Chapter 18
Elias
The next evening, I pick at the stitches in Tía Vicki’s plaid recliner—the same one I used for my bed until I grew too big for it to be comfortable—and it creaks beneath my weight.
Nothing about her two-bedroom home has changed.
The open concept almost merges the kitchen and living room.
White curtains with lace lining hang over the living room windows.
The worn-out wood floors are covered with an area rug.
That’s the newest addition. Its bright red and white colors swirl together in a hypnotic way.
When Harmony and I arrived ten minutes ago, I offered to help, but my tía shooed me to the living room and dragged Harmony with her. The scent of my family’s famous enchiladas verdes wafts through the house, making my mouth water.
Tía Vicki’s small frame moves to the refrigerator before returning to the stove. Sometimes it’s still hard to look at her. She isn’t as frail as she was after her treatments, but she’s still a lot thinner than she had been when I was young.
Even after finding out she’ll be okay, I never would’ve changed a thing about my past decisions. Not going to NYC with Harmony was hard, but my tía needed me more.
“Dinner is almost ready, Mijo.”
I pull the recliner’s lever, and the chair makes a loud springing noise as I stand up.
Walking into the kitchen, my aunt has her “fancy” plates ready on the counter with trays of the enchiladas and frijoles. Harmony is piling the arroz onto the next platter. The excess amount of food isn’t abnormal—Tía Vicki always made enough food for the entire town—but normally my sister is here.
“Do you ladies need any help?”
Tía Vicki points to her cabinet. “Can you grab the cups and put them on the table for me?”
When she sees I only hold three cups, she says, “Can you pull out three more?”
“Who are we waiting for?”
“Well, Mijo, when Serenity called and was hollering and screaming about you putting crazy ideas in Harmony’s head about needing a bodyguard and moving in with you, I invited her over so that we can all talk through it.”
Yesterday’s shopping trip reminded me of how much Serenity is against our situation.
Was she mad she had to wait two weeks until she could see her sister again?
She shouldn’t be, not when it was what was best for Harmony.
But her suggesting that Harmony go on a date with another man …
Why? I can’t believe that she hates me that much.
“Then I called up Sully because he’s the one who I assume put you in the middle of this mess.”
She has me there. “So, you weren’t about to tell me bad news?”
Anytime she made a feast like this out of the blue, it was for bad news. My stomach curdles at the thought.
“Not unless you count having Serenity over to tell you how you’re ‘taking advantage of her little sister.’”
I can handle an angry Serenity. After our last argument, I thought we were done fighting.
Harmony pauses piling the rice on a platter and glances over. Can she sense my distress?
I draw in a ragged breath and ask vaguely, “So, there’s no bad news about you?” I can’t handle relapse news. My hands start to shake, and I’m thankful the cups had nothing in them, or I’d spill the liquid.
“Oh, stop that nonsense.” Tía Vicki swats at my arm. “Everything with me is fine. I promise, Mijo.”
To her, it’s “nonsense,” but to me … Well, it means everything.
After my parents’ death, she hugged me tightly.
Even though she was also in pain at the loss of her brother, she always put my needs ahead of her own.
At that time, I was too young to realize how selfish it was of me, but now that I’m an adult, she comes first.
Snapping out of my thoughts, I place the cups on the table, and I pull my aunt into my arms, hugging her tightly to me.
She turns her head to the side and rests her cheek on the bottom of my chest. Harmony knows something was wrong with Tía Vicki but not the extent of it, and I want to keep it that way.
Why let her in on our business when she’s leaving?
“Good,” I finally whisper. “I don’t know what I’d do without you. You took Kami and me in without a complaint and gave us all of your love. It’s my biggest fear that something will happen again.”
Tía Vicki squeezes me before she pulls back. Dabbing at her tear-filled eyes, she says in a wobbly voice, “Don’t make an old woman cry.”
“Old woman? You’re only turning fifty.”
“That’s a big number, Mijo. It’s half a century.”
I bite my tongue. After what happened, I’m lucky I still have her.
Before I can say something, a knock sounds at the door. My chest is still heavy as I stride over with Tía Vicki and Harmony on my heels and open it. Sully stands on the top stair with Serenity and Summer at the bottom.
Tía Vicki shoves me aside and says, “Welcome, everyone! I hope you brought your appetites.”
Everyone bustles inside, tracking snow into the house.
Sully pulls Tía Vicki in for a hug while Serenity fusses over Summer’s snow-covered boots. I turn to find Harmony. She rushes to her sister with the brightest smile on her face as if they haven’t seen each other in forever. Everyone else fades into the background as Harmony shines like the sun.
I secure the three locks on Tía Vicki’s front door. Can never be too safe when it comes to loved ones.
Turning back around, Serenity’s eyes are on me, and her lips are tipped down. Well, fuck, Mama Bear Serenity is here, and she’s ready to tear me to shreds.
“Can we speak privately?”
Though Serenity poses it as a question, it’s more of a command.
I nod and lead her into the kitchen. We’re only twenty feet away from the rest of the group, but no way will I shut myself in a bedroom with a claws-out mama bear. “What’s wrong?”
“Harmony is my baby sister.” Serenity points at Harmony, who is playing with Summer and paying no attention to us. “I’ve taken care of her for her whole life while our mother was working. I’ve protected her.”
“So, what? You don’t think I’m doing a good job?”
She leans in and lowers her voice. “I witnessed you throwing yourself into danger’s way to protect Harmony.
I’m not bullheaded enough to miss that. But I thought I made myself pretty clear at your house.
Do you really think you can keep her safe from you?
” She cocks an eyebrow. “I see how you look at her like she’s your own personal buffet.
I’m not an idiot. I also know you’re not over her, and she sure as hell isn’t over you. ”
Wait. Harmony still likes me? My lungs constrict.
I sneak another peek at her as a bright smile takes over her face, and she starts chasing Summer like a tickle monster.
Other than maturing, Harmony hasn’t changed one bit.
She’s still the woman I fell in love with.
But is she really not over me like Serenity says?
Serenity slaps my arm. “Seriously? What the fuck? You can’t even keep your eyes off of her for the few minutes you talk to me.”
Harmony tucks a strand of her wavy brown hair behind her ear before she falls down to the ground with Summer, both giggling. Warmth lingers in Harmony’s amber eyes, lighting up as she continues to play with her niece.
“If you don’t stop looking at her, I’ll march over to Sully right now and tell him to assign someone else. How the fuck will you protect her if you can’t stop staring long enough to keep her out of danger?”
I blink a few times. Serenity’s angry words pull my attention back to her. “I can protect her. You just said you know I can do it.”
“Then don’t get distracted. I don’t know what I’ll do if I also lose my baby sister.”
Her words finally sink in. She’s already lost her mother and late husband.
“I get it.” When Serenity shoots me a glare like she doesn’t believe me, I say, “I really do.”
“Good. Then let’s get back to the others.”
A dull ache starts to spread through my chest. No matter how hard I try, I can’t stop thinking about Harmony.
Even with a crowd here, my eyes stray back to her.
For the millionth time, I remind myself she and I don’t have a future together.
If I go with her and Tía Vicki relapses while I’m gone, she won’t tell me.
She won’t want to “interrupt my life” as she’s said over the years.
And I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if something happened.