Page 154 of My Summer Girl

“Ready?” they ask, gripping my jaw with reverence.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I sigh.

I open the door, not knocking due to the chance of Mamá yelling at me and slapping me with a chancla or spoon.

“Who’s there?” Mamá calls out, knowing anyone in this town would enter without warning. It’s not us, it’s just where we live.

“Me, Mamá!” I holler, and she comes out of the kitchen. She’s not cooking, or the air would smell divine. It still smells like home, the cinnamon and nutmeg scent she makes sure is always here greeting me.

“My dulce hija,” she croons, her eyes brighter than the last time I saw them. Since Xó’s wedding, her and Papá have been on the outs. They never really got along. Forced marriages can do that to people.

It’s not a shock that he isn’t here, but I miss him. Even if none of us have close or overly affectionate relationships with our parents.

“I fell, not just in love, but from the sky, you know? Like a Cupid does when they abandon their post. I can’t say I regret it,” I rush, my words faster than when I speak our language.

When her eye twitches but she doesn’t say anything, I grip Vex’s hand harder than ever before. “This is my mate, mi amor eterno.”

Her eyes widen. “You too?” When I nod, her eyebrows relax. “First Xó, then Valentine, now you...”

She gets this distant look in her eyes, and I don’t know what to make of it.

“I’m Vex,” Vex offers and I nearly smack my head for not actually introducing them.

“You were at the wedding?” she asks, her gaze softening at them.

“I was. Your son is married to my oldest friend.”

She nods repeatedly, but touches her lips, almost worrisome.

“What is it?” I dare to ask, wanting to know why she appears this way. No one in our family is bubbly like Xó, or overly jesting like me. But Mamá never looks this rattled.

Her eyes meet mine, more similar to mine than any of our siblings. “Your father left.”

“Left? That’s not possible.”

She shakes her head. “It is and he’s gone. He left two weeks ago, and no one has heard from him.”

“Are you okay?”

She shakes her head. “No one knows. I told them he went off-realm.” Vex grips my hips now, respecting this moment and staying silent.

Not uncomfortably, but as if they’re allowing us to experience this.

“What will you do?”

Her lips twitch, and it almost seems chagrined and happy at the same time, if that is at all possible.

“I’m going to find my own damn happiness,” she admits. I choke on air, blinking rapidly. Vex taps my upper shoulders but I’m in shock.

“Pardon?”

“You heard me. He was weighing me down for years. Can you imagine how long it's been since I’ve gotten laid?”

I plug my ears. “Lalalalala,” I nearly yell. She pulls my fingers out and laughs.

“You and my other two found love. What’s to say I can’t? He never loved me, and there’s nothing more appealing to me than retiring.”

“What is happening?” I gasp. She leans forward, kissing my forehead and then both cheeks before walking backwards.

---