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“No. Why would I? I was a child. I grew up happy with a mother who loved me. She was the best mom in the world to me. Of course, as I got older, I started questioning the need to keep moving since I never had the chance to make friends.”
He stands and walks to the panoramic window. “Damn, Athanasios, I’ve dealt with my fair share of crazy stuff in life, but this story is fucked. You didn’t have any relatives, no one? Where was your father?”
“I have no idea. As far as I know, it was just the two of us. There was never a father.”
“You said you found her a year ago. How could you recognize her?”
“I could never forget my mother’s face. I dreamed about it my whole life. Besides, there’s the tattoo—my name on her right wrist and a phrase she always said to me: You were my choice.”
“Man, it’s not easy to leave me speechless, but what you’re telling me . . .” He sits back down. “I’ll help you, but you’ve got to give me at least her last name.”
“I already checked. She used several, as far as I remember. They were fake.”
“There’s got to be some detail you recall.”
I try to think of something important, as he’s asking. “The city where we stayed the longest was Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It was also the only one we returned to, I think, but I’m not sure. I only started paying attention to the places we lived when I got older.”
“That’s a start. I’ll work from there. I hope to have news for you soon.”
I head back to the hospital and go straight to see my biological mother.
I’m surprised to find Brooklyn there. I thought she’d forgotten my request, but she hasn’t. She’s brushing Kassia’s hair gently while talking softly to her.
I stand in the doorway, watching the two of them, and I don’t know how much time passes before Brooklyn finally turns around.
She looks at me, holding the brush, with the most beautiful smile in this damn world, and at that moment, I understand there’s no other name I can give to the whirlwind of emotions and feelings only she can stir in me.
I’m in love with Brooklyn.
Not a love that’s expected, planned, or theconsequenceof being together. I’m head-over-heels in love. A love without measure.
Untamed.
I walk toward her.
“I come here once a week. Thank you for authorizing my visits.”
“I did it the day after we came here together, but I didn’t think you’d remember your promise.”
“I keep my promises.”
I cradle her face, holding her gaze. “So do I. And that’s why I’m making you one now, Brooklyn. I will love you for the rest of our lives. Honor you and treat you like the queen you are. Care for and protect your children as if they were my own. I want everything with you.”
Brooklyn
CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
“I’m not sure I understand.”I try to keep my voice steady as I look at him, trying to figure out if I’m imagining more than what he’s actually saying.
Over the past month, our relationship has gradually changed. It’s no longer just the almost-desperate sexual desire that ties us together when we’re in the same room. Slowly, a stronger bond is forming between us.
Athanasios shares his day with me and lets me see a vulnerable side of him that I suspect he doesn’t show to anyone else. For example, when he loses a patient, I notice that, no matter how emotionally detached he tries to appear, it affects him deeply.
He’s also becoming more involved in the twins’ lives, and I’ve noticed that the children already see him as a constant in their routines. They light up when he comes home from work to pick me up, and more than once, they’ve refused to have dinner unless they could sit on his lap.
At first, I was afraid it might seem like I was trying to impose my kids on our relationship. But the truth is, I’m a mother.That’s an immutable fact, and I’ll never stay anywhere my children aren’t welcome. Whoever wants me has to want them too.
“I love you, Brooklyn. I know you’re still afraid, and while my nature is to push for what I want, I won’t force things faster than you’re ready to go. But you need to know—I’m crazy about you, and that’s not going to change.”