Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 77398 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77398 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
“Faith, stop messing with your hair. Mi vida, eres hermosa tal como eres,” she complimented, “My love, you’re gorgeous just the way you are.”
She always said that. I rolled my eyes when she wasn’t looking while she turned the pages of the oldest photo album in the world. Going right to my favorite pictures. They were hard to see because our camera wasn’t the best, but it didn’t matter. I loved them anyway.
“That’s you when you were born, and that’s who delivered you.”
I wish I could see his face better, but I pretended anyway.
“In the shower.”
“Yes, you came one afternoon while I was going to take a shower and your sister Everly went and got help for me.”
“Everly is so silly.”
“She is.”
“And the ambulance, Momma! The ambulance came and went vroom, vroom, vroom! With big bright red lights!”
“Yes, and then they rushed me to the hospital.”
“And Daddy met us there!”
“He did, he was very happy to finally meet you.”
“Because I was the angel baby.”
“You are our angel baby.”
I smiled. I loved this story.
“Tu inglés está mejorando,” she celebrated, “Your English is getting better.”
“Momma, am I ever going to meet him?”
“No lo sé, mi amor,” she replied, “I don’t know, my love.”
“Where is he?”
“We lost touch over the years.”
“But I thought he was family.”
“Sometimes family loses touch, but he loved you very much, Faith.”
“He named me.”
“He did. It’s a very special name.”
“I hate it.”
“Faith, no digas eso,” she reprimanded, “Faith, don’t say that.”
“But the kids at school, Momma! With their dumb song! ‘Faith, Faith, Faith is here. Don’t say anything in front of her or God will hear.’” I rolled my eyes again. “I don’t even know God.”
“You don’t have to know God because he lives in your heart.”
“Yeah… me and God are like this.” I crossed my fingers, making her laugh. “Wel,l I want to meet him.”
“Oh yeah? Why?”
“Because he brought me into the world, and I want to tell him thank you and that I love him too.” I stood up, jumping on my bed. “I love him! A lot! A lot! A lot! Forever and forever and forever!”
Snapping out of it, I jerked back, loudly gasping, “Holy shit.”
“Faith!” Mom scolded, bringing everyone’s attention over to me. “I don’t care—”
“You’re him,” I interrupted her, knowing the truth in the core of my being. “Aren’t you?”
There I sat in the chair in the living room, thinking back on the last seven months.
His actions.
His words.
Everything I felt from the very first time I walked into his home, from seeing the pictures on the walls, to feeling his presence in the air, to the riveting connection of our first encounter.
“Mario,” Mom nodded to my father as if she knew we needed to discuss this alone, “come check the food with me.” Winking at me, she read my mind. “Danté, you too.”
“Naw, I’m good.”
“Danté!”
“Fine.” He stood, pointing at me. “I want every last detail later. No excuses.”
Even Danté’s swagger couldn’t break my surreal state that was only focused on the truth. I needed to know.
Now.
Mom gave me another wink before shutting the panel doors to give us some privacy.
In four long strides, he was over to me, backing me up into the wall from my chair with a hard thud. Caging me in with his arms. The expression on his face read nothing but love, while his words were filled with nothing but hostility when he growled, “Don’t you ever fuckin’ run away from me again, do you understand me?”
My body jolted from the impact of his tone and demeanor toward me. The somewhat calm man that was present with my parents in the room was long gone and, in his place, stood a very, very, very, pissed off Aiden Pierce.
I’d only ever seen him this way the first time we met with Journey and then Jackson. This man was fucking seething. I stood there for I don’t know how long, utterly speechless.
“Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been about you? Do you even fuckin’ care?”
“I… I… I…”
“You what?”
“I’m… I’m… sorry.”
“Camila, you don’t ever do that to me again. I thought something happened to you, a fuckin’ car accident or worse, Sean.”
“Sean was arres—”
“I’m fully fuckin’ aware of where Sean is, and I didn’t drive all this way to talk about him,” he gritted through a clenched jaw, holding back his angry tone from my parents.
How did he know about Sean?
Not giving any time to think about it, he roared, “For fuck’s sake, I was ready to call every goddamn hospital in North Carolina looking for you.”
“I’m sorr—”
“I thought… Jesus Christ, Cami, I thought you were hurt or worse… fuck, I can’t even bring myself to say it.”
Talk about a kick in the gut, I knew what he was implying. My thoughts were swinging back and forth along with my emotions. I was suffocating in them. It didn’t help that he was right. Hating myself further for what I put him through this morning.