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Chapter 10

Scotty rubbed his eyes. "Scotty wake up, we're home." Rosa shook her son's arm. "This ain't my house." He slurred and tried to go back to sleep.

"Levántate vamos, estás borracho." Rosa said sternly. Scotty shook his head and helped Lil out of his father's car.

She whimpered, "Scotty, my feet hurt. I wanna sleep now." She leaned on him.

"Ok Cielo, I'll take them off." He was about to drop to the floor but his dad grabbed him by the arm. "Later, not now." Rosa helped Lilly up the steps to their house.

They went inside the house. Lilly grabbed Scotty's hand. "We're going to sleep Valens." She said imperiously. Scotty nodded sleepily, "Si, mi Cielo" They went up the stairs into a hall and finally to Scotty's old room.

Scotty was tired and hot. He opened the window and started undressing. Lilly was drunker than he was because she was trying to slip out of that tight dress but couldn't remember how it actually worked. She kept trying to yank it up. Scotty's lustful eyes roamed over her legs and those shoes. "Come here Lil." He helped her to sit on the bed. She dropped there, Scotty removed the shoes, and he caressed her ankles. Lilly moaned and pulled him up. "I want to kiss you Scotty." She said softly but then passed out. "Me too Lil." He lay next to her and hugged her like he always did.

Lilly felt uncomfortable, she moaned and turned around. She saw Scotty's face inches away from her. He was fast asleep; his leg was over her hips. She was trapped against him. All she wanted to do was get out of the dress. Lil caressed his back and kissed his jaw. Scotty whispered something, but she didn't understand it. Lil dropped a few kisses on his chin and neck, enjoying herself. His hands caressed her back. He was responding to her few kisses. "Scotty, I want to get out of this dress." She rolled on top of him and undid her zipper on the side. She pulled it over her head and then fell on his chest. He placed his hands over her behind and she kissed his chest. She pulled the covers up, and snuggled into his warmth.

Rosa woke up at 11:00 AM. She went down to the kitchen and made breakfast. Ramiro was already in the shower and she knew that as soon as Scotty smelled the bacon he would be downstairs drinking coffee and orange juice as if his life depended on it. He would have a hangover, served him right for drinking that much. She hummed to herself and fried some eggs too. Ramiro came down and drank his coffee.

"Scotty up yet?" he asked while chewing on his toast. Rosa sat in front of him, "not yet. He must really be hungover." Rosa commented buttering her slices of bread.

They finished eating; Rosa separated plates for both Lilly and Scotty. She got a kiss from Ramiro. "I'm going down to the store and to get Lilly's car." Her husband left after that.

Rosa finished her chores and went upstairs to check on her son and his partner. It was 1:00 PM and there was no sound coming from them. She opened the door and peeked into the room. The room was chilly, Scotty still slept with the windows open. She saw her son and Lilly cuddling under the covers. Lilly's mop of blond hair covered her face. She stirred a little and Scotty moaned. "Time to get up Scotty." Rosa said. Scotty groaned and nuzzled Lil's neck. "Levántate Scott." Her son opened his eyes.

"Ma, what are you doing here?" He said surprisingly. His eyes widened comically. He stood up and realized that it wasn't the best idea. He had a pounding headache and was only wearing his underwear. Lilly groaned and whimpered, she buried her head on the pillow.

"Get dressed, there's some food and aspirin downstairs with your name on it. Please Scotty, close that window. Lilly is going to catch a cold." Rosa left the room. He thought how he would explain him and Lil sleeping on the same bed. He was half naked with an equally half naked Lilly. "Is your mom gone?" she asked rolling and facing him. She was wearing a light blue bra.

Scotty glanced at her chest; he recovered quickly, "Yeah Lil." He searched for clothes in the drawers he found underwear, shirts and jeans. His mom insisted on him keeping clothes at home, just in case.

"I want to take a shower. I feel disgusting." Lilly wrapped herself with the sheet and sat up.

