Summary: When the boys found you, you were bound to the wall, ankles and wrists blessing from the cuffs that kept you in that tiny jail, they had a feeling you haven’t even seen the light in a long time. You were scared and you didn’t even speak English.
It was Frankie who found you, he thought he heard a noise in the basement and surely enough, there you were. You were so scared you even threw a bowl and a small vase you found at him.
“We can’t bring her with us. She will slow us down.” said Ben as they all decided to do a small gathering and plan on what to do with you. Ben gave you a bottle of water and a poorly wrapped sandwich. You silently ate everything.
“So, what? You suggest we leave her?” asked Santiago.
“Probably not a good idea, she’ll be dead if someone finds her still here after what we just did.” Will made a good point. Everyone groaned.
“We can bring her to the plane, then we-”
“What we bring her home, Fish?! Are you insane? Stealing money is one thing but bringing an illeagal immigrant into the States is just-”
“I know someone, she will get a name, an identity.” replied Ben. “We can save her.”
“We are not her saviors. We can’t even talk to her, she doesn’t understand English! Can you speak to her? Spanish?” everyone shook their heads. “French” Again, everyone shook their heads. “German?” No. “Then what the fuck should we do?”
“Bring her with us, Benny’s friend will give her IDs and she will live. We killed enough people already.” said Santiago and everyone agreed, even if Tom wasn’t a fan of the idea, he decided to agree.
“We are going to save you.” Santiago said as he knelt down in front of you, offering you a smile.
You didn’t understand a word they were speaking, but you did understand their intentions.
They weren’t there to hurt you, they were there to help. Especially that really handsome one with the beautiful eyes and curly hair, you especially liked him, so you stuck with him. You followed him, watching his movement as he walked, you followed, just as silently.
You watched as they all panicked when you heard shots. You ducked behind a rock, but you couldn’t ignore that you saw an enemy with a gun behind one of the guys, you slowly walked there when no one was watching.
And just as Tom turned, he saw the gun, but the guy was pushed before he could fire and fell, Tom shot the guy before he looked up to see you crouching, he knew you pushed the guy.
“You saved my life,” he said as the others arrived.
—
You were confused. They all talked to you, saying things but you didn’t understand a thing. They all sat around a fire, talking to each other, laughing and you laughed with them, even if you had no idea what they were talking about.
You suddenly spoke up, saying your first name. And they all looked at you confused. They you said your name again and pointed at yourself.
“Ben.” one of them said.
“Will.”
“Tom.”
Okay, easy names, you thought.
"Francisco.” Oh Boy. “But call me Frankie.”
“Santiago.” another longer name.
You nodded and smiled to all of them.
You learned to say all their names. And when you finally got back, well, they got back, you were at a completely strange place.
You did what you knew would work, you stuck with Santiago. And you also knew what the gold ring on some of their fingers meant.
You were a foreigner not stupid.
Your journey with the men was… interesting to say the least.
They all made sure you were safe but Santiago in particular. And who were you to push away such a handsome hero?
—
“You can live with me while we figure this out, I’m the only one without a wife, girlfriend or kids so I don’t have any explaining to do, but you have to keep a low profile.” Santiago said and he repeated himself in Spanish, but you still didn’t understand a word. Yet, you still nodded, you understood his intentions, you understood that this was his home, typical bachelor’s home.
You were given a room and food. But you didn’t like that. Your room was too quiet, it felt cold like your cell. Even if the bed was the most comfortable you could ever ask for and the room was warm.
You still didn’t feel safe. You were lonely.
You often moved to Santiago’s room, trying to be quiet not to wake him up, you would silently laying down next to him, you felt better there, safer.
The first time he noticed you in his bed was when he woke up with you in his arms, in his sleep he unintentionally moved over to you and cuddled you.
He was concerned but he didn’t mind, he just didn’t want to overstep your boundaries. You were happy to cook for him, happy to watch movies with him, whatever he wanted really.
Days, weeks and months passed. You now had a basic English vocabulary.
“Dinner?” you asked Santiago as he was sitting on the couch.
“I’ll order something, come back the series in starting.”
This was your normal now, but you felt bad, ever since he and his team helped you, you didn’t do anything productive, and cooking doesn’t count. Not in your book at least.
You wanted to work, but with the language barrier, it was extremely difficult.
Later that evening, you were getting ready for bed when his phone started to ring.
It was Tom calling.
“What’s up?” asked Santiago as he answered.
“Pope, hi, how’s things with your new-found wifey?”
Santiago laughed a little.
“Not so bad, she can now talk a lot better, why did you call?”
“I know who she is Pope. She was taken from her village, I have a report. Her village was attacked, they killed everyone, even she is presumed dead. There was fire, gunshots, almost everything you can imagine.”
“That’s awful.”
“Yeah, and I also have some news, since she’s dead, well presumed dead, it will be difficult to get her past immigration, you are lucky I know a lot of people but she will need a new last name. I am filling in her papers and I-“
“I will marry her.”
“Sorry? You don’t need to play the hero Pope. It’s all good I put her down as a random, generic last name, but-“
“It’s not about playing the hero. I want to marry her. She’s perfect.”
Tom smiled on the other end of the line.
“Come over tomorrow, collect her papers, oh, and you better start teaching her fast, No government official will believe that she is American if she doesn’t even speak basic English.”
“Thank you, Tom.”
“I should thank her, she saved my life, this is the least I can do.”
You understood that this was needed. Giving you a new identity was difficult, but not impossible. With the correct connections, you were officially an American citizen.
“Now, you can leave the house.” Said Santiago as he gave you your brand new ID. “Leave the house, look for a house, job or whatever you want. But you can stay with me as well. I like you company you know that.”
“Stay with Santi.” You said “No leave. Stay and help.” It made him smile.
“Marry me.” He said, right there, in front of Tom’s house as you two were walking to the car. You tilted your head.
“Marry?” you thought that was a name.
“Yes, I’m asking you to be my wife.”
Now that word you understood.
“Me? Santi wife?”
“Yes. I love you.” You understood that word as well. And all those days you just thought it was one sided. That he only let you sleep next to him because he was kind.
“I love you too.” You said with a rather shaky voice. But it was the truth. Santiago smiled as he grabbed your jaw and pilled you close to kiss you.
You were so happy, you felt like your chest would burst. You not only were rescued from your prison, you got to know this lovely group of men, and you even found love.
This was the fresh new start you begged for every night in that cold, dirty disgusting cell.
Rating: PG-13 (language, mentions of a “sleepover”)
Summary:Dating your best friend’s brother always comes with challenges. Benny doesn’t want to know any of the details about your relationship until he begins to wonder where he fits. | Ft. “Are you a thing now?” Requested by anon.
Pairing:Best Friend!Benny x Reader | Boyfriend!Will x Reader
Warnings: Some fluff, Benny being an annoying best friend, a little insecurity, some swears. That’s about it.
Word Count:2.3k
The moving playing in the background was one you’d seen at least a thousand times. Somewhere along the way, it became something of a comfort film - watched at least once any time Benny joined you for a movie night - and you were waiting for him to start quoting the villain’s lines aloud as he tilted his head to glance up at you.
Knowing him, the words on the tip of his tongue were either that or a train of thought only you would be privy to.
Benny’s position on your lap, head resting on your thigh and popcorn bowl resting on his stomach, was one that he’d adopted not long after you became friends. It was natural, easy, but you often joked that it made you feel like his therapist when he abandoned the movie to ask you questions that often lead to rethinking the ways of the universe.
“So, are you, like, a thing now?”
Unlike his previous questions - your thoughts on aliens, whether mankind is inherently good, how many marshmallows you imagined he could fit into his mouth and whether he would choke on them - there was no need to ask where this one came from or who he was referring to.
For nearly three months, you’d been seeing Will. It started slowly - neither of you were interested in rushing into something, let alone something with one another lest it leave you both in an awkward spot - but things were starting to get serious.
To friends that didn’t know him and strangers, you now referred to Will as your boyfriend. Benny knew - was the first to know, told by both you and Will the moment you decided to give one another a chance - but rarely asked for specifics. He knew enough to be kept in the loop - knew that you’d been spending more time together and that you’d moved beyond just getting to know one another romantically - but this was the first time he’d asked for clarity.
Still, you weren’t exactly surprised that he was asking now. When his early morning call - asking if you wanted to meet for breakfast as he’d been busy with training and you’d been busy with work, leaving you both unable to spend any time together - was answered by Will, it was bound to happen.
Despite the question - and your expectation that it was to come - Benny’s curiosity about your love life was rarely serious. He’d joked time and again that he didn’t want to know anything about your relationship with Will - he grimaced exaggeratedly and downed his beer the first time he saw Will wrap his arm around your shoulders - so you rolled your eyes and laughed at his question.
“Why?” As you reached for the popcorn, you fixed him with a raised brow and a playful grin. “You jealous, Miller?”
Though the question was lobbed at him in jest, a teasing jab meant to make him laugh, Benny seemed to take it a touch too literally. Something unfamiliar - something sad, anxious - flashed in his eyes as his cheeks flushed a warm pink. With a scoff, he sat up and shook his head as he averted his gaze.
“Fuck no,” he declared, not bothering to spare a glance in your direction. “I love you but not like that.”
The refutation was strong, one that carried more weight than a simple rebuttal should have, and was followed by another shake of his head. In the moment of silence that followed, Benny raked a hand through his hair - unweighted by the ratty cap he wore so often - and tapped his foot as he reached out for his beer as he attempted to gather his thoughts.
It struck you then, as you watched him furrow his brows and reach for the abandoned beer bottle on the coffee table, just how similar he and Will could be. Though Will seemed like the picture of stoicism upon first meeting him, he truly cared for the people in his life. His care was quieter than Benny’s - fewer words, more actions - but both Miller brothers wore their hearts on their sleeves around those lucky enough to be part of their lives. Benny could be rash, impulsive, but in the moments that mattered - moments like this - he took a page from his older brother’s book and fell silent as he tried to decide how to continue.
“I’m not jealous.” The repetition was unnecessary as you both knew that wasn’t the case - as much shit as everyone gave you, your relationship with Benny was strictly platonic and always had been - but his reaction gave you pause. There was, obviously, something simmering beneath the surface and it brought a frown to your lips as Benny took a pull from his now warm beer.
As he seemed to lose himself in his train of thought, you hesitantly attempted to answer the question that prompted the conversation. “I mean…” You paused for a moment to really consider where you and Will stood.
The relationship was exclusive - it had been all along, even if neither of you explicitly said anything in the beginning - and you could see yourself falling in love with him but that was not something you felt necessary to share with Benny in that moment. The relationship was one of the most stable you’d had in years, something you attributed to starting off so slowly, and you saw a future with Will in a way that you hadn’t with anyone else.
“Yeah,” you finally confirmed. “We’re a thing.” There was a moment of hesitation before you asked, “Is that… are you okay with that?”
Benny nodded quickly and nearly dropped the bottle onto the table as he returned it. “Yeah,” he confirmed, pausing momentarily to clear his throat. “It’s… yeah. Of course I’m good with it. I just…”
A beat of silence passed as Benny frowned. He shook his head once more before turning to glance at you. “Look,” he began, voice as serious as you’d ever heard him. “I’m happy for you. You and Will are perfect for each other. Just… say you get serious. That’s great,” he acknowledged, certain and firm in his declaration. “But what happens when Friday nights are date nights, not movie nights. And when dinner after a fight is just you and Will, not the three of us. And what happens if you break up? I know you’re both all tough and emotionally constipated and shit but it’d be weird. I’d lose my best friend and be pissed off at my brother.“
Though Benny no longer had any problem being vulnerable with you, this was the most honest - and serious - he’d been about his feelings in a long while. It made your chest ache as you studied the frown that looked so out of place on his face. Without a second thought, your expression mirrored his.
“Benny.” A soft sigh escaped your mouth as you reached out for him. When he frowned, eager to swat you away before you could pull him into an embrace, you tapped his hand away before tugging him closer. “You’re my best friend. I don’t say this often because your ego would be too big for my fucking house but I look forward to the time I get to spend with you. Movie nights are the highlight of my week when we can make them happen. And post dinner fights give me the perfect opportunity to make fun of you for getting your ass kicked. I’m not gonna give that up.”
Narrowed blue eyes met yours as you glanced at the man you’d grown so close to. You could see that there was an argument on the tip of his tongue - likely about his fighting, eager to deflect the conversation from something so serious - but you pressed on.
“Will knows that nothing between us is going to change. Before we decided to give us a shot, we sat down and talked through all the tough shit. One of the beauties of knowing Will before trying to really get to know him, I think. Just know that this,” you gestured between the pair of you and tilted your head to glance at Benny, “is good. We’re good. Right?”
A soft laugh escaped Benny as he tossed one arm over your shoulders before reaching for his beer. “Yeah,” he agreed with a nod, “we’re good. I really am happy for you both. It’s just… weird.” He paused for a moment to scrutinize you, blue eyes narrowed as he studied you, before he shook his head. “You know, I try but I just can’t figure out what he sees in you.”
A surprised gasp escaped before you shoved Benny away and reached for an abandoned pillow. “Oh, fuck you,” you laughed as you tossed the pillow in his direction. “I’m a complete catch and your brother is smart enough to understand that.”
“Mm.” Benny shrugged as he drained the remainder of his beer. He turned to glance at you with a badly hidden grin and glimmering eyes. “Poor guy.”
Benny stood, easily dodging the next pillow you tossed his way, and laughed as he wandered through the living room to the kitchen. “You’re a pain in my ass, Miller, you know that?”
He shrugged as he returned with two bottles in hand and a bright grin on his lips. “You would’t have it any other way.” The declaration was confident, easy - a return to the man you called your best friend - and made you roll your eyes as he settled back onto the couch at your side.
After a few moments of comfortable silence - during which Benny actually seemed to pay attention to the movie - you turned to glance at him. He raised a brow and glanced at you from the corner of his eye. “What’re you starin’ at, creep?”
“You’d really be pissed at Will if we broke up, even if it was my fault?”
Benny, who likely forgot he’d even said it, shrugged as he considered your question. “Depends on what you did,” he answered after a moment. “If he deserved it, probably.”
A surprised laugh escaped as you shook your head and reached for the bowl of popcorn. “I kinda love you. You know that, right?”
Another shrug from Benny as he nudged your beer closer to you and tilted his head to meet your eyes. “Mm. If you really loved me, though, you’d share the fucking popcorn.”
Instead of waiting, Benny reached out and snatched the bowl from your hand with a triumphant grin. You allowed him to keep it, not bothering to put up a fight, and shook your head as you sank back into the cushions to finish the film.
Once more, the silence only lasted a moment as the sound of a car door closing caught Benny’s attention. When the door closing was followed by footsteps on your porch and the jingle of keys, he frowned. He turned his attention to the door as the lock turned, momentarily on edge, before he turned to you. Benny raised an eyebrow as he sat up straight and glanced between you and the door. “He has a key? Come on, that’s more than a thing,” he declared, though you could hear the hint of laughter that tinged his voice.
As the door swung open and the thud of Will’s boots hitting the floor echoed through the house, you shrugged. “Well, ‘thing’ was fucking vague. That’s your fault.” You pointed your bottle at him and raised a brow as he shook his head. “He’s my boyfriend, Benny, he has a key. I’ve got a key to his place, too,” you admitted with a laugh as Will stepped into the living room and offered you a smile. “You really think I’m getting up at the crack of dawn to lock up after he leaves to go to the gym with you? Please.”
Benny made a face at the idea of Will sleeping over - just as he’d pretended to retch the moment Will answered your phone - and blinked as he glanced between you both. “Gross. Your love is disgusting, I hope you know that.”
Will shook his head as he dropped his backpack beside the couch and settled onto the arm at your side. As he did so, Benny moved to stand from the couch. “You can just say that you hit a dry spell. We won’t make fun of you,” Will offered, grin badly hidden as Benny glared at him.
