"There she is," he murmured.
She followed his gaze to see Ella get to her feet, followed by a striking, willowy woman with dark-brown hair that fell halfway down her shoulders. She wore a flowing dress with wedge heels, and she looked younger than her seventy-eight years. As Walter moved forward, she and Jax fell a few steps behind. Jax took her hand in his, and she didn't have the will to reject him because she was feeling anxious. She really wanted this meeting to go well.
Ella hung back as her aunt walked toward Walter. Reina stopped a foot away from him. They stared at each other in disbelief.
Finally, Reina said, "It's really you."
"And it's you," he echoed as their gazes clung together. They weren't touching, but they were unmistakably connected.
Reina drew in a breath and let it out. "I can't believe you found my song. I never imagined it would still be there."
"It shocked me, too." Walter took the folded sheets of music out of his pocket. "But these people…" He glanced back at them. "They helped me find it."
"It feels like a miracle," Reina said softly.
"Why don't you sit down?" Ella suggested.
"This is my niece," Reina said. "Anita's daughter, Ella."
"It's nice to meet you," Walter said politely.
"You, too," Ella replied. As Reina and Walter continued to stare at each other, Ella added, "I'm going to make some calls from my car. Text me when you're ready to go, Auntie. And take your time. I'm in no rush."
"We're in no rush, either," she told Walter. "We'll be nearby, but this time is for the two of you."
"Thank you," Walter said.
As the two of them sat down at a table, she turned to Jax, who was still holding her hand. "Let's take a walk."
He nodded, and they walked through the hotel and up the steps to another ocean-view deck that offered several benches overlooking the ocean.
As they sat down, she let go of his hand, and when their eyes met, she felt another wave of emotion. "That was everything I wanted it to be," she said.
"You weren't hoping for an embrace, a kiss?"
"No. That would have been too much. That look they exchanged was everything, as if all the years between them had faded away, and they were those two young people who once fell in love."
"It's kind of a sad story, though. They spent more than fifty years apart."
"Maybe this is their time."
He gave her a long look. "Maybe this is our time."
Her heart skipped a beat. "I wasn't thinking that after what happened this morning."
"I wasn't expecting Wren to show up, Kaia. I didn't handle it as well as I should have."
"I get that you were shaken up, but you said she left shortly after I did, so why didn't you come see me?"
"I had to think about a lot of things, and I wanted to talk to you when I had a clearer head."
She wasn't thrilled with that explanation. "I'm not sure that's a great excuse, but okay. So, your head is clear now, right?"
"It is. And I want to tell you everything."
"Well, I think we have time because Walter and Reina have a lot of catching up to do."
He took a moment to gather his thoughts, which only made her more worried. She wasn't sure what she wanted to hear. There seemed to be so many things he could say that would force their relationship to end. "Jax, please," she said. "Just tell me what really happened, because I know it wasn't as simple as you stealing someone else's song. I don't even believe you did that. That's not who you are. You're not a thief. You don't take the easy way out."
