Chapter 35
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
annalise
“Mi rosa, this dress is gorgeous!” Mom smiles proudly as she holds up the sage-green floral dress I just finished making.
“It has pockets, too!” I beam, showing her.
Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been creating new designs for my line—dresses, blouses, and two-piece sets.
I wanted to start off by doing a soft launch of my online store and selling a few pieces.
I told my friends about the idea and they agreed to model my clothes, and Mazi is going to help with the photos.
Mom turned my bedroom into a storage room after I graduated high school, but she still kept my sewing machine and desk. After I told her about my plans to launch an online store, she was more than happy to let me use the space and told me I can come over whenever I wanted.
I could probably squeeze the desk and sewing machine in my own room, but there’s no way I’d be able to fit all my materials in there—unless I plan on getting rid of my bed.
It had been months since I’d created anything. I hadn’t stepped foot inside a craft store or touched my sewing machine since I found out about Abuelo’s diagnosis.
As I sit behind my desk, feeding the fabric through the machine and keeping my foot on the pedal, I finally start to feel like myself again.
Working at Dauntless is still a drag, but I don’t let it affect me as much as it used to. Because now I have something to look forward to when I get off.
“It makes me so happy to see you smile. I’m so glad your passion is coming back.” Mom hugs me and places a kiss on my cheek.
“Me too.” Ollie nods. “I’m glad making clothes again has put you in a good mood. You’ve been so grouchy lately.”
Picking up a pillow, I whack him in the face.
“Ow!” He picks it up and whacks me back.
“That’s not the only reason she’s been in such a good mood,” Abuelo says, his mouth lifting into a smile.
“Abuelooo.” I narrow my eyes at him while Mom and Ollie exchange confused glances.
“I’m sure seeing Maddox again is contributing to her mood.” Abuelo’s smile widens.
“You two are back together?” Ollie sits up straight, his eyes widening with curiosity.
“When did this happen?” Mom crosses her arms, her lips curling downward. “How are you gonna tell Abuelo before you tell me?”
Staring at my lap, I twist my hands and avoid her burning gaze. “We’re not officially back together. We’re taking it slow and seeing where things go.”
Maddox and I have definitely not been taking it slow, but my family doesn’t need to know that. I had planned on waiting longer until I gave myself to him again, but making love to him again has brought us closer. I wasn’t filled with regret the next day like I was with other guys.
Because Maddox isn’t some guy that I’m just using for sexual pleasure—even though he excels at it. He is the love of my life, and my soulmate.
I fill Mom and Ollie in about seeing Maddox at Dauntless and how I fell for him all over again.
“I’m glad you two are working things out,” Ollie says. “I've missed him.”
“I know you did,” I say, smiling softly.
Ollie was only seven when he met Maddox, and he really looked up to him. He would hog Maddox’s attention when he came over. They would watch anime and play basketball together. Maddox was the one who taught Ollie how to play.
“You should call him over for dinner,” Mom says.
“He just got back from traveling for games a few hours ago. He’s probably tired.”
“He won’t be tired once you tell him I’m cooking dinner. I know he loves my food.”
“Please invite him,” Ollie begs.
“Fine.” I roll my eyes and pull out my phone.
Hey, if you’re not too tired, my mom wants you over for dinner. She’s making lechón asado and yuca frites.
Maddox
Hell yeah, I’ll be there. I haven’t had Cuban food in so long. Well, besides you .
Lol I can’t stand you.
Maddox
So did you decide to tell her about us, or did she find out somehow?
Abuelo found out. I came to him for advice after we kissed because I was confused about how I was feeling. He was the one who pushed me to talk to you.
Maddox
He’s a good man. I owe him everything for that.
So does this mean I can tell my mom about us too?
Lol yes you can.
Maddox
She’s gonna be over the moon.
What time do you want me over?
Come over at 7.
Maddox
Okay. I’ll be there.
“He says he can come,” I say, and everyone lights up with excitement.
“Do you want me to help you prep dinner, Mami?”
She waves me off. “I’m good. Thank you, baby. Go back upstairs and finish making your clothes.”
The doorbell rings and Ollie perks up. “That must be Maddox!”
He sprints to the door and flings it open. I follow after him. “Hey! Maddox!”
“Ollie! My man!” Maddox says, pulling Ollie into a hug. “Man, you’ve gotten so tall. Are you already in high school?”
Ollie nods. “Yeah, I’m a freshman now.”
“Wow, that’s crazy. You were only in elementary school when I last saw you.”
Maddox drops a quick kiss to my lips. “Hey, Rosie.”
“Hey, Dimples,” I say, my heart fluttering.
Taking his hand, I lead him to the dining room.
