She looked up at me. “You wouldn’t mind?”
“I’d rather be there than here. The farther you are from Baron, the better I’ll feel.”
“Can we stop at your mom’s on the way?”
I blinked. “Are you sure?”
“I am. I need to apologize for the way I left.” She took a breath. “I don’t want them to think I don’t want to be part of your family. I do. I just panicked. And they deserve to hear that from me.”
Pride swelled in my chest. I knew how hard this was for her—how every instinct she had was screaming at her to avoid her vulnerabilities.
But she was doing it anyway.
“Yeah,” I said. “We can stop.”
The house was litup when we arrived, warm light spilling from every window. Multiple cars in the driveway meant the women hadn’t dispersed after the lunch.
Isabel’s hand found mine as we walked up the path. Her grip was tight enough to hurt.
“You’ve got this,” I said.
“I might throw up.”
“I’ll hold your hair.”
She shot me a look that was half glare, half gratitude. Then she squared her shoulders and knocked.
Ma answered. Her eyes went wide when she saw Isabel, then soft with relief.
“Oh,mija,” she said. “Come in. Both of you.”
Isabel flinched but didn’t bolt. She let my mother lead her inside, into the warmth and light of the living room where the other women waited.
They were all there—Saffron on one end of the sofa, Alex with a wineglass, Jaicon and Addison sharing the loveseat, Eberly perched on the arm of a chair, and Ainsley cross-legged on the floor near Daphne. They looked up when Isabel entered.
“I owe you all an apology,” she began. “I shouldn’t have left the way I did. You were all so kind to me, and I repaid that kindness by disappearing. That was wrong, and I’m sorry.”
Silence filled the room.
Then Alex spoke up. “Honey, sit down. You look like you’re about to face a firing squad, and the only thing we’re armed with is wine and leftover dessert.”
A few women laughed. Isabel blinked.
“We’re a lot,” my sister continued. “I know that. I’m a lot all by myself—just ask Kick, he’ll give you an itemized list of all the things I do to make him and the rest of our brothers crazy. Add in all these other personalities, and it’s overwhelming.”
“I still get nervous,” Eberly admitted. “Last Christmas, I locked myself in the bathroom for twenty minutes and pretended I had a stomach bug.”
Addison nodded. “There are days when I need to hide in the pantry just to catch my breath.”
“The bathroom by the kitchen has the best acoustics for crying,” Daphne offered. “Very soothing echo.”
Isabel’s rigid posture softened. “I thought you’d be angry.”
Ma moved forward and took Isabel’s hands. “We could never be angry with you for feeling too much. I told you that you’re part of our family now—and that means we give you grace when you need it. All we ask is that you eventually come back.”
Isabel’s composure cracked. I watched the tears spill over, and I had to fight the urge to go to her. This wasn’t my moment. This was hers.
“I don’t know how to do this,” she whispered. “I never learned.”
