Ellie
Lilo’s laughterwas the sweetest music to my ears. I watched the way he played around with Tarek’s parents, the way he tossed himself into Malik’s arms.
“Save me Uncle Malik!” He called in Spanish.
Malik laughed, kissed Lilo’s head then placed the small boy into his mother’s arms.
It was a mere hour before Tarek had left me alone with his mother for the first time since I bulldozed my way back into his life. It had terrified me, but she only wanted what every good mother wanted for their children—happiness and love.
Her and I came to an understanding. As long as I made Tarek happy, she had no qualms with me. I accepted it along with a hug and life moved on.
Tarek entered the room and wrapped his arms around me from behind. I melted into his chest, turned my head to kiss his neck then refocus on attention and my brother and Tarek’s mother.
“Did Lilo just call your mother grandma?” I asked, watching her bounce Lilo in her arms.
He was chatting happily with her in his newly learned English words.
“Yeah.” Tarek laughed and kissed the back of my neck. “She loves him. And he’s having fun. Besides, I don’t think mom believes I’ll ever give her a grand child.”
“You don’t want kids?” She asked.
“Of course.” Tarek replied. “But I’ve been looking for the right woman.”
“And?”
“I think I’ve found her.”
Feeling happy at his answer, I took his hand and led him to where the others were busy with a domino game.
I arched a brow at Grim trying to show Montana how to play. It should be hard for the lead protector to grasp—for dominoes is a game of wit and strategy.
It had taken a couple of months to figure everything out. We had custody of Lilo, though Jeffery took us to court like he’d promised. But I was confident no one with any brain would give that man custody over us.
He’d sold the house for a lot more than we thought he’d get for it and was once again living a good life. It confused me how he wasn’t serving jailtime for the whole drugs thing—but I wouldn’t worry about his karma.
While I checked in on him from time to time, I refused to let him completely back into my life. I may have been a horrible daughter to my mother, but I didn’t appreciate him getting her killed.
Sometimes I yearned to talk to her. I felt I was ready to be the daughter she deserved. It was too late—I couldn’t go back and undo the rotten things I’d done or said to her. Those were the moments I hurt the most.
Tarek and I reburied Mariana with a proper stone. We didn’t want to put Valentina on it. After some discussion, we settled on putting my last name—if my father was any kind of man, and wasn’t married, he would have done the right thing.
All through all of that, Tarek and I worked together to help Lilo with his language and getting caught up before we could enrol him in school. We had him going to half day, daycare in order to ease him into being around other children. The first week was rough until he met another little boy around his age who’d survived cancer from what his parents had told us. He was Lilo’s new, favorite person—aside from Jesse.
“I don’t think we’re going to see Lilo for the rest of the night.” Tarek laughed.
“And what are you betting your mother bought him more stuff?” I asked.
Tarek wrapped his arm around my hips and led me out to the backyard where the others were chatting over beers.
“Didn’t think you two would be joining us,” Molly said. “Beer?”
“Count me out,” I said. “I want to talk to Maia before she gets into the strong stuff.”
The others laughed.
Taz handed Tarek a beer. “Grab a seat.”
He kissed my cheeks, forehead then my lips. “You know where to find me.”