“Speak for yourself, babe.” Benny grimaced at the pet name and rolled his eyes as you shot him a bright grin. “I will absolutely make fun of you.”
“Alright, fuck both of you.” It was said with a laugh as he reached for his cellphone and the hat he’d discarded on the table but before he could move any further, you shook your head.
“Sit back down, Benny,” you huffed, not bothering to glance at Will as he gave your hand a quick squeeze. “The movie’s not over yet.”
Benny glanced between you and Will - though he seemed uncertain as to what he was searching for - before he nodded and crossed the small distance to the loveseat. He dropped onto it and stretched out - head and legs hanging over the sides - before turning to look at Will. “You ever seen this one?”
Will moved from the arm of the couch to the spot Benny had just occupied and tossed an arm over your shoulders as he pretended to think for a moment. “Don’t think so,” he finally answered, barely bothering to look at the screen. He squeezed your thigh to keep you from blurting out that that was a lie - you’d made him watch it less than a week ago - and shrugged as he offered, “We could start it over, if you two don’t mind. Wanna see what the excitement’s about.”
As Benny launched into a passionate defense of the movie, eager to halt any potential argument Will could make before he could make it, Will tilted his head to give you a smile. Though Benny had valid reasons to worry, and though the future is never guaranteed, you couldn’t help but think that there would be no future without the Miller brothers in your life.
Author’s Note: I know Will is barely in this but, like. I’m a Benny girl, what can I say. I’m making a little progress on my next fic (Rick Flag) and then I’m going to try to get a Pedro character fic up (Din or Frankie, most likely; possibly Javi G). Anyway! I’ve written something! Now I’m gonna go continue my Enterprise binge.
He found you attractive, and funny, so of course this lead him to flirting with you.
He didn’t really think anything would come from it, but he did it anyways, because he was just a flirty guy in general.
Ben found that he liked the way you’d get a bit flustered or blushy if he flirted with you, so in some ways it a bit of a joke to him at first.
He would call you a variety of nicknames, usually a random one in the moment, they were always changing.
Sweetheart or Love (when he wanted to make you blush), Robin (he was batman), Sherlock (when you did something intelligent that often saved the group).
Slowly, he started to notice the way your smile or laugh made his heart flutter. Or the way his eyes would seek you out to make sure you were close.
He seemed to always want to be around you, seeking you out so he could be nearby. He just loved being around you.
If you attended one of his fights, it made him work harder, as he found himself wanting to impress you.
When he got hurt, you would worry over him, and he loved it.
If you were ever put in a dangerous situation, he was protective before hand, but he started to notice that it got worse over time.
He never wanted you to go off alone, and if he lost contact with you for even a moment, he would start to panic.
It didn’t really click for him that he was developed honest-to-God feelings for you until William called him a “love-sick puppy”
Once he realized that he had fallen for you, and no longer just saw you as a good friend, he wasn’t really surprised, not upset in any way. He was just afraid that you would never feel the same.
When he confided in the boys about his feelings, they laughed at him because they already knew.
And once they reassured him that you certainly returned his feelings, he decided not to run from them.
Confessing + First Kiss:
Benny got into his own head about how to tell you how he felt.
He wanted to say it right, he wanted it to be a romantic confession, though he wasn’t sure how to do that.
You were the first person he felt genuine and strong feelings for. He didn’t just want this to be a casual relationship, he wanted it to be more, and to last a long time.
He thought maybe he should ask you on a date, or to go out for some coffee, breakfast, dinner maybe.
But one day, when you had been hanging out with the group, and you announced you were going home, he decided now was the moment.
So he offered to walk you home, as it was starting to get dark.
You smiled, and accepted the offer, silently relieved, as you never really liked walking the distance alone. Plus, you liked spending time with him.
The evening was nice and cool, but not cold.
The sky was a nice grey-blue, with a few clouds scattered along the sky.
You walked in silence for a while, before you came across an empty playground.
You smiled and made a comment about how you had spent a lot of time thee as a kid.
Ben, being the childish sort, ran over to the playground, calling out to you to come over.
Joining him at the swings, you sat beside each other. You swung slowly, as Ben swung high, the seat creaking with his adult weight.
You smiled softly to yourself as you looked around the desolate playground, not noticing that Ben had almost come to a stop in his swing. Hearing him clear his throat you looked over, only to find him staring at you.
“What is it?” You sat up a bit, startled by the sudden change in his demeanor.
“Oh, nothing bad, I just-” He hesitated as he scratched his neck. “I’ve just bee hoping to get you alone for a while now.”
“Oh? Why?” You asked softly, hoping your nervousness wasn’t obvious in your voice.
He kept looked between his feet, to you as he seemed to be struggling to find his words.
“Ben?” You asked softly.
His eyes met yours and you saw him let out a soft breath. It seemed to happen in the blink of an eye before he was leaning out of his swing, the chain twisted so he was facing you. His hand was cupping your cheek, and his lips were against yours.
You froze for a second as you processed what was happening. Then, closing your eye, you let yourself sink into the kiss. A moment later, he pulled away. Your eyes slowly opened as you met his eyes. He was smiling softly, but he could see your gaze was curious.
“Sorry. Uh-I- I was gonna ask you on a date, or something, so I could tell you how I felt. But, seeing you this close, I couldn’t help myself. But I, really like you Y/n, more than I thought I could see, well, anyone really.”
A smile crossed your face, and his own widened a bit.
“I’m hoping that smile doesn’t mean you’re appalled or anything.”
A soft chuckle escaped as you shook your head. “Of course not Ben. I feel the same.”
He nodded his head and smiled. “Good.” You saw his eyes drift to your lips before he spoke again. “Then, you wouldn’t mind, if I did it again?”
You let out a soft giggle and shook our head. “No, I wouldn’t mind at all.”
Summary: Star may be feeling embarrassed by her fall, but everyone else is impressed with her heroics. Frankie can’t deny how he feels now, and a few tense moments bring them together.
A/N: Oh hi! Sorry about my very long and unexpected hiatus. Please forgive me, and here is what you’ve been waiting for. I hope you enjoy!
When your door opens after only being alone for about twenty minutes from fleeing the beach, you don’t bother to look up, knowing it’s Little. She’s the only person you knew who never bothered to knock on a door–a habit she’d had since your days in school together. The familiarity of it made you smile internally, but outwardly you gave a low groan and brought the pillow you were clutching to your chest to rest over your face.
“Oh, Star, it’s not that bad,” Little says steadily, and the bed shifts as she climbs on next to you and rips the pillow away. Her face is inches away, that dazzling smile far to shit-eating to be comforting. “Seriously, you looked badass–it was like a movie!”
“Little, I will punch you,” You deadpan, shooting her a glare, “And not the fake movie kind of punch.”
She merely snorts, rolling her eyes before propping a hand against her cheek, “So you don’t want to hear about how Frankie just spent the last twenty minutes singing your praises and debating whether he should come up here?” She gestures towards the door with her free hand and you jolt up slightly in a panic.
“He’s not coming up, is he?”
“No, I said I would because I knew you’d be in here having a crisis.” She replies easily, and you take a breath before lowering yourself back down into the comfortable duvet. Little watches you for a moment before adding; “You know, I was looking at him when everything happened. I wanted to make sure he caught Rosie, but the look on his face when he saw you fall–I couldn’t look away until I heard the way you hit that rock.”
I’m glad you’re back, hope things are well! I love these two so much, and I’m so glad you aren’t giving us the same slow burn we went through with Santi and Little. (Not that it wasn’t wonderful, I just don’t have the emotional fortitude for slow burns) I actually laughed out loud when Star just word vomited her illicit activities to Frankie, and the attachment to Rosie makes my heart happy! Love these two.
Thank you so much, I’m glad to be back! I hope to update more regularly and appreciate the lovely feedback. ❤️
Summary: Star may be feeling embarrassed by her fall, but everyone else is impressed with her heroics. Frankie can’t deny how he feels now, and a few tense moments bring them together.
A/N: Oh hi! Sorry about my very long and unexpected hiatus. Please forgive me, and here is what you’ve been waiting for. I hope you enjoy!
When your door opens after only being alone for about twenty minutes from fleeing the beach, you don’t bother to look up, knowing it’s Little. She’s the only person you knew who never bothered to knock on a door–a habit she’d had since your days in school together. The familiarity of it made you smile internally, but outwardly you gave a low groan and brought the pillow you were clutching to your chest to rest over your face.
“Oh, Star, it’s not that bad,” Little says steadily, and the bed shifts as she climbs on next to you and rips the pillow away. Her face is inches away, that dazzling smile far to shit-eating to be comforting. “Seriously, you looked badass–it was like a movie!”
“Little, I will punch you,” You deadpan, shooting her a glare, “And not the fake movie kind of punch.”
She merely snorts, rolling her eyes before propping a hand against her cheek, “So you don’t want to hear about how Frankie just spent the last twenty minutes singing your praises and debating whether he should come up here?” She gestures towards the door with her free hand and you jolt up slightly in a panic.
“He’s not coming up, is he?”
“No, I said I would because I knew you’d be in here having a crisis.” She replies easily, and you take a breath before lowering yourself back down into the comfortable duvet. Little watches you for a moment before adding; “You know, I was looking at him when everything happened. I wanted to make sure he caught Rosie, but the look on his face when he saw you fall–I couldn’t look away until I heard the way you hit that rock.”
“He was just concerned, Little. He probably realised it could have been Rosie that got hurt.” You try to keep your tone light, despite wanting to throttle her for reminding you of the expressions of panic and concern that had flashed over his features when he had pulled you from the water. “He just got full custody of her, he’s going to be extra hard on himself for a while.”
“That’s probably true,” Little agrees, having been the one who told you the details of how Elena had sent him those papers releasing her from all parental rights, just weeks before the wedding. “But, Rosie was fine and you weren’t. He lost his shit, and don’t pretend you didn’t hear him saying ‘mi amor’ after insisting he be the one to bandage you up.”
You give another long sigh, staring up at the ceiling with unfocused eyes, thinking back to the look he’d given you on the beach. The way it made your heart feel as though it would beat right out of your chest. Maybe he did care more about you than you were admitting, but that didn’t mean it was anything more than a platonic love. You’d grown close over the course of helping Little and Santi plan their wedding, it was understandable that he was upset you had been hurt. Everyone else had been, though seeing as it was his daughter you had literally thrown yourself into harm’s way to save, it made perfect sense that he felt responsible for you.
“Let’s drop it Little, you need to get back to your husband and enjoy your honeymoon, and I need to wallow for a bit before eating my feelings at dinner.”
When Little gives a frustrated groan, you look back over at her in surprise to find her glancing at the closed door before her low voice says, “Santi will kill me for this, but…okay you know that he came by the night he got those papers from Elena?” You nod, your brows furrowing in curiosity, and wait for her to continue. “Well, I was in the shower when he first got there, so they were alone in the kitchen talking when I…uh, quietly walked down the hall to join them.”
You arch a brow at your best friend, “You eavesdropped?”
Little purses her lips, but gives a conceding jerk of her head, “Eavesdropping. Overheard. Whatever, Santi was the one who said Frankie was finally free to focus on himself. And I quote, ‘Ask out Star, I know she’s interested,’ and Frankie replied ‘Let me figure that out in my own time, man. No need to rush things with her.” She breaks off as you bolt upright, giving her a wide-eyed look.
“Shut up!”
“I’m serious! So take your time too, if you need it. But stop denying something is there.”
You drop your head into your hands, “Oh god, Little, making a move on vacation after your best friends get married isn’t the right time,” You shake your head, pressing your thumbs into the corners of your eyes, “There is a reality we live in, one where it makes zero sense to be together because we are so different and he has much more important things to worry about.”
This time, Little sits up and faces you, her expression serious, “He is not going to care at all about the–”
“He will. Even if he’s lovely and sweet about it because he’s Frankie, he has a child and a past with drugs, me coming in with my unofficial criminal activity is not–”
“Oh my god, Star, you weren’t even charged. The detective gave you a slap on the wrist by way of a stern talking to and then thanked you for saving those dogs when no one else would!” You open your mouth to respond, then pause as voices sound from the hall.
You both listen as footsteps near and then hear Frankie’s soft voice speaking to Rosie. He’s assuring her they can go back outside and play once she’s had a quick bath, and his voice fades when they disappear into his room, the sound of the door clicking shut the last thing you hear. Little gives you a look, not unloving but certainly frustrated, before giving you a quick hug and leaving the room.
You lay alone in your room for a long time thinking, until eventually the cool room and white noise of the fan whirring away above you lull you into a fitful nap. Your last thoughts–or perhaps, the beginning of your dreams–are of Frankie Morales pulling you from the water and promising to take care of you.
You stay in your room for the remainder of the evening, going so far as to order dinner up and letting the staff member pass along your goodnight to everyone on your behalf after she rolled the food cart in. You gave yourself a break, and thankfully no one begrudged it of you. It was relaxing enough, though you did have to distract yourself with a few movies to give your mind a break; overanalysing your feelings and intentions for Frankie wasn’t going to do either of you any good.
You had promised yourself to not hide anymore, however, and so the next morning you rose early enough to slip downstairs and join the few early risers for coffee. When you arrive in the kitchen, you almost turn back upon seeing only Frankie sitting at the table, coffee in one hand and a book in the other.
Maybe he was trying to distract himself as well.
You clear your throat before you take the coward’s way out, and he looks up with a mild interest that morphs into a full and stunning grin the moment he sees it’s you. You return an awkward smile, “Good morning.”
Frankie sets both his book and mug down, turning in his seat, “How are you feeling, querida?” His voice is deep from disuse so early, and you swallow nervously as you side step toward the coffee pot and help yourself.
“I’m really good, thank you,” You say, though when you do come around the counter to join him, his eyes fall to your bandage, peeking from the short hem of your romper. “Honestly, I changed the dressing first thing and it’s not too bad.” You try to shrug, but when you meet his gaze again his lips are pressed together in a thin line.
You sit down next to him at the table and offer a wider smile, grateful the concealer on your cheek hid the bruising around the slight cut there. “How are you?” You say, taking a sip of coffee and doing your best to appear relaxed despite the proximity.
He doesn’t press you, instead he seems to give a half shake of his head before replying. “I’m alright. I was worried…” He trails off, eyes dropping to his coffee and one of his large hands coming to rub the back of his neck. He needed a trim, his bed head more noticeable since he wasn’t yet wearing his signature cap. The desire to run your fingers through the mess of curls almost made you moan aloud. “I can’t thank you enough, you know. Rosie is completely fine because of you, and I’m really sorry you were hurt because I messed up.”
You look at Frankie in surprise, the self-loathing in his voice slipping through the steady tone he was trying to hide behind. Resisting reaching out for him, you instead opted to point at him and ensure he met your eyes before you said, “You did not mess up, Frankie. Kids run, they get wild and carried away and that’s why it sometimes takes a village when it comes to raising them,” He’s smiling a little, so you continue, “Anyone of us would have done the same, I just happened to be right there. But she’s going to scrape her knee one day and it won’t be your fault, okay?”
“I–you’re right. It’s a lot, having a kid. I love every minute of it, and I’m grateful for all the support, from my mother, from Little and all of you,” He sighs, pausing to take a sip of his coffee, “It’s just, at the end of the day I’m her dad. I’m supposed to be the one person who never lets her down or fucks up. She doesn’t have a mother anymore, I have to fill that role too now.”
You reach for him without thought as the words, that heartbreaking confession, come out. Taking his hand, you squeeze slightly and rub your thumb in soothing circles. For a moment, it’s silent, and you’re afraid to look up so you stare at your hands as you speak. “Any kid with a parent who loves as much as you do, Frankie, is lucky. Elena is the one who is missing out on both an amazing kid and a remarkable man. It’s her loss.”
