Chapter 33
E verything smells divine, and although I’m a little worried about the spice level of the various dishes, I’m eager to try the food that Andrea’s abuela cooked. I’ve heard so much about it that I crave to taste everything on the table. And there’s a lot. Food seems to be another love language in a family that has many of those.
Maria Carmen sits beside me, and I bend toward her to say, “It all looks delicious, ma’am.”
“ Carino , you can call me Abuela, Maria, or MC. But I’m not ma’am to you.”
From what I know, she’s about my father’s age. But she’s so dynamic and lively that one could hardly guess. And while Andrea doesn’t look much like her parents, I see a lot of her in her abuela. The same witty sparkle in her eyes, the same height, and the same inner strength.
“I can’t wait to try your food,” I explain. “Andrea speaks of it a lot.”
“I tried to teach her, but she was hopeless.”
“She has many other strengths.”
“And she got them all from me,” Maria Carmen says with unmasked pride. “I was a lot like her, but I had a great body and flawless skin—the freckles, she got from her papi.”
“I love the freckles,” I reply, smiling. And I adore her body…
“If you ever crave some good cuisine, the door is always open to you, guapo .”
“I might take you up on that offer, Maria. And I’ll drag her down here with me.”
“We would love to see more of her.” She leans in closer as if to confide a secret. “We were starting to despair, you know? She hasn’t brought back a man since her first year of university. She was lucky she found a man like you, after all. ”
“I’m the lucky o—”
Andrea barges into the room, looking furious, her face reddened by anger. “Who knew?!” she demands, scanning her family.
“Knew what?” her mother asks.
“That Kate and Rafa are fucking each other.”
“Andrea, watch your language,” Isabella warns.
“So, you did know!”
“Of course we knew. It’s been going on for months.”
That doesn’t help Andrea feel better about the situation. “How are you guys so okay with this?!”
“They’re grown adults who can do whatever they want.”
“But they can’t!”
“If we’re okay with you dating your boss, you can be okay with this. No offense, Alexander,” Isabella adds, turning to me.
Katherine and Rafael choose that moment to join us, and even I can tell how guilty they feel about the secrecy. Andrea barely gives them a glare before she turns around, shouting, “I need some fucking air.”
Her mother scolds her about the language again, but she doesn’t care, off with the same furious energy she came in with.
“I-I should go talk to her,” Katherine hesitantly suggests when we hear the back door slam shut.
“No, I will,” I offer, standing from my chair. I grab Andrea’s coat on my way out and find her seated on the porch’s stairs that overlook a small backyard. She doesn’t turn around as I approach, nor does she when I drop her coat over her shoulders.
I sit next to her and wait silently, thinking she’ll say something. When she doesn’t, I ask, “Why are you so opposed to this?”
She doesn’t answer, crossing her arms before her and staring into the dark.
“You know I’m on your side, right?” I ask, nudging her shoulder with mine. “You can talk to me, freckles.”
She hesitates for a moment, searching for the words that can explain her overreaction. “I’ve known Kate since we were eight. We’ve been friends ever since. Even when she was popular in high school and I wasn’t, we stayed best friends. My brother at that time was a… manwhore, to be honest. He was our high school’s heartthrob, so some girls would pretend to like me only to get closer to him. Then he’d use them, throw them away. I lost many friendships because of him—which I eventually realized were never genuine. So, I made a deal with Rafa that I got to claim friends he couldn’t touch. The first one on my list was Kate, even though she wasn’t into his whole ‘player’ bullshit. And now, he broke that promise, endangering the only real and lasting friendship I’ve ever had because he can’t keep his dick to himself. ”
I can hear the hurt in her voice, and I understand that what felt like a jealous tantrum moments ago actually stems from a trauma she’s carried with her since high school. Fake friends were my specialty as a child and teenager, so I know it couldn’t have been easy to be used as a vessel to get to her brother. Feeling bad for her, I wrap an arm around her shoulders and bring her closer.
