Page 99 of Rebound

“Oh, did Amma give you yours?” Elias asks much later, after Dad was called inside.

“Give me my what?”

He pulls out a velvet box. “This.”

I look between the box and my brother, eyes wide. He grins and nods, like this is totally normal. “Seriously?”

He opens it and my breath catches. Nestled in the middle is Ammai’s ring. Our maternal grandmother expected only the best from us in everything and even though she made it easy to be angry with her, I know she had a soft spot for Elias. So it’s not a surprise he got her wedding ring. I stand up and yank my brother into a tight hug. He laughs as he hugs me back.

“I am so fucking happy for you, little brother.”

“Thanks, Pat. I mean, I knew from the moment I met her, right?”

I nod, laughing at how whipped he looked in those early paparazzi pictures. Then how forlorn he was when Vera only wanted sex. We might not have talked about their relationship in depth, but his disappointment at the way things were going was evident. Looking at him now, I shouldn’t be surprised he’s planning a life with her. We’re called in for lunch before I get to ask any more questions.

I don’t get beyond the kitchen thanks to my mother tugging at my arm. She opens a drawer and produces another velvet box.

I arch an eyebrow. “You hid it in a random place?”

She laughs and places the box in my hand. “I knew you’d never venture in here. Your Ammachi left it to you in her will.”

I breathe noisily through my nose and flip it open. Polished and cleaned, the single sapphire surrounded by tiny diamonds twinkles up at me. Growing up, my grandfather always talked about how when he first met my grandmother, he knew she was the one. In a time of arranged marriages and being forced to marry the first person you were introduced to, it’s quite romantic that he knew she was the one. It took them a few years of being married for my Ammachi to feel the same way and that’s when he bought her the ring.

Everyone wants to be a diamond, but she’s really a sapphire, unique and perfect in every way, Appacha used to say and Ammachi would roll her eyes and swat him.

That’s exactly how I feel about Tamara—of all the women in the world, she’s the only one who’s stayed in my heart for so long.

Amma touches my wrist and says, “Tamara told me you were her first love. And how special your relationship was back then.”

“It was one of the most important relationships in my life.”

“I wish I had known. I could have…maybe…” she trails off, hands fluttering as she turns to me. “I really like her, Pat. She’s your perfect match.” There are tears in her eyes as she smiles. “I know I put a lot of pressure on all of you to find your person and I’m so glad you found her on your own, at your own pace. She’s going to be such an amazing mother.”

I sniffle and pocket the box. “Thank you for bringing me this, Amma.”

“You don’t have to marry her right away, but I hope you will one day.”

“Good news is she does want to be with me, so it might happen sooner than you realise.”

My mother laughs and pulls me in for another hug, rubbing my back slowly. “Every single day since you were born, you’ve made me so proud to be your mother.”

I groan and we laugh again, but I let the tears fall this time. I hug her back, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head. I don’t think I realised how badly I needed to hear both my parents say those words to me. It definitely healed some part of my inner child I didn’t know was hurting.

Thirty-Five. You’ll always be hot shit

Tamara

“Hey, Trick?”

He hums against my stomach, lips curving into a smile as he continues talking to the bump. Since the day he felt the baby move, whenever I lie down, this is the position he assumes. It’s stinking cute. I love how excited he is about being a father, especially since he was so uncertain at the beginning. So he’ll set his head in my lap, trace shapes along my belly and laugh at the conversation he’s having with himself.

If I didn’t love this man before, moments like this would have done it for me.

“Lotus?”

I blink and find him frowning up at me. “Hi.” His face brightens and I grin. “I was working on the nursery the other day and maybe it’s time we start looking for a bigger place?”

“Oh yeah?”