"Oh, we assumed you would have been told," Mr. Merrick replied, then he started flipping through his notes. "Unfortunately, Mr. Leon-Martinez has passed away..."
"What?" I shrieked and got to my feet. "What?" I repeated and covered my mouth, unprepared for the rush of pain those words brought. "He died?" I whispered. It was funny how at that moment every terrible thing he'd ever done to me had vanished from my memory, and all I could see was the cute boy at the ice cream cart, who tried to hide his crooked bottom teeth whenever he smiled. My chest shook, and I began to sob. Brando wrapped me in his arms and pulled me tight.
"It's okay. It's going to be okay, baby." He repeated over and over, pressing kisses to my face. I loved him for that. Letting me have the moment I needed to grieve for someone I loved, the man who gave me my son. Mr. Roman and Mr
. Merrick excused themselves, giving me time to process it all. When I had settled down, they returned.
"So, what happens now?" Brando asked hesitantly. "One of the obstacles was...him." His tone was gentle. I looked up when Mr. Merrick placed some papers in front of me.
"All Miss Risto has to do is sign those and we can bring the boy home." Mr. Merrick smiled. My gaze dropped to the papers with colorful tabs sticking out at the sides.
"What happened? How did he..." I couldn't make myself say it.
"Drug overdose."
"Oh." For some reason, that response didn't surprise me. The last time I'd seen him was the night of the shooting. He was no longer the person I'd fallen in love with as a girl. I didn't even recognize him anymore. It wasn't hard to get drugs in jail, especially with the right affiliations. It hurt that nothing was enough to get him clean. Not me. Not his son. Not even his freedom. I looked up at Brando, realizing we had another thing in common. Drugs had nearly destroyed our lives. He almost lost his tattoo shop, and I almost lost my life.
"This is the last page. Will it all finally be over?" I asked, my pen hovering over the final document I had to sign.
"No, baby. It's just the beginning." Brando grinned.
"When you put it that way, " I quickly signed my name, then threw my arms around his neck, "I can't wait."
It was time to let go of the past. To learn how to be a better mother. I could do it all as long as I got to fall asleep every night lying next to this man.
EPILOGUE
Carina
Leo Dan began playing over the outdoor speakers. I set the plates down on the table and looked around.
"Uh-oh, Ritchie has taken over the music," I said to Carmen as she came up beside me. Ritchie picked up my little sister, Luna, and spun her around in time with the music. She squealed and giggled, loving every second of it. I couldn't get over how much had happened in three short years. Ritchie and Carmen had married before moving to the island. In the fall, Little Luna would start pre-school just down the street. Then they would all go back to Santicero for the summer. It was a fair compromise.
"That man." She shook her head and tsked. "Bash, go tell Abu not so loud."
"Okay," Bash replied, then ran a few feet before turning back around. "Then can I get back into the pool, Mama?"
"No, not until after we eat," I said for what had seemed like the tenth time in ten minutes.
"And you need time to digest," Carmen added as she arranged the platters of food on the large outdoor table.
"Noooo," Bash whined. "I'm not hungry anymore."
Exasperated, I looked down at Brando.
"A little help here, please?" I gestured to Bash. Brando's eyes went wide, and he shook his head.
"I have no clue what any of you just said. I don't speak Spanish, remember?" Carmen and I exchanged glances then laughed.
"Sorry, baby." I leaned down and kissed him. "Sometimes I forget."
He looked up and smiled, then returned his attention to Scarlett, who was fast asleep in his arms.
"I'm going to lay her down," Brando said before slowly standing with our daughter cradled in the crook of his arm. "I'll be back." He pecked me on the lips then headed inside the house.
"Stay away from those playoffs, Brandon. Dinner is almost ready." I pursed my lips and put a hand on my hip, not at all fooled by his excuse to put Scarlett in her crib. He could hold her all day and never grow tired. He had perfected the art of doing most things one-handed.
"Baby, I'm just going to check the score. Real quick," he said over his shoulder, and I shook my head.