Page 184 of Damián

I swear I want to jump across the couch and kiss this man right now, to tell him exactly how much I love him, but I’m interrupted when both my mother and sister suddenly burst into tears.

“¡Madre de Dios!” I yell, looking between them in a panic. “Why are you guys crying?”

“That was beautiful,” Mamá sobs, dabbing at her eyes with a napkin.

“Oliver is just so, so incredible,” Fernanda sniffs, wiping a tear before glaring across the table at me. “You better never break his heart, Damián, or I swear I’m taking his side.”

At that, Oliver finally relaxes and bursts into laughter.

Looking at him laughing like that, surrounded by my family, an amazing warmth washes over me.

I reach over, sliding my hand into his. “Not a chance of that happening.”

— ¤ —

After talking with my family, everyone heads to their rooms, and I stay in the living room for a while to finish a call with Knox, catching up on everything that happened before and after I got the call about my family.

Once we hang up, I walk down the hall to the room Oliver is at.

I push the door open and find him fresh out of the shower. He’s wearing an oversized shirt, using a towel to dry his hair.

I close the door behind me.

“Is everything okay?” Oliver asks.

“Yes. Knox just called to catch me up on things,” I say, walking toward him. “Come here.”

Oliver steps closer. I take the towel from his hands, guide him to sit on the edge of the bed, and stay standing so I can gently dry his hair for him.

He’s quiet for a moment before he whispers, “…Kai?”

I want to answer him, but my silence tells him everything he needs to know.

“He’s dead, isn’t he?”

“They found his body near the Hudson.”

Oliver lowers his head, the guilt washing over him. I stop drying his hair, drop to a crouch in front of him, and place my hand under his chin to tilt his face back up.

“Stop. It is not your fault.”

“If I hadn’t gone to Chapters, he would still be alive.”

I toss the towel on the bed next to me and wrap my hands securely around his. “Whatever decisions Kai made were on him, Oliver.”

“He didn’t know who he was meeting, Damián.”

“He knew he would get us in trouble if he told Rafael I was a Harknett. His own malice got him killed, not you.”

I haul Oliver onto my lap and slide my hand up to the nape of his neck, leaning in to stare directly into his hazel eyes. I need to make absolutely sure this doesn’t stay with him, tormenting him.

“Tell me you understand that.”

“I understand.”

Satisfied, I lean in and press a soft, lingering kiss to his lips. “Good.”

“Where is Rafael now?”