Chapter 149 A second chance

Chapter 149 A second chance
Lina’s POV

Hearing those words come out of Carlino's lips made me go cold right there on the hospital bed. But then, surprisingly, I felt everything inside me start to relax. This was the same man who said he’d never come back into my life, all because he didn't want his dark world dragging me down.

And today… What changed?

I kept my eyes locked on him, my voice barely a whisper. "What changed, Carlino?"

"I thought I would lose you," he said, his voice cracking. "The thought of it... it tore my soul apart. Tesoro, I just want to spend whatever time I have left with you. I promise I’ll keep our family safe. Nothing will ever hurt you guys. I swear it. I’ll—" He stopped midway, looking down at his hands. "I know I don’t deserve you," he mumbled. "We’re from completely different worlds. You’re good, pure... and I’m just a monster from the dark. But I’ll change, Lina. I’ll do better for you."

"Hey," I cut him off, tears already spilling down my cheeks. "I believe you. I know you keep your promises. And stop saying you're going to lose us." I couldn't help but smile a little at the next words. "Our daughters are safe. We’re safe."

Saying our daughters aloud felt incredible. Everything just felt right. Yesterday, after what he’d said, I had completely accepted that we were over for good. But this? This felt entirely different. It was a good kind of strange.

"Come here," I said, reaching for his hand. He stood up and moved closer, looking a bit confused. "Bend down, I want to tell you something," I whispered.

He obliged, leaning in with this surprisingly innocent look on his face. Using the hand that didn't have the IV drip in it, I gently cupped his jaw, turned his face to mine, and pulled him into a kiss.

He froze in shock for a split second, but then he melted right into it, kissing me back with the same rhythm.

Suddenly, the door burst open. We pulled apart instantly to see Rotha and Erla standing in the doorway. Erla immediately marched right up to the bed.

"Hey! Don't do that to my Mama! Don't touch her!" she yelled, shoving Carlino away and planting herself right between us. Carlino and I locked eyes, and a small smile crept onto his face.

"Erla," I warned, trying to sound firm. "Don't do that. It's rude."

"Exactly," Rotha said, stepping inside and shutting the door behind her. "I told her we shouldn't come back in because the uncle told us not to, but she insisted on giving you the candy you forgot to take."

"Erla, apologize to him right now," I said.

"No, Mama," she said flatly, glancing back at Carlino. "Just because we have the same eyes and nose doesn't mean we're friends. And you told me not to tell Mama about us looking alike! Did you think that would make us friends? No way."

Good grief. How did this little girl learn to talk like a cynical adult? She had this fierce, angry look on her face—the exact cold expression I'd seen on Carlino a dozen times.

Carlino just smiled down at her. "Someone's feisty," he murmured, kneeling to her eye level. He reached out to pat her head, but she flinched away.

"Carlino, it's fine. I'll talk to them," I said, giving him a tired smile. "Go find Grandma and tell her I want to speak with her. And Erla, it's you I’m talking to."

Erla stormed out of the room, her little feet stomping loudly, with Rotha trailing quietly behind her.

"So..." Carlino said, standing back up.

"So..." I dragged the word out, a playful smirk on my face. "Maybe I'll think about taking you back. I haven't decided yet."

He pouted. "You're not going to make me wait too long, are you?" He stepped closer, his hands sliding over my waist, and started lightly tickling me.

I burst out laughing. "Stop! Stop it!" I begged, gasping for air. "You're forgetting I was literally in a car accident a few hours ago!"

That made him stop instantly.

The door swung open again, and Mom walked in, her face carefully blank—though I already knew exactly what she was thinking.

"Carlino, give us a few minutes, please," I said, as she walked over. He nodded, giving me a quick look, before stepping out.

The moment the door clicked shut, I pulled the oxygen tubing off my neck completely. "Mom," I called out.

"Yes, baby?"

"I... I've decided to give things another try with Carlino," I broke the news.

Her expression instantly hardened into anger. "You can't be serious, Lina," she said, stepping back from the bed.

"You were the one who kept saying Erla and Rotha need a father," I argued gently. "Well, their real father is right here. And Mom, he promised he’d protect us. I know Carlino never breaks a promise."

"Lina, please tell me you're joking. Have you seriously forgotten everything that happened? Just like that?"

"It wasn't his fault, Mom, and you know it. I love him. He's the father of my kids, and he loves all of us. That's more than enough reason to try."

"Lina, please..." She walked back over, grabbing my arm tightly. "Think about your girls. How are you even going to explain this to them?"

"I will. I'll talk to them myself. You don't have to worry about it."

"Lina—"

"Mom, please. Just trust me on this, like you always do."

My plea worked. Her tense shoulders finally slumped.

She let out a heavy sigh. "Fine. I’ll back your decision. But the second anything goes sideways, you tell me. Deal?"

"Deal. Thanks, Mom," I smiled.

"Your siblings are on their way up, by the way."

"Oh, thank god. I've missed them so much."

The door opened, and Dad walked in, stepping aside to let Romy and Tina rush past him.

"Roms..." I breathed.

"Hey, big sis. How are you holding up?" Romy asked, walking straight to my bedside.

"Much better. No dizziness yet," I laughed softly.

Then I turned to Tina. "My cupcake, come here." I opened my arms for a hug.

"Oh, no you don't. She isn't getting the first hug today," Romy joked, diving in and wrapping his arms around me before she could. "She always gets you first," he mumbled against my shoulder.

"You do realize you’re a grown man now, right, Romy? Grow up," I teased, laughing as I held him.

"My thoughts exactly," Tina piped up. "Move it, baby boy." She nudged him out of the way and pulled me into a tight embrace. "Ina, I was so worried about you."

