Two months later.

The doorbell rang, the chime bouncing off the teal colored walls and modern furniture. Even the chime it emitted was chipper and airy like the design. Kimberly had given me a lot of creative liberty in what I decided to bring to the apartment. I wanted something different than the dark panel design of my childhood home. I brought pastel watercolor paintings and kitchen accessories like pepper shakers with tiny, blushing faces on them. It was spotting little things like that which put a smile on my face when I rushed to answer the door.

I pulled it wide open without checking through the peephole since I was expecting visitors.

Julio, Tìa, and Tìo stood in a triangular formation with Julio at the front like a shield or peace offering. In his hands was a bouquet of flowers. It surprised me to see they were sunflowers. They seemed too big and bold to be in a bouquet but like the little happy objects spread around the apartment, they already brought me immense joy.

My aunt and uncle's expressions were grim. They tried to smile but it didn't reach their eyes. Their wrinkles were more prominent, more scrunched and deep. The bags under their eyes weren't as dark as they had been weeks before but the hunch in their shoulders and mismatched clothes cued me in that they were still recovering from Nancy's arrest.

I didn't classify my own experience of dealing with her arrest as recovering because in all honesty, it felt as if I had lived my whole life simply recovering. I was done living my life on pause. Maybe if Nancy had spent at least a fraction of the time I had spent trying to heal myself, she wouldn't have had the incessant need to have everything. She wouldn't have felt like the world owed her.

"House warming present!" Julio said, thrusting the flowers at me. His eyes were a light brown that soaked up all the light in the room. His smile was hopeful. I knew that second that Julio missed having me around.

I took the flowers from him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "They're different. I like that."

I exchanged greetings with the others, our kisses more stiff and robotic. It added confirmation to my theory that the two of them were holding a grudge against me. Like Darren and Nancy, they seemed to have the policy that family meant loyalty to the end - even if it meant breaking other things in the process. I did my best to remember that my family's way didn't have to be my way. I could be confident in my decisions even with their strong disapproval. 

As soon as my family crossed the welcome mat, Kimberly was out of her room and strutting over to meet them. Her bangs were growing out, sending wispy strands to tickle her nose. She urged my aunt and uncle to take a seat on the couch, launching into a story about where we found the cherry blossom coasters on the coffee table.

Julio followed me to the kitchen to help me pour some drinks.

"So," he said, leaning over the counter. "It's come out that Darren isn't going to be charged with anything."

I used a spoon to dump the powdered flavor into the glasses of water and stirred. The underwater tornados became thick with an ice tea flavored dust.

"That's good for him. I don't think he was really guilty of anything anyways."

I handed Julio one of the teas. He drank a few sips and lingered. I didn't move from my place either since I sensed there was more he wanted to say.

"What you did - helping the police find out who was responsible for Adonis's death - was really cool." He rubbed the back of his neck and his cheeks flushed. "You stopped a whole drug ring too. I don't know what I was thinking when I said all those mean things about you."

I stirred my drink even though it didn't need stirring. "It's fine. It's in the past."

"No," he said, conviction filling his voice. "I want you to know I don't look down at you. You're what a big sister should be."

"Thanks for saying that. Have you visited Nancy?"

"Yeah. She's really showing now. She thinks that Mom and Dad are going to take custody of the baby."

I felt my back straighten. "Aren't they?"

He shrugged and looked down at his drink. "They would for her but . . ."

"You don't think they should?"

"With that promotion you got at work, you're only making slightly less than they are."

I laughed dryly. "Julio -"

"You know Adonis trusted you the most." In the blink of an eye, Julio appeared a lot older than he was. He stared at me with the same knowingness an experienced adult would, sharp and blunt. "You'd love that baby more than anyone else could. I know you and I know this is what you want."

How did he know?

Had he seen all the baby items I had in my Amazon shopping cart? Had he watched me stare at Nancy's pictures from her latest ultrasound? The tiny child, not more than the size of an avocado but with eyelashes and working ears. Had he seen me google all the things the baby could do at this stage like sucking its thumb? Did he know I worried that my aunt and uncle would make the same mistakes they did in raising me with this child?

