Chapter 26
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Christian
By the time we pull up to my mom’s house, music thumps from the backyard, rattling the driveway. String lights crisscross everything, glowing warm and golden against the night. I can hear laughter spilling over the fence before Huck even kills the engine.
“Wow,” he says from behind the wheel, peering out the window. “Taylor's birthday party was lame compared to this.”
“Told you,” Tay laughs between us. “Christian's family doesn’t fuck around.”
“You sure it's okay that we're here? I don't want to, like… intrude.”
“Yes,” I say flatly, fixing my tie. Changing into a suit in a moving vehicle is about as fun as it sounds, especially with the two of them watching.
“We aren't dressed, though,” Taylor murmurs, gazing down at the same shirt and jeans he's been wearing for the entire thirteen-hour drive.
“It's fine. I'm required to be, but you all can wear what you want. Stay long enough to eat, and then no one will notice you leaving.”
Truth is, I'm fucking scared to face my mom when she's disappointed, but having Tay around might soften the blow. My phone buzzes in my pocket for the hundredth time in the last half hour, probably her or my sister asking where I am and why I sent some random dude to deliver the cake. I haven’t answered a single one.
Shoving the truck door open, I step out into the night and inhale the scents of grilled meat and sugar.
Taylor gets out too, eagerly straightening his backwards hat. “I'm so fucking hungry. Can't wait to have your mom's cooking again.”
I snort, but that’s the only response I offer as I move toward the side gate. We don’t even make it two steps into the backyard before her voice halts us all in our tracks.
“Christian…”
Slowly, I turn around with my heart pounding in my throat.
My mother stands near the edge of the patio, arms crossed, perfectly composed in a deep blue dress that probably took weeks to pick out. Her salt-and-pepper hair is pinned back, large earrings catching the light when she tilts her head at me. “Llegaste tarde,” she says sternly.
Sweat dampens my pits already. “I know,” I answer automatically, then switch to Spanish. “Lo siento, Mamá.”
Tay appears beside me with a disarming smile. “Sorry for making him late, Ma. Work stuff got in the way, but I brought him back safe and sound.”
Her gaze softens when she looks at him, and she spreads her arms wide for a hug. “?Dónde estabas?”
Fucking Taylor. Why does everyone love him so much, that asshole?
“We were in San Francisco,” he answers, giving my mom a tight squeeze. “Uh, trabajo. Twins of Terror business.”
She exhales through her nose, releasing him before moving onto me. The muscles in my shoulders relax instantly when she pulls me into her arms and tells me that Marisol has been waiting.
It's on the tip of my tongue to tell her that I know. My little sister's only been blowing up my phone all day, but I simply apologize again and hug my mother.
For a second, I think she’s going to reprimand me like she used to when I did something like forget to pick up Carlos from school. Honestly, he was fine and walked home by himself, but it took her a long time to ask me to do shit like that again.
Mentally, I brace myself for the talk I'm sure is coming… but instead, her eyes flick past me, scanning the backyard. “Tu amigo es gracioso.”
My brows furrow, thinking she just called Taylor funny. “Funny looking, maybe,” I snicker, earning me a punch to the shoulder from my best friend.
“No,” she shakes her head before jerking her chin toward the backyard. “Es alto y guapo.”
Following her gaze, my jaw drops when I see Devon crouched near the side of the yard, sleeves shoved up and dirt covering his jeans. A loose circle of kids surrounds him, all yelling over each other in Spanish.
“?No mires! ?No mires!”
“I’m not looking,” Dev grins, hands clamped over his eyes. “I swear, I’m not cheating.”
“You’re cheating!” one of my little cousins accuses, pointing dramatically.
He lets out a genuine laugh that makes my chest feel funny. “I literally can’t see!”
Huck steps into my periphery, looking just as bewildered as I am. “Did your mom just call Devon pretty?” he mumbles.
Before I can answer, one of my cousins darts forward to smack Devon on the arm. “Tag!”
Dev freezes instantly, dropping into the most ridiculous pose I’ve ever seen—one knee bent, arms flailing, mouth open.
And the kids fucking lose their minds.
Taylor lets out a surprised snort. “What the hell is that?”
“Freeze tag,” says Carlos, approaching with my tío Ruben. “Or some made-up version of it. Poor guy's been ‘it’ for like twenty minutes.”
Ruben hums approvingly. “Very patient,” he says almost… fondly.
What the fuck is happening right now?
Dev doesn’t unfreeze until another kid taps him, and when he does, he springs to his feet and chases them off the grass. It's kind of like… cute, and shit. And weird. From the look on Huckslee's face when I glance at him, I'm not the only one who thinks so.
Devon spins around with a bright smile on his face, one I've never even seen before. It's only when his eyes meet mine across the yard that his face drops.
“Time out,” he tells the kids, throwing me a sideways glance. “I gotta check in with my jailer.”
They all groan in unison.
“Nooo!”
