Page 21 of Keepsake

It was maternity leave. I didn’t even think about it, but rather Willa, who told me as a new guardian I could argue to my boss I needed to step away from the office for a couple of months. I wouldn’t call it maternity leave in front of Caridad, though.

And I was worried. I wanted to have time with the kids so I could plan my next step. I needed to understand them. I wanted to hear Lachlan talking. I knew he could talk, and I couldn’t understand why he didn’t. I wanted Dash’s trust and… well, maybe Vienna was the easiest of the three.

Maybe she was my lifeline in this mess.

“Anyway, I need time and space for them. Space I wouldn’t have if—"

“You’re suggesting that I move in with Logan?”

“I’m suggesting that you take responsibility for your sister’s children,” Caridad stated. “I’ll gladly keep them here…”

“But Sofia wanted Logan to raise them. Sofia trusted Logan.”

“Family is everything. I raised Sofia and I can raise her kids too. If you’re so inclined to give them away, then you take on that responsibility. You go with her.”

“And keep an eye on what I am doing?” I chuckled a humorless laugh. “Is that the plan? Alvaro spies to see if I am doing something wrong? You clearly don’t know me if you—”

“That’s true.” Caridad’s voice softened for the first time. “I don’t know you. These are my grandchildren who you are planning to take with you.”

I hated the honest quality of her voice. It made me nod and take a big breath. “I can stay here. I can rent a house.”

“What did Dash say to you?” Alvaro asked suddenly.

I licked my lips, unsure what to share. But in the end, if I was going to do this in peace, I had to understand Caridad and the others deserved to be involved too. They were the kids’ family, after all.

“He said what he said in front of you all. He wants to go someplace else. People know about Sofia and they are constantly reminded. He wants to start new, and I guess that was a big selling point for them.”

I didn’t expect Dash to be jumping up and down in happiness about living with me. He didn’t know me, as it seemed to be the theme for the entire Castillo family.

I watched each person in front of me as they reacted to my words. Geraldo swallowed down a lump in his throat. Caridad’s eyes filled with tears. Finally, I faced Alvaro, who breathed through his nose, tipping his head back and looking up at the ceiling before facing me.

“I’ll go with you.”

“Sorry?” I arched an eyebrow.

“They deserve a second chance. You don’t need to stay here. We can go back together.”

“You keep sayingwe.”

“This is a weird situation. I can help.”

I crossed my arms. “And you want to stay with us?”

“I can. Just until things settle down.”

“Alvaro will help.” Caridad nodded like it was decided.

She was putting a spy inside my house. I knew that much. Alvaro was there to call her every night telling how inept I was. However, he was the kids’ uncle, he knew them better than me. That was a fact.

“Lachlan can sleep in Vienna’s or Dash’s room,” I said. “You get a room, then.”

“Thank you.” And I could swear I saw the smallest twitch on his lip.

“So, that’s settled. We can see if that’s going to work.”

I closed my eyes for just a second to hold myself back from saying something I’d regret. Caridad kept mistaking my soft approach for weakness. I knew my rights. I was ready for a fight, but I didn’t want to cause them more trauma.

Shaking my head, I understood in our relationship there would be many times when I had to keep my mouth shut in order to avoid a confrontation.

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