Upside Down (Breaking the Rules #3) - A.M. Madden Page 0,56

talking.” Little did she know that ship had sailed… and I refused to go there with my sister. Unfortunately, my words fell on deaf ears. She gushed at how wonderful it would be if things worked out between us, going as far as picturing us standing at an altar in matching tuxedos.

And that was about the time when I found it easier, and far less exhausting, to just tune her out.

While rocking Liliana back and forth, I looked down at my adorable niece. Smiling when her perfect bow lips twitched in her sleep. Bringing her closer to my face to inhale her intoxicating scent. Humming a soft tune while wondering what she would be like in a month, a year, ten years.

And still… my sister kept yapping. Through tears of joy, which she blamed on hormones, and erratic bouts of giddiness, she had yet to shut up.

“What the hell did they slip you earlier in that IV?”

“They didn’t slip me anything. It’s the hope for you to find love. And more importantly to be open to finding it. Love is unpredictable and nonsensical. It could strike as quickly as the bolts of lightning out that window,” she quipped with a pointed finger. “You need to be ready when it does. And you need to follow your heart.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Coop.”

“Mmm.”

“Did you hear what I said?”

I glanced at her and sighed. “Lightning bolts.”

“Cooper,” she whisper-hissed.

“What? I heard you. If I promise to follow my heart, will you stop yapping?” I asked even though I was convinced my heart was not yet capable of leading. I wasn’t there yet. My cock, however, seemed to have no problem rising to the occasion. But, again, I wasn’t about to admit that to my sister.

“And… now that I know, you need to promise you won’t hold this against me by clamming up,” she continued annoyingly. “And… you need to forgive your sister for the ambush.”

“And… I can’t promise not to clam up while I think about forgiving my sister for the ambush.” I rolled my eyes. “You just had a baby. Shouldn’t you be in a deep and wordless slumber right now?”

“Hilarious. I’m too wired to sleep.” Her eyes focused on the napping angel in my arms.

“Well, take a page from Liliana’s book. She’s out. Apparently it’s exhausting pushing through a birth canal.”

Rebecca laughed. “If you want, you can put her in the bassinet so she can sleep a bit before she starts screaming to be fed.”

“Part of me wants to hold her forever, but okay. I’ll be less selfish.” After a soft kiss to her forehead, I had just placed Liliana in her plastic crib when Marco and Ricky appeared.

“Here, Bella,” Marco said to his wife, passing her an insulated cup and a small brown bag. “Herbal tea and a blueberry muffin.”

“Thanks, honey.”

“Is it caffeine-free?” I asked. “Because she’s bouncing off the walls.”

“It is,” Marco said, taking my question seriously, while my sister stuck out her tongue at me.

As Marco turned away to hover over his daughter and slip into some sort of love-induced trance, Ricky and I avoided eye contact. With the four of us in the room, tension continued to bubble up between us until Rebecca reached for Ricky’s hand. The moment he wrapped his around hers, she welled up and said, “I love you two.”

“And we love you… most of the time,” Ricky grumbled.

“Obviously, I want this,” she went on, ignoring his dig. “I want what could become an epic love story.”

Ricky and I rolled our eyes as Marco scolded, “Bella… stop,” before we had the chance to.

“Okay, I will. I just wanted them both to know I’m rooting for them.”

Ricky and I remained silent… because what would happen if things between us crashed into a fiery ball of regret? I hated to even think that way, but the possibility was a strong one, and I was sure he felt the same.

Still, I refused to burst her euphoric bubble and instead threw her a dazzling smile before saying, “So how about those Reds?” Earning me confused looks from my sister and her husband… and a sexy smirk from Ricky.

After Marco decided to stay at the hospital, I offered to go back to their place to watch Antonio. But Rebecca, sensing that something needed to happen between Ricky and me, insisted her son was fine at their neighbor’s house for the night.

So, a few minutes later, there we stood at the main entrance of the hospital, each waiting for the other to speak. When he