Angel wrapped his arms around her waist, thankful that he hadn’t said it was too soon like he’d been so tempted to. “I’m the lucky one,” he said, kissing her cheek then pulling away. “But you’re right. I am happy for you. I really am. I just worry. I always will.”

She had no way of knowing that, after seeing just how emotional she was becoming about this whole thing, his worry level just shot up a few hundred notches.

“I know you do,” she said, sniffling, and Angel reached for another napkin, handing it to her. She took it and wiped her nose. “And that’s why I wanna make sure you’re there when I meet him. I could take my mom or Sydney or even Valerie or my aunt and uncle, but I want you there. I wanna give you that peace of mind I know you’re dying for. So I promise I’ll work around your schedule even if it means pushing it out. I can wait.”

Angel wrapped his arms around her, inhaling deeply. She’d said exactly what he needed to hear.

She did that a lot.

No wonder he was so hopelessly in love with her.

~~~

Finally they’d gone a few weeks with neither the mention of meeting her brother and dad nor any irritating revelations about Syd. Angel was enjoying a rare lazy Sunday afternoon watching football with the guys when his phone rang. Sarah had been out shopping with her mom and had texted him earlier to tell him they were going to catch a movie while they were out.

He glanced at the time on his phone before answering. It was around the time he’d expected to hear from her. “Hey, babe,” he answered.

“Are you still watching football?”

Angel walked out of the family room where the guys were being way too loud and into the kitchen. “Yeah, it’s still on,” he said, opening the fridge.

“Oh, okay, well just give me a call when it’s over.”

He finished taking a swig of milk straight from the jug and put it back in the fridge. “I can come pick you up now if you want.”

“Not if you’re gonna be watching football. You know the only games I ever get into are yours. Besides, we can’t talk with your friends there. Just give me a call whenever they leave. Doesn’t matter if it’s late. I’m home now and probably just gonna work on that paper I have to work on.”

“I can talk now, “Angel said, sensing something was up. He walked out into the backyard. “The Charger game is over. Only reason we’re watching now is ’cause Romero bet on this game and we like watching him lose his ass.”

“You sure?”

He took a seat on one of the patio chairs and sat all the way back. “Yeah, what’s up?”

“Well, first,” she said, her words taking a bit of an excited tone as if she had something juicy to share. “Guess what I found out today?’

“What,” Angel asked, glad this didn’t sound serious.

“There was a jewelry heist in the movie we watched, and the thieves made off with millions. Afterwards, when we went to eat, we talked about the movie, and my mom said she never would’ve believed jewelry could be worth so much but that among the things in the bags my dad left behind with the money she found when I was a baby there was some jewelry. She said my dad never even mentioned the jewelry, not to her or my grandmother, who used to deliver his messages. She held onto it for years, but when money started getting tight, she did exactly what I imagined she would and started pawning the jewelry off piece by piece. One day she took in the one she called the big one to get appraised. She thought it was silver, but it turned out to be platinum, and the stone on it was this rare blue diamond.” The phone got a little muffled, and she lowered her voice even more. “It was appraised at more than half a million dollars, but because she couldn’t explain how she’d come to have it and it was very likely stolen, they offered her just under a quarter of a million. Of course she took it. That was the year she told me we’d be staying in Flagstaff for good.”

“That’s crazy,” Angel said, the wheels in his head beginning to turn.

“I know. I mean she did finally get a stable job, but this was ultimately what gave her the courage to stay in one place. She said she felt bad that she’d moved me around so much all those years.”

Secretly, Angel had always wondered how long her mother had been taking funds from her boss. Now it made sense that maybe she hadn’t for too long if she’d made out with this much cash early on. And then it hit him. Is this what her dad was after? But why now? Why would he wait all this time? And was her brother in on this too?

“When’s the last time you talked to your dad?”

“What?” she asked, obviously not expecting this question now. Then she went quiet.

“Sarah, babe, I’m not saying that—”

“No, no,” she said quickly. “The thought did cross my mind. Was this the jewelry he’d been talking about? It could be, I guess, but he said he told my mom he’d hoped she’d hold onto it for me, and she said he never once mentioned any jewelry.”

He wouldn’t say it, but her mother’s words didn’t carry a whole lot of credibility as far as Angel was concerned. Luna had already proven she made bad decisions when desperate, not that he thought selling the jewelry was a bad decision. He agreed with Sarah that she’d done what she had to as a single mom with no other means. But it did make sense that she’d chosen to deny knowing the jewelry had been meant for Sarah.