Silence overwhelms the room, the echo of Alicia's words still in Ricardo's ears as he stares at her. He's almost not sure what to say at first, finally looking away anxiously. Licks his lips and shakes his head wearily. "I'll... I'll have to talk to Alberto," he says. "But yeah, I think that can be arranged."
She stares at him. Hard. "I want promises," she tells him. "That he won't leave you high and dry. And if this does fall through, he'll get us safely back to the States. He'll help us get back on our feet. Because honestly, Ricardo, it feels like we do a lot of chasing things because it's something he insisted would be good for you, and then it ends up being the opposite. That is why, after all, we ended up moving to Texas in the first place, and you only stayed there for a short time before continuing to chase his wild plans here to Mexico City. Considering everything he's done to you over the years, you trust that man way too much."
Ricardo nods, swallowing dryly. "I know," he finally manages to spit out. "You're absolutely right, but... he is the closest thing to a brother I've ever had, and he's had my back so many times. Not that it makes up for all of the hurt he's caused me, but it's ... it's hard to forget, to ignore." He closes his eyes. "He and I, we've been friends, been family, for almost a decade now. I can't just let him, let Sofia go. They mean a lot to me." He searches her face. "But I love you and you're my wife, and I have missed you. So, I will do as you suggest." They sit quietly for awhile and Ricardo sighs. "What does this mean for us?"
She shrugs. "My contract with WWE expires in a few months. They have no plans for me, so I suppose I'm clear to do whatever I want, go wherever I want." He stares at her and she chuckles, a small smile claiming her lips. "Besides, last time I checked, we had a little project we were forced to put on hold because of all of this."
He hisses out a breath, nodding slowly. "Si, we were," he agrees hesitantly. "That means..."
"I will get my paperwork in order and alert the landlord," she says briskly. "It should give you time to talk everything out with Alberto before I finish packing and figuring out how to ship some of my things safely here."
He stares at her, eyes bright in the pale lamplight. "So..."
"So I'll be moving here with you," she says softly and all of the tension leaves his body in a long, slow rush of a sigh. "I love you, Ricardo. Even if I think all of the things you do are a little silly, I know why you do them, and I want to support and love you through all of the highs and lows. Like you did for me during my divorce." She stands up and walks closer, claiming his hands and kissing his knuckles, the poor bent fingers that never quite healed right after he broke them.
He's speechless, in awe of the beautiful woman that for some reason is all his. "I love you," he says softly and she grins, teeth flashing as she shifts, curling her hands around his neck and settling down in his lap.
"Convenient," she mumbles against his lips. "Because I just so happen to love you too."
Touching her again after so long is a revelation, kissing her feels like life is flowing through his veins once more, and when he carefully lifts her off of the couch and makes his way to his bedroom, laying her against his bed and sprawling his hands out over her warm, soft skin, watching as her expressions shift and change with each shift of his hand, the whispers he makes, how perfectly they fit together, he finds himself overwhelmed with adoration for the woman before him. "You're so gorgeous," he just manages to say before she hooks her legs around his and sends him down on top of her.
"No talking," she whispers, tangling her fingers into his hair and drawing him in for another mind-melting kiss, long legs pressed around his hips and distracting him with the warmth of her body against his, reminding him of everything he's been missing out on the last few weeks.
He's relieved by her command once he can think straight well enough to think about it all. Actions have always been his strong suit anyway, and he can tell she remembers with the way she looks up at him, eager and bright when his hands graze over her quivering stomach, promising so many things in the night ahead.