“Are we…?” A smile plays on my lips as Val takes the turning towards Detroit Zoo.
He laughs. “Good surprise or bad surprise?”
“We went there together,” I say, remembering when he took me and Pip to the zoo all those years ago. “You bought ice creams that day, too.”
“I did. I didn’t know if you’d remember.”
“Remember one of the best days of my life? Are you kidding?” I laugh, thinking about it. Val was in my life for a mere two weeks, but the impression he left on me lasted a lot longer.
“Well, if you’re lucky I’ll buy you an ice cream today, but don’t make yourself sick.”
I stick my tongue out, then sit back in my seat with a massive smile on my face as I watch the gates and the water tower come closer into view. My heart is thundering with excitement, and I know it’s childish but I’m so looking forward to going inside and seeing the animals. Just me and Val.
Me and Val.
Why does that have such a ring to it?
***
Two hours doesn’t seem nearly long enough, and I can’t help the pang of disappointment when we head back to his car. A part of me wants to hold onto today just a little longer, even though it was me who said we needed to go, so that we could get back for Pip when she’s finished at practice. I’ve had a lot of disappointment in my life, a lot of the people who should have cared for me have gone from it, and I guess it’s left me desperate to cling onto anything that seems good, just in case it’s taken from me.
I know now that it wasn’t Valiant’s choice to leave us when I was thirteen, but that doesn’t change the fact that he went. My mom was in and out of my life so much I barely knew her. And my papa…well, he could be the best dad in the world sometimes, and then at other times he could be worse than any monster my nightmares could conjure up. Even Amara, the one of my half-siblings I really got along with and thought of as a friend, has her own life now, finally away from our twisted family. I don’t begrudge her that, and I know she and Saint would spend time with me and Pip if I asked, but I don’t want to bring any of my troubles to their door.
“What’s on your mind?” Val asks as we reach his car.
He wraps his arm around my shoulder and pulls me in close. Protective, for sure, but there’s more. Possessive, I guess you’d call it, and it sends a shiver up my spine to think of that word.
Am I his? Do I dare to imagine that?
“I don’t want today to end,” I say honestly. “Meeting you again has been…” I trail off, still hesitant with my heart, not wanting it fractured again.
He nods. “Scamp, meeting you again has been the best thing that ever happened to me.”
“Do you mean that?” I pull away and stare at him, trying to divine the truth from the way he’s standing or the look in his eyes. But his next words make me gasp.
“With all my heart. Scamp, you have no idea how lonely my life has been. I’ve got things now, but I don’t have people. There are people I know, sure, but nobody I care about, not really. The Volos family was my family once, but not anymore.”
I bite into my bottom lip, thinking about that. My papa has a lieutenant, Camilo, who’s like a son to him, and is from the Cuban side of the family, and I know Val is a distant cousin of his somewhere along the line. In our line of work, family means everything, and walking away from that must have been tough for Val. The fact that he successfully did so says a lot about his character, but I can only begin to imagine how lonely his life must have felt without that connection.
“What’s happening here, Val?” I ask him. “I know we’re close, but I—I don’t want to get my heart broken. If it’s just two old friends catching up, I’d rather know now so I don’t get too invested.” I feel my face go red. “Sorry, I don’t want to get too serious on you, it’s just…”
I fall silent as he reaches out to me, his hand brushing my cheek, and I draw a deep breath as I lean into it. His palms are surprisingly soft, but I can feel the strength in his fingers as he grips my chin and turns my face to his.
“Samos,” he says, making me smile at the sound of my real name on his lips. “Get as serious as you want, because for me nothing has ever been more serious.”