37. Chapter 37
Chapter 37
“Mama!” I called when I spotted her entering baggage claim at the airport. Her eyes lit up, and I jogged to her, picking her up and spinning her around.
“Ay dios mio! You’re going to make me dizzy,” she complained, but she was laughing that sweet, warm laugh that always made me think of home.
“I’m just so happy you’re here,” I told her, setting her back on her feet. “I wish you could have come for Christmas.”
“Where’s Lehra?” she asked, eyes darting around like my girlfriend was going to pop up from behind a planter.
“She’s at my apartment cooking dinner.”
“Oooh, she cooks?” Mama sounded pleased and pinched my cheek. “I like that she can keep my big, handsome son fed.”
“I’m perfectly capable of feeding myself,” I said with a chuckle. “I haven’t starved to death yet.”
My mother’s eyes turned sharp, and she wagged her finger at me. “You make sure you do your share too. I taught you to cook, so you make your lady a special meal sometimes. Women shouldn’t be the only ones in the kitchen.”
I kissed the top of her head. “I know, Mama, and I do cook for her. I made her your Cuban crushed potatoes for breakfast one morning, and she loved them. Most of the time, we cook together.”
Mama beamed. “That is so special, mi hijo. Families should do things together.”
“We’re not a family… yet.” My mother literally vibrated with excitement when I tacked on that last word. “Don’t start talking about marriage and babies the second you see her.”
Like I had room to talk. I’d blurted out some kind of pre-proposal thing at the wedding reception just last week. But I hadn’t been able to help myself. I chalked it up to love being in the air.
My mom waved a hand at me. “Psssh, it’s all good, homie.”
I groaned. “Mama, please don’t use Eli’s slang.”
I needn’t have worried about Mama and Lehra getting along. They hit it off the instant they met, and I was on cloud fucking nine. They chattered during the entire meal, and I wasn’t sure I’d even gotten ten words into the conversation.
Not that I cared about that. I loved seeing two of my favorite women enjoying themselves and each other. My heart was so damned full.
“That was delicious,” my mother said, dabbing at her mouth with her napkin. “Would you share your chicken and dumplings recipe with me, Lehra dear?”
“Of course, Mrs. Estrada.” She lowered her voice conspiratorially. “I had to work today and didn’t have time to make the dough from scratch like I normally do, so I used canned biscuits. It’s much better when everything is homemade.”
Mama patted her hand. “I understand. I’m a working woman too. We do what we can. And stop calling me Mrs. Estrada. I’m Stella.” Her eyes glinted with mischief. “Or you’re welcome to call me Mama.”
Yep, heart is bursting right now.
“I thought it was delicious,” I said, interrupting before my mom could start offering Lehra the pearl wedding necklace she wore when she married my papa. I was happy though because she was treating Lehra like a future mother-in-law should treat the woman her son loves. Unlike Bambi fucking Jones . “The cornbread was outstanding, babe.”
She pointed at me. “Now that was homemade. My granny’s recipe. It doesn’t take much longer to mix those ingredients up than the stuff from a box.”
My mother clapped. “Oooh, I need to give you my recipe for Mexican cornbread. Cruz loves it with chili.”
“I’d love that. I can make it for the Super Bowl,” Lehra said, beaming.
“Gee thanks, Mama,” I said wryly. “You wouldn’t even give me that recipe. You guard it like a mama dragon protecting her eggs.”
She swished her hand at me. “Oh, that was my way of making sure you came to visit often.” Turning her warm brown gaze to Lehra, she smiled. “Now I know you have someone who can make it for you when Mama isn’t around.”
I stood and kissed each of them on the head. “I’ll do the dishes while my favorite ladies relax.” Mama beamed with pride like I just said I was going to solve world hunger.
“Actually,” Lehra said, rising from her chair, “I was going to make those cookies you like.”
Dear god.
“You don’t have to—”
“I’ll help,” Mama interrupted. “I love baking.”
Well, this oughta be interesting.
A few minutes later, I was loading the dishwasher while the women mixed up ingredients. “Wait, why are you adding so much flour, mija?”
Lehra paused with a cup full of flour. “That’s what the recipe says. Three cups.”
Mama squinted at the small, handwritten card. “No, this says two cups. It’s kind of smudged, but that’s definitely a two.”
“It’s really old. It was my grandmother’s,” Lehra said, peering at the card. “Oh my gosh! I think you’re right. That is a two.”
“Three cups would make them very dry,” my mother commented.
Lehra scrunched her nose. “They are always dry, but Cruz seems to like them, so I keep making them.”
I turned my head to hide my grin, but I could feel the weight of Mama’s gaze on me. She knew exactly what I’d been doing, eating the cookies because Lehra made them, not because I actually liked them. I could somehow feel her pride from across the room.