"Bathroom is down to the left." Scotty said while holding his head. She glared at him, "thank you detective but there's a slight problem. I only have that dress and is not really comfortable." Scotty opened another drawer and found what he was looking for, a black shirt and basketball shorts. "Here you go, until we go back home." He led her to the bathroom and then went downstairs in search of that aspirin.

His mom was already cooking something, "what time is it?" he asked while drinking coffee and that precious aspirin. "Almost 4:00 PM. how's Lilly doing?" she asked casually. She was cutting pieces of chicken. He looked away before he felt more nauseous.

"I think she's doing better than me. She's taking a shower right now." He sat down and rubbed his temples.

"I saw you two in bed." Rosa grabbed a plate and served him cereal.

Scotty was on defense mode immediately, "it's not like that Ma." He said swiftly.

"Not like what?" she asked and sat in front of him. Scotty felt nervous all of the sudden. "She's my best friend, whatever you saw, we're just friends." Scotty said clearly.

"I wasn't implying anything mijo." She said with a sparkle and a smile. She wouldn't drop the issue and he knew it. He had to do something before Lil came downstairs."Mami please, just let it be." He said seriously.

Rosa nodded and changed the subject, "Your dad should be home soon. He went to get Lilly's car." Scotty was grateful that his mother did this for him.

He gulped more coffee and ate his cereal quietly. Lilly walked down the stairs, she looked pale, "Lilly, are you ok?" Rosa asked concernedly.

"I'm fine. I'm sorry Rosa; I shouldn't have drunk that much at the party. I didn't do anything stupid, did I?" his partner accepted a cup of orange juice.

Once his mom was out of earshot Lilly unleashed her fury on him. She punched him on the shoulder. "Ouch Lil?" he winced and looked at her, she was mad.

"This is all your fault. You are supposed to be my best friend. Why did you let me drink at all last night?" She hissed, while looking over her shoulder to check on his mom.

Scotty frowned at her, "How is it my fault Lil? I was just as drunk as you were." He pointed out. Lilly glared at him, "we'll it's your fault because you rushed me to get inside the venue and I forgot my things inside the car." He opened his mouth to say something but his mom interrupted their argument.

"Your dad called he's on his way with Lilly's car." She gave Lilly a cup of tea. "Scotty, go take a shower. Lunch will be ready in an hour. Mike and Allie should be getting here soon. Scotty did as he was told; he showered, changed clothes and came downstairs. He heard Lilly laughing and his mother's voice. "He really did that?" Lilly asked.

"Oh yes. He was convinced that I wouldn't notice that he was faking," more Lilly laughter.

"What are you two talking about?" he sat next to Lil who was in the couch. "Your mom was showing me your baby pictures. She told me about that time you faked the chicken pox with a red marker." She wiped her eyes.

"It ain't that funny Lil." He said to her partner.

"He was adorable. He would retouch the marks before he went into the shower." Rosa remarked and showed her a picture of him when he was about six. He was grinning, his two front teeth missing. "I was a kid. I thought it would work." He smiled when Lilly laughed some more. She was gorgeous when she was smiling. He tried to not look in her direction too much. He knew that his mom was watching him closely.

His Pops arrived; Lilly stood up and thanked him. "Thank you Ramiro. I better go home now. "Nonsense muchacha. You'll stay and have late lunch with us." His Pops smiled. "Scotty will drive you home later." Lilly protested but it was useless to argue with his parents.

Lilly understood where Scotty inherited his stubbornness. Both Ramiro and Rosa were something else. Rosa pulled her to the kitchen and recruited her help. "I'm not really a good cook." She said despondently. "Don't worry cariño, you won't be doing anything complicated." She had no other option. Soon Mike, Allie and the kids were at the house. Allie joined them in the kitchen. "Alejandra is asleep I put her in your room Rosa." She grabbed some onions and started chopping next to Lilly.

