Chapter 52 Sara

Monday mornings were usually peaceful. Quiet house. Warm coffee. Gabe’s backpack half‑unzipped because he always forgot something. Salvatore’s kiss lingering on my cheek long after he left for work.

But today… something felt different. Gabe had been the first to notice my mood, even if he didn’t say it out loud. He just hugged me tighter before leaving for school, his little arms squeezing around my waist. “Love you, Mom,” he said, grinning up at me. “And I can’t wait for my baby brother.”

I nearly choked on my coffee. “Baby...what?”

He shrugged like it was obvious. “Everyone at dinner yesterday said Dad looks at you like he’s waiting to eat you. That means you’re gonna have a baby.”

I covered my face with my hands. “Oh my God.”

He laughed, kissed my cheek, and ran out the door before I could correct him. I watched him climb into the car with Hale, waving until they turned the corner. Then the house went still. Too still. Salvatore had left earlier, brushing a kiss against my forehead, murmuring, “Mi corazón, call me if you need anything.” He always said it.

But today it stuck with me. Maybe it was nothing. Maybe it was everything. I tried to shake it off and focus on what I could control. My future. Saturday night at Velvet Lace had been fine, Salvatore stayed the whole time, hovering close enough to make sure I was safe but far enough to let me work. But afterward, he’d taken my hands and said gently:

“You don’t need to work there anymore. Not because I don’t want you to, but because you don’t have to. Figure out what you want, mi corazón. I’ll make it happen.”

So that’s what I was doing. I spread my notebook across the kitchen table, sketches and notes spilling everywhere. Coffee shop. Bookstore. A place that felt like home, warm lights, soft chairs, shelves full of stories, and a corner for community events. Something cozy. Something mine. I was so deep in my planning I didn’t hear Hale come back inside until he cleared his throat.

“You’re working hard this morning,” he said, leaning against the counter.

I smiled. “Trying to. I want to show Salvatore something real. Something I can build.”

He stepped closer, looking over the sketches. “This is good. Really good.”

“Think so?”

“I know so,” he said. “You’d be great at this.”

Warmth bloomed in my chest. “Thank you.”

He nodded, but his eyes flicked toward the front windows, just for a second. Like he was checking something. Or someone. A tiny shiver crawled up my spine. “Hale?” I asked quietly. “Everything okay?”

He smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Yeah. Just keeping an eye out. You know how it is.”

I did. And that was the problem. Because the house was quiet. The morning was normal. Gabe was safe at school. Salvatore was at work. Everything should have felt fine. But it didn’t. Something was wrong, I just didn’t know what yet, and that scared me more than anything.

The uneasy feeling didn’t go away. It sat in my chest like a weight, light enough to ignore if I tried hard, heavy enough that I couldn’t shake it. After staring at my business sketches for another ten minutes without really seeing them, I finally pushed the notebook away. “I think I’m going to go see Abuela,” I said.

Hale looked up from his phone. “Now?”

“Yeah. I just… want to have lunch with her. Clear my head.”

He nodded, but his expression tightened. “Tony and Ben will take you.”

I blinked. “Hale, that’s a bit much. It’s just Abuela’s house.”

“It’s the boss’ orders,” he said gently but firmly. “You don’t go anywhere alone.”

I sighed, but I didn’t argue. Not because I agreed, but because I knew Salvatore wouldn’t have insisted unless he felt something too.

And that scared me more than the silence in the house. Tony and Ben were already waiting by the SUV when I stepped outside. They greeted me with warm smiles, but their eyes were scanning the street, the rooftops, the neighbors’ yards. The ride was quiet, but not uncomfortable. Just… tense. Like the air was holding its breath. When we pulled up to Abuela’s house, the tension eased a little. Her home always did that, the bright flowers on the porch, the wind chimes, the smell of her cooking drifting out the open kitchen window.

She opened the door before I even knocked.

“Mi niña,” she said, pulling me into a hug that smelled like cinnamon and lavender. “Come in, come in. I made arroz con pollo.”

I laughed, the knot in my chest loosening. “You always know.”

“I always know when my granddaughter needs feeding,” she said, tapping my cheek. We sat at the kitchen table, plates steaming, sunlight warming the room. For a moment, everything felt normal again. “So,” Abuela said, giving me that look, the one that saw straight through me. “How are things with Salvatore?”

I felt my cheeks warm. “Good. Really good. I’m… trying. Really trying.”

She nodded, pleased. “And him?”

“He wants me to follow my dreams,” I said softly. “He told me I don’t need to work at Velvet Lace anymore. Not because he’s controlling, because he wants me to have something of my own.”

Abuela’s eyes softened. “That man loves you, Sara. Truly.”

I swallowed, emotion catching in my throat. “I know.”

“Then show me,” she said, gesturing to my bag. “What you’ve been working on.” I pulled out my notebook, spreading the sketches and notes across the table. Abuela leaned in, studying every page with the same seriousness she used when reading her prayer books. “A coffee shop and bookstore,” she murmured. “Homey. Warm. A place for people to gather.”

“That’s the idea,” I said. “Somewhere safe. Somewhere comforting.”

She smiled, pride shining in her eyes. “It’s perfect. You are perfect for this.”

I exhaled, relief washing over me. “You really think so?”

“I know so,” she said, echoing Hale’s words without even realizing it. “And Salvatore will be proud.”

I smiled, but the unease crept back in, faint, but present. Because even here, in the safest place I knew, something in the air felt… off.

Like a storm building far away. Like a shadow just out of sight. I pushed the feeling down and reached for Abuela’s hand.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

She squeezed my fingers. “Always, mi niña .” But even her warmth couldn’t shake the chill running down my spine. Something was coming. I just didn’t know what.