You glance up when Frankie moves and only have a moment to see that blazing expression on his handsome face before a voice cuts in, startling you both.
“Here here!”
It’s Benny, bounding into the room cluelessly, his eyes on the morning fruits and breads set out along the counter. You pull your hand from Frankie’s and cover your blush by taking a large swig of coffee. He clears his throat and does the same, then greets Benny with a small edge to his voice.
“Hey Superhero!” Benny looks at you with a huge grin, slapping Frankie on the back in way of a greeting, and you can’t help but smile up at the blonde. He was just too nice, too oblivious to know he’d walked in on…well, you don’t know what that was.
“Benny, it’s too early to be so chipper.” You joke, grabbing one of the strawberries off of his plate as he sits down across from you. You spend the next half hour chatting with the two men, that tension between you and Frankie going unnoticed by the middle Miller, and then take advantage of Little, Santi and a few others all appearing to slip out of the room with your beach bag, eager to get some quiet time in by the water.
You can’t help but glance back as you close the patio door behind you, a pleasant heat coursing through you when you find Frankie’s eyes following you.
At lunchtime, you decide to pop upstairs to check your leg again before eating, knowing that once you have you’ll want to relax and procrastinate on the task. You haven’t stopped thinking about Frankie all day, but he’s been busy with Rosie and his mother, which has both kept him at a distance and stopped any further conversation from occurring between the two of you. You aren’t sure exactly what you would say, even if given a moment alone.
With a sigh, you convince yourself it’s for the best. There was a moment, yes. But this was a vacation–people tended to get caught up in the excitement. Your own mother was one to fall fully in love with pretty much any place your family traveled. But getting yourself too involved with the idea of Frankie and you was only going to lead to heartbreak for you, and potentially damage a friendship with him that meant a great deal.
Once you’ve finished, you open the door to your room and pause, glancing back towards the bed and finding your sunglasses laying on the duvet where you had tossed them as you came in earlier. It’s when you are padding back out the door moments later that you hear a soft little cry, which pulls you from your thoughts. You peer at the neighbouring door to yours, finding it slightly ajar, and listen. A few beats later another cry sounds, and you don’t hear Frankie or Imelda so you approach slowly and give a light knock.
“Imelda?”
You step into the room, eyes casting around only to find the bed empty–though clearly having been slept in. Rosie is tousle-haired in her crib, a frown on her little face that makes you soften instantly. Her grandmother must have woken already and left her to nap in peace, and you give the toddler a knowing smile.
“I think someone woke a little early,” You say, and her lower lip pouts out as tears begin to well and you scoop her up instantly, snuggling her close and peppering her with a few kisses. “Don’t worry sweet girl, I’ll cover for you.” Rosie gives a little giggle as she settles against you, finding a comfortable way to lay her head, and you begin to slowly pace the room, lightly swinging her in your arms, one hand rubbing soothing circles over her back.
As you comfort her, sadness washes over you. The idea that her mother could abandon her as if she were one of the unwanted dogs you worked with everyday made your heartbreak–and you were also a little angry for her and Frankie. You could understand not being ready to settle and have a family, but to put so little effort in over the first months of Rosie’s life, leaving for weeks at a time to party and always sending Frankie the bad news via text messages, you couldn’t wrap your head around it.
You had guessed that Elena was the one to bring Frankie close to drugs, before she was pregnant. That they had been spiralling together-her happy to be on the arm of a handsome veteran, him believing she wanted more than simply a little status and a constant partner to berate and abuse. You don’t know the details of what happened, or how he found out about Rosie, but you knew she was gone from their lives now and hoped that meant he could finally heal. You don’t realise you’ve begun to speak softly in Spanish, just calming words to help lull her back to sleep, until Rosie gives a happy snore.
You’ve been pacing by the window, and decide to move toward the chair in the corner, thinking you’ll just take a seat with her until Frankie or Imelda come up to check on her. You begin to turn when you hear a floorboard groan and pause in alarm to find Frankie there, just inside the doorway watching you in surprise. The expression on his face is odd, but you can’t get a read on it even as he continues to stare.
He just keeps looking at you, and you can’t stop looking back.
Frankie knew he should look away– he was staring. Aggressively. But he couldn’t tear his eyes from the image before him, the wonder barely concealed by his surprise. You, holding his baby. Saying words of comfort to her in Spanish as she clutches herself close and snores happily. He had wanted to come and wake her up from her nap, see if she wanted to play some games or build sandcastles, give his mother a few hours on her own. The last thing he expected when he walked into the room was to find you there.
He didn’t miss it either, that moment his foot made contact with the squeaky floorboard and your expression flashed with a protective concern, arms tightening slightly around his baby. He can hear his blood roaring in his ears and staring is the only thing he can do for several minutes. You become unsure as the silence stretches on, eyes assessing him in confusion before you move towards him.
“I’m sorry, Frankie. I heard her crying and thought I’d look in–”
Frankie shakes his head and smiles, “No, don’t apologise. I just,” He looks down at Rosie, still sound asleep, before meeting your gaze again and stepping closer. “I’ve never seen her relax like that for anyone else. She really likes you.”
He wants to say he does too. After that moment at breakfast, he’d found it hard to think of anything else and wanted to try and capture you alone, to explain why he had given you such an intense look when you’d comforted him. He wasn’t exactly sure how he would say it–certainly not, ‘I realised that moment I wanted you more than anything and I was going to ask if I could kiss you before that asshole Benny came in’. But something similar. Lighter.
You smile at his words, looking away from him to his little girl, “Oh, she’s a sweetie.”
He reaches out and rubs a hand along her back, careful to avoid touching yours, “Nicest kid, don’t know where she gets it from.” He jokes, but you frown at him, “What?”
“You’re just so hard on yourself,” You reply, your kind eyes never looking away, “But you know you’re an amazing person.”
Unsure of how to reply, he merely nods before gesturing over his shoulder. “Want to come downstairs? We were thinking of putting on a movie for her later, but she’s a bit tired today so it might be better to do it now.”
You brighten immediately, that beautiful smile tugging at your lips instantly and making his stomach do somersaults. “That sounds great, lead the way!”
Rosie is content to remain in your arms for the afternoon, whining anytime someone attempts to take a turn with her and snuggling back in close. He leaves you with her for the movie, opting to sit in a large bean bag chair at the back of the room where he can relax–he’s seen Finding Nemo enough times. You sit up front with Rosie and Benny and the afternoon moves along at a steady pace, the movie more than half over before he feels another person join him on the beanbag and looks up from his half doze to find Little giving him a knowing look.
Admittedly, he hadn’t been able to keep his eyes off of you. You were facing away and hadn’t noticed him watching, but he watched every laugh, the way you held Rosie. He’d seen you with her before, but this was the first time where it wasn’t with the purpose of wedding planning and you were more relaxed, entirely focused on his little girl.
Little follows his gaze and smirks, “Hey Fish,” He shoots her a look, well aware of what she’s up to, and she only smiles broadly. “Don’t look at me like that.” Her eyes sparkle, and when he looks behind her he sees Santi a few feet away on the couch she had been sharing with him, attempting to hide his own grin behind his drink.
“Look, I can guess the general direction of your thoughts,” He replies in a low voice, though the general chatter in the room, sound from the movie and distance from where you sit up by the TV with Rosie tells him he could probably speak at a normal volume and you wouldn’t hear. “And I’m going to tell you the same thing I said to Santi–in my own time.”
Little sighs, saying nothing and he thinks she might let it go, but eventually she pats his arm and gives him a small smile. “I just wanted you to know I’m here for you. Whatever you need–it’s my honeymoon, but if you’d like a babysitter tonight, Santi and I would be happy to take RoRo and give you some…space.”
Frankie considers his best friend’s offer, well aware that the evening activities planned included a beach bonfire everyone was going to dress up for. Maybe he could find a moment with you and just see what would happen. Tell you that he has feelings for you and then let you decide if another step could happen. He glances over in time to see you throw your head back in laughter at Rosie’s partial imitation of one of the characters in the movie, delight brightening your features, a happy giggle tearing out of Rosie.
He looks back over at Little, but meets Santi’s gaze as he does and pauses, remembering his friend’s words from the day before–that Rosie deserved to have a dad who was happy. He puts a hand over Little’s and gives a small nod, “Just for tonight? I think–I’m going to put myself first, just this once.”
You’re staring in the mirror, frowning at your reflection. You think your dress looks pretty–it’s casual and flowery, but there’s just so much cleavage. Little had said it was the exact right amount, and basically threatened to remove one of your fingers if you didn’t wear it to tonight’s little bonfire on the beach, but you had convinced yourself it would be breezy enough to justify a sweater over top. Instead, it was hot enough out tonight that the air conditioning was a very welcome reprieve even as the sun had started to set and you had opted to eat inside for dinner.
With no excuse, you decide to just wear the damn dress and enjoy, let yourself shut down the negative thoughts—because so far, not one person here has done a thing to make you uncomfortable or self-conscious. The only thing was, the dress had the type of tighter material that no bra could really contend with—regardless of the several options you had to go with, all were very noticeable underneath the smooth fabric, and the straps were twice the size of that of the dress. You turn this way and that as you look into the full length mirror, then let out a great sigh. You’ll go without a bra on. Plenty of people with breasts avoided bras all the time, there was no law saying that because yours were big, you had to hide them away. And aside from being much more comfortable, you know that the dress is tight fitting enough at the top to steady the ladies, so long as you don’t do any running.
Now that you’ve thought about it, you become determined and work quickly to throw the dress off, remove your bra and then redress, this time adjusting yourself carefully and then looking into the mirror with trepidation…but you look—well, amazing. Without the bulk of the bra, you fill the dress like it was literally handmade just for you, and the cleavage becomes slightly less pronounced. You love it, you love the self-confidence you feel as you gaze at yourself, and give yourself a little nod of approval before making your way down to the beach.
You had spent most of the afternoon with Rosie, only parting ways when it was her dinner time to sneak upstairs and get yourself ready for the bonfire. You’d ended up lingering in the shower, using the luxury soaps and conditioners to your heart’s content. You felt pampered and knew you smelled pretty amazing, and hoped that you’d still feel this confident when you faced Frankie again.
You didn’t know what tonight would bring, but you wanted to tell him that you had feelings for him. You were going to keep it simple; admit how you felt, but tell him he owed you nothing, not even a response. You just wanted him to know, and see where it took you–because this tension filled relationship was starting to wear on you, and falling harder and harder for him only meant doing more harm to yourself the more you held it back.
“Hey, Star!”
You startle out of your thoughts, glancing up from watching your feet as you clambered through the sand, to find Benny waving from next to the bonfire. He’s grinning a little manically, and you look around to find Little sitting on a chair nearby, shaking her head at her brother. “Benny, you look like you set the fire with ill-intent, you psycho!” She jokes, and you join in the laughter with the Millers, taking the seat next to Little and thanking Benny when he hands you a drink a moment later.
“I’ve interrupted a sibling gathering, it seems.” You say, smiling at your friend and noting the many empty chairs. Benny and Will are the only others down so far, each of them working on the fire as they chat about a past fight Benny had won and whether he would face the same opponent again.
Little leans back in her seat and answers your unspoken question. “Frankie is putting Rosie to bed, and Santi was on a mission for me to find skittles,” Her head rolls towards you, eyes giving you a head to toe scan and brightening. “You wore the dress.”
“Please don’t make it a big deal. But you were right,” You admit this reluctantly, and Little has the good grace to cover her self-satisfied smile by taking a large drink. “I do like how this one fits. But it doesn’t mean I’m going to start listening to you.”
Little makes an unamused noise, “But you look amazing! Seriously, you’re-”
You cut her off, “I heard you, Little—“
Another voice interjects, this one much deeper, “You do look very beautiful, cariña,” Frankie takes the free seat next to you and gives you a soft, shy smile. You’ve spun to look at him almost comically, your mouth opening and closing as heat floods your cheeks. “That colour suits you.” He adds, but his eyes don’t drop from your face like any other man would—no, he holds your gaze, rubs his neck nervously.
You stare for a long minute, the sincerity in his voice, the way he’s dressed up in nice slacks and a starfish patterned button up shirt, that little smile he’s giving you. You blurt out your one secret in a jumble, not even pausing to take a breath.
“I’ve kidnapped abused dogs when animal control can’t intervene without evidence and given them new homes in other cities and states. The police have warned me away from it but my family is well connected so I’ve only ever gotten a slap on the wrist…they keep it quiet so even my job doesn’t know but I use it to find out about the bad owners.”
Frankie just stares back at you silently, his eyes widening a fraction, firelight dancing over his handsome features. There’s a pause, and then Little moves to stand up, capturing both Frankie and your attention as she does. “So I’m going to go make out with my husband. But don’t forget to mention my badass escape driver skills from years ago, Star. I’ve been wanting to brag about that.”
Little walks over to join Santi where he stands chatting with Benny and Will, snatching a bag of skittles happily from his hands. You look back around at Frankie nervously, relieved to see his shocked expression has been replaced by curiosity. “That’s really…I mean, what you’ve done is incredible, Star. Even if it’s vigilante level,” He smiles now, and you can’t help but feel your lips tug up in response, “And I appreciate you sharing but, well, why?”
You turn to face him more directly and bite your lip as you think of how to respond. Deciding that you might as well keep going with the over-honesty, you say, “Because I really like you, Frankie. And I know you have a lot on your plate, that Rosie is your primary concern and if we—I mean, I just don’t want to add to your stress. And I’m just Little’s friend, I know we’ve gotten close but you don’t have any like loyalty to me if I were to get in trouble again and I know you had the drug charges—“
You cut yourself off, mortified at your words, but Frankie is smiling at you, his eyes soft. At first he doesn’t say anything, his eyes merely search your face. “Let’s go for a walk.” He stands, then offers you a hand to help you up, which you take without looking away. You wish you could read his mind right now, because despite the warmth in his smile you can’t get a read on much else. Nerves bubble away in your stomach; what if he’s about to tell you nicely he just wants to be friends?
But as he starts to walk away from the bonfire, his hand doesn’t drop yours. He holds it as he leads you along the beach. He still holds it when you reach the dock and begin making your way along, the ocean waves surrounding you and silencing the chatter from the bonfire group, the darkness growing. When you’re standing at the end of the dock, he gestures for you to take a seat, and as you do he still doesn’t drop your hand.
The moon isn’t very bright tonight, its glow minimal, but it’s enough to reflect off the water and create enough light to see one another. Your stomach is doing summersaults now, and you think your hand is sweaty so you instinctively grip his a little harder to avoid any slippage that would give you away. “Relax, Cariña” He says softly, and though you offer him a smile you can’t really do much more—the moment feels too significant for relaxing. “Let me say this first—I like you too. A lot. I have for a while.”
You feel your stomach disappear, like you’re dropping over the peak of a rollercoaster. “Oh.”
Frankie chuckles warmly, then drops your hand and instead reaches up to brush some stray hairs back from your face. You have to suppress a shiver and can’t look away from the earnest expression on his handsome face.“Yes, ‘oh’. And you aren’t just Little’s friend, Star. You are a part of our family, everyone here loves you, so please don’t think you’re only here because of her,” His hand falls to take hold of one of yours, resting in your lap. “And if you know about the drug charges, then you know they were dropped and I’ve been clean for a long time. Did you really think I wouldn’t want to be with you because you’ve rescued animals in need from their abusers?”
His eyes are searching your face, narrowed slightly to combat the darkness, and you’re glad he can’t sense the way your cheeks are so flushed you could fry an egg on them. “I don’t know what I thought, really. I just…you are such an amazing man, Frankie. You’re this incredible dad, and you were in the fucking special forces, and I’m a much younger vet tech for an animal rescue. I literally bring home strays all the time, and I could never,” You pause, fishing around for the right way to say this, and Frankie simply sits there patiently, his hand still holding yours. “I could never imagine realistically how we would work. How I could fit into your life.”
