Hey, loves!
Welcome back to a new blog series. So, the last one kind of had a common plot thread, and was structured more like a proper novella with a beginning, middle, and satisfying HEA. Coming into this one I couldn't seem to put together a proper plot that I knew would satisfy what the readers wanted for Cece and Juan. Everything I kept considering took place long after the bulk majority of their love story, and we did see a lot of their story (or rather, the important bits) so I didn't want to be repeating all of that again.
Instead, I settled on a Vignettes style blog series. Snapshots of Cece's life, mixed in heavily with Juan, until their HEA, or what I consider their HEA to look like. I hope you enjoy it. At the moment, I have 24 snapshots planned - and if you divide that by one a week, we'll be here for a while. So, buckle up, enjoy, and I hope to see you following along.
AND THEN - as a fun little bonus, because I wanted to make these different than just my normal style of outtakes, it will follow from young to old, as well as at the end of each outtake, there is a small interview style piece that is me and the character talking.
Hugs.
*
The Cece and Juan Vignettes
Chapter One - Miggy
Cece POV
2 years old ...
Cece bounced through the room, ignoring the calls of her name and the many people surrounding her mother. It wasn't anything unusual, and whenever she accompanied her ma to California for business, as her mother liked to say it, there always seemed to be more faces around than Cece cared to keep count.
They all knew her name.
She barely remembered theirs.
Everyone was nice, sure. They never said mean things, or even yelled at her. No one said she was in the way, and they always treated her with what her da liked to say was the proper respect a Donati principessa deserved. Not that Cece understood what any of that meant, but she did know that she liked it all.
That was enough for her.
Besides, she was more concerned with where her Ma was in the large space. After running through the hallways with one of the hotel's maids chasing after her, she was ready to find her ma, have a snack, and that juice she liked.
No big deal.
She darted around a rather large and quite tall man when she heard the sound of her Ma's familiar voice telling a girl that she needed to get with the program, or get the hell out of it. The girl was quick to reply with quiet yes, Queen.
Yeah.
Business was always fun.
Even when Cece didn't really understand it.
All she knew was that when her mother came to California for a week, they stayed in their big suite at a hotel that always knew them by first and last name, had Cece's favorite things on hand whenever she wanted to pick up the phone and call down to ask--her Ma taught her how to do that--and people never stopped coming by.
In New York, the only people that visited were men for her da.
In Cali, it was all about her ma.
"Ma!"
"Oh, and Miguel, I need you to stay behind for a moment, if you wouldn't mind."
"Not at all, Catty."
"Hmm."
Her mother's quiet hum was quickly followed by a short, "Catherine, I mean."
"Better, Miguel. Better."
Cece found her mother sitting in the large chair that dominated the sitting space of the living room section of their suite. She tried not to bother her ma when she was doing business, if only because well, it was a little strange. So many people listening to her ma when she spoke, and everyone staring.
Oh, Cece liked being stared at.
She loved attention.
This was for her ma, though.
It wasn't the same.
She understood well enough that her ma was doing important work. Work that shouldn't be interrupted just because Cece wanted attention for one reason or another. Her ma always reminded her every time the private jet landed in Cali to be a good girl, Cece. And she did because she promised she would.
And she so loved her ma.
More than anything.
Catherine reached for Cece as she came to stand next to her mother's chair. In her ma's lap, a cup was already being passed over. In her pretty pink dress with the white polka dots all over, a cup of juice could be a dangerous thing, so Cece took her time drinking the liquid, making sure not to spill the sticky, red liquid on her dress.
That would make her mad.
She hated ruining her pretty things.
Her ma flattened her palm against the top of Cece's head, smoothing the dark, wildly unruly curls at the crown as people gave their confirmative replies to whatever she had said before they started filtering out of the hotel room. A few stragglers stayed behind, chatting in hushed tones as the tall man from earlier stepped up. He was one of the familiar faces to Cece, although she could never quite say his name right. And when Cece couldn't say something right, she simply didn't say it at all.
His golden skin with reddish undertones gleamed in the light, the contrast of his white teeth as he gave her a friendly smile making Cece grin back even with her cup up to drink from. His eyes were a darker brown than even hers, but still warm. He constantly followed her ma around when she was in Cali, and sometimes, even in New York or wherever her ma went to do business.
Cece thought they were friends, but she didn't know.
"And what did you want to speak to me about?" he asked.
Catherine glanced down at Cece. "Her, Miguel."
"Pardon?"
"Did you notice she was all over the place today?"
He shrugged. "She's a kid--she's gonna run, Catherine."
"Right, but I need to have my eyes on her, either way. Or rather, a pair of eyes that I trust. You get what I am saying?"
"Please tell me you don't mean for me to be a babysi--"
"That's a little juvenile and rude, considering."
"I'm sorry?"
"What is the most important thing in my life, Miguel?"
He cleared his throat, scratching at the back of his neck. "Listen, I don't mean to say that she doesn't need someone looking after her, but do you really think it should be me, Catherine? I've had your back for years in this business. I'm not sure putting me on the kid is going to benefit you or this organization in any real way."
"Except it will because she is the future of it."
His gaze darted between her mother, and then Cece.
It took a second.
Then, two.
"I love the kid, you know that."
"Why do you think I asked you, Miguel?"
"She won't even say my name. I don't think she likes me very much."
"She does," her ma assured. "You like Miguel, don't you, Cece?"
She peered up at the big man.
She saw lots of those before.
Most scared her.
Not Miguel, though.
She tried so hard to form his name properly in her mind, to make her mouth say it the right way, but all that came out was, "I likes Miggy."
Catherine grinned. "See, Miggy."
"Jesus Christ--don't."
"I think it's cute."
"My Miggy?" Cece asked.
Catherine nodded. "Yeah, he's going to be yours."
She smiled at the man. "My Miggy."
Miguel looked Catherine's way with the most exasperated expression he could muster. "If someone else calls me that, I will rip their esophagus out."
Cece frowned.
She didn't know what that was.
Didn't sound good, though.
"Me, too?" she asked him.
Instantly, the man's irritation melted away. "Never you, Cece."
Right.
Because he was her Miggy.
Her ma said so.
*
When she thinks back to her life, Cece tells me while we walk down Fifth Street, the first memory she has of her life was Miguel. That moment with Miguel, actually, and while she understands his name is Miguel, she says, "He's always just been my Miggy to me."
"Right," I reply, smiling a little.
"And he brought me to Juan," she adds. "My second ever memory."
"Really?"
"What?"
"Miguel was your first memory. I thought maybe your mom or dad would be your second. Or your brother, even. Not—”
"No," she said quietly, "Juan, though they were there, too. But when I think of it, I always think of him first."
Huh.
"Guess that's love, right?"
I nod, echoing, "I guess so."
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