I get out of the car slowly, and realize we’re standing in front of the brownstone Evan was thinking of purchasing.
“You bought the brownstone?” I gasp.
Evan laughs and slowly leads me up the stairs to the front door. “Our namesareon the deed,” he says casually. My jaw drops, but before I can say a word he guides me through the front door. Once inside, we shed our coats and Evan starts turning on lights as I stand in the foyer.
The pictures did not do this place justice.
It has all of the character of an old New York institution, with all the design and kitchen upgrades to make any HGTV designer drool.
“Your gift is upstairs,” Evan whispers into my ear. “Do you think you can make it up the stairs slowly if I carry most of your weight?” he asks cautiously, but I’m already walking past him without an answer. “Okay, slow down there, speedy Gonzalez.” He laughs.
We make it upstairs and he guides us to the master bedroom.
“Uhh, Evan. I know I put up a good front, but I think we should listen to my dad and not have sex until my stitches fully absorb.” I smile nervously.
Evan rolls his eyes, not finding humor in our celibacy I suppose. He opens the door, and holds my hand as he leads me inside.
It takes me only half a second to realize what I’m looking at.
His bedroom at the cabin.
The distribution of the room is different, but the furniture, wallpaper and even the wood paneling is the same from his bedroom at the cabin. I turn to him confused, shocked, yet thrilled.
“You turned your bedroom … into the cabin?” I squeal.
He shakes his head. “No, I turnedourbedroom into a replica of the cabin. This is where I want us to call home.” He leans down and kisses me gently. “We made a silly little pact a while ago, not sure if that rings a bell for you.” I laugh, but he continues. “And in that pact, we made a promise.Within these cabin walls, you are mine and I’m yours.I want our bedroom here to always remind us of the beginning, of the first time we allowed ourselves to love one another. Plus, it will guarantee that no matter what craziness we deal with on a daily basis, we can always come back to this room, where our only desire is to love one another.” He places a kiss on my forehead. “So, what do you say? Will you move in with me, will you make this place our home?” he asks eagerly.
I pull him down to me and answer between kisses. “Yes, yes, yes!”
He carefully hugs me close to him, aware to stay clear of my right side. I start laughing uncontrollably into his shirt.
He lifts a suspicious eyebrow. “What’s so funny? Did you take your meds today?” He teases.
“Yes, I did. I just thought that you were proposing to me today. I got all worked up in the car. But this is amazing. Even better than a proposal, if you ask me! It’s property in New York City!” I snort, followed by a cackle of laughter.
That earns me another playful eye roll from Evan, but then his face turns predatory. “Like you said, best if your stitches heal before we get ahead of ourselves.”
How can one sentence make me giddy and horny all at the same time?
45
Amelia
ONE MONTH LATER
Today is the day.
The one year anniversary of my mother’s death.
I’ve dreaded the idea of this day for so long, but in true Mami fashion, she had already coordinated acelebration of life: anniversary party, for when this day came.
It’s hard to think that in one year, my mom has already missed so much of my life. Hell, the last few months alone are enough to write a full telenovela.
I know that I need to be grateful. I almost lost my life. And instead of dying, I ended up moving in with Evan into our dream home. But I can’t help thinking that I was robbed from experiencing more life moments with my mother’s presence. With her love and her approval.
I allowed myself the morning to grieve, be sad, and shed some more tears for my mother.
Now, I’m on my way to my father’s apartment to celebrate my mother’s life. Just like she’s requested.
