Reclamation

by A.K. Morgan

Si él te quisiera, no crees que ya lo hubiera intentado?”

“Cal,” I breathe at the same time he says, “Hey, Muñeca,” tilting his head curiously, the term of endearment for me causing a swarm of butterflies to fill my stomach.

“Qué estás haciendo tú aquí?” My mouth drops. He still speaks Spanish?

“I loved you, you know. Before you left—before all of this shit,” he waves his free hand in front of us, “I loved you. It was always supposed to be you and me, muñeca.”

“I could’ve been with anybody I wanted, Faith.” His voice drops low when he continues, roaming my face. “But I didn’t want anybody but you.”

“First off,” he begins before I have a chance to try. “Don’t disrespect her or our child under my roof again, Mom,“

“If anybody so much lays a hand on either you or my son again, you call me. I don’t care what day it is, what time it is, fuck—I don’t care what year it is. You call me.”

She’s everything I want to taste for the rest of forever, and that terrifies me. Nobody angers me the way Faith does, but nobody will ever love her the way I do.

“You have nothing to worry about,” he replies. “I only have eyes for you, muñeca.”

And it makes me mad because I know this time I’ll chase you until I can make you believe that I’m the one who deserves to love you. Even after all the shit you pulled, Fe, I’m supposed to be the one to take care of you, to love you, to protect you until my last dying breath. And yes, that includes Alex. You both are mine, and I’m not letting either of you walk away from me.”

“You are an incredible mother, hermosa,“ he says,

“Tomándome como la buena chica que eres.”

“Vas a tomar todo lo que te doy. ¿Lo entiendes?”