22. Momma Knows Best
22
Momma Knows Best
Clayton
R ocky and I spent the night together in his bed, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love every single second of it.
?? 1 The two of us have spent the night together a couple of times, but this felt different. I’m not sure if it’s because it was in the home where he grew up, a place filled with so much love and laughter, or if it was because there wasn’t anything inherently sexual about it. Sure, we fell asleep wrapped around one another—which don’t even get me started on how completely right that felt—but there was nothing nefarious happening. We just held one another as we slept… all night. And when I woke up shortly before he did, with his head on my chest, I laid perfectly still so as not to wake him any sooner than necessary, trying to soak up as much of the moment as possible.
If this is what the next four nights are going to feel like, it’s seriously not going to help that I’m so deep down the Rocky Campos rabbit hole that it’s not even funny.
The five of us spent the morning sleeping in, followed by shoveling our faces with an all-you-can-eat buffet of waffles, bacon, and fruit, courtesy of Momma Campos. After some quick power naps, thanks to the food comas we were all sporting, we are now on at the store to get more, you guessed it, food.
Rocky was right, cooking is definitely Cassandra’s love language. At this rate, I’m going to leave spring break ten pounds heavier.
Cassandra and Joseph are at the other end of the store, grabbing some meat from the deli counter for the barbecue, I can hear Rocky and Lil two aisles over arguing over which kinds of chips to buy, and I’m mindlessly wandering the baked goods aisle contemplating what kind of chocolate I want to buy for the cookies I’m going to bake .
Finally spotting one of my favorite brands, I reach down to grab a couple bars of semi-sweet chocolate when I see the hellions round the corner, their arms filled with bags of chips. They dump at least eight different kinds into the cart, and I cover my mouth as I snort out a laugh.
“Ummm, what is all of this?” I ask the two siblings in front of me. Rocky looks beyond perturbed, and Liliana looks like she’s two seconds away from punching him in the dick. It’s actually pretty fucking funny. I hadn’t realized how much the two of them look alike until now. While she’s shorter than Rocky, Liliana stands pretty tall for a woman; I’m guessing around five ten. She has jet black hair that cascades down her back in soft waves, framing her face which is covered in the same deep walnut skin, and her eyes shine green just like her brothers. However, hers look to be a couple of shades lighter. More like a sage green rather than Rocky’s deep emeralds. My eyes also find the small beauty mark she has just above her lip. She really is quite beautiful.
So is her brother.
“Dickhole over here wouldn’t let me pick the chips even though it’s my turn.”
“And I told her that I haven’t been home since school started, so I should get to pick regardless. You can choose dessert.”
Fucking siblings. I’ve heard plenty of these ridiculous arguments between Jax and his brothers, but watching Lil get Rocky so flustered is a sight to behold. I haven’t seen anybody be able to get under his skin this easily. Well, besides me, of course. “Oh my god. Just get all of the chips. I got stuff to make chocolate chip cookies anyway.”
Both of their heads snap toward me, and they have different expressions. Lil’s is one of surprise, while Rocky’s is now full of concern.
“You bake?” Liliana raises a brow in suspicion.
“Sure do. Pretty good at it to if I do say so myself. I didn’t bring my ‘Kiss the Cook’ apron, but the rules still apply.” I shoot her a mischievous wink and she doesn’t so much as blush. Instead, she just scoffs and rolls her eyes.
“You good?” Rocky asks, worry lacing his voice.
“Yeah…” I drawl. “I’m fine. Why?”
Lil’s stare bounces between us. Clearly, completely confused.
“You’re baking.”
“Yes. I wanted to make something for dessert.”
“So I ask again… you good?”
Suddenly it dawns on me, and I soften. “I’m okay, Rocky. I just wanted to do something nice for your family. ”
His lips curl up at the sides. “If you’re sure?”
“I am.”
The two of us stare at one another until Liliana’s voice cuts through the silence. “Okaaaaay. I don’t know what that was all about, but let’s go find Mom and Dad, shall we?”
She walks past me without waiting for our response, clearly uncomfortable and confused. As Rocky moves to follow her, he quickly grabs the side of my face and gently grazes his thumb along my cheekbone. “Really, I’m okay. I promise.”
Taking my word for what it is, he nods and removes his hand. “Come on. We better follow her before she finds a small child she can make cry.”
I bark out a laugh and follow him until we find his parents. They drop what they have in their hands into the cart, and we head to the checkout counter. Once the cashier is done scanning our ridiculous amount of groceries, I quickly hand him my Amex before Cassandra and Joe have a chance to grab their wallets. Her mouth drops open in protest, but before she can speak a word, I bend over and pop a quick kiss on her cheek, and whisper, “Please. It’s the least I can do.”
Reaching up she gently cups my face, much like her son did only minutes ago. “ Garoto doce . ”
Smiling, I stand up straight and nod at Joe, who doesn’t argue with his wife’s approval.
Once we all get back to the house Rocky and his dad get started on the grill while I busy myself getting out everything I need for the cookies.
I’m just about to start sifting flour into the bowl when Cassandra stands next to me, tying her apron around her waist. “Want some help?”
“Love some.”
Following the recipe I have memorized, she starts creaming butter and brown sugar in the stand mixer. “I’m glad my Filho found you this year.”
Warmth blooms in my chest, and I smile. “Me too. It definitely wasn’t the game plan, but I’m starting to think everything is working out the way it was supposed to.”
“Rockwell has always been such a serious boy. He seems… different. Happier. Lighter. I think I can thank you for that.” Her hip bumps into mine.
“You raised a great son. Truly. Rocky is…” Rocky is so many things. Amazing. Talented. Beautiful. Smart. Intuitive. But the one word I can think that summarizes it all is—“He’s really special. He means a lot to me.”
She rests her hand on top of mine just as I’m about to grab the baking soda. “ O amor n?o tem lei. ”
My eyes start to sting as I look down at her. She doesn’t delve deeper into the subject. Instead, she just smiles and goes about her tasks as I do mine. We busy ourselves with light conversation. Her asking me about my childhood, and me asking about hers in Brazil. I’m fully aware that I could ask her about Rocky when he was a child, and with any luck there will be time for that down the road, but right now I want to learn more about the woman who raised Rocky. What better chance than to ask her myself?
I try to pay as close attention as possible to her words as we scoop balls of dough onto cookie sheets, but her words continue to ring through my mind.
“O amor n?o tem lei.”
And as I watch Rocky walk through the deck door with his dad, plate of steaks in hand, and a smile a mile wide, I realize I couldn’t agree more.
1. Conversations In The Dark - John Legend