Roses and Cherry Blossoms

Bonus Chapter

In honor of hitting 50k reads, here is a little bonus chapter for you all! And to show my appreciation, the second half is a mature scene that I know most of you are excited for.

I hate people.

I always have. Only a few members of my family are an exception. And now her.

Never did I think I could be so attached to a person.

Then she appeared.

I can barely make it an hour without her, and she can barely make it an hour without me.

Is it healthy? Not a chance. Am I going to do anything to change it? Absolutely not.

My mom absolutely adores Evangeline. She treats her just like a daughter.

Not only has she stepped in to fill the role of mother figure, but she has made her a part of the family.

Her mother can never be replaced, but I like knowing she has someone to go to when she needs motherly advice.

I can't cook or bake to save my life, and Mia can barely turn the stovetop on without starting a fire, so my mom has been beyond thrilled to have Evie in the kitchen. She is always squealing about finally having someone to pass recipes onto.

And Evie's mother never let her help out, no matter how much she begged, so it means just as much to her as it does to my mom.

My mom was devastated to know that Evie could probably count on her fingers how many times she left her house in her life before she lost her parents.

As soon as she could, she rushed her to the post office to get a passport, and booked another seat for her on our flight to Japan.

I've been to Japan quite a few times, but this previous time was by far the best.

As much as I hated not being able to do much more than hold her hand during the day, there is something special about showing the love of my life the place my parents and culture come from.

But when my mom found out Evie had never been to a beach, or even a pool, she decided that our spring break would be best spent in Hawai'i.

Better yet, she decided that the trip should be just the two of us. And I am never going to complain about ten days alone with Vanni.

She holds my hand as we make our way to the beach.

She lets out a squeal as her feet hit the sand.

"Oh my goodness! It feels so weird!" She says, looking at me with a huge smile.

We found a part of the beach with no people, I wanted her to have a good first experience.

Not one where she is surrounded by people, screaming children, and she can't move a foot without bumping into anyone.

And given that she seems to attract creepy boys wherever she goes, I wanted to keep her from feeling uncomfortable due to stares.

And I may be a bit possessive.

She jumps into my arms, wrapping her arms around my neck, and pulling me into a deep kiss.

My hands rest on her bare hips, her skin hot from the sun.

One good thing about growing up sheltered was that she wasn't exposed to the media.

She didn't grow up seeing weight loss ads every ten minutes. Or seeing celebrities getting shamed on magazine covers.

The impossible beauty standards were never pushed upon her.

Although she may be exposed to it all now, she is older and less impressionable. She is happy with herself. And she never doubts that the things I say about her are true.