When Frankie says your name, his voice is a low timbre that sends a wave of sparks up your spine. You meet his gaze as he continues, “You’re way too hard on yourself, baby,” Your brows shoot up in surprise at his recycling of what you had said to him earlier; heat coils in your stomach, “You realise I’ve been thinking the same way? Wondering how an old man with a kid could ever be what you would want, convincing myself I’m no good for you. Doing the same thing I watched Santi do for years with Little.”
His voice has taken on a new edge, a confidence there you hadn’t sensed before. “I want…you to be happy. I want to be happy too, Frankie.” Is all you say, and he nods once, and then his hands are running up your neck and pushing into your hair as he dips his face close to yours, half-lidded eyes a breath away.
“Can I kiss you?”
“Yes,” You reply breathlessly, and then Frankie Morales closes that gap and those plush lips seal over yours, finally. It’s perfect and you could cry with joy. He kisses you slowly, deliberate, his hands holding your head steady. Minutes pass and you have to practically gasp for air until he slowly pulls back. You both ignore the cheering you can hear coming from the beach. “Let’s go inside for some privacy.”
He considers you, “I want that. But you need to know that I want to date you, properly, once we get home.”
You tilt your head, smiling, “Oh, I was hoping what happened in Hawaii stayed in Hawaii.” Frankie laughs, and the look of pure adoration on his face is enough to make you turn to jelly. “I want that too, Frankie. I want to do this right.”
You smile at each other like lovesick kids, and then Frankie is helping you to your feet, an arm landing around your shoulders and you begin the walk back. It seems like the longest distance, now that you know you’re going inside to be alone with Frankie, and you know he feels the same–it’s almost a struggle to keep up with his fast pace on your much shorter legs. You’re grateful that everyone is either at the bonfire or relaxing in their own rooms, meeting no one as you slip upstairs together and into the quiet comfort of your room. Frankie locks the door behind you and presses a chaste kiss to your forehead, his lips lingering for a moment as you both ready yourselves for this next part.
“Frankie I–” You pull back slightly, trembling with nerves that you see reflected in his own expression. He gives you a reassuring smile, one large hand swiping your hair back over your shoulder. “I have birth control, and I’m clean. I actually haven’t been with anyone else in a while. Just, well I’ve been so busy and there’s no time for dating and then I met you and–”
Frankie swoops forward and captures your lips against his, stopping you mid-blubber and effectively wiping your mind free of all thoughts. He kissed with a purpose, like a dance that his entire body had to move with; you weren’t just entwining your tongues, no his body was pressing to yours, a hand cupping your face and the other steadying you, pressed to your lower back. When your arms settled around his shoulders, you couldn’t resist sinking your fingers into his curls, a low groan of approval your indication that he wanted you to touch him too. It went on like this for ages, still at the door despite the entire room being available to you.
You enjoyed the conflict in the actions; frantic kissing, but no rushing towards the next part. Frankie was taking his time, and you relished in it, happy to spend the rest of the vacation in this very spot, like he was breathing oxygen into your greedy lungs just when you needed it the most. The hand on your back splays somewhat, moving up to better hold you and you can’t help the little whimper you breathe, because he’s so much bigger than you and you feel small and safe, but also incredibly turned on. It’s this that nudges him forward, only one step. He presses you harder against him and grounds his hips slightly.
You feel the hardness of him against your stomach, and your thighs clench wickedly in response. Entirely without thought, you begin to unbutton his shirt, making quick work and then lightly trailing your fingers down, stopping short at his stomach. Not by choice, but because the second you got that low, Frankie let out a snarl against your lips before his hands moved suddenly to grip the flesh of your ass. “You are so goddamn sexy, mi amor,” He sighs, his forehead pressed to yours, and you smile at him–you’re surprised he went for your ass, his hands still massaging over the fabric of your dress, a hunger glinting in his eyes.
You thought he’d go straight for your chest and forget the rest of you. You worried that even though you wanted his attention, for him to take you in every way, that he could end up like the rest and focus on your largest insecurity. Instead, he’s looking at you like you alone hung the moon, and that he’s the lucky one getting to touch you. “Frankie, please.” It’s a whispered plea that seems to awaken something in the man before you.
His entire body reacts, and you can only gasp when the world suddenly spins because he’s lifted you–tossing you gently onto the bed.
Frankie couldn’t stand it, how perfect you were yet how insecure. The fear that was etched in lines along your otherwise youthful complexion. He knew you, understood what you thought he would do, and he was determined to show you how a man could worship every inch of you properly. “Yes, baby, what do you need?” His voice is low, dripping with honey as he runs his hands up the backs of your thighs, pushing your dress up as he does. You respond with a little mewl that makes his rock hard cock twitch, and he has to unzip his pants to give himself some reprieve from the pressure. “I’ll do anything you want–walking around with this perfect body, you think I haven’t wanted to taste every inch?”
You moan aloud now, head turning to peer at him over your shoulder. Your eyes are wide, pupils blown with desire, and he can’t help but growl at the sight of you on your stomach, legs splayed and trembling for him. “Anything. Please, do anything…” You gasp, and he gives you a wicked smile before running his fingers over your panties, using one hand to tug them aside, and then he dives forward and licks you where you need him most.
The sound that escapes you is half-tortured, half-hysterical. He doesn’t relent, feasting on you like a last meal, his fingers gently prodding and pressing to ready you for his cock. He can tell you’re tight, and he doesn’t want to cause you even a moment of discomfort. Though you continue to make noise for him, it takes him a few minutes to get everything right, maximising your pleasure as he learns what you like. He can feel your legs are tense, and lifts his head slightly to peer over the curve of your ass. You have your head to the side, pressed into the mattress with your eyes tightly shut.
Frankie grunts in dismay, “No baby, you have to relax for me, that’s it, I’m not going to stop. You need to cum, alright?” He waits for you to nod and for your body to loosen, and he gives a cheek a reassuring squeeze. “Good girl.”
He feels you tighten around his fingers at the praise and makes a mental note before surging back in, licking and tasting your cunt until you’re quivering on the edge. When he senses you there, he nudges his nose through your folds and sucks at your clit, from there it’s only a second before you jerk with your orgasm. “Ohohoh!” You sigh, hands fisting the sheets, ass rocking as you pull the most pleasure from him. Frankie helps you over the edge and then eases you back down, gently kissing your inner thighs.
“So good, baby,” He murmurs, moving to his hands and knees and pressing kisses up your back, dragging your dress the rest of the way. You help him, limbs slightly shaky, and toss the dress over the side of the bed, where he also throws your underwear and his own remaining clothing. “You doing alright, mi amor?” Frankie reaches up and turns you on your back, his eyes searching your face for any sign of wanting to stop.
You lock gazes with him for a long moment and an emotion flashes over your expression, halting him. “You can look…you can touch me, Frankie. I want you to.” You say, half gesturing at your chest. And he looks now, at those perfect tits you hide behind cardigans and too-big sweaters, knowing full well that men have mistreated you in the past because of them, not meeting your eyes when you wanted them to. He scoots forward, surprisingly at ease with your eyes drifting over his naked form, the hard length of him standing proud, scars long healed from his days in combat now available for you to drink in.
“I want you to know that these are perfect,” He replies, hands trailing over your nipples, “Everything about you is. Eres tan encantadora…” He lowers his head and licks over one, then moves to the other, his eyes on your face. “I am going to fuck you all night.” He adds, and you swallow thickly, mouth slightly open as you watch him press his lips between your tits, then trail his tongue up, stopping at the column of your neck.
He positions his body over yours, careful that his cock rests near enough to your core to tease you, and you open your legs wider, inviting him as close as possible. “My body has always been mine,” Your voice is soft, the tone openly vulnerable, “It always will be, I’ve learned that. But I want you to take me, Frankie, make me yours too. I trust you.”
His heart almost stops in his chest, and he adjusts his position so that he can trace one hand over your cheek, “Mi amor, I belong to you, it’s you who takes me.” He doesn’t look away, simply adjusts himself with his free hand and slides himself through your soaked folds, then grips your hip as he sheaths himself fully inside of you. “Oh fuck.” He grunts, his head dropping now to the crook of your neck as the velvet warmth of you overwhelms him.
“Frankie, fuck,” Eyes closed, you arch for him, legs circling his waist to pull him deeper. “So big, ah!”
“That’s it baby, take what you need,” He groans in your ear, thrusting slowly as you get used to his size. When you drag his face to your, hands gripping his hair almost roughly, and kiss him again, he could drown in the feeling. It’s more erotic than earlier, the kisses now nearly aggressive with need, each of you pulling for dominance in a lust-filled game. It’s a short while later that your hips begin to move to meet his slow thrusts, a sign that you want more.
Frankie has always been good at sex–hot nights in the middle of the jungle lead to quick, passion-filled encounters once back in town with women he didn’t even know the name of. He never paid for sex, it was always consensual, women picked up at bars, and then with Elena it was always fast. She liked to take what she needed, then finish him off and leave the cuddling for the actors in movies.
But tonight he was truly making love for the first time in his life. His body felt connected to yours, like you were echoing one another’s pleasure, wanting the most for the other person. He wants you in every way and finds himself so entirely involved–like he can hear every thought in your head, guess your every need. When you let out a small whine, he can’t help but laugh against your lips, and then he’s moving and pulling you with him, delighting in the sound you make when he’s got you seated on his cock, his back against the headboard.
“That’s…wow, you’re deep Frankie,” You can barely speak, and he’s so fully entwined with you now that he can’t do more than groan in pleasure and help you begin to move on his cock, the wet sounds of your bodies no match for the noises you can pull from each other.
The world melts away in that room, hours passing as you passionately fuck, and he holds himself back from cumming, loving the way you try to do the same and fail several times. You cum like you have a secret, and he is more than happy to make it happen again and again. He puts his hands everywhere but your injury, careful to avoid the bandage, and makes notes of the places that make your eyes roll. And as time goes on, you begin to become cock-drunk, slowly revealing a more demanding part of yourself–first, you start by telling him to go harder or faster, then the dirty talk begins, and now he’s sure you aren’t going to let him bring you over the edge again alone.
There’s a note of desperation in your voice, paired perfectly with the whimpers as he fucks you from behind, one hand on your hip and the other wrapped in your hair. “Where do you want to cum, Frankie? Inside me? All over my ass?” You toss him a look over your shoulder, nearly feral and the desire to slam deep and cum inside of you is there, but he holds back. “No no, I want to taste you. Let me get down on my knees for you.”
Frankie almost cums, he really does. It’s close, and he has to rip himself back and grip the base of his cock hard–all the while you turn on the bed and grin at him in victory. “Fuck baby, you almost made me cum,” He groans, then watches in complete shock as you climb off the bed and get down on your knees next to it. You part your legs slightly, one hand dipping down to rub your clit, the other pushing your hair behind your shoulders.
“Come here, Frankie,” The most delicious demand he’d ever heard. He’s a little shaky as he gets off the bed and moves to stand tall over you. He still grips himself, wondering if he can get away with lifting you back on the bed–but you sense his plan and tilt your head back, “Please, I need your cum–”
Frankie grunts, one hand shooting out to grip your hair–he’s gentle, but you only grin wider and open your mouth. “You little–oh fuck–” He can’t stop himself, because you tremble and he sees that you begin to cum on your fingers, feels how his hand is half the reason you’re still sitting upright. He cuts off in a guttural moan and fists his hand over his cock, and then he’s giving you exactly what you wanted.
You make happy noises as he comes across your lips, then again down your chin and over those perky tits. He hears himself moaning, but he loses the rest as he watches you lick your lips, then surge forward and take the tip of him into your eager little mouth. He didn’t think he had anymore left in him, but he’s shooting down your throat now and it’s all he can do to keep standing. He finally pulls you back, spent, and almost starts cumming again at the sight of you covered in his cum, breathless from swallowing around his cock.
“Mi amor,” He growls, recovering enough to bend down and pick you up, placing you back onto the bed and then falling to lay next to you. It takes several moments to catch your breaths. “Are you alright? Do you need anything?” He asks you eventually, rolling onto his side to survey you with concern.
You give a little laugh, “Am I okay? No, I’ll never be okay again after that, Frankie Morales. That was the best sex I’ve ever had,” You say, and he blushes at the compliment, a surge of pride making the slight pain in his back dull. “How was that for you?”
There’s an edge of uncertainty he immediately works to dispel, first kissing you gently before pulling back with a warm smile. “I will remember this night for the rest of my life. You are amazing,” He takes one of your hands in his, “The best night of my life was the night Rosie was born. Nothing has ever come close, and I thought that was it for me–my happiness is Rosie, and that alone was more than I deserved. She is more than I deserve,” Frankie speaks slowly, ensuring that you hear every word, “I never thought that–even if I did admit how I feel about you, Star–that you would feel the same. You are the best person I have ever been lucky enough to know, and this night was…it’s the only one that has ever brought me as much happiness as that night Ro was born. I don’t know if I even deserve this, but I want a million more nights with you, mi amor.”
He then drops his gaze to rake slowly down every curve of your body, placing his fingers where he came on your chest as he tries to convey how he feels for you. When you shiver, he knows he’s on the mark, and he smiles at you for a long time when he looks back into your eyes.
“I think I just fell in love with you, Frankie Morales.” His heart swells with emotion and you shift closer, pressing a soft kiss to his lips.
“Welcome to my world,” He replies, your name intimate on his tongue. “Now let me take care of cleaning you up, I’m sure I can get you to cum a few more times…”
Frankie woke with a start, his head jerking up from the pillow as he clocked the sound of Rosie’s early morning whimpers. He’s confused at first, because she had stayed with Little and Santi the evening before, but when he finds where the noise is coming from, he is swept by that feeling he kept experiencing the night before.
You stand a few feet from the door, having just returned to the room with Rosie, wrapped in one of the provided robes. You have her head tucked under your chin and you’re speaking softly, soothing words with no real meaning to keep her calm. The golden sun streams through the shutters that were never fully closed the night before, and though he aches all over from making love to you for hours, he really never has been happier in his life.
The woman he loves, holding his child, comforting her without hesitation. You must have woken before him and realised that Rosie hadn’t seen him since the night before, gone to find her while he continued to snooze. He watches you quietly, drinking in the way you run your fingers through her hair, press soft kisses to the crown, and appear entirely at ease. It isn’t until you begin to climb back into bed that you finally look at Frankie, and you pause in surprise when you see him awake.
“Oh no, I woke you, sorry Frankie,” You say quietly, but all he does is shake his head and reach toward you. You make to pass Rosie to him, but he shakes his head abruptly and you slide closer, a small smile appearing now, and snuggle as close as possible with the sleeping toddler between you. When you’ve settled comfortably, Rosie content in the middle, you lay your head on his pillow and sigh happily.
Frankie settles one hand over Rosie where it joins yours, and runs the other across your cheek, “I could get used to this, mi amor,” He admits, and you nod in agreement, eyes twinkling with happiness he feels as well, right to his core. “Thank you.”
You frown slightly, “For what?”
“For loving me, I suppose.”
The frown softens, kind eyes filled with emotion as you reach for him, pressing a soft kiss to his nose, “Frankie, you are so easy to love.”
And even after so many years feeling the opposite, of doubting himself because of who he is and what he’s done, Frankie believes you. He believes that you love him, that’s it’s easy for you because you were always meant to be his. And truly, Frankie knows he has always belonged to you.
Please consider commentingandreblogging if you enjoyed this story YOUR FEEDBACK IS GOLDEN!!!
Follow up Series to Little. — Frankie Morales had gone through a lot in the last few years. First, he gets his ex pregnant around the same time he dabbles in cocaine, unable to deal with the PTSD he suffered from since retiring from the Special Forces. He gets clean, only to find that Elena doesn’t want anything to do with him—or the beautiful baby girl she brings into the world.
