“Don’t apologize; that’s a good thing,” she murmured. “We were there because we love you so much. And you have sacrificed a lot just to make our lives easier. Do you remember how much Mamá had to work? We hated seeing her come home all worn down and exhausted. But she would still cook and clean and take care of us.”
“Yes, I remember.”
“And I will never forget this, but when we were kids, you said that one day you would make sure Mamá never worked again. Youpromisedthat you would give her the life she deserved. And look at her now? She lives beautifully in Argentina. She travels wherever she wants. She’s finally shopping for outfits that aren’t all from thrift stores.”
I snorted a laugh. “You know it is serious when she stops thrift shopping.”
“Exactly.” Cat giggled. “Though I do think that vase she got me with all those weird faces on it was from a thrift store. She swore it was art, but that thing was ugly.”
I chuckled.
“Regardless of all that, you kept your promise. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have been able to go to art school. I wouldn’t have been able to paint and sculpt for a living, but I can becauseyoumade a way for me to do that. You have been here for us since day one, so trust me when I tell you that we have no problem at all being there for you. Even if we didn’t have all of this, we would still be here. We love you.Ilove you, hermano.”
My eyes burned with tears. I blinked them away before more could accumulate.
“Thank you, Cat.”
“Always. After the showing, I plan to come down for a bit. Your season starts soon, right?”
“Two more months.”
“So soon. I’ll let you know what day for sure. I’m gonna go now because I really need to finish this damn piece. Te quiero, Javi.”
“Yo también te quiero, Catalina.”
I placed my phone on my lap and took one more look at the trees.
Catalina always made me see the world a bit differently. She had always been the more optimistic one, and I appreciated her for it.
Though it was only a small shred, I could feel hope blooming inside me.
As long as there was a sliver of it, that was all I needed to get through each day.
Forty-Seven
Octavia
I was so thankful to have my best friend, Naomi, in town. She’d taken two vacation days and decided to drive from Raleigh to Atlanta to hang out with me.
“Don’t get me wrong, I love babies, but watching them crown grosses me out every single time.” Naomi snickered as the nail tech lifted her hand to evenly file her nails. “There’s all that liquid, blood, and gushy stuff.”
“So why do you still do it?” I laughed with her, examining my manicure.
“Because of the hefty paychecks, girl.”
One of the things I loved about Atlanta was theamazingnail techs. When I’d realized I’d have to be living in Atlanta for a while, I’d been worried about where I’d get manicures and pedicures. But one quick search, and I’d been flooded with endless options.
Getting my locs retwisted was another bonus. There were so many loc stylists in the area, and many of them were holistic.
“So your boo let you have the day off, huh?” Naomi side-eyed me with a smirk. “How does that work, anyway? Are you still a nanny? Stepmom? Like, where does that put you with his daughter?”
“I’m still her nanny, and he insisted on still paying me for my time. He thinks I will feel like he’s using me if he doesn’t keep sending me deposits.”
“I know that’s right,” Naomi said after a slight purse of her lips. “See, that’s a good man. Smart too. And he clearly knows how to work that magic stick if he has you glowing like this.”
“Listen. I don’t like to brag, but he isin-cred-i-ble.” I bit back a smile and shifted in my seat, remembering Javier telling me I was hiseverythingright before slipping between my thighs and making the sweetest love to me.
I’d never felt so taken care of. He was so tender, sweet, and passionate, yet so dominating at the same time. He pleased me in so many ways—ways that my body couldn’t keep up with but that it loved so much.
