Page 115 of Something Tangled Something True
“You ready,amorcito?” I ask Carmen as Lola moves to stand on her other side, looping an arm through hers.
“I’ve never been more ready,” Carmen confirms. “I love that woman so damn much, it hurts.”
“I know the feeling,” I whisper just as “El Amor”starts playing, signaling for us to make our way up the aisle.
I pass the umbrella to Mayte, loop my arm through my daughter’s, and walk her down the center of the crowd of people—people who adore her and Maribella more than anything, all smiling and dabbing at tears. I keep my eyes trained ahead, doing my best not to trip in the white sand.
Maribella’s dark hair is cropped close to her scalp at the sides, a mop of curls hanging over her forehead. She looks incredible in the cream linen suit I helped pick out. She, like Carmen, holds a bouquet of origami flowers surrounded by silk greenery, her dark eyes brimming with unshed tears.
When we make it to the end of the aisle, Carmen steps out of our embrace, turning to face herMamifirst, hugging hertight and kissing both her cheeks. She spins to face me, blinking tears from her cinnamon-colored eyes, the same as Lola’s.
“Who’s the one crying now?” I joke, pulling her into my chest for a crushing hug before pressing a kiss to the top of her head, releasing her after a long beat.
“It’s usually you, Dad, but if we’re going to cry about something, I think today is the perfect excuse,” she whispers.
“I think so too. And Carmen?”
“Yeah?”
“Te amo.”
She grins up at me, dimples popping. “Te amo, Papi.” Maribella reaches for Carmen’s hand, helping her up onto the small platform as Lola and I take our seats in the front row.
The sun is setting, wind blowing lightly around us, as Carmen and the newest addition to our family say their vows surrounded by family and friends who love them exactly as they are.
Lola sags against my side, winding an arm through mine and pressing her other palm against my bicep. “You know, I would do it all again if it meant I got you in the end,” she whispers into my ear.
I lower my mouth to the shell of hers and whisper back, “I choose you, Lols. In every lifetime. In every circumstance. My soul willalwaysfind my way back toyou.”
The end, for real this time.<3
