Page 153 of Outspoken

“If Angel is happy with it, I’m going to do what it takes to adopt him. In my heart, I know that’s how it should be. But you should choose whatever is best for you. I’ll let go so you can move on. That’s how I know I truly love you. I want what will make you happiest.” I take a risk and touch her hair. “But I had to say it. You know me.”

She rewards me with a soft smile, but her eyes are tense and conflicted. “I do know you. I know you enough to say you’re crazy and jump into everything without thinking.”

I laugh. “Crazy for you. Always.”

Relaxing, she takes my hand. “I don’t want you making sacrifices. Not something this important.”

“It’s not a sacrifice. Maybe I’m not explaining it right.” I bring her palm to touch my chest so she can feel my steady, confident heartbeat. “I feel such a deep contentment right now, like this is always how it was meant to be. It’s like I’m filled with light and my head and heart are completely clear. Angel is my family. Mom always told me that I wouldn’t end up where I wanted to go. I would end where Ineededto go. Angel is looking for the same thing as me. He also wants family, so this works.”

Pulling her hand away, she returns to hugging her waist. “And you’re asking me to raise him with you? Like his mom or step-mom? I mean, it’s not having our own babies, but it’s similar and…I don’t know. I can’t see myself as a mom. This is so much to process.”

“You asked him to live with you.”

Her eyes are downcast. “I didn’t want him to feel abandoned, like he didn’t have anywhere to go.”

I hear what she’s saying, but I’ve also seen how the two of them get along. They seem to have a solid connection and laugh a lot together. I raise a curious brow. “Is that really it?”

She glances at Angel through the front windshield. He’s chilling in the backseat, one foot propped against the back of the center console. He’s lost in his phone like usual, but he’s smiling. I never see him smile like that.

“No,” she admits. “I like the kid and kind of want to be around him. Help him. Especially since I understand some of what he’s going through. Not the teenage part. That’s impossible to understand.”

We share a smile, then her posture completely opens up to me and she walks into my arms. I sigh with the most peace I’ve ever felt, securing her in a close embrace. It’s been too long since I’ve held her—doesn’t matter if the people who live here are giving us side glances while Chester grins at us from his lawn chair. I’ll stay in this moment with Amber forever.

“I just don’t know,” she says softly into my chest. “You’re thinking you adopt him and then we all live together? That’s it?”

“I didn’t have time to consider logistics, but sure. Whatever you’re comfortable with.”

Amber and Angel both living with me? My heart is so full it might burst.

Gracias, Guadalupe. Muchas gracias.

Amber glances up at me with a frown, anticipating I might have more possibilities on my mind.My love knows me too well.

“And if—”

“Uh-huh,” she cuts in. “I knew there was more.”

I half-smile. “Ifin the future, once Angel is grown and out of the house, we decide to adopt another troubled youth, that’s an option.”

“And have babies.”

“No,” I say firmly, stepping back to look her in the eye. “I’m serious about that. I respect what you want, and I promise I’m not making a sacrifice. This might be a compromise, though. If you like Angel, you might like another angry teenager who just needs a stable home, love, and all of our wisdom and guidance.”

“Could I just be a cool aunt and not a mom?”

“Yup. But I’mdefinitelygoing to be the dad. They can call me dad and call you…that lady who lives with us.”

She laughs, her beautiful face lighting up. “Not my name, huh? Just some lady who lives here.”

I smile again, touching her cheek. “This is one hundred percent your decision. I’m telling you what I’m doing with Angel and how I would love to build this family with you. But if you decide it’s too much and need something different for your future, I’m sure Angel would still like you to visit. So would I.”

Closing her eyes, she holds my hand against her cheek. She releases a contented sigh from my touch, though her face is consumed with conflict. “So I would just watch you move on? Come over one day to meet your new girlfriend?”

I pull her close again, kissing her hair as she wraps her arms around my waist. I can’t imagine being with anyone else or loving like this again. She’s my soulmate—I know that with every fiber in my heart—and if we’re not meant to be together in this lifetime, I’ll wait for the next.

But I don’t tell her that. I fear it might overwhelm her or make her feel pressured, and she needs to know I’ll completely accept her final decision.

We linger in our embrace, letting silence wrap around us until we forget about everything else in the world except this one perfect, beautiful moment.

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