Now a single father, Frankie leans heavily on his best friends and mother for support raising Rosie, the light of his life. And then Little introduces him to you, and he’s smitten at the first bashful bat of your eyelashes. When Santi and Little get engaged, Frankie is asked to be the best man, a duty which requires him to plan and work closely with the maid of honour—you. Nicknamed Star for your talented singing voice, you’re one of the most incredible women he’s ever gotten to know.
Too bad both Frankie and Star are too shy to confront their feelings. But they do say, weddings are the most romantic occasions…
Follow up Series to Little. — Frankie Morales had gone through a lot in the last few years. First, he gets his ex pregnant around the same time he dabbles in cocaine, unable to deal with the PTSD he suffered from since retiring from the Special Forces. He gets clean, only to find that Elena doesn’t want anything to do with him—or the beautiful baby girl she brings into the world.
Now a single father, Frankie leans heavily on his best friends and mother for support raising Rosie, the light of his life. And then Little introduces him to you, and he’s smitten at the first bashful bat of your eyelashes. When Santi and Little get engaged, Frankie is asked to be the best man, a duty which requires him to plan and work closely with the maid of honour—you. Nicknamed Star for your talented singing voice, you’re one of the most incredible women he’s ever gotten to know.
Too bad both Frankie and Star are too shy to confront their feelings. But they do say, weddings are the most romantic occasions…
Part Two coming soon—make sure to read the drabbles before it does!
“Fish, it was an accident. Stop beating yourself up.” Santi keeps his voice low, watching Little retreat into the house to look for you half an hour after you had gone inside to rest after your fall.
You hadn’t returned, and he was concerned that you were in pain or more injured than you let on. Little had rolled her eyes before stating she was going to check on you, giving Frankie a pointed look he didn’t understand before heading to shore.
Frankie and Santi were sitting together at the end of the dock now. Will and Benny were in the water with Rosie, taking turns at attempting to teach her how to swim. He turns back to watch them, nods to confirm to Santi friend that he heard him, but makes no reply.
He’d just admitted, quietly as Little moved out of ear shot, that he’d lost his grip on Rosie’s hand because he’d been absolutely blown away by how gorgeous you looked. She was a good kid, usually stayed close to Frankie, but the sight of the ocean seemed to have overwhelmed her and she’d taken advantage of his loosened hold to rip away, teetering dangerously close to the edge of the dock.
If it hadn’t been for your quick thinking, he doesn’t know what would have happened.
Frankie was hard on himself—everyone agreed, and told him as much. Always reminding him that he’s an amazing single father and doing more than his best. But if that were true, why was Elena so eager to leave? He knew it wasn’t love that they shared, but once Rosie was born he was smitten, ready to commit to her for life in order to stay with his little girl.
It was clear very quickly after bringing the baby home that she didn’t want to be with him, and had no illusions that they would make it work. He tried to transition things as amicably as possible, biting his tongue every time she flounced away on a girls weekend or didn’t answer his calls after forgetting to pick Rosie up for her scheduled visits.
Elena had been too generous when it came to dividing the parental rights, and it had been Little who had reviewed the paperwork and pointed it out to Frankie. He’d been elated to be the primary caregiver, and hadn’t put too much thought into what that really meant. And then the months started going by and she became even less involved in Rosie’s life, weening her from breast milk and cancelling her weekends completely at the last minute.
But Frankie had held out hope all that time that she would get through the phase and want to be Rosie’s mother. Until the day that she sent over the final papers, releasing her from all parental rights.
He’d seen it coming…but it had been a huge blow, nonetheless. And while he still mourned the loss for Rosie’s sake, he was much happier with her no longer in the picture. It had taken time, but then Little and Santi got engaged and he found himself growing closer and closer to you.
“I don’t know about you man, but seeing a person completely disregard their own well-being to save a kid…I mean, she didn’t even hesitate,” Santi smacks his hands together loudly, “I thought she’d broken something until you pulled her out of the water.”
Frankie grunted, “So what’s your point? I know I can never repay Star for what she did.”
Santi shakes his head, his gaze settling on Frankie. “I just mean, holding yourself back from a good person—I did that for years Frankie. I’ve loved Little for years and the whole time you tried to convince me to just admit it to her. Well, now it’s my turn to say the same thing to you.”
“Not everyone gets that happy ending, Pope. Even if Star did like me,” Frankie sighs roughly, glancing around to ensure no one was listening, “I’m a recovered addict, PTSD ridden old man with a toddler. She’s young and talented and her family is fucking loaded. What would that look like? I’d be saddling her down with far too much baggage.”
Santi is silent for a minute, just long enough that Frankie hopes he made his point but when his friend finally speaks again it’s clear he has a lot more to say.
“You can’t keep punishing yourself for Elena’s failings. She never deserved either of you, and you didn’t do anything wrong. You deserve to be happy and Rosie deserves to grow up with a father who finds joy in life,” Santi’s hand stretches out to pat Frankie’s leg, “Star might not be the one—although I have good money on a bet that she is. But closing yourself off from these things, it ages you. Makes you tired and resentful. Just think about it, Frankie. You deserve to be happy.”
touched by his friends openness, Frankie reaches down and briefly grips his hand. When he pulls away and looks back out to watch Rosie in the water, she’s giggling so hard it makes them all laugh, and he feels something inside of him chip away. Like a last fragment of guilt, blowing away into the wind.
Summary: Star is content to spend time alone relaxing (and daydreaming about Frankie) after Little and Santi’s destination wedding. But toddler Rosie Morales ensures that’s not how the vacation goes…
Warnings: Language, adult themes, injury, mention of blood, (eventual smut).
A/N: Here we go, part one of the follow up to my Little mini series! Can’t wait to hear your thoughts!!
You dreamt of Frankie Morales when you went to sleep. The way his eyes fixed on you as you sang with Santi on the beach, his gaze warm and kind. How he had looked in his suit, and then how handsomely disheveled he became as the night wore on until he was rid of his tie, a few buttons undone, revealing the tan, hair-speckled chest beneath. How gently he’d held you as you danced together, as though he thought you were delicate and his large hands had to be extra careful.
The sunshine woke you late the morning after the wedding, golden rays filtering through the California shutters you forgot to properly close in your haste to fall face-first into bed when the reception had wrapped up. You were naked, save for your underwear, and a quick pass of your hand over your face reminded you that you had managed to wash away the makeup before going to bed. When you finally rise from the luxurious sheets and pad to the en-suite bathroom, you see your pretty dress pooled on the floor, a set of false lashes next to it, and your heels kicked against the nearest wall.
It looked as though you had evaporated, and you laughed to yourself before freshening up. You took time to hang your dress, then changed into a comfortable lounge set. You stared at yourself in the mirror for a few minutes, eyes drawn to your chest.
You had promised yourself that this week was a vacation, where you were staying among friends, and that meant you didn’t need to wear your usual bras. You could get away with wearing this looser, insanely comfortable sports bra. But as you gazed at your reflection, you felt that twist of self-consciousness that always arrived just before you were to be around others. Your chest had been the biggest, in every sense, target for bullies growing up. And now as an adult woman, it was all the men seemed to find interesting about you.
Usually, once they stopped admiring your tits, they didn’t stick around much longer.
This was one of the many reasons that had brought Little and you close when you went to school together. She was beautiful, curvy and busty and unapologetic—you adored her confidence, her determination to ignore the ‘standards’ and just be herself. And she sensed your anxieties pretty quickly, promptly spending the formative four years of university encouraging you to love yourself, pulling you out of your comfort zone at times. And she was just there for you, supporting and loving you no matter what.
But her confidence only rubbed off so much, and while you looked at yourself now and saw a gorgeous figure, you still cared too much about what others thought when they looked at you. It was impossible to completely ignore the intrusive thoughts, especially when, time after time, men usually proved to be thinking exactly what you suspected them of. You had been ‘accidentally’ groped or brushed against too many times to count, which was why you had formed the habit of wearing constricting bras and avoiding low-cut shirts. You wanted to fully love yourself, but sometimes you thought it would just be easier to get a reduction and slink into the background.
You were pulled from your thoughts when you heard some laughter filter in from outside your open windows and promptly pushed away your concerns—it was vacation. You weren’t looking at a normal bra for seven more days.
Based on the direction of the laughter and voices, you guessed there was a larger group in the kitchen and dining room now. Santi had done a great job on securing this place because it came with everything—even a large staff dedicated to attending to all the guests’ needs. You had poured over the online brochure for the AirBnB during the flight to Hawaii, and know that there was a number you could text for room service. You found the number, already saved into your phone, and ordered a light breakfast and dark coffee. When it arrived, you happily wheeled the cute breakfast cart out onto your private balcony and relaxed with a podcast as you ate and watched the earlier risers settle in on the beach.
The balcony had dividers between it and the rooms on either side, but they didn’t fully extend so you could, in theory, walk next door. But Little, in all her match-making efforts, put your room right next to Frankie’s, stating it was ideal for the best man and maid of honour to be close to one another. And while she wasn’t technically, wrong, you still knew her well enough to know that wasn’t her primary motive.
She had sensed the chemistry between you and her friend straight away, but you denied it at first. You’d almost walked into a wall when you had first seen him at the wedding of a mutual friend he, Santi and the Millers had also attended, but you knew immediately who he was and that he was certainly not going to be interested in a much younger woman. He had a kid, for fuck’s sakes. But the more you got to know Frankie, the harder it became to deny that there was something there between you. And the harder you had fallen.
It hadn’t helped that, for the last six or so months, you’d been helping her plan her wedding. Which meant that you and Frankie saw a lot of one another. Eventually, you had started texting on the regular—always about the wedding, even if sometimes it evolved into sending memes back and forth or making jokes at your engaged friend’s expense. And you might have sent him a dozen-ish photos of your rescue pit bulls, Anna and Elsa, while he sent cute shots of Rosie being adorable.
You were friends, it was normal banter really. Even if every time he messaged you, a warm sensation would fill your belly it was entirely platonic.
You’re sipping on the final dregs of your coffee when Little appears below, holding a large mug in hand and appearing to be speaking. You pull your AirPods out and stand, catching her eye.
She grins up at you, “Morning, Star!”
“Oh, good morning Mrs. Garcia!”
She giggles at this, and Santi steps into view and spins to look up at you, his grin an extension of Little’s. You don’t miss the way his hand secures to her lower back. “That’s the first time today anyone has said that! I love the sound of it.”
Little rolls her eyes at her husband, then adds to you, “We’re going to relax at our little cabana on the beach, come join us whenever okay?” She gestures over her shoulder, where a small, mint-painted beach cabana sits among the spattering of shaded loungers.
“You’ll see me once I’ve had my second cup of coffee. I’m still recovering.”
Little and Santi laugh, send you friendly waves and make their way along the path, away from the concrete and grass surrounding the infinity pool and into the sand. You watch them with a small smile, your heart swelling with happiness at the sight. Little had been in love with Santa for a very long time, and when she’d called to tell you they had gotten together because she’d overheard him admitting his feelings over the phone—to Frankie, no less— you had been over the moon for them both. Helping her plan this wedding was one of the great honours you could have been given.
You contemplate the rest of your morning because in reality there is a lot to do. Or a great number of places to go ahead and do nothing, including a tranquillity room, movie theatre, onsite RMT, steam room, private beach, pool and hot tub—the list went on. It was paradise, and you were momentarily overwhelmed with all of the options laid out before you. You had to remind yourself that you had seven days left to enjoy this place, so you didn’t need to get all of your relaxing squished into one day. You decide to make your way down for another coffee, changing so that your bathing suit is on under your lounge set, the green of the suit peeking out from beneath your peach-coloured shirt and shorts. You pack a bag with the essentials, including a book, water bottle and sunglasses, and head for the kitchen.
You give your room a final once over, ensuring you haven’t left a big mess for the housekeeper. It is a beautiful room, filled with rattan furniture and live plants, soft white linens and orange accents throughout. The bathroom is open to the bedroom area, the only thing hidden behind a door was the toilet itself, so you could see the large soaker tub and tiled shower, and couldn’t wait to take advantage of both later that day.
As you wander downstairs, happy that you can’t hear any voices, you think of Anna and Elsa. This was the first trip you’d taken since rescuing them two years before, and though you trusted your veterinarian parents to care for them perfectly, you still ached for them and wished they could understand why you had left, that you’d be back before they knew it.
When your turn the corner at the bottom of the stairs, you barely take two steps before slamming into a wall. The wall grunts, hands shooting out to steady you as you reel back in surprise, and you look up to find a tousle-haired Frankie standing before you.
Oh, Christ. He looks good.
“Shit, sorry Frankie!”
He smiles at you shyly, a hand reaching to rub the back of his neck. “No worries. How are you?”
He still hasn’t taken a step back, though neither had you for that matter, and you catch his masculine scent now; an intoxicating blend of freshly mown grass and cedar. “I was worried that Rosie wouldn’t sleep well, being in a new place,” He replies, his smile widening, “But she’s taken to it fine, which means I’m sleeping well. So I’m great, how are you?”
You laugh, happy for him because, with all he had been through with his ex, you knew he deserved to relax more than anyone. You remember suddenly what you’re wearing and blanch because your figure is more accentuated in this outfit, but his eyes haven’t strayed from your face for even a beat. Whether he finds you attractive or not, you appreciate how Frankie was a true gentleman.
“I’m really good, thanks. Slept like the dead, now I’m going for another coffee to take down to the beach.”
“I’ll see you there in a little bit. My mom and Rosie are on the same nap schedule,” He lowers his voice teasingly, and you giggle. You try not to notice how his eyes brighten. “I’m just going to wake them up, and then I want to take Ro swimming.”
You nod, “Sounds like a plan. I’ll see you soon, in that case.” You part ways from him and resist turning to watch him make his way up the stairs. It wasn’t about checking him out; you just really liked looking at Frankie, memorizing the ways he moved, the expressions on his face, what made him laugh.
Yes, you had it bad for the man.
You’re relaxing in your lounger, grateful for the shaded canopy and enormously comfortable cushions, reading one of several books you’d brought on the trip. Others filter by, most saying hello but giving you your space. Recognizing that as maid of honour, you were more than due for a good rest.
Benny stops by on his way to tease Little and Santi, who are swimming in the blue ocean water, and you end up having a fun conversation with him. You’re retelling one another the best moments of the night before, and agreeing on the parts you hope made it onto the wedding video—and the ones you hoped didn’t. You’ve always really liked Benny, he seemed to sense the type of person you were in that same way that Little had, and he had a way of making you feel normal. Where you and Will had a friendly enough relationship, Benny felt more like a brother. Protective and encouraging and just really nice.
When Will comes along, he says hi to you before Benny—who gives you a quick hug—leaps to his feet and bounds towards his brother, ready to wrestle in the water. You laugh, watching them dunk one another, then a large splash hits Little and Santi jumps into the tussle, and your friend makes her way out of the water shaking her head in exasperation. When she plops down next to you on the lounger, you’re both snorting with laughter.
“It’s like they’re twelve. Santi literally said ‘don’t be a butthead’ to Benny,” Little giggles, and you both watch them for another minute before she turns to you and lowers her voice. “So, how are you doing today?”
“I’m supposed to ask you that, Mrs. Newlywed.”
Little doesn’t take the bait, and you never expected she would. “You know what I mean, Star. Are you having fun? Can I do anything for you?” This was the thing about Little. She was not just a good friend, she was a thoughtful and caring one, the kind that you could call at midnight and ask to move a body and she’d show up with shovels. Which was basically what had cemented your friendship several years before, though you weren’t going to think about that right now. You were on vacation.
You lean in and press your forehead to hers briefly, “This place is incredible, I’m extremely happy. Please stop worrying.”
