Chapter 36
Was it normal to hope your boyfriend’s family didn’t like you? Because that was Ava’s mindset on her way to meet Roman’s mother and sister.
She’d put it off as long as she could, and had gone so far as letting Roman come to her apartment in order to avoid going
to his. They’d spent an amazing weekend together, ensconced in their own little slice of paradise, but it was unexpectedly
shattered when Ava got a text from Willow that she and Olympia were driving through Ava’s neighborhood and would be stopping
by momentarily. Ava had leapt out of bed and hustled Roman out the door. She’d barely finished putting the apartment to rights
by the time they showed up. Roman hadn’t been thrilled about being kicked out, and in the chaos he’d extracted a promise:
Ava would have dinner with his family before the week was out.
And here she was. The car Roman had sent dropped her off at his building, and the doorman sent her right up in the elevator,
since Roman had already given her the code.
The elevator doors opened, but instead of Roman standing there waiting for her, it was Ashton.
Ava’s blood turned to ice at the sight of him. Ashton clearly wasn’t expecting her either, since his eyes widened and he backed up a step. He recovered first and moved forward to greet her.
“Ava. ?Cómo estás?” He leaned in to kiss her cheek, and Ava did the same.
“Hi Ashton. Welcome back.” Her heart pounded in her throat. Ashton knew . And if he hadn’t before, he certainly did now, because why else would Ava be showing up at Roman’s home with an overnight
bag?
Roman strode toward them with a big smile on his face. “You’re early,” he said, sounding delighted.
Of all the days not to run into traffic. Ava gave a little shrug. “So I am.”
Ashton held up a phone with a cracked screen and a navy-blue Yankees case. “Yadi left his phone so I came back up to get it.”
“Ah.” Ava gave a little nod. “Can’t forget that.”
Ashton sighed. “He’s obsessed with playing games on it. I’m worried about his thumbs.”
“We should all be worried about our thumbs.” Roman gave Ashton a one-armed hug and patted his back. “See you.”
“Ciao.”
Ava stepped out of the elevator so Ashton could take her place. She didn’t miss the loaded glance he sent Roman’s way, but
Roman seemed immune or oblivious. The second the doors closed, Roman slipped an arm around Ava’s waist and pulled her in for
a toe-curling kiss.
One part of Ava worried that someone might see. But the rest of her responded enthusiastically, clinging to his shirt and
opening her mouth for his tongue.
When Roman finally broke the kiss, Ava was lightheaded.
“Hi,” she said, breathless.
“Hi yourself.” Roman released her, but only to grab her hand and lead her farther into the apartment. “Mikayla can’t wait
to meet you. You don’t even want to know what I had to bribe her with to keep her from ambushing you in the lobby.”
“Oh?” Ava’s throat dried up, and all the endorphins brought on by his kiss shriveled and died.
Roman paused, and after a look at her face, he squeezed her hand. “Don’t worry. They’re going to love you.”
That’s what I’m afraid of , Ava thought.
She’d spent so much of her life trying to make sure everyone did like her, it was strange to think about how to ensure someone didn’t .
Just be cool , she told herself. Aloof. Don’t get in any deeper .
But of course, the second she saw Mikayla, Ava broke into a wide grin. Who was she kidding? She couldn’t stay aloof around
a kid. Her teacher persona was too ingrained.
Ava knew the girl was eighteen, but Mikayla looked a few years younger, like she was going into her freshman year of high
school instead of college.
“Ava!” Mikayla bounded over from the kitchen counter and threw her arms around Ava in a hug, like they were reuniting after
many years apart instead of meeting for the first time.
Unable to stop herself, Ava hugged her back.
Roman’s mother Dulce looked up from where she stirred something in a large sauté pan. Upon seeing Ava, Dulce set down the
spoon.
“Hola, Ava. Es un placer.” Dulce cupped Ava’s shoulder and leaned in to kiss her cheek. “I’m so happy to finally meet you.”
“Igualmente,” Ava murmured, kissing the older woman’s cheek. Dulce’s skin was lighter than her daughter’s but more tanned than her son’s, and while neither of her children favored her much in coloring, looks, or build, they all had the same long-lashed brown eyes.
“It smells wonderful in here. Can I help with anything?” Ava asked Dulce. Roman had told her not to, but standing still while
his mother cooked didn’t sit right with her.
“You know how to make tostones?” the older woman asked.
Ava grinned. “Of course I know how to make tostones.”
While Ava sliced, smashed, and fried the plantains in oil, she chatted easily with Dulce and Mikayla. It was clear they were
close, and Ava was charmed by their easy manner.
