CHAPTER 21 #2
Oliver clears his throat, awkwardly stretching his right hand out. “It’s… it’s very nice to meet you. I apologize for keeping information, and I wish we had met under better circumstances, Mrs. Soto.”
My mother pushes Oliver’s hand away and hugs him instead. “Oliver, hermoso. Thank you so much for saving us.”
“Nice to meet you, Oliver,” Fernanda says, joining the hug, and I can tell my boyfriend is freaking the hell out.
My cute Corgi boss has no idea what to do with a family that hugs as much as mine does.
Fer pats Oliver’s back and smiles. “So tell me—”
“No!” My mother cuts off Fernanda. “No one says a word until I bring the tea and cookies.”
“I don’t think we need tea, Ma,” I tell her, but she glares and points a finger at me.
“We do! I’ve been dreaming for fifteen years about you finding a partner and introducing them to us, Damián.”
“And in your dreams… you give us tea?”
“A cake, actually. But we only have tea here, so shush,” she says, and I can see Oliver tensing up, doing his best not to laugh. “Let Oliver rest with Fernanda, and come help me get everything ready so we can welcome him to the family the proper way.”
“Okay, ma.”
I help Oliver sit on the couch, kiss his forehead, and whisper, “Be right back,” before heading to the kitchen to help my mamá.
I follow my mamá and rifle through the kitchen cabinets, pulling out every single package of cookies I can find. It doesn’t matter whether they’re chocolate chip or plain vanilla wafers; if they’re edible and not expired, they’re going on the plate.
I arrange them in a neat pile, then grab a small container from the spice rack.
Carefully, I sprinkle a light dusting of cinnamon around the edge of the plate to make it look just a bit more presentable.
Still, every couple of minutes, I can’t help myself. I lean over to peek through the kitchen doorway to see if anything is happening in the living room.
And as always, nothing is happening.
Oliver and Fernanda are sitting in silence, just staring directly at each other.
It is kinda hilarious, if you ask me.
My mother notices me looking. “Are they talking?” she asks before setting the kettle on the stove.
“No. Fernanda knows that if she interviews him before we get back, you’ll kill her. And Oliver… Well, I think he is way too scared to speak.”
My mother frowns, pulling down four mugs from the shelf. “Why would Oliver be scared of us?”
“Oliver comes from a bad family, Mamá. He doesn’t know how to be around families… especially friendly overbearing ones.”
“How bad are they?”
I turn and look into her eyes. “Oliver’s family is the one who tried to kill you, Fer, and Carlitos today.”
My mamá freezes and stays there quiet, just staring at me.
She is so quiet that the only sound in the kitchen is the sound of the kettle starting to simmer.
Oh, no…
Panic spikes in my chest, and I immediately start to defend my man. “Mamá, I swear Oliver is a good man. You just need to talk to him to see—”
“Damián,” she interrupts, putting a hand on my arm. “Oliver went against his own family to save mine. He almost died saving my grankid… And if that wasn’t enough, he makes my son happy. That is all I need to know to see he is a good man, no matter who his family was.”
I blink, catching the past tense. “Was?”
“He is our family now,” she says, then looks out toward the living room and smiles. “Besides, he is way too cute, mijo. Good job.”
“So… my boyfriend is now family just because he’s cute?” I tease.
“No, that’s just the plus. He is family because my son is in love with him,” she says, and my face burns hot.
I blush like a damn teen, looking around the kitchen in a sudden panic, as if the walls just broadcasted our conversation to Fer and Ollie outside.
“How did you know?”
“Because I am your mother, Damián.” She laughs. “Besides, I always knew that whoever you finally introduced to us would be someone you loved dearly.” I glance back through the doorway to make sure Oliver is still on the couch and out of earshot.
He is.
He’s sitting just as quiet and stiff as before, locked in a staring match with my sister Fernanda.
“He doesn’t know yet,” I admit to my ma. “So please don’t tell him… or Fer.”
“Not my place,” she says, before picking up the plate of cookies and the tray of tea. “Now, let’s go outside before Oliver gets completely spooked by your sister.”
We walk back into the living room, setting the tray of tea and the plate of decorated cookies onto the coffee table. I immediately slide onto the couch next to Oliver, letting my side press against his to calm him.
It works.
My mamá sits and smiles at my man. “Welcome to the family, Oliver. I am very happy to finally meet Damián’s partner.”
“I really hope you have a lot of patience, Oliver,” Fernanda adds, crossing her arms. “You’ll definitely need it if you’re planning to stay with my brother. He is a handful on a good day.”
“Hey!” I protest. “What are you talking about? I am freaking adorable.”
“Sure you are,” Fer turns to Ollie, while pointing a finger at me. “So, how did you two meet anyway? How did you end up with this carb-eating monster?”
