After days of being a ghost to everyone, Miguel knew he needed to go home. He had to face the guilt that was being piled on him. Face all the misery he was causing.

But he missed Vera. He needed to talk to her. Maybe they could go to a protest and that would put life back into him.

Her car wasn’t in the driveway and neither was Forey’s. Miguel gave a sigh of relief at that. Being bombarded with questions like what shade of pink would be best for Kelly and Adam’s wedding was not something he could deal with.

The front door was open. As always at the Exton house, the smell was heavenly.

“Miguel!” Nella said. “How good to see you.”

“You look happy. Figure out the flowers for Kelly’s wedding?” He was teasing.

Nella took a deep breath and pointed out the window. “There. That’s why I’m happy.”

There was an old oil barrel in the yard and it was smoldering. It looked like they’d burned something. “Cleaning up?”

“Not me. Vera.”

He didn’t understand. “You got her to clean her room?”

“No.” Nella seemed to be bursting with pride. “You did. You made Vera burn it all.”

He looked at her. “What did she burn?”

“This morning Vera burned everything. Books, maps, even letters. She said, ‘It looks like I’m not going anywhere.’”

Miguel was staring at Nella in astonishment.

“I said, ‘Do you love Miguel that much?’ She said that yes, she did. Oh, Miguel, you did it. My daughter is going to stay here. She isn’t going to run off to China or wherever. She’s staying here. In Kansas. Oh, but it will be perfect. Of course you two will live here with me. And when you have children, we can add on to the house. We’ll build a mother-in-law apartment for me so I won’t interfere in your lives. But I’ll still be here to babysit. I hope my grandchildren have your cheekbones. And I hope none of them get Vera’s hair. It has always been impossible to manage. I told her—” Nella stopped and looked at Miguel. “Are you all right?”

“Did you say those things to her?”

“I’ve been saying all this for her whole life. She just wouldn’t listen to reason. Not until you. You have made her see sense. It was so smart of you to give her a choice between you or...or the world.”

“And she chose me,” Miguel whispered. “Where is she?”

“Work, I guess. I told her she needed to start thinking about linens. She’ll need new ones for the wedding.”

“Linens? Wedding?”