“Because I must go away for a while.”
I cling to the lapels of his suit coat. “No, you can’t! Please, take me with you. I do not want to stay here any longer. Please. I will be good, I promise.”
He chuckles and holds me tighter. “I know you will. You are such a good girl. But I must go and prepare a place for us. A safe place where we can be a family. Would you like that? To be a family?”
I nod eagerly. “I want that more than anything in this world.”
Besides my mother.
But nothing will ever bring her back.
“Then you must be patient, my dear. You must be strong. I will come back for you, Selena. I will take you away from this place, I swear it.”
He vowed but that never happened. I stayed there for another six years awaiting his return, but he never came.
“You never came back for me,” I whisper as my thoughts gravitate back to the present, my voice cracking with the pain of the memory. “I waited for you. For years, I waited.”
Tears swim in his brown eyes. “I am so sorry, Selena. I tried. I tried everything I could to get you out of there but I—” His gaze shifts to Justin. “¿Podemos hablar en privado?”
Justin tenses next to me, he’s been on guard since we pulled into the driveway. To be honest, I’m on guard, too. Though I am happy to see him, I am apprehensive, to say the least. I cannot deny that now, after being free and under Justin’s care, my perception has changed.
“If you have something to say you’ll have to say it in front of me. Say it Spanish, English, I don’t give a fuck. But I’m not leaving this room and neither is she.”
The deep tone of his voice and command in it sends goose bumps rippling across my skin.
My uncle lets go of a long, deep breath, pain etched across his face. “I’ve been trying for years to get you out of there. Day after day I did everything in my power to save you, but my brother was a very powerful man and he threatened to kill you if I ever came back again so I had to keep my distance, but I never stopped trying.”
Arms crossed over his chest, Justin grunts next to me as if he doesn’t believe a word my uncle is saying, but I know that he must have. I have to believe that he tried. I know what kind of man my father was. I know what he was capable of. I’d seen it many times.
“That is why I am here. I want to make it up to you. The years you have lost. The years we have lost. I would like for you to come stay with me. After all, we are family. You are my only niece. I want to take care of you, protect you, and keep you safe.”
His hand reaches out to cover mine and my heart aches in my chest. All I’ve ever wanted was to have a family. When I lost my mother and Teddy, I never thought I would have that again. A family. A place where I belong.
And now that possibility is being laid before me…
“I have a plane standing by. We can leave tonight.”
“And go where?” I ask.
“Back to Mexico. Where my home is. The home I promised to prepare for us.”
The thought of having a family fills the dark void in my chest but the thought of leaving Justin only deepens it. “I—I need to think about all of this. Everything has happened so fast. The last week has been overwhelming.”
His jaw clenches. “I see.” He stands and buttons his coat. “I need to deal with some business while I am in town anyway, so I can wait if you need time to think it over.”
“Yes, please.”
“Very well. I will be in touch in a few days,” he says, leaning down to kiss me on my cheek. “You look as beautiful as ever, my angel.”
“Thank you.” I get up to hug him and walk him to the door. The moment he is gone, I turn around to find an angry Justin.
“Please tell me that you’re not seriously considering going anywhere with him.”
“I don’t know,” I whisper.
“How long has it been? Six years. He left you there for six fucking years, Selena.”
“The past does not matter. He is here now. He is the only family that I have left.”
