Chapter 40 - Mary
Mary
“Ay, guapas, estáis aquí. About time, no?”
Carmen’s face beams up at us as we enter the small strip of sand.
It’s still early, so other than her and Isa, the beach is still deserted.
But the sun is already smiling down on us, warming my skin with the promise of a hot day.
This place will be filled with families in no time.
It isn’t a real beach, not in the truest sense of the word, but it has fluffy white sand and clear water to swim in, which is good enough for me.
“Miss us?” I grin while I lean over to kiss her cheek.
“Always.”
Cat rolls her eyes and places the cooler under the umbrella that Isa and Carmen have already set up before greeting them both.
“We saw you yesterday.”
“You saw me yesterday,” Carmen quips back. “But I haven’t seen Mary’s cute face for at least…”
“Forty-eight hours,” we say in unison, and then start laughing like a bunch of teenagers.
Isa’s mouth ticks up into a smirk, and she shakes her head.
But her fingers find Carmen’s, and they lace together seamlessly.
I feel myself smile as I watch them, and my heart fills with love.
My eyes almost automatically glide over to Cat, whom I expect to be looking at them as well, but who instead has her gaze locked on me.
Her lips are pulled into a soft smile, but her expression is unreadable.
It makes a shiver run down my spine, and I see her pupils dilate as it does.
She reaches her hand out to brush a strand of hair behind my ear.
My whole skin tingles and hums, and I instantly step into the space that opens up as if I am pulled to her by a magnet.
“Aww, look at all that young love, baby.”
“Absolutely adorable.”
We all look up at the taunting voices to see Riley and Celeste plowing through the sand with another cooler and two smug grins.
Carmen’s face lights up again, and she greets them with the same energy with which she welcomed us only five minutes ago.
Where she gets it from is beyond me, but it makes both Cat and me chuckle.
Celeste quirks her eyebrow, instantly reminding me of Cat, but Riley wraps her arms around Carmen as if she hasn’t seen her in years.
Isa’s gaze narrows for a beat, and her chest flushes before she casts her eyes down.
Is she… jealous? Before I can even ponder it, the two break apart, and Carmen bounces around the group.
“Good, now that we are all here, let’s go and soak up some sun.”
With that, she pulls off her shirt and kicks off her sweat shorts, revealing the iridescent bathing suit underneath. Of course, Carmen would pick something that would make you look twice. Why am I even surprised? Isa looks up again, biting her lip now, as she takes off her own clothes.
I have to suppress my chuckle until Cat starts to unbutton her shirt next to me, and a flood of heat crashes over me.
Her nimble fingers work quickly, and the two sides fall apart, revealing the black bikini top underneath.
The fabric hugs the swell of her breasts, pushing them up a little more than usual, while the soft cotton of her blouse frames her sides perfectly.
I struggle to take in a full breath and want nothing more than to slide my hands in there to caress that golden skin.
When she looks up at me, her eyebrows pull together before she lets out an amused huff. Too late, I realize that I am gaping at her and that I am the only one still fully clothed. I quickly pull my summer dress over my head and untie my Chucks, but the blush is already spreading over my cheeks.
Cat smirks, grabs our beach bag, and pulls out two large towels.
Instead of handing one to me, she takes it upon herself to lay them both out.
She puts them so close that they are nearly touching, and I can’t help but feel my stomach flutter.
They say that the feeling of falling in love only lasts for three months.
After that, the hormones calm down, and that dopamine high starts to fade.
But even after being with Cat for almost a year now, that feeling of falling for her is still rising.
Still climbing. And I don’t think the peak is anywhere in sight.
She sits down to settle herself, her lean legs looking unfairly delicious stretched out like that, and pats the towel next to her. I lower myself far less gracefully than she does and lie on my back as our fingers interlace before I even have to reach for her.
“Estás aquí,” she hums, satisfied.
“Mi corazón puede sentir tu presencia. Tú estás aquí, tú estás aquí.”
Carmen belts out the lyrics as she plops down on the other side of her. Cat rolls her eyes and swats at her best friend, who lets out an offended ‘ay’ followed by full-body laughter that has us all chuckling.
Within seconds, we are all drawn into conversation and laughter while the sun climbs higher. Around noon, Carmen wonders whether it is already time for mojitos and gets swatted on the shoulder by her girlfriend.
“What? The sun is out to play, and so should we,” she objects, and Isa rolls her eyes.
“It’s barely twelve, bonita.”
“It’s five o’clock somewhere,” she grumbles back.
Cat replies before Isa can.
“She is right, you know.”
My head snaps up, and I stare at her. Is she for real? Cat isn’t innocent when it comes to drinking, but Isa isn’t wrong. It’s barely the middle of the day, hardly a time to start. But she just shrugs.
“It’s warm, the water is perfect, and the company is exquisite.” Her lip tugs up in a subtle grin. “But I’d say we have some bubblies instead.”
“Bubblies?” I ask, surprised, before a wet chuckle slips out because I still fucking love how she says it.
