Page 67 of The Final Deal

Drea’s laughter drifts from her grandparents’ graves to us; Zak and Adrian chase her, keeping her occupied as her dad sulks and stares at us.

“You have a husband who is still so in love with you it’s not even funny,” I remind her. “You have a beautiful, smart daughter who makes this dark world so bright with her in it. Don’t let all this lechuza and devil bullshit make you forget what you have.”

Her lip trembles. She snivels, “What difference does it make when we’re all dead in the end?”

“Then at least we loved as hard as we could when we were alive.” I dash away a tear that escaped. “So come home, Kris. I don’t know where you’re staying, but I imagine your own bed beats it by a million miles. And your family needs you; Zak could really use your help with his own transition.”

Her dark brows furrow. “Transition?”

Sighing heavily, I admit, “He’s a lechuzo.”

Her eyes widen and arms drop to her sides. “You… you didn’t. No. No, no, no…” She stumbles backward. “Get out while you can before he hurts you, too.”

Then, she runs off.

“Kris, don’t!”

“Mama!”

She dashes for her car parked on the gravel road by the cemetery. Andrea zooms past me; I chase and snatch her up before she has a chance to run blindly out into the street after her mother.

“Mama,” Drea cries, reaching out for her mother escaping to her car.

I hold her tight as Shannon runs past, kicking up leaves and rocks on the way to his wife. But Kris starts her car, revs the engine, and takes off quicker than he can catch.

Drea wails inconsolably in my ear. My arms cinch around her tight to ease the heartache, quietly shushing her and reassuring it’ll be okay even though I’m crying with her.

Shannon screams at Kris’s car speeding down the road, a grizzly sound full of heartbreak, disbelief, and torment that closes my eyes in defeat.

“Mija, come here. Come to Tio,” a voice murmurs below Andrea’s sobs. But she clutches me tighter, refusing to let go. So I hold her tight, kiss her head, and stroke her hair.

Footsteps quickly head toward us, crunching over gravel. When I reopen my eyes, fury strains Shannon’s features until he’s red in the face and foaming at the mouth. “What did you say to her?”

I hold a hand over Drea’s ear and press the other into my shoulder to block out our conversation. “I told her she needs to come home to her family, that y’all need her.”

His face scrunches up, contorting in a way that I can only pinpoint as pain. A couple of teardrops sneak out of the corners of his eyes. “So that’s it. She doesn’t want us anymore.”

Drea sobs quietly on my shoulder, her breath hot and heavy on my neck. Shannon reaches for her and takes her into his arms, squeezing her tighter than I ever could. He rubs her back and whispers in her ear. “I’m sorry, baby. Daddy’s here. Daddy’s always gonna be here. I love you so much, sweetheart.”

“I want Mama!” she wails.

Shannon’s resolve crumbles. “I do, too, baby.”

I turn to the nearest body, bury my face into their chest, and cry softly. Adrian’s arms are thinner than his brother’s but encircle and comfort me the same.

God, if I lost either of them…

As if he knew what I was thinking, Zak presses his chest against my back, hand grips my arm, and he kisses my head and whispers, “It’ll be okay, babe.”

Kris might be a lost cause, but I have to believe we’ll all be okay in the end.

Head down and behave.

Adrian coaxes me to start walking and directs us to his parents’ graves. When I face them, Shannon and Drea stand at the edge of the cemetery closest to the road where Kris disappeared.

“I wish we could do something,” I voice softly. I sniffle and wipe my cheeks dry.

Zak squeezes me. “Babe, you just spent all morning in the kitchen with Drea teaching her how to make her abuela’s recipes while we hung out with Shannon. Maybe we can’t take the heartache away, but we’ve been doing what we can to be there for them.”

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