“I understand where you come from and why this situation hurts you. But this isn’t high school anymore. And regardless of that, Katherine is never—”
“No one calls her Katherine.”
“ Kate isn’t like those fake friends you had. Both your brother and her have been through life, they have experimented, dated, failed… And now that they have matured, this is what they feel is right and what they want.”
“But what if it’s still like it was before? What if they try, they fail, and then she can barely stomach the sight of me because of whatever happens with him?”
“She seems smarter than that. And you don’t know, things might go well with those two. Even I could see how much they care about each other—and you.”
“They still went behind my back and did that .”
“They were probably scared of how you’d react, and given the current situation, I’d say rightfully so.”
Silence fills the cold air around us as she lets my words sink in. “Do you think I’m overreacting?”
“A little bit, yes. But once again, I get where you come from, and I’m sure Kate and your brother will, too.”
“Seriously, you switched from Katherine to Kate with a single correction from me? I asked you at least a dozen times to call me Andy.”
“That ship sailed a long time ago. You’ll always be Andrea. And don’t try to change the subject. Both Kate and Rafael can sympathize with your struggle. But you must realize that a deal you made with your brother a decade ago doesn’t matter anymore.”
After a moment of silent pondering, she mumbles, “Sometimes, you’re full of wisdom.”
“Twenty-four years of therapy have taught me a few things.”
The door opens behind us, and we twist around to find Kate’s slender silhouette against the light. I tighten my hold on Andrea for a brief second and let her go. “I’ll let you two have a talk. Don’t take too long, I’m starving.”
“Thank you, baby,” she says, her eyes following my moves as I get up .
When Kate and I pass beside each other, I try to give her a look to make her understand everything will be alright. Andrea may be hot-blooded and easily triggered, but as her father said, the love she gives is absolute. This won’t be the end of them.
On the contrary, I believe it’ll bring them closer.
K ate sits beside me, but I don’t look at her. I can’t stomach it yet. My fucking brother…
“How did it happen?” I ask when a whole minute of nothing has passed.
“Rafa checked on me a few times after the Stefano thing. First, to bring back the container of the pastries I gave him, and then to… talk, I guess. And one day, it turned into more.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because we were fooling around at first, there was no point in telling you. And because of that promise he made you, we knew you’d be pissed, so we didn’t want to upset you over nothing. But then, we started catching feelings, and we didn’t really know how to tell you since it had been weeks. It became a vicious circle. The more time passed, the harder it was to tell you.”
I want to complain and say they should have found a way, but my reaction proves why they were right to be so reluctant about it. Lex is right. They’re grown adults who can do anything they want. But I don’t want to be caught in the crossfire if things go south.
“If that asshole breaks your heart, you better not break mine, you bitch,” I demand.
She laughs, resting her temple on my shoulder. “I’m your ride or die, babe. You’ll never be rid of me.”
“So we have a deal?”
“Yeah. And best-case scenario, we become sisters-in-law.”
“That would be kinda neat. Do you think Rafael could ever be ready for that?”
“We already had that talk. We’re taking it as it comes, but it’s serious, Dee. I’ve never felt this way about other men, and we both know your brother was never serious about other women.”
This is huge. My prolonged celibacy before Lex wasn’t my fault. But Rafa? He was the one actively avoiding any sort of relationship .
“I still can’t believe your prince charming was under our noses the whole time,” I let out.
“Well, I’ve always had a crush on Rafa, you know that.”
“Yeah, but you were, like, twelve. Then it went away.”
“No, I stopped talking about it because you were upset about the whole situation in freshman year. But I’ve always had a crush on Rafa. Even before I told you when we were twelve.”
The revelation has me speechless. I remember when Kate had a thing for Rafa, peering at him whenever he wasn’t watching or trying to enroll him in our games…
“Damn, girl,” I let out.
“I know. Then this… happened.”
“I can’t believe you were the answer to Rafa’s never-ending hoe phase.” She laughs at my words and shakes her head. “You do realize you can never kiss me again, right?” I ask.
