Page 271 of Seasons of Love
"Man, I lived for her marble cake," he said.
"What happened to her after I left?"
My heart broke as my brother recounted how Paula had built her business and had looked after our son with the help of her family, and then her fight with cancer, one she'd eventually lost, but not before she'd made sure David would be okay without her.
"I have a great debt to you and Teresa for raising David. He told me things haven't always been easy between you, but you were there for all his important moments, and that matters more than anything."
"It was a privilege seeing him follow his and his mother's dreams. I still can’t believe he’s your son. He told me your story. It made so much sense then. How Paula would never have a bad word to say about you, or her baby’s father whenever. David also said you're an architect."
We walked back to the café, catching up with more recent events.
"So, you and Tiago, huh?"
"I don't know what he sees in me, but I love him, and if he'll have me, I will love him for the rest of my life."
When I was young, I'd always dreamed of being able to talk to my brother like this, and I had to pinch myself because I still wasn't sure this was real.
Everybody was seated at the long table in the café by the time we got back. The teasing grumbles about having to wait for dinner made my heart soar with happiness. I looked for Tiago and sat next to him, stealing a kiss that left him with the cutest blush.
26
TIAGO
"Can you see them?" Vítor asked.
"No, not yet."
"For goodness’ sake, how long does it take to ask a question?" Vítor's frustration was so cute I had to turn around in his arms and kiss him. It also served as a good distraction. His excited tension disappeared as he melted against me.
"Thanks, Tiago," Mário said from his place under the gazebo, "I was just about to throw an orange at his head."
I gave Mário the thumbs up without needing to stop kissing Vítor, because if I had my way, I'd never stop kissing him.
Mário chuckled and Teresa told him off.
Considering how long the brothers had been apart and how much hurt had been caused by their father, I was surprised at how they'd settled back into their roles of younger and older brother.
In the last two months since Vítor had come back to me and they'd reunited, Vítor had spent a lot of time with his family. It took more than one family dinner to catch up on twenty-eight years, of course. Sometimes I'd join them, others I'd stay at home reconnecting with my own brother.
We'd also spent many nights wrapped around each other with Vítor asking me questions about David and telling me everything he'd learned from his brother.
Despite everything, Mário had been the closest thing to a father figure to David growing up, which was why on the day he was asking Joel to marry him on the beach they used to frequent as children, Mário was the one in charge.
Vítor’s role as his real father was to walk him down the aisle on his wedding day, so he’d been happy to leave his brother to care for the son he raised as his own. Thinking about the day Vítor had told me that David had asked him the question still got to me. Vítor had been beyond happy and proud.
It was a hot afternoon and the cloudless sky was making it almost unbearable, but Mário had managed to source a gazebo to keep all the food for the celebration under the shade, and Joel's family had brought enough umbrellas.
Afonso was helping Mário, and I was so proud of him for playing his part in the celebration and also because he looked comfortable around such a large crowd of people. He'd been working in Pedro's snack bar all summer, and he loved it. Sometimes he came home exhausted, but he'd grown more confident. I'd seen some mail at home for online courses, but he hadn't mentioned anything, so I was waiting for him to come to me and let me know what was on his mind. I wasn't worried, because I knew he would.
"Hey!"
I jumped up from the beach towel where I was sitting against Vítor's chest and ran toward the voice. I hadn't seen Isaac in months, so I only stopped when we were hugging.
"I missed you, man."
"Missed you, too," I said.
I heard two sets of coughs, and we both chuckled as Max pulled Isaac into his chest and I was pulled back into Vítor's.
