Chapter 18
Chapter eighteen
Two Days Later
A month ago, Rosa was someone I admired.
I didn’t know her. She’s not famous in the way celebrity chefs are on red carpets or reality TV.
No, for years, Rosa Delgado’s name was whispered from table to table. Her story was one chefs and sommeliers passed along in awe. A secret too wonderful to keep. A small woman in Tacoma who turned a family restaurant into something people felt down to the bone.
Intrigued, I made a point of eating there whenever I was in town. Every time, her food and wine pairings stayed with me, the flavors replaying in my mind long after the plates cleared.
Then came the fated first-class flight. Her beside me. No apron, no walls, only a quiet smile shifting everything I thought I knew about timing.
I stand in the aisle, watching her settle into her seat, unaware.
Everything in me has shifted since the day we met. The world is sharper, hungrier, alive in ways it never was before we met. I want Rosa’s laughter in my mornings, her fire in my nights, her quiet in the spaces between. For the first time in my life, I’m not chasing what’s next.
I’m pursuing the love of my life.
Yesterday, I let her believe I’d be two weeks behind. Kissed her goodbye. Told her I’d see her soon. My brother, Matteo, was waiting to pick up my car. I checked in, made it through security and moved through the terminal without her seeing.
Now comes the moment of truth.
When I reach our row, she’s already in her seat. 2D. Hair loose around her shoulders. Same hoodie. Elbows tucked in. On the verge of tears.
Rosa’s folding in on herself.
I slide into 2F.
She turns.
Her face crumples the second she sees me.
A choked sob breaks from her lips before she can stop it. Her hands fly to her mouth. I lift the divider without a word and wrap my arms around her. Her body folds into mine like we never parted.
“I told you I’d follow you,” I whisper into her hair.
“You aren’t supposed to be here,” she cries into my chest. “You said we’d find a way but I wasn’t sure…”
“I’ve always been sure.”
She lets out a shaky laugh. One hand curls into my shirt. I sit back just enough to see her face. Eyes shining. Lips parted. She wants to believe this is actually happening but doesn’t quite know how.
“I meant what I said,” I tell her softly. “I’m yours, Rosa. Whatever that means. However long it takes. I’m moving to Seattle so we can be together. Give ourselves a real shot. You’re worth it. We’re worth it.”
Her breath stutters. Her fingers trail around my heart. “Santiago…”
“I love you.” I cup her checks with my hands. “You don’t have to give anything up. Not your restaurant. Or family. Most of all not yourself.”
She stares at me for a long beat, eyes wide and uncertain, weighing the risk of believing this is something real. Then she leans in and kisses me, slow, deep, deliberate.
The moment her walls finally fall, everything shifts from maybe to meant.
When she pulls back, her voice trembles. “Are you sure? Even if I can’t give you kids? Or find out in real life I’m not the same woman you’ve fallen for once life gets crazy again?”
I don’t flinch. Don’t look away. “Even then. Especially then.”
She tries to keep her composure, but the way she clings to me gives her away. She’s in. All in.
I hold back a smile, afraid to break the spell. Nine hours in first class with me—she doesn’t stand a chance.
I’ll eliminate any lingering doubts.
“You’ve spent your whole adult life without a partner to lean on. Carrying more than anyone should. Giving everything until there’s nothing left for yourself. It ends now. You have someone to lean on, if you’ll let me.”
The last trace of hesitation leaves her face. She slides her hand up to my jaw, thumb brushing my skin. “I don’t know what comes next. I know I don’t want to face it without you.”
“I love you, Rosa.” I kiss her temple.
She threads her fingers through mine. “I love you too, Santiago.”
Outside, clouds drift across a boundless sky, but all I see is her. Rosa leaning her head on my shoulder, fingers tracing lazy zigzags over my hand.
A moment later, she exhales. It’s a soft sound of acceptance. The moment she truly lets herself fall.
Four weeks may not be a long time, but for us each moment is stitched so deep, we’ve already shared a lifetime.
Everything from here on out is a gift we get to unwrap together.