Red_Roses_and_Black_Dahlias_-_Macy_T

yours, you get to decide who comes in or out, okay?” I felt her weak nod
against my chest after a beat. “Are you okay?”
A second passed, then two, then five, before she finally answered.
“Yeah. I will be.” I said nothing and kissed her head. I just held her for
the longest time, she sniffled sometimes and gripped my shirt tighter but other
than that, neither of us made a sound.
Somehow it hit me then, Valentina was the closest thing I ever had to a
daughter. What I felt for her, the fierce way I wanted to protect her, the raw
fear I had felt when I thought she was lost in the woods and then earlier today
when I saw all that blood on her, it was more than brotherly protectiveness. I
wanted children later in life, but somehow, I had a feeling Valentina would
always feel like my first child.
We may not be linked by blood, but Sofia, Valentina and I, we were
becoming a family.
By the time Andrea and Sofia came into Valentina’s room, the little girl
was sleeping in my arms as I sat on the floor, my back against her bed. She
was curled up on my lap, her head resting on my chest as she snored quietly.
Sofia immediately knelt in front of us, her hand caressing Valentina’s
smooth black hair. Her eyes were still red, and she looked so exhausted it
pained me.
***
“Rosita…” eyes still fixated on her, she bent over to kiss her forehead.
I looked up at my sister who was watching the scene warily. She seemed
distraught, but I didn’t really pay attention to it at the moment, figuring she
was probably still trying to wrap her head around me and Sofia being
together.