I was grateful to have him and Maureen in my life, and now, more than anything, I wanted my biological mother to see that too.
While dressing Lucas up, my mind wandered again.
This is my mother that I am meeting for the first time… my mother.The thought still felt unreal. I had so many questions I wanted to ask her, so many things I wanted to know, and so many things I wanted to hear. For years, I had imagined this moment in countless different ways. Now that it was finally happening, my heart felt like it was being pulled in a hundred directions at once. I prayed that the meeting would go well. That somehow, despite everything, something good would come out of it.
While getting ready, I heard a knock on my bedroom door.
“Come in,” I called out.
The door opened, and Cole stepped inside.
For a brief moment, he simply stood there, and I saw his gaze sweep over me before he quickly composed himself. Something about the way he looked at me made my stomach flutter.
“Need any help?” he asked.
I nodded, feeling suddenly awkward as I struggled with the strings at the back of the Indian dress I had bought with Geeta to surprise my mother. My fingers kept slipping over the delicate ties.
Without saying anything, Cole walked toward me.When he reached me, he gently turned me around so that my back faced him. The movement was careful, almost instinctively protective, and it made my breath catch in my throat. I watched him through the mirror as he stepped closer.
He lifted my hair slowly and pushed it to one side of my shoulder, his fingers brushing lightly against the back of my neck. A shiver ran through me that had nothing to do with the cool air in the room.
The peach-coloured GeorgetteAnarkaliclung softly to my frame, the fabric flowing down in delicate folds.
Cole carefully gathered the thin strings at the back and began tying them together.His fingers worked slowly and deliberately.Every small movement seemed to stretch the moment longer than it should have been.
I could feel the comforting heat of his presence behind me, feel the faint brush of his knuckles against my back as he adjusted the ties.
My breath stayed trapped in my chest the entire time.
A familiar emotion crept over me, one I knew far too well.
One I had been trying very hard to ignore.
I had brushed it away many times before, pretending it was nothing more than comfort or friendship. But standing there with him so close, feeling the heat of his hands and the gentleness of his touch, it was becoming harder to deny.
Finally, he finished tying the strings.
“Done,” he said softly.
But neither of us moved right away.
Through the mirror, I saw him looking at me. His hands rested lightly on my shoulders. The reflection held my gaze, and something unspoken passed between us in that silence.
“I’ll finish getting ready and be out in a couple of minutes,” I stuttered quickly.
I broke the moment by lowering my gaze to the floor, unable to look at him any longer.
Just moments ago, the fear of meeting my mother had been consuming every thought in my mind. That fear had begun to recede.
Because something else—something far more serious and confusing—took precedence.
25
JIYA
The doorbell rang, and my legs felt like they were stuck in concrete. For one terrifying second, I could not move. My hand hovered uselessly at my side while my pulse pounded. I forced myself to gather my courage, and before opening the door, I turned around.
Jack, Maureen, and Cole stood a short distance behind me, their presence strengthening me. The silent encouragement in their eyes felt like a hand at my back, gently pushing me forward and wishing me luck.
