Epilogue
Dazi wished he had a paper bag to breathe into. He held Mateo’s hand tightly as Mateo led the way up to his front door.
“Are you sure they’ll like me?”
Mateo rolled his eyes. “We went over this the whole ride down; yes, my parents are going to adore you. Come to think of it, my mother may challenge you to a tree-climbing contest. Don’t be a sore loser.”
Dazi laughed. Mateo always knew the right thing to say. Over the past few days they had found their imperfections were drastically outweighed by the ways they made each other happy. Please let me make his family happy, too.
Mateo’s father answered the door. He had laugh lines on his otherwise youthful-looking face and he warmly invited the both of them inside. Mateo’s mother, who shared Mateo’s strong jaw and thick eyebrows bu
