Chapter 16

With my tea in hand, I speed walk down the hallway to class. Sophia was up all night, sick with diarrhea. Poor baby couldn"t sleep last night. So her mommy couldn't either. I felt like a zombie as I rushed around the room, trying to get ready for the day. Tia was yelling at me to stop rushing around and that it wasn't good for the baby. Of course, she doesn't know I'm carrying twins because I wanted to surprise her along with everyone else.

When I make it to class, the room is half full, leaving the back of the room for the taking. I quickly beeline through the rows and find a seat in the back near the window. I start to take everything out of my bag and organize it on the desk. I grab my phone and shoot a text message to Tia to check in on Sophia.

Me: How's my baby girl?

She responds instantly.

Tia: I'll be good once I have some damn coffee.

Me: I meant my daughter.

Tia: She's still asleep. Stop worrying. Besos xo

I shake my head in amusement and tuck my phone away. The classroom begins to fill as Professor Lane walks into the room with a swagger. He's very handsome in a Chris Hemsworth kind of way.

"Alright, let's get our seats," he demands while sitting his bag on his desk. "This isn't high school." He looks back up and glances around the room until his gray eyes land on me. I give him an awkward smile, but he doesn't return it.

Well, fuck you too.

As class goes on, he talks about techniques and processes, including basics of shooting. Right as he is going into editing, my phone buzzes. I look up to see if Professor Lane is looking my way, but he's writing on the board. I pull my phone out and see Tia's name. Before I can open the text, a deep, annoyed voice startles me.

"If you can't pay attention in my class, I suggest you pack up and leave."

I raise my head and see the annoyance splayed against his stupid handsome face. "I'm sorry, but I have to take this." Without waiting for an answer, I open and read Tia's text.

Tia: Look! She's alive.

It's a picture of Sophia drinking her Pedialyte and all smiles, like she wasn't up all night shitting and making her mamma crazy.

"Really, Tia," I grumble and tuck my phone away.

"Please leave my class and come back when you're ready to take it seriously," the professor says before turning back to the board.

Are you fucking kidding me?

"Excuse me?" He abruptly turns around and glares at me.

"Oh, fuck. Did I say that out loud?" I murmur to myself. "Yeah, you did." I turn to my right to see a classmate chuckling as he taps his pen on the desk.

I grab my shit and stomp down the steps until I'm directly in his face. "Excuse me for checking in to make sure my daughter is okay since she was sick all last night." I adjust the strap of my bag, giving him a view of my baby bump. His eyes home in on my belly and his face turns to stone when he looks back at me.

"Do you have a problem with pregnant mothers, Professor?" I ask him and he balks at me.

Huh. Good to know he's human.

"No, Miss Ramirez. I do not have a problem with pregnant mothers. What I have a problem with is my students not paying attention when I'm discussing something that would make their work better."

"I was paying attention," I say, balling my hands into fists. "I just had to take the call to make sure nothing was wrong with my daughter."

He leans in and tucks his hands into his front pockets and tilts his head. "I've seen your work. It's impressive," he adds.

I smile.

"For high school. This is college, Miss Ramirez. I suggest you get your affairs in order and come to class prepared to learn. If not, you can drop out of my class. It makes no difference to me."

Asshole turns his back on me, and it just fuels my anger. Right as I am going to tell him where to stick that marker, my phone vibrates, alerting me that someone is trying to call me.

"You can leave, Sadie. I'll see you tomorrow," he says without looking at me.

I puff like a toddler and storm out of his room, making sure I slam the door behind me. I walk down the hall until I see the bench inside the front entrance. I reach for my phone and smile when I see Jo"s name flashing on the screen. Since I moved here, we haven't been talking as frequently as I would like, but he's been busy with therapy and work.

Jo"s voice comes through the phone, loud and clear. "Wat up, wat up, Sis!" he booms. I can hear noise in the background, almost like he is outside.

"Hey, Jo," I greet him, straining to make out his words over the noise. "Where are you right now?"

"How"s school going?" he suddenly asks, avoiding my question.

"It's going well, besides an asshole of a professor," I grumble, but he just laughs it off.

"You homesick yet?" he asks.

I nod even though he can"t see me. "Yeah, I miss you guys."

"We miss you more. Are you sure you're okay?"

I take a deep breath and reply, "Yeah, I am."

"Good," Jo says. "I know it"s tough being so far away from everyone."

I sigh. "Yeah, it is."

"But don"t worry, we"re planning a visit soon. Mom and Abuela are already packing their bags," he says.

My eyes widen with excitement, and my heart beats faster. "Really? When are you all coming?"

