“We were about to go down to the beach,” Antonio said. “Do you all want to come?”
They nodded enthusiastically.
“Where are you all sleeping?” Sofia wondered.
“I already planned everything,” Gabriella answered, casually. “I set up the basement with three beds. Alejandra can sleep with me, because I have the feeling Ilias will be sleeping with you.”
Sofia grinned. “Best sister ever.”
“Then, vamos, let’s all get ready,” José thundered, his voice echoing.
Sofia reached for Ilias’ hand and pulled him toward the house, guiding him through the doorway into the warm, sea-washed home. He couldn’t believe someone had grown up here and left. But as he glanced out the kitchen window at the sheet-flat sea, he got it. No waves. For him, that would be hell. But for her, it had been home.
As soon as the door closed, Sofia spun and pushed him against it, her lips crashing onto his, hands cupping his face like she was anchoring herself to him. The kiss was fierce. Hungry, raw, and full of need. Need to believe he was there. Need to feel him. To feel anything but pain.
He slid his hands down, grabbed her ass, pressed their hips together. His palms roamed every inch of her back, up her sides,craving more. When they finally pulled apart, breathless, their foreheads met.
“Thanks for coming,” she whispered, eyes closed. “You didn’t have to.”
“I did.”
“But your career, the sponsors,” she murmured.
“I don’t care. If I wasn’t here with you right now, I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night.”
She gave him a small, wobbly smile. “What did Jamie say? Did she answer you? She just sent me an email saying that she was taking everything to the board.”
“Besides calling me selfish and saying I don’t understand the business complications?” He sighed. “Nothing.”
Sofia nodded, and he studied her face. Her eyes were tired, red around the rims.
“How much have you cried since you got here?”
“Too much. I think I’m about to dry up,” she tried to joke. “But I’m soaking up the family time while it lasts. I haven’t come to terms with losing him… but talking to him? It makes it easier and harder all at once.”
“You’re here with him. And I’m here with you. That’s all that matters.”
Sofia stared up at him, her eyes glistening with emotion. “Ilias…”
“Yes, habiba.”
“I think I love you.”
His smirk was soft, full of warmth. “I think I love you too, Sofia.”
And just like that, it paid off—the travels, the anxiety, the uncertainty. Being there with her was what he needed to do, where he was meant to be.
49
SOFIA
Aia che tia – Bresh
She couldn’t believethey were all there. The full MoGoLoRo family, like Carlos loved to keep calling them, reunited with the addition of Ilias and the twins. It had been years since they had all been together like this, and the chaos they brought was, surprisingly, fun to deal with.
It was refreshing.
Even though her dad’s laugh would stop mid-sentence because of a coughing fit, or he’d tire quickly and need to sit down, or he’d look at them with that same nostalgic gaze he reserved for the sea, she was soaking it all in.
