n

n

nChristian didn't want to let his wife or daughter out of his sight so he insisted on sleeping on the couch in the hospital room. Eventually, Avery told him to go home and shower at the very least before coming back and that they would still both be here.

nHe did so reluctantly but admitted it needed to be done. He was still in his suit from work the day before though he had taken off his coat and tie.

nHe hurried home and took care of it as quickly as possible, being sure to bring something to change into and a toothbrush so he could do the same thing tonight. He wasn't sure he would be able to handle sleeping at home without them. He would feel better knowing they were nearby.

nWhen Christian made it back to the hospital Angelo was there. Honestly, that took longer than he thought it would.

n

"She's even tinier than Sofia was!

" Angelo exclaimed in disbelief as he peered at the baby in her mother's arms.

"I didn't think that was possible..

"

n

"Clearly, you've never heard of preemies. Bailey was only a week early and she really isn't that small. The babies in your family are just big,

" Avery said as she rolled her eyes.

n

"Whatever. Can I hold Güerita?

"

n

"Go for it. Be careful with her head though.

"

n

"I know how to hold a baby! You know how many times I've babysat our cousins.

"

n

"Yeah, yeah.

"

nChristian watched as Angelo carefully picked Bailey up and cradled her against his chest. He felt a certain sense of appreciation for the man that he hadn't before. They wouldn't be enjoying this sort of peaceful family setting right now if not for all the extra work Angelo put into dealing with Hunsacher's holdings on his own so Avery could focus on her pregnancy.

n

"Güerita means 'little white girl', right?

" he asked.

nHe put it together using context clues after being around the Cruzes long enough. He was starting to pick up a few things in Spanish.

nAngelo looked up in surprise.

"Yeah. It's basically like calling her Avery Junior.

"

nAvery laughed.

"She isn't nearly as white as me though.

"

n

"No one is as white as you.

"

n

"Other albinos are.

"

n

"Yeah, but how often do you meet other albinos?

" Angelo pointed out.

nAvery shrugged.

"I've never met another one but we do exist. Obviously. Though we make up less than one percent of the world's population.

"

n

"You're not really helping your point, Güera.

"

n

"I won't concede defeat. Christian, do you feel any better now that you've cleaned up?

"

nChristian smiled at his wife.

"Yeah. I made sure to eat something too. Have you had breakfast yet?

"

n

"Yes, but it was terrible. Oatmeal without copious amounts of brown sugar in it is an abomination. I barely managed to get it all down,

" Avery replied with a shudder.

"I will never understand why hospital food is so determined to be gross. Good food is what heals people!

"

nHe was inclined to believe her considering she went to culinary school. But he also knew she had a sweet tooth that nothing could fully satisfy.

n

"I can bring you something from the outside tomorrow after work,

" Angelo offered.

"Or tell the tías to bring something. I'm sure they'll want to come over later and can bring you some soup.

"

n

"Speaking of work, why did you ditch today? You could have come after your shift was done,

" Avery scolded.

n

"And put off meeting my niece longer than necessary? I don't think so.

"

n

"How did you know I was here, anyway?

"

n

"I had to hear it from Jorge, who heard it from his mom. Thanks for keeping me in the loop, by the way,

" Angelo said sarcastically.

n

"Don't even start! You try going through labor and see if you remember to text people. That reminds me…I need to tell Vanessa. She's probably tried getting a hold of me to see how it went since she was there when I went into labor,

" Avery said with a sigh.

nChristian went to dig her phone out of the hospital bag and handed it to her. Her eyes widened when she saw all of the missed messages from a variety of people.

n

"…I have more people to text back than I thought.

"

nOut of curiosity he checked his phone too and saw that he had some texts from people at work who were aware of his dramatic departure. Oops.

n

"If it makes you feel any better I do too,

" Christian told her.

nAvery cracked a smile.

"Aren't we popular?

"

n

"Actually, I think it's Bailey that's popular. Stealing hearts already and hardly anyone has even seen her.

"

n

"I can let Vanessa know you're up for visitors for you. Since you have so many people to text back,

" Angelo offered.

"The tías too. Just let me know.

"

n

"That would be great, actually. Thanks, Angelo.

"

n

"Anytime. I didn't call out sick—I pretended to have a doctor's appointment—so I need to get going. I'll be back though. Get some rest, Güera. Your life is about to get a lot more chaotic so you're going to need it.

"

nAvery laughed.

"I'm used to chaos. But thank you. I'll see you later.

"

nAngelo handed the baby off to Christian.

"Congratulations to you too. I think Güerita looks like you.

"

n

"Just the hair color. It's too soon to tell for anything else.

"

n

"Still. Later!

"

nChristian gazed warmly down at his daughter as she stared sleepily back up at him. He spoke softly to her until he was distracted by his wife's laughter.

n

"There's no way he offered to contact to Vanessa for my sake. He's just looking for an excuse to talk to her. Why can't he admit he likes her? There's nothing holding him back anymore.

"

n

"Isn't he still pretty busy working with Leah on tearing down Hunsacher's empire though? Maybe he doesn't want to do anything until he's done,

" Christian theorized.

n

"He'll have missed his chance if he thinks like that. I wish I could smack some sense into him,

" Avery said with a sigh.

n

"I'm sure he'll figure it out sooner or later on his own.

"

n

"He better. Otherwise I will totally support Vanessa finding someone else.

"

nChristian couldn't help but smile. She was totally rooting for the two of them even if she wouldn't admit it. He hoped everything worked out for them too. Angelo was important to his wife and she wouldn't be at ease as long as he was having a hard time. That was simply the way things were when you cared about someone.

nAvery was the kind of person you wanted to have in your corner. He considered himself very lucky that she loved him. The tiny baby in his arms was too having her as a mother.

nSpecial occasions made him sentimental. A lot of things were still uncertain right now but he could tell their future was bright.

n===

nAngelo wasn't quite as busy as he had been before Hunsacher's arrest but he still had a lot going on. That didn't mean he wasn't about to drop everything the moment he heard that Avery's baby had been born.

nBailey was so small. Fragile. Helpless. Seeing her in her mother's arms when he arrived made him all the more determined to watch out for both of them. Because they were family.

nHe wasn't the only one who felt that way anymore though. When Angelo handed her off to Christian before leaving he saw how tenderly he looked between his wife and daughter. Taking care of them was his job more than it was Angelo's.

nThe thought left him feeling oddly bereft. He would always have Avery's back but it was different now that she was married.

nHer husband had been very supportive, helpful, and overall understanding about everything that went down after he found out the truth. Which was all the more shocking considering he was Mercury.

nChristian Slater had to be some kind of saint. No one else would be able to accept that sort of thing so easily. His love for Avery was much stronger than Angelo ever would have guessed. And his love for their daughter was just as strong already.

nHe was happy for her but still felt a strange sense of loss. Maybe that was why he offered to help her out contacting people so she didn't have to when she was tired. Or maybe he simply wanted an excuse to talk to Vanessa and used the tías as a cover up. Even he wasn't exactly sure which one it was. It might be a combination of both.

nThings with Vanessa were complicated. He wasn't avoiding her anymore but he didn't feel like he had the right to pursue her. Not after what he almost did.

nAvery had been on the verge of convincing him to put the gun down when her husband grabbed him and ran but he had still almost killed a man. Even if it was one as evil as Nolan Hunsacher.

n