Defining Love

Prologue & Chapter 1

Aaron

They say life is full of defining moments: moments that lead you down the path to becoming the person you were intended to be—live the life you were intended to live—fall in love with person you were destined to be with. I used to think those moments were easily identifiable. I'd know when I met my soul mate. I'd meet her, fall in love, and then we'd have many more defining moments together. It was exactly how it happened for me and Mia, my girlfriend of over ten years. I'd been with her since high school. We'd shared plenty of other defining moments over the years. She's a great girl, my best friend, and I had every intention of marrying her. After everything she and I had gone through over the years, I was convinced there'd be no more defining moments for me with any other women.

Until that unforgettable moment I had with Henrietta Magaña.

The first time I met her had been as insignificant as any of the other times I'd met one of my kid sister's new friends. I'd barely noticed her that first time and for good reason. I had no business or interest eyeballing my sister's friends. Bea was more than ten years younger than I, and though she'd just turned nineteen, I still considered her my baby sister. Her friends were all as young as she was. While I was well aware that at nineteen they were hardly babies, I still couldn't help but think of them at the very least as little girls. Besides, my heart belonged to one girl and one girl only, and I knew that no other girl could change that. Least of all one of my sister's friends.

Then New Year's Eve happened. It started as innocent, trivial small talk. But the small talk turned into one of the most unforgettable conversations I'd ever had. Henrietta was no trivial little girl. Months later, the experience still had me reeling and questioning everything I've ever believed about defining moments and knowing when you'd met the one.

Chapter 1

A good friend knows all your best and worst stories.

A best friend has lived them with you.

Henri

Age 15

"Don't leave me . . . please." My lips quivered despite my attempts to be brave and try to be understanding as I'd promised I would be.

Celia reached out and hugged me. "I am not leaving you," she whispered against my temple then kissed my forehead. "We've been through this before. It's better if I go. There'll be more room for you now. You may even get your own bed."

"I don't care about my own bed!" I said, straining to fight the sobs, but knew I was losing the battle. "I don't want my own bed! I won't be able to sleep without you in it anyway."

I cried openly now. My sister, Celia, was all I'd ever had ever since our mother had dropped us off at a homeless shelter and never returned. I'd only been six at the time and Celia was nine. But even before then, our drugged-out mom was never around, or if she was, she was out of her mind. Celia was who I turned to for any comfort and, as far as I knew, the only family I'd ever had. Her leaving me now hurt a million times more than our mother ditching us.

"Henri." She cupped my face in her hands. "We've been over this already. I'm eighteen. I can't stay in foster care anymore. I need to get out of this place. But I am not abandoning you. Do you understand that? I'll be back to visit you often. I'll get a phone as soon as I'm able to and call you every day. Be strong, baby sissy. Three years will fly by, and before you know it, you can come live with me, and we'll be together again, okay?"