Chapter 34
Chapter Thirty-Four
VERA
“Did you wear that shirt to impress me, princesa?”
When she opened the door, I had to bite my lip. I’d seen her in a fancy party dress, business suits, and even her bathing suit. But there was something about the simplicity of what she was wearing that had my mouth watering.
She was wearing a plain navy blue shirt that showed a little cleavage, black skin tight leggings that I was sure made her ass look biteable, and normal black and white tennis shoes, but goddamn did I want to take it all off her. She was just so damn sexy. How had I gotten so lucky?
She laughed. “What? It’s a plain shirt. How does that impress you?”
I pulled her closer. “It’s my favorite color.
You know that’s my favorite color. You’re telling me you wore this shirt just as a coincidence?
It’s also very revealing.” I made a show to prove my point by lowering the neckline more to show up her perfect breasts, losing my train of thought. What were we talking about again?
She adjusted her shirt and rolled her eyes before kissing me. That was one way to get me to forget what I was saying. I tried to push us into the house but she wasn’t going for it. She broke the kiss and laughed.
“Nice try, but we have a soccer game to get to. And of course I know this is your favorite color. I may have chosen it with that little fact in mind. Also, it’s only revealing when you do that. Are you ready to go?”
“Not anymore. I’ll make an excuse. Say I got sick and I’m home in bed.”
“But you’re not sick or home in bed.”
“If you go home with me I can be.” I smiled.
“Wow. You’d really skip your niece’s game for sex?”
I pretended to think about it and she playfully nudged me. “Veronica!”
“Whoah. Government name and everything? It was a tough question. Sex with you is… I have no words. But family is important. But sex with you is…”
“I’m flattered you’d think about canceling for me, but you’d feel awful about it and I wouldn’t let you do that. Family is very important and I know how close you are to yours. I’d never ask you to do that.”
“I know you wouldn’t, and I’d feel terrible, you’re right. Should we go before I have a second to change my mind? Because if you kiss me like that again, I might have to rearrange my priorities.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes. Oh, wait! I almost forgot the cookies!” She ran back inside before I had the chance to ask any questions.
She came back with a huge tub filled with cookies. She looked at me with a slight blush and held it out. “I got them! Ready to go?”
I looked at them and frowned, confused. “You made cookies? When? And why?”
She shrugged. “Last night. I didn’t want to show up empty handed.” She gasped. “Shit. Does anyone in your family have a peanut allergy? I’m so stupid I should’ve asked!”
“Baby, calm down. You didn’t have to do anything. But no, no one has a peanut allergy. What kind of cookies are they?”
“They are peanut butter blossoms. They have a Hershey’s kiss in the middle.”
“Did you call my abuela?”
“What? No, why?”
“Because, princesa, those are my favorite cookies. You made them last night? There’s like dozens in there.”
She shrugged. “Well thanks for telling me your favorite cookie! Now I know how to win your heart.”
“Oh, baby, you already have it. Don’t you know?” I winked. “But seriously, you didn’t have to do this. That was very sweet of you.”
“I know, but I didn’t want to show up empty handed.”
The field was only thirty minutes from Cara’s house. We were almost there, and I kept noticing her fidgeting with her shirt. The closer we got, the more she fidgeted, and I didn’t like it.
“You’re fidgeting, princesa. Are you nervous?” I put my hand on her leg and it instantly stopped bouncing.
She looked at me and took her bottom lip in her mouth. “A little. That’s why I made the cookies last night.”
“What do you mean?”
“God, it’s so embarrassing! Only a few people know this, but when I’m nervous or anxious about something, I bake. It calms me and distracts me from what I’m scared of. Last night, I made these cookies because of today.”
“Today? Why are you nervous for today? It’s just a soccer game.”
“It’s not just a game, V. I’m meeting your family. I want them to like me. Am I the first—”
“White woman I’ve brought home? No, but you are the first woman I’ve been serious about. My family doesn’t care who I’m with, as long as they treat me right and I’m happy.”
“Are you?” she asked, worry coating her question.
That was the easiest question I’d ever been asked. I laced our fingers together and kissed her knuckles. “Si, princesa. I’ve never been happier.”
Her smile was so bright. “Good. For the record, I am too. Happier than I’ve been in a long time.” I didn’t need to hear the words to know that was true. That smile told me all I needed to know.
“Thank you for sharing that with me. It means a lot to me that you trust me with something personal.”