"Not sure yet, but soon," Jo replies. "But I got some shit to do right now, but I"ll call you tonight."

"Okay. I love you, Jo," I say with a heavy heart at having to end our call so soon.

"Love you too."

The phone goes silent, leaving me with a sense of longing to be with my family again. I run my hands through my curls and decide to text Tia since I don't have any more classes today.

Me: I'm coming home. I can pick up some food on the way.

Tia: Who did you piss off?

Me: Professor asshole.

Tia; Oooh...the sexy one that looks like Thor?

I burst out laughing, covering my mouth with my hand.

Me: Bish.

Tia: lmao. We got the food here. No need to be spending money like it's water.

Me: K. I'll c u soon.

I rise to my feet and put my phone in my bag before hoisting it over my shoulder. I start walking out to the car when my phone goes off again. I reach for it and see that Donnie is calling.

"Hey," I answer while looking around to make sure I don't bump into someone.

"Hey baby," he says, "Are you okay? You don't sound like it."

"Yeah. Just really fucking annoyed." I sigh.

He chuckles. "Uh-oh, what happened?"

Right as I go to speak, I stop in my tracks when I get a few feet from my car. I almost drop to my knees when my eyes lock on Jo, Elisa, Javi, Gabby, Abi, Mom, and Abuela standing in front of me.

"Shorty? Shorty?!" I can hear Donnie's panicked voice so I try to ease his worry.

"I gotta go. I'll call you back," I say and then hang up.

"Surprise!" they all shout together.

My mind races to make sense of what is happening. "What are you guys doing here?" I ask, stunned.

Jo flashes a crooked grin as he speaks. "We live here now. Are you going to hug me, or just keep standing there, looking like you"re about to shit your pants?" The sarcastic tone in his voice is hard to miss.

I drop my bag and phone onto the ground and jump into his arms, and he catches me effortlessly, just like he always used to. I cry on his shoulder, unable to contain my joy any longer.

He still smells the same—a mixture of his spice cologne and natural scent. Jo sets me down on my feet and pulls me back slightly, wiping the tears on my face with his thumb. "None of that," he says gently. "No more tears. You"ve shed enough over the years." His tone is solemn, but the warmth in his eyes conveys a sense of comfort and security that I have missed so much.

"I-I can"t help it," I manage to say through my sobs. My mom steps over to Jo and engulfs me in a tight hug. She looks so much better—full of life. I bury my face in her shoulder, feeling the warmth of her body and taking in the familiar scent of her perfume. She pulls away slightly and looks at me with loving eyes. With her hands on my arms, she takes a moment to admire me and says, "You look beautiful, and you"re getting bigger."

"Claudia!" Abuela scolds in Spanish, and Mom rolls her eyes. She glances over her shoulder at Abuela and says, "I meant her belly."

A light chuckle escapes my lips.

Mom shifts her gaze to me and gives me a warm smile. "I"ve missed you so much."

"I missed you too, Mom."

She gives me one more hug before she steps aside. Abuela gives me a proud look, hugs me, and kisses my cheek.

Javi walks up to me and pulls me in for a hug. "Hey, little sis," he whispers in my ear. His eyes glisten with tears when he steps back, but he doesn"t let them fall.

Gabby makes her way over to me while holding her daughter. "Hey, sweetie. It"s so good to see you." I give her a hug and plant a kiss on Abi"s head, who is sound asleep and oblivious to the reunion.

Jo clears his throat.

I turn back at him. "What?"

His grin is mischievous, and he juts his chin behind me. When I turn to follow his gaze, I burst into tears. A familiar SUV and classic car pull into the parking lot a few feet from me.

I can't believe my eyes. Seb, Lupe, Telle, Tiny, Max, and Gio are on my campus grounds.

Seb climbs out of his car with Gio and Telle in tow. Then Lupe and Tiny jump out of the Explorer.

"This fucker," Lupe dramatically gags, narrowing her eyes at Max and pointing at him. "Blew his ass out in my car."

"You mean he shit his pants," Tiny says, acting like she's caught between trying not to laugh and trying not to vomit.

Max, hanging out of the sunroof with a mischievous grin, can't contain his laughter. "Hey, blame the burrito, not me! It was calling my name, I couldn"t resist," he defends himself, clearly amused.

Lupe, now armed with a can of air freshener from the backseat, sprays it into the car. "God," she groans, "it just makes it worse." She tosses the can in the car and slams the door shut.

It's like I never left and we've picked up right where we left off.

I missed them so much.

Tears stream down my face as I hug each of them. "How long are you in town?" I ask, pulling away from the group hug.

