Page 68 of Becoming Us
I smiled to myself and held him a little tighter. My heart was doing that thing again—squeezing so tightly it almost hurt. But it wasn’t pain. It was just trying to make more room for the ridiculous, aching amount of love I had for him.
Samuel was right. We weren’t the same anymore.
But somehow, he wasmyAtty again.
CHAPTER
TEN
BEFORE
“Noah!”
The shout pulled my head toward the crowd. Among the throng of bodies at the airport, I spotted my oldest brother making his way to me, a huge grin stretching across his face—which I mirrored without hesitation.
I made a beeline for him and his wife, grabbing her bag and leading them to the parking lot.
“How come you got stuck with us?” Matias asked.
“Stuck?” I shot back. “You think I’d rather be home babysitting the preteens?”
He let out a throaty laugh. “So, Diego’s already there?”
“They got in this morning. You’re the one always showing up fashionably late.”
We reached the row of cars just as the black van’s trunk popped open. Ilana stepped out from the driver’s side, smiling as she spread her arms to greet our brother.
“You’ve gotten so big, Noah,” Luciana, my sister-in-law, said, attempting to ruffle my hair.
I dodged her hand with a laugh. “Yeah, well, last time you saw me I wasn’t even sixteen. If you visited more often, you’d get the joy of watching me age in real time.”
She rolled her eyes. “Aren’t you heading to Los Angeles in a couple months?”
“Graduating in June,” I said, holding the door open for her.
She slid into the front seat next to my sister, and I climbed into the back with Matias. He was the oldest of our dad’s kids, but somehow, despite the big age gap, we’d always clicked. Like me, he had Dad’s green eyes, though he towered over both of us—probably something he got from his mom’s side, though I didn’t really know them.
“Finally getting out of high school? Only took you ten years,” he teased.
“Oh, hardy-har. It was one extra year, and honestly? Couldn’t end fast enough.” I settled back in my seat.
Ilana snorted from behind the wheel. “I bet you’re dying to get out—especially after last week.”
Our eyes met in the rearview mirror, humor flashing in hers.
“Why do you all gang up on me when we’re together?”
Luciana grinned. “Easy target?”
I stuck my tongue out at her.
“Wait, what happened last week?” Matias asked.
“Mom caught Noah going down on her Pilates instructor,” Ilana said casually.
I laughed as I shoved her shoulder. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
She cackled.