“Do you like reading?” Ava asked Mikayla. As an English teacher, this was always her first question when meeting a younger
person.
“Are you kidding?” Mikayla crunched on a tortilla chip from the bowl on the counter. “I’m a total bookworm.”
Dulce handed Ava a glass of wine. “Mikayla makes costume plays of the characters too.”
“It’s called cosplay , Mom.” Mikayla hoisted herself onto one of the bar stools lining the counter. “And yes, while the word technically comes
from ‘costume play,’ that makes it sound like a weird sex thing.”
Roman almost choked on his wine, but Dulce just laughed.
“No kink-shaming, ?verdad?” Dulce smiled as she returned to the stove. “Besides, I don’t know what you do on that phone of
yours all day.”
“Yes, you do,” Mikayla grumbled. “You like and comment on all of my posts.”
“I’m being supportive.” Dulce sent Ava a wink.
Ava couldn’t help it. She loved them already.
As they cooked, Ava chatted with Mikayla about books and Broadway musicals. Mikayla, consulting a list on her phone, asked Ava approximately a million questions about herself, because, as she put it, “Ro’s never brought a woman home before, and I can tell he really likes you.”
“I love her,” Roman said easily from where he whisked salad dressing.
Ava felt her face heat and she braced herself for his family’s reaction to his declaration, but nobody acted like he’d said
anything strange. Nobody laughed or teased them or made inappropriate jokes.
Eventually... Ava relaxed.
Roman listened, for the most part, interjecting comments here and there, enduring light teasing from his sister, and helping
his mother when she asked him.
It was... normal, Ava thought. Just like her family. If anything, Ava felt more comfortable here because there wasn’t years’
worth of emotional baggage to trip over. She’d thought his family might be haughty, based on the luxury in which they lived.
But they were warm and welcoming.
When Roman and Mikayla stepped away to set the dining table, Dulce sidled up next to Ava.
“?Y tu familia?” she asked. She pursed her lips and jerked her chin to gesture toward Roman. “They’ve met him?”
Ava’s hands stilled on the tomato she was chopping for the salad. “Ah... well, he knows Ashton and Jasmine, of course.
And everyone else saw him at the engagement party.”
Dulce’s gaze turned shrewd. “They don’t know you two are... dating?”
Dating. Were they dating? Shit, what else was this, if not dating?
Ava’s back hunched. “Um... no.”
“I see.”
Dulce’s knowing nod made Ava feel the need to explain herself. “They’ll make it a big deal. That’s just what they do. And
I don’t want... I’m not ashamed of him. He’s amazing. You know that. But my family...”
She trailed off, not knowing how to describe them without sounding like she was complaining. But Dulce nodded like she understood.
“Yo entiendo. Family pressure can be hard on a new relationship.”
Ava’s shoulders slumped in relief. “Yes. Exactly.”
“You’ll know when you’re ready. And don’t let that one”—she gestured at Roman with the wooden spoon—“rush you. He jumps into
things. It’s worked very well for him in business, because he’s always a million miles ahead of everyone else. But you? This
is new for him.”
Ava swallowed hard. “Okay.”
But inside, she wasn’t sure she’d ever be ready. As easy as it felt being with Roman’s mother and sister, when she tried to
imagine bringing him to dinner at her father’s house, or worse, to a giant family gathering, just the thought made her feel
sick.
When the food was done, they carried everything to the dining table. In addition to the tostones, there was juicy roast chicken,
rosemary garlic potatoes, and ratatouille con chorizo. Roman sat across from Ava, and Mikayla sat next to her. Dulce took
the seat across from her daughter.
“We don’t usually eat here,” Mikayla explained. “But tonight’s special, since you’re here.”
“Now who has no chill?” Roman said mildly, raising his eyebrows at his sister.
Mikayla shrugged. “Seemed like you needed a wingwoman.”
Roman met Ava’s eyes and his held a spark of humor. “For the record, I did not ask her to do this.”
Ava smiled down at her plate and had the sudden urge to introduce Roman to Willow. Would he get along with Willow as easily
as Mikayla seemed to be getting on with her? Was there a universe where Mikayla and Willow could meet without involving anyone
else? Willow could keep a secret better than most of the Rodriguezes, but it was unethical for Ava to ask her teenage sister
to do that.
For the first time, Ava began to consider what she might be missing by keeping Roman hidden.
Conversation turned to Mikayla’s impending freshman year at Yale, which led to the topic of Dulce’s move to a new apartment.
