Page 96 of Provoke You

“You’re right. Let’s walk.”

He took my hand, and we walked up St. Ann Street, toward Rampart. Being with Matt was easy, normal, and happy. How was it that in such a short amount of time, he’d managed to become family to me. Maybe it helped that he’d saved my life a couple of dozen times since he met me. How he didn’t run for the hills the day he met me I’ll never understand.

“Why did you stay with me? You know, the night we got handcuffed?”

He raised an eyebrow with a smile forming on his lips. “You mean the day you handcuffed me?”

“Details.” I waved my hand in dismissal.

“I don’t know. There was a light about you. I was drawn to it. I kept looking for something or someone to ground me, to make me feel like I had purpose in this world.”

“You wanted a reason to stay in New Orleans where your parents were from?”

He rubbed the back of his head. “Something like that. I didn’t know how to come to terms with all that. I figured if I stayed here long enough, I would figure it out.”

“Did you?”

He smiled at our entwined hands. “Oddly enough, it took you and a trip to Atlanta to help me figure it out.”

“Me?”

“After the incident at the hospital, I realized I still held so much anger for my bio mom. It stood between me and my new family for so long. And then with you.” He squeezed my fingers as we picked our way around a manhole under construction and then crossed the street.

“I wish you hadn’t seen me like that.”

“It wasn’t your fault. Even if you hadn’t been drugged, I understood that you were not like Mom. We all make mistakes.”

“So you forgave your mom?”

He shrugged. “I think so. It doesn’t hurt anymore to think of her and what happened. It wasn’t my fault. And in a way, it wasn’t hers either. She was battling an illness.”

Matt had that natural broody look to him, but it was easy to see that his mother’s death no longer lay heavy on his shoulders. He was also not mad or freaked out over seeing me in such a horrific state at the hospital.

“Then I know I did the right thing.” I strode half a step ahead of him as we crossed Rampart and headed for the entrance of the St. Louis No. 1.

“What did you do, Ela?” He shook his head.

“You really have no idea?”

“None.”

At the door, the keeper waved us in when I showed him my card. “Have a good visit, Ms. Leblanc.”

The last time I was here, I’d come hoping Ben would have the solutions to all my problems. Turned out in the end, I had the solution all along. I had to stop being a big baby.

“When we met Ben here, I had an idea. I ran it by him, and he said he would look into it. This morning, he told me he had been able to not only do what I asked, but he was also able to put a rush on it.” Hopefully, the rush on his part hadn't been because he didn’t think he wouldn’t make it out of New Orleans alive.

I ushered Matt down the maze of tombs until we were facing the Leblanc Vault. “I thought you might want your parents to rest in the family crypt.” I slid my fingers across the marble slab until I touched his parents’ names. “Elizabeth and Rob Yeary.”

His eyes watered as he brushed his fingers right over their names. “You moved them here?”

“No, not yet. But Ben got the paperwork ready. He even found them for you. If you approve, they can be transferred as early as next week.”

He wiped the back of his hand over his wet cheek. “You did this for me?”

“Yeah. You can visit them anytime.” I wrapped my arms around him. Matt deserved to have this piece of himself close by, in a beautiful place surrounded by family.

“Thank you.” He kissed the top of my head. “Not just for this. But for shining light back into my life.”

“You gave me hope when I had none. I guess we’re even.” I stood on my tippy-toes and kissed him.

Matt held me tight, then opened one eye. “Is this okay?” He eyed the tomb.

“They don’t mind.” I cupped his face to get his attention back to me.

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