“I just…I know you never get time for yourself. Or to have some fun and unwind,” She takes hold of your hand and applies light pressure, “I know you have busy shifts with the rescue, long hours. I just want this week to give you the break you deserve—the wedding was absolutely perfect and that’s in great part because of you, Star.” At this, you sigh softly and pull her in for a proper hug.
She was right that you barely had time for yourself, you worked a lot at the rescue as a vet tech, a job you loved and wouldn’t change for anything. You were hoping to get a couple of new techs hired and trained so that you could reduce your hours in the next year or so, but it wasn’t an urgent thing. You just wanted a little more free time, because currently, you were operating on hardly any, always either working, sleeping or making your way to and from work. Around the time that Little had asked you to be her maid of honour, you had made the permanent switch to daytime shifts, and your life had greatly improved with the steady routine.
But you still had a dismal social life, only occasionally going out with Little or spending time with your parents. And dating? You literally would have to give up sleep to bother with it, and since you were hung up on a man completely out of your league, that wasn’t happening anytime soon either. So you understood her concerns entirely.
“Little,” You pull back from the hug and give her an encouraging smile, “You don’t need to be so worried, I’m having fun. I’ll try to socialize, I promise.”
She grins back at you, then glances down at your outfit, “Is that the swimsuit we picked out together?” She’s beaming with pride that you’ve worn it, and you shrug with a smirk pulling at your lips.
Little coaxes you into the water, and after applying another layer of sunscreen and ridding yourself of your clothing, you follow her into the cool ocean. You love the water and sink into it quickly as you glance back toward the beach, instinctively seeking out who might have seen you in your swimsuit. Will and Benny are sitting in beach chairs in the shallow water, deep in discussion, while Santi is back at the cabana, cracking open a drink. His eyes are on Little in that rapturous, protective way that makes your heart swell with joy for them. They were perfect for each other, there was no way around that.
You spend a good half an hour swimming and chatting with Little, who tells you about the new woman in Benny’s life that he’s insisted is just a friend, but she suspects there may be more to it. And when it came to Benny, both of you knew that if he was feeling something for someone, he would deny it. He liked to be the bachelor, the ladies man because he was afraid of commitment. You tell Little that he just needs to find the person he won’t be afraid of doing anything for.
Eventually, her brothers grow bored and begin taking turns jumping off the end of the dock situated at one end of the beach. You aren’t surprised when Little takes your hand and leads you out of the water, eager to join in on the fun. You let her pull you along, happy to break out of your comfort zone and, other than her brothers and Santi, no one else is around. You glance back to see if he’s coming to join in and almost stumble in the sand.
Frankie is standing with Santi, his eyes locked on you as he speaks with his friend. Rosie is in his arms in a cute little one-piece swimsuit that has the Little Mermaid on the front, and she’s craning her neck to look towards the noise the boys are making on the dock. But all you can focus on is how Frankie watches you, even as you meet his gaze, and you feel heat flood your cheeks. “Jesus,’ You turn away as you speak, and Little looks at you, eyes searching your face before she looks back.
“Oh,man, Frankie looks like he got hit over the head. You realize that you look like a goddess right now, Star?” She slows her pace so that she can keep her voice quiet, her head leaning closer to yours.
You scoff, “Please, Little,” But she cuts off your protests before you can even begin.
“He looks at you like that all of the time. Like you hung the moon,” You glance back at him again, trying not to look too obvious, and find that he is making his way over to the dock now too, being tugged along by a giggling Rosie, her little feet sinking into the sand. Looking away, you smile to yourself, but you can feel Frankie’s eyes on you, your senses in overdrive, and you wish you could be brave enough to just look around and smile at him. Toss a flirty wink, just like Little would do with Santi.
But you were no Little (Miller) Garcia. And Frankie Morales was most definitely not interested in you. You try to ignore the swell of misery within—Frankie was the perfect man. The universe seemed to enjoy dangling him in front of you, showing you everything you wished you could have was just out of reach.
The Miller brothers make more noise at the end of the dock as you and Little step onto the warm wood, drawing your attention their way as they do elaborate jumps into the water. You gaze along the side of the dock, into the shallow water, where you can see several large rocks piled. There’s a little sign on one of the dock posts here, advising to walk along this first section, and you can see an orange line painted across the dock just ahead, the indicator that the water deepens and clears starting there. You’re so focused on the line that you lose track of your feet and stub your toe on a slightly raised plank, hissing in pain.
You pause and bend to inspect it, ensuring there are no slivers. “All good?” Little says, patting your arm with concern, and you smile at her, opening your mouth to respond.
When Frankie’s panic-stricken voice cuts through the air, you both turn in alarm. He’s at the end of the dock, now rushing forward because Rosie had pulled from his grip and was darting toward Little happily, her giggles in stark contrast to the horror on Frankie’s face. She’s not much of a runner at her age, so Rosie teeters back and forth in a way that would be adorable if it weren’t for how close she was to the edge that drop into the rocky shallows.
“Rosie stop!” Frankie’s voice is strained in an effort not to sound too scary to his daughter as he yells, but she glances backward anyway, her legs still moving, and you react before you think. It’s probably because you’d spent years dodging kicks and bites and swats from your animal patients, that your reflexes work the way they do.
Frankie isn’t as fast as you, and you have the advantage because she’s moving towards you and Little—you shoot forward as fast as you can, and just as she sees her dad chasing her and loses her footing at the edge, you drop down and shove your arms out, catching her in the chest so that she’s knocked toward Frankie.
You see him catch her, hear her confused whimper, but the momentum you created darting toward her so quickly gives you no ability to correct yourself, and you skitter, then plunge right off the dock, falling face down into the water.
You hear the way your leg smacks off of a pointed rock, and then pain is lancing through your face as it glances off of another one. You’re dazed, but still aware enough to feel the splinter of pain in your thigh, and you cry out—only you’re underwater, so it’s garbled and you push your hands out to try and get your bearings and raise yourself—
“Mi amor estas bien?” Frankie’s rumbling voice fills your ears as he lifts you, turning you in the water before pulling you up and into his arms, and you don’t even register what he said, really, but you lock onto the fierce concern in his expression and the words begin to sink in. “Cariño? Jesus Christ, Santi get the first aid kit!” He yells, and you feel him moving out of the water and tilt your head, looking down your body.
You can see the brutal gash on your leg, and immediately recognize it’s not as bad as it could have been—but it gushes a decent amount of blood, and it stings from the saltwater and you whimper again.
“F-Frankie—is Rosie-?”
“Cariño, she’s perfect thanks to you,” You look at him again, surprised at the strain in his voice. He sounds wrecked, and you want to ask him if he’s okay but you don’t know how, and something about the way he’s holding you as he carries you—your instincts say that he’s not okay, and to let him take charge here. He reaches a lounger and begins to lower you down carefully, but your leg is jostled and the pain peaks; you start to cry, short sobs that you try to hide—Frankie makes a noise in his throat, and then his hands are cupping your face gently. “Mi amor, I’ve got you, I’ll take care of you. Please don’t cry.”
You stare at Frankie because this time, the words smack you right in the face and you can see that he means them. That he called you his love, twice now, and as you realize this, you see understanding flash in his expression and he doesn’t correct himself or try to deny it. Instead, he presses a soft kiss to your forehead, and then the others are surrounding you and a first aid kit appears and you can only slump back and cover your face.
The man of your dreams just said something that might change your life, but you couldn’t do shit about it right now. And then realization sets in that you just fell off a dock in front of him, and you want to die of humiliation.
You tilt your head to look away and your eyes land on Little, who has Rosie in her arms and one hand over her mouth—but you recognize the way she’s trying to hide her smug smile, and you glare at your friend. Her expression changes, and even though she doesn’t speak, you know exactly what she’s saying.
‘I told you Frankie loved you, didn’t I?’
Please consider commentingandreblogging if you enjoyed this story YOUR FEEDBACK IS GOLDEN!!!
Frankie Morales x Anxious!Fem!Reader (Coming soon)
Part One ⭐️
Part Two
Follow up Series to Little. — Frankie Morales had gone through a lot in the last few years. First, he gets his ex pregnant around the same time he dabbles in cocaine, unable to deal with the PTSD he suffered from since retiring from the Special Forces. He gets clean, only to find that Elena doesn’t want anything to do with him—or the beautiful baby girl she brings into the world.
Now a single father, Frankie leans heavily on his best friends and mother for support raising Rosie, the light of his life. And then Little introduces him to you, and he’s smitten at the first bashful bat of your eyelashes. When Santi and Little get engaged, Frankie is asked to be the best man, a duty which requires him to plan and work closely with the maid of honour—you. Nicknamed Star for your talented singing voice, you’re one of the most incredible women he’s ever gotten to know.
Too bad both Frankie and Star are too shy to confront their feelings. But they do say, weddings are the most romantic occasions…
Summary: Frankie is secretly in love with his best friend. Thanks in part to Benny’s shitty horror movie recommendation and stray ice cream, feelings come out unexpectedly during movie night.
Warnings: Language, SMUT, little angst, lots of fluff, poor writer understanding of US military benefits/retirement. WC 8,215.
A/N: I dreamed this up after rewatching Triple Frontier about a month ago (for the plot, of course) and let it sit for a while. Became inspired to finish it off this week and share it with you all-so please let me know your thoughts!
For over a decade, Saturday nights were, for Frankie Morales, usually spent with his best friends over drinks at their favourite bar. When deployed, the bar was instead smuggled whiskey that they shared under the stars, an attempt to imagine they were anywhere other than the current hellhole. As Special Ops soldiers, Frankie and his buddies had been through the worst of the worst together, until one by one they retired or were forced to retire, and then they were back to regular appearances at the local bar, for a while the five of them, then four.
Until Frankie met you.
Had someone come up to him during one of those nights years before and told Frankie that one day he’d be bringing you along to the bar to join him and the guys, he’d have laughed in their faces. But for a while, that was exactly what occurred, until you and Frankie grew so close that you usually ended up making different plans, like going mini-golfing, or lounging at his apartment and watching movies. Not that you didn’t love the guys, all whom you’d met except for Santi as he had been off the grid for just over a year when you and Frankie had met.
It was thanks to the elder Miller brother, Will, that he had even met you at all. Working at the VA office, Will had learned of one of the few retirement perks they had for putting their asses on the line for their country-physical therapy. And you came highly recommended, a star PT who had worked magic over his friends’ ailments. Knowing Frankie suffered from shoulder and neck pains, Will handed him your card and encouraged him to book an appointment.
He hadn’t called straight away. He’d popped your card onto his fridge and every day he’d pass by it, consider calling, and then talk himself out of it. Until the pain became too much to bear, his latest menial job just a little too physical for him, causing him to consider using again just to dull the ache. But he’d walked by your card moments later and instead of making a terrible decision he had promised himself he’d never make again, he called your office. Made an appointment with your friendly receptionist, who thankfully had his name already because Will had put in a good word for Frankie and asked that they try and get him in straight away, whenever he finally did call.
Two days later Frankie was standing nervously in the treatment room, looking at a wall decorated with your various degrees and certificates. He was anxious not only because he worried he’d get his hopes up that this would help the pain only to be disappointed, but also because he had no idea what to expect. Years of service as a pilot had made Frankie into a man who planned, meticulously, leaving little in the way of surprises. But he’d reasoned that calling the office back and demanding they give him a minute-by-minute account of what the appointment would be like was probably going too far.
And then you had walked in and immediately his worries morphed into concern over the fact that he required a beard trim, that he looked like he’d just rolled out of bed and popped his usual cap on, probably appearing a little gruff. And fuck, he almost couldn’t breathe when you gave him the most dazzling, genuine smile like you were greeting an old friend. You were bright, a rare energy radiating off of you as though you absorbed it straight from the fucking sun, and you were beautiful. No wonder Will had winked at Frankie when he’d handed you the business card.
You were observant, introducing yourself and seemingly sensing his overall discomfort. Instead of launching straight to business, you gestured for him to sit and spent a good twenty minutes casually chatting, pulling information you needed from him while putting him at ease entirely. He learned then that Will had already sung Frankie’s praises, given you the heads up that he was a worrier and even told a few stories that showcased his talents as a pilot.
If Frankie didn’t know any better, he’d think his friend was trying to play matchmaker.
I love the way you weave the story, letting them grow together and form this beautiful friendship as a cornerstone.
And adding Colombia into it makes it even more special and I think those moments are my favorite here. Especially the bath where it all comes down. It feels so cathartic and beautiful and I felt like I was in the bath with him, all the emotions washing over me.
I’m also in love with Frankie’s inner thoughts and how he tries to keep himself from not doing anything stupid or something that would endanger his friendship, his light. That gorgeous angst just tugs at my heart and I think it’s gorgeous!
❤️Wow, thank you for the thoughtful reblog love! I’m so happy you enjoyed part one of this mini-series! Frankie will always have a place in my heart! ❤️
The phone rang and rang with no answer, and you were about to give up until finally Little’s voice cut through the shrill ringing.
“Star, hey! What’s up?”
You clutched your iPhone closer, keeping your voice low as you sat in the staff room of the rescue. No one was around, but you liked to be cautious. “Little, oh my god—“
“Shit, did you kidnap anoth—”
“No,” you hastily interrupt her, flames on your cheeks, “Jesus you always bring that up every chance you get.”
Little’s contagious laugh makes you—reluctantly—smile at the memory.
“It’s just fun to mention the most badass thing you’ve ever done whenever I can,” She giggles, then you hear her shuffle and realize she must be lounging at home. “So what’s the tea?”
“Well I sort of met Frankie the other day when I was leaving your place…”
“Iwondered if you two had crossed paths.”
“Uh huh, well,” you pause, trying to find the right words. But then you remember who you’re talking to and decide to just be aggressively honest. “I can’t get him out of my head, Little. He seemed so sweet, and genuine. Am I insane for liking him when—”
“If you mention the action gap I’ll drive over and punch you,” She grumbled, and you realize you’ve inadvertently stumbled on a sore spot for her. You know she’s got it bad for Santi, who she now lives with as a roommate. You’re not sure how she does it.
“Sorry, I know. I mean, there’s the whole evil-ex-and-adorable-child angle. Or the fact that he saw my car.”
“Are you seriously saying that he won’t like you because your rich?” Little’s question doesn’t throw you—you’d expected her arguments.
“We’re not rich, Little. Just very lucky.”
“That’s exactly what a rich person would say,” You join in laughing now, dropping your head into your free hand and sighing. “Star, none of those things really matter. If you like him, you’ll have to get to know him better. There’s no reason to rush—I promise you, his ex is out of the picture. She’s coming back to town this weekend actually and I think she may be giving Frankie the papers releasing herself from parental rights with Rosie.”
You were at a loss for words at this news, and it took a few moments to recover. Sadness for Rosie and Frankie swept over you. ‘God, then it’s not exactly a good time to be bothering him.”
“Just give him a bit of time, I know you two would be a great match,” Little sighs softly, “And before you think it—be definitely won’t judge you for what you did.”
“You can’t know that for sure,” You reply, pinching the bridge of your nose. You remember the faces of the couple who mistreated their three dogs, vividly even after all the time that had passed. “He might look at kidnapping and forging fake papers as a big red flag.”
Little snorts into the phone, “Star! You took those abused dogs out of an unlocked car and brought them to safety. You cared for them. They are living happy lives with that dentist couple over in Fort Lauderdale because of you.”
You shake your head, more to yourself considering your friend can’t see you. “I still technically broke the law—”
“Uh huh, and you got a stern warning from that detective. No one wanted to punish you for intervening and Frankie is not going to either!”
“You keep saying ‘you’, Little Miller, but I distinctly remember it was your Jeep that transported the dogs,” You say, smiling as your friend laughs again, “Maybe you should tell Santi what a rebel you are. He might like a bad girl.”
“Yeah, that’s not happening—oh, he’s just home now, I’ve got to go!”
“Bye, Rebel!”
“Talk soon, dognapper!”
