Chapter 124

Tico awoke and realised she’d gone; there was no residual warmth so she’d been gone for sometime. Grabbing his sweats he yanked them on pulling a t-shirt over his head as he left the bedroom.

He didn’t even try Hector’s room, he knew exactly where she’d be, the same place he’d be. He took the stairs two at a time praying he wouldn’t fall and break something, he hit the bottom and jogged across to the studio. Opening the door he spotted her, fast asleep on the over sized chair she had in there for just these sorts of nights.

He stood and looked at her; purple rings under her eyes told him she’d not long fallen asleep. He glanced about and noticed a new painting, walking over his mouth fell open; his own face stared back at him, well the side of hi anway! She’d captured him as he slept; face down on his stomach, one arm under the pillow and the other hugging air, or where she would have been, his arm reaching for her in his sleep. He could just tell it was himself and no other man, one of his burns was showing, plus his black hair and the tapered waist gave it away too. He grinned like a fool, he checked the paint, nearly dry, he took it off the easel and without waking her, took it up and hung it in their bedroom, where it would stay, and no one else would get to buy this one!

After he’d hung it he went back down to wake her, ‘Miel, querido, time to wake up, come on sweetie, you’ll have a hell of a bad neck.’ Still nothing, sighing he gathered into his arms and carried her back to bed, where she snuggled back under the covers with a sigh, not really waking at all. Glancing at the clock he saw it was only five-fifteen so he crawled back in with her. She felt his nearness and wiggled into his arms, kissing his chest, making him smile, even in her sleep she knew he was there, with that he nodded back off too.

Several hours after that Hector crept in and jumped on his pappy, making Tico sit bolt upright in bed, he’d not really missed his son’s wake up call. ‘Hey son, how about you and I leaving Ally to sleep a little longer?’

Hector giggled and lent over, kissing Al’s cheek, she smiled in her sleep, then he jumped up and after Tico got his pants on they headed downstairs.

There they found Carol inhaling her first cup of coffee; Hector ran to her and climbed up for a hello kiss, while his pappy got him some juice.

‘I take it you didn’t have to use the couch last night?’

‘Nope, I didn’t, but she did.’

Carol frowned, ‘What do you mean Tico? You didn’t fight, did you?’

‘Nah poco momma (little momma), she got up and headed to her studio sometime after I went out like a light. Hey where do you think you’re going hijo (son)?’ He’d noticed Hector heading back upstairs.

Hec smiled cheekily, ‘Desee ir sueño con el aliado!’ (Wanna go sleep with Ally) and he scampered off before his pappy could stop him.

‘Seems like his pappy’s not the only Torres male who wants to be loved by Ally.’ Carol smiled, though Tico had loved his ex wife, she’d just been too young to be tied down, it was a shame. But she’d given him Hector and father and son doted on each other.

‘Yeah, thrown out of my own bed by my baby boy.’ He grinned and shook his head.

‘So, what sent her to her studio, and don’t tell me you don’t know!’

He laughed, they could never pull anything over on Carol, ever! ‘I think I may have freaked her out.’ He had the grace to blush.

‘Spill it!’

‘Well while we were…. Erm …. Making love, I told her to think about marrying me.’

Carol’s mug hit the counter with a thud, ‘You did what? What did she say?’

‘Well that’s just the thing; she didn’t get much of a chance to say anything.’ He could feel himself blushing even more.

‘Oh don’t tell me you said it just as you ….’ Tico nodded, now the colour of a fire truck. ‘Oh hell! Héctor Samuel Juan Torres! Don’t tell me you dropped that on her just as, well, oh good lord man what were you thinking? No don’t answer that, I know what you were thinking!’ She sat looking at him, stunned.

‘Damn Carol I know, but, we, well fell asleep straight after, and when I woke up several hours later she was gone, I found her fast asleep in her studio; she’d been painting. I carried her back to bed, then Hec woke me up before I could wake her and talk to her.’ He lent his head onto his arms, hell he’d fucked up again!

She checked the clock, it was just after eight-forty-five, ‘Tico honey, I think you need to go and talk to her before the others arrive, you know Jon he’ll be back here damn early. You need to sort it out, and I take it you want her to marry you?’

‘Of course I do! And I know your right, ok if I send Hec to you while we talk?’

‘I’d be insulted if you didn’t, you know I love him, hell all of the kids like they were my own. Now go, talk to Ally, and honey, I’m praying she says yes, she’s good for you.’

‘You don’t think I moved to fast do you?’ A deep frown appeared between his brows.

‘No, if you know she’s the one, then time is irrelevant. Go get your girl!’ She smiled as he took off with two mugs of coffee and a determined look on his face. A few minutes later Hector walked down and crawled onto her lap.