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The concern in her voice has me pulling her into my arms. “We can’t get them all, baby. Sometimes we have to be content with those we can.” I drop my head to hers. “Burn the world before they touch you, baby.”
She nods, a smile forming on her lips.
Fuck.
I can’t believe I almost missed this, can’t belie—
“NOOOO!”
A gunshot pierces the air just as Liam’s scream reaches my ears.
Isa screams.
Pain.
Pain.
And then… peace.
Chapter 20
Isadora
One year later…
I pull my white Tahoe alongside the beautifully manicured lawn edged with white daisies and cut the engine.
I grab the flowers from my passenger seat and step out before opening my back door. The moment it opens, I’m met with sweet baby coos as my daughter gives me a toothless smile.
Her bright green eyes are wide and alert as I unbuckle her car seat and pull her into my arms. Like I do every time she’s near, I press a kiss to her soft, brown curls and breathe in her baby-sweet scent.
“You ready, sweet girl?” I ask as I turn my attention to the rows of headstones that line the well-maintained cemetery.
Today, I’m heading to a simple but elegant headstone made from black marble. Fitting for the man buried below, who is finally at peace.
I sit on the freshly mowed grass in front of his headstone and tug my purse off my shoulder. I lean forward to trace my fingers along the familiar letters.
“I miss you,” I whisper.
Behind me, a throat clearing catches my attention. My girl squeals when her eyes catch on her favorite person in the world. l let her go and laugh, loving the way her onesie covered tush wiggles as she crawls toward him.
She’s halfway to him when she gets distracted by a ladybug in the grass.
He crouches down, face a picture of happiness, and arms open wide as he scoops Brooke up and brings her to his chest. “There’s my girl.”
After giving his daughter her required snuggles, Zain comes and sits next to me on the grass. Like he does any time he’s been away from me, he lifts my hand and holds it against his chest.
I close my eyes and let the steady beat of his heart soak into my hand.
“Hey Mama.”
“Hey,” I say, before I turn my attention back to the headstone where my brother’s name is carved into the marble.
Diego Tomás Santos
Beloved Brother
When I first mentioned wanting to have a place in the cemetery for Diego, Zain was more than a little hesitant. It was hard for him to see past the painful memories Diego left. But in the end, he would never deny me a place where I could go to remember the brother I knew.