Want to request a scene, moment, etc? Submit your asks now for the STARFISH series drabbles!
The first time Frankie officially met you was unplanned. He’d seen you that once, months ago, at a friends wedding. Little had teased that you said to her you thought he was cute, but you’d left before introductions could be made.
Then there was the time he was out with Rosie and Little shopping. You had appeared and helped shoo away a man who’d been attempting to hit on her, Frankie had seen you drop your arm around her shoulders as he was making his way over to intervene.
But that was actually the second time he’d met you.
It was well after Little he moved in with Santi, but before they got together. He had dropped by after getting a text from his longtime friend to help with some maintenance to the washer. Frankie was the handy friend, a jack of all trades, and happy to shoot the shit while fixing something.
He was standing in Santi’s driveway, replying to a text from his ex Elena when you had appeared. He hadn’t heard you at first, fixated on the screen—Elena’s latest excuse typed out like she had them preplanned. He was tired of playing this game with her, but terrified of the inevitable; she was going to leave permanently. And she wasn’t going to be Rosies mother anymore.
He must have had a scary expression on his face, because when you had walked from the front door and around Little’s Jeep and found him standing there, you had reacted immediately.
“Oh shit, are you okay?”
Frankie’s head snapped up and he gaped momentarily; he remembered you from the wedding, though you were dressed more casually today. Your hair was down, and you wore skinny jeans with a soft pink shirt—he would never forget it. You’d looked so feminine. Soft.
The biggest difference though was the smeared makeup around your eyes. It was minimal, but paired with your long, wet lashes he guessed you must have been crying. He sees you notice his assessment and you give him a sardonic smile.
“I guess we’re both having bad days,” You introduce yourself, smiling softly now, “Or Star, if you want. Even my parents call me that.”
Frankie pockets his cell. “It suits you, but so does your real name,” He replies, meeting your gaze, “I’m Frankie, I served with Santi. Frankie Morales, or Catfish.” He gestures at his moustache to explain the nick name and you grin.
And fuck, the way you smile up at him makes his heart beat race.
“Frankie, nice to finally meet you. Little speaks very highly of you.”
Frankie rubs the back of his neck, heat blooming across his cheeks. He wasn’t very good at this sort of thing—meeting someone new, trying to be interesting and not make an ass out of himself. And he’s thrown by how pretty you are, unable to tear his gaze away from your bright eyes.
After a pause, during which you smile at him patiently, he asks, “Are you good? Sorry it’s just—you’ve been crying.” He wants to kick himself in the head, the question hadn’t come out as smooth as he’d hoped.
If you’re bothered, nothing in your reaction signifies it. You sigh and nod, glancing back toward the house before replying. “Just uh…talking to Little about a friend who—well, I guess the point is they aren’t her friend any longer,” you shrug, “Anyway, she needed to vent so I came over after work. Santi mentioned the washer needed some work?”
You’re eyeing the toolkit on the ground next to him, and he nods. “That’s why I’m here. I’ll check in on Little as well. Is she alright?”
“You know her, she bounces back pretty quickly.”
The response was polite enough, but Frankie sensed there was something you weren’t saying, something you wouldn’t share with him and it piqued his interest. He left it alone, however, since he barely knew you.
He smiles again and you seem to survey his features briefly before your eyes dart away. You draw your lower lip between your teeth and he immediately has an image of doing that himself. He clears his throat. “Well I won’t keep you, Star.”
“Oh,” you start, as if just remembering that you were having this conversation in Santi’s driveway. “Right. Yes. Fue un placer conocerte también. Ya nos veremos, Francisco.”
He stares at you for a beat in surprise, “You speak very good Spanish.”
You begin to walk away, that shy smile still tugging at your lips. When you reach your car—which he notices now is a Tesla—you glance back at him and reply softly, “Don’t look so surprised, that’s the least interesting thing about me.”
With that, you drop into your seat and Frankie is left frozen on the gravel, staring as you back out and drive off. You throw up a little wave, which makes him grin, and then you’re gone.
After that moment, Frankie never does manage to get you out of his head. But all thoughts of Elena are long gone.
You’re nearly hyperventilating as you drive away, resisting the urge to speed. You turn a few corners out of Little and Santi’s neighbourhood, then pull over at the first park you see.
You sit there for a solid ten minutes replaying every word you exchanged with Frankie Morales, cringing internally at your awkwardness, at the basic outfit you were wearing, and the Spanish that slipped out. You don’t know what the fuck that was—yes, you spoke it fluently, but you didn’t need to show off out of the blue like that.
“Christ, Star,” You grumble to yourself, dropping your head into your hands. You forced yourself to stop over analyzing the interaction, which led you to instead create a list in your mind.
Reasons Frankie Is The Perfect Man:
1. He’s the sweetest, most genuine person you’ve met in a long time.
2. He never once checked you out in a rude or obvious way, his gaze remained on your face.
3. His. Fucking. Hands. They were huge.
4. Speaking of huge, how tall was he? Because holy hell, the way he towered over you had you acting silly.
5. His eyes. Brown eyes that looked right into your soul.
When you finally began to drive home, you’d come to the conclusion that you were well and truly fucked for Frankie Morales.
Little was going to lose her mind when you told her.
Want to request a scene, moment, etc? Submit your asks now for the STARFISH series drabbles!
Summary: Frankie was always the one who got away but when you learn that he’s retired from the army and has moved back home. Your life falls apart.
Relationships: Reader x Original ‘Male’ Character, Reader x Frankie Morales
Warnings: Like A03, I chose to give none. 18+
Your husband wasn’t a cruel man. But as time had gone on you’d come to learn he wasn’t a good one either.
Your life revolved around him. His wants and needs and never your own. But he supplied you with a safe, comfortable life and that’s all you could have really hoped for. You’d loved him once and you were sure he had to but as the years had passed childlessly, your once blossoming romance had fizzled into something sour. You knew he resented you for not giving him a child. Blamed you for it and you blamed yourself to a degree but as the months blended into years, you found you blamed yourself less and came to terms with the fact that your having kids wasn’t meant to be.
You’d imagined your life differently as a younger woman. You’d imagined it with a different man if you were being honest with yourself. You thought you’d met the one as a teenager but, like most childhood sweethearts, he got away. Francisco Morales. The man of your dreams had shipped out to the army as soon as he’d graduated and your relationship had lasted another year after that before you’d called it quits and broken the man’s heart. Something you’d regretted to this day and had never imagined you’d see him again. How wrong you’d turn out to be.
“Did you hear the news?” Your best friend Sally asked as the two of you browsed through the sale rail of your favourite clothing store.
Your obvious look of confusion was all the answer she needed to know that you were oblivious to the latest gossip to spread around town.
“Morales moved back.” She elaborated and your breath caught in your throat “Retired from the forces and decided to kick out the tenants renting his folk’s old place and moved in himself.” She finished, shrugging her shoulders as she pulled out a sweater she liked the look of.
“Oh.” Was your reply, suddenly completely disinterested in shopping anymore.
“Think you’ll see him?” She asked and this grabbed your full attention.
“Why would I see him?” You questioned, eliciting a snigger from your friend.
“We all know you never go over him.” She stated and you felt your heart start to race and your cheeks grow hot “Thought you’d be all over, seeing him.”
“I’m married, Sally.” You warned and she scoffed.
“Yeah to a man that barely looks at you and who’s definitely shagging his assistant.” She grumbled and you felt a sting at her last statement.
“You don’t know that.” You choke and her demeanour changed upon hearing the crack in your voice.
“I’m sorry babe.” She started as she threw a hand around your shoulder “I shouldn’t have said that but you deserve better than the life you have.”
“I’m fine.” You replied with a shrug “He keeps a roof over my head, clothes on my back and food in my belly. What more can I ask for?”
“Happiness?” She shrieks “Love, passion, excitement… to name a few. He’s an asshole and you need to leave him.”
“It’s not that easy Sally.” You snapped “Where would I go? I have no job, no money.”
“Your divorce would sort that out.”
“Sally-”
“You can’t keep living like this.” She interrupted, taking your hand in hers and boring into you with her serious gaze “Waiting to die or for him to leave you.”
“This is my life now.” You said, your tone defeated and your heart heavy “I’ve made my bed.”
Sally decided it was futile to argue any further. You weren’t going to accept that you deserved better and she was tired of trying to convince you of the fact. So you finished off your shopping trip and turned down her invites for drinks that evening at your once favourite watering hole.
No way Joe would let you go.
Despite having little interest in sharing any sort of physical relationship with you he hated the idea of you having a social life outside of him. So going out for drinks with your girlfriends was not something you were able to attend anymore. You were limited to shopping trips and coffee. How dull your life had become.
Walking through your front door and placing your sparse shopping bags down on the polished marble floor, you announced your arrival as you toed off your shoes and hung up your coat. Not expecting the arms that wrapped around your middle and or the lips that found your neck.
He did this sometimes. Showed a fleeting interest in you and you took what you could get. For all his faults he wasn’t a selfish lover.
He turned you in his arms and dropped to his knees before he pushed your underwear to one side and placed a teasing lick on your clit. You felt a jolt of pleasure surge through you and the moan that slipped past your lips was all the invitation your husband needed to continue. Credit where credit was due, he knew how to fuck with his tongue and it didn’t take him long to have you cumming. Your legs then gave out and you were in his arms as he threw you down on the couch and pulled out his throbbing erection for the confines of his slacks. His lips returned to your neck as he lowered himself between your open legs and once again pushed your underwear to the side. Your eyes locked for a moment and you thought you saw a flicker of love in his eyes. Something you’d not seen for what felt like an eternity but then he was pushing inside of you and you weren’t able to keep your eyes open then.
Sex with Joe was always good. Whether you wanted to admit it or not your husband could fuck but these sparse sessions only hurt more. You missed the way he used to worship the ground you walked on. How he’d not be able to get enough of you but then again, you were trying to get pregnant back then. This was now him looking for a release and that’s all you were to him now.
A release.
He fucked into you expertly and you were cumming again in no time at all, moaning loudly as he continued his assault on that spongy spot inside of you that had your toes curling. He hooked one of your legs around his waist and the new angle started to stir another orgasm down in your loins. It took half a dozen more thrusts for the two of you to cum together and leaving you a sated mess on your couch.
“What was that for?” You asked between laboured breaths and Joe shrugged before slipping out of you and pulling his slacks back up again.
“I’ve got to go away for work for a few days.” He stated simply “Should be back by Wednesday.”
“Oh.” You replied as you manoeuvred into a sitting position “Short notice.”
“Tell me about it.” He grumbled before grabbing the suitcase situated by the couch that you’d not noticed before “I’ll call you tomorrow.” He said, pecking your lips.
“You’re leaving now?” You asked as you followed him out to the lobby and watched as he slipped on some shoes and grabbed his keys.
“Need to or I’ll miss my flight.”
“Well, safe trip.” You said, receiving one last kiss before he disappeared out of the door and left you standing in the lobby.
You weren’t sure how long passed before you slipped out your phone and dialled the number at the top of your caller list.
“Sally.” You said simply as you let out a shaky breath “Count me in for tonight.”
…
“I’m so happy you’re here.” Squealed Sophia as she pulled you into a tight hug “What changed your mind?”
“Husband’s fucked off on a work trip.” You said as you downed another apple sour shot “So I thought I would spend my evening seeing my girls.” You finished as you woo'ed with your friends.
“It’s been too long.” Said Lacey as she placed a tray of drinks down on the table and handed you your triple gin and tonic.
“That it has.” You agreed as you took a sip of your drink.
…
Frankie hadn’t been in the mood for drinks but Benny was determined. So that’s how he’d found himself sitting in a bar he’d only ever walked past as a teenager. What made the situation worse was that he was designated drive which meant not even the buzz of alcohol was a possible distraction.
His reason for being in such a foul mood was the information he’d learned upon moving back. He’d only been back a few weeks but when at the supermarket the previous afternoon he’d bumped into your school best friend and he’d learned through her that you were married. He wasn’t sure why he was upset about it. You’d dumped him at the first sign of trouble but there had been a small part of him that had held out hope that there was still a chance for you both.
“Come on Fish.” Ben groaned “You need to cheer the fuck up dude.”
“Ben.” His older brother warned but Benny waved him off.
“I don’t know what’s got your knickers all knotted up but we’re out dude. We’re free from all that shit now.”
“I’m fine,” Frankie grumbled, his eyes drifting to a rowdy table across the bar.
He realised quickly that he knew the girls, they’d all been in your year at school and he was fairly sure that you were friends with them. Ho noted Sally, the one who’d told him just yesterday about your marital status and Sophia who’d been attached to your hip once. Movement in the corner of his eye then grabbed his attention and that’s when he saw you with a tray of drinks in hand. You were just as beautiful as the day he’d kissed you goodbye in the airport when he was 19. More so if that was even possible.
“She’s hot.” Ben teased, dragging the older man from his thoughts.
“She’s my ex.” Frankie grumbled, his attention returning to the one beer of the night he was able to drink.
“Shit, really?” Benny exclaimed and Frankie nodded “She’s smoking Fish., Is she single?”
“No.” He replied simply, his tone grabbing Will’s attention “She’d married.”
“Sound a little sour about that Catfish?” Will questioned, “Something still there?”
“She broke my heart twenty years ago.” He growled, “Nothing there Will.”
“Well, you got me convinced.” Benny snorted and Frankie felt his temper growing even shorter.
“Believe what you want.” He snapped as he pushed himself to his feet “I need a piss.”
He stormed off, leaving two amused Miller brothers in his wake. He hated how seeing you had stirred up all those feelings he’d thought he had buried all those years ago. He went to the bathroom, took a breather and left a few minutes later, only to collide with a soft body.
“Shit, I’m sorry I wasn’t looking where I was going.” He said as shook his head and turned to look at the innocent person he’d just barged into.
“Frankie?” You questioned and his eyes grew wide as your name fell from his lips “Shit.” You said as you let out a shocked breath “Wow, how are you? You look… You look good.”
“You too.” He replied and he swore he saw you blush.
“How are you?” You asked again and he shrugged.
“Good as can be expected.” He replied and you nodded.
“I hear you’re married.” He said and your stomach twisted “Congrats.”
“We’ve been married a few years now.” You said, your face dropped “Nothing to congratulate.”
“You happy?” He asked and you were rendered speechless.
You’d never been able to lie to this man and twenty years on that was still that case. So all you could do was shrug and Frankie couldn’t help but frown at that.
“Looks like my party has made some new friends.” You said as your eyes drifted to your table, Frankie’s eyes following yours.
“Those would be my friends.” He sighed as he scraped a hand over his face.
“Guess we should make sure they’re not getting into trouble.”
“Sure.”
“Chica, look at these two dreamboats we met.” Screeched Sally as you made your way over to the table “This is Will and Benny… They’re brothers and -”
“Complete trouble.” Interrupted Frankie as he came to stop beside you.
“Francisco Morales… Fancy seeing you here.” Said Sally as she pulled him into a sideways hug “You know these two.”
“Sadly.” He replied with a smirk and Benny gave him the finger as your friends chuckled.
You all stayed together then. The girls cooed over the boys and you sat there awkwardly with Frankie as you watched. The conversation got more and more personal as more drink was consumed and you were glad you were drunk when you and Frank became the subject matters’.
“So Francisco.” Sally started as she sipped on her cocktail “No wife and kids to speak of?”
“Nope.” He replied, popping the 'p’ before sipping his soda.
“Don’t get him wrong.” Benny started and Frankie instantly cringed “This guy is the pussy king!” He gushed and you felt sick.
Of course, there had been others since you. It wasn’t like you were it for him and he was to remain alone for the rest of his life but to hear it out loud still stung.
“Shared a bunk with him for years and some of the women he managed to sneak back…”
“How’s married life?” Will asked, changing the subject when he noted both yours and Frankie’s uncomfortable demeanours “No kids?”
