“Damn near. What happened?”
Rocco pulled a long breath. There wasn’t anything he could say at this point, without returning to his raw, broken self. The angels had made it clear that leaving to be with his baby wasn’t a choice he could make, so there was no point telling Kit about it. “A miracle, I guess.”
Kit’s hard blue eyes held his. “I don’t believe in miracles.”
“No?” Rocco smiled. “I do. I’ve had several in my life. You and Blade finding me in that pit. Getting Zavi back. Having Mandy love me.” A tear spilled down his cheek. “That’s a lot of fucking miracles, Kit.”
Kit huffed a deep sigh, then hooked a hand around Rocco’s neck and brought him in for a hug. “I just want you well again, Rocco, feel me?” He pounded his back, then stepped away.
“Thanks, bro. Me too.”
*
Mandy followed the guys inside, reluctant to leave Rocco’s side. Ivy hurried over to give her a quick hug. “Was it Rocco?”
Mandy nodded. Now that the emergency was over, she was suddenly depleted.
“He’s all right?”
Again, Mandy nodded, but fresh tears spilled down her face as her mind replayed the terrible minutes when Rocco was in the corral with Kitano.
Ivy put a hand around Mandy and led her to the sofa. “The kids are upstairs with Wynn. Kathy and Dennis have left for the night, so it’s just us here. I put some coffee on and made some sandwiches. Rocco didn’t eat dinner.” Her voice broke. “I don’t know if he feels like eating, but I thought it might help.”
Mandy squeezed her hands. “It will. Thank you.”
“Hey, Ivy,” Val called from behind the bar in the living room. “Any chance there’s some whipped cream in the kitchen?”
“There’s whipping cream. I could make some. Why?”
“I think we need a libation that fits with the night. Something to keep us up but calm us down. Hot cups of Irish coffee sound like just the ticket.”
Ivy smiled. “I’m on it.”
Mandy sat on the sofa. Eden and Hope sat on either side of her. Each girl held her hand or rubbed her arm. They kept her warm. She’d been unaware how numb and chilled she was. When Kit and Rocco came inside, Rocco searched for her, then smiled. She latched on to his gaze. Finally, finally she could see beyond the madness in his eyes to the real him.
Hope vacated her spot, letting him sit next to her. Mandy turned to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She cried, giving in to the terrible, endless tears she’d been fighting for months. He pulled her onto his lap, letting her cry freely in the room filled with their friends.
“Hey,” Rocco whispered, smoothing some of her hair from her face. “Val’s got something for you.”
She straightened enough to look over her shoulder. Val was sitting on the coffee table, holding a glass mug of coffee topped with thick cream and a box of tissues. “It’s decaf. With chocolate and caramel flavoring and a big topping of whipped cream.”
Mandy slipped from Rocco’s lap and blew her nose, discovering as she looked around the room that all the couples had paired up, many of the girls were also quietly crying sympathy tears.
“I don’t know why all the tears,” Val said. “We should be celebrating. We have Rocco back.” He smiled at her.
Mandy made a watery laugh. “True.” She looked at Rocco. “It’s just such a relief.”
“I’m sorry. I’m so goddamned sorry.”
“There’s nothing to apologize for. I mean that.” Mandy gave Rocco a firm look. She sipped the coffee, felt the sweet, hot burn it made as she swallowed, and sighed as she settled against Rocco’s side. She looked around the room, seeing the team and their women, most of whom had been strangers to her before the summer began. But not now. They’d come through hell together…several times over.
“I love you guys,” she blurted. “I would be so lost without you. And I’m so glad I got to know all of you.”
Fiona left Kelan’s lap and came over to hug her. “I know just how you feel, ’cause I feel it, too.”
Selena and Greer helped hand out coffee mugs. Val was right. The special coffee hit the spot. The mood of the group had settled quite a bit by the time Wynn brought Zavi down to say goodnight. She looked around the group, curious and a little confused, but packed her questions away.
Zavi climbed up onto Rocco’s lap. He smiled at his boy and hugged him. Zavi looked from Rocco to Mandy and frowned.
“Why are you crying, Mom?”
Mandy sniffled as she fought back more tears. “Because I am so happy.”
“I don’t cry when I’m happy. I smile. Like this.” He made a big Cheshire Cat grin that made her laugh. “Are you going to tuck me in?” he asked her and Rocco.
“No, Zavi. Not tonight,” Wynn answered for them. “Remember you promised I could read you a bedtime story?”
He sighed then hugged them both. “Will you be here tomorrow, Mom?”
She smiled. “I will. I discovered that I am too lonely without you both.”