This morning, with so much on my mind and knowing all the ways in which I was being reckless, her request to be careful felt like advice I should heed. Instead, I ignored all trepidation and checked my phone to see if Elias had sent a message.

When my stomach did a back flip from reading the message from Elias telling me he wished he could give me a good-morning kiss, I knew my common sense had no chance of winning this war with my dumbass heart.

Chapter 13

A few hours later I was standing outside of the guesthouse waiting for Saba. I smiled like a loon when I saw her drive into the compound. As soon as she stopped the car, I hurried up to the driver’s side and opened the door to pull her into a hug.

She looked like royalty in a flowy emerald caftan and leather sandals, her braids in an intricate design, and her fingers and wrists full of silver jewelry. She was such a stunning woman. Whenever she visited us in New York, that first moment I spotted her in the crowd, I always paused to take her in. Even now in her sixties, she had the kind of elegance and poise that made people literally stop in their tracks.

I squeezed her tight, closing my eyes. “Saba, it’s so damn good to see you.”

She pulled back to give me the kind of thorough once-over only a tía could give. “Look at you. You’re the perfect mix of your parents. So handsome. I’m so happy to have you here in your first home. Give me another hug, it’s been too long.” She brought me in for another squeeze. “Now that you’re a grown-up and I can’t lure you to New York City for weekend adventures, I never see you!”

I gave her a sheepish look, but didn’t say anything about the possibility of me being in New York sooner than she thought.

She beamed at me again and started asking questions before I could get a word in. “Tell me about this new job. Fatima said you’ll be running one of the units at the Aid USA headquarters. She’s so proud of you. I’m proud of you too,” she said, gently putting a hand on my face. “You’ve grown up so fine. Your dad would have been so pleased with what you’ve done.”

There it was, the knife to the gut.

I smiled and nodded as I swallowed through the lump in my throat, as I always did whenever someone told me how I was carrying on my father’s legacy. I let that weight sit right between my shoulder blades, looking for a way to give some kind enthusiastic answer.

But Saba was a wily woman.