She flashes me her teeth, pulling on my heartstrings, and pushes herself up into a half-seated position, looking out over the water.
“Yes, bubblies. After all… we are here to celebrate, aren’t we?”
My cheeks heat even more, and I duck my head when all eyes turn to us.
“We are?” Riley asks, her eyes traveling over my body. “Are you, like… pregnant or something? Wait Cat wouldn’t give you alcohol…”
Celeste chuckles, but eyes me with equal suspicion. “No, something else is happening.”
“Dios, are you getting married already?” Carmen exclaims, her face betraying the enthusiasm rather than criticism behind the words.
Cat chuckles and shakes her head.
“I could only wish, but no… However, it is definitely life-changing.”
My heart skips a beat at her offhand comment about wanting to marry me, but she moves on so quickly that I barely have time to process it.
“Tell us already, Kitty Cat! Why do you always have to be so mean?”
“Mean? I am making you part of this moment, aren’t I?”
“You are torturing us because you know something we don’t. That’s mean.”
“No, you are just being your impatient little self, and now you are stomping your feet like a kid because you—”
“Hey, that’s enough,” Isa says, her voice quiet but with a slight edge.
Both Cat and Carmen turn their heads toward her, their eyes large, before they burst into laughter.
“Ay, amor, Katherina was just teasing me.”
“Claro, una broma, nothing more.”
“Broma?” Celeste asks, and Cat nods.
“A joke. Carmen and I have been play-fighting since we were kids.”
“Sorry, amor.” Carmen scoots over and wraps her arms around Isa. “We tend to forget how real it can look from the outside.”
“I just don’t like it,” Isa murmurs, her cheeks red.
Cat smiles.
“Oddly enough, that’s exactly why I like you.”
Isa regards her for a moment before her face softens and she lets out a huff. She nods, and it is evident that she accepts the connection for what it is. She’ll learn it, understand it, and eventually grow to love it. I know, because I’ve been there.
“So, if you aren’t pregnant and you two aren’t getting married, then what is happening?” Riley asks, and just like that, the attention is back on us. On me.
“Go ahead, baby, tell them your news.”
“Yes, Mary, for the love of all that is holy… tell us,” Carmen grunts.
Despite wanting to disappear even more, I can’t help but grin at that. Cat squeezes my hand and nods encouragingly when I bite my lip.
“I, um,” I stammer.
No, Mary, no hiding from this. Own it. I roll my shoulders back and take a deep breath.
“My agent called me earlier this month. My book has been picked up by a small publisher.”
“Like, a legit publisher?” Riley gasps.
I nod and grin at her, despite the flurry of emotions that are rushing through me right now.
“Wow, Mary, that is amazing!” Isa beams, and Celeste nods.
Carmen stays uncharacteristically quiet, though, and I feel that in the pit of my stomach.
Her smile has faltered, and her lips are pressed together, her eyes solely fixed on me now.
My heart thuds against my chest under her scrutinizing gaze, and I feel myself tremble.
The group grows quiet and glances at her too, but it isn’t until Isa places her hand on Carmen’s shoulder that she lets go of the breath she was holding.
And just like that, her face is flooded with tears.
Carmen lunges forward and wraps her arms around my neck, pulling me as close to her as she can. I nearly suffocate against her warm skin, but she squeezes me so tight that it feels as if she’ll shatter if I move away from her now.
“I’m so fucking happy for you,” she whispers in my ear as her tears fall hot on my shoulder. “So fucking happy, Mary.”
I meet Cat’s gaze over Carmen’s shoulder. Her eyes are beaming with love and pride. She fishes a bottle of Baileys out of Celeste’s cooler and grins at me.
“Your kind of bubblies, amor.”
This is my home. This is my family, and I am never letting it go.
***
Isa smirks when Carmen stuffs her face with a tamale and then bites into her taco.
We are all ravenous after a day filled with sunning, swimming, and a hilarious game of flag football.
Our spirits are high, and our laughter fills the small restaurant.
It is so contagious that the owner comes up to us with free shots of tequila and a big pearly grin.
“On the house, ladies.”
“For real?” Riley and I gasp at the same time, and his grin only grows bigger.
“Yep. Looks like you are celebrating something, and that should come with gifts.”
“Thank you!” Riley moves up to kiss his cheek, and he hums happily as he walks back to the kitchen.
“Wow,” I chuckle and raise my glass. “To celebrating the six of us.”
“Who, us six idiots?” Carmen grins.
“Six foxes, you mean?” Riley counters, and we all laugh.
“Six unhinged ones, for sure,” Cat murmurs under her breath, and Celeste nods eagerly.
“Or just us… the Sixers,” Isa says softly, and we all go quiet. “That says it all.”
“The Sixers?” I ask after a beat, and she hums. “I like the sound of that.”
“Yeah, me too,” Celeste lets out, the surprise evident in her voice.
“Well, that’s it then. We are the Sixers.”
“To the Sixers,” Riley says, raising her glass again, and we all follow.
“To the Sixers!”