Seb glances over my shoulder with a quizzical look. "You didn"t tell her?"

"Tell me what?" I ask, confused as I look at each of them.

Seb wraps his arm around my shoulder and says, "We are officially Tennesseans."

"Wait. What?" I ask, still in shock.

"We. Moved. Here," Seb says slowly.

My eyes dart to each of them. "All of you?"

They all nod and smile.

"Ho-how?" I stammer, tears still falling. "And how did I not know about this?"

"It's called a surprise for a reason," Javi begins, his voice tinged with warmth and sincerity. "And I was promoted to run my own team here." He pauses, pulling Gabby to his side before continuing. "It wasn't a difficult decision to make. We couldn"t say no when it would bring us closer together."

Just then, Jo steps forward, a determined glint in his eyes. "And as for me," he starts to say, wrapping his arms around my shoulder, "Javi convinced me to go to school for criminal justice. Your favorite brother," he emphasizes, glancing at Javi, who scoffs in laughter, before turning back to me, "is going to be an FBI agent. Now, I can do a better job of protecting you," he vows. His words hang in the air, heavy with the weight of the impact they have on our family.

I take a breath, left speechless.

My heart is overflowing with gratitude, ready to burst like a dam. I look toward my brothers, who are my pillars of strength, always there to lift me up when I need it most. Their love is a constant source of inspiration and joy in my life. I lay my head on Jo's shoulder, tears glistening in my eyes, and I allow them to fall.

Lupe, Telle, and Tiny, my fearless trio who have always been my ride-or-die, chime in. "It was hard enough to say goodbye to you and Tia. It was like losing a limb or something. So, when the guys told us about their plans, we already knew what we were going to do. Plus, the guys wouldn"t take no for an answer," Lupe declares, her voice tinged with amusement. "But even if they didn't have a plan, we eventually would've moved here anyway. We're family and we belong in the same place," she adds.

Then, Mom and Abuela approach me tenderly. "Wherever you go, we will follow," Mom whispers, her eyes brimming with tears. Abuela"s eyes sparkle with affection, a silent promise of unwavering support. "Besides, there's nothing keeping us in Milwaukee anymore."

Looking around at the circle of love and loyalty surrounding me, I am overwhelmed with gratitude and love.

At that moment, I know that no matter where life takes us, we will always be united by a bond stronger than steel.

We leave the campus and stop at the grocery store to stock up on some essentials before returning to my apartment. Upon arriving, my family begins to inspect every nook and cranny of my tiny living room. Javi and Jo are not impressed with the security measures or lack thereof. Meanwhile, Abuela cooks dinner while Mom is busy chopping up vegetables at the table. The guys and girls are gathered in the living room, watching the TV show Ozark.

Lupe interrupts my focus. "Reina, your phone"s been going off." Confused, I look up from my work and toward her.

"What?" I ask.

"Your. Phone. Is. Ringing." She says it slowly this time.

As I reach for my phone, I hear an abrupt rattling of the doorknob and the door pushes open. Donnie and Ash stand in the doorway, still in their uniforms, their expressions unreadable. I feel my mind go blank for a moment, and I manage to blurt out a feeble "Oh, shit."

I hung up on him!

Donnie"s eyes widen in shock, and he strides purposefully toward me as if we are the only two people in the room. His intense gaze locks onto mine, and I can feel his breath on my face as he grabs my cheeks in his hands. My heart skips a beat, and I am momentarily paralyzed, staring into his icy blues.

Suddenly, he lets out a breath and speaks, his voice laced with concern. "You hung up on me and never returned my call. I was in the middle of practice and couldn"t leave. I was worried." His words hit me like a ton of bricks.

I"m a horrible girlfriend.

I reach for his hands, wrapping my hands around his wrists. "I"m sorry, I didn"t mean to freak you out, but—"

"Sorry, man. We"re the reason she hung up on you," Jo interrupts me, taking a bite of an apple.

Donnie's eyes widen, his mouth hanging open in shock; he looks around the room, realizing we weren"t alone.

"Holy shit," Ash laughs and greets all the guys with a bro hug while just standing there, still in disbelief.

Before he can respond, the front door opens, and Tia walks in with Sophia in her arms. Sophia"s face lights up when she sees her aunts and uncles.

"Sadie, why is it so—" Tia starts to say when she suddenly stops. Her eyes grow impossibly wide, and she blinks, slowly taking in the scene. "Holy shit! What are you guys doing here?"

My mom gets up from her seat and walks over to Tia. "Hi, sweetheart," Mom says softly, hugging Tia and kissing her on the cheek. Mom takes Sophia from her arms and walks back to the table.