“?Tramposo!”
“I'll be back,” he laughs, backing away. “I promise.”
That earns him a fresh round of boos as he jogs toward us, brushing dirt off his palms. Ruben chuckles, shooing the kids back to their field to be watched over.
The minute Dev gets close, Taylor claps him on the shoulder. “Hey man, it's been forever. Christian didn't tell me you'd be here.”
“He wasn't invited,” I answer quickly, my harsh words immediately stinging my chest. Everybody turns to me with wide eyes, Dev included. Fuck. “I just meant, like… I didn't know you'd stick around, is all. Thought you'd just drop off the cake and bounce.”
“I told him to stay.” My sister, Sofia, appears next to Carlos.
“Yeah,” my brother nods, “me too. He looked all lost and stuff.”
Dev scoffs. “I did not.”
“Did so,” Sofia fires back with all the attitude of the sixteen-year-old that she is. “And hungry. Like a stray puppy.”
“I'm not—” Dev cuts himself off with a glance toward the food table. “Okay, I am actually hungry.”
“See?” Carlos crosses his arms. “Let him stay, man.”
“Bro, who says I wasn’t gonna?” I mutter defensively.
A swirl of glitter and tulle barrels into the circle we've formed as my baby sister marches toward me. “You’re finally here!” she says, jabbing a finger into my chest. “And you didn’t say hi to me?”
“I literally just showed up—”
“On my quinceanera?”
Taylor winces, grabbing Huck by the arm. “We're, uh… gonna go get some food. Good luck with this.”
Before I can apologize to my sister for the fifth time tonight, Sofia jerks a thumb in Devon’s direction. “He's trying to throw his friend out.”
“I was not throwing him out!”
Marisol’s gaze flickers to Dev, head tilting as she takes in his appearance. “He's the one who brought my cake. He can stay. Plus, he's cute.”
Dev chokes out a laugh, and Carlos loses his shit.
All I can do is stare at my siblings in disbelief. “What the hell is happening right now?”
Marisol just shrugs. “It’s my birthday. I decide things.”
Devon clears his throat quietly. “I can go if it’s a problem,” he says, even though he doesn’t sound like he wants to.
“It’s not a problem,” Carlos answers immediately.
“Yup,” Sofia adds. “My big burro of a brother is the problem.”
“Wow. Bunch of little traitors. I see how it is.”
Mom's voice cuts over the music, calling for Marisol to get ready for her official first dance. The birthday girl herself throws me a smirk, spinning around to bounce off into the night. Sofia follows with an equally smug look on her face, and my brother fist-bumps Devon before leaving as well.
Then all that's left is us.
An awkward silence passes through, despite the thumping music. I take in his clothes—well, my clothes, really—as he rocks back on his heels. “So,” he finally says, clearing his throat. “Your family's fun.”
I huff out a breath. “You should see us on Christmas.”
That earns me a small smile. “Sorry if I crossed a line by staying. The kids roped me into games, and I couldn't say no.”
“Sounds about right.”
Another heavy pause settles in, and for some reason, I fucking hate it.
“Look,” I start, making sure he meets my gaze before continuing. “I didn’t mean what I said earlier. About you not being invited.”
Devon’s shoulders tense just a fraction. “It’s fine.”
“It’s not. I was being a dick.”
He studies me for a long moment, then drops his gaze to my suit. “You look really good.”
The blood in my veins heats… slightly.
“Thanks.” My gaze darts toward the field where my little cousins are still running wild with my aunt and uncle. “I didn't know you were good with kids and shit.”
He shrugs. “They don’t expect much. Just gotta show up and not be an asshole.”
“Hm.” I glance at him sideways, feeling awkward again. This is a side of the guy I've never seen before and it's tripping me out. Arya’s voice from our phone call yesterday runs through my head.
“Don't fuck things up with Dev. He's got a lot more depth than people give him credit for.”
Okay, so what? He's nice to my cousins and my siblings. Those fuckers like everyone. They're social butterflies like me; it's how we were raised. Means nothing. Doesn't change the shit he did last year.
But my mom likes him. And she's always been the one to clock shitty people from a mile away.
Jesus Christ, what the fuck am I even doing right now?
Across the yard, she calls my name this time, and I silently thank her for the excuse to get away as I give Devon a nod. “I gotta go, but uh… You don’t actually have to stay if you don’t want to.”
“I want to.” His whiskey eyes are brighter and clearer than I ever remember seeing them.
The tightness in my chest eases slightly. “Cool. I'll be back, then. Don’t disappear.”
“Wouldn't dream of it, hot shot.” He lifts two fingers in a lazy salute, that cocky grin on his face once more.
My stomach flips over several times as I head toward my mom and sister, head all cloudy like I'm in a daze. The urge to glance at him over my shoulder comes on strong, but when I do, he's no longer where I left him. He's nowhere to be found at all.
And fuck, if that doesn’t scare me more than anything else.