Cecilia held her tongue, her face tight. Bruno studied her, clocking the way she flinched earlier when he'd mentioned any possible tie to the Ryan family.
"So, they really are your enemies?" Bruno murmured.
Santos, always nosy, jumped in with, "Mom, who's the bad guy? Is someone messing with you? Just tell me and I'll deal with it!"
Cecilia shot him a look, wrestling down the storm inside. She ruffled his hair. "It's nothing, sweetheart. Don't listen to your dad's nonsense."
Cecilia didn't spill any details, but Bruno could feel it in his gut—there was way more history between her and the Ryans in Port City than she was letting on.
He decided not to push it and went back to flipping through a magazine.
Later, a loud thud followed by Bruno's pained groan jerked Cecilia awake. She bolted out to find him on the floor, face twisted in a grimace.
"How do you manage to fall out of a bed this huge?" she teased, hauling him up.
Bruno winced. "I was trying to get to the bathroom and tripped."
"Didn't I give you a bedpan for emergencies?" she shot back, pointedly.
"I told you, I'm not using that!" Bruno snapped, stubborn as a mule.
"Fine. Your call, your misery," Cecilia sighed, too exhausted to argue at this ungodly hour. Grudgingly, she helped him to the bathroom, listening to the water run as she waited outside.
"All that stubbornness just to end up suffering," she muttered under her breath.
When Bruno emerged, he declared, "I need a shower."
Cecilia, groggy and thoroughly ticked off, shot him a look. "You can't get your wounds wet!"
With the summer heat, Bruno felt sticky and gross, unable to sleep a wink. "Just help me wash a little," he pleaded.
She jabbed a finger at herself, eyes wide. "Help you? Ever hear of 'a gentleman and a lady don't just go around touching each other'?"
Bruno wasn't thrilled about asking for her help, but he was out of options. "You already saw everything last night. Why the sudden coy act?"
"I was saving your life!" Cecilia shot back, frustration climbing. "That's totally different!"
"If I don't clean up, I might as well be dead. Help me out just this once," Bruno urged, his voice turning sincere.
She studied the pampered prince standing before her and let out a long breath. "One more million on top of the reward."
Bruno didn't even flinch. "Deal."
Truth was, Cecilia wasn't holding her breath for extra cash—she doubted she'd ever see the original promised amount. The demand was more for her own peace of mind.
Pretending this whole thing might actually be worth her time, she grabbed some plastic wrap and a stool and rolled up her sleeves. "Off with your clothes," she commanded.
Bruno managed to get his shirt off but couldn't bend enough to lose the pants because of the gash in his abdomen. "You're gonna have to handle this."
Chanting "one million, one million" in her head, Cecilia worked quick, dying to crawl back to bed. She bent down and yanked his trousers, accidentally pulling way more than she meant to in her sleep-deprived haze.
Startled by her own screwup, she whipped around, blushing like she'd been lit on fire.
"CECILIA!!!" Bruno's voice was pure outrage.
"That was straight-up harassment!"
She'd never landed in a situation like this before. She fumbled to help him get dressed again, covering her embarrassment with clumsy speed. "I might as well throw myself in the river…"
"And yet here you are!" Bruno shot back, watching her hands tremble like mad.
Sighing, he ordered, "You've already seen it. Open your damn eyes!"
"No need, I can do this blind!" Cecilia insisted, totally mortified.
"I'm worried about where exactly your hands might wander off to!" he countered.
Her eyes flew open.
Once he was dressed and his wounds properly wrapped, the tiny bathroom felt even more cramped with the two of them this close.
Her fingers brushed against his rock-hard abs, and some traitorous flutter went off in her chest.
To kill the awkward silence, she blurted, "Damn, you're built—how do you even get in shape?"
The second the words left her mouth, she realized they sounded way too flirty. She silently cursed her runaway curiosity.
Bruno, picking up on the vibe, shot her a smirk. "Wanna check it out up close?"
"Well, that's wildly inappropriate…" Cecilia muttered, feeling like her own curiosity had just sold her out.
Her interest only cranked up Bruno's suspicion.
"Go ahead, take a feel. I dare you," Bruno's tone was more teasing than serious.
Resigning herself to his so-called generosity, she gave his chest a hesitant squeeze, genuinely stunned by how firm he was.
Bruno caught her lingering hand and held it tight. "Cecilia, you looking for trouble?"
"You offered!" she defended, wildly.
"Oh, so we're playing innocent now?" Bruno teased.
He yanked her closer, an arm snaking around her waist. "You went around calling me your husband in front of everyone—hoping to make it real?"
Cecilia, bold in spirit but shy when it came to real action, felt a sudden chill at his closeness.
"No, that's not what this is…" she stammered.
Bruno's voice dropped to a murmur. "More than the five hundred grand, you just want me, don't you? You could've just said so. I'm not against it."
He tipped her chin up to force her eyes to meet his. "I can't fulfill every single desire you've got yet, but how about we start with a kiss?"
As he leaned in, Cecilia fought every urge to smack that smug smirk off his face. But she was smart enough not to go pissing off the prized heir of the Ryan family.
Pulling herself together, she mocked, "You're really enjoying your little game, aren't you?"
Bruno, seemingly clueless about how heavy his words landed, chuckled. "I just found out who I really am. I was a coward to ditch you and Santos back then. I didn't tell you about who I was sooner because I was terrified you'd hold it over my head. Forgive me, yeah?"
Cecilia realized Lincoln hadn't told him the part about Shelby Wright.
