Page 76 of Wishing for La Luna
Rio is unusually quiet. He hasn’t said much since we landed. There’s something tense about him, but I don’t want to press him. Sel and Tito are in their own world, whispering to each other.
“It’s not just us,” Rio whispers in my ear.
I look at him and shake my head, touching his cheek. “Let me in.”
He kisses my hand. “You’re already in.”
There’s that sadness in his gaze, and I just want to kiss it away, but I hold myself back to give him space.
“We’re here,” the driver calls out, and we stop in front of a large gate, which opens up.
Rio lowers the window and leans in, yelling, “Julio!”
“¡Muchacho!” the guard at the gate yells back. “Bienvenido a casa.”
Rio sticks his hand out the window to shake his. “No vemos mas tarde.”
We drive down a long driveway that curves around a line of palm trees. The water comes into view, an intense turquoise segueing into teal and aqua, forming a gradient that fades into the sand. It is gorgeous beyond anything I’ve ever seen, and when we reach the house, it’s like a dream in white. It’s the type of house you see in a magazine or the movies with two floors, balconies, terraces, and windows so wide you can peek inside from where we stand. It also brings home something I haven’t stopped to think about. He’s rich.
“What do you think?” he asks.
“It’s so beautiful.” I look from the water to him. “How do you leave this place?”
He chuckles. “Reluctantly.”
We pull up to the front, where security guards walk around. One of them comes to open our door, greeting Rio with a warm smile and a hug. Tito climbs out first and helps Sel. We are the last two to get out, and there’s the joy every Dominican experiences when our people come home.
Warm hugs and tight handshakes.
A petite older lady rushes out of the house. “Mi bebé.”
Tito rushes to her, lifts her like a feather, and rocks back and forth with her. The noisy kisses he places on her cheeks have my face hurting from smiling so hard.
When he puts her down, she turns to Rio. She’s half his size and practically disappears in his arms as he hugs her.
“TíaChelo.”
She starts to sob, and my heart doubles because Rio holds on tighter, but the pain is there in his gaze.
“Te extrañamos mucho.”
She’s telling him how much she missed him without being able to see the agony reflected in his face.
When she pulls back, he wipes her tears so gently. She hugs him again, and then her gaze drifts to me, her eyes widening.
He steps back, his hand reaching for mine. “Tía, this is Luna.”
Her gaze follows the movement of his hand, and the raised eyebrow says it all. She’s questioning who I am and why he brought me here. But she moves forward and kisses my cheek.
“Mucho gusto, Luna.”
“El gusto es mio,” I say.
Her smile brightens. “Oh.De la mia.”
One of mine.
That fills my heart. She meets Sel next and immediately hooks her arm around her elbow, ushering us up the stairs lined with roses and hibiscus. Inside the house is an open-plan area with a direct view of the water.
