Page 127 of Haunted

She’s absolutely beautiful and looks just like me when I was her age. The last time I saw her she was seven years old, just over Aria’s age. She’s fourteen now, almost a grown woman.

Her eyes meet mine and confusion pulls down her brows. It doesn’t take her long to recognize me.

“Jules?” she whispers. “Is that really you?”

I nod, because that’s all I can do. My mouth is too dry and my throat too tight to formulate any words.

One second, she’s feet from me, and the next, she’s throwing herself in my arms. We both crumple to the floor. Her body shakes in my arms as she presses her face against my chest. Her hands clutch the back of my shirt, like she’s afraid I’m going topull away. She shouldn’t be. I’m going nowhere. There’s nothing that could pry me away from my baby sister.

“You disappeared!” she wails. “You were there then you weren’t! Why didn’t you ever come back?”

“Shh…,” I coo, smoothing my hand up and down her back. Her grief is tearing me apart. I’m her big sister, she looked up to me, and I wasn’t there for her. “I couldn’t. Something happened to keep me away, but I’m back now, and I swear I’m never leaving you again.”

She pushes herself away from me and looks up. “What happened?”

I brush away her tears, ignoring my own. “I’ll explain later.”

She sniffs and wipes her nose with the back of her hand. “You promise you won’t disappear again?”

“I promise,” I say with force.

“I missed you so much, Jules.”

My stomach pinches. “I’ve missed you too.”

She bites her lip, looking up at mom and dad, then to Luca. “Who’s that?”

I get us both to our feet and grab her hand. “This is Luca, my husband. Luca, I’d like you to meet my little sister, Teresa.”

Her brows jump, and her mouth drops open as she looks at him. He’s got to be at least a foot and a half taller than her.

“It’s very nice to finally meet you, Teresa,” Luca says, holding out his hand. “Jules has told me a lot about you.”

“She has?”

Luca smiles. “Yes.”

Teresa turns back to me and lowers her voice. “He’s cute.”

He hears her and chuckles. Dad grunts, and Mom and I giggle.

“I know.”

She frowns again, her eyes flickering back to Lucabefore looking back at me.

“The little girl…. She’s your daughter, isn’t she?”

“She is,” I confirm.

“Wow,” she breathes. “That makes me an aunt.”

I put my arm around her shoulders. “It does. Would you like to meet her?”

“Yes,” comes her immediate answer.

I pull her into my arms one more time, needing to feel her there to know that this is real. My eyes meet Luca’s again, and they shine with love as he watches me with a soft expression.

As I lead my sister to the living room to meet Aria, my parents and Luca following behind us, I think about how lucky I am.

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