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gotten help for her mother, she
wouldn’t have died. She’d been angry at her mother—even secretly hated her at
times. When she passed away, the bottom had fallen out of her world, and she
wished she had been less judgmental and more helpful.
    “After she died, Jewel and I barely
made ends meet,” she whispered, hanging her head. “We lied, begged. When we
couldn’t get what we needed, we stole it—food, clothes—and moved around from
place to place, sometimes staying with family, sometimes sleeping wherever we
could lay our heads. We did whatever we had to do to survive.”
    “Couldn’t you get help from the
state?”
    “Yes. But as minors, we didn’t want
to end up in the foster care system and risk getting split up. We had been
through so much together, the thought of getting separated terrified us. When I
won a scholarship to go to college, I thought our prayers had been answered. I
was able to get additional financial aid, and I wanted to rent a small
apartment off campus. That way Jewel could stay with me and finish high school,
and if I got a part-time job, we could live more comfortably than we had in
years.” Sabrina sighed. “But she met an older man and forgot all about school
and our plans. They moved in together and everything about her changed after
that. He was the worst thing that ever happened to her.” Tears clouded her
vision. “I wish I could have done something to convince her to leave him.”
    Renaldo stroked her hair
consolingly. “You did the best you could.”
    She sniffed to keep her nose from
running. “What do you think of me now?”
    His hand cupped her cheek. “I think
what I thought the first time I met you. You are a strong woman. I admire your
strength even more now that I know what you’ve been through. If you thought I
would judge you, you’re wrong.” He smiled ruefully. “You are a better person
than I am. Because even after everything that’s happened between you and your
cousin, you still forgive her. You still protect her.”
    “She’s family. We’re all we’ve got.
I won’t turn my back on her. She needs love and forgiveness. It’s not too late
for her, and everyone deserves a second chance.”
    “You’ve given her several second
chances.” He fell silent. “I admire you, Sabrina. I admire your ability to
forgive. I have a habit of cutting people off when they hurt me or make a
mistake.”
    “If you love someone, you learn to
forgive them,” Sabrina said. “Sometimes losing them hurts more than the pain
they’ve caused you. Believe me, when Jewel acts the way she does, I know it’s
the drugs. When she’s herself, she’s such a good person—caring and generous to
a fault.”
    “Like you.” He traced the fullness
of her lips with his thumb.
    A tremulous smile graced her lips.
“I must look awful right now.”
    “No, you look beautiful. I missed
you these past few days.”
    “I missed you, too.”
    He gently kissed each eyelid. “I
really, really missed you.” His voice sounded husky and filled with longing.
    She nodded, emotion clogging her
throat.
    “I love you, Sabrina.” Her gaze
flew up to meet his. He cupped her face in his hands. “I couldn’t stop thinking
about you. I missed talking to you. I missed hearing your voice.” He swallowed,
brushing a palm over her thick hair. “I thought I was losing my mind. That’s
why I had to come see you.”
    “Do you mean it?” It was too good
to be true. Not only did he not care about her past, but he loved her, too?
    “Yes.”
    She wrapped her arms around his
neck and kissed him hard on the mouth. “I love you, too.”
    “Do you mean it?” he teased with a
smile, echoing her question.
    “Yes!” She kissed him again. Her body
pressed closer to the hard planes of his, as he cupped her bottom and prolonged
the kiss.
    Finally, he lifted his head and
whispered, “How are you with long distance relationships?”
    “I’ve never been in one, but we can
make it work, right? I mean,