“Hola, Ms. Delgado. Hola, Senor Delgado.” He greets them with a wave. “It smells delicious. Thank you so much for having me.”
Mom sets her bowl down and Abuelo gets up from his seat. They both take turns hugging him.
“It’s so good to see you, Maddox,” Mom says.
“It’s so good to see everyone,” Maddox says with a grin.
“I’m glad to see you back with Annalise. You have always been so good to her,” Abuelo says.
Maddox wraps his arm around my shoulder and plants a kiss on top of my head. “Well, I love your granddaughter very much, and she’s good to me too.”
My heart flutters wildly and a huge grin spreads across my face.
“The other guy she brought home was a pendejo.” Abuelo shakes his head and takes a seat on the chair.
Maddox goes rigid against me, and his face falls. “She brought home another guy?”
I should interject, but I decided to play along. “Yeah, he was the CEO of a million-dollar company.”
“Oh. I didn’t know you dated anyone.” His throat bobs. “Which company is it?”
We all shake with laughter and Maddox looks around, dumbfounded.
“We’re just messing with you, babe.” Tiptoeing, I press a kiss to his cheek. “I never brought home another guy, nor have I been in another relationship.”
“That wasn’t very nice. It felt like my heart was being ripped out of my chest,” he says, shooting me a glare.
“I’ll make it up to you later,” I whisper, low enough that only he can hear. The corner of his mouth lifts into a smile.
Mom brings out the bowl of yuca frites and beckons for us to sit down.
“Ms. Delgado, this is fantastic,” Maddox says, taking a large bite of the lechón asado.
“Thank you, Maddox. I’m so glad you are enjoying it. How’s basketball going?” Mom asks. “That’s so incredible that you’re playing for the team you always wanted to play for.”
“Yeah, it’s a dream come true. One of my teammates, Chandler, is out due to injuries, so we’re short one person. It’s been tough, but we’ve been able to keep our number-one ranking.”
“The championship will be yours this year. I’ve been watching you play. I haven’t seen anyone play that well since Kyrie Lyons,” Abuelo says.
“Gracias, Senor Delgado. That means a lot to me.” Maddox’s grin widens.
Maddox has always looked up to Kyrie, so I know how much that comment means to him.
“I’m so happy that you followed your dreams, Maddox.” Mom smiles. “And mi rosa, once your clothing line takes off, you will be filthy rich and able to retire me.”
“And I can drop out of school and live off of you,” Ollie says with a mouthful of food.
Mom slaps him on the back of the head, and everyone breaks out in chuckles. “You are still going to school, young man. You can make your own money.”
Ollie groans and rolls his eyes, grabbing a handful of yuca frites.
“Plus, if you drop out of school, you won’t be able to see your little girlfriend,” Mom says.
Ollie’s cheeks turn a deep shade of red and he slinks lower in his seat.
“You have a girlfriend? Since when?” I set my fork down, eyes wide with shock.
“We always catch him talking on the phone with some girl late at night,” Abuelo says, a teasing smile gracing his lips.
“I don’t have a girlfriend. Amaya and I are friends.”
“Friends who talk on the phone late at night?” I eye him curiously.
“Fine, I have a crush on her,” Ollie groans. “But she’ll never go for me. She’s the prettiest and most popular girl in school.”
“And you’re just as great,” I say. “I’m sure she likes you too, but if you choose to do nothing about it, you’ll be stuck in the friend zone forever.”
“But what if she rejects me?” Ollie stares down at his plate, pushing the food back and forth with his fork.
“Do you know how many times your sister rejected me before she said yes?” Maddox says, pulling a chuckle from everyone. “I wouldn’t be here now if I didn’t keep trying. I know it’s scary to ask out a beautiful girl. I was so nervous when I approached her, I felt like I was going to throw up.”
“Really? But you always seem so confident,” Ollie says.
Maddox shakes his head. “In that moment, I lost all my confidence. But my point is, if you continue to let your fears prevent you from going after what you want, you’ll live your life in regret and constantly wonder what if.”
Even though Maddox isn’t addressing me directly, his words strike a chord with me. If I had allowed those negative voices in my head to control me, I would have missed out on pursuing what my heart truly desires. A life without Maddox would have been a life full of regret.
“Thank you, Maddox—for the advice.” Ollie smiles. “I think I’ll, uh, ask her out on Friday.”
“That’s what I’m talking about!” Maddox holds his fist up and dabs it with Ollie’s.
“My baby is all grown up.” Mom sniffles, her eyes glazing over with tears. “It seems like it was yesterday when I held you in my arms and rocked you to sleep.”
Ollie groans, turning his attention back to the food.