Chapter 24
Month Three
Hess
The skillet hisses as I flip another pancake, golden brown and perfect. Rosa Jiménez claps her hands, impressed with my skills.
No one was more shocked than me when Camila’s mom showed up at my house this morning. And since Camila is still asleep, there’s nothing to do but entertain my mother-in-law until her daughter wakes up.
I don’t know what I expected from Camila’s mom, but it wasn’t this.
Rosa looks like she could be her older sister. She’s young, still in her forties. Long black hair. Wide smile. Judging by Camila and Selena, I shouldn’t be surprised by how pretty Rosa is. Their genes had to come from somewhere. But it still made me pause.
“Look at this! A man who can cook,” Rosa says, wagging her finger. “Camila never brings home men who can cook. Actually, Camila never brings home men. Period. That’s why I had to come to you and see what’s going on here for myself.”
I reach for the spatula. “Just a whole lotta marriage happening over here.”
“What I’ve always wanted for my daughter.” She laughs, delighted, and bumps my shoulder like we’ve been friends for years. We’ve only known each other for half an hour, but I’ve already made it to the favorite-son-in-law status. A very prestigious honor I’ll fight Landon for.
We’re mid-story about the disaster that was my first attempt at riding bareback when movement catches my eye.
Camila shuffles into the kitchen, hair messy in a bun, bare legs catching the sunlight under the shortest pair of shorts I’ve ever seen. Her off-the-shoulder pajama shirt slides down one arm, loose and soft-looking—no bra strap to be found—and my mouth goes dry before I can stop it.
I’m done for.
I can’t live under these conditions.
Not if I don’t want to completely lose my heart to this woman.
I’m blaming the fiasco in my room last night for this reaction.
“Mamá?” Camila blinks at us like she’s walked into the wrong house. “What are you doing here?”
“?Buenos días, sleepyhead!” Rosa sings, bustling over to get more water for the batter. “You’re so tired because you work too hard.”
Camila’s eyes dart between us, suspicious. “But why are you here?”
“You kept me in the dark about your marriage for five and a half years,” Rosa says, whipping the pancake mix like a pro. “What did you expect me to do? I had to come and make sure your husband treated you right.”
Discreetly, I dart my eyes to her daughter, hoping to catch her expression, but I instantly regret it. The mixture of her raised brows and her tiny body and her bare, smooth shoulder—yes, I’m still stuck on that—sends a heavy dose of attraction swirling in my stomach.
IN THE PRESENCE OF HER MOTHER.
I contemplate opening the freezer and funneling the cold air toward me just to get some platonic perspective knocked into me.
“Mamá, this is a huge invasion of privacy.” Camila tries to scold her with a glare, but Rosa pats my cheek, ignoring her completely.
“Don’t worry. I approve of this man.”
I grin back as I slide a pancake onto the plate meant for Camila. Rosa winks at me then passes the food off to her daughter.
“I can’t believe you two are cooking together.” She covers her face with her hands as if she can magically make her mother in an apron in my kitchen go away. “This is weird.”
“My pancakes aren’t the Waffle House,” I say, “but I still think they’re pretty good.”
“What time did you get up this morning?” Camila looks at me.
“Eh, not too early.” I omit the part where I couldn’t get back to sleep after she climbed through my window—way too many thoughts swimming inside my head after that. I could go to Hell for those thoughts.
“I was just telling Hess how surprised I am that you slept in,” Rosa adds. “You’re usually up with the sunrise, working—even on a Saturday.”
“Yeah, well. Jobs pay the bills, remember?”
I hear the biting tone behind Camila’s words, and I know enough about her to see how supporting her mom and sister has weighed her down for so many years.
“I invited Hess to the mercado with me later. I need someone strong to carry the heavy bags.”
“Mamá.”
Rosa continues, “And to fix my leaky faucet. He’s a handyman too. Did you know that?”
“Mom!” Camila’s jaw drops with embarrassment as she looks at me. “You do not have to do any of that.”
“It’s okay. I don’t have anything going on today.”
Camila walks to the coffee pot, and I jump into action. “Let me get that for you.”
“I can do it.”
“I know you can, but you’re not going to.” I grab her by the shoulders, my fingers grazing over the exposed, bare skin, but her mom is here, so I’m not even thinking about the shoulder.
I couldn’t care less.
I walk Camila to the island, sitting her back down on her barstool. Grabbing a mug, I pour her some fresh coffee with a splash of vanilla cream flavoring.
Her eyes narrow as she takes the cup from me, our fingers brushing together in the exchange. “How did you know my order?”
“I’ve been paying attention.”
“Hurry and eat so you can come with us.” Rosa waves her hand in front of her daughter.
“I can’t. I need to take my car to get the oil changed.”
“I already did it,” I say carefully in case my independent wife doesn’t like it. “I noticed the light was on the other day when I moved your car so I could get the horse trailer by. I grabbed your car keys earlier this morning and took care of it for you.”
“You changed my oil?”
“Uh…yeah.” My eyes dart back to the pan I’m washing. “And I filled it up with gas too.”
“Why did you do all that?”
I glance at her mom then back to Camila. “I told you I’d show you what it’s like to have someone take care of you for a change.”
“See?” Rosa pats my shoulder as she passes by. “A good man.”
Camila stares back at me, not saying anything, and I panic. The car thing was too far. I should’ve known that would freak her out, but I just wanted to do something nice for her. Do something that would really be helpful.
“Sorry, was that weird?” The words tumble out of me. “I just noticed it and thought I would help since you’ve been so busy at work.”
“No, it’s not weird. That’s what a good husband does for his wife. Takes care of her.” Rosa unties her apron. “I’m going to go wash my hands, and then we’ll get ready to go.”
Both our eyes follow her mom as she walks away toward the bathroom. When she’s out of earshot, Camila turns to me, and I prep myself for the beating she’s about to give me.
“Well, you’ve won my mom over.”
“What about you?” I place my palms on the counter in front of her and lean in. “Have I won you over yet?”
A smile spreads across her lips. “You’re making good progress.”
“It was my pancakes, wasn’t it?”
“Something like that.”
Her smile is enough to give me a little courage. “What are you doing tonight? Would you want to hang out…with me?”
I’ve been dying to take things to the next level.
To date Camila.
And I hope I didn’t misread the room right now and push too hard too soon.
I hold my breath, unsure if she’s going to shut me out like she normally does or let me in the way I want her to. She’s contemplating, probably deciding that very thing.
When she doesn’t answer, I add, “How about a horseback ride with a picnic later in the evening? There’s supposed to be an afternoon monsoon that will cool things off a bit.”
She smiles, a sign that she likes my idea. “I don’t know how to ride a horse.”
“That won’t be a problem.”
“I’m not riding on the same one as you.”
“I would never expect you to.”
Her smile grows bigger. “Then it’s a plan.”
“No.” I lean a little closer. “It’s a date.”