"So you're not scared I'll hold you accountable now?" she jabbed.
Bruno grinned. "I'm ready to make it up to you. Should I kneel right here or in the bedroom?"
His playful charm did a little damage to her anger, slicing it down some.
Gently taking her hand, he spoke with more earnestness. "I messed up. Coming back into the family was brutal. I hid who I was partly to keep you from shouldering any unnecessary crap. Let's hash this whole thing out, and maybe I'll even remember why I left you in the first place."
Cecilia dropped her gaze.
Thinking back over recent events, she remembered bringing a bloody Bruno into her home. It was dead obvious he lived a dangerous life—ordinary people didn't have enemies like his. His secrecy was probably what kept her out of harm's way.
She wanted the real truth about Bruno and Shelby, but she knew counting on either of them was pointless. One was in a coma, the other had lost his damn memory.
For now, she'd have to rely on herself.
"We can put our issues on pause," she told him. "Go handle your own affairs."
"I'll introduce you formally to my grandparents and parents," he suggested.
Uncertain about Bruno's real standing, Cecilia still felt the older couple deserved respect on an occasion like this.
Gathering her skirt, she tried to stand, but the pins and needles from sitting too long and those killer heels almost sent her crashing down.
Bruno caught her deftly.
"Should I just carry you?" he quipped.
They hadn't exactly been close lately, but his stupidly handsome face and how near he stood left her momentarily flustered.
Way too damn good-looking for his own good—a walking temptation.
She frowned, stretched out her legs, and pushed him off. "Who needs your help?"
Smoothing down her dress, she walked off like she owned the place.
Santos showed up hauling two massive platters of desserts. "Dad! Mom! The chef made two huge spiced honey cakes just for me! You guys have gotta try them!"
Bruno scooped Santos up and grabbed one of the plates. "Dad's not hungry, and Mom's had enough sweets for the day. Eat too much and you'll get sick. Save some for later, okay?"
Santos's face fell. "But the chef made them just for me and put in extra fruit!"
Seeing that pout, Bruno caved instantly. "Alright, alright, I'll eat it! Can't let all my son's hard work go to waste."
Santos broke into a huge grin and shoved a giant piece into Bruno's mouth. "It's so yummy! Later let's ask Grandpa if we can take some home for later!"
Bruno, his mouth full, managed, "Don't need to take 'em home. This is your home now. And hey, it's 'Great-Grandpa' from now on."
Santos furrowed his brows. "Why 'Great-Grandpa'? And why is this our home? Our home's in Westfield."
Bruno explained, "This is where Dad grew up, so it's your home too. Grandpa is my grandpa, so you call him 'Great-Grandpa.' Got it?"
Santos nodded, still looking a little lost. "OK."
Another piece of cake followed, piling onto Bruno's contentment.
After Cecilia had greeted the family matriarch, Conor Vargas came up to her with, "Cecilia, my grandson came back today. The foolish way he treated you before was dead wrong. I'll have him apologize properly later!"
Feeling the weight of a hundred eyes on her, Cecilia froze up. "Um, about that…"
Explaining her whole tangled relationship with Bruno under this much scrutiny felt impossible.
Nearby, Lincoln could barely hold in his laughter.
Bruno made his way over with Santos just as Conor asked, "Why are you holding Cecilia's son? You two back together or something?"
Santos chirped up, "Great-Grandpa!"
Then, turning to the matriarch, "Happy Thanksgiving, Great-Grandma!"
Conor stared, confused. "Why the fancy new title today?"
Bruno finished off his cake and faced him. "Grandpa, Grandma, let me officially introduce Cecilia as my wife and Santos as my son."
Conor's eyes nearly popped out. "You said what? Cecilia and you… But Cecilia's married, she's got a husband!"
His head spun.
Bruno set the record straight. "Her husband has always been me. Santos is our son from way back. I'll fill you in later."
Conor swung around to Lincoln. "Didn't you once say that… something was handled? Tell me you're not serious!"
Lincoln, dancing with mischief, said, "Just a little trick to stop you from swiping Santos. My bad!"
"You sneaky little—!" Conor raised his cane, fuming.
Meanwhile, Brock Baker snapped out of his daze, completely floored. He turned on Cecilia. "You're telling me your husband has been Bruno this whole damn time?"
Earlier, after watching Bruno's rise, Cecilia had a hunch Brock might be his biggest rival.
She gave him a sly smile. "Yep. He's been right under your nose the whole time. Wishing you'd found him sooner?"
Brock ground his teeth, pasting on fake regret. "Of course. Had we known he was here, we wouldn't have wasted all that effort hunting for him, only to be fooled by some look-alike."
Feigning shock, Cecilia said, "Hell of a coincidence, someone looking so much like him, especially carrying the family heirloom."
Brock's mouth twitched. "An impossible coincidence."
He rounded on her, accusing, "You found Bruno and hid it from Grandma and Aunt, letting them worry themselves sick. Was there some hidden agenda?"
Then he pushed further. "Was all that caring for Shelby Wright and helping Grandma just part of some calculated scheme?"
Cecilia's words jammed in her throat. She realized she was being painted as the villain.
She cut straight through the fake politeness. "You just never miss a chance to drag my name through the mud, do you?"
Brock, boiling mad, fired back, "Talking back like that in front of your elders—you think you can just waltz into the Ryan family? Keep dreaming!"
Cecilia met his anger with icy calm. "Are you the one calling the shots here?"
"You—!" Brock spluttered.
To him, Cecilia was clearly an enemy he'd never be able to avoid.
