I won't hurt you. - Pedri Gonzalez

Chapter Seventy Sixth

"Come on, Mateo can't see you like this. I promise we'll get through this, together" I kiss his cheek, reassuring him. He wipes his last tears and nods.

I help him up from the floor and he gives me a hug. I can tell he's still frustrated and hurt. I look back toward the car and signal for Fernando to come out. He nods and grabs Mateo from the backseat. Mateo seems to be distanced by now.

"They should be inside now" Fernando says, referring to their parents.
"Let's not mention Tania for tonight. They'll have plenty of new information" Pedro whispers to me. I nod.
"Come on Teo, let's go meet your abuelos" I smile. Mateo cheers, causing us to laugh. Pedro takes him into his arms and we walk inside behind Fernando.

As we approach then I can tell they get excited, then confused, and back to a moment of happiness.
"Hijo" they smile as Pedro walks over and gives them a big hug. He kisses his mother's cheek.
"Surprise" he says as he signals over to me.
"Is it really true? Are you both back together?" His father asks. We both nod causing his mother to cheer.
"I've missed you two together. You're perfect together" she smiles.
"And this is Mateo...your grandson" Pedro says nervously. They both pause and look in shock.
"Wait what?"
"Mateo, he's my son" Pedro says. They both turn toward me as if questioning. I nod with tears in my eyes.
"I'm so sorry I never told you" I say.
"It's okay. We completely understand. We're just in shock" his mother says pulling me into a hug.
"Mateo, this is your abuelo and abuela" Pedro says. Mateo smiles and walks over to greet them. They pull him into a hug, and his abuela kisses his cheek.
"He's so handsome. He looks just like you when you were a child" she says to Pedro.

Eventually we're all seated, having dinner together. Pedro sits beside me and I hold his swollen hand in mine. I gently rub his knuckles that have since dried with blood on them. I could tell he was still tense and dealing with his own thoughts, but doing his best to hide it for his parents.

Dinner was going smoothly, and everyone was getting along. I was so grateful for how understanding Pedro's parents were. We put all that behind us, and all tried to move on for the sake of Mateo.

____

Later that night, Fernando dropped us back off at the hotel. I got Mateo into his pjs and got him to bed. I kept the lamp on with the tv playing in the back to help him sleep. Pedro had been seated out on the balcony, on the phone with his agent and lawyers. I gave him some time and space to figure it out. But after sometime I decided to check on him.

I walked out and he looked up at me with a small smile. His eyes were puffy and red. He put his hand out to mine and pulled me over to him. He sat me on his lap and I leaned against him.

"What are they saying?" I ask.
"Not much. Just to stay out of the public eye much. Not say a word to any media, the usual" he sighs. I take his bruised knuckle back into my hand. I rub it gently once again.
"I'm sorry you're dealing with this. It's not fair-"
"No, it's not fair to you or Mateo. This is going to be all over the media and everyone is going to have something to say. Now we can't enjoy our vacation" he replies.
"It's okay. All that matters is we're together. We'll have many other trips to take. Let's just get through this first"
"How did I get so lucky?" He sighs and leans over to kiss my cheek.
"Nothing will split us apart ever again. I promise" I smile and kiss him back.

We sit at listen to the waves crash as he holds me in his arms. Enjoy a moment of peace and quiet before things get out of hand.

____

the next day:
Today was our last day here in las Palmas. It was very important for Pedro to return back to Barcelona, and I didn't plan on leaving him alone. His lawyers had received a notice from the police that Pedro had to report to the police station. Our plans completely changed, but like I said I didn't want to leave him alone at a time like this.

Pedro left early in the morning to talk to his parents and let them know of everything going on. In the meantime I got our things repacked while Mateo slept.

We planned to have breakfast with Pedro's parents before heading out.

____

After breakfast we headed straight to the airport. We checked in our bags and said goodbye to Fernando who was dropping us off.

"I'll meet you in Barcelona after finishing up some things here" he says to Pedro who nods.

We quickly make our way through security and to our gate, where we wait for our plane to arrive.

____

We arrive in Barcelona where Eric would be picking us up. Our plane lands and we head toward the exit with our bags. Eric still isn't here so we wait by the exit. While standing there we're suddenly pulled aside by the paparazzi. Pedro holds Mateo close in his arms as we try and move away.

"Pedri! Pedri! Is it true what they're saying? Did you really hit your ex- Tania?" One man asks.
Pedro rolls his eyes and tries to move away.
"Pedri, who's this boy you have with you? Are you helping raise Garnachos son?" Another man says. Pedro turns and stops in his tracks.
"No! This is my son! Stop making up rumors and lies" he yells at the man.
"Pedro- calm down amor. Don't answer anything. They're only going to make it worse" I whisper as i pull him by his arm. He sighs and nods.

We exit the airport in hopes that Eric is nearby. Suddenly we hear him call out our names and we rush over. The paparazzi still following behind us.

We get in quickly and Eric drives off.
"Sorry, there was so much traffic" Eric sighs.

We drive into the city, and toward Eric's house. Since this is so sudden we just need some time to think about what's going to happen. I give Mateo a quick snack on the drive home before he has to take his nap.

____

We finally arrive at Eric's house and head inside. Eric offers to get Mateo to bed for his nap while Pedro and I talk.

We head to the backyard where we sit by the pool.
"I'm supposed to meet my lawyers this afternoon at the police station. I'm not sure what's going to happen. But I promise I didn't mean for her to get hurt" Pedro looks at me with sadness.
"I know amor. I know. I believe you. It just sucks that it happened. Maybe you should spend the night here, she knows where you live and she's not going to leave you alone" I say.
He nods.
"I'm going to have to sell that place. You and I can get our own place with Mateo. A much safer place, where we can all love together"
"I'd love that" I smile and kiss his cheek.
"But let's focus on getting through this first" I add. He shakes his head.
"I've already told my assistant to look into houses for us. I'm ready for us to be a family for real"

I smile, excited for this new chapter. I can't wait to wake up next to Pedro everyday. For us to spend our days together with Mateo.

We're brought back to reality when he gets a call from his lawyer. He tells him to meet with them immediately, so he must go.

He pulls me into a hug and places a kiss on my lips.
"Te quiero tanto flaca"
"Te quiero más" I kiss him back.