Chapter 28 Gabe

I couldn’t stop smiling. I tried, but my face wouldn’t listen. Being home felt like the best thing in the whole world. Everything smelled right again. Everything sounded right again. Mom kept touching my hair like she needed to make sure I was really there, and honestly… I kind of needed that too.

And now we were moving into Dad’s house.

I still couldn’t believe it. I’d dreamed about having a dad my whole life. I used to imagine what he looked like, what he sounded like, if he’d like me, if he’d want me. But the real thing was better than anything I ever made up.

He held my hand when we walked to the car. He sat next to me at dinner. He kept looking at me like he was memorizing my face. Like he was proud of me. Like he loved me. And he was coming home with us tonight.

I was excited, like Christmas and my birthday and the Fourth of July all at once. But part of me felt a little sad too.

I was going to miss Abuela. I knew she wasn’t leaving her house. She loved her kitchen too much. She loved her garden. She loved her chair by the window where she prayed every morning. So I made a plan in my head: We’d come every Sunday for dinner. I’d still go to the garage every Saturday morning with my uncles. And I’d call her every night before bed. That way nothing would change. Not really. Mom and Dad asked me a couple times if I was okay. If anything bad happened at the group home. I didn’t want to talk about it. I didn’t want to think about it. I didn’t want it in my head anymore. So I just shrugged and changed the subject.

“Can we get pizza tomorrow?”

“Do I get my own room at Dad’s?”

“Can Abuela make flan on Sunday?”

They didn’t push. They just hugged me tighter. And when Dad told us we were moving in with him tomorrow, really moving in, my whole chest felt warm and full. Like everything was finally right. He even asked what I thought about him and Mom getting married. I didn’t even have to think. I wanted them together. I wanted us together. I wanted a family. And now… I finally had one. I couldn’t wait for tomorrow.

The next morning felt different. Lighter. Like the whole house was breathing again. Mom woke me up early, her voice soft, and when I opened my eyes, she was already folding clothes into a suitcase.

“Come on, sweetheart,” she said. “We need to pack some of your things.”

I sat up fast. “For Dad’s house?”

She smiled and nodded. “Yes. But you’ll leave some things here too. This will always be your home, and you’ll still come visit Abuela.”

That made me feel better. I didn’t want Abuela to think I was leaving her forever.

Mom handed me shirts to fold, and I tried to do them the way she showed me, but they still came out crooked. She fixed them without saying anything, humming under her breath like she used to before everything got scary.

I packed my favorite model car, my sketchbook, my hoodie, and the stuffed wolf I pretended I didn’t sleep with anymore. Mom didn’t say anything about that either. She just tucked it gently into the suitcase.

A knock came at the door. When Mom opened it, Dad was standing there with Roc and two other men behind him. They looked serious, but not scary. Just… protective. Like they were here for us.

Roc gave me a small smile. “Morning, kid.”

“Morning,” I said, trying to sound grown-up.

Dad stepped inside and kissed Mom’s forehead before kneeling next to me. “Ready to go, buddy?”

I nodded so hard my hair flopped into my eyes. They helped carry our bags outside. Two big SUVs were parked at the curb, shiny and black. Dad’s men loaded everything carefully, like our stuff was important. I guess it was.

Inside the house, Abuela was talking to a woman I didn’t know. She was wearing scrubs and had a warm smile. Dad introduced her as his cousin, something about Zio Sal’s stepson’s daughter, but all I heard was:

“She’s family. She’ll take good care of Abuela.”

And she seemed nice. Really nice. She promised to stay with Abuela every day, help her cook, assist with her medicine, and keep her company.

That made the tight feeling in my chest loosen. I hugged Abuela hard. “We’ll come every Sunday,” I told her. “And I’ll call you every night.”

She cupped my face in her hands. “Mi niño, I know.”

When we walked outside again, Dad opened the SUV door for me. I climbed in, buckled my seatbelt, and looked out the window at the house I’d lived in my whole life. I wasn’t scared. Not anymore. Because Mom was coming with me. Dad was coming with us. And Abuela was safe. For the first time in forever, everything felt right. And I couldn’t wait to see my new room.