I'll Be Here (Matters of the Heart Book 2)

by Yesenia Vargas

  Michelle finally looks a little guilty but doesn’t say a word. We all get up.

  Brian steps away to make a phone call, I’m guessing to his parents, and my aunt and I step aside while Michelle and Brian's uncle talk.

  “I can’t believe it,” my aunt says, looking at Michelle. “She is so lucky she didn’t get hurt or lost or worse.” She shakes her head slowly. “It is very dangerous for a young lady to travel on her own like that in Mexico. I’ve heard the worst stories.”

  “I guess that’s why Brian left in such a hurry,” I say. “He seems surprised that she’s okay too. It sounds like he was getting ready to go look for her.”

  Brian hangs up and walks back to us.

  “They’re not happy, Michelle, but they’ve agreed to let you stay with me.”

  Michelle jumps up and down and hugs him.

  “For now,” he says, actually squished by a skinny teenage girl.

  But I don’t think she hears that last part. “I promise I’ll help with chores and cooking and stuff. And I’ll keep my grades up in school.”

  “We’ll see how it goes,” Brian says, putting his arm around her again. “We’ll need to find our own place. I should have enough money now.”

  I look at my aunt, and we can’t help but smile from how happy these two look to be together again. I think I’m starting to see just how close they are as brother and sister. Maybe because of Jazmin’s death.

  “I guess we need to catch another cab to the airport, huh?” I ask.

  “I’ll get one on the phone,” my tía says, walking off. “And I should probably answer some of these calls…” I hear her mutter.

  My phone had been vibrating like crazy in my back pocket, but I hadn’t even looked at it.

  Didn’t want to look at it.

  I knew who was calling nonstop, and I was not ready to explain things to my mom just yet. Like why I’m in Texas instead of at home right now.

  I’ll let my aunt handle this one.

  Brian finally comes over to me, and we walk a little ways off, down one of the aisles of the convenience store. His uncle and Michelle seem to get the message and they walk off too.

  “So what is it that you needed to tell me in such a hurry before?” Brian asks with a small smile on his face.

  I immediately feel my face turn hot, and I do my best to pretend I’m staring at the little bags of peanuts in front of me.

  “How did you even track down Michelle anyway?” I ask, thankful that thought just popped into my head.

  “She messaged me as soon as she crossed over. Which was lucky because I was about to cross over myself and hop on a bus to look for her in Tamaulipas, which is where she called me from last.”

  We take another few steps, and I can’t think of another question to ask him.

  “But I asked you first,” he says, and I know he’s just teasing me. He knows what I’m about to say, and the thing is, I’m not sure I’m ready to say it anymore.

  ###

  I’m starting to feel nervous, and scared, again. Where’s that adrenaline rush when you need it?

  It had been a whole lot easier when I thought we only had moments together before he had to leave again.

  I take a deep breath and glance at him.

  He looks a lot more serious now.

  “I need to hear this, Katia. Whatever it is, you can just tell me. Just tell me the truth, whatever it is.”

  Now he seems nervous and scared.

  I breathe again and look up at him.

  “I guess I should start from the beginning.” We walk slowly, still not reaching the end of the aisle. “I went to prom with Adam last night.”

  I hear Brian’s breath hitch for a moment, but he just nods.

  “We went as friends. It was a surprise. My aunt really wanted me to not miss my senior prom, and Adam really wanted to go. So we went.”

  He doesn’t nod this time, just keeps looking down.

  I stop now and face him, and he does the same. “He kissed me again, Adam did.”

  I stop for a split second. “And I realized I was there with the wrong person, Brian.”

  He looks me in the eyes now, like he can’t believe what he just heard was right, so I say it again.

  “Adam’s my best friend, probably always will be, but I realized you and I have unfinished business. I can’t—I don’t want to be with anyone else right now until we get our chance. Because last time you left before we got it. And I wasn’t about to let it happen again. That’s why I chased you here, like some crazy chick flick. I couldn’t let you get away again without at least getting that off my chest. You don’t get to leave again, not without knowing that I want us to be an us again.”

  It all ends up coming out kind of fast, but I’m glad because I just want to hear what Brian has to say.

  He’s still looking down, a look of disbelief on his face, before he finally looks at me and his face breaks out into a smile.

  And then he takes my face in his hands, and he kisses me, probably like he’s been wanting to since he moved back. And I kiss him back, like I’ve been wanting to since I realized I went to prom with the wrong person.

  “Get a room,” we hear, and we pull apart to see Michelle walk past and stop to look at something on a shelf.

  But I catch a small smile on her face. “About time. He never stopped talking about you, you know. Practically crying on the phone. I didn’t know who was the girl, me or him.”

  Brian pretends to run after her, and she runs off. He walks back to me.

  “Is that so?” I ask, laughing.

  “Maybe,” he says, and he comes in for another kiss. “I really missed you.”

  I sigh, happy.