"I know. I'm pretty missed around here."

We spent the next hour just chatting about random things. The whole family ended up packed into the hospital room, and the girls came back in, climbing all over Romy and Tina. Even though the room was filled with laughter and joy, a small part of me felt empty. Carlino wasn't here. I couldn't help but wonder what he was doing out in the hallway.

I had already shared the news about us getting back together with Dad and my siblings. Surprisingly, Dad didn't object, and Romy and Tina were completely supportive. I was just incredibly grateful they understood. It felt like total bliss.

~

Two weeks flew by. I was practically fully healed, though I still had to take a few medications. Carlino had moved into my place temporarily, taking care of absolutely everything. He picked out my clothes, made my meals, and honestly, he practically bathed me. I kept teasing him that he was turning into my mother, but he just shrugged it off.

I was relaxing in bed when the door crept open. Carlino walked in carrying a massive tray of food.

"Breakfast is served, Tesoro," he said. "I made enough for your parents and the girls, too. Tina and Romy are heading back to school today, right? I was thinking I should start covering their tuitions. What do you think?"

He set the tray down on the bed. It was loaded: juice, water, a spinach and tomato frittata with parmesan, ricotta pancakes piled with berries and syrup, scrambled eggs, Italian sausage, and roasted potatoes.

"Carlino, there is no way on earth I can eat all this," I gasped.

"Just eat what you can. It’s your favorite, so stop complaining. You need a full stomach before your meds anyway. But seriously, what do you think about the tuition? You shouldn't be stressing over bills while I'm around."

I stared at him, genuinely shocked. "Are you actually asking for my permission?"

"Of course. They're your family."

"I... yeah. I mean, I have no objections," I stammered, looking down to hide the blush creeping up my face.

"I can see that," he chuckled, heading toward the door. "I’m going to handle a few things. We need to talk about some other arrangements later, okay?"

"Okay, baby," I replied.

The second he walked out, Mom slipped into the room, a massive grin on her face. "Well, looks like someone made the right call," she teased, sitting on the edge of the bed. "He's really not that bad."

"Mom! Have you been eavesdropping outside my door?" I accused, laughing.

"Not intentionally, but I might have caught the tail end of that. He actually asked for your permission before paying the bills? Man, this is definitely a different Carlino than the one from years ago."

I blushed harder, knowing exactly what she was getting at. "Mom, please leave so I can eat," I laughed.

"Alright, alright, I'm going, Mrs. Carlino," she teased, standing up. "Honestly though, you two should think about getting married. You can't just play boyfriend and girlfriend forever, especially with two kids."

"Mom!" I groaned, throwing a pillow near her.

"Sorry, sorry! I'm leaving!" she laughed, heading for the door. "Oh, before I forget—Victor asked about you when I ran into him at the store. Apparently, he heard about Carlino being back, which is why he's keeping his distance. Guess he wants to keep his head attached to his shoulders." She chuckled. "I think everyone knows how possessive Carlino is being. Oh, and Mark called. He said you don't need to come back to the office anymore. They already hired a replacement."

I just nodded, a knowing look crossing my face as she finally left. I didn't need three guesses to figure out exactly who had pressured Mark into firing me. God, Carlino was unbelievable.

~

An hour later, I finally crawled out of bed. I hadn't even finished half of the feast Carlino made. Walking out into the hallway, the house was completely dead. The usual chaotic shouting of Rotha and Erla was gone—they must have left for school. Mom and Dad might be out too, and there was no sign of Carlino.

I carefully made my way down the stairs, checking the kitchen, but nobody was there.
I stood by the window, staring out at the yard, when a pair of arms suddenly slid around my waist. I jumped slightly, but the familiar warmth told me exactly who it was.

"You didn't have to scare me like that," I mumbled, leaning back into his chest.

"This is the only quiet moment we’ve had in weeks," he murmured, his lips brushing against my neck. "Your parents are visiting friends, the kids are at school, and Romy and Tina are gone. We have the house to ourselves for a few hours. Don't you want to take advantage of that?"

"Carl..." I whispered as his kisses grew more intense.

"Come on, Tesoro," he urged huskily. Before I could even answer, he swept me off my feet, lifting me into his arms, and carried me straight back up to the bedroom.

He pressed his lips to mine, kissing me deeply, softly, with a desperate hunger that left me breathless. I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck, pulling him closer.

\~~~

A little while later, I lay back against the pillows, my breathing slowly returning to normal. My entire body felt utterly melted and relaxed.

"We should definitely do this more often," I said, turning my head to smile at him.

"Oh, you think so?" he smirked.

"Don't give me that look," I giggled, nudging his shoulder.

Suddenly, the distinct sound of the front door unlocking echoed from downstairs. "They're back," I panicked, instantly scrambling up to find my clothes.

"Hey, what's the rush?" he asked, completely unbothered.

"Are you serious? What do you mean what's the rush? I am not letting my parents walk into my room and find me completely naked with a naked man in my bed. Get the fuck up, Carlino!"

He let out a heavy sigh but finally swung his legs out of bed to get dressed. I glanced down and noticed he was still very much aroused.

"You might want to handle that," I pointed out, exasperated. "We literally just finished, Carlino."

"Tesoro—"

"Don't 'Tesoro' me. Put your pants on!"

We were both still frantically throwing our clothes on when the bedroom door flew wide open.

\~~~~~~~~~~~
Author's note: Dear loyal readers, I know you can see that the book is slowly coming to an end. So do well to leave a comment, leaving me a review about this book. More is coming. Lots of love from here, and tell me about your favorite characters as well. Have a wonderful Sunday.