CIARA
Oh. My. God.
So good.
I keep taking sips of the delicious coffee, and before I know it, it’s finished.
Just as I set the mug down on the table, Astrid comes out with a big carafe. She sets it on the table and grins at me. “This way, you can fill up your mug whenever you want more coffee.”
“Thank you,” I murmur, and not wasting time, I grab my mug and quickly fill it up.”
After Astrid leaves, I glance at Santiago. Noticing he’s watching me closely, his eyes darker than usual, my cheeks begin to warm.
I enjoy a few sips, then look at him again, only to find him still staring at me.
I think I know why he said I’ll be living with him instead of one of the cottages, and it makes my stomach tighten with nerves.
I lower the mug to my lap and clutch it with both hands while I gather the courage to ask, “Am I going to live with you because…” I pause and swallow hard on the ball of nerves that’s growing bigger by the second, “…b-because…”
“It’s okay,” he murmurs as he leans forward, placing his hand on my forearm. “There’s nothing to fear, Ciara. I’ll never hurt you or force myself on you.”
“But…” I can’t bring myself to meet his intense eyes, “you’re going to keep me.”
“Yes, because you’ll be safe with me.”
My thoughts race for a moment before I ask, “But what about Grace?” I finally scrape together enough courage to meet his eyes. “Once I’m better, can’t I go live with her?”
A serious expression tightens his features, and it has my panic increasing drastically. My breaths start to burst over my lips in short puffs.
Santiago pulls the cup from my trembling hands, then wraps his fingers around mine. “Grace lives on an island. Once you’re better, we’ll go visit her. I have a house there as well. It’s actually next to Grace and Dominik’s place. If that’s where you choose to live, then we can stay there so you can be close to her.”
My gaze widens at the news, and my nerves begin to settle, but just to be sure, I ask, “So you won’t keep me captive here?”
He shakes his head, a frown forming on his forehead. “You’re not a prisoner, Ciara.” His expression tightens more. “Do I make you feel like one?”
I lower my head and stare at his hand. There are veins visible beneath his tanned skin, traveling up his tattooed forearms. The sleeves of his shirt are rolled up to his elbows, and even though the clothes are casual, they look really good on him. It’s as if the style was made for him.
I look at his face again, the sharp lines and square jaw where there’s a constant shadow of black bristles. The light brown highlights in his dark hair are more prominent in the sunlight.
Again, I notice the diamond studs before my gaze travels lower to where some of his chest is visible.
“Ciara?” Santiago murmurs, reminding me of the question he asked.
I shake my head. “Not the way Nolan did.” I meet his intense eyes again. “But you won’t let me go either.”
He brings his other hand to my face and tucks some strands behind my ear. “Once you’re safely on the island, you’ll be free to make your own choices. Right now, I’m doing what’s best for you.”
Suddenly, I’m too brave for my own good, and I ask, “So you’re not interested in me? Are you just helping me because I’m Grace’s sister?”
“How I feel about you is irrelevant right now, and no, it’s not because you’re Grace’s sister.” He pulls his hand away from mine and leans back in his chair while letting out a heavy breath. He gestures at the fruit. “Eat something while I tell you a story.”
I reach for a bunch of grapes and pop one into my mouth.
“There’s a fortune teller in the village. Lorena. She’s gifted, and a lot of things she’s predicted have come to fruition. A year ago, she did a reading for me, and she said, I’d live a long and happy life with a woman that’s like the rising sun.”
He calls me sunshine.
My hand stops midway to my mouth, and I stare at him.
“Yes, that woman is you, but that doesn’t mean I expect anything from you. If you can only give me friendship, then I’ll be okay with it.”
There’s a flash of sadness on his face before he glances at the horizon. “The only thing that matters is your happiness.” His gaze flicks back to me, and the corner of his mouth lifts. “Seeing you smile every day will be more than enough for me.”
My lips curve up, and the warm sense of safety I’ve found in Santiago grows in my chest. Like he did with me a few minutes ago, I reach for his hand and give it a squeeze.