  He sighs a different sigh. “It still won’t be easy, Katia. I work, and now more than ever before, I need to go back to school and get a decent job. And if Michelle’s going to be staying with me. I have a feeling she’s going to get her way on this one.”

  “I know,” I say. “And I’ll be there for you. For the both of you. And you know my aunt. She’ll be there too even if we don’t ask.”

  He smiles. “She brought you all the way here?”

  I nod.

  He chuckles. “Well, I’m glad you didn’t come on your own. I’ve had enough scares to last me a life time. Although I have a feeling Michelle’s not going to be a walk in the park. There’s a reason she came back, something she’s running away from that she won’t tell me, but I’m going to find out.” He looks off in the direction she went in.

  I stare after her for a second, too, and speak up again. “I just want us to finally get our chance, Brian. No matter what that means. I’ll be in school too, and I’m sure it’ll be crazy and we’ll barely see each other, but maybe we can make this work.”

  He kisses me again, this time soft and gentle.

  “Are you sure? Are you sure you’re making the right choice?”

  I nod. “I’m sure.” And this time, I reach up and kiss him.

  My aunt comes around the corner, her phone in her hand. “Taxi’s going to be here in five minutes to take us back to the airport. And Katia, your mom is on the phone, and she is not happy with us. Sounds like we’re both in trouble this time, mija.”

  “Oh, god,” I say, finally taking my phone out of my pocket to see dozens of texts from my mom. I look at Brian.

  “You left the state, and almost the country, without telling your mom?” he asked, laughing. “Didn’t you learn from last time when she found you at my house?”

  “Guess not,” I say sheepishly.

  “Come on,” he says, taking my hand. “Sounds like I have more than one person to get home today.”

  Author’s Note

  First, I just want to take a moment to say thank you for taking the time to read I’ll Be Here.

  When I started the first book in this series, I really thought it would be a standalone, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised with how the story has changed and grown into something more.


  Katia’s story has been difficult to write, but I’ve totally fallen in love with her story as well as Adam, Brian (and his family), and of course, Katia’s tía :)

  What’s Next?

  Next, I want to write Michelle’s story as well as Adam’s because they deserve their own happy endings!

  If you want to read Michelle’s story as well as Adam’s, make sure you sign up for my exclusive book updates, and I’ll shoot you a quick email when the next book in the Matters of the Heart series is available!

  Sign up here: http://smarturl.it/yvfreebook2

  You’ll get the prequel to my Changing Hearts series for FREE as a thank you from me :)

  Meet Ariana and Carlos.

  Ariana never would have guessed finally having a boyfriend would come at such a huge price.

  She doesn’t know how long she can keep up the lie to her parents.

  And she never realized how much her heart might have to pay if this relationship isn’t something Carlos is ready for.

  You’ll also get access to exclusive reader giveaways, sneak peeks, and advanced review copies (how would you like to read my next book before anyone else?).

  So make sure you join today at http://smarturl.it/yvfreebook2.

  Help Me Keep Writing And Leave An Honest Review

  So what did you think about Katia’s story? Were you Team Brian or Team Adam? I REALLY want to know so make sure you leave a review of I’ll Be Here!

  Plus, an honest review helps other readers find my books, which helps me pay the bills and keep writing more books.

  If you can take a couple of minutes to write an honest review, it would mean the world to me. Thank you in advance for your honest review of I’ll Be Here :) Can’t wait to read it!

  Yesenia

  Acknowledgements

  I couldn’t have written this book without the support of my husband or the love of my daughters. Thank you. I love you more every day that goes by.

  I also owe a huge thank you to Cynthia Luna, who graciously offered to proofread the final manuscript and caught countless errors I wouldn’t have otherwise and gave amazing constructive feedback on the story.

  Another huge thank you to Allie at MakeReady Designs for creating the amazing book covers for this series. You do beautiful work.

  And I can’t forget my accountability group, who gave me crucial feedback and ideas when I was stuck on the ending for this story. Because it wasn’t easy to write! THANK YOU for saving my sanity.

  And, of course, last but certainly not least, a huge heartfelt thank you to you. I couldn’t do what I love if it weren’t for awesome readers like you :)

  About the Author

  I write young adult fiction about teens who are figuring out what it means to make your own choices.

  When I'm not writing, I enjoy reading, spending time with family, playing sports, and watching Netflix. In 2013, I graduated from the University of Georgia, the first in my family to go to college.

  I live in Georgia with my husband, silly four year old daughter (soon to be a big sister!), and college-aged brother (who's slept over for two years now).

  If you’d like to see what I’m up to or where I hang out online, check out my website: http://yeseniavargas.com/

  Books by Yesenia Vargas

  The Changing Hearts Series

  Better Off (Prequel)

  Without You (#1)

  All In (#2)

  Letting Go (#3)

  Matters of the Heart Series

  When You Came Back (#1)

  I’ll Be Here (#2)

  Find all the download links and book descriptions as well as a complete list of my most recent books at yeseniavargas.com/books/

  For my daughters.

  Copyright © 2016 Yesenia Vargas

  All rights reserved.