Page 119 of Love Unwritten

From afar, at least. That way, no one can ever hold it against him.

The truth becomes painfully obvious as I pull out a box of my favorite chamomile tea, my preferred brand of saltine crackers that have the little elf on the packaging, and some fuzzy socks.

While it was probably Nico’s idea to buy me a new pair since it’s become a running joke between us, the pattern has Rafael’s name all over it because there is no way a nine-year-old kid would think to choose socks with alcohol bottles on them.

I press them against my chest and smile at the reminder of home and the eight crazy animals waiting for us to come back.

Rafael even got me more Dramamine pills, plus a few off-brand options for motion sickness with a hotel-branded sticky note that says, Sorry it’s not Xanax, but you can still hold my hand.

I fall back on the bed with a huge grin on my face and my heart swelling to twice its usual size. A care package shouldn’t make me feel so happy I could cry, but the more I think about it, the harder it is to control my emotions.

And I have no one but Rafael Lopez to blame.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Rafael

Nico taps on my shoulder and asks, “¿Papi?” Nico asks.

“¿Qué?”

“Do you like Ellie?”

The question comes out of nowhere, or at least I think it does until I realize who Nico caught me staring at. Ellie hangs out at the bar, looking beautiful in a floor-length tropical dress while the bartender prepares our second round of drinks.

“You keep looking at her,” he adds, unknowingly saving me from having to lie about his question.

I turn my attention to my son. “She’s pretty.”

He grins. “You think so?”

“Yes,” I admit, naively thinking it would get him to stop asking questions.

“Do you want to marry her?”

Thankfully, he didn’t ask that particular question in the middle of me sipping the last bit of my drink, or else he would have been coated in bourbon.

I rub my smooth cheek. “I don’t plan on marrying anyone.”

He frowns. “No?”

“No. Sorry.”

His happiness fades like the sun setting behind me. “Is it because of Mommy?”

Yes, but also because of me. The idea of loving someone enough to commit to them for the rest of my life terrifies me after my first marriage disaster.

I sigh. “Marriage is hard.”

“I know, but if you like someone, you get married. Right?”

“Yes, but not always. And I never said I liked Ellie.”

His eyes roll. “But you said she was pretty.”

“Because she is, but that doesn’t mean I like her like that.”

“Then why do you keep looking at her all the time like Tío does with Dahlia? He likes her. A lot.”