Endless Chain (46 page)

“I have one more thing for you.” She pulled a photograph from the folder.

He held the photo and stared at it. Ramon had taken it with Mack’s digital camera, and Tessa had blown it up to a five-by-seven and printed this copy. Elisa was sitting on the front steps of
La Casa,
and spread across her lap was the colorful Endless Chain quilt. She had quilted it in jail using a lap hoop that Helen had brought for her. More than anything, finishing the quilt had helped her cope with her fears for the future.

“I wanted to bring it here for you,” she said. “I wanted you to have it on your bed, to sleep under it knowing I had done the same. But it’s not a gift I’m allowed to give you. So I’ll sleep under it alone, every night, until you come home next month, Sam. But it’s yours. My wedding gift to you.”

He looked up from the photograph. “
Elisa, te amo con todo el corazón. Eres mi amada.
You are and always will be my beloved.”

She didn’t need to kiss him again. She didn’t need to touch him. Looking into Sam’s eyes she could envision the life that waited and all the promise it held. Promise was enough.