Page 133 of My Summer Girl

“Aveces deseaba que no te hubieras ido,” she admits, and my tears come quicker.

“I don’t. I found love, happiness, and it feels like I’m where I’m supposed to be.” She sighs but doesn’t let me go. “I’m glad I left and chose to live. One day, I hope you do too.”

“Hey, quit hogging our sister,” Xó grumbles from beside us, interrupting the stifling emotions filling me.

Letting Di go, she nods with tears as if silently accepting this for me. One day, my sister will find her forever: the person or persons who will challenge her stubbornness and make her see that she matters as much as the rest of us.

She deserves to find love and be content.

“I missed you so much,” Xó expresses before hugging me. She’s so far along, I’m sure she’ll be giving birth to Ash, the newest family member, soon. I kiss her cheeks before pulling back to look at her.

Her normal eyes are filled with childlike glee, which is quite normal for her, yet there’s an extra glow to them.

“What?”

“I met them.”

“Who?” I’m wondering who she’s talking about when Vex comes up from beside me and Raev on the opposite side.

“Oh,” I muse. Her eyes scan two of my three mates with so much excitement.

“Yes, oh.”

“This is Raev,” I offer, gesturing to my giant love. Then with a blush that I can’t run from, I motion to Vex. “You remember Vex. They were at your wedding and Val’s.”

She smiles so beamingly that she’s giving me a run for my money as the “sunshine” label.

“This is Pyro’s longtime friend, no?”

“That, I am, but also I’m this little dove’s mate, and that’s a much more important label,” they tease with a wink. Xó giggles and then looks back at Arson, who’s staring at her giggling with a raised eyebrow, almost like he’s trying to dissect why she’s offering them to someone else.

“Where’s Ver?” I ask Vex and Raev quietly. Neither say anything, but the path of people part. Then it’s like everything is right in the world.

With all three of my mates here, calmness overtakes me, making me smile and want to cry happy tears. I’ve never truly felt like I belonged anywhere or experienced the whole world stopping when I enter the room. With my mates, that’s exactly how they make me feel.

“This is Vera,” I softly whisper, unable to snare the awe from my voice before it’s out. “My third mate.”

“We all knew you’d need three to wrangle you into submission,” Val jokes, popping in. But with how hot my face is and the amusement on all three of my mates’ faces, he doesn’t know how right he is.

Then as if reading the room, he scrunches his face. “Yeah, no. I didn’t need to know this.”

“Guess you shouldn’t have put it out in the atmosphere,” Vex muses, kissing my temple.

“She’s quite the brat, isn’t she?” Ver adds, her lips twitching.

“She’s sweet to me,” Raev compliments with a shrug and adoration in his gaze. “She isn’t called my little sweet for no reason.”

“Yeah, that’s why she’s called little sweet.” With Vex’s teasing words, Val’s face is getting even more scrunched, if that’s all possible.

“Hey, I don’t want to hear in that posh accent how it is with my sister in any form. Even if Pyro thought I’d be less than approving.” He gestures to his husband, the navy-blue stoic grump ten feet away, talking with Arson. “If anyone in this realm or the next deserves to find love after pairing so many people up, it’s you, Vex.”

“Says the Cupid,” Vex returns, their smile full and kind.

“Touché.”

“So, Vera,” Di says, turning to the goddess I get to call mine. “Vex got us here and didn’t explain much, not that I’m complaining. We’ve all been worried sick.”

“Sick? You’re so dramatic. Once we knew Vex had your location, we were fine.”

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