Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 77398 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77398 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
I was ready to call every fucking hospital in North Carolina, thinking she was in a car accident.
Or worse…
Sean retaliated, and someone hurt her, but Damien reassured me that would never happen.
Skyler saw my face as soon as she walked through the door with my kids.
The panic.
The turmoil.
Was killing me all over again.
I didn’t have to say a word, she knew it.
I was in love with Camila.
After I told her what happened, and how I couldn’t fucking find her, she said to call Danté. Through my terror, I didn’t even consider him. When I heard her yell and then whimper in pain, my heart fell to the goddamn floor beneath me.
My worst fear, I was losing her too.
Except it was in another form.
She ran.
From me.
Taking something I said while I was dreaming completely out of context. I was so fucking furious she didn’t give me the chance to explain. I didn’t hesitate jumping in my car and hauling ass over to her parents’ where Danté said she was.
Never in a million years, thinking it would be Mario and Eva’s home. The family that loved me like I was their own.
She was their daughter.
The first baby I ever held.
The first person to ever hold her.
My hands brought her into this world.
Feeling an instant connection to the baby girl the moment I held her in my arms. She was the reason I became a doctor.
I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. I didn’t know what to say or where to even start.
My girl was right in front of me, she’d been in front of me all this time. Everything made so much sense now, why I felt like she was mine since the moment she stepped into my house. And why she felt it too.
I named her.
Mine.
She’s my Faith.
“When we heard about Bailey, our hearts broke for you,” Mario shared, bringing my sudden confused stare back to him. “We loved her like she was our own, Aiden. You were both ours.”
“She was such an amazing mother,” Eva added, caressing the side of my face. “Your son Jagger is so handsome. Reminds us of you.”
“How did you—”
“Bailey visited us with Jagger a few times. You know, before the—” she did the sign of the cross. “—took over. It’s how my brother Feto got the job as your gardener. She hired him before he left to go back to Venezuela. You didn’t know?”
“No. She never told me that.”
“I brought her to you through sunflowers. My favorite.”
“Oh my God,” I whispered, remembering Bailey’s words from my dream.
We talked about Mario and Eva often, but life got in the way and we’d lost touch. Faith always stayed in our hearts, she’d always been a part of me, and Bailey knew it too.
Bailey’s words now made sense. More than I could have ever understood before, as if she was saying them to me right then and there.
“I love her. I’ve always loved her, and you have too. It’s why I chose her for you.”
Chapter 25
<>Camila<>
I sat there in a state of shock, trying my hardest to take everything in. I was beyond confused and had so many questions with no answers. My parents always had a love for children. Half of my siblings were blood related, and the other half were foster kids, but they never felt any different.
When Aiden shared he’d grown up in foster homes, I never imagined my parents were the family he was talking about. The only home that loved him for the first time in his life.
Watching the way they were together, the way they all looked at each other.
The love.
The family unity.
The connection between them.
I felt it all deep in my bones. Only adding to the emotions running high in my body. I watched with a captivated regard, wanting to know what the hell he was thinking.
What the hell was going through his mind…
His scent masking the air all around me. Working my nerves into a frenzy. Feeling the anxiety for what was to come flourishing, breathing, living inside me. It soared in my veins, stirring memories I didn’t know I had.
“Hola, mi amor,” Mom greeted, “Hello, my love,” as she tucked me in bed.
“Mama! Tell me again! Tell me the story again!” I shouted from the rooftops, practicing my English with her so the kids at school wouldn’t hurt my feelings anymore.
I hated school. Kindergarten was so hard.
“Baby, I’ve told you this story so many times. Que tal y te digo otro cuento?” she asked, “How about I tell you another story?”
“No, Momma! Please!” I gave her my sad puppy eyes, they always worked.
She sighed. “Okay, Faith, let me get the photo album.”
I smiled, feeling happy I won. I waited for her in my bed like a good little girl, running my fingers through my hair. Trying to make it more straight and less Fraggle Rock like the kids at school teased me.