Page 83 of Fool Me Twice

“It’s close,” Georgia huffed. “I think.”

The trail turned, and we came across a beautiful view of the city. Lights sparkled like a million fireflies.

Georgia skidded to a stop, and I nearly bumped into her. The overlook itself was bathed in dark, only the sounds of the night creatures present.

Squinting my eyes, I studied the ground. Sebastián wasn’t afraid of the dark, but he liked to sleep with a nightlight on. Wouldn’t he keep his lantern going?

“There,” Georgia said on a gasp.

I followed her point to a figure laying under a tree. The next thing I knew, I was across the clearing and crouched in the dirt.

Sebastián slept on his side, his shoulder moving up and down with each breath. He was half in his sleeping bag, his backpack and the dead lantern next to him.

A strangled cry left my throat, and I couldn’t hold back the tears.

Georgia crouched next to him. “Oh, thank God,” she breathed. “We found him. Is he okay?”

I tentatively touched his side, not wanting to disturb him. “It looks like it. Good job.”

“It was just a guess.”

Even though we could barely see each other, I stared at her face. “It was the correct guess. You know him well.”

Better than I did, apparently.

If I were in a more egotistical place, I might have felt jealous over that. Instead, I just felt insanely grateful. Georgia wasn’t just exactly what I needed. She was exactly what Sebastián needed.

And I’d pushed both of them away.

My throat burned, and I found Georgia’s hand. In the dark, our fingers intertwined.

“I promise,” I said, “from this moment on, that I will do better. I am devoted to Sebastián… and, if you’ll have me, I am devoted to you. You don’t need to respond, I merely wanted you to know that.”

“Oh, Rodrigo,” she whispered.

Sebastián stirred in his sleep and let out a little moan.

“Let’s get him home.” Georgia sniffled. “We’ll have plenty of time after that to work everything else out.”

Gently, I shook him. “Sebastián. Wake up.”

He jerked in his sleep and sat up. “Huh?”

“It’s Dad and Georgia.”

He rubbed his eyes. “Georgia?”

She touched his shoulder. “That’s right. Let’s get you home. You’ll have to walk a bit to the car.”

“I’ll carry him,” I said. “If you light the way.”

She pulled out her phone and turned on its flashlight.

“What are you doing here?” Sebastián asked, still half asleep.

“We came looking for you.” All at once, the anger hit me. With Sebastián finally safe, the agony and fury I’d held inside came spilling forth. “How dare you run off like that?”

Georgia touched my knee. “How about we wait until we’re home to talk about things? Let’s focus on getting off the mountain right now.”

---