Page 95 of My Secret Bandit

Mateo pulled me to his side. “How do you feel right now, knowing you just made her day?”

“That sounds oddly familiar.”

He winked, guiding me to my seat. “Feels good, doesn’t it? Difference between mine and yours is, yours is gonna stick with her for years, baby.”

With orders placed, we filled our time by listening to Mariana’s stories from overseas. I watched the faces of her family as she talked. So much love and pride flowed out of them, it damn near filled the diner to capacity.

“What’s the plan? When are you going back out?” Mateo asked, the mood shifting from happy to something more serious as the server handed out our dishes.

“A few weeks. I report back the day after Thanksgiving.” She watched the faces of her family fall.

“Where to?” His voice was easy, nonchalant but Mari’s deadpan eyeroll told a different story.

“You know I can’t.” She pushed eggs around her plate for a silent minute. “This’ll be my last tour.”

Can relief and shock occur at the same moment? The two emotions seemed to live on opposite ends, but the rush of energy encompassing them that flowed over our table was palpable.

Mateo and his parents’ faces were in disbelief, but all the tension they held in faded away.

“You’re done?” Thomas finally said, and she nodded.

“Yeah. I’m ready to be home. I’m ready to be with Mills and you guys.” She stretched across the table, taking the hand of each of her parents. “I had a pretty good run, but it’s time for something new.”

Benny used her free hand to wipe a tear away before it reached her smile.

We finished breakfast, sad Mariana would leave again but happy to have at least a little time with her before then.

While Mateo was away for the weekend, I spent time with her and Amelia. We went to the zoo, the beach, even rebuilt our fort while we watched the game.

And I kind of blamed the little cutie for my first ever wave of baby fever.

It was crazy to think that before Mateo I had absolutely no plans of procreation. But now my body yearned for it and my ovaries went on strike, screaming and throwing tantrums every morning when I popped that little pill into my mouth, wanting so badly to make recent dreams a reality.

*text notification*

Mateo: Just got back to my car. Where are you?

Me: In your closet.

Mateo: See anything you like?

Me: I’ve been too preoccupied trying to figure out when you had time to do this?

The day after the photoshoot, Mateo started organizing his closet. At first, I thought he was just cleaning it out, getting rid of stuff he didn’t wear anymore. And today after leaving the office I decided to come over and wait for the team to get home from their latest victory.

Like I did every time, I went upstairs to hang my clothes for the next day and found the side he’d cleared filled with clothes I would’ve chosen for myself.

Mateo: For you I make time.

Still inspecting the closet, I heard Mateo run up the stairs and fly through the room until he lifted me into his strong arms. I wrapped my limbs around him, telling him how much I missed him and kissing every inch of him I could reach.

Sure, he was only gone for two days but two days without Mateo felt like two years.

He leaned back to see me. “Move in.”

“Sorry. What?” I asked, needing to make sure my brain wasn’t playing tricks on me.

“I want you to move in. I want to come home every night and have it be like this. I love you, Jameson. Being without you is legitimately painful. I need every extra minute I can get with you by my side.”

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