Her lips turned up in a small grin. “You did that for me?” I wish she didn’t sound so surprised. She had been burned so many times in the past, it was still hard for her to grasp people—me in particular—would do anything for her.
“I would burn the world down for you if it meant I could continue to see that pretty smile, my love.”
She tackled me back onto the bed and kissed me with all the love in her heart. Her tears dripped on my face. I pulled back from the kiss. “These are happy tears, I hope.”
She giggled lightly, wiping the tears from her face. “They are. I can’t wait to live with you. I feel like the life I was meant to live is finally starting, and there is no one else I would rather have by my side than you. If you’ll have me.”
“I’ll have you forever—past forever.”
“And I’ll love you for just as long.” She kissed me gently. “Now that we’re moving into the next step of our relationship, can I ask you a personal question?”
“Of course, my love. Anything.”
“Do you ever think about getting in touch with your sister?” She looked away shyly.
The truth was, I had kept tabs on her since she left. I found her social media page where she posted about her travels and school—she studied social work. The dread of reaching out only to realize she didn’t want me back in her life made me second-guess contacting her every time. What if she had truly found happiness again, and seeing me affected her negatively? She was dealt an unfair deck in life, so I hoped she found happiness and peace. Was it selfish of me to want to be a part of it?
“I think about it all the time. She was everything to me, and I wish I could tell her how proud I am of her. I’ve kept track of her through the years on social media but haven’t reached out.” I looked away from her in shame.
“What’s stopping you?” Her tone was understanding. I knew my fallout with Luna was on me. She was heading into adulthood with zero guidance from her grieving brother. I should’ve explained more about what happened between Avery and me instead of blurting it out during an argument.
“We had a big argument before she packed up her stuff, and I never saw her again. I should have seen how much she was hurting and been there for her. I was stuck in my own grief. I’ve stayed away from Luna because I’m afraid my presence back in her life could bring back those dark memories of her grief. Her two maternal figures died within five years of each other, and then she was left with a worthless brother. Maybe she’s better off.” I looked up at the ceiling, holding back tears.
She clasped her hand in mine, squeezing three times with silent reassurance. “I think you’re putting too much pressure on yourself. It was a tough time for both of you, and maybe she made the rash decision to leave, but maybe she’s been thinking about you just as much as you’ve been thinking about her. You’re doing a disservice to your healing by not connecting with her and being honest. I won’t push, of course, but I’d love to help you both reconnect. I can act as a third party to ensure it goes okay. Would you let me do that for you?”
A single tear fell as I stared at the woman I loved, knowing I could do anything with her by my side. “You’re perfect, you know?” I kissed her forehead. “Okay, let’s get my baby sister back.”
FORTY-SIX
PRESENT
Grant and I moved in together quickly. We blended our lives so seamlessly. He encouraged me to make any changes or decorate however I wanted. I immediately planned to turn Gio’s old room into my mini office and library. I went from a two-bedroom condo to a four-bedroom house, so we still had two other rooms to decide what to do with.
“What are you thinking about over there?” he asked, bringing me out of my trance.
“Honestly, what we could do with the other two bedrooms. One could be a guest bedroom, but what should we do with the one you use as storage?” We were definitely going through that room soon, because I couldn’t handle the clutter.
“We could have afunroom,” he said suggestively.
My face heated as I pictured all thefunwe could have. “I’ll think about it.”
“You’re the boss.” He winked.
“I should get to work.” I stood up from the table and walked to him. He always kissed me on my forehead, nose, and lips before we were away from each other. I never thought I could be loved so loudly and proudly.
When I arrived at work, it was slow. Since I had no work to do, I browsed through Grant’s sister’s social media to get a feel for how to approach her. I wanted to approach the topic delicately because the only woman she ever saw her brother with was Avery. I wanted to ensure I didn’t come off as someone trying to take her place in Grant’s or her life. All I wanted was for Grant to feel whole again, and he needed his sister back to do so. I was afraid of how he’d react if she didn’t want to see him.
I needed to clear my head. “I’m going to take my fifteen and go for a walk,” I told Carmen as I stood up from my desk.
“Okay,mijita. Be safe.”
“I will.” I walked out of the store into the fresh spring air.
I wandered around downtown when I came across a small boutique with a ‘For Sale Coming Soon’ sign in the window. I looked through the windows, and it was the perfect size for a bookstore. I took the number down just in case. I wasn’t quite financially ready to throw everything into my dream yet, but it could be a sign—literally.
With a clear mind and slight excitement over the prospect of finding a building for my store, I opened Luna’s profile and drafted a message.
Hi Luna,