“What? Why?!”
“Because I know where your mouth has been now. And I refuse to let it touch my skin ever again.”
“Bitch, you can’t do this to me,” she counters, appalled.
“Watch me.”
Determined to win this one, she hooks an arm around my neck and tries to pull me her way. I resist with a squeal, which only pushes her to try harder. Shit, going to the gym three times a week made her arms strong as fuck. When her lips land on my cheek with a wet smooch, adrenaline kicks in, so I manage to push her away to immediately wipe the spot.
“Ew, what the hell, Kate?!”
“Oh, don’t be so dramatic. I’ve brushed my teeth twice since the last time I had your brother’s d—”
“Shush, you lunatic! Never talk to me about my brother’s ding-a-ling. I’ve successfully maintained a mental image of the little noodle from old family pictures, and I won’t let you ruin that for me.”
She giggles and sadistically says, “It’s definitely not little anymore.”
“Kate, shut the fuck up!” I protest, getting up. She keeps laughing as she follows me back inside, and as much as I try to stay upset, I can’t help the smile that stretches my lips.
The silence when we enter the dining room is deafening, so I quickly feel the need to tell everyone, “We’re good, stop worrying.”
Their relief is obvious, and I watch as Kate sits next to my brother before they exchange a quick kiss. This is so. Fucking. Weird.
When Rafa meets my grossed-out look, I give him the middle finger and sign, “Don’t break her heart, dipshit.”
He answers with a grin, “I won’t, asswipe. ”
When Lex rests a hand on my thigh, I look up at him. “All good?”
“Yes. Thank you for being my voice of reason, baby.”
“About time I flipped the script on this one, my love.”
It’s our turn to exchange a small kiss before MC asks for plates to fill up.
Although it didn’t start off great, dinner actually unfolds perfectly. Lex fits well among my people, which I never doubted for a second. As long as I’m happy, I knew my folks would welcome him with open arms.
“So, Alexander, how many children do you want?” my mom asks out of nowhere.
The meat I was chewing on goes down the wrong way, making me cough uncontrollably. Holy shit, she’s insufferable. She isn’t even asking if he wants kids, but how many . Lex brings my water closer, encouraging me to drink to help with the coughing.
The silence around us is so heavy, I have no idea what to do. I want to strangle my mother, that’s for sure. Lex and I haven’t even had this talk yet. But now, thanks to Isabella fucking Walker, we’re about to have it in front of my whole family.
Five seconds pass, but I swear it feels like ten minutes, before Lex clears his throat and says, “I always thought being a single child must be a lonely experience. So I’d say at least two. But I’m not the only one calling the shots on this one,” he adds, turning to me.
“You’re the one shooting the shots, though,” MC jokes.
If I weren’t in such a state of shock, I’d give her a high five right there.
My heart beats so hard that I can feel its hectic rhythm in the back of my throat. Part of me wants to think he’s doing this to get my mom off our backs and not start a long debate, but another part knows Lex doesn’t lie. He isn’t one to pretend anything to ease someone’s mind. He wants kids. With me. We’re having children at some point. I’ve always wanted children—or I’ve always liked the idea. But knowing I’ll have at least two with Lex, my Lex, suddenly feels like the greatest life goal I’ll ever reach.
“Two is a good start,” Mom approves.
“If I’m being honest, though,” Lex diplomatically continues, “I’d love to have more time just the two of us before we get there. Meeting Andrea has changed every aspect of how I imagine my future, and I have some growing to do before I’m ready to be the father our children would deserve.”
“Turns out being a dad isn’t that hard when you have the right woman by your side,” Dad points out.
Lex’s hand returns to my thigh, and I press mine on its back, entwining my fingers with his. “I have no doubt your daughter will make an amazing mom. But I didn’t grow up in the best environment, and I’m still on a journey toward understanding what being a family means.”
“We’re happy to help you with that, mijo ,” my mom says with warmth.