“It’s not too late to change your mind,” Roman was saying. “You can stay here, either indefinitely or until you find something
more suited to your needs.”
“My needs?” Dulce gave him an indulgent smile. “It’s a four-bedroom duplex with natural light in a doorman building. What
more could I need?”
“The bedrooms are small. I’m sure we could find something better.”
“We used to live in the projects. Trust me, the apartment is fine .”
“You deserve better than fine,” Roman insisted. “I’m just worried. That’s all.”
“Because I’m such a viejita?” Dulce’s eyes, so like her children’s, twinkled at Roman over the rim of her wine glass. “Is
that it? You think I’m too old to live on my own?”
Roman’s lips curved. “I know better than to answer that.”
“Then what are you scared of?”
Roman raised his hands, then let them fall. “I just want to protect you.”
“And you feel like you can’t do that if I’m not here.”
He nodded, and the compassion in Dulce’s gaze made Ava’s heart squeeze.
Dulce reached over and clasped Roman’s hand. “You can’t control everything. When is it going to be enough?”
One corner of his mouth lifted. “Never?”
Ava watched their body language. Roman sat with his forearms resting on the table. Dulce leaned back in her seat, her posture
relaxed, sipping from her wine glass. They were looking at each other intently, but neither was angry. No one was yelling
or issuing ultimatums. Mikayla had her bare feet on the chair with her phone balanced on her knees as she scrolled through
a webcomic. She wasn’t looking at anyone, but neither did she seem anxious.
This, Ava realized, was what healthy communication among family members looked like.
Ava had a flash of memory, from when her parents were still together. Patricia had called the money Miguel spent fixing his
old car—which lived in his parents’ front yard—a waste. His offhand response, that Patricia mind her own damn business, had
led to a stony silence between the two of them for the rest of the night.
Another flash, from when Ava had lived with her grandparents. Willie had complained that Esperanza cooked the same thing too
often, and Esperanza had yelled back that if he didn’t like it, he could eat garbage. Then she’d tossed his dinner, plate
and all, into the trashcan.
On the heels of that, another memory, of Ava begging Hector to please leave his shoes by the door where they belonged instead of in the hallway where she could trip on them, and him snapping at her that it would take less time for her to move them than it took to nag him.
Shit. No wonder she was scared of being in a relationship. She hadn’t the faintest idea what a healthy one looked like. What
would it be like for two people to discuss their thoughts and emotions in a rational and calm manner? To actually be heard
by the other person, instead of dismissed? To have an argument where no one lashed out or got defensive?
This was what she wanted. Instead of holding back with everyone in her life for fear that they’d get angry with her for having
feelings, for not being good, for being difficult.
She recalled her argument with Roman in Puerto Rico. He’d listened. Apologized. And corrected the behavior. He told her he
always wanted to know what she was thinking and feeling.
Did he really mean that? Would that change as time went on?
You were never that open with Hector , that annoying little voice inside her piped up.
It was true, she realized. They’d been young when they got together, and she’d been trying so hard to be perfect that by the
time she felt comfortable enough to speak up, there was no foundation for them to have a healthy disagreement. They just didn’t
know how. They’d been two little kids playing house, subject to the whims of their families and lacking the emotional skill
set to have a real adult relationship.
Roman knew how to do that. He acted like an adult, which forced Ava to act like one too.
And that was... a little bit scary. But also exciting?
God, Colleen would have a field day with this. Maybe it was worth it to schedule a session with her, even if it meant paying out of pocket.
Just as Ava was starting to wonder if she should change the subject, Mikayla jumped to her feet.
“We forgot about dessert,” she exclaimed. “I’ll go get it.”
While Dulce went to help Mikayla, Ava and Roman collected the dirty dishes to bring them back to the kitchen.
“I’m sorry if you didn’t want me to hear that,” Ava said quietly as she stacked plates.
Roman’s brow furrowed and he paused in gathering the silverware. “Hear what?”
“Your argument with your mother. About her moving out.”
Roman stared at her blankly. “Why wouldn’t I want you to hear it? We were just talking.”
She shrugged, worried he’d see too much. “Never mind. I guess it made me think about my own family, that’s all.”
He only nodded, but his watchful gaze said they’d come back to this later. “Are you having fun tonight?”
“I am.” She couldn’t stop the smile that spread across her face. “They’re great, Roman. Really great.”
“I know.” He gave a huff of laughter. “It’s probably weird that I don’t want them to leave, but you can see why, right?”
She could. This was the core of who he was. He took care of the people he loved, in every way he knew how.
That includes you now , that little voice whispered. But instead of scaring her, it made her feel warm inside.