The Wall of Winnipeg and Me

by Mariana Zapata

What no one tells you is that the road to accomplishing your goals isn’t a straight line; it looks more like a corn maze. You stopped, you went, you backed up, and took a few wrong turns along the way, but the important thing you had to remember was that there was an exit. Somewhere. You just couldn’t give up looking for it, even when you really wanted to.

Did I love sexy lateral muscles? Of course. I had ovaries.

“Touch my wife again and I’ll break every bone in your goddamn body.”

“I’m starting to understand that you can always make time for the things that matter.”

“That’s my girl.” His girl? “I am?” I just outright asked him, hoping more than a little he wasn’t just . . . that was stupid, Aiden wouldn’t just say that. “The only one,” he said it like there was no other choice in the world.

“That’s my girl. That’s my fucking girl.”

“Do you love me?” His gaze was so intent the entire world seemed to stop. “You tell me. I never stop thinking about you. I worry about you all the time. Every beautiful thing I see reminds me of you. I can’t finish my practices in Colorado without wishing you were around,” he said in a steady tone. “You tell me what I feel.”