Epilogue
Cam
Was there anything more intimidating than meeting your significant other’s family?
None that I could think of. And yet, here I was with Alonzo in a private elevator leading up to his eldest sister’s penthouse apartment.
“We should have started with your friends,” I whispered to him. “That would have been a lot less pressure than this. A warm-up.”
He dropped a kiss on my head. “It’ll be okay, babe. I promise."
The elevator doors opened, and there Tala stood in a white halter top and what looked like yoga pants. Though I’d seen enough photos to know she was beautiful, I hadn’t anticipated her understated magnetism.
“Cam, I’m so happy to finally meet you.” She smiled at me with a genuine warmth that loosened my shoulders.
“Hi, Tala.” I held my hand out to her, and she shook it firmly. “Thank you for inviting us for lunch.”
“Are you kidding? I told Lonzo you could stay with us. There’s plenty of space.”
“Thanks, but that might be weird,” I said, trying to be diplomatic yet still honest.
“Super awkward,” Alonzo added as he kissed his sister’s cheek.
I almost flushed, remembering what he’d been doing in my rental just two hours ago.
“Consider it a standing invite,” Tala said. “Come on in. Lunch is almost ready.”
A shiver passed through me as Alonzo moved his hand to rest just below my waist at the top of my ass. That always made me weak in the knees—how it was both protective but sexy at the same time. It distracted me enough that I didn’t get overwhelmed by the utter luxury of Tala’s home.
“Where’s Jason?” Alonzo asked.
“Grilling outside. Can you check on him?”
“Sure.” Turning to me, he studied my face, as if trying to read if I was okay.
“Go,” I told him.
He chuckled and gave my hand a quick squeeze before heading to what I assumed was the balcony.
When I faced Tala, she was smiling at me. Being alone with her had me even more nervous. I should have offered to be the one to go to the balcony instead. Surely, introducing myself to a former NBA star was less nerve-wracking than chatting up Alonzo’s eldest sister.
“Here, let me take your bag,” Tala offered, reminding me of what I’d brought.
Taking the food containers out of my canvas bag, I held them out to her. “I almost forgot—these are for you guys. It’s kakanin from my friend’s café. Everything’s plant-based, even the cheese.” Nikki, Eric, and I had spent an entire weekend trying to nail down the flavors.
“Oh, thank you,” Tala said as she took the boxes. “Jason will be happy to hear that. Come sit. Do you want a drink?”
“No, thanks.” I sat on the plush sofa that was wider and comfier than my bed.
I was overly aware that she was watching me, almost like she was waiting for me to be the first to talk.
So I went ahead and spoke my mind. “I don’t know what Alonzo told you, but I’m not very good at…
this.” I waved my hand between us and hoped she got my drift.
Her eyes seemed to soften. “You don’t have to worry. I’m the most introverted among my siblings, so I understand.”
“How does that work with your fiancé being—” I stopped myself, not wanting to say the wrong thing.
“A celebrity?” She laughed. “It can be hard, especially at the start. But I’m getting used to it, and it helps that we talk things out and have these signals to let each other know if we need an out.”
“Signals, huh? I should talk to Alonzo about that.” It might come in handy on my next visit, when he hoped to introduce me to his parents.
Tala gave me a conspiratorial look. “Mine is tugging my left earlobe.”
“I’ll keep an eye out for that then.”
“I like you already,” she said.
I frowned. “You don’t even know me.” She sounded sincere, but I couldn’t figure out how could she come to that conclusion within mere minutes of meeting me.
“I know I’ve never seen my brother look at anyone the way he looks at you. And when he talks about you?” She shook her head, a small smile on her lips. “He used to tease Jason and Gabe, and now he’s just like them.”
“You don’t have to say that. I know he loved Dani.”
“He did. But it’s different with you.” Her gaze turned inward. “He seems a lot more…settled. Like he’s truly comfortable in his own skin. It makes me happy to see that.”
I didn’t know how to respond to that. All I knew was that it felt good to know I was doing something right.
Luckily, Tala’s phone rang, saving me from filling the silence with nonsense.
She gave me an apologetic look and said, “It’s Luna. I told her to wait for me to call, but she’s been dying to meet you.” Her voice held a silent question, like she wanted to ask if I was okay with that but didn’t want to pressure me.
I took a breath and nodded. “Let’s do it.”
Alonzo
When Jason and I entered the living room, Maya and Tala were sitting side by side on the sofa, video-chatting with Luna. Maya was shaking her head at something Luna had said, but there was a genuine smile on her lips.
“I can’t wait to meet you in person,” Luna said. “We need to set up a girls’ night next time we’re there.”
“You can’t steal my girlfriend,” I announced as I walked over to the back of the sofa. Putting my hand on Maya’s shoulder, I crouched so my head fit in between hers and Tala’s. “Hey, Ate L.”
Luna grinned back at me from the screen. “Hi, Lonz. You’re too late. We’ve already claimed Cam.”
Meanwhile, Jason moved to Maya’s side and held out his hand to her. “Hey, Cam. I’m Jason.”
