My Saving Grace

Chapter 29

"Sophia, do you know what day it is?"

"What day is it, Mommy?"

"It's Daddy's birthday! He's turning thirty-two. Do you wanna help me surprise him?"

"Yes!", I exclaimed with a huge smile, flashing my missing two front teeth.

"Perfect! We'll let your brother and Dad sleep in. I'm gonna bake my signature chocolate mousse cake—it's his favorite." She was smiling radiantly, her cheeks glowing.

My mommy was the prettiest person I'd ever seen. And she loved Nick and me very much. No wonder Dad picked her to be our mom and not some ugly witch lady.

"Can you run upstairs and grab my phone for me, dear? I'm going to get started on the cake."

"Yup!"

I ran to the stairs, and remembering that Daddy and Nick were still sleeping, began to tiptoe quietly up the steps.

"This house is humongous, you don't have to worry about waking them up." I heard the laughter in my mom's voice.

"Okay!"

I snuck into Mommy and Daddy's room, careful not to wake Daddy up from his sleep. He'd had a long day yesterday. Grabbing Mommy's phone from the dresser, I quietly left, shutting the door behind me.

"I have your phone, Mommy!", I announced, skipping back into the kitchen.

Only to find Mommy lying on the ground, unmoving.

"No!!!", I wailed, dropping the phone and running to her side.

"Sophia. Sweetheart, wake up," a voice called, ringing in my ear.

I felt someone shaking my shoulders and immediately, my eyes flew open. I reached a hand up to my cheek, feeling moisture there.

"Wh-what happened?"

"You had a nightmare, I think. I just woke up and felt you thrashing around." Antonio's dark eyes were filled with concern.

"I...I dreamt of my mom. It was a memory I had of helping her surprise Dad for his birthday. But it ended with that god awful scene..." My words trailed off as I remembered the fateful moment in the kitchen that had turned my childhood upside down.

Strong arms wrapped around me, and I focused on the steady sound of my husband's heartbeat.

"It's okay. I'm right here," he murmured.

"I haven't dreamt about her in so long. Our wedding must've triggered old memories because the majority of the time, I thought about her."

"That makes sense."

I nodded slowly.

We lay there in companionable silence for a few moments, letting the remnants of my nightmare fade away.

"So, you mentioned yesterday that you wanted to watch the sunrise while swimming in the beach," Antonio spoke, tracing my back with his long fingers.