Let Me Love You

Chapter 13

"Hun?" she called out from the bottom of the stairs. "Breakfast is ready!"

"Coming," he replied, appearing a second later with a beaming smile on his face.

She watched him descend the stairs, a flutter in her chest that made her bite her lip to keep her own ridiculous grin to a minimum. The moment he reached for her, though, she spun on her heel, glancing over her shoulder. "It's getting cold," she said, turning to lead him down the hall toward the kitchen.

He frowned at her back, suddenly feeling a sense of unease. "Hey," he whispered as he caught up to her, lightly grasping her wrist. "You okay?" he asked when she turned to face him.

She smiled sweetly, "Of course. Why do you ask?"

"Just making sure," he shrugged.

She leaned up to peck his cheek lightly before turning away from him again and heading for the kitchen table.

He sat beside her in his usual spot and as he began eating, he could feel her eyes on his face. He turned to her, and she met his gaze with worried eyes before rearranging her features into a dreamy smile.

Wanting desperately to ask what was bothering her, but ultimately deciding against it, he returned her smile and continued eating.

A few moments went by before her voice broke through his thoughts. "Will you tell me about your mother?"

He cleared his throat, setting his fork down on the plate, his eyes suddenly fixated on a tiny scratch on the surface of the table. "What do you want to know?" he asked, his voice low; barely audible.

She watched him carefully and reached out to brush her fingers over his temple before trailing them through his hair. "I want to know everything you feel comfortable telling me."

He smiled at his hands resting in his lap but stayed quiet.

She thought for a moment. "I mean, you did give me her ring. I just feel like I don't deserve it if I don't at least know her name."

Glancing up at her, he finally spoke. "Theresa Reyas."

Norma smiled softly at him. "That's beautiful."

"She was."

"We would have been friends."

He leaned toward her, allowing her arm to wind around his neck as she pulled him in for a kiss.

"I thought about that the night we met," he said, smiling as he pulled away.

"You did?"

"Yeah. You reminded me so much of her that night. So self-assured but still kind," he said, thoughtfully.

She watched him, waiting for him to continue. To give her some kind of insight into who she was. But he stayed silent. "Why not Romero?" she asked.

He met her gaze again after what felt like a long time and smiled softly. "What?"

"You called her Theresa Reyas. Why not Romero?"

"I don't like to remember her that way." He looked up at her, smiling despite the sadness in his eyes.

"What way?"

"Married to my father."

Her fingers absentmindedly tapped against the surface of the table as she tried to think of something to say.

"He was the reason she killed herself," he sighed.

She glanced up at him, her brows furrowed. "How so?"