Page 38 of Till Death Do Us Part

“I grew up with bodyguards. Rocco kept a guard outside the house.”

“Not inside?” he asked.

I shook my head, realizing I’d said my late husband’s name. Perhaps it wasn’t an issue if we weren’t in an intimate state. I explained, “He wasn’t so much a bodyguard as a jail keeper.”

Aléjandro reached over and covered my knee with the warmth of his hand. “You’re no longer in jail. I have chosen a bodyguard for you, a real bodyguard. You’re free to come and go as you please as long as he’s at your side.” He pressed his lips together. “I had to have someone I trust without question to keep you safe and never act inappropriately. He’s due to arrive tomorrow. In the meantime, we have plenty of guards on the property.”

“Arrive?”

Before Aléjandro could explain, he stopped the car on the wide brick driveway. The building before us was ultra-modern with two large garage doors and a gated front entrance.

I looked up through the window. “Is this all ours?”

“I recently bought it. If you don’t like it, tell me now, and we can look at others.”

“If I don’t like it?” I repeated, surprised my opinion mattered. From what I could see, this was so much more than the townhouse I’d shared with Rocco, and that was without seeing inside. “Aléjandro, it looks massive for just the two of us.”

His smile returned. “Come, let me show you inside.”

Leaving the car on the driveway, Aléjandro opened my door and took my hand. “If you like it, we’ll have a new security system installed.”

That was the second time he’d mentioned my opinion. “You care if I like it?”

“It will be your home. Of course I care.”

I stared for a minute, wondering where the asshole Aléjandro had gone. Maybe my new husband suffered from dissociative identity disorder.

As I pondered, he opened the front gate. The ground between the gate and house was covered in large pavers and rocks. Smaller sandstone rocks decorated the exterior of the lower level. There was also a trellis covered in vines that covered what appeared to be a small patio. I could barely take it all in as Aléjandro put his hand in the small of my back and led me through the door. “Welcome home,SeñoraRoríguez.”

That was my name.

My father was officially rolling over in his grave.

I pushed that thought away as the interior came into view.

The room we entered was large, reminding me of one of my mother’s rear living rooms. At one end was a stone fireplace with built-in bookcases on each side. The kitchen and dining areas were the other direction. The floor was a lovely natural wood, and there were three massive sets of glass doors.

Aléjandro led me toward the middle one. It opened like an accordion, the wall of glass moving, revealing a beautiful outdoor oasis. Pavers covered the large expanse around an inground pool. Beyond the grass, the Pacific Ocean glistened beneath the sunshine.

“This view reminded me of the Ruiz home.”

“It’s beautiful.” I stifled a laugh as I looked around. “There’s no furniture.”

“There’s some. There are stools for the kitchen counter, and two of the bedrooms have furniture. I’m not attached to any of it. I asked the sellers to leave it.” Before I could speak, he went on, “I thought you might want to decorate.”

“Me?” I spun around, looking up at the two stories. “I get to decorate?”

“Whatever you like, Mia. I don’t know anything about furniture or décor. Fuck, I’ve been living in the Ruiz pool house for the last two or three months and been content. I have the name of a decorator, but I wanted…” He took a breath. “You don’t have to, but I thought…maybe you could take over the responsibility.”

“Yes. I’d love that.” I couldn’t contain my smile if I tried. “Do I have a budget?”

He laughed. “No. Whatever you want.”

Whatever I want?

He took my hand. “Come, there’s more.” He walked me through the over four thousand square feet of home. There was a primary suite on the first floor and one upstairs. They both had beds, bedside stands, and dressers.

“Do we each have our own room?” I asked as we entered the second-floor suite. Both suites also had sitting areas. The upstairs one had a balcony that looked over the pool and ocean. The first-floor suite had the patio with the trellis I’d seen from outside.

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