me now.
"What's this?" I asked, softly, flipping the envelope over in my hands where I found Marco's name printed neatly beside mine. From the look on his face, I realized he was just as confused as I was.
"Open it," Mrs. Rios encouraged with a smile, clearly trying to contain her excitement while waiting.
I tore through the seal and found a small card inside. My eyes skimmed it as Mrs. Rios explained.
"It's an invitation for you two," she said. "It's to your baby shower."
I didn't know what to think, what to say, so I sat there staring at the card.
"Lorna, Lucia, Marcela and I have been talking and … we'd love if you'd do us the honor of letting us plan and host the shower for you. It'd truly be an honor."
The tears, they were rolling like you wouldn't believe. Through the blur, I looked up at their hopeful faces as they awaited my answer.
"Of course," I said, nodding as more wetness touched my cheeks. Arms were all around me. So many I didn't even know who they belonged to. The love they had was overwhelming and I felt it. I truly felt it.
"Marco mentioned that you don't have much family here," Mrs. Rios started, and I realized she was the only one still holding me. "But that's not true anymore. You've got us."
My heart thumped inside my chest and there was nothing I could do to slow the waterworks. These people barely knew me, but they accepted me all the same. A kiss went to my cheek when Mrs. Rios released me and it was then that I realized Marco had my hand. He squeezed it and I tightened my grip on his, too.
Those who were standing took their seats again as Mrs. Rios spoke. "We were thinking something intimate, something co-ed so everyone knows they're welcome, but above everything else, it will be a celebration of love and family because those are the only two things that matter in this world," she added with a huge smile.
… and I couldn't have agreed with her more.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Marco
"Everything looks great, Brynn!"
Hearing those words always set both our minds at ease. Brynn took her feet out of the metal stirrups at the bottom of the table as Dr. Rubino removed the latex glove from her hand. I stood to help Brynn sit up. Now, a little more than 7 months in, she couldn't deny needing the assistance.
A thin, paper sheet was all that covered her from the waist down, but she was no longer uncomfortable with me being in the room for the more private portion of her exams. The guard had come down and she finally believed what I'd been trying to tell her all along: she didn't need to hide from me.
"Before you go, do either of you have any questions or concerns? Anything you'd like to discuss?" Dr. Rubino asked.
Brynn spoke up right away, rubbing her stomach profusely. "My skin itches like crazy. Is that normal? Is there anything I can do to make it stop?"
"Let's take a look."
Dr. Rubino checked for a rash, but there wasn't one. "It's most likely just dry skin. That's common and I'm sure you've tried lotion, but that won't cut it. Try something heavier, something with an oil base like petroleum jelly."
Brynn nodded and continued to rub and scratch. She looked kinda miserable, actually. Miserable and tired.
"Is that it?" the doctor asked.
"Yep," Brynn replied, trying to sound upbeat, but I knew better. She'd been in a mood for a few days, mostly because she wasn't sleeping well anymore.
We left the office and I opened the passenger side door to help her in. On my way around to my side, I thought about how the appointment had gone and smiled. Yes, Brynn was starting to get uncomfortable, but all in all, things were going well. The baby's heartbeat was strong, Brynn's blood pressure was normal for a change, and the only complaint she had was an itchy stomach. I'd say that was a win.
I climbed in beside her and started the engine. To my surprise, I looked over to find her crying.
I couldn't tell if it was one of those … hormonal things, or if something was really wrong. She looked so pitiful, though.
"What's the matter?" I asked, pulling her to me. She leaned her head on my shoulder and I babied her like I loved to do.
"It's just … everything," she said amidst a hard sob as she sniffed back tears.
"Everything like what?" I replied, being sympathetic despite not having the slightest clue what was wrong.
"I can't sleep. I can't stop itching, I'm scared-"
I cut her off there. "Scared of what?"
She lifted her head and looked at me like she couldn't believe I didn't understand. When she gestured toward her stomach, she went on to say, "This! The closer I get to my due date, the more I think about the fact that this little girl has to come out one of two ways. And I'm gonna keep it real … I'm not too happy about either of those options."
It took everything in me not to laugh, but I held it in because I knew she was dead serious. There wasn't even a hint of jesting in her tone or expression.
"I mean … does everything even go back the way it was down there afterward?"
My cheeks hurt from holding back a smile. "Brynn … women have been doing this for millennia. I'm not making light of it, nor am I saying it'll be easy, but what I am saying is that you'll get through it."
Her eyes found mine and she didn't look all that convinced, so I added, "And you have me. I'll be in there with you every step of the way. You can break my hand, cuss me out, scream at me … whatever you need to do to get through it."
She smiled at that and I reached to wipe the tears from her cheek with my hand.
"You're strong, Brynn. That's one of the things I love about you."
The words came from my mouth so fast that they didn't even register for me at first. If it hadn't been for Brynn's wide eyes, they might've gone right over my head completely, but she hadn't missed a thing. That phrase, even though there were a few extra words in the mix, was heavy. I hadn't meant to let it slip, but it did. It did because that's what I'd been holding in.
I loved her.
However, I wasn't ready to talk about it, so I pretended like I hadn't just changed everything as I switched subjects by asking a simple question: "You good?"
I think my confession shocked her tears into submission because they stopped falling. She turned to stare straight ahead out the windshield as I shifted the truck into reverse. Her response to my question was nothing more than a timid, "Mmm hmm," followed by silence.
Damn … I think I scared her.
I think I scared myself.
I took off after that and we didn't say much to one another as we drove. I picked up lunch for her on the way and then our next stop was her house. I walked her in, got her settled, and then headed in to the shop to finish out my day.
I had about five clients to fill up the afternoon and the whole time all I could think about was what I said to Brynn. How could I let that slip out? This whole time we'd been careful to take things slow, to keep things simple, and here I was dropping the biggest bomb of them all.
Love.
Who knew what the hell she was thinking right now?
On one hand, I wanted to call her to explain myself, but doing so would only confirm what I already confessed-that my feelings for her went beyond just liking and caring about her. However, because we were in this undefined, limbo-type situation, I tried not to push. I knew how she felt about my job. Or at least I thought I did, seeing as how we didn't talk about it after that first day. But, because of that issue, I had admittedly decided to let her determine where she wanted this to go.