I lean closer and hesitate for a moment before I press a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you for making me feel safe.”
“That’s all I want,” he replies.
When I pull back, it’s to see a wide smile on his face, and he looks so happy, as if I’ve just given him the world.
An exciting emotion I haven’t felt in a really long time makes my heart beat faster, and suddenly feeling shy, I quickly pull back. My face warms, and I grab another handful of grapes, quickly popping one into my mouth.
Santiago picks up the glass of juice, the liquid a deep red, and he drinks some before asking, “Would you like to try talking to Grace again?”
After the disastrous call when I had a panic attack, Santiago printed more photos of Grace for me. I’ve been practicing conversations with them, and wanting to try again, I nod. “Please.”
He pulls his phone out and unlocks the screen before dialing Dominik’s number and putting the call on speaker.
“Hi, how are things there?” Dominik asks as he answers the call.
“Good. You’re on speaker. Ciara would like to talk to Grace.”
“Give me a second.” I hear movement, then Dominik says, “Ciara’s on the phone for you.”
“Really?” Grace gasps. A second later, she says, “Hi, sweetheart!”
My lips curve slightly, and I bask in the warm tone of her voice. “Hi.”
“How are you?” she asks.
I lean closer to Santiago. “I’m much better. I got more photos of you. You look happy in all of them.”
“I wish I had a photo of you. Can you send me one?” she asks. “I’d really like to see you.”
Santiago closes the distance between us and whispers by my ear, “Would you like to switch to a video call so you can see each other.”
Feeling that I look much healthier and don’t have to hide my appearance from Grace to save her the heartbreak, I nod quickly.
“Grace, I’m going to start a video call,” Santiago informs her.
“Okay.”
I watch as he taps on the screen, and a moment later, Grace’s face pops up. He holds the phone up so I can see her clearly, and when she smiles at me, I’m hit with so much emotion my face instantly crumbles, and I burst out in tears.
My hands fly up to cover my mouth while my blurring eyes remain glued to the screen.
“Oh, sweetheart,” Grace murmurs, her eyebrows furrowing and unshed tears forming in her eyes. “God, you’re even more beautiful than I remember. You look so good.” She sucks in a shuddering breath, then a loving smile trembles around her mouth. “I missed you so much.”
Moving my hands, I brush the tears from my cheeks and say, “I’ve missed you too.” Needing her to know what happened, I continue, “The last time we texted…it wasn’t me.” I give her a pleading look. “He pretended to be me and replied to your messages. Afterward, he crushed my phone.” I reach out to the device in Santiago’s hold, wanting to touch Grace.
Tears spill down her face, and she shakes her head. “I wish I had known. I’m so sorry.”
Suddenly, I hear a baby cry, and my eyes widen. “Is that Kristian?”
“Yes. Hold on.” She turns her head to the side, then says, “Bring him so Ciara can see her nephew.” Grace turns the phone, and I jerk backward when Dominik comes into view.
The only memories I have of him aren’t good.
Grace said he makes her happy.
Don’t panic and ruin the moment.
Instinctively, I reach for Santiago, and placing my hand on his thigh, I grip hold of the cotton fabric of his pants in a tight fist.
“You’ve got this, mi sol,” he whispers. “I’m right here.”
I lower my gaze to the baby, and then he’s all I see as Grace brushes her hand over his white hair, which looks incredibly soft.
“He’s so beautiful,” I murmur in total awe. Noticing the color of his eyes, I smile widely. “He has the same color eyes as you, Grace.”
“Yeah, and he also has my temper when I don’t feed him quick enough.”
I let out a chuckle, and the sound stuns me, instantly wiping the smile from my face.
Santiago places his other hand over mine and holds it tightly. “Ciara just chuckled for the first time. We’re going to need a moment.”
Overwhelmed by the happiness I feel after being in hell for so long, I shut my eyes to try to process the emotion faster because I don’t want the call to end.
“Take your time, sweetheart,” Grace coos.
