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Maia
“Hola,mija,”Abuelitasaysas I close her apartment door behind me.
“Hey Abuelita, how are you?”
“Ah, I’m good, gorgeous. How are you? How’s Braden doing?”
“Better every day. Being on the rehab floor for the last few days has made a big difference. He can get out of bed by himself now and can walk a few feet with the walker. They’re hoping they can release him next week.”
She dries her hands on a dish towel and smiles at me. “That’s great to hear. And how’s that sweet little girl of yours?”
“Trouble. I’m not ready to move into the toddler years. Speaking of that, I haven’t seen you in a little while. Are you excited to be an Abuelita times two?”
She rolls her eyes and shakes her head. “I wasn’t expecting that. Still not sure how I feel, but I can’t wait to spoil that baby rotten.”
“Good. Speaking of spoiling…” I set a small bag on the counter for her. “Your favorite spicy chicken chowder from Marion’s.”
She gives me a little wink. “Leigh’s in her room. Go on.”
I smile at her and head down the hall to Leigh’s room. “Knock, knock,” I say as I open the door and stick my head in. She smiles brightly.
“Hey. Come in.”
I walk in, holding the bag of takeout from Marion’s out in front of me. Leigh lunges off the bed and grabs for it. “Oh! Tell me you brought the spicy chicken chowder. And like three grilled cheeses. I’m starving.”
“A grilled cheese for each of us and an extra for you. Spicy chicken chowder, regular chicken soup, and some ginger soda.”
She rifles through the bag, pulling everything out, then gives me a wild smile. “I love you.”
I slide onto the floor next to her and bump my shoulder against hers. “I love you, too.”
“So, what did I do to earn a visit from you? You’ve been busy with Braden,” she says as she shoves a huge bite of grilled cheese in her mouth.
“Yeah, Meredith and Hank were going to be up there for his therapy this afternoon. I guess the therapists need to know more about their house. Harper is still with Lara, and we haven’t seen each other outside school or the hospital in almost two weeks, so here I am.”
She rests her head against my shoulder. “Things have been crazy, huh?”
“Understatement. How are you doing?”
She shrugs one shoulder and with her mouth full says, “I don’t know. Okay, I guess. Nothing is going like I thought it would.”
“What do you mean?”
“Okay, I know I acted like Nick was a giant ass and I wanted nothing to do with him—”
“So, it was obvious you did.”
She elbows me and laughs. “Shut up. Anyway, I dreamed of what it would be like to finally be with him. I feel like I haven’t gotten any of that. We haven’t gotten to date or just be in love. It was like crazy hooking up—my fault, I know—and suddenly, we’re insanely in love. Then—bam—I’m pregnant, Braden’s in a car accident, telling Abuelita. I’m just—kinda bummed. We skipped through the most exciting parts of a relationship. I want… more.”
“Have you told him that?”
“Not yet,” she mutters through another bite. “He’s finally fixing things with Braden. I don’t want to stress him out. Overwhelm him. I don’t know.”
“You’ve gotta talk to him, babe. I bet he feels the same way. It might take a little time to figure it out, but you will.”
“Yeah.” Her eyes go to her desk, where I see an envelope.