Your shoulders sank and your face dropped. Sally noticed it straight away and went to speak but you beat her to the punch, the alcohol giving you a false sense of confidence.
“We tried.” You said with a shrug, your posture changing completely “Never happened for us and now he despises me for it.” You finished with a false laugh and the whole table fell silent.
“I’m sorry,” Will said after a few tense moments of silence and you shrugged again.
“It wasn’t meant to be I guess.” You replied with a shrug, noting out of the corner of your eye how Frankie was looking at you with those sad brown eyes. The ones that let you to fall for him in the first place.
Frankie couldn’t believe what he was hearing. It explained your reaction earlier when he’d asked if you were happy. He could see it now. How haunted you were and his heart broke for you. He’s always hoped that you’d end up happy. Sure he’d prayed it would be with him but as the years had gone on he had come to terms with the fact that it wouldn’t be.
A few more drinks were consumed before the night came to an end. Sally left with Will and Sophie with Ben who had left you alone with Frankie and stood on the sidewalk outside the bar in awkward silence.
“How are you getting home?” He asked as you fiddled with your hands.
“Well I have gotten a taxi with Sally but she’s gone home with your friend so… I guess I’ll get a cab on my own.” You chuckled nervously.
“I can give you a ride?” He suggested and you looked up at him with wide eyes “I was designated driver but guess I got ditched too.” She chuckled and that made you smile “I don’t like the idea of you getting a cab home alone. Please… let me give you a ride.”
“Sure.” You said after a few moments of silence and Frankie nodded, motioning for you to follow him as he lead you to his truck.
He opened the passenger door for you and helped you inside before closing it and making his way around to the driver’s side. Jumping in his was fast to start it up and peel away, driving you home with your quiet directions. It felt like it had all those decades ago. Him driving you somewhere quiet so you could steal perfect moments together before he had to get you home. You couldn’t stop yourself from glancing at him every now and then as he drove you in stoic silence.
When he pulled up in front of your large house his eyes grew wide and you smirked at his reaction to your home. You sat there in tense silence for a few moments before you plucked up the courage to speak.
“Do you want to come in?” You asked, eyes hopeful as you looked at him.
“Are you sure?” He asked, smiling at the nervous nod you gave him.
He opened your door for you and followed silently as you led him to the front door, watching as you shakily pushed your key into the lock. Stepping inside he copied you as you toed off your shoes and before he followed you to a large, modern, kitchen that put his to shame.
“Drink?” You asked and he nodded “Just water’s fine.”
“Just water?” You chuckled “I have beer?”
“I shouldn’t.” He replied shyly “Got to drive and all that.”
“Sure… right, of course.” You said, shaking your head and grabbing a glass from the cupboard.
After pouring him the beverage from the fridge, you handed him the glass and went about pouring yourself a glass of wine. The silence that hung over you both then for a short while was suffocating. You’d not thought this far ahead. All you’d thought about was how you didn’t want him to leave just yet, you wanted him to stay just a little longer.
“So how long have you been married?” He asked, finally breaking the silence between you.
“6 years this August.” You replied, your eyes unconsciously drifting to the silver bands on your left hand.
“He a good guy?” He asked and you sighed, feeling your throat tighten.
“He was amazing at first.” You confessed, eyes drifting to the glass in your hands “But when we discovered we couldn’t have kids he got sour.”
“I’m sorry.” He said sadly as his eyes captured yours “You would have been an amazing mum.”
You let out a sad chuckle at that. You’d always liked to think you would be but as time had gone on you’d started to wonder how good a parent Joe would have been.
“I guess the universe thought differently.” You joked, eliciting a sympathetic smile from him “Just wasn’t meant to be I guess.”
“You can’t seriously believe that?” He asked and you sighed.
“Well I’ve not been blessed with children so to be the evidence is pretty conclusive.” You said with a shrug, trying hard to fight the tears that were threatening to spill.
Silence fell over the two of you again for a while as you sipped at your wine and him, his water. It felt oddly normal to have him there with you yet tense that you were standing in the kitchen of the house you share with your husband, with the man you knew you were still in love with.
“You know I always hoped you’d find happiness.” Frankie uttered after a little while “Despite you breaking my heart I always routed for you to have the best life possible.”
“I always wanted that for you too.” You stated and he scoffed at that “Did you not?”
“I killed people for a living for almost half my life.” He replied shortly “What do you think?”
You winced at his reply and he instantly regretted his tone “I had to do a lot of unforgivable things, all in the name of my country.” He confessed after a short pause “I don’t deserve a good life for what I’ve done.”
“You deserve the best life has to offer Frankie.” You said softly “I’ve always regretted ending things with you.” You sobbed “Truth be told you were the one man I could picture spending my life with and I let you go.”
“Why did you?” His question took you by surprise but you didn’t hesitate to answer it. He deserved the truth.
“Because the thought of losing you was too much to bear.” You confessed, “I thought if I broke it off, it would ease the pain of knowing you could die at any point but all it did was break my heart and leave me hollow.” You sobbed, not holding back the tears now “You were the love of my life and I lost you.”
Frankie could help what he did next. Knowing that you’d regretted breaking things off with him, selfishly, was all he’d ever wanted to hear. Grabbing the back of your head he pulled you into a biting kiss that made your toes curl and your core ache.
Before you knew it your underwear was pushed to one side and he was buried to the hilt, thrusting hard and deep as he swallowed your moans. Your nails dug into the muscles on his back, clinging on for dear life as he tore several orgasms out of you before succumbing to his own release and then he collapsed over you as he caught his breath, practically purring as you run your nails through his hair.
“Shit.” He breathed after a short while and you chuckled at his statement “That was…”
“Perfect?” You finished for him as you smiled down at him “We shouldn’t have done that but I’m having a hard time regretting it.” You confessed after a short pause, moaning when he pulled himself out of your heat and tucked himself into his jeans.
“I’m sorry.” He sighed as he scraped a hand over his face and you suddenly panicked at his change of demeanour.
“I should go.”
“No, please… Don’t-”
“I have to.” He interrupted as he grabbed his keys and made his way to the front door, you were hot on his heels “It was nice to see you again.” He said without looking at you and then he was out of the door and you were left there to sob over what had been the best thing to happen to you in years.
~
2 Months Later…
Your hands shook as you held that stick of plastic in your hand. You felt sick. How, after all those years of trying, were you now looking at the second positive pregnancy test you’d taken that afternoon.
How was this happening?
You slowly started to panic the longer you stared at it. It was a disaster and you didn’t even know where to start in terms of how to deal with it. You knew you had to tell your husband and you knew he was going to be excited but you also had to tell Frankie.
There was a chance it was his too.
Grabbing the tests and shoving them in your pocket you made your way to the front door and grabbed your keys and bag. Slipping your shoes on, you made your way to your car and, after taking a steadying breath you got in. Driving to Frankies, you were relieved to see that his truck was on the drive and after parking up behind it, you hopped out of the car and briskly walked to his front door.
It didn’t take him long to answer after you knocked but his shock at seeing you stook there made your stomach twist into painful knots.
“What are you doing here?” He asked and you thought you were going to cry at that alone.
Instead, you let out a steadying breath before you answered him.
“We need to talk.” You said firmly “Can I come in?”
He said nothing, just opened the door wider so that you could enter. You looked back when you heard the door slam behind you and then you made your way to his kitchen, sitting at his table, you waited for him to join you.
“What do you want to talk about?” He asked plainly and you felt your nerves come to a head. God, you could be sick.
“Well uh… I need to talk about that night.”
“Why?” He groaned “It was a mistake. You’re married. We need to move on.”
“Yeah well, I wish it were that simple.” You snapped and his expression changed.
“Why isn’t it?”
“Because I’m pregnant Francisco.” You growled, slamming the two positive tests on the table.
That stopped him dead in his tracks. He started at the two tests, both saying 6 - 7 weeks along. He’s regretted that night since it happened. Not because of what happened but because you had been drunk and he’d taken advantage of that. So now to see that from that night, he was facing the possibility of being a father, he regretted it even more.
“Is it mine or?…”
“Fifty per cent chance.” You confessed “But let’s be realistic. I try for five years to get pregnant with my husband and then I fuck you one time and bam… Baby.”
“What are you going to do?” He asked and you sighed “Are you…”
“Going to keep it?”
He nodded.
“Yes, I am going to keep it.” You scoffed “But I need to tell my husband I am pregnant and there’s only a fifty per cent chance it’s his.”
“Shit.” He breathed and you nodded in agreement.
“I only came here to tell you because you have a right to know.” You stated plainly “I don’t expect anything from you and if turns out to be yours well… You only have to be involved if you want to be.”
Frankie nodded. He was numb and completely at a loss for words. It was his lack of reaction that had you scoffing before you scooped up the tests and grabbed your bag, barely saying goodbye before you were out the door and halfway to your car.
When he realised you were gone, he ran out after you. Only to find he was too late and you were gone. He groaned in frustration at his reaction to your news. He’s just been so shocked by it. Seeing you at his door, that had not been what he’d expected when you’d said you needed to talk to him.
Now you were gone and he was completely lost.
…
At home, you’d just finished up the dishes when you’re husband had called to say he was going to be working late. So you started on dinner for yourself, something that he could reheat when he got home and then sat to watch TV whilst it cooked in the oven. Joe’s iPad lighting up a short while later caught your attention. It was unusual for him to leave it laying around and so you couldn’t help your curiosity. Noticing it was a text, you tapped on the notification and what you saw made you sick.
'Can’t wait for you to breed me later baby’
You read the first message and choked. It was, sure enough, from his secretary. What a fucking cliché.
'Make round with you baby J.’
Popped up another message a short while later.
You’d known deep down he was cheating. It was obvious. The late nights the secrecy. They had all been warning signs but to see it confirmed in writing hurt but that’s not what you were most angry about. No, you were angry that he was not fucking his assistant… but that he was trying to get her pregnant in the process. That made your blood boil. You may have slipped up but this was something completely different and you knew you had to leave.
Your bag was packed less than an hour later. You packed what you could into your car and you drove to the first place you could think of. Sally’s.
~
1 Month Later…
Frankie had been browsing the cereal aisle when he’d bumped into Sally. He’s desperately tried to sneak past but she had the eyes of a hawk and he was soon cornered by the Coco Pops.
“Haven’t seen you since that night out what… three months ago?” She asked and Frankie shrugged.
“About that yeah.” He confirmed, “How are you?”
“Oh, I’m fine.” She replied, “My girl on the other hand is a mess.” She stated and Frankie’s stomach sank “Girls 3 ½ months pregnant and in the middle of getting a divorce.”
“What?” He exclaimed, the last statement taking him by surprise “Why?”
“Fucker is shagging his assistant.” Sally revealed, “What’s worse if they’re trying for a kid together.” She continued “Well they were and then he found out she was pregnant and he’s been begging for her to forgive him.”
“Shit.”
“Turns out though that there’s a chance it’s not his.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.” She said with a nod “Had a weak moment a few months back and well… Kid might be the other guys but apparently he doesn’t want anything to do with it so-”
“I never said that.” Frankie expelled, eyes widening at his sudden confession.
“Wait what?” She practically yelled “She didn’t tell me who the other guy was… It’s you??”
“We uh… The night we met up, I took her home and we got to talking and one thing led to another-”
A hand impacting his face was not what he’d expected to happen to him whilst doing his weekly shop that day yet here he was, rubbing his cheek as your best friend glowered at him.
“She’s in pieces.” She scorned “She’s all alone, pregnant with a baby that could be yours.”
“I’ve been meaning to talk to her its just… Well, I didn’t know what to say.”
“Say that you’ll support her.” She shrieked “You’re a better man than Joe, I know that for a fact so step up and take responsibility! It takes two people to make a baby.”
“Where’s she staying?” He asked, knowing she was right and that he had to make this right.
“Mine.” She stated “I’m going to be out this evening if you wanted to talk to her alone.
He nodded and she sighed "Please don’t hurt my friend Frankie.” She pleaded “She’s suffered enough.”
…
You hadn’t been expecting a knock at the door that night. Sally was out on a double date with Sophia and the Miller brothers. She’d asked if you wanted her to stay but the truth was you just wanted some time alone to grieve. Your life as you knew it was over and you were facing bringing a baby into the world without the love and support of the man you knew was its daddy. Without a shadow of a doubt, you were certain.
You stiffly walked to the front door, not thinking to check who it was before you pulled it open but when you saw it was Frankie standing there your eyes grew to the size of saucers.
“Frank?” You all but whispered, “What are you doing here?”
“I came to talk.” He replied, “If that’s okay?”
You nodded. Opened the door and motioned for him to come in before closing it behind him. You led him to the lounge, muted the TV and motioned for him to sit as you plonked yourself back on the couch.
“How are you?” He asked although he knew that answer already.
“My life’s falling apart.” You scoffed “How do you think?”
“I’m sorry.” He replied, instantly regretting his question “How’s the baby?” He asked after a short pause and you sighed as you rubbed your now slightly swollen belly.
“They’re okay. Had my first scan and they were pleased with its progress so that’s positive.” You replied and he nodded “Why have you come here, Francisco?”
“I want to be a father to this baby.” He stated simply “If it’s mine and you want that.”
“Frankie I-”
“I reacted like a complete idiot when you told me but I was shocked.” He confessed “The last thing I’d been expecting you to tell me was that you were pregnant but I saw Sally today and she literally slapped sense into me and I… Well, baby, I love you and I want us to be a family but if just being a father is all you’re willing to give me then that’s fine.”
“And if we are a family and it turns out that it isn’t yours?”
“Then I will love it anyway.”
That was all you needed to hear. Next thing you knew you were on his lap and kissing him like you needed it to breathe. Finally pulling away to breathe you looked him in the eye and you smiled.
“Take that as a yes then.” He stated before you laughed and kissed him again.
It was definitely a yes.
~
6 Months Later…
“Well, shit that’s a cute kid.” Said Ben as he propped his head on Sally’s shoulder.
“He’s beautiful.” Sally gushed as she looked up at you and Frankie laying on the hospital bed.
“How are you feeling hun?” Ben asked as he came to stand beside you and place a sweet kiss on your brow.
“Exhausted.” You confessed and he chuckled “But I wouldn’t have been able to do it without Fishcakes here.”
“I thought we were past the nicknames.” He grumbled and you all chuckled.
“I just pushed your eight-pound baby out my vagina and now have stitches to prove it.” You scoffed “I can call you what I like.”
“Touchê.” He conceded and you chuckled.
“Did you have a paternity test done?” Ben asked and you both nodded
“I mean it’s obvious who his father is but Joe was adamant that we get it done. He wasn’t a happy bunny when the news was broken.” You stated.
“No, he was not.” Agreed Frankie as he rubbed his still sore jaw.
“You got a name yet?” Sally asked and you both shared a look before nodding.
“Luka.” You said in unison and the others gasped.
“Luka Morales.” Ben said, testing the name on his tongue “It suits you, little buddy.” He said as Sally handed him the baby.
As watched your best friend and Frankie’s coo over your newborn, a sense of peace washed over you. In the months that had followed, you discovered what true happiness felt like. The love and adoration Frank had showered you with had led you to realise that your life with Joe had never been good.
“You okay?” Frankie asked, quiet enough that only you could hear him.
“Yeah.” You replied as you rested your head on your shoulder “Tired but so fucking happy.”
“Me too.” He replied, kissing you sweetly before pulling away to look you in the eyes again “Marry me?” He asked and tears started to form in your tired eyes.
Frank instantly panicked “Or not… It was just an idea but if you don’t-”
“Yes.” You interrupted and he stopped dead in his tracks, eyes wide and you both stared at each other.
“Yes?”
“Yes Francisco Morales… Love of my life and father of my child.” You started, smiling at him sweetly “I will marry you.”
He kissed you deeply, stealing the air from your lungs before he broke it and rested his forehead against yours.