"Where is Emilio?" Rosa sat next to Allie. Lilly liked these two women; they accepted her and befriended her immediately after Scotty's accident. Rosa called her every week, she called more than Paul, at first she was overwhelmed but Lilly liked the attention Rosa gave her. Allie called too, not as often as Rosa but they became friends over time.

Allie sighed, "He's with Mike. Ramiro, Scotty and him are teaching him how to play dominoes."

"I don't think he should learn to play it. Scotty and Mike became obsessed after Ramiro taught them how to play." Rosa said casually.

"Mike says is harmless, it's not a long game either." Allie shrugged.

"That's not the point Allie, it's addictive especially for a young boy. If Emilio inherited the Valens competitiveness he'll even talk in his sleep about it." Lilly thought back to Scotty, he so was competitive. Him and Vera would bicker, sometimes even fight over who was right about sports trivia. "I haven't heard Emilio talk in his sleep but Mike sure does." Allie laughed, "the other night we had an entire conversation in Spanish. He only whispers in Spanish. I was trying to switch him to English but he never did." Rosa laughed.

"Scotty can switch." Lilly said concentrated on peeling potatoes. She didn't notice Allie and Rosa smiling widely at each other.

"What do you mean?" Rosa asked trying to sound distracted. The detective failed to detect the eagerness and innuendo in her voice. She didn't realize she was giving away precious information. "Scotty speaks on his sleep, he speaks in Spanish most of the time but I can get him to speak in English. I've been trying to get him to tell me what cielo means."

Allie answered immediately without even thinking about it, "it means sky, the heavens." Lilly smiled her face lighting up. "It does?" She said with awe in her voice.

"Yeah Lil. Why?" Allie smiled at Lilly's face, she really was beautiful.

"Nothing I heard it somewhere." Lilly kept smiling to herself.

Lilly helped Scotty set the table while Mike and Emilio finished a game. Lilly couldn't help but smile at him. "You're sweet Valens." She kissed his cheek and he smiled back. "I like this treatment." He winked at her.

They had late lunch, early dinner. Lilly laughed, talked about different topics with this family that welcomed her ever since Scotty properly introduced her. "Lilly you have to spend the holidays with us. Did my son tell you that he's working on Christmas Eve?" Rosa asked over cheesecake and coffee.

"I'm sorry Rosa, I'm spending Christmas with my sister and niece in L.A." Lilly said with a smile. "Scotty actually made it possible. He switched with one of our coworkers so that I could have three days." Rosa looked at her son and kissed him. "You're such a good man."

"Ma please," Scotty looked embarrassed, he never liked to be the center of attention when he did something like sacrifice his holiday time for a friend.

Alejandra, Mike's daughter toddled into the living room and climbed over Scotty. "Hi uncle Scotty." She was four years old and Lilly thought she was the cutest little girl.

Her partner picked her up and talked to her in Spanglish. Allie encouraged her children to speak in Spanish as much as they could. Ale as Scotty called her talked quickly to him and made big gestures with her little hands. Lilly thought they looked adorable. Her partner had a way with children. When Becky and Christina stayed with her the little girl would smile and coo at him all the times he visited.

Lilly and Scotty left before Mike and Allie. "I really have to go home. I have to feed my cats." Lil almost forgot about Olivia and Tripod. "I should be going too. Don't worry Mike; Lil's going to drive me home. Bye guys, see you next Sunday." They said their goodbyes and went home.

As soon as they were in the house Scotty ambushed her. "You said you had a gift for me. My birthday was yesterday so…" He extended his hand and waited for her to magically present him with a gift. Lilly went into their bedroom and came back with a small bag. Scotty took it and saw what was inside. "Lil, this is too much. Where did you get this?" He looked like one of those pictures Rosa showed her early he was like an excited kid. "I made some calls. It's just a baseball glove."

He kissed her forehead, "oh Lil, silly little Lil. You're wonderful. This is an autographed glove by Danys Baez." He looked at the glove one more time and then kissed her again. That night Lilly listened carefully trying to hear Scotty. He called her mi Cielo one more time and kissed her shoulder. She slept with a smile on her face.