All Chapters of We Were Almost : Chapter 121 - Chapter 130

Chapter 121: The ring on her finger felt heavier than she expected.Timi sat on her couch, staring at it, turning it in the light. Jake had proposed three days ago, and she still couldn't quite believe it.She was engaged.To Jake.The boy who had spent years trying to fix his past. Who had sent those anonymous messages that saved Maya and Ethan. Who had finally, slowly, become the man she'd always believed he could be.Her phone buzzed.Maya: How's the fiancée?Timi smiled.Timi: Still staring at my hand. Is that normal?Maya: It's the best normal.She met Maya for coffee that afternoon. Their café, the one with the red awning. Maya ordered for both of them…she knew Timi's order by heart now."So," Maya said, settling into her seat. "Tell me everything. How you're feeling. What you're thinking. The whole thing."Timi laughed."That's a lot.""We have time."Timi looked at her ring again. "I'm happy. I'm so happy. But…""But?""But sometimes I wonder if he's really ready. Or if he's

The morning of the wedding, Timi woke up alone.Maya had stayed over. Bisi too. They were already up, moving around the suite, whispering about things she couldn't quite hear.She lay still for a moment, staring at the ceiling.Today she was getting married.Maya appeared in the doorway."You're awake.""I'm awake.""Scared?""Terrified.""Good. That's how it should be."The next hours were a blur.Hair. Makeup. The dress. The veil. Maya's steady hands. Bisi's constant chatter.Amara appeared with a drawing. "For you, Auntie Timi."Timi looked at it. Stick figures. A bride. A groom. A garden."It's beautiful, sweetie.""Mama said I had to make something.""Your mama was right."Grace arrived with flowers. Small white ones. The same pink ones Timi had chosen months ago."For you," Grace said solemnly.Timi knelt down. Took the flowers."These are perfect.""Mama helped.""Your mama helps everyone."The cars arrived at noon.Timi sat in the back, Maya beside her. Bisi and the girls in t

Maya was folding laundry when her phone rang.Her mother's name. Nothing unusual. They talked every few days. But something made Maya's stomach tighten before she answered."Mom?""Maya." Her mother's voice was different. Slower. Careful. "I need to tell you something."Maya sat down."What's wrong?""The doctors found something. In my blood work. They want to run more tests."Maya couldn't breathe."What kind of tests?""I don't know yet. They said not to worry. But I wanted you to know.""Not to worry?""Maya.""Mom…""It's probably nothing. But you know how these things go. They test for everything these days."Maya gripped the phone. "I'm coming.""Maya, no. You have Grace. You have work. You don't need to…""I'm coming."Ethan found her in the bedroom, already packing."What's going on?""Maya told him. Her voice is flat. Her hands moved automatically.He took the suitcase from her. Held her hands."We'll go together.""You don't have to…""Together."She stopped. Let him hold he

Grace was fourteen when she found the letter.She wasn't looking for it. She was looking for her birth certificate. School needed it for some paperwork, and Maya had said it was in the drawer of her nightstand.The drawer was messy. Old photos. Old letters. Old receipts from grocery trips long forgotten. Grace dug through, looking for the folder with her name on it.Her fingers touched paper. Not a folder. Just paper. Folded. Creased. Old.She pulled it out.The handwriting wasn't Maya's. It was sharp. Masculine. She knew it immediately. It was her father's.Maya,I don't know if you'll ever read this. I don't know if I'll ever have the courage to send it. But I need to write it. I need to say it somewhere, even if it's just to a page.I'm sorry.That's not enough. It's never been enough. But it's the only word I have for everything I did wrong. For the years I lost. For the kiss that destroyed us.I think about you every day. I think about the bench. The coffee. The way you looked at

The idea sat with Ethan for weeks.Not urgent. Not pressing. Just there. A thought he carried with him. At work. At home. On the patio at night when Maya was asleep.Call his father.Grace's question had stirred something in him. "Was it worth it? All the almost?" He'd said yes. But the almost applied to his father too. Almost reconciling. Almost forgiving. Almost calling back.He never did.Maya noticed the change."You're quiet lately.""Just thinking.""About?"He was quiet for a moment."My father."She waited."Grace asked if it was worth it. The almost. And I realized—it's not just about us. It's about him too.""Do you want to call him?""I don't know. I've been thinking about it. For weeks. But I don't know if I'm ready.""You don't have to be ready. You just have to try."He looked at her."When did you get so wise?""When I almost lost you."That night, he sat on the patio alone. Phone in his hand. Her words in his head.You just have to try.He scrolled to his father's name