Nope, she’d given Axe his freedom, and she’d gotten hers back too.
No more tears.
A thud in the living room startled Leanna, and she grew real still, wondering if she’d locked the doors. Her heartbeat jumped, and she listened for the footstep. Would Axe know how to break into her house? Or maybe he was here to see Soledad.
She hadn’t exactly given him a key, but she had told him he was welcome at any time.
“Mija,” her mother’s voice floated through the hallway along with the sound of an umbrella being propped on the tile floor. “I saw the light on in here. Why are you still up?”
“Mama?” Leanna wiped her hands with a kitchen towel and walked toward her mother’s voice. “I didn’t know you’d come back.”
“Ay, it was late, and I didn’t want you to wait up for me,” Mama said. She hugged her, and they kissed once on each cheek the way they always did. “How are the girls?”
“They just went to sleep.” Leanna closed her eyes and leaned into her mother’s embrace. She was always warm and soft, making motherly sounds of comfort.
“Why are you up,Mija?” Her mother tucked a loose strand of hair around Leanna’s ear. “You’ve been crying. Is everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine.” Leanna sniffed and looked at the piles of cake decorations. “I’m behind. My friends postponed all their events.”
“I know. They missed you,” Mama said. She took Leanna’s hand and rubbed her fingers. “What happened to that opal ring Axe gave you? Last time I saw you, you two were making plans.”
“That was right after Ana and Eduardo’s funeral,” Leanna said. “I guess reality hadn’t sunk in yet.”
“What reality?” Mama asked, blinking with a worried frown over her brow.
Leanna let out a sigh. “Axe just buried his father today.”
Mama patted Leanna’s hand and led her to the couch. “Sit and tell me about it. How was the funeral?”
Leanna sat and slumped backward against the cushions. “The funeral was beautiful. Under the redwoods in front of a waterfall. Axe is taking it hard.”
“Well, guess he has you to comfort him?”
Leanna bit her lip and blinked, willing the tears to dry. Slowly, she shook her head. “I think he blames me for his father’s death.”
“Mija, he can’t think that way. I don’t want to speak ill of the dead, but his father wanted to take you hostage so he could kill your papa. How can he blame you for what happened?”
“I don’t think he does consciously,” Leanna hastened to clarify. “He never says that to me, but he won’t look me in the eye. We haven’t really talked ever since coming back from Mexico, other than about Soledad and other arrangements.”
“Ay,Mija.” Her mother put her arm over her shoulders. “Do you love him?”
Leanna nodded. “But I’m not going to chase after him. He’s always been aloof, acting like I don’t matter. This entire engagement thing was to keep our fathers safe.”
“Only you know deep inside if he loves you,Mija. A woman always knows.”
“How do I know it’s not wishful thinking?” Leanna wiped her leaking eyes. “How would I know?”
“A woman knows when her man’s cheating on her, and a woman knows when she’s got her man’s heart tucked in the palm of her hand. What does your heart tell you?”
“Nothing, Mama. I can’t hear anything over the pain.”
“Maybe the pain is the message,” Mama whispered. “Listen to it.”
