Page 86 of Fighting for Ella

“You guys are a little early today,” she said as she stepped back to allow them all to enter.

“We missed you,” Cassie said, giving her a gentle hug.

“I missed you, too,” Ella admitted. It was true as well. Miguel wasn't the only one she was missing these days.

“You did?” Scarlett asked, eyes lighting up.

“I did,” she confirmed. “I'm glad we’ve got this time to spend together, I think we need it.”

“We definitely do,” Lucy said, hobbling into the room, her foot still in a moon boot.

“You heard from my idiot brother today?” Luis asked as they all headed for the living room.

Protectiveness swirled inside her. Miguel wasn't an idiot. He was trying to do the right thing, he was trying to protect her from pain. Just because she wished he was there didn't mean she would stand for anyone speaking bad about him. “He’s not an idiot. He’s honorable and noble, and doing what he has to do to keep me and himself safe.”

“Little brother picked good,” Luis said, beaming at her like she hadn't just told him off.

Ella huffed. “And to answer your question, yes I have. I hear from him every day.”

“Hey, Ella.” Luis grabbed her hand, stopping her before she could drop back down onto the couch. “I get why he’s doing it. I think he’s wrong, he’s nothing like our parents, but I respect him wanting to make sure he can trust himself.”

“It’s important to him, and that makes it important to me,” she said.

“Which is exactly why I think my brother did a good job when he picked you.”

“I think it was more like the universe picked us for each other,” she said, offering him a smile.

“I know the feeling,” Cassie said, snuggling into Luis’ side when the two of them sat down side by side.

“Ditto,” Lucy agreed, all smiles when Zander fussed around her helping her get comfortable.

“I think the universe did some excellent matchmaking,” Scarlett said, sliding her hand into Tate’s.

Looking around at the three happy couples, Ella couldn’t agree more. Fate might have dealt them all a rough hand this last couple of months, but it had also brought them all plenty of good.

Now all she had to do was wait for Miguel to come home, and the next chapter of her life could begin.

March 21st

6:13 P.M.

Finally.

Feeling like he’d been deprived of oxygen and was about to take his first breath in a month, Miguel walked down the front path toward Ella’s front door.

That was exactly what the last four weeks had felt like.

Like he couldn’t breathe.

Like a piece of himself had been amputated.

All he’d wanted was to see Ella, be able to pull her into his arms, hold her, kiss her, and make love to her. If his team hadn't been called out on a mission and been out of the country for the last ten days, he very well might have caved and gone to her early.

In a way, this last month had proven to him that if the worst happened and he wound up losing Ella, or something else equally as terrible happened in his life, he’d be able to resist the temptation to turn to drugs as the answer. In another way, it had proven to him he couldn’t live without this woman.

Didn't want to.

Ella was his, and he was hers.

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