The next morning, we all woke up to the smell of my father making breakfast.

Marisol was running around already, something I sure annoyed my brothers.

"Marisol, relajate por favor," I said. "I need coffee before you're like this."

"Mama, when are we going home?"

"Tomorrow," I said. "Your tios want to spend the day with you."

"Why don't we move here?"

"Well for one, we'd be eight hours from your uncles," I said. My father handed me a coffee mug and I thanked him as I sat down at the table.

"But my uncles are here too," she said.

"Your tios are here," I said. "EZ and Angel are familia de sangre. Your uncles up north are Daddy's chosen family."

"Daddy?" Angel asked.

"Juan Carlos," I said.

"He was killed before I was born," Marisol said definitively.

"But he was a good man and I want her to know him."

"Alright sobrina what are we doing today?" Angel asked. EZ finally made his way to the kitchen.

"We should let her play chess against EZ," my father said. I laughed and she nodded excitedly.

"She's beat every Son at least once," I said. "Mi pequeño genio."

"I think we can do that," EZ said. My phone rang and I looked down to see Chibs calling.

"Watch her," I said, moving to answer it.

"Hello."

"Alvarez is here lookin for ya. He's not happy you're down there," he said.

"Good morning to you too Chibs," I said. "Put Alvarez on."

"Dónde demonios estás?"

"Santo Padre," I said. "EZ got out. I needed to see him padrino."

"y cuando te encuentre?"

"He won't," I said. "I'm not leaving Felipe's house."

"I can't protect you when you're being estúpida."

"I know," I said. "I'll be safe. I promise."

He agreed and we hung up so I could go back to breakfast.

Shortly after breakfast, while Angel was very clearly throwing a game of chess to his niece, not that he needed to, a bike pulled up out front.

"Who?"

"It's a son," EZ said. I walked over to the windows. Sure enough Rane was getting off his bike.

"Marisol, escucha a tu tio," I said. I glared at Angel and he nodded a bit so I opened the door and slipped out.

"What're you doing here?"

"Need to know you're safe. Checking in with Dino this afternoon," he said.

"Come meet my dad and brothers," I said. He kissed my lips before taking my hand as I led him inside.

"EZ, Dad, Angel," I said. "This is Rane Quinn. Rane, these are my dad and brothers."

"¿Cuánto español sabes?" EZ asked.

"I assume you're asking about my language abilities and they're limited," Rane said.

"He doesn't speak any more than Juan Carlos ever did," I said.

"You have a kid with a man named Juan Carlos and he didn't even speak Spanish?" Angel asked.

"He was from Queens," I said.

"Probably spoke better Yiddish," EZ said. I smiled softly at the memories of Juice saying that. We'd never officially dated or anything but we were close. If I'd met him sooner we'd have gotten married for sure. I met him too late though.

Rane started to talk to my father so I went back to Marisol.

"¿Quién está ganando?" I asked, smiling at my daughter.

"Who do you think?" Angel groaned. I walked into the kitchen to get Rane some coffee but I kept an eye on what was going on in the living room.

"Tio EZ," Marisol said as she ran over to him. "¿Jugarás contra mí?"

"Sí, pollito," he said, picking her up and carrying her to the board. She was now pouting as I laughed at her.

"She doesn't understand that's endearing EZ," I said. "She's a very literal kid. Thinks you actually called her a chicken."

He chuckled a bit before explaining he didn't mean she was a chicken. I walked across the room and handed Rane his coffee.

"Mija, me gusta este," my father said. I smiled a bit at the fact he was admitting to liking Rane.

"Yo también," I said. I kissed Rane's lips before he pulled me to sit on his lap. Instead I sat on the arm of his chair with my arm around him.

"Como mamá solía hacer," EZ said as he looked over at us. I nodded and smiled a bit, wishing everyday could be like this. I knew it wasn't in my cards to get to actually see my family as often as I wanted. I knew Angel well enough to know he wouldn't give up on getting Bishop out of the gavel so I could come home.

For now, I held onto the moments I got with them all and made them get us through the in between times.