The rest of our family follows suit, enveloping her in a big group hug and showering her with love and affection.

"Wait," she says, trying to process the information, "what do you mean you live here?" she asks, her voice filled with curiosity and a hint of disbelief.

"Didn't you hear what we just said?" Telle says mockingly.

"We moved here!" Tiny says with her arms wide in the air. She's so tiny, she had to jump a bit to be seen.

Tia looks at me with wide eyes, tears filling them.

I know the feeling.

It feels like I am back home again, surrounded by the people I love most in the world.

"So, where the hell are you all living?" Tia asks as she shoves a spoonful of rice into her mouth.

Ash shakes his head and chuckles at her while she stuffs her face. He sits beside her on the floor in front of the television, his knees bent and his arms hanging over his knees.

Everyone, and I mean everyone, stayed over at our place for dinner. The room is packed with all of us present, filling every space. Even though our apartment is small, it feels like the perfect size for this moment.

"Javi helped us rent a house about twenty minutes from here," Lupe says. She sits on the floor against the wall and between Seb"s legs.

"Who"s we?" I ask.

I glance around the room when Seb, Telle, Tiny, and Max raise their hands.

"And Gio, who"s probably taking a shit right now," Tiny says through a mouthful of rice and beans.

I snort a laugh.

"In one house?" Tia asks, her spoon suspended in midair, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"Yep," Seb answers. "It"s two stories with five bathrooms and three and a half baths," he continues.

"Yeah, and we all have our own rooms except for these two payasos." Max points his spoon toward Seb and Lupe, then gets up from the chair with his bowl.

Lupe grabs the pillow she was sitting on and throws it at him. "You"re a payaso!"

He chuckles, his laughter echoing through the room as he makes his way to the kitchen.

Donnie sits on the floor in front of me, his arm wrapped around my leg. He asks Javi, "What about you guys?"

"We"ve got a place not too far from them," he replies, sipping his beer.

Mom walks into the kitchen and holds up the dessert plate. "Who wants flan?"

"You don't have to ask me twice." Tiny jumps off the floor from beside Telle and hops to the kitchen.

While we eat dessert, I learn that Mom and Abuela live in a duplex, with Jo and Elisa occupying the other portion of the unit.

Further in our conversation, I discover that Telle was going to enroll in dance classes at a liberal arts college. Meanwhile, Tiny has taken a keen interest in business management courses. Lupe has set her eyes on an art and design school to obtain her bachelor"s degree.

The boys, including Jo, are pursuing criminal justice courses. Javi suggested this approach because he believes that a fundamental knowledge of criminal justice will benefit them before they join the academy.

Elisa is continuing pursuing social work classes to become a social worker. It doesn"t surprise me that she was pursuing social services. Having gone through her trauma, it would make sense for her to find a career where she can help people in similar situations.

"Where the hell have you been?" Telle asks Gio, who"s coming down the hall from our bedrooms.

Before he responds, Tia springs up from the floor and rushes past him. ""Bout damn time," she says.

Gio"s face contorts into a grin, but it"s not genuine. It is almost sinister.

Tiny wrinkles her nose at him and asks, "What"s with the creepy ass smile?"

"One, two..." Gio starts to count, but Tia"s voice pierces through the air, her tone loud and furious.

Telle bursts out laughing and quickly covers her mouth with her hand. She teasingly remarks, "Oh shit, you gone and woke up the beast."

Tia storms down the hall, her shoes pounding the floor with each angry step. She yells out, "?Maldito hijo de puta!"

I turn to Gio. "What did you do?"

He lets out a small chuckle. "The flan didn"t sit well with me," he says, rubbing his belly.

Oh, no.

We all burst out in laughter when Tia lunges forward toward Gio. Her movements are fast, and she catches him off guard as she jumps and lands on his back.

"What the hell is going on?" Jo asks, holding Sophia in his arms. Elisa follows closely behind.

"The short version," Lupe begins, "is that he took a dump and probably clogged up the toilet."

Jo shrugs. "Well, when you gotta go," Jo starts to say, but Javi finishes and says, "You gotta go."

"I heard that," Max mutters in agreement, tossing a grape into his mouth.

Gio and Tia weave their way through the kitchen and living room. But I know things are about to get crazy when Abuela takes off her flip-flop and starts smacking Gio and Tia with it.

"Tia!" Abuela yells. "Get off him," she scolds in Spanish, but her lips curl up in a smile.

She"s enjoying this banter between them as much as I am.

Donnie lifts his gaze towards me, and a broad smile spreads across his face. "Still happy you got your family back?"

Hell yeah, I am.