Page 88 of Unravel You

“Nothing.” I offered him a sheepish smile. “I think I’m pregnant.”

“I’m sorry, what?” He dropped to his knees next to me. “I mean, are you sure?”

“I’d have to have my doctor confirm it, but yeah, I’m pretty sure. I’m sorry. I know it’s too soon.”

“No, don’t apologize.” He beamed at me. “This is the best news. Do you know how much I love you?”

“Yeah.” I nodded. “But tell me anyway.”

How had I ever imagined living a life without this kind of love, without Derek? No more running and no more secrets. That had been our promise to each other. The love part had always come easy to us. Keeping our promises? Well, we’d have to take that one, one day at a time.

* * *

Chapter25

Bonus Epilogue

Emilia

Three years earlier…

New York City

Mom gripped the stirring wheel until her knuckles turned a pale white. Every now and then, she would shoot a nervous glance my way. She didn’t need to worry about me. My gut was never wrong. And today my gut was telling I had made the right decision.

“The speed limit is forty-five, Mom.” I hugged my laptop bag and quickly checked the time on my watch. No matter how much she slowed down, we would still make it there on time.

“That’s what I’m doing.” She motioned toward the speedometer. “But kids around campus drive like maniacs. Promise you’ll be extra careful, Emilia.”

“This is a good thing, Mom.” I reached over and squeezed her hand. “You can’t keep me home forever.”

“I was willing to try.” She craned her neck to check the on-coming traffic before she hung a right. “You’re not a regular girl. And you know that.”

“I’m twenty-three. Not a girl anymore.”

“You know what I mean.” She waved her hand in dismissal.

The conversation went down the same slippery slope as it had done in the past six months since I told Mom I had been accepted into Columbia Law. In all fairness, her concerns were not unfounded. And she was right, we were not regular people because regular people were not on run from the Cartel. They didn’t have a price on their heads. And they certainly didn’t live in constant fear that someone from their past might recognize them, and then it would be all over.

I still had the scars from five years ago when my own cousin betrayed us and tried to have my entire family killed. Mom and I survived because of Dad’s contingency plans to his contingency plans. Though all the arrangements in the world couldn’t save his life. I hugged my bag tighter to my chest. Yes, I appreciated everything Mom had done to keep us alive since that day. But now, it was time for us to move on and start living.

Going to law school was a means to an end. My dreams were simple, become a lawyer and then one day nail the son of bitch who killed my father. But one thing at a time, first I had to get through my first day at Columbia. I had to show Mom that we could do this, that we didn’t have to hide anymore, that we didn’t need to live in fear forever.

The din of honking and yelling pulled me away from my daily scheming. Mom slammed on the brakes, and my body jerk forward so abruptly I had to brace my hand on the dashboard.

“What the hell?” I glanced up at the bike rider skimming onto the sidewalk and then taking off without looking back. “Jesus, you almost hit him.”

“It’s a sign.” Mom shook her head.

“It’s a student running late for class.” My gaze darted toward the guy we almost hit, but he was gone. Instead, I zeroed in on the guy sauntering toward the intersection.

We caught the red light, and I had a whole minute to watch him cross the street in front of us. He wore black slacks and a crisp white, button-down shirt, fancy shoes, and a fancy watch—tall, gorgeous, confident. Something about his chiseled jaw, full brows, and intense gaze screamed powerful to me.

The light turned green, and our car eased forward as Mom slowly pulled into the parking lot to drop me off. By then, the guy had disappeared into the crowd, but his details stayed with me—his loose-hip stride, that handsome face, and the way his back muscles rolled under his shirt when he adjusted his computer bag on his shoulder.

I braced my elbow on the window, tapping my lips to stifle a sigh. Blinking fast, I chased away his image from my mind’s eye. Relationships of any kind, including friendships, were a hard no for people like Mom and me.

“Here we are.” Mom killed the ignition and shifted her body to face me. “Carlos will pick you up at three O’clock. Don’t be late. Remember what happened last week.”

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