Healing Hearts

by Reina Torres

  “Two days,” she blurted out the words, “I get my results in two days.” He could hear her let out a loud breath on the other end of the call. “If you still want to try this-”

  “Not if, babe. Stan will tell you I don’t scare easy. Bullets, explosions are fine. But, your dad can be a little scary, so you’ll have to have my back.”

  The phone was silent for a long moment.

  “Stella?” He tried to laugh it off. “Are you saying I have to handle your dad on my own?”

  A soft strangled laugh was his answer. “Listen to you, the big hero needing my help. Fine, fine. I’ll have your back if you have mine. I’ll text you the details.”

  “All right,” he felt a weight roll off of his shoulders, “I’ll see you in two days.”

  The call ended and he turned to the guys, his eyes slowly raising to meet their curious looks.

  Dax was the first to speak, dropping the basketball and trapping it between his feet. “That was Stella?”

  Kyle nodded his head. “How much did you hear?”

  They all spared a glance with each other.

  Trey was the one most eager to stick his neck out. “Sounds like she’s got you by the-”

  “Careful now,” Kyle gave him a narrowed look, “that’s the woman I love that you’re talking about.”

  The assembled group went still, waiting for the other shoe to fall. He didn’t blame them. Until he’d said the words to Stella, he hadn’t been sure of them himself.

  And when Kyle seemed too stunned to talk, the others were happy to fill in. Gabe first. “So, how does it feel?”

  Kyle raised his gaze to the eldest of the DeLucas. “What?”

  “Falling for the right woman.”

  “Falling for a woman who’ll put up with your crap.” Adam used a towel to wipe the sweat off of his face.

  “A woman like that,” Roman chuckled, pushing the damp hair from his face, “is tougher than Wonder Woman.”

  Trey took in a breath and winced, bracing his hand against his side. “She’d need to be to put up with the Hulk.” He gave Kyle a glare that spoke volumes.

  But Kyle missed it, his friends’ words twisting around in his head.

  “Hey,” Dax stepped up to his side and gave him a little nudge. “You take a hit to the head I didn’t see?”

  Kyle looked up at him with a grin that had more than a few of the guys looking on in worry. “What are you guys doing in two days?”

  Adam stood from the bench and draped the towel around his neck. “What’s this about?”

  “I need some help.” He saw their curious looks. “A bunch of heroes.”

  Chapter 19

  The morning she was due to get her results, Stella was dressed and ready at the door when Mira pulled up in Teo’s Wrangler. Stella peered into the car from the passenger window and struggled to hold in her disappointment. “I thought Teodoro was coming?”

  Mira gave her an exaggerated eye roll. “I’m not enough? Chopped liver?” Waving her closer, Mira gave the passenger seat a pat. “I can drive the big car. And besides, Teo will meet us later.” When Stella didn’t open the door, Mira’s expression went a little grey. “Oh hey, I’m sorry. I tend to try to laugh things off, but if you don’t want to-”

  “No,” Stella pulled on the door handle, “don’t mind me, I keep drifting off, thinking about the million and one things that the results could say. Seriously though, thanks for the ride. I was a little jittery this morning. Couldn’t decide what to wear so I went with comfort. Tshirt, leggings, sneakers… in case I need to run screaming into the hills.” She closed the door and managed to buckle her seatbelt.

  Mira quietly reached over and took her hand for a little squeeze and Stella was reminded of how much Mira had become part of their St. Helena family and a dear friend to her as well. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make it sound like I didn’t appreciate you.”

  “You let us lean on you enough, girl.” Mira gave her a wink and turned onto the next street. “Now we’re going to be here for you, too.”

  A few more streets and then Mira slowed the car as they turned toward the hospital, her eyes scanning the road. Stella noticed the change in their speed and leaned to the side to look out the window. “What’s with all the cars?”

  Keeping her hands on the wheel, Mira gave a little shrug. “Looks like there’s some kind of event going on.”

  Stella leaned back in the passenger seat of the Wrangler with a little sigh. “I wasn’t looking forward to this appointment anyway. But having a huge audience?”

  Mira reached over and gave her arm a pat. “Hey, let’s keep things upbeat, right?”

  Stella squared her shoulders and nodded. “Yeah, I know. I can do this.” She covered Mira’s hand with her own. “It means the world to me that you’re here.”

  “Hey,” Mira met her eyes for a moment in the rearview mirror, “you’ve got a lot of people who will be there for you either way.”

