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“No. The true green. All those pretty shades you showed me the other day. All those greens right outside your back door. Those are the true greens. I want to behere…with youin thetruegreen. I can’t find that in Dubai. That’s not the life I want for our child, and to be completely honest with you… that’snot the life for me.”
I yank her water from her hand and place it on the counter. I tug her towards me and wrap my mouth around hers. All the words she has to say are filling my mouth. Honest as they are tender, the beautiful unsaid words flutter inside me like magic.
It’s overwhelming. Knowing she wants to be in Evergreen with me is an absolute dream. Internally, my body screams. Wet from rain like our very first day, we are together.
I pull back to take a breath.
“Please,” she begs. “Will you make room for me here? Please, I want to be with you. Right here.”
“Forever?”
She nods frantically. “Yes.”
“Of course.” I cup her pretty pouty mouth, pouring passion onto her.
She folds into me. Her head tucks into my scent, and I rock her in my arms, sliding one hand down her back. This is all I ever needed. Her, Adam, and this beautiful child shall complete this ultimate dream.
Chapter 21
Nadia
Nonnahasgoneallout. She made it a point tonight to entertain like Hollywood. I think there’s something oddly beautiful seeing my grandmother with Joaquin’s grandmother bantering over Jasper, Joaquin’s deceased grandfather.
“Well, thank you for telling him he was ready for the Olympics!” Elenora, Joaquin’s paternal grandmother, fans herself with one of Nonna’s elaborate fans.
Nonna shakes her own cocktail in a shaker and laughs humorously.
“Do tell, why is that?”
“It was one of my tricks to get him over you. I told him he needed to get his big boy swimmers on and head to the beach. And he did. He swam so hard that summer that by the end of it, he was so over you and so into me that I almost wanted to go back a month to ease his intensity.”
“Dear God. Sounds exhausting,” Grandma utters, pouring her drink into her glass.
“Tell me about it.” Elenora catches my eye from her lawn chair and gives me a wink.
“And to think…his blood is finally mixing with yours.”
“Hell, at least it contains your spitfire!” Nonna screeches.
The naturalness of humanity is easily captured in these moments. They both loved the same man at different times of his life. They both were the loves of his life. Complexity is life; thinking it has to be one way or the other or both is a complete lie. Knowing the Vitales and the Griffins are merging with this new life inside me is beautiful. Gives me chills. Brilliant chills. I can only imagine Jasper being thrilled about this idea.
Outside in Nonna’s backyard, it’s early August, and we just found out we are having a baby girl. The news delights both Joaquin and me in unique ways. We both gain a daughter, and Adam will have a sister.
Glass jugs of lemonade, fire red gladiolus flowers, and blue poppy flowers bless the backyard with primary color beauty. The sun begins to set behind us.
Joaquin wraps his arms around my waist as I tell him there is a bump.
“There’s no bump this early when you have your first child!” Deborah, Joaquin’s mother, hollers out.
“You hear my mother!” Joaquin shrieks.
“I just know I can feel the difference, and give me another month, and something will be there,” I say, tapping the extra firmness on my lower belly.
“It’s completely different when you’re carrying a child. Each experience is unique. But we just don’t see a bump, Nadia.” Deborah adds.
“I’m ecstatic this second trimester is much calmer than the first. I feel like I can eat whatever now without getting nauseous.”
“Sounds great. I’m free to cook any ol thing now.” Joaquin mumbles into my ear.
