“Is what real, l’venok?” Her voice turned softer. “Ryan, are you okay? Where are you?”

“I-I found her.” My eyes returned to the door, and my breathing sped up. “Nova. She’s here. She’s…alive.”

“Oh, Ryan. I knew something like this might happen. That’s why I called. I was afraid with her birthday being today, it would be bad for you. Tell me where you are,” she said after a moment. “I’m on my way out the door now.”

“Colombia,” I told her even as I was walking toward the door. “Hurry. Bring Pop, too. I’m getting married as soon as you get here.”

I hung up before she could argue with me further. Pocketing my phone, I took off running. The house was so big, and when I got to the bottom of the stairs, I had no idea which way Nova had gone. Then I heard a deep laugh I recognized and followed the sound. The door was open, and I walked in, only to stop in my tracks when I saw everyone who was in the room.

Garret was sitting on one of the two couches, a bowl of food in one hand and a spoon in the other. His parents were across from him, both of them drinking coffee. Their eyes widened when they saw me, but Felicity jumped to her feet, a welcoming smile lighting her face. “Ryan, it’s so good to see you, sweetheart. Come join us. We just got home and—”

“Where is she?” I demanded, not willing to spare so much as a second, even for Nova’s mother. “Where did she go?”

Her smile only brightened. “She’s right behind you, sweetheart.”

Spinning around, I found Nova standing in the doorway. She was wringing her hands, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip. “Hi,” she said shyly.

Moisture filled my eyes, and I took an unsteady step toward her. My breathing became more and more labored the closer I got to her. The tears blinded me, making it impossible to see her beautiful face. Less than a foot away from her, my knees gave out, and I dropped to them. Grabbing her by the hips, I fought back a sob at how warm and soft she felt.

“You’re real?” I was finally able to speak through the boulder in my throat. “This really isn’t a dream?”

She stroked her fingers through my hair, pressing my face into her chest. “Don’t I feel real to you?” she asked in a voice just loud enough for my ears alone, soothingly massaging my scalp.

“You feel amazing.” My voice was muffled against her shirt and bra, and I tightened my hands bruisingly on her hips. My tears soaked into the layers of cloth, and my body began to quake with the effort it took to hold on to my emotions.

For months, my tears had been absent. There had been none when I saw that broken body, my necklace hanging around her neck. None when I watched her casket being lowered into the ground. Everything shut down, keeping me from grieving as those around me had done.