The Slayer (Untamed Hearts #2)(37)

“Leave him alone, Wyatt,” Jules called from where she was working on her laptop at the dining room table. “It was a grim first round. He’s got five stitches to prove it. Maybe he’s just unwinding.”

“Nah.” Wyatt shook his head at his sister and then gestured to Chuito. “Come out here. I ain’t putting up with this for one more minute.”

Chuito rolled his eyes and stood. He pocketed his phone and went into the living room. Wyatt met him halfway and gripped his shoulder, shaking it lightly. “Tell Wy what the f*ck the problem is and I’ll fix it, ’cause I can’t stand to see you looking so miserable the night you won a title belt.”

“You think you can just fix it?” Chuito held up his hand to Wyatt. “What if it’s outside your area of expertise?”

Wyatt grinned. “I reckon you won’t know unless you tell me.”

“Family bullshit,” Chuito admitted with a wince. “Just shit going down with my family’s got me stressed.”

“Boy, if your family ain’t over the moon with you, then they don’t deserve you,” Wyatt said with such confidence Chuito believed it. “What is this right here?” Wyatt looked around the room pointedly. “This is your family, and we’re all proud of you. You did it. You did what I never got the chance to do, and I’m happy about it. I’m f*cking ecstatic over it. I want to see you happy too.”

“Thanks, Wyatt.” Chuito patted his back, surprised at just how deeply that statement affected him. “Really, gracias. I’m glad you were there.”

Wyatt touched the cut over Chuito’s eye. “It was a good fight.”

“It was a great fight,” Clay agreed as he grinned up at Chuito from his seat on the couch. “That was an amazing knockout. Evans went down like a ton of bricks.”

“Come watch it.” Wyatt gestured to the couch. “You ain’t even watched it yet.”

“I’m not ready.” Chuito shook his head, because seeing his fight footage always affected him differently than other fighters. He saw the darkness in himself on the film, and though he had to watch it at some point, he didn’t want to right now. Especially not this fight, because that knockout had been brutal. “Tomorrow.”

“Okay.” Wyatt pushed Chuito’s head lightly, because he knew Chuito didn’t like watching fight footage of himself. “Tell me what that weeepa thing means?”

Chuito flinched. “Don’t ever say that again. That hurts my ears just hearing you say it.”

Wyatt laughed. “What does it mean?”

“It’s just a Puerto Rican thing.” Chuito laughed with him. “It’s something we say when we’re excited.”

“Boy, your country is proud of you. The only Puerto Rican not partying tonight is you.”

“It’s the same country,” Chuito reminded him as he gestured back and forth between him and Wyatt. “We are part of the United States. We’re a territory. We use the same money you do.”

“You know what I mean.”

“Yeah.” Chuito laughed again. “I know what you mean.”

“Is your family really giving you shit?” Wyatt asked as if he sensed Chuito’s inability to move on from the conversation earlier. “Tonight?”

“Nah, they’re proud of me. They’re excited. I just worry about them.”

“Then worry tomorrow,” Wyatt said dismissively. “Make tonight ’bout you.”

“I have to make one more phone call.” Chuito pulled his phone out of his pocket. “Then we’ll do something.”

“You want to go out?” Wyatt asked him. “I’ll go out with ya.” He turned back to the couch. “Y’all wanna go out?”

“I’ll go,” Jules said from the table. “I’m almost done with this. I need to change first, though.”

“I’ll go,” Jasper agreed too.

“I’m staying in,” Clay grunted from the couch. “Going to bed.”

“Jesus.” Wyatt rolled his eyes and gave Chuito a look. “See what happens when you don’t learn how to celebrate? You’ll turn into this grouchy *.”

“I’ve done plenty of partying in my life,” Chuito assured him. “I think I’m good.”

“You’re coming out, Chuito,” Wyatt growled at him. “I ain’t giving ya a choice ’bout it.”

“Fine,” Chuito agreed, because Wyatt was riding high over this win, and just like he didn’t want to ruin Marcos’s day, Chuito didn’t want to ruin Wyatt’s either. “Let me make one phone call. Then we can go out.”

“Okay, then.” Wyatt hit his shoulder and gave him another smile. “Make it quick!”

Chuito walked to the bedroom and closed the door, hearing Wyatt snap at Jules. “Go now, Ju Ju. ’Cause I know it’ll take you an hour to get changed. Close the dang laptop and go get ready. It’s already late. The sun’ll be up before we get out of this room.”

Chuito fell down on the bed and looked at his phone. There were no messages from Alaine. No phone calls. So he texted her instead.

You up?

She wrote back almost instantly despite how late it was.