Lost & Bound (21 page)

Leila

“Leila, tudo bem?” My mother hugs me warmly.

She holds me at arms length. I see the
wrinkles around the corners of her eyes, the tears now streaming down her rosy
cheeks. She squeezes me as if she’s afraid to let me go.

“So skinny,” she says.

I turn to my brother. He looks so…grown up. It makes my heart ache
that I missed watching him turn into a man. He’s so handsome and I wonder if
he’s got a girlfriend. I need to meet her. I decide to question him about it
later.

“Luizinho.” I take him into my arms. He is taller than me now. My
little brother is no longer little.

He wraps his arms around me and I rest my head against his chest.
I dreamed of this moment for so long and I thought it would be like hugging a
stranger, but it’s not. Somehow it feels like no time has passed, even though
everything has changed.

He kisses each of my cheeks and then looks at my face. “I missed
you,” he says and I struggle to hold back the tears.

Callum steps out from behind me, nervously hanging his hands from
his pockets.

“Mrs. Nunes pleased to meet you,” he says and I smile at his
attempt at Portuguese.

I lean close to his ear. “That fifteen minute Portuguese did you
wonders on the plane.”

My mother takes him into her arms and then kisses each of his
cheeks and then his mouth. He looks surprised and I laugh. He isn’t accustomed
to this type of greeting.

“Obrigada, Obrigada,” she repeats again and again.

“She’s saying thank you,” I whisper to him.

He rolls his eyes. “I know. I learned that on the plane.” He bumps
my shoulder with his and I feel my cheeks warm.

He turns back to my mother. “De nada,” he tells her.
You’re
welcome.

I giggle and he swats my ass gently before turning to my brother.

“Luiz, tudo bem?” Callum gives him a half handshake, half hug, as
men do.

“Tudo,” Luiz answers shyly.

And just like that, Callum is welcomed into my family.

My mother arranged a small gathering at the house with only a few
aunts and uncles as per my request. I still don’t like to be around too many
people at once. Surprisingly, it feels like I never left. My family acts the
same way, but occasionally I catch my mother staring at me, making sure I’m
really here
and it’s not just her imagination.

Callum fits in and my family loves him.
The American with blue eyes
they call him. I’m sure he can’t
understand a word they’re saying, but that doesn’t stop him from joining in,
laughing when others do.

After lunch I take him to the beach, just Callum and me. I am
thankful for the break, for the silence. I feel as though I can finally
breathe.

“So this is
Maceió
?” He looks out toward the
ocean. “It’s even more beautiful than you said.”

He wraps his arms around my shoulders and kisses my temple.

“It is, isn’t it?”

I had forgotten the beauty of this beach, but it doesn’t take long
for me remember.

We sit on the sand and watch the waves crash against the shore. We
are silent, yet happy.

We’ve been back for one day and yet the memories come flooding
back, reminding me of everything that was once too painful to recall.

I love being in Brazil, but it reminds me of the old, naïve Leila.
At the time, I didn’t know what life was about and I didn’t know what I was
looking for. Now I can’t wait to return to Seattle with Callum. I am so excited
to see where this life takes us.

All of a sudden Callum pushes against me, crashing into my
shoulder.

“What the fuck,” he shouts.

I look to his side and laugh. “I told you there are monkey’s
here.”

A small monkey has settled by his side. He’s holding a nut, his
eyes fixed on Callum’s hands. Callum leans against me, trying to place some
distance between him and the monkey.

“Don’t be afraid.” I giggle.

“He might bite me.” He sounds like a little girl.

“Here.” I wave a shell at the monkey and he takes it from my
hands. “See. He is harmless.”

He assesses the shell, but when he realizes it’s not edible he
throws it to the sand. We watch the monkey as he casually makes his way back to
the overhanging trees.

Callum’s body relaxes.

“Americans.” I roll my eyes.

Callum nudges my shoulder. His eyes shine in the sunlight as he
looks at me. I press a kiss to the corner of his lips before looking back out
to the ocean.

We sit and watch the waves lap against the shore, the gentle sound
something I thought I would never hear again. I watch a bird glide through the
air. It soars high and then off into the distance. The bird is free.

Callum squeezes my hand just to let me know he’s still there. I
never knew so much could be said without uttering a word. I smile to myself.

“Te amo,” he tells me.

“I love you too.”

And having uttered those words, I finally feel content.

Leila

7 months

2 weeks

3 days

That’s how long I’ve been
his
. This time I’m excited to belong to
a man, because in truth, he belongs to me too.

My favorite time of day is when he returns
home from work, always a smile on his face, always happy to see me.

When he says my name it’s the sweetest
sound I’ve ever heard. It reminds me of the timid girl I used to be and the
strong woman I have become.

When it all seemed impossible he never gave
up on me—never gave up on us. It was all worth it, the entire ordeal led
up to this one final moment.

Now I am happy, I am content, and thanks to
Callum, I am free.

Callum

1 day

2 hours

45 minutes

That’s how long until my question will be
answered. This one question will change everything. It will pave the way for my
future—for both our futures.

The way Leila looks at me, her brown eyes
wide, and her plump lips turned up at the sides, I know she trusts me. Her soft
expression causes me to melt. How did I get so lucky?

Our story isn’t perfect. It’s messy and
complicated and a little fucked up, but we’ve come a long way, and now our
lives intertwine seamlessly. Each day better than the last, perfect, quiet,
normal.
Our normal.

For now I wait, just one more day and my
question will be answered. But will she say yes?

FIM

It takes one person to write a book, but it
takes an army to get a book ready for release.

Thank you to all of the bloggers who helped
me along the way. For an indie author it’s the bloggers who get us the exposure
we need to succeed. So thank you!

To my beta readers who not only found my
typos and plot holes, but also cheered me on along the way. I am forever
grateful.

Thanks to Lauren-Marie for picking up my
silly little mistakes and telling me when my rambling sentences were too much
to comprehend. Your advice made my writing shine and I am so lucky to have
found you.

Amy, you are such an amazing beta-reader.
You should do this for a living! I always looked forward to your reports and
your words of encouragement kept me motivated to finish this little project.

Pauline, you thanked me for letting you
read my unpolished story, I should be the one thanking you! You’re such an avid
reader and for you to embrace my story it means so much. And thank you for
loving Callum as much as I do.

And to Danielle from
Life with Two Boys
. You beta-read my story last of all, but you
still managed to find ways to improve my writing. It meant the world when you
reached out to me and wanted to read my story. Thank you!

To my wonderful husband, there are not
enough words to tell you how thankful I am to have you in my life. Te amo.

Lastly, to you the reader, thank you for taking
a chance on my book. Writing is my passion and I have so many stories to tell.