Page 123 of Spark

“Aurelio!” she gasped, pulling back. He looked at her, feigning a playful frown.

“What?” he replied, tugging her closer. “I just missed touching you.”

“No,” she said firmly as he tried to lift her shirt over her head, his face grimacing when his hand went too high. “You’re going to pop your stitches.” She moved off the bed just as the nurse returned. The nurse eyed Mia, then Aurelio, her expression stern.

“No funny business!” she said loudly, moving to check on Aurelio. “I’ll make your girlfriend leave if you can’t behave.”

“Sorry, ma’am,” Aurelio said, grinning at Mia and winking. She rolled her eyes and sat back down in the chair, allowing the nurse to attend to him.

Chapter Forty-Seven

On the morning of the second day, Matty and Tony came by with Mia. She had left the night before, at the nurse’s behest. She had hardly slept, over eager to be back with Aurelio.

On the third day, Mac came to visit, his entrance pulling the air from the room. Amy was with him, clinging to his arm. Mia greeted them both with a hug and, sensing that Aurelio and Mac needed a moment to talk, took Amy down to the cafeteria for coffee. They left the boys alone, Aurelio promising he wouldn’t be hard on Mac; he loved him like a little brother. When the girls returned, Mac was smiling, holding a set of keys and crying softly. Aurelio beamed like a proud dad, his hand resting on Mac’s shoulder. Mac hugged Mia, thanking her for saving Aurelio before they left, leaving Mia confused until Aurelio explained.

“I gave him the shop,” Aurelio said simply, shrugging as Mia grabbed his hand. “I owed him.”

Days passed much the same, with Aurelio’s coloring returning to his cheeks and the warmth of his body coming back. Each day, Mia helped him get up and go for walks around the hospital, Aurelio regaining his strength quickly. She wassurprised how well he did, letting her give him the support he needed.

When Tony and Matty came by on the fifth day, Tony shared that he had found a buyer for the café, and they should finalize the sale and he would be ready to leave with Matty within the month. Meanwhile, Mia realized her own lease on the loft was up, pushing that issue aside for later and avoiding Terry. Every night, she would kiss Aurelio goodbye and go home, only to return early the next day.

Before she knew it, a week had passed, and Aurelio was ready to leave. The doctors said he could go home; he was healing nicely with no issues. The doctors went over everything with the pair, explained his limits and when to start physical therapy.

With Mia’s assistance, Aurelio dressed in some sweats she had bought him after realizing she had no clothes for him in her loft.

She helped him pull on a white T-shirt, noticing a small frown on his face. His hip still troubled him; he had lost so much blood, and the muscle tissue was freshly repaired.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, allowing his arm to rest on her shoulders.

“I don’t like that I need so much help,” he said quietly. Mia rolled her eyes, helping him sit on the bed as she knelt down to put socks on him.

“Like this,” he said, pointing to his feet. “I should be putting my own damn socks on.”

“Hey,” she said, placing a hand on his knee, “I don’t mind being on my knees in front of you.” She winked at him as she slipped the sock onto his left foot.

“Oh, beautiful,” he rumbled, a warm sound in his chest. “I will admit, it’s not a bad view.” Mia laughed as she pulled up the other sock.

“I’m serious, though,” he said as she stood back up, reaching for the sneakers she had bought for him. “I want to be strong for you.”

“You are the strongest man I know,” she said, kneeling once again. “And this is temporary.” She helped him slide the sneakers onto his feet and then assisted him in standing. He leaned down and kissed her on the temple.

“What did I do to deserve such a perfect woman?” he asked, inhaling her scent as his eyes closed, his face resting in her hair.

“By being my Aurelio, my Spark,” she replied, walking to the door with him. With his arm around her shoulders, they stepped out of the hospital, entering a new world together, free.

EPILOGUE

Aurelio lifted the luggage out of the car, the old girl still warm from the drive. He threw one bag over his shoulder, grabbed the handle of another, and walked toward the house. Mia emerged from the door; arms crossed as she regarded him.

“Aurelio!” she exclaimed, rushing down to take the bags. “That’s too much!”

“It’s fine,” he chuckled, feeling great. The last three months of physical therapy had paid off—he was almost back to 100%. “I promise.” He let her grab the bag from his hand and continued past her. Mia sighed, lifting her hand to her forehead, the diamond on her finger sparkling in the sunlight. Aurelio would always love the sight of that ring on her hand. She followed him, the bag heavy.

“Your physical therapist said you needed to take it easy. Just because you feel good doesn’t mean you can overdo it,” she called after him as he entered the house. “All those stops we made because you felt stiff.” She said, behind him. Aurelio rolled his eyes, dropping the bag in their new home. The two-story fixer-upper was a project for sure, but the money from the sale of the racetrack had made this possible and fueled their trip here.

“Not my fault you make me stiff, beautiful.” He joked, turning to face her.

Mia let the bag fall into the threshold, wiping her brow. She gave him the finger, her smile betraying her. Even after all these months, she still took his breath away. He winked at her, moving closer.

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