Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 79685 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79685 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Tears spill down her face, and she shakes her head. “I wish I had known. I’m so sorry.”
Suddenly, I hear a baby cry, and my eyes widen. “Is that Kristian?”
“Yes. Hold on.” She turns her head to the side, then says, “Bring him so Ciara can see her nephew.” Grace turns the phone, and I jerk backward when Dominik comes into view.
The only memories I have of him aren’t good.
Grace said he makes her happy.
Don’t panic and ruin the moment.
Instinctively, I reach for Santiago, and placing my hand on his thigh, I grip hold of the cotton fabric of his pants in a tight fist.
“You’ve got this, mi sol,” he whispers. “I’m right here.”
I lower my gaze to the baby, and then he’s all I see as Grace brushes her hand over his white hair, which looks incredibly soft.
“He’s so beautiful,” I murmur in total awe. Noticing the color of his eyes, I smile widely. “He has the same color eyes as you, Grace.”
“Yeah, and he also has my temper when I don’t feed him quick enough.”
I let out a chuckle, and the sound stuns me, instantly wiping the smile from my face.
Santiago places his other hand over mine and holds it tightly. “Ciara just chuckled for the first time. We’re going to need a moment.”
Overwhelmed by the happiness I feel after being in hell for so long, I shut my eyes to try to process the emotion faster because I don’t want the call to end.
“Take your time, sweetheart,” Grace coos.
I nod, sucking in deep breaths to keep the tears back, and press my other hand to my chest, where the happy emotion keeps growing until it feels like I might burst.
“It’s intense,” I gasp.
Letting go of my hand, Santiago wraps his fingers around the back of my neck and leans in close to me again. “Breathe through it, mi sol. Slowly in…and exhale.” He keeps repeating the words, and it helps me.
I rub my hand over my chest, and when it’s not so overwhelming anymore, I open my eyes and look at the phone again.
Grace is sitting outside, and I see lots of green plants behind her. A breeze plays with her hair, and there’s a loving expression on her face as she asks, “Do you feel better?”
I nod, and when Santiago presses a kiss to my temple, I don’t think and lean my head into the crook of his neck, staring at Grace.
Safety. Love. Happiness. There are so many good emotions that I can’t think of anything to say, and I just want to soak in this moment.
For months, I believed I would never feel this way again. There was only pain, disgust, and fear.
But not anymore.
“We live on an island.” Grace begins to talk, and she moves the camera, letting me see all the greenery around her. There’s even a stream. “It’s so beautiful and peaceful here. We have everything we need. Even a hospital. That’s where I gave birth to Kristian.”
My voice is soft as I ask, “Did it hurt?”
She shakes her head. “Nothing I couldn’t handle, and I had an epidural. He took his sweet time, though. Fifteen hours.”
“When is his birthday?”
“The sixteenth of May.”
“He was born the same day I found you,” Santiago mentions.
Surprised to hear that, I pull back to look at him.
“It’s your birthday soon,” Grace mentions, drawing my attention back to her. “Are you planning anything special?”
I shake my head, then ask, “What day is it today?”
“The fourth of June,” Grace replies. “If you could have anything, what would that be?”
There’s only one answer to that question. “I want to see you in person.”
A wide smile forms on Grace’s face. “That would be so amazing, Ciara. If you’re ready, I can come to you.”
“Are you ready?” Santiago asks me, and when I nod, he continues, “We’ll come to the island on Sunday so Ciara has time to settle before her birthday.”
“Thank you, Santiago,” Grace murmurs, and her tone grows hoarse as she adds, “For everything. I’ll never be able to repay you.”
“I’ll get Ciara a phone and give her your number so the two of you can talk whenever you want,” Santiago says, and my eyes go wide as saucers.
“Really?” I gasp. “A phone for me?”
He nods, and the expression on his face makes me feel like I’m the only person he sees. It also makes me more aware of him as a man, and a kaleidoscope of butterflies flutters in my stomach.
I quickly look at the screen again, and Grace must see something on my face because she tilts her head and says, “Just in case you need to hear it, Santiago is a very close friend of mine, and I trust him. You’re safe with him. Okay?”
My head bobs up and down. I needed to hear that. Grace is the one person who has always done what’s best for me.