  “Thanks. Sometimes it helps, just to hear it every once in a while.” Stella turned back to the window, and leaned closer to the glass. “Is that Stan?”

  Mira looked out of the same window. “Looks like, and,” she grinned, putting on her turn signal, “it looks like he’s found us a parking space.”

  Stella let out a breath, shaking a little as she lifted her hand to wave at the older man.

  When the car stopped, Stella picked up her purse and pulled it out of the car in her wake, eager to get a hug. When she leaned in, Stan’s beard tickled her cheek. “Good to see you.”

  “Lovely to see you too, honey.” Stan pressed a kiss to her forehead before he let her back away.

  Stella let a moment go by before she asked, “Is Kyle here?”

  She hoped she didn't sound too eager, or even worse, doubtful

  “He's on his way.” Stan walked them to the front of the hospital at the top of the driveway. “He said we should wait for him here.”

  “Okay,” Stella caught sight of a few nurses standing at the floor to ceiling windows at the front of the lobby. She lifted a hand to wave at them, but she didn’t have to look at their nametags to know who they were. They all worked with Dr. Arliss and they’d had plenty of time to get to know Stella during her original battle with cancer. Now, seeing them standing at the window with beaming smiles, she didn’t know what to think. Mira laughed behind her and someone tugged at her elbow.

  “Turn around, sweetheart.”

  Stella turned to look at Stan, and watched him point down the driveway with a smile. The bright morning sun outside made it hard for her to see very far, but she did see a large group of people walking up the driveway with flashes of bright pink in the crowd. As the mass of people neared, a small group broke away and came to a stop just shy of the curb.

  Lifting her hand to her chest, Stella felt her heart pounding under her palm as she took in the scene before her.

  Along with her dear friend, Teodoro Santini, the amassed group included all the DeLuca and Baudouin men.

  In costume.

  Kyle was wearing a pair of torn pants, belted on with a few lengths of pink paracord, his skin completely covered in pink body paint that made him look like the Hulk had taken a bath in bubble gum. As he walked toward her, his white teeth nearly disappeared against his bright pink face. “Hey, babe.”

  “Hey.” She blushed, the color deepening as he came close enough to touch. “Looks like you’ve been busy.”

  “Oh, yeah,” he turned to look at the guys. “I had a little time on my hands.”

  She picked up one of his hands in hers and looked askance at the pink covered surface. “I guess so.”

  When she looked back up into his eyes he blurted out a question. “You want me to go in with you?”

  Stella froze, her hand shaking against his. “I can go on my own,” she struggled to place a smile on her lips, but it didn’t quite get there.

  “You don’t have to.” He turned their hands and held hers securely in his, “I tol
d you I’m in this no matter what.”

  The front doors of the hospital slid open and Dr. Arliss stepped outside, closing the space between them with her quick and efficient strides. Blinking into the bright spring sunlight, she lifted a hand to shield her eyes. “Goodness, that’s a lot of pink, Kyle.”

  He shrugged. “It’s worth it.”

  She looked between Kyle and Stella, their hands still joined between them. “I see.”

  Stella gave her doctor the slightest of smiles. “Do you,” she licked her lips and paced out her words, “want me to go inside to your office?”

  Dr. Arliss stepped closer to Stella and whispered into her ear. It took a minute but when it was over, Stella wrapped an arm around her doctor and gave her a big kiss on her cheek. “Thank you.”

  When Stella turned back to Kyle she did it with a big smile lighting her face. “It’s okay,” she gasped then she finally got the words out, “I’m okay.”

  “No,” he shook his head and gave her a big grin, “you’re perfect.” Before she could say anything in return, he bent down, wrapped his arms around her, and lifted her into the air for a big kiss that sent the crowd into cheers.

  It took a moment for Kyle to set her back on her feet, but when he did her clothes were smudged pink from the body paint that Kyle had been wearing. One look at the front of her shirt told her she was going to have to retire it to the rag pile when she took it off later that night. “So,” she murmured as her feet touched the lawn, “what’s with the dress up party?”

  “The party is for you, babe.” He turned her back toward the group. Jack Tanner stood at one end dressed as Thor. The pink hammer he held in one hand made her smile, but the banner he held in his other hand put tears in her eyes.