“And in the meantime,” Abuela chimes in, “you two can keep training for the real thing like Olympic athletes.”
It’s my father’s turn to choke on what he’s eating. Kate does her best to quench her laughter, and my mom tries to think of something to say but fails. As for myself, my face warms up. But the awkward silence doesn’t persist, and everyone quickly finds new conversations to occupy the rest of our dinner.
The pastel de tres leches my abuela made is a resounding success, like always, and then we all help clean up and bring everything back to the table. Because the dishes used to be my chore, I end up at the sink, washing everything while Lex assists me with a towel. The others have returned to the living room, so it’s just him and me.
“Lex?” I ask after a moment in my own thoughts.
“Hm?”
“You really meant wanting kids?”
He doesn’t answer immediately, and his hesitation makes my heart sink. Before I can overthink, he explains himself. “One of the reasons I never wanted any is because autism is genetic. That’s why I decided a long time ago I wouldn’t have children of my own. But you love me despite the way I am, so you can love a child who would be like me, right?”
Deeply affected by his insecurities, I put the pan in the sink and turn to him. “I love you because of the way you are, not despite it. And of course I’d love our children, regardless of how they are. And if one, or none, or all of them are like you, baby, there won’t be a single day where they won’t feel loved and cherished.”
“So you wouldn’t blame me if I passed it to our children?” he asks, still uncertain.
“Of course not. What kind of person would I be if I did, Lex? I love you, and I’d love them just the same—probably more.”
He nods slowly, still wary despite believing me.
Ignoring my soapy hands, I come closer and hook my arms around his broad neck. His strong arm comes around me, holding me in his embrace. “I’m more worried about what having your gigantic babies will do to my chocha ,” I say with humor.
His tone matches mine when he answers, “I promise to keep loving it no matter the damage.”
His laugh is contagious, and he tugs me closer. “Is it like the girlfriend thing?” he wonders. “Do I have to officially ask?”
“It can’t hurt,” I say with a shrug.
“Then, Andrea Walker, will you do me the honor of having my children sometime in the future?”
Jesus fuck, I love this man beyond sanity. “Yes, I will have your babies, Alexander Coleman. But I want you all to myself for a little longer,” I declare before pulling him down to kiss him passionately.
My soapy hands tangle in his thick hair as I allow myself to drown in him. There’s something enthralling about knowing his DNA will mix with mine to create the most perfect creature, like an ode to our love, the epitome of it. And I think he feels the same because there’s a longing intensity in the way he kisses me back.
“More scrubbing the dishes, less scrubbing each other,” Maria Carmen orders, returning to the kitchen with one last dish to wash.
We let go of one another, a little embarrassed to have been caught in such an intimate moment. “Are you jealous, MC?” I ask her as I return to the sink.
“ Nieta , I’m far past my fun years. I’ll let you have this one.”
“How presumptuous of you to think you could steal my boyfriend from me…”
“I actually might leave you for your abuela if she asks nicely,” Lex says.
She’s right by us now, and there’s something youthful in the mischievous smile she gives Lex. “Be ready at dawn, guapo . We’ll catch the first flight to Vegas and tie the knot.”
“Why wait until the morning? Why not leave right now?” Lex counters, very entertained by this little game they’re playing.
Half-appalled and half-amused, I decide to stop it right there by suggesting, “Or, you could stick with me and have me in fifty years, Lex. I’m pretty sure I’ll be like her by then.”
“But you’ll have freckles.”
“I will,” I confirm with a victorious smirk.
Lex turns to MC, offering her a wince. “I’m sorry, Maria, but nothing can beat the freckles.”
She mumbles something in Spanish I can barely make out, acting defeated, and leaves us alone again in the kitchen. I pause the scrubbing of the pan to extend my lips toward my man, who quickly grants me a sideways kiss.
I bathe in this happy moment, elated that things are going so well with my parents. And I love that we’re spending our first Christmas together in a couple of days. The first of many.
At least fifty, from what we just agreed on.