Page 54 of The Road Sometimes Taken

I turn around quickly and this time he lets me, and immediately I see something, or rather someone, that I thought I wasn’t going to see for another week. Roe, Allie, and Natalie all stand side by side, smiling ear to ear and looking damn adorable in their dresses and cowgirl boots.

“Eeeek!” I shout, running to them and throwing myself intoAllie’s arms. Roe’s not a hugger and Natalie is constantly trying to get pregnant so I would hate to squish the new baby if she’s pregnant. “What are you guys doing here?” I all but scream at them, not letting go of Allie for one second.

“You’re going to smother me to death, Cara,” she mumbles with her mouth full of my hair. I let her go, holding her hands and looking at all three of them. My girls. My sisters that life gave me. They are all here and I can barely believe it.

“You said you wished we were here with you so we made it happen, babe,” Roe says.

“But, like, how did you know I was going to be here?” I ask and they all look at Manny.Manny?I turn around to look at him, and he’s looking back at me with a big smile on his face and his hands in his pocket.

“You sounded so sad when you told them you wished they were here, so we made it happen,” he shrugs, his voice warm with understanding.

In an instant, I throw myself into his arms, the world around us fading as I bury my face against his chest. The rhythm of his heartbeat is steady and reassuring, grounding me even in the middle of my swirling emotions. “Thank you,” I mumble, my words muffled but full of gratitude, feeling the comforting weight of his arms around me. Not even caring about how weird this must look to Allie but this is so sweet, I don’t know how else to react to it.

“Well, you’re welcome, Carita,” Manny replies, his smile brightening his face. He pulls back slightly, his hands lingering on my shoulders as he ruffles my hair playfully, the gesture making me feel both cherished and light-hearted. “Now, I’m going to make myself busy and go work for a few hours. Pick you guys up at 5:00?”

Allie leans in, planting a soft kiss on his cheek. “Thanks forthis, manito?1. See you in a bit.” Her voice is laced with warmth, a testament to their bond.

He beams at her, his eyes twinkling with affection, then waves goodbye before heading off in the opposite direction from the museum.

“Stop it right now! I can’t believe you guys are here!” I shout, my heart racing with joy as I spin around, unable to contain my excitement.

“We don’t have a lot of time if we want to go inside!” Natalie exclaims, her voice tinged with urgency. She tucks a loose strand of her gorgeous auburn hair behind her ear, her eyes sparkling with determination. Grabbing my hand, she pulls us three toward the entrance.

“So what arethe plans for the rest of the day,” Allie asks. We toured the museum and walked around before messaging Manny to see where he was. We decided to wait for him by the water and we’re all currently sitting on the grass, spending some very needed quality time together.

“Plans? You tell me! You three were the ones who showed up here making all of my dreams come true. This trip has been everything I’ve ever wanted and more, and now this,” I add, pointing at the three of them and smiling. “This was just the cherry on top.”

“A dream come true, huh?” Roe asks, lifting her shades from her eyes and adding, "I thought youhated Manny. So you’re either filled with rage and you’re ready to kill him, or you guys fucked, and that’s why you’re so radiant.”

Allie chokes on the apple she’s eating and I open my eyes wide at her words. I need to come up with something quick to say so I shout, “I am always radiant, thank you very much. That’s why so many people call me sunshine, darling.”

“Darling? Are you twelve and in the countryside?” Roe sasses back.

“We live in the countryside,” I add, going back to the water I’m holding. Roe’s goose backpack is like a grocery store. When we sat here she opened it, getting so many snacks and drinks out.

“We are sitting on the countryside,” Natalie says, adding to this useless conversation. That’s what I love the most about them, about my bestie girls, the fact that we can talk about everything and nothing all at once. I can see them once a year or every month, every weekend, or not at all and I know that their love and friendship remains.

“Can we also not talk about my brother fucking anyone please and thank you?” Allie adds, tossing a rock in the water. I forgot how much I missed them. I got to see them a few times this year but it’s never enough. I don’t want this day to end, especially not after having all my girls together for the first time in forever. And not especially with everything our friend group is going through. I know I’m seeing them again next week for the wedding, well not Roe since she’s younger than us and didn’t go to school with us, but it still not enough.

“So what are we doing?” I ask.

“Dinner, dancing, and seltzers?” Roe asks, taking a bite of a Twizzler she also had in her bag and laying on the grass.

“Sounds like a plan to me,” I hear Manny speak from behind us and this is the moment I realize just how much my body is aware of him. Not because of how my skin prickleswhen I sense him near me or how my heart races when I hear his voice, but because of how comfortable I feel the moment I know he’s near. His presence alone puts a smile on my lips, and I’ve never felt that before. Maybe it’s just the rush from the past twenty-four hours or maybe it’s us being together for so many days without anyone else around. Maybe it’s both. Either way, my whole body just came alive from hearing his voice.

I find both Allie and Natalie’s eyes on me as soon as they see him and I try to mask the fact I think I just got caught reacting to his voice and ask, “Are you ready to drive us around and let us get wild and wasted?” I get up from my spot on the grass and smile at Manny quickly, trying not to draw more attention to us.

“Sure, but how about we go get dinner first, I have a place in mind,” he adds, offering his hands to his sister and Natalie to help them up.

Roe gets up on her own, never accepting anyone’s help as per usual and then walks up to me, whispering only for me to hear, “Can’t fool me, Cara. You got rocked by that man and it’s written all over your face. I want details.”

Astounded, I try not to acknowledge that and walk, falling in place behind Manny, Nat and Allie while ignoring Roe’s comment. If Roe can tell, how am I supposed to hide this from Allie too until the day after tomorrow when they head back?

“Are you girls in the mood for some wine?” he asks, as we climb into an SUV waiting for us at the park.

“What happened to the van?” I ask.

“It’s back at the place. We don’t all fit, it’s okay, I’ve got this,” he replies, closing the door and climbing in the front seat. He gives directions to the driver and we start rolling.

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