This Could Be Us

Soledad does a live video from her she shed when she can’t sleep. Judah texts her and comes over to bring her a weighted blanket to help her sleep. They have sex, and Soledad feels transformed. She admits that she’s beginning to trust him.

Judah and Soledad play strip Uno in her shed. Judah accuses Soledad of cheating since she is winning and he is down to only his underwear and one sock. Soledad does always seem to have a wild card in her hand. When he sees the scar on her palm from when she cut her hand carving up Edward’s man cave with her machete, Soledad is unhappy at the memory: “That was another woman, and I don’t much want to revisit her” (319). The scar bisects the lifeline on her palm, as if Edward’s betrayal split her life in two. She cries because she feels like she’s healing.

At Adam’s school, Judah has volunteered to talk about his job for a class activity. Tremaine is there because she wants to talk to Adam’s teacher. Soledad is also there, pushing a cart and wearing an apron that reads “I’m the Cool Mom.” She is giving a cooking demonstration to Inez’s class. Tremaine sees that Judah is interested in Soledad and is happy for him. She wants to have Soledad over for dinner and have her make her vinaigrette that went viral. Judah waits for Soledad and walks her to her car. Inez sees them together.

Soledad converses with her daughters while she serves them dinner. She’s not thrilled that, while she’s working to provide for them, her daughters still seem to think that Edward will come back and save the day. Inez challenges Soledad for dating the man who put their dad in prison. Soledad disciplines Inez and then goes to her she shed. Judah calls; he’s not happy sneaking around: “I want a life with you that we make, and who cares what the hell anyone else does or calls it or expects?” (338). Soledad is still not ready, so Judah tells her to call him when she believes that they could have a future.

Soledad helps her sisters sort through boxes at the house they grew up in and tells them about being with Judah. She misses him. Soledad finds her mother Catelaya’s journal and reads an excerpt in which her mother talks about loving both Lola’s father, Bray, and Soledad and Nayeli’s father, Jason. Catelaya radically accepts herself despite these unconventional emotions: “I am the love of my life. I have learned to love myself without judgment or condition. It’s the only way I have enough love for everyone who needs it—to love myself” (344). Soledad wonders if she can be the love of her own life.

Delores Callahan stops by Judah’s office at work and reveals that she, too, is following Soledad on social media. She mentions that Edward is getting out of prison early for good behavior.

Just then, Tremaine calls—Adam has had a seizure at school.

Hendrix is lining up a partnership that could help Soledad develop her own lifestyle brand. Soledad is beginning to realize that she can stand on her own two feet and still share her life with someone. In response, Hendrix tells Soledad to give Judah another chance.

Inez comes home from school and reports that Adam was taken to the hospital in an ambulance. Soledad realizes that she wants to be at Judah’s side through this because she loves him. She rushes to the hospital.

At the hospital, Judah learns that Adam is stable and will be fine. Tremaine arranges to stay overnight with him. As Judah leaves to go home to Aaron, he sees Soledad in the waiting room. He lets her know that Adam is okay. They step into the stairwell and embrace. Soledad wants to have Judah and his family over for dinner, and she’s hoping that his mother will share her recipe for mac and cheese that the boys like. She tells him what she learned from her mother’s journal and confesses that she loves him. They marvel at being happy together.

Judah’s mother, Margaret, and Soledad bond over the phone. Her daughters help her set the table and prepare dinner. Inez apologizes for her behavior; she misses their life before. Soledad understands but wouldn’t take that life back: “I wouldn’t want the empty façade [Edward] and I shared over the authentic love and respect and passion Judah and I have” (369).

Judah comes over with his sons, Tremaine, and Kent. The dinner is a success, and the boys even eat her mac and cheese. Soledad realizes that she is thriving and that everything is going to be fine. Kent and Tremaine take the boys home, and Judah shows Soledad his ride: the restored motorcycle he’s been working on with his dad. He painted it purple for her. She feels seen and understood by him. They go for a ride, and Soledad reflects on how happy she is to be on this road with him.

A year later, Soledad and Judah vacation at a hotel in Morocco that is paying for their stay in exchange for the exposure that Soledad’s social media provides. She reflects on how far she has come since her “#datingmyselfchallenge.” Judah reveals that Edward hasn’t checked in with his probation officer and that Amber and her son are also missing. He suspects that they’ve left the country. Soledad is relieved he’s gone. She revels in her love for and commitment to Judah and reflects on the wisdom she learned from her mother: “I now realize you can risk loving completely when you completely love yourself” (384).