About Us (all of us #2)

E P I L O G U E

J O S E L Y N

Two Years Later

I tap my pen against my lips, then ask, "how do you say, 'thank you for all the gifts, baby Celeste is going to love them'?"

Gio sighs, but then smiles, reaching for my face and pinching my cheeks in his big, strong hand. "I'll handle the thank you cards, my love." He kisses my cheek twice, his hands traveling down to my baby bump. "And a big no on Celeste. I thought we agreed on Aries."

"What's wrong with Celeste? Your mom loved it."

"She picked it out!"

I may have gotten super close to Blanca over the course of two years, and I may be a tad bit bias of her opinion because of it. So what?

"It's cute." I shrug, his smile broadening as he lowers to my lips.

"You're fucking cute." He kisses me again, his hand on the back of my head, pulling me as close as he can before my belly gets in the way. "And you're funny..." he kisses me again, "smart..." his lips press against my jawline as he moves lower, "and sexy..."

Words I never thought I'd hear from him only two years ago. A moment I never thought I'd have with him two years ago.

I pull my arms around his neck as he kisses mine, savoring the sensation with my eyes closed. Feeling him, feeling his baby move between us. Inside of me.

I shed a tear and he reels back. "What'd I do now?"

"Nothing." I swipe it away. "I'm happy."

I said it unconfidently, still feeling weird about my Spanish, but he taught me new things every day. We argued about connotations and verb conjugations, and I could usually understand at least half of what he was saying when he spoke to me in the language.

His face softens and he licks his lips. "I'm happy. I'm the happiest...I get to look at the brightest star in the sky every day, and know that she's mine."

My eyes well, but don't spill over. "Did you just call me a star?"

He laughs against my cheek. "Yeah, baby. You're a star."

One day I'll be fluent. I swear.

...
6 months later

"Leave it to the golden boy to have the first and probably only granddaughter." Serena huffs, her arms crossed over her pregnant belly like she's using it as an armrest. "This family is backwards."

She met a guy six months ago and now she's pregnant and bitter. Not because she's pregnant, not because she can't stand the guy—so she claims—but because she's having a boy. The fifth boy in this new generation of Huerta's.

No one's ever met the guy, but based on what we know, that's probably all Serena's fault.

"Hi Lu-lu, ya little love bug," Luz coos in full-on high pitched baby talk and takes my baby from my lap, whisking her away, never to be seen again—or just for a few hours while they all pass her around.

She always returns to me fed, burped, bathed, and fully attended to with a new hairstyle involving about a hundred rubber bands that I'm going to have one hell of a time taking out without making her cry.

These five make mothering easy. If I spend enough time here, no one will ever know I have no fucking clue what I'm doing most of the time. Plus Blanca's taught me a lot. I sort of have to guess what she's trying to tell me sometimes—while also wondering if she's yelling at me or just talking loudly—but that makes it like a fun game of charades.

"Don't worry. Your next kid has to be a girl," Luz tells Serena, rocking Luna gently in her arms. "You're cursed. You'll get a daughter as payback for all the shit you put Mom through. I hope she's just like you."

"Bite me."

Luz ignores her, lifting Luna to her shoulder and cradling the back of her dark, wavy haired head.

Another thing these five do? Make my fights with my brother look like a good time.

Gio chuckles, slouched back on the couch, brushing my arm with the back of his hand like he just needs the contact. I need it too.

Luz and I became pretty close as well.

We've developed a sisterly bond, and I always wanted a sister. Trenton was fun, but he didn't understand me. Like, really understand me. He was all about keeping me away from everything...protecting me. Sometimes I just wanted someone to talk to. Someone who could relate to what I was going through.

And maybe that was it too. Maybe we became close so easily due to the fact that we'd shared the same experience—although hers far worse than mine—and we sort of bonded over the trauma, even if she didn't know I knew, nor did she know my dealings with Scott.

Gio made me swear to secrecy and I made the oath easily.

I never want to talk about Scott ever again, never mind think about him.

Speaking of, I'll just say this.

Two years ago, Marina vanished from the face of the Earth. I don't know how she found out, I don't know if the whole family ever did, but her silence is best case scenario as far as I'm concerned.

I never wanted conflict if it were ever to come out. It is what it is, and just going our separate ways is the most peaceful way to get on with it. To move forward.

No hard feelings. I forgive her. I even forgive Scott.

I'm happy with my life. Too happy to dwell on the bad parts of my past. The parts that weren't even really me.

I wasn't that girl. The one who partied until the darkest hours of the night, who drank and smoked and hung out with guys who used and abused her and people who didn't actually know a thing about her.

The one who was turned off by drinking because of the first man she loved, only to be swayed into it by the second. The one who almost let a man ruin her for his own selfish, personal gain.

This time around, the man I'm with wants the best for me. He only gives me the best.

Hugs, kisses, love. He's given me everything. And most importantly, I've finally got his complete attention.

Luna is his pride and joy and I'm just glad my debt to him is finally paid. Even if it did take two years, nine months, and an extremely painful, forty-hour labor, I'd do it all over again, just for him.

For all of us.

Fin.