Page 318 of When a Soul Cries

Her eyes were wet.

I narrowed mine. “Don't.”

“I'm not doing shit.”

“You're crying.”

“No, I'm not.”

“Zari.”

“Shut up.”

A laugh escaped me through my own tears, and just like that, some of the panic left my chest.

Seeing Zari helped.

Seeing Halo helped even more.

These were my people.

The two people who had been there before Roman Devereaux ever walked into my life and turned everything upside down.

Zari had been there when I stepped off that bus from Pinehaven with one suitcase, thirty-seven dollars and no real idea what the hell I was going to do next. She'd been there when two pink lines told me my life was changing again. She'd been there through my pregnancy, through Halo's birth, through every time I'd said I was fine when I wasn't.

When I had nothing to give her in return but friendship and a whole lot of problems, she stayed.

I rose carefully and looked at her.

“Zari?”

Something in my voice made the smile leave her face. “What?”

“I need you to do something for me.”

Her brows pulled together. “What?”

I glanced toward the garment bag lying across the bed. “Open that.”

Zari looked from me to the bag suspiciously. “Why you looking at me like that?”

“Just open it.”

She walked over, caught the zipper and pulled it down.

Then she froze.

“Sol.”

I smiled through the knot already forming in my throat.

She slowly turned toward me. “What is this?”

“Your dress.”

“My—” Her eyes widened. “Girl, what?”

“I need you beside me.”