I nod, sucking in deep breaths to keep the tears back, and press my other hand to my chest, where the happy emotion keeps growing until it feels like I might burst.
“It’s intense,” I gasp.
Letting go of my hand, Santiago wraps his fingers around the back of my neck and leans in close to me again. “Breathe through it, mi sol. Slowly in…and exhale.” He keeps repeating the words, and it helps me.
I rub my hand over my chest, and when it’s not so overwhelming anymore, I open my eyes and look at the phone again.
Grace is sitting outside, and I see lots of green plants behind her. A breeze plays with her hair, and there’s a loving expression on her face as she asks, “Do you feel better?”
I nod, and when Santiago presses a kiss to my temple, I don’t think and lean my head into the crook of his neck, staring at Grace.
Safety. Love. Happiness. There are so many good emotions that I can’t think of anything to say, and I just want to soak in this moment.
For months, I believed I would never feel this way again. There was only pain, disgust, and fear.
But not anymore.
“We live on an island.” Grace begins to talk, and she moves the camera, letting me see all the greenery around her. There’s even a stream. “It’s so beautiful and peaceful here. We have everything we need. Even a hospital. That’s where I gave birth to Kristian.”
My voice is soft as I ask, “Did it hurt?”
She shakes her head. “Nothing I couldn’t handle, and I had an epidural. He took his sweet time, though. Fifteen hours.”
“When is his birthday?”
“The sixteenth of May.”
“He was born the same day I found you,” Santiago mentions.
Surprised to hear that, I pull back to look at him.
“It’s your birthday soon,” Grace mentions, drawing my attention back to her. “Are you planning anything special?”
I shake my head, then ask, “What day is it today?”
“The fourth of June,” Grace replies. “If you could have anything, what would that be?”
There’s only one answer to that question. “I want to see you in person.”
A wide smile forms on Grace’s face. “That would be so amazing, Ciara. If you’re ready, I can come to you.”
“Are you ready?” Santiago asks me, and when I nod, he continues, “We’ll come to the island on Sunday so Ciara has time to settle before her birthday.”
“Thank you, Santiago,” Grace murmurs, and her tone grows hoarse as she adds, “For everything. I’ll never be able to repay you.”
“I’ll get Ciara a phone and give her your number so the two of you can talk whenever you want,” Santiago says, and my eyes go wide as saucers.
“Really?” I gasp. “A phone for me?”
He nods, and the expression on his face makes me feel like I’m the only person he sees. It also makes me more aware of him as a man, and a kaleidoscope of butterflies flutters in my stomach.
I quickly look at the screen again, and Grace must see something on my face because she tilts her head and says, “Just in case you need to hear it, Santiago is a very close friend of mine, and I trust him. You’re safe with him. Okay?”
My head bobs up and down. I needed to hear that. Grace is the one person who has always done what’s best for me.
“Message me your new number as soon as you have it,” she tells me, and when Kristian begins to cry again, she adds, “I need to feed him. I’ll see you on Sunday. Okay?”
I nod again, then quickly blurt out, “I love you, Grace. So, so much.”
Her face tightens with emotion. “I love you, too, Ciara.”
Santiago ends the call, then ducks his head lower to catch my eyes. “How are you holding up?”
Grace says he’s safe. She trusts him. He’s her friend.
Knowing Grace’s past and that she won’t just say those words, it feels as if the last bit of fear drains from me.
Santiago has done so much for me in such a short amount of time.
Lifting my arms, I curl them around his neck and hug him. His arms immediately wrap around me, and I try to scoot closer, but the chair is in the way. The next instant, I’m lifted out of the chair and find myself on Santiago’s lap. He squashes me to his chest, and the position makes it possible for me to bury my face in the crook of his neck.
“Your strength and how well you’re doing amazes me,” he whispers. “Fuck, I’m so proud of you, mi vida.”
With my eyes closed and Santiago’s woodsy scent filling every breath I take, I relax completely against him and just let the good moment wash over me.