I knew what Adonis would want. I knew he wouldn't approve of the secret keeping, overbearing nature of my own family. He would want his child to be loved with boundaries that added to the child's freedom rather than made him or her become suffocated.

Also, selfishly, I wanted this piece of Adonis. I knew the baby would never be him, never replace him, but it was a part of him.

It would be a terrifying responsibility. The pressure not to fail this child would be suffocating. I would need to be the change, I would need to break the cycle.

Julio didn't wait for me to respond and instead helped me carry the drinks into the living room. Around the time our other guest arrived, my aunt and uncle were excusing themselves.

"We're very tired," my aunt said. She brushed my hair back behind my ear and gave me a quick hug. It was the most affection she had shown me since Nancy was arrested. It was a beginning to the road of forgiveness. I knew in my gut things wouldn't be like this between us forever, not if their values on loyalty were truly held.

"Can I stay?" Julio asked, wide eyed. "Mickey can drop me back at home later."

I didn't comment on how he volunteered me. I wanted him to stay. Vincent and the others would like to meet him.

"Okay." My uncle gave us a tight lipped smile. "See you later."

A few minutes later, Vincent, Mac, and Kyra arrived. Mac held a stack of pizza boxes balanced on one hand with a familiar board game on top. He bounced his shoulders in a giddy fashion.

"Who's ready for some Dungeons and Dragons?"

Vincent stepped out from behind him, sliding off the leather jacket I had finally remembered to give back to him weeks ago.

"Hey," he said, holding my eyes in his. My stomach erupted in butterflies. My pulse thudded in my ears. He had this effect on me, more and more these days. I was both at  perfect ease with him and about to explode.

"Hey."

As I predicted, Julio got along great with Kyra and Mac. He found Mac's antics incredibly amusing which only prompted Mac to act more and more quirky for further reactions. I could see the two of them becoming a pain if their bond strengthened anymore. Kyra liked how down to earth Julio was, a trait I hadn't picked up on until she mentioned it out loud.

"So, what are you two?" Kyra asked me. We were eating the remaining pizza slices with Kimberly, the three of us standing around the table while the boys played Jenga with the cherry blossom coasters in the living room. Vincent was more so acting as a referee in the activity and I was glad he wasn't an active participant in the possible destruction of my coasters.

Kyra jerked her head towards Vincent and then back at me. "You two going out or . . .?"

Kimberly stopped mid chew. She had been dancing around the same question for a while and obviously hoped Kyra would get the answer out of me for her.

I shrugged, nibbling at the pizza's crust just to test their patience. Finally, with their eyes narrowed at me, I answered, "We're feeling things out."

Kimberly threw her arms up with a huff. Her vest rided up along her sides, exposing a bloated tummy. Kyra rolled her eyes.

"You would do well in an interrogation," she said, popping the rest of the slice into her mouth.

Both of the women joined the others in the living room as I rinsed some plates to put in the dishwasher. As I stood there with my hand under the faucet, I heard the floor creak behind me. I turned to find Vincent leaning against the door frame.

"Why must you torture them so?"

I smirked, drying my hands on the towel. "Why do you think?"

"Because we don't want to hear anyone's opinions about us? Because we're in a good place? Because keeping a relationship a secret makes it more exciting?"

I stood dangerously close to him, close enough to count his eyelashes and feel his breath on my skin.

"Because I want it to be just us - just for a little while."

No Nancy's of the world telling me no one would love me, no one saying the way we met was too strange for us to work, no one saying it was too soon for me to move on. Just the two of us.

I closed my eyes and I could hear him smile before he kissed me. 

When we were seated back down at the table with the others, I found myself taking a survey of all the beaming faces. This was a family of my own crafting, each person fitting in with a single easy stitch as I embroidered them into my heart. I longed for Adonis to be a part of it. He would try to convince someone to play checkers with him just so he could clean the floor with them. He would tell me my white on white outfit made me look like la llorona. He would be happy that I was paving my own way.

Though the ladybug necklace wasn't from Adonis, the letter was.

You can be brave, he had written.

I would be.

Thus, for the remainder of the evening, I continued filling my online shopping cart with baby items.

The End.