Page 130 of Sweet Heart

“Siempre,” she whispers back, as if she is tasting the word on her tongue.

It comes out so pure that it tugs at something inside me. I understand that my brain is triggered and it’s sending a rush of dopamine throughout my body, but that’s not what I feel. That’s not what this is. This is Mary carefully feeling along the edges of this next step, exploring what it means. To her and to me.

I pull her back into my arms and press my mouth against the top of her head.

“Siempre,” I murmur again, into her hair, and this time I feel her body slacken against mine.

Home. We are finally home.

***

I grab my phone with more spite than I should, but the blaring is louder than I’m used to, and I don’t want to disturb Mary, who’s working right next to me. We are snuggled up under the blankets against the sudden cold that came along with October, and keep ourselves warm with tea, coffee, and a lot of make-out sessions.

Mary shifts slightly when I bring the phone toward my face, but the screen comes up empty. What? It takes me an additional two seconds to realize the sound is coming from hers. We both frown while she reaches for it, and she mutters an apology before pressing the accept button.

“Hello?”

I hear a faint rambling on the other end of the line, and Mary pushes herself up to sit straight. Her eyes are big as she stares at the wall in front of us. I follow her example and look at her with a raised eyebrow, but she doesn’t seem to register my confusion.

“Robyn, slow down.” She frowns, her eyes finally finding mine. “What exactly are you saying?”

Her agent doesn’t slow down but instead picks up speed, and her pitch shifts higher. Mary struggles to keep up. Her brow furrows further. She nods and shakes her head a few times, and her lips part as if she wants to say something but doesn’t. There are a few times when I want to step in, especially when it looks like she is becoming overwhelmed. The urge to protect her sits right there at the edge. But this is her world, her OR, and I just know I can’t intervene. She is in charge, and I have to trust her to give me directions when she needs me.

“Wait, what?” Her voice shoots up.

“Maria?” I whisper, and she instantly grabs my wrist.

She doesn’t look at me, not yet, but I know she keeps me right there with her.

“Repeat that, please?”

Now the voice drops to a low buzz, and her breath stops somewhere halfway down her throat. Mary lets out a strangled sound that is somewhere between an agreement and an acknowledgement before she hangs up the phone. She clutches the device against her chest, which is now moving up and down with such speed that I worry she’ll start to hyperventilate.

“Maria?” I try again, and the fingers of her free hand curl around my wrist even tighter. “Amor, dime?”

Right as she looks up, her phone pings, and the screen lights up with a message from Robyn. She hands it over to me without even opening it. For a moment, I am confused, but then curiosity wins, and I swipe upwards.

05:04 p.m. – Robyn Sachs

Sent 1 link.

My fingers tremble when I press it, the URL a dead giveaway for what to expect, and still… I hold my breath as the page loads, and suddenly it’s there.

7 NEW THIS WEEK

CHILD OF SNOW

By: Mary V.A. | Rainbow Delights

“Amor,” I whisper in complete awe, unable to tear my eyes away from the screen. “Amor… this… this…”

“I know,” she whispers just as quietly.

“It’s only been out for two weeks.”

“I know,” she says again, this time with a soft huff.

“Amor…”