Once, We Were

present day / california 2001

“Mama!”“Mama!”

Leilani’s voice rang through the quiet house as she closed the front door behind her. She paused for a moment, listening—but there was no response. The living room stood still, bathed in soft natural light, and the adjoining kitchen was equally quiet.

“Ma?” she called again, stepping further inside.

She peeked through the French doors of the home office to her left—empty. Frowning, she turned and made her way down the long hallway. The sharp click-clack of her heels echoed across the hardwood, the only sound in the still house.

She passed the kitchen and the dining room, both untouched. Not even a whiff of food in the air. No music, no humming, no sign of her mother anywhere.

Where is this woman? she thought, walking deeper into the house.

As she neared the sunroom at the back, she began to hear faint notes—soft, lilting piano music. A familiar tune carried gently through the hall, becoming clearer with each step.

The Rose.

Leilani smiled to herself.

Inside the sunroom, the morning light poured in through floor-to-ceiling windows. There, seated at the grand piano in her usual spot, was Emili—completely immersed in the music. Her fingers floated effortlessly over the keys, coaxing out each note with precision and feeling. Her eyes were closed, brows slightly furrowed, as if she were drawing the music from somewhere deep inside.

Leilani leaned quietly against the doorframe and watched. Her mother hadn’t aged a day past forty, though she was nearing sixty. Her hair, swept up in a loose bun, caught the sunlight. She looked peaceful—elegant, almost ethereal. This was her mother’s sanctuary. It had always been.

Growing up, this song had been the soundtrack to lazy Sunday mornings. Leilani and her brother would play in the front room while their father lounged on the loveseat by the piano, eyes closed, listening to his wife play. Sometimes reading. Sometimes just... being. It had been the rhythm of their home.

Her gaze drifted to the loveseat.

Empty now.

She exhaled quietly, a small ache tightening her chest. It had been over a year since her father passed, and yet the silence left in his wake still felt fresh. Like grief had moved in and rearranged the furniture.

“Hey, sweetie,” Emili’s voice broke the silence gently. She opened her eyes and looked up from the keys. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

Leilani quickly wiped away the tear that had slipped down her cheek and smiled. “Hi, Mama.”

She walked over and kissed her mother’s warm cheek. “I called earlier, but you didn’t answer.”

“Oh? I must’ve left my phone... somewhere.” Emili looked around, mildly disoriented. “Probably buried under a stack of journals. What time is it?”

Leilani glanced at her watch. “Quarter to noon.”

“What?!” Emili blinked. “Are you serious?”

Leilani grinned. “Time flies when you’re serenading the house.”

“I completely lost track of it. I just sat down to play one song.” She shook her head, amused.

“That’s alright, Mama. I actually came by to remind you—dinner tonight. With Will and his dad?”

Emili paused mid-stretch. “Wait… that’s tonight?”

Leilani gave her a pointed look. “Yes. Tonight. At seven. Casa Monastero.”

“I thought that was next week.”

“Nope. Definitely tonight. You are coming, right?”

Emili stood and walked toward the couch by the bay window, sighing as she sat.

“Of course I’m coming, baby. Don’t be silly.” She patted the seat beside her. “Come, sit.”

Leilani joined her, curling one leg underneath her. “Good. I really want you to meet Will’s dad. He flew in last night, and he’ll be staying for a couple of weeks.”

Emili tilted her head. “And his mother? She’s not joining?”

Leilani shook her head. “No. Will's parents have been divorced for over five years. His dad never remarried and flew here to spend the next two weeks with us. His mom is traveling overseas with her boyfriend.”

Emili made a small face. “That’s always awkward. I never know what to talk about with single people.”

Leilani laughed. “Mama. He’s not contagious. Just talk to him like a human being.”

“Well, I’ve been married, widowed, and raising two kids for the past twenty-five years. What on earth do I have in common with a single man?”

“Okay, for starters, you were single once and secondly, Will's dad isn't some single dude, he was a married man with a child. Technically, you are the same.”

“Well regardless, me single was during the Ice Age, darling.”

Leilani chuckled and leaned her head on her mother’s shoulder. “It’ll be fine. I just want you there. And besides, you’re only a few years younger than him—you’ll have tons to talk about.”

Emili raised a skeptical brow. “How old is he?”

“Fifty-five.”

She snorted. “Afewyears younger? Try twenty.”

“Okay, okay, fine,” Leilani laughed. “You’re a timeless goddess. Happy?”

“Now you’re talking.”

They both giggled before falling into a quiet moment. Leilani reached over and took her mother’s hand, giving it a small squeeze. “Thanks for coming tonight. It really means a lot.”

“I wouldn’t miss it, sweetheart.”

Leilani stood. “I need to pick up Elvis from the groomer. But seriously, Mom—seven o’clock. Don’t forget.”

“I won’t.”

Leilani gave her one last look as she opened the door. “Promise?”

“I promise, Lani. I’ll be there.”

…THAT EVENING…

“I’m so sorry,” Leilani said, glancing up from her phone. “Looks like my mom’s going to be a bit late. She got called into the hospital on her way here. Told me to go ahead and start without her—she’ll come as soon as she’s finished.”

