Page 67 of Vicious Heir

And yet…they were all laughing and smiling. It wasn’t like that awful meal with Gustavo sitting at the head of the table. Angel sat in what was once his father’s seat and motioned for me to join him on his right. I dropped arepas on people’s plates as I went, and when I finally got off my feet, I groaned happily. “I told you that you needed to sit down,” Angel said as he tucked into his meal.

“Hush,” I said, but I sat so that I could put my feet in his lap, and his free hand immediately began to massage my, admittedly, swollen ankles.

“Emma,” Tia Angela called from down the table, “this is delicious!” Murmurs of agreement followed her, and I felt myself blush. I never knew how much I would like cooking for an army of people like this, but there was something entirely gratifying about seeing everyone happy and fed and being directly involved in that.

After the meal was finished, and the plates were cleared, I slipped back into the kitchen and opened the fridge. Manny’s cake — a large chocolate sheet cake with his favorite strawberry filling — was in a large box. I had been chasing the boy away from it all day.

When I tried to lift the cake, my back twinged. “Angel!” I called.

“Mi esposa?” He was already in the kitchen, having followed me. “Do you need help?”

“Please.”

Angel tutted. “All you need to do is ask,” he said and came around to pick up the cake out of the box. I quickly pushed in the candles and lit them. “Lead the way,mi esposa.”

I walked back into the dining room, turning off the lights as we went. “Happy birthday to you,” I sang, wincing at the off-key warble. “Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Manny! Happy birthday to you.”

Angel set the cake in front of the teenager, who blew the candles out; I didn’t miss the sheen of tears in his eyes. “Manny? What’s wrong,mijo?” I asked, leaning down as best that I could.

“It’s been years since I had a birthday like this,” he said, glancing at his mother, who seemed engrossed in some kind of dating app on her phone, “and it’s all because of you.Gracias, Emma.” The boy threw his arms around me.

Tears sprung to my eyes. “Oh, sweetheart,” I cooed and petted his head. “You are so welcome.”

He held onto me for a little longer before Angel chased him off and pulled me into his arms. “Don’t make me jealous,” he said, and I smacked his arm with a laugh.

“Don’t be jealous of your cousin,” I said. “That’s weird.”

Angel kissed my cheek, and then my neck, until I was shivering. “I’d be jealous of anyone who gets your attention.”

I shifted my head so that I could look up at him. “Even the baby?” I asked.

Angel considered it and then shook his head. “The baby is a part of you,” he said, as if it were that simple. Maybe it was. “Let me cut the cake,mi esposa. You need to go sit.”

I didn’t argue. It was fun to watch Angel be the patriarch of the family when it wasn’t a moment of violence or chaos. He cut the cake horribly — none of the pieces were equal — but he made sure that Manny got the biggest slice with the most icing.

The plates were passed around; Angel brought one slice for us to share. I hadn’t had much of a sweet tooth recently, and he didn’t seem to mind sharing a bite or two, despite his own sugar addiction. He offered me a bite of cake on his fork. “Bite?” I took it and tried not to wince at the syrupy sweetness that hit my tongue. Angel chuckled at my expression. “Too sweet?”

I cringed. “My back teeth hurt,” I complained.

“So I can have the rest of it?”

I waved him on. “Go for it.”

For the rest of Manny’s party, I just watched. I spoke when someone wanted my attention, but mostly, I watched and rubbed at my belly, encouraging the flips and twists from the baby that was steadily getting bigger.

I hadn’t felt this happy in years. Not since before my mother’s diagnosis, not since I lost her. It wasn’t the life that I had thought I would have, but looking at Angel, who was currently teasing his siblings and eating a second piece of cake, I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

CHAPTER35

Angel

My phone buzzed on the nightstand. Again. It was the fourth time in ten minutes. I was all set to ignore it, but if the phone woke Emma, whoever was on the other end of the line would have to pay. Emma had been exhausted lately, and sleep didn’t come easy for her. When she was able to drift off, whether it was in the middle of the day or at night, I did everything I could to allow her to sleep.

I picked up the phone: it was the hospice. I sat up. “Hello?” I answered, keeping my voice hushed.

“Mr. Castillo?” the woman on the other end of the line asked, mispronouncing my name.

I sighed. It was too late at night for this bullshit. “Yes, that’s me.”

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