Page 2 of Keepsake

I opened my mouth to reply to Dashiell, who was still glaring at me, but someone else cut me off.

“Oh, Logan, you’re here.” There was surprise in her tone, and it was laughable. It was Sofia’s funeral. Where else would I be?

I nodded, standing up and smoothing the black dress I had on. Caridad, Sofia’s mother, looked me up and down like I wore something wrong. The dress was an appropriate knee length, no cleavage and nicely shaped. My heels weren’t excessively high, and my brown hair was secured in a tight ponytail at the nape of my neck.

Caridad wasn’t impressed. It was clear by the way she studied me. A chubby hand patted her on her cheek, breaking our stare off. I blinked, only then really noticing she had Lachlan in her arms. His eyes were green like mine, but his were light with yellow in the corners and mine were deep emerald green. I wasn’t done watching the boy, but Caridad shuffled him in her arms, giving him to Dashiell. “Hold him for me.”

The teenager took his brother and offered his hand to Vienna. Again, I was struck by how much older he looked doing that.That’s wrong, my heart told me. He was a child still. He was supposed to rebel when people asked him to do things. Instead, his eyes were somber when he took the toddler in his arms and led Vienna away from Caridad and me.

I sighed, and the woman stiffed again. “Come.”

I couldn’t do anything but follow, even though I knew what was to come. I knew the Castillo home by heart. Nothing had changed besides my picture on the mantel that I had to believe was an addition from when Sofia moved back to her parents. Caridad led me out of the living room, across the hall, heading to the bedrooms. My heart lunged to my throat as we passed Sofia’s old bedroom but thank goodness she didn’t open that door. Instead, she led me to Sofia’s brother’s old room.

It was a mix of old and new. A room untouched by time, and the family’s storage closet at the moment. I was studying the old posters sellotaped to the walls when Caridad started, “I know we have to talk.”

I turned; my hands laced in front of my body. “I didn’t expect a conversation in the middle of her funeral.”

“No?” Caridad questioned. “It’ll be a quick one.”

Filled with dread, I opened my mouth, but Caridad was already speaking over me.

“This won’t work, Logan. I’m not trying to be cold.” It was hard to believe, but I said nothing. “You need to see why this won’t work, right?”

“It’s what Sofia wanted,” I argued.

“You haven’t seen Sofia in years.”

Yes, once more that was thrown in my face with no ceremony. We recently reconnected online, but I couldn’t pretend a few messages on social media were enough to repair the severed bond.

“You know I didn’t want to stop being her friend,” I tried instead.

Caridad nodded. “It doesn’t change the outcome.”

“Sofia wanted the kids with me, Mrs. Castillo. It’s in her will. It’s your right to feel however you want about it, but we’ll have to tell them. They deserve to know”

“You don’t know them!” She got right into the argument. “You’re a stranger to those children and their mother just died.”

I understood what she was saying, and maybe she was right, but there was a reason for Sofia’s decision, and I'd be damned if it wasn’t honored. “I have the means to provide for them and give them all they need—”

“This isn’t about money, Logan,” Caridad bellowed, and I recoiled.

We watched each other, and not a word was spoken for a full minute. I licked my lips, fighting the urge to curse, but before I could speak, the door swung open breaking our staring contest.

I held my breath as Sofia’s older brother, Alvaro, barged in. His expression murderous as he narrowed his eyes between his mother and me. He was tall and barrel chested, filling the whole doorway before stepping in and closing it behind his back.

“In the middle of the funeral?” he growled.

I had the decency to tuck my head down even though I didn’t choose to have this conversation right now.

“She was talking to the kids,” Caridad said, and I gaped at her.

“What do you think I am going to do? Tell them? Run away with them?” I prodded more, offended.

Caridad closed her mouth in a thin line, and it was all the answer I needed. She wasn’t going to give them up. She wasn’t going to let me fulfill Sofia’s wishes. I decided to try a different angle.

“I’m not taking the kids and disappearing with them. I want to have a chance to talk to them and let them get to know me.”

“They are kids,” she replied. “Fragile kids who just lost their mother. They can’t make decisions right now.”

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