The results were amazing, the cookies moist and absolutely delicious. “I can’t believe I’ve been making them wrong all this time,” Lehra said, eating her fourth one. “Why didn’t you tell me, Cruz?”
“I thought they were supposed to be like that,” I hedged. “I ate them with a glass of milk, and they were fine.” More like a half gallon of milk, but that’s just semantics, right?
I reached for the last cookie, but my mother snatched it off the platter before I could snag it. Crossing my arms, I pretended to pout. She grinned wickedly and stuffed the entire thing into her mouth.
“Well, it’s been a long day with travel and everything. I think I’ll hit the hay,” she said after swallowing the yummy confection. She rose and gave Lehra a long hug. “I’m so pleased to get to know you, mija. Will I see you tomorrow?”
“Oh, well, I thought you two were going out for dinner with Quinnie and her family.”
Mama placed her hand affectionately on Lehra’s cheek. “You’ll come. You’re family now.”
I’ll be honest, my vision got a little hazy from the tears, and I noticed my girl biting the inside of her cheek. Maybe she was thinking about how differently she was being treated as compared to Dwight’s mom. There was no you’re not invited because you’re not family yet.
There was only love and acceptance. And that was exactly how it should be.
Tossing Lehra a wink, I led Mama to her room. “I put your suitcase over there in the sitting area, and there’s an en suite here, so you’ll have your own bathroom,” I told her, pointing to the door on the left. “My room is just down the hall if you need anything.”
“You’re not staying at Lehra’s?” she asked curiously.
I hesitated. This would be the first night I’d spend without her in my bed, but we’d talked about it before Mama’s arrival. My mother was going to stay at Quinnie’s home for a couple days later this week, so I told Lehra we could make up for lost time then.
“Not while you’re here,” I replied.
Mama rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. I’m going to call your brother to check on him and then go straight to sleep. There’s no reason you shouldn’t stay with your beautiful woman.” She stood on her tiptoes and kissed my cheek. “I can already tell she’s the one for you, my hijo. She’s going to be your wife one day, and your wife should always come first.”
Dammit to hell. Is someone cutting onions in here?
I wrapped my mother in my arms and swayed us back and forth. “I love her so much, Mama. I never knew it would feel like this.”
She sniffled against my chest. “I’m so happy for you. She’s a beautiful person, inside and out. I felt it from the first time I saw her.” She gave me one last squeeze before releasing me. “Now get out of here. I saw some chorizo and eggs in the fridge, so I’ll make breakfast. Just text me when you two lovebirds wake up, and I’ll get started.”
“You don’t have to cook while you’re here, Mama.”
“I want to,” she insisted and then pushed at my shoulder. “Now scoot. We’ll spend the day together tomorrow. All three of us. I need to get to know my future daughter better.”
I gave her one last kiss and left the room with a grin on my face. There was absolutely no way I could love my mother any more.
Saturday had gone perfectly. Lehra and I showed Mama the sights of New York City, doing all the touristy stuff as well as showing her our favorite local places for gelato and bagels.
We had dinner with Quinnie, Flynn, and Noelle in the evening. The Italian restaurant was boisterous and fun, exactly like my family, and Noelle had eaten her entire spaghetti meal sitting on her grandmother’s lap, which thrilled Mama.
Of course, Lehra fit right in with everyone, which thrilled me.
“I’m stuffed,” Mama lamented, leaning back in her chair and toying with Noelle’s pretty little curls. “But I still think my favorite thing I’ve tried today was that bagel. I’d pack up and move here for the bagels alone.”
Quinnie’s eyes met mine before she turned back to our mother. “You should move here, Mama. Flynn was offered a position at the hospital once he finishes his residency, so we’ll be staying here.”
Jumping in, I said, “You could bring Eli, or he could stay back and run the private investigation business since you said he’s been working there.”
“Oh, he’s nowhere ready for that,” Mama demurred. “I’ll hand it over to Phil when I retire. He was with your father almost from the beginning, and he was invaluable to me when I was getting my license. His wife, Trina, took over my job as office manager when I stepped into my investigator role.”
“Are you thinking about retiring, Stella?” Flynn asked, voicing the question that had risen in my own mind. She’d never seriously mentioned retirement before.
“Always in the back of my mind. It would be nice to slow down and enjoy my family instead of working six days a week. This has been the first time I’ve relaxed in years. I’m rather enjoying it.”
Lehra, who was sitting beside my mother, reached for her hand. “It would be so nice to have you around all the time. I’d love to spend more time with you.”
We ended the dinner with my mother announcing, “I’ll think about it.”