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Cruz reaches for my hand and for a split second I think about pulling it away. But when I feel the confidence in his hold, the instinct vanishes.
“Royce did what he did because he believed Ellery was his,” Cruz confirms. “But I did what I did because she is not.”
My mother looks at Cruz, considering his answer, and when she looks down at our joined hands, and back up, a smile starts to tug on her lips. “Well, it’s about damn time.”
“What?” Cruz and I ask in unison.
“You two.” She lifts her tea and takes a sip. “You’re crazy about one another. We’ve always known, but it’s time you admitted it to yourselves.”
Cruz rubs the thumb of his free hand over his chin, clearly just as stunned as I am. “You know?”
“Of course,” his father laughs.
Cruz drops his hand and shakes his head with a laugh. “How?”
“You forget, son, I teach the classics. I know every trope there is to know. And you two, well, it’s the most classic of all.”
“Stepsiblings who fall for each other?” Cruz asks wryly.
“No,” Momma laughs. “That is more unique to the south, I think.”
“Momma!” I can’t help but laugh and Cruz does too.
“What?” She takes another sip of tea. “Jokes exist because there is a kernel of truth to them. And the south, well, let’s just say it’s not all that uncommon to find a family tree whose branches twist a bit. But I think what your father was saying, Cruz, is meant to be.”
Cruz and I look back at one another, and I know he’s wondering the same thing that I am.
“So when did you figure it out?” I ask, turning back to look at Momma. “How long have you known?”
Momma reaches for Antonio’s hand and he smiles. “It was pretty clear from the beginning,” he says, taking a sip of tea.
My mouth falls open. That answer I wasn’t expecting. “Why didn’t you say something?”
“WhatcouldI say?” Momma replies. “You were fourteen, Ellery, and Cruz, you were this confident young man whose world had just been turned upside down—both of your worlds had been. I could see you were each hurting and processing in your own ways, the curve life had thrown you. But something interesting happened when we brought our homes together. We saw this spark of life flicker in each of you and it didn’t take a genius to know what it was. But we didn’t say anything because we didn’t want to lose it. We just wanted you to be happy, no matter who or what was the cause.”
I’m stunned by how painfully, yet beautifully accurate her words were. And I can tell by the surge of warmth passing from Cruz’s hand to mine, he feels the same.
“But that summer before you left for Highland, Cruz…” Momma looks down, her voice dropping a bit. “It was as if that spark in both of you disappeared. One minute it was there and the next it was gone. It was your father who figured out something had happened between you two. In fact, he was hell bent on going up there and bringing you back.”
“You wanted me to come back?” Cruz looks at his father.
Antonio nods. “That morning before you left, I could see you were hesitant. And I wondered if maybe things were…unfinished.”
“But I wouldn’t let him go after you,” Momma continues. “I told your father you had to go. You had dreams you were chasing and needed to go. And Ellery, I know your heart, sugar. I know you wanted him to stay, but it wouldn’t have been right, sweetheart. Sometimes, we have to let go of the things we care about, so that they can come back to us.”
I chew on my lower lip and look down, tucking my hair behind one ear. Momma was right. Cruz had to go and pursue his dreams. I understand that now.
“So,” Cruz clears his throat. “You know why I did leave, then.”
Momma nods. “Elmhurst,” she says, frankly. “The society you were pulled into put you on the radar and you were worried you two would be a scandal and ruin your dreams, right?”
Cruz grips my hand tighter and nods. “It was the worst decision I ever made.”
“Oh sugar, we can’t mourn every choice we make. It would be a lifetime of looking backward, not forward, and what kind of life would that be? Instead, we should learn from them. But…” She pauses to take a sip of tea. “Let me tell you something about the south. We like to talk about social graces and decorum, but there are secrets in this society that are ripe for scandal. But not you and Ellery. You two are no more a scandal thanMarta’sbeing out of French roast on a Saturday.”
I swipe a finger under each eye and laugh gently. “Nowthatwould be a travesty.”
Momma laughs and so does Cruz.
