Falling with Grace - Page 196

I pulled away.

“No.No. Don’t do that.” She drew up on her elbows. “Don’t pull away from me. Not after telling you that.”

I shook my head and pressed back into her, my hand driving into her hair, her lips soft against mine. “I’m not. I promise I’m not. I have something I want to tell you, though.”

She tipped her head to the side. “What?”

Reaching behind her, I lifted the envelope from the desk and handed it to her. “I was going to wait, but…maybe this will help you.”

Her eyes dropped to the packet in her hands as she sat straight, her legs dangling over the edge of my wooden slabbed desk.

“What is it?”

“Look inside.”

She flipped open the top and reached inside, pulling out the papers, the picture of the girl falling to the floor image side up. Her brows pulled together as she glanced down, then at the papers in hand. “I don’t know whatI’m looking at.”

I picked up the picture of Gabriela with schoolbooks in her arms, a blue headband in her hair, and a bright smile as she walked to class with her friends and handed it to Grace.

“Meet Jorge’s sister.”

Epilogue

Grace

Six months later

The hot noon sun beat down through the tinted windows, the air conditioning working full blast against my face.

“Wow. It’s humid here.”

“Welcome to South Texas.”

The bright azure sky spread as far as the eye could see through the car’s sunroof, not a cloud around to dampen it.

“I don’t know if I’m ready.”

“Yes, you are.”

Winding highway overpasses bled away to a new subdivision with small yards, matching driveways, and two baby saplings adorning each yard.

The G-Wagon ahead of us moved over to the side of the road and parked.

Elias slid his hand in mine and brought it to his lips as he parked in front of a small brick home with a minivan in the driveway and sidewalk chalk stick figures etched on the cement.

“What if she doesn’t remember him, or Rita won’t allow me to give it to her.”

“Do you think I’d bring you here without knowing how this might go?”

I twisted in my seat, my stomach in knots. “You talked to them already?”

“No, but I’ve looked into them.” He pointed to the house. “Rita and Markus have been searching for Jorge.”

My eyes burned. “Whatfor?”

“To adopt him.”

The tears spilled over, draining down my cheeks.