Maya craned her neck to look at him, then stood to shake his hand. “Hi. Thanks for having me here.”
“You kidding? Come over anytime,” he said, grinning at her.
I inserted myself between them and wrapped my arm around Maya’s waist. She seemed more relaxed now, which relieved me. The introduction to my parents would come another day—I didn’t want to overwhelm her—but for now, I loved seeing her interact with my siblings.
“Gabe’s here too,” Luna called out. “Ate, can you move the phone so we can see them?”
“We need to find a better setup for this,” Tala said as Jason took her phone and held it up in front of us. Now Gabe was sitting beside Luna.
“Professor, this is my girlfriend, Cam,” I said before anyone else could.
“Hi, Cam,” Gabe’s deep voice came from the speaker. “Good to meet you. It’s Gabe, by the way.”
Her head jerked in an awkward nod. “Hello, Gabe.”
“I can’t believe it. My baby brother is actually being territorial,” Luna crowed.
I rolled my eyes. “I’m bigger than you.”
“Mm hmm. Is it true that you write Cam love letters?”
I looked at Maya, who smirked at me and shrugged. “Uh huh,” I said to Luna. “Did she also tell you that she’s building an app to help me study for class?”
Maya squirmed against me. “I’m not building it,” she muttered. “I’m just adding to it.”
I grinned as my sisters oohed and aahed over my announcement and asked Maya about the app.
She liked to gloss over her skills, but it amazed me how she managed that project while working full time.
It became one more thing that we bonded over as she asked me about the pain points we law students had, and I became a beta tester for the features she was developing.
I still wrote to her every day, but she insisted I just send her photos of my handwritten notes so I wouldn’t have to spend a fortune on postal services. As a compromise, I mailed her the physical notes once a week to add to her collection.
“You never made an app for me,” Tala teased Jason.
“You want?” he asked. “I can commission one.”
She laughed. “I’m joking.”
“Ooh, that’s a great idea for the wedding,” Luna said. “By the way—Ate, did you invite her yet?”
All the tension returned to Maya’s body. I stroked her side, trying to help her relax.
Tala sighed. “I was going to over dinner. Gabe, can you tell my sister not to ruin the surprise?”
Gabe chuckled. “She’s been looking forward to this since Lonzo told us about Cam’s visit.”
“We might as well ask her now,” Jason told Tala.
She said, “Cam, Jason and I wanted to invite you to our wedding. The official invite will come later, but we’d love to have you celebrate with us.”
Jason smiled. “What she said.”
Maya was silent for a moment, and I knew she was trying to find the right words to say. After a beat, she replied, “Thank you for inviting me. I’m honored that you want me there.”
“You’re Lonzo’s person,” Tala said matter-of-factly. “Of course we want you there.”
“You’re one of us now,” Luna added.
Gratitude struck me that my sisters were welcoming Maya with open arms. I was overjoyed that Maya had accepted the invitation, even though I knew she was uncomfortable with social gatherings.
“I’ll make sure Alonzo preps me for it,” she told Tala. “And that we’ll have a signal ready.”
I chuckled. “I see she told you about the ear thing.”
“Honestly, I’m nervous about it too, and I’m the bride,” Tala said to Maya. “But we’re trying to plan it so everyone will be comfortable. Right, Jase?”
He nodded. “Definitely. Now let’s eat before the food gets cold.”
While he and Tala walked to the kitchen, Maya turned to me. “Did I do okay?”
“You were perfect, Maya.” Slipping my hand around her neck, I gave her a chaste kiss.
She ran her thumb over the multicolor flowers she’d inked into the inner corner of my left wrist. They had healed nicely, along with the tattoo of the bird flying above a wave, which I’d gotten on my bicep in memory of the accident that had brought us together.
She’d designed it to match the tatts she’d done on the backs of her own heels last New Year’s.
To this day, I teased her that it was proof she’d had a thing for me from the start.
“They’re nice,” she murmured.
“I told you so.”
“Still can’t believe Tala invited me to her wedding.”
I grinned. “You’re part of the family now, babe. Welcome to the chaos.”
As we joined Tala and Jason at the table with Luna and Gabe still on video call, I couldn’t help but marvel at how far my siblings and I had come. We’d not only found love despite the odds, but we’d also found paths that uniquely suited us—and we’d learned how to support each other through it all.
Even more amazing was Maya’s and my journey from that first sighting at the café. Me with my friends, her working alone. Now, here we were, sitting side by side as we planned for my sister’s wedding—one that we’d be going to together.
I put my hand on her thigh, and she glanced at me, her mouth quirking up. And then she covered my hand with hers, lacing our fingers together.
We’d come a long way, and yet we were only getting started. There was so much about the future still left unknown, but one thing was for sure—with Maya in my corner, it was bound to be an epic ride.
I couldn’t wait.
Thank you so much for reading THE FALLACY OF TRUE LOVE. I hope you enjoyed this final installment in the Reyes Siblings series.