“I do trust you, Vera.”
We pulled into the packed soccer field, games already starting. We’d hit a small patch of traffic on the way in, but Lia’s game wasn’t set to start for another ten minutes.
I rounded the truck to pull open Cara’s door before she had a chance to take her seatbelt off. I smiled when she just looked at me, accepting my outstretched hand.
I grabbed our chairs from the back and the cooler. I’d packed drinks for us, my brothers, cousins, and juice pouches for the kids. There was always a parent who volunteered to bring snacks and drinks for the team, but I usually offered to help out as well.
“Tía, tía!” Lia came barreling into me when we got closer to her field. She was ten years old and she was just like her father.
“V, you made it!” Miguel said, bringing me in for a hug.
“Daddy! Tía came to watch me play! I’m going to win now!”
“Si, mija. She came to wish you luck, but you don’t need it, huh?”
Lia shook her head. “Nope! I don’t need luck, I have skill! Tía, Who’s your friend?”
“Lia, this is my girlfriend, Cara. Cara, this is my niece, Lia.”
Lia looked at Cara with wide eyes, who was smiling at her, but cautiously. We’d never discussed using that word, and I was nervous on how she would react. So far, she hadn’t given any indication that it bothered her.
“Girlfriend? Wow! It’s nice to meet you, Cara. Thank you for being my tía’s girlfriend. Are you going to marry her?”
“Woah, Lia. Shouldn't you be getting ready for your game? You can’t win if you're talking to us, can you?”
She gasped. “No, I can’t! Bye!!” She turned around and took off towards her team and I let out a long breath.
After what felt like hours, I risked a glance at Cara. That marriage comment had to have scared her off. It was way too soon to be using that word. Even I knew that. But her expression didn’t betray what she was thinking. She had a soft smile on her face and watched Lia sprinting off to her team.
“She’s adorable. And you must be Miguel. Vera’s told me so much about you. It’s nice to finally meet you.”
For a moment, my brother just looked at her without saying a word. No expressions on his face to tell me his thoughts. Not a smile in sight. Just staring.
To my surprise, Cara didn’t seem phased by his pause, only continued to hold her hand out, waiting for him to take it.
Finally, he shook her hand, a little too firmly that I felt wasn’t totally necessary. What was that about?
“Si, I am. So, you’re the one who’s been taking up all of our sister’s time and thoughts. When we’re at the gym, it’s like she’s not even there. When we’re at dinner, the conversation is all about you. You must be pretty special.”
Cara smiled and stood up straighter, probably a little proud about my brother’s embarrassing admission. “I’d like to think so, but I don’t mean to be a distraction. I can assure you, I have no control over Vera.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that. She is definitely whip—”
“Okay, you two have met enough. Let’s find our seats. Where’s everyone else?”
Cara looked at me with a raised eyebrow and a smirk. I wanted to die. Why would my brother say that? I was not whipped by any means. Just because I’d give her anything she wanted and I’d do whatever she asked without question didn’t mean I was whipped. I liked her. So what?
My brother was still eyeing her but didn’t say anything more as we headed to the benches where the rest of my family sat.
Besides Miguel and Lia, Estephan and his wife, Teresa, Luis, as well as two of my cousins, Maria and Camilla were there. Estephan had one daughter, Mila, who was also on Lia’s team, but she was out sick. Luis had two girls who weren’t on the team.
I introduced Cara to the rest of my family, who seemed to be a lot nicer, introducing themselves and hugging her like she was already part of the family. Maybe because they weren’t as protective as my Miguel.
We’d made it just in time because not ten minutes after we sat down, the game looked as if it were starting. The entire family yelled for Lia and wished her good luck, probably embarrassing her, but what else was family for?
A few minutes after the game started and the girls were running back and forth with the ball, I felt Cara’s hand in mine. I looked at her and raised an eyebrow.
I honestly didn’t think she would’ve touched me at all in front of my family. It wasn’t like they could really see anything, anyway, but even if they could’ve I wouldn’t have cared. We were dating and we weren’t doing anything inappropriate.
“Is this okay?” Cara was looking nervously at our joined hands.
“Si, princesa. It’s more than okay. We’re adults. It’s not like I’m taking you behind the goal. Which now that I’ve mentioned it…” I winked, loving the blush my comment provided.
“Don’t even think about it, Vera.”
“So, Cara, you're a publisher? What’s that like?” Miguel asked, but something in his tone didn’t sound genuine.