Page 109 of Rum & Coke

“You’ll see,” he stated as he sat next to me on the couch. “I’ve always wanted to be a father, and now I will be. I won’t fuck this up.”

I didn’t know how, but I was going to find a way out before thateverhappened.

A few minutes later, Valentina and Colton walked in through the front door, and I instantly ran to him. “Did you have fun at the park, Slugger?”

“He was such a good boy,” Valentina stated. “He deserves ice cream for dessert.”

“If you eat all your dinner, do you want chocolate ice cream for dessert?”

He started to flap his little hands, and a thought washed over me as I wondered if I should be happy or sad that he was going to be a big brother.

It had been two weeks since I found out I was pregnant. Two weeks since Mateo killed Brent. Two weeks since I decided to fake being happy with Sebastian.

It was all I could do to survive in a world I wanted nothing to do with. Maybe in another universe, things could have been different.

Every night, Sebastian ignored Colton. Maybe it was because he wasn’t able to play with him in the sense of playing with someone who was interacting with you. That was why I loved Vinny with Colton. Vinny understood. Vinny cared. Vinny was good with Colt. And I still thought about him often.

But Vinny was gone.

He was probably on a beach somewhere, drinking rum and Cokes because it was, of course, summer break. Would we still be together if I hadn’t disappeared? Would he love me? I loved him, and after all this time apart, I still wanted to tell him. I wanted to rush into his arms and never leave.

But I couldn’t.

“Are you ready to go?” Sebastian asked as he came into his bathroom where I was getting ready to go to my doctor’s appointment. The bathroom was nothing compared to the one in Mark’s house. It was a decent size, had granite countertops, and a huge shower, but it wasn’t special given the circumstances I was in.

“Almost.”

“We don’t want to be late.”

“We?” I asked as I brushed my long brown hair.

“Of course. I’m going with you, Tessa. I’m going to go to every appointment. This is my child.”

I nodded and sat the brush down. “Then let’s go.”

Just as I tried to cross over the threshold, he grabbed my wrist and spun me around to face him. “I’m glad you’ve come to terms with our arrangement.”

Still faking it, I replied, “You’re growing on me.”

He grinned and kissed my lips. “If I would have known you’d be this good, I would have pursued you sooner.”

I smiled softly at him. “Things happen for a reason, right?”

“They sure do.”

As we walked down the stairs, Sebastian’s phone rang. “I need to take this.”

I nodded and kept walking. When I got downstairs, Colton was playing on his iPad. I turned to Valentina. “We’re about to leave. Are you sure you’ll be okay with him?”

“Si, of course. I raised four boys.” Four boys who had apparently died in some sort of drug-related incident. I’d never gotten the entire story from her, but it made sense to me if a drug lord helped her town that they'd died from something drug related.

“But he won’t tell you what he wants or needs, so if he fusses, you’ll have to figure it out on your own.”

“I know, cariño. I will take him to the park. He loves the park.”

He did love the park. He loved to swing, and I was thankful that Valentina took him to the park a few times a week. I still wasn’t allowed outside.

“Change of plans,” Sebastian stated as he came into the room.