  FIRST ANNUAL CONSTANZA VINCENZO BREAST CANCER RUN

  “My mom.” The words burst from her lips as she saw the other men smiling back at her. Roman and his son stood beside Jack in matching Superman and Superboy costumes with bright pink capes. Gabe stood beside them in an outfit that looked like a male version of Wonder Woman while he held Holly in his arms. His little ballerina had one pink legwarmer on her leg, the other was on Gabe’s forearm. Nate looked suspiciously like Beast from X-men, with blue fur and a bright pink pair of briefs molded to him. The few patches of missing fur from the costume were probably due to Mittens munching on it, but she’d never point it out to him while she was struggling not to cry. Trey was next, dressed as Robin to Cooper’s Batman, both had pink utility belts and matching masks. Jonah’s version of Cat-man was patched together with pink pieces of something that looked like vinyl that reflected a pink arc of light over Teo’s Colossus costume and Dax’s G I Joe fatigues in pink and grey patterns.

  “So you guys are all-“

  “Superheroes,” he gave her a lopsided grin, “which is pretty much what we think you are.” He looked over at the gathered crowd of ladies waiting on the side. “What all of you are to us. Without you, we would be just a bunch of lonely, brooding, nutcases.”

  “But, you’d all still be hot.” Lexi only had eyes for Marco who was wearing a pink apron and chef’s hat.

  Stella laughed along with the crowd, her face a mix of relief and utter joy.

  Kyle tugged her closer to his side. “So we’re here today to raise awareness for the importance of exams and early detection. And to show you how much of a hero you are to me.”

  Stella blinked back tears and leaned up to give him a kiss, her hand circling around his neck, and brushing against the short cropped hair at the back of his neck.

  When she leaned back, her heart thundering loudly in her chest, she couldn’t help the laugh that burst from her lips. The pink paint on his face was smeared around his mouth. Stella touched her fingers to her lips and wondered aloud. “Is it really noticeable?”

  Kyle leaned forward and gave her another peck on the lips. “It looks good on you.”

  She grabbed his forearms and pulled him closer so she could whisper against his lips. “I look good on you too, but we’ll get to that later.”

  “Oh? We will, will we?”

  “We’ll get there,” she promised him. Stella stepped back and pointed at the line of men behind him all with their costumes touched with pink. “But first, it looks like you have a bunch of guys ready for a run.”

  The guys handed the banner over to the ladies and got behind the chalked line drawn across the road. Stella started walking toward the gathered group of women at the sidelines, setting up the tables of refreshments, but she stopped when Kyle tugged at her arm and pulled her back.

  “You know, right?”

  She blinked up at him. “Know what?”

  He stared down at her and she could have sworn she saw his eyes darken as they narrowed on her. “How much I love you?”

  Her smile went all the way to her toes. “Just as much as I love you, you pain in the ass.”

  “Yeah,” Kyle brushed a kiss over her forehead and groaned, “but you know that if… if the tests had come back the other way. I would have been there beside you until you beat it again. You know that, right?”

  She swallowed and watched him do the same, his Adam’s apple bobbing behind the pink painted skin of his neck. “Yeah. Just like I’d be there for you through anything.”

  He nodded, a slow but certain punctuation to end their little discussion. “Good.” Kyle lifted his head to look at the group of guys waiting behind the start line. “Now I’m going to go and beat them all to the finish.” He started to move away, but her hand grabbed his arm and brought him back to her side.

  “I’m coming with you.”

  Kyle nodded and ran over to the starting line, squeezing in amongst the superheroes of St. Helena, and laughing at the good-hearted smack talk amongst the men. She didn’t even have to listen for the starter’s whistle she just took off down the road when Kyle moved beside her. She felt a rush of hope within her chest, and she knew she was ready to face anything knowing he would be there by her side. She’d healed her body a long time ago, but it had taken Kyle to heal her heart.

  About the Author

  Love - Romance - Books

  Aren't they all the same thing?

  Oh, I sure hope so!

  I've been reading romance books for what seems like forever. When I was a teen, the days that I wasn't in dance class after school I'd go to the mall to wait for my mom to finish work for the day and my haunt of choice the bookstore. Or I’d sit at the typewriter in the backroom of her office and clack away at stories of my own.

  Whether it was Scottish Lairds, Medieval Knights, Regency Gents, Rough and Tumble Cowboys, or handsome modern Heroes, I loved them all! There was always another hero and heroine to follow through page after page of breathless love!

  I really hope that my readers will enjoy some of the same thrills as discover characters to love betwee

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