I tried to imagine that, being pregnant and invisible to the father of your child. It made my heart ache.
Noah’s memory loss only lasted about three weeks, but it was long enough to make everyone fear the worst. I nodded slowly, my chest tight with emotion. I remembered that time. I’d wanted to fly home the second I found out about the accident, but my parents insisted he was okay. It was finals week so I stayed, but I nearly failed those exams because all I could think about was Noah.
Then Esteban told me about Austin and Violet’s story, and my heart softened all over again.
“They met at Josy’s coffee shop,” he said, grinning. “She spilled hot coffee all over him, and he fell right there. Dude was a mess for weeks trying to figure out how to talk to her without sounding like a caveman.”
I laughed, picturing Austin—the cool, collected architect—fumbling around like a teenager.
“And when they finally got together,” he added, his voice lowering, “that’s when the worst happened.”
My smile faded. “What do you mean?”
He hesitated. “Violet was kidnapped.”
“What?” I gasped, my heart thudding.
“A man was obsessed with her. Lost his mind. We searched everywhere. Austin was... he was destroyed. I’ve never seen him like that. Screaming. Losing it.”
I covered my mouth with my hand. “Oh my God.”
“They found her a few hours later. She had bruises, but she was safe. Physically, anyway. The man was arrested, but not before Austin beat the shit out of him.”
I sat in silence for a while, absorbing it all. These people, my people, had gone through so much. And Esteban... he’d lived all of it with them. Carried their pain, their fears. Laughed with them, fought for them.
He hides it well, behind the jokes and the confident swagger. But I see him now. Really see him.
Esteban Báez is an exceptional man.
I wonder how much more I missed by being away for so long. I should have come back sooner.
Chapter Twenty
Esteban
The moment we step outside the airport, I have to tilt my face toward the sky.
Hot. Bright. Blissful.
Unlike back home, where February still bites at your skin with cold wind and you have to wear three layers just to take out the trash, here it feels like summer is in full swing. The Florida sun warms every inch of me, and I close my eyes for a second, breathing in that salty, humid air.
God, I missed this kind of heat. The kind that sticks to your skin and makes you crave a cold drink and a hammock under a palm tree. It reminds me of Puerto Rico. Of sticky popsicle fingers, salsa music on Sunday mornings, and the sound of coquíes at night.
“Alright, is our Uber close?” Josy asks, bouncing Everly gently in the carrier strapped to her chest. The baby lets out a content sigh like she’s already vacationing.
Noah’s looking at his phone, then glances up and say, “Ours just pulled in.”
A black SUV rolls up, sleek and shiny, with tintedwindows and enough room for all of Josy’s luggage and Everly’s gear which, somehow, is more than any of us packed.
Josy unclips the baby carrier from her chest with practiced ease and turns to me. “Here, hold your niece for a sec while we get her seat set up.”
I grin and scoop Everly into my arms. “Hola, princesa,” I murmur, bouncing her gently. She blinks up at me, then yawns like the travel has already worn her out.
Noah opens the back door of the SUV and place the car seat inside. “We’ve got five minutes before this guy takes off without us,” he mutters.
Austin walks over to help. “Let’s knock it out. I’m not getting yelled at by Violet for forgetting to buckle that thing right.”
Together, they crouch down in the back seat, muttering instructions to each other and clicking parts into place.
