Page 124 of Shadows of the Past
“SURPRISE!” they all shout, but I’m a mess, a carousel of emotions spinning out of control. I want to hug everyone, thank everyone, kiss every single cheek, but instead, I turn away, stomping my foot as if that might stop the tears.
“Julia, amor, are you okay?” Maksim’s voice is right at my ear, his rosemary scent wrapping around me, grounding me.
“I don’t deserve all this,” I whisper, my lower lip trembling. “Not this much.”
These people have companies to run. The twins came from college. Akim and Andrea flew in from Russia. And from the looks of it, Max must have rented out the entire sanctuary just for us.
“Baby, they’re all here for you. Because you deserve this and more. Will you please turn around? For me?”
There’s so much love in his voice, I can’t say no. With tear-streaked cheeks and a crooked smile, I turn to face the people who mean everything to me.
Victoria is the first to leap forward and wrap me in a hug. “¡Feliz cumpleaños, hermana!” she says, her accent so American it makes me laugh through my tears.
“Gracias, nena!” I say, kissing both her cheeks, my heart so full it aches.
After a whirlwind of hugs and birthday wishes, I finally have a moment to take in the scene around me.
Sunflowers in every shade are strung from the branches, swaying gently above our heads. Monarch butterflies float everywhere, but they’re not alone—brilliant blue butterflies drift down, some so close I could reach out and touch them. I’m pretty sure my mouth is hanging open at how magical this place looks.
To my left, Niko is already asking about champagne. Roman and Luna are off admiring a cluster of butterflies as they burst from the woods, and my heart feels like it might actually explode from happiness.
Before I can say a word, Max slips his arms around me, pulling me close. I lean into him, feeling his warmth even before his skin touches mine.
“How did you pull all this off?” I ask, still in awe.
He presses a few kisses to my neck before answering. “The twins found an old photo of you and your parents here and gave me the name of the sanctuary. After that, it was just logistics. For the right price, they cleared the whole place for us today so we could set everything up. Akim, Roman, and Niko hung the sunflowers in the trees—don’t ask me how. All I know is Romangrumbled the entire time. The girls brought the desserts, food, and drinks. And I brought you.”
I listen to every word, barely believing how everyone came together to make this happen.
“And the blue butterflies?” I ask, still amazed.
“They just got a few new swarms in yesterday. They wanted to see how they’d do with the monarchs.”
I nod, looking around at all the laughter and love swirling in the air. I know I’ll never forget this day.
“Wait…did Roman actually climb a tree to hang those sunflowers for me?”
Max’s laugh is so infectious it sets me off too. “Let’s just say he was motivated when Niko bet he could hang more flowers than him.”
After we cut into a caramel cream cake with chocolate and pineapple, my favorite, I pull my sisters into a hug. Amalia’s studying at MIT now and helping with the organization in her spare time. Lupe decided to chase her dream of studying law and got into Vermont Law School.
I look at them, so similar yet so different, each carving out her own path. We talk every day, the one rule I made when they left for college, and getting to hug them on my birthday feels like the best gift in the world.
“We didn’t know what to get you, but we hope you’ll like this…” Amalia says, handing me a small package.
Inside is the photo of me and my parents in this very place. Dad is looking at Mom and me like we hung the moon, while I’m lost in wonder at the butterflies swirling around us. If I had to describe pure love, it would be this photo.
“It’s one of the only pictures we could save after the explosion,” Amalia whispers. “Tío Felipe kept it in an album at his house. When Max asked about your childhood butterfly place, we knew this was the right gift.”
“It’s more than perfect,” I tell them, hugging them both tightly.
Lupe is still quiet, a little withdrawn, but every time we video chat, I see more of her old spark returning. She’s making new friends, and I know she’ll heal in her own time.
Luna comes over, a little shy, and hands me a small box. “I wasn’t sure if I got it right, but we can always return it.”
Inside is a delicate gold necklace with a tiny machine gun pendant with a single butterfly on top.
“I’m speechless.”