“Oliver tried to kill me,” I say, and my man chokes on a cookie.
“?What?!” My mother gasps in horror, and Oliver smacks my arm.
“No, I didn’t!” he glares, his cheeks flushing. He looks back at my mother, completely earnest. “Damián thought I was going to kill him, but I was actually the informant he was hired to find.”
“?Uhhh! ?Office romance!” My mom claps her hands together, her eyes lighting up. “Just like in my novel!”
“No, no, Ma. I don’t work for Oliver,” I clarify, shaking my head. “He is helping with the case.”
“What case?” Fernanda asks. Beside me, I feel Ollie tense up instantly.
Yeah… maybe he doesn’t want to talk about the case.
Especially not after today.
“None of your business, sis.”
“It’s okay…” Oliver mumbles, cutting in. He then takes a breath, bracing himself. “A case against my father.”
“Dami was hired to help you lock up your father? Wow,” Fernanda chuckles, shaking her head and taking a chocolate chip cookie. “Who is your father, a sociopathic monster?” She jokes, but when neither of us laughs, she stops. “Wait… he is?”
“Kinda…” I say.
“How much of a sociopathic monster is he?”
“Elijah West,” Oliver says quietly.
“Oh, my God!” Fernanda gasps, her jaw dropping in sheer horror.
“Which means nothing to us.” I glare at her as I reach down and squeeze Oliver’s hand, locking my fingers through his to let him know it is okay.
And I totally get my sister… Of course she is shocked, because of course… It’s freaking shocking to have someone like Elijah as your father.
“Oliver West.” My mother adds, smiling warmly. “That’s a very handsome last name.”
“Ma! Elijah West is a drug-dealing human trafficker…” Fernanda explains, and my mother’s smile fades into a look of surprise.
She turns her head slowly to look at Oliver. “And that’s your father?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Oliver whispers, looking like he’s preparing for the worst.
“The son of a drug dealer dating a man of the law…” My mother stares at him for a beat, and then her hands fly to her cheeks. “?Star-crossed lovers! ?Just like in my novel!”
Fernanda rubs her temples, groaning. “How many novels do you read, Ma?”
“Not enough, mija.”
Fernanda takes a sip of her tea, sets her mug down, and nods toward us. “So,” she looks at Mamá, “you are okay with this?”
“Aren’t you?” Mamá asks, picking up a cookie.
“Pretty boy saved my kid,” Fernanda shrugs, taking a bite. “I’m very okay with it.”
“I’m more than okay with this,” Mamá agrees. “And por favor, mija, look at your brother’s smile.”
“Ma! We are still sitting right in front of you. Can you save this talk for when you go to your rooms?”
“Fine!” Fernanda says, leaning forward and crossing her arms. “I’ll accept this relationship if Oliver answers one question right.”
“I thought you just said you already accepted it,” I grumble.
“I do, but I want to know this.”
“Ask away,” says Oliver, and I can tell he is tense.
“No, mi cielo, you don’t need to answer her weird—”
“Why do you like my brother?” Fernanda cuts in, speaking right over me, and I instantly stop talking because fuck yeah, I really want to know the answer to this too.
I turn to Oliver.
His cheeks are a light shade of pink, and he glances down at his hands before looking back up. “It’s a little cheesy…”
“We love cheesy!” My ma encourages him.
“Well…Damián is like the sun to me,” he says, biting his lower lip.
“He can be a bit too much, and he’s super annoying when he’s blazing right on top of you…
but looking at him takes my breath away.
He is bright, warm, and keeps the darkness away.
Damián brings so much light and life into my world. ”
My chest tightens so hard it hurts.
I swear I want to jump across the couch and kiss this man right now, to tell him exactly how much I love him, but I’m interrupted when both my mother and sister suddenly burst into tears.
“?Madre de Dios!” I yell, looking between them in a panic. “Why are you guys crying?”
“That was beautiful,” Mamá sobs, dabbing at her eyes with a napkin.
“Oliver is just so, so incredible,” Fernanda sniffs, wiping a tear before glaring across the table at me. “You better never break his heart, Damián, or I swear I’m taking his side.”
At that, Oliver finally relaxes and bursts into laughter.
Looking at him laughing like that, surrounded by my family, an amazing warmth washes over me.
I reach over, sliding my hand into his. “Not a chance of that happening.”
— ¤ —
After talking with my family, everyone heads to their rooms, and I stay in the living room for a while to finish a call with Knox, catching up on everything that happened before and after I got the call about my family.
Once we hang up, I walk down the hall to the room Oliver is at.
I push the door open and find him fresh out of the shower. He’s wearing an oversized shirt, using a towel to dry his hair.
I close the door behind me.
“Is everything okay?” Oliver asks.