Page 86 of Fixate
It tooka few hours for Ricardo to wake up. While I waited, I split my time between watching him rest, calling my men to check in, and planning a wedding he hadn’t even agreed to yet. What could I say? I liked having things in order once I knew what I wanted.
Plus, I figured my boy would appreciate the order and structure I had in mind for our ceremony. It would be simple, with only those closest to us there. We’d have Dante and Preacher come out, of course. Maybe even Dr. LaFleur and his boy if they could handle the mafia lifestyle.
There wouldn’t be anything too flowery, since Ricardo didn’t care all that much for it. He always scoffed at the arrangements around the casino. Instead, we’d have an array of food fit for a king.
For my king.
Because despite my role inLa Famiglia, Ricardo was still my king, my equal. We’d rule this city together, no matter what it took.
“Daddy,” he whispered before his eyes ever truly opened.
I was out of my chair and hovering over him in an instant. “Mon chou,” I said with a broken sigh. “I’m here. It’s ok. You’re safe now.”
He smiled. “I knew you’d get to me.”
“Technically, Pip found you first. He helped me get you to the hospital.”
A groan tore from his chest. “Oh, no. He’s going to be a menace about this.”
I laughed as I nodded. He’d managed to squint a bit, which reminded me the lights were all the way up. After adjusting them, he had a much easier time looking at me.
“Hey there,” I said softly.
He smiled. “Hey, Daddy. I’m sorry if I scared you.”
“No, mon chou. You didn’t do anything. Someone else hurt you. They thought?—”
My voice cut out as I choked on a sob. Ricardo’s eyes went wide as he reached up to touch my cheek.
“It’s ok, Daddy. I’m here. It’s fine.”
I shook my head as I pushed myself to confess my feelings. “It’s not that. I know you’re here. The doctor has been honest and thorough with your care. It’s just… someone tried to take you from me. They understood just how much losing you would affect me. I almost couldn’t contain my anger when I first saw you.”
His thumb stroked my jaw. “But you did?”
“I did. Pip helped me navigate getting the paramedics in. Henri and Dario stepped in to coordinate the casino’s issues. I have no clue how, but Pip also managed to disable the bomb. He thinks he might be able to figure out who made it. That will help us find who did this to you.”
He yawned wide, his eyes blinking a few times like he couldn’t imagine staying awake a second longer. I kissed his forehead, then fluffed his pillow.
“Get some more rest, mon chou. I’ll be here when you wake up again. The rest of us are doing the work right now. All you have to worry about is healing. Understand?”
“Yes, Daddy,” he whispered a second before his eyes shut.
Closing my eyes, I gripped his hand between mine and dipped my head. I wasn’t a praying man, yet I found myselfreciting passages I’d thought I’d forgotten. I sent up promises to a man I didn’t believe in for the off chance hope he might answer them anyway should I actually be wrong.
I’d do anything if it meant getting to keep Ricardo in my life forever.
CHAPTER 29
Pharrell
Six daysinto our stay at the hospital, my boy started to get room fever. It’s the equivalent of cabin fever, only it’s worse because there was nothing more unfortunate than feeling fine and not being allowed to leave or do anything for yourself.
Granted, I was most of the problem.
My brain could not comprehend him being well after he almost died. It was like I was stuck on the vision of him bleeding out in my arms. No matter how well the reports came back or how much better his movement became, I felt the need to keep him bedridden.
“Alright, that’s enough,” he said that afternoon. “It’s been days, Pharrell. You have to let me out of here. I need to get back to work. This place is too much.”
