Page 81 of Where We Found Our Home
I can’t imagine what they’re going through. I know they all held resentment for their parents for being gone so often, but now that they’re not coming back, I’m sure they have no idea how to feel. Nina does a good job at putting on a tough front for the kids, but she is stressed beyond belief. Logan has become even quieter than he was before. It’s like he thinks if he just blends in with the wall and doesn’t cause trouble, nothing else bad can happen. Jada never wants Nina to leave her sight.
“Hey, gorgeous.” Nina turns around and hugs me. I ask Logan and Jada if they’d be okay if Nina steps outside with me for a minute. Logan just nods, and Jada looks worried, but she says it’s okay.
We step out onto the venue’s patio, admiring the gorgeous flower wall the moms had put together. “How are you doing?”
She shakes her head and wags her finger at me, rejecting my concern. “Uh-uh. No you don’t. Today is your day—you don’t need to check on me.”
“You are my sister, Nina. I don’t just push you to the side.”
“I’m fine, really.”
She’s not fine. She’s absolutely not fine. But I won’t completely call her out on it right now. I’ve been where she is. I’ve been the one carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders, refusing to share any of the burden with anyone else. “Okay, sure. But I have a surprise for you anyway.” Her brows rise in question. “Sasha is going to keep Logan and Jada for the weekend so that you can have some time to decompress.”
“What? No. No. I can’t do that. Jada will freak out.”
I grab her hands in mine. “We talked it through with her earlier today, and she’s excited to hang out with Nevaeh. Reggie and Michael are gonna bring Malcolm and Niecy by, too, so I think she’ll be distracted enough. If it gets to be too much for her, you can cut your weekend short, but you deserve to try. We are going to get you all through this. Together. Take the break, Nina.”
I won’t take no for an answer, but I do give her the time to process the idea. She sighs and looks away wearily. She makes eye contact with someone across the room, and the look on her face has me turning to see who she’s looking at. I turn in time to see Isaiah break eye contact with her and walk away. Hmm. The tension between those two is bound to come to a head. If anyone can pull her from the brink of despair, I think Isaiah and his joker personality might be the one. But she’s not ready to hear that so I leave it. Baby steps.
“Okay, okay. I’ll do it. Thank you, Ci. Really.” She squeezes my shoulder and heads back inside.
When I come back inside I see Lincoln dancing with his mom, and the sight puts a smile on my face. He sees me and whispers something to his mom before heading over to me. He holds out a hand, and I grab it to join him on the dance floor.
“So. This is our life now,” he says.
“Yep. What do you think so far?”
“I think this has been the best ride of my life, and I can’t wait for the next wave, Angel.”
“Good answer.”
“I thought so.”
I lift my head from his shoulder and stare into those warm brown eyes. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For loving me when I didn’t love myself enough. For setting me free. For being my home.” I realize that I was beyond lost when I left Baltimore. I was wandering without a home. I found my true home here, not just in Austin, but in Lincoln. As long as I have him, I’ll never be lost again.
“Always, Angel,” he promises.
I seal that promise with a kiss.
The end
