Chapter 11

Vanessa's POV

"Mom, that's so unfair! That was Demi Lovato's song, momma!" I whined, pouting dramatically as I turned to the person beside me—my lovely mother—who was smiling smugly after changing the radio station.

"You always listen to this—even at home, Nessa," Mom replied nonchalantly, her hands firmly on the wheel as she continued driving.

"But it was so good, Mom," I muttered, crossing my arms over my chest like a sulky child.

Mom and I were out for the day—it was Mom and Daughter Day, after all. I had planned to share my legendary music taste with her, thinking she'd appreciate the absolute bangers I listen to. But no. She just changed the station as if my taste wasn't immaculate. Unbelievable.

Out of nowhere, Mom pulled the car to a stop in front of Walmart.

"Wait, why are we stopping here?" I asked as she grabbed her purse and opened the car door.

"I'll be back in a minute," she said before shutting the door, leaving me in the car with no further explanation.

I let out a small huff and leaned back in my seat, staring at the sky. The weather was perfect—not too hot, not too cold. The kind of day you'd want to spend with someone special. I glanced toward the store, watching Mom walk out with her hands full of shopping bags.

"Open the door and hold these," she said, nudging the car door with her hip.

I quickly unlocked it and took the bags from her. Peeking inside, I saw fruits and… a cake?

"Why'd you get fruits and cake?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Before she could answer, the radio jockey's voice suddenly cut through the car's speakers, making me perk up.

"Welcome back to Radio City! Today's next request is from Oliver, and it's a song by none other than the legendary Backstreet Boys."

Mom gasped dramatically. "Ah! Backstreet Boys! They were everything back in my college days," she said, turning up the volume with a nostalgic smile.

I blinked at her. She just ignored me again.

The soft melody of As Long As You Love Me started playing, and Mom's entire expression shifted—her eyes twinkled, her lips curled into a fond smile. And then… she started singing along.

"I don't care who you are, where you're from, what you did… as long as you love me…"

Her voice was warm, filled with so much love that it made me smile.

"It's beautiful, right?" she mused, her eyes still on the road. "Back in college, this song was huge. Like, the ultimate love anthem. Every Valentine's Day, you'd hear it in malls, on the radio, even at school dances. If someone was proposing, this was the song playing in the background. We were all obsessed."

I grinned. "Did anyone ever sing it for you, Mom?"

To my surprise, her cheeks turned pink. She pressed her lips together, clearly trying not to smile, but failing miserably.

"Your dad did," she admitted with a small laugh.

I gasped. "Wait, seriously?!"

Mom nodded, her laughter growing as she recalled the memory. "Yes, but the fool messed up the lyrics."

I furrowed my brows. "How?"

"The line is supposed to be 'where you're from', right?" she said, glancing at me briefly. "But your dad, in all his nervous excitement, sang 'why are you here for?'"

I lost it. "NO WAY!" I burst out laughing, clutching my stomach.

Mom was already cackling. "Oh my God, Vanessa, it was so embarrassing! He sang that on Valentine's Day—in front of so many people! Everyone just stared at me like, 'Why is this guy asking his girlfriend why she's here?'"

I wiped a fake tear from my eye, grinning. "Dad really had a way with words, huh?"

"Yep. Thanks to Davis—" She suddenly stopped mid-sentence, her laughter fading into a more somber expression.

I noticed how her grip on the steering wheel tightened slightly.

Davis.

I didn't know much about him, but I knew that just mentioning his name was enough to bring a shift in my mom's mood. She was always strong—even after my father's passing, she never let sadness consume her. While everyone else hesitated to bring up my dad, she was the first to tell stories about him with a smile. But today… just saying that name had made her hesitate.

Before I could ask, she cleared her throat. "Oh, look, we're here."

I turned to look outside the window—my jaw dropped.

"Mom… you didn't."

Right in front of us was my grandmother's house—my dad's mother's house.

I whipped my head toward my mom, scandalized. "Mom, we were supposed to go to the mall! Or a nice restaurant! You tricked me!"

Mom unbuckled her seatbelt, completely unfazed by my outburst.

"I would have taken precautions if I knew," I grumbled, crossing my arms.

"Oh? And what kind of precautions?" she asked, arching an amused eyebrow.

"I would've punctured the tires. Or maybe jumped out of the car while we were on the road," I deadpanned.

Mom snorted. "Wow. Such harmless precautions."

"But Mom—"

"Vanessa, behave," she said firmly. "She's your grandmother."

I huffed. "She doesn't like us, Mom. She won't be happy to see us."

"Like, dislike—it doesn't matter. At the end of the day, we're family," she said softly, placing her hand over mine and giving it a gentle squeeze.

I sighed, looking at her. "Fine."

"That's my girl." She smiled and kissed my forehead.

"I love you."

"I love you too, Mom."

With that, we both stepped out of the car, approaching the house. I held the cake, and Mom carried the fruit. As we reached the front door, she rang the doorbell.

The sound of footsteps neared, and when the door opened, I was met with a familiar face—Aunt Eva.

Eva Valencia—now Eva Holly—was my dad's older sister and my mom's best friend. She was the only person from my dad's side I actually liked seeing.

It had been ages since I last saw her.

She looked just like my father—jet-black hair cut short, the same brown eyes as me, except hers had a honey-colored ring around the iris, making them look even prettier. Valencia genes were elite, and fortunately, I had inherited the best of them. Stick us all under the sun, and we'd literally glow.

Aunt Eva's eyes widened, glistening with unshed tears.

"Alisa…" Her voice trembled with warmth as she opened her arms.

"Eva," Mom breathed, stepping forward. They hugged each other tight, like two long-lost sisters finally reunited.

Beautiful reunion.

"Oh, Alisa, I missed you so much, I—"

"I missed you too, Eva."

Then her gaze landed on me. "Vanessa."

Before I could say anything, she pulled me into a tight embrace.

I let out a small laugh. "Oh, hey, Aunt Eva." I hugged her back.

Pulling away, she gave me a once-over, eyes filled with fondness.

"You've grown up so much, Venny."

I groaned internally. Venny. My childhood nickname.

Before I could react, another voice called from inside the house.

"Eva, who's at the door?"

And just like that, my good mood vanished.

...

HELLOOO there,

Well, here I come with another chapter of 18 to 80 for y'all.

I hope you are Loving it, cause I'm loving it to write..

have a good day.

'