“That’s alright with me,” Gabriel replied with a warm smile, raising his glass of whiskey. “I don’t mind waiting. I’m already enjoying the company.”

Will reached over and gave Leilani’s hand a light squeeze. “Yeah, babe, we can wait for your mom. I’m not even that hungry yet.”

Leilani smiled, touched by their kindness. “Thanks, you two. She’s been working crazy hours lately, even more since the new trauma cases have been piling up.”

Gabriel tilted his head curiously. “She’s a trauma surgeon, right? That must be intense.”

Will answered before she could. “Not just any trauma surgeon—she’s the lead. People literally call her from other hospitals for second opinions or to assist in surgery.”

Leilani blushed a little at her boyfriend’s praise. “He’s exaggerating. A little.”

“Not at all,” Will said, grinning. “Your mom’s a legend. I think I heard a nurse at her hospital call her the ‘iron scalpel’ or something.”

Gabriel chuckled. “I’m impressed. Honestly. You must be very proud of her.”

“We really are,” Leilani said with quiet pride. “My brother and I grew up watching her balance work, family, and—somehow—everything in between. We try to live up to that kind of dedication.”

Gabriel nodded thoughtfully. “Will told me you had a brother that isn’t much younger then you right? What does he do?”

Leilani nodded, “He’s studying abroad in Japan,” she said.

“That sounds like quite the adventure. What’s he studying over there?”

“Computer animation. Our dad was an animator before he passed, and my brother always wanted to follow in his footsteps.”

“I see,” Gabriel said softly. “I’m sorry to hear about your father. Will mentioned he passed not long ago?”

Leilani’s smile dimmed, but her eyes remained gentle. “Almost two years ago. Car accident. It all happened so fast.”

Gabriel reached across the table and patted her hand. “My deepest condolences, dear. I lost my best friend who was like another brother to me, a few years ago—it’s something you never really stop feeling.”

“Thank you,” she said. “It’s been hard, but I know he’s still with us, watching. Funny enough, I met Will the day after the funeral and I’m pretty sure my dad orchestrated from the afterlife”

“Oh?” Gabriel raised a brow with curiosity.

Will laughed. “She ran into me—literally—and dumped a full cup of coffee on my shirt.”

Leilani rolled her eyes with a laugh. “I was coming out of Starbucks, totally in a daze, and walked right into him. The drink exploded all over his new shirt and pants. I wasmortified.”

“I screamed like a girl,” Will added, grinning.

Leilani gave him a playful nudge. “It was a very masculine scream.”

Gabriel chuckled. “So…coffee baptism turned romance. That’s a new one.”

“I offered to pay for his dry cleaning, but he refused. Gave him my number anyway—said to call me with the cost.”

“And instead, I asked her out to dinner,” Will said proudly. “One year later, we’re engaged. Best coffee accident of my life.”

Leilani laughed, brushing her fingers against his arm. “Maybe I should pour another one on you at the wedding. Start a new tradition.”

Will mock-groaned. “Please don’t. That shirt never recovered.”

Their laughter was warm and easy—until Leilani suddenly heard her name being called softly from behind.

“Lani…”

She turned her head and saw her mother walking through the entrance of the restaurant, flanked by the ornate double doors she had just hurried through. Emili looked stunning, despite the rush. Her tailored coat was draped over her arm, and a trace of wind still clung to her hair. The tension in her posture betrayed how flustered she was from arriving late, but her eyes lit up when they found her daughter.

Leilani stood up quickly, her face brightening. “Mama, you made it.”

Emili opened her arms as Leilani came toward her, and they hugged tightly.

“I’m so sorry, baby. The surgery ran longer than expected.”

“It’s okay, I’m just glad you’re here.”

“Hi, Mrs. De Lucca,” Will said as he approached, giving her a hug as well.

Emili smiled warmly at him. “Hello, William. Always nice to see you.”

She glanced toward the table and noticed the man seated with his back still turned. Her pulse steadied, returning to its normal rhythm—until—

Will motioned to the man as he stood. “I’d like you to meet my father. This is Gabriel Clark.”

The moment the man turned around and their eyes met, Emili’s world came to a standstill.

Her breath caught. Her vision tunneled. The blood in her ears roared like a crashing wave. She stared, frozen, into a face she hadn’t seen in over two decades.

Steel-gray eyes. That same unmistakable jawline. A little older. A few lines now carved into the corners of his mouth. But the man standing before her was unmistakable.

Gabriel’s polite smile faded slowly into stunned recognition.

“Emili?” he said, voice lower now, almost hesitant.

Will looked between them, puzzled. “Wait...you two know each other?”

But neither Emili nor Gabriel responded.

Leilani glanced between them both, suddenly aware of the change in energy. “Mom?”

Emili’s voice was soft, almost breathless. “What are the odds?”

The entire restaurant seemed to fade into silence around them.

But Emili didn’t answer. She was still locked in a silent standoff with the man she never thought she’d see again.

Gabriel Clark. The man who broke her heart. The man who—until now—existed only in the pages of a past she thought she’d closed forever.