Ricardo's laying in bed, dozing with Andre snuggled up close to his arm. He stirs a little at the sound of a giggle, and again at a soft tapping noise. "What?" he mumbles, squinting an eye open and looking around.
Alicia's giggle washes over him and he relaxes into the bedding, looking up at her as he yawns sluggishly. "Sorry," she says. "You two just looked so cute, I couldn't resist." She holds her phone steady and takes another picture before putting it aside and crawling into bed with her two boys. "Do you remember what today is?" she wonders, pressing a kiss to Ricardo's lips, then Andre's forehead.
"May 1st," Ricardo offers, his eyes fluttering shut until Alicia barks out a laugh at him, kissing him again. "No?"
"No." She leans in and presses more kisses to Ricardo's face before murmuring, "It's non-compete expiration date."
Ricardo blinks hard, turning to squint at her. "Oh, really," he says with a smile. "Well, well. Are you happy?"
"Ecstatic," she sighs, wiggling around in his arms. "I don't even know where to begin, there's so many things I want to do, and things I want to experience." She sits up and rests her hands on Ricardo's. "But first I want to thank you for being so supportive while I waited for this day to come. I know I could've broken it sooner and gone my own path, but the money was something steady to fall back on while I was pregnant, and... you know, it just made more sense to me."
Ricardo nods, his free hand rubbing lazily up and down her arm. "It made sense to me too," he admits. "I didn't like you still contractually obligated to them, but I liked you having that financial comfort while we focused on the kids. And it helped us out with the move and opening my school. I owe you big time for that, by the way. Without your help, I probably wouldn't have been able to get a loan and none of this would be happening. You know another of our shows was a sell-out."
"I heard that," she giggles, kissing him. "I'm so happy for you."
"I'm happy for all of us," Ricardo says. "Me with the school, you for your freedom, the kids getting to grow up seeing their parents happy and successful, Sofia for settling in well in Pennsylvania. Just... everything's going so well for all of us."
"It really is," Alicia says, resting her head on Ricardo's chest and listening to him breathe, watching Andre sleep peacefully next to her. "We're all so lucky. Everything's so great."
"Yeah," he murmurs, kissing her forehead. "I really never thought I'd be this happy, especially after... everything with Paige, with Alberto. But then you came into my life, you took my hand, and you gave me all of this joy. I'll never be able to properly thank you for it all."
Alicia stares at him for a long, quiet moment before standing up, cradling Andre close as she quietly carries him out of the room. Ricardo listens as she walks him into his room, resting him in his bed, and slowly returns. "He's fine," she says when she sees the uncertain look on Ricardo's face. Settling back down on the bed, she cradles Ricardo's face in her hands and searches his eyes. "We have a similar history," she tells him. "Similar pain. Addictions, relationship troubles. I was never sure if I could trust someone else again romantically. But you came into my life, and I realized that maybe I should give it one more try. And I'm so thankful I did, because look at me now. Mother to three beautiful children, wife to the most supportive, loving man I've ever known. You have nothing to repay me for because I feel just as grateful to you for everything as you do to me. So let's just call it even, huh?"
Ricardo chuckles, resting his hands over Alicia's. "Ok, we can do that," he concedes. "So was there any particular reason you put our son back in his bed, or...?"
"Just wanted a little alone time with my husband," Alicia says, brushing her hair over her shoulder and shifting to lean closer to Ricardo. "Sound good?"
"Sounds really good," he breathes out, leaning up to meet her half way in a kiss that heats up quickly, leaving all need for words behind as they move into more comfortable positions, Ricardo breathes deeply as Alicia kisses down his throat. "I love you so much."
She hums against his flesh, pulling up just enough to look at him. "I love you so much, too," she echoes back, her eyes gleaming in the soft afternoon light. "It's indescribable. I guess I'll just have to try to show you."
All Ricardo can do is exhale deeply and drop back against the pillows, enjoying the feel of her hair tickling his skin as her lips and fingers trail lower down his body, his fingers resting on her arms, needing the physical contact as she continues to explore, everything still feeling so new even after all of this time. He closes his eyes and breathes deeply, allowing himself for the first time to fully give in and simply enjoy, letting his worries ease away into nothing.
