I must have said that part aloud because he grabbed my arm and turned me to face him. “Listen to me, Zachary Kelley. You didnotfail your sister. You did everything you possibly could to protect her. Scott is responsible for this. He is the one who will pay for what he’s done.”
I looked down at his beautiful face and fierce expression, and I almost smiled. I kissed his forehead. “Thank you.”
We all parted ways in the parking lot. Marco and Liam promised to come by the apartment later in the day. Marissa offered to go with me to Allie’s apartment to get Cody’s things. I couldn’t even think about that.
By the time we made the short drive from the hospital to Ocean Grove, the sun was just about to crest the horizon. Miguel pulled into the first parking space next to the boardwalk and urged me to get out of the car. He led me onto the boardwalk, where we sat on a bench holding hands and watching the sunrise.
“We’ll get through this,” he said hoarsely. “I’m with you all the way.”
I couldn’t speak. My chest was so tight I could barely breathe. I simply held Miguel’s hand. It was the only thing keeping me from walking into the ocean until the waves swallowed me whole.
CHAPTERFORTY
MIGUEL
Zach was so close to falling apart that it scared me. I was doing my best to keep it together myself. I tried not to imagine how I would feel if it had been Isabella lying still and silent on that hospital gurney. I thought about Diego and Sofia being without their mother, and I nearly lost it. My heart clenched. Cody. How would we tell that precious little boy that his mommy was never coming back? I took a deep breath and pushed the thought away for the moment. That was something Zach and I would figure out together.
We stayed on the bench until the sun was above the horizon. Then we drove the few blocks to our apartment and sat in the car. “What am I going to tell Cody?” Zach asked. “How do you tell a three-year-old his mom died?” He covered his face with his hands. “And his birthday is this week.”
My heart broke all over again for both Zach and Cody. “Maybe we can look online. Someone must have some thoughts on how to handle something like this.”
He wiped the tears from his face. “I suppose so.” He looked up at our building. “We should get up there. It was really nice of Isabella to stay with Cody.”
“She’s a good person,” I said.
We trudged up the stairs, both of us reluctant to face the reality of what Allie’s death would mean for Cody. The apartment was dark and quiet when we let ourselves in. We removed our shoes so we wouldn’t make noise walking around on the hardwood floors. We went down the hallway to check the bedrooms. The door to our bedroom was partially open. Isabella was asleep with her arms cradling Sofia. Cody and Diego were asleep, cuddled next to each other.
Zach covered his mouth to stifle a sob as he hurried away from the beautiful and heartbreaking scene. He sank down on the sofa with his head in his hands. “How can I tell him? It’s going to break his heart.”
I sat down next to him and pulled him closer. “I don’t know, Zach. I do know it's going to be incredibly difficult, but we’ll be with him to help him heal. That’s all we can do.”
He lifted his head to look at me, his red-rimmed eyes still wet with tears. “You keep saying we. It seems like a lot to ask you. We’ve only been officially dating for a week.”
I cupped his cheek. “Zach, you know how you said you were drawn to me from the beginning? It was the same for me. The first time I saw you, I couldn’t look away. Then I got to know you and discovered what a genuinely good person you are. I’m here because I want to be. I’ll be with you the whole way. I wasn’t kidding when I said I wanted to keep you.”
He put his arms around me and pulled me close. “I don’t know what I did to deserve it, but I’m so glad you’re here with me.” He kissed me sweetly, then rested his head in the crook of my neck.
“Miguel?” My sister’s voice was hoarse with sleep. Her usually neatly brushed hair was a tangled mess, and she wore the same clothes she had the night before.
Zach drew away from me so I could face my sister. “Sorry if we woke you.”
She shook her head. “It’s fine. The kids are still asleep. I’ll have to get Mama and Papa to watch them later so I can take a nap.” She shifted her attention to Zach. “I’m so sorry about your sister, Zach.”
“Thank you,” he replied quietly. “And thank you for staying here with Cody. It means a lot to me.”
She smiled sadly. “It was my pleasure. He’s a special little boy. Diego just loves him.”
“Yeah, he is,” Zach croaked. “Do you know how I’m supposed to tell him about his mom?”
She pressed her lips together. “I don’t know about this particular situation, but when I asked about talking to Diego about what was happening with Carlos, I was told to be honest and use age-appropriate language.”
He let out a bitter laugh. “He’s three. It’s not age-appropriate that his mom is dead.”
I squeezed his hand. “No, it’s not. That’s why we have to try to do it the best way we can.” I looked at my sister. “Do you know of any child therapists?”
She shook her head. “I was going to start looking for one when we moved back to our house.”
“Do you think he’ll need one?” Zach asked.
