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“Hey, sorry to be a bad hostess, but I don’t want the chorizo to burn,” Cynthia said, leaning in to kiss Pete’s cheek as he greeted her with a hug.

Sergio was on tortilla duty. “Hey, guys. The kids are almost done. We’ll shove them out the door in a sec. ”

“Dad, that’s rude!” Jackie declared.

Sergio grinned at her and continued his duty.

“Well, it’s good to see everyone,” Pete said. He was a little more nervous than he expected. “This is my friend, Ethan. ” Pete quickly made the introductions.

“Good to meet you,” Cynthia said, casting a smile in their direction as she poured diced potatoes into the big black skillet where the spicy chorizo was sizzling. “You guys on a hunting trip or something?”

“You could say that,” Ethan said with a wide grin. “Smells really good in here. ”

“I’m making chorizo, potato, and egg tacos. I can make you some bacon and eggs if you’d prefer that. ”

“No, ma’am. Those tacos sound great. ” Ethan slid off his duster and laid it over the back of a chair before settling onto it. “The kids don’t like tacos?”

“We get to eat cereal on weekends, because then we can run all the sugar out of our systems,” Jackie said tartly.

“Ah, I see. ” Ethan nodded his head with understanding.

Jackie continued to regard him suspiciously as she poured herself some cereal. “Sure you do. ”

“Jackie, be nice to our visitors,” Sergio called out.

With a frown, the girl tucked into her sugary flakes.

Pete also took a seat at the

big breakfast table. Alex and Emma Leigh ignored them, staring at some horrible kid’s program on the TV. Anna Belle was also watching as she slowly slurped on her bottle, but her eyes kept flicking toward him. Pete gave her a slight smile and her eyes narrowed.

“Do you want some coffee? Or some orange juice?” Sergio asked.

“Uh, coffee would be great,” Pete said. “I can get it though. ” He quickly busied himself with collecting mugs and snagged the coffee pot from where it sat steaming. He was surprised to see that his hands were trembling. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Jackie glowering at Ethan and baby Anna Belle twisting around in her seat to look toward Pete. Maybe the kids were just curious, but he felt uneasy.

Casual small talk started between Ethan and Cynthia, lessening the tension in the room. Or maybe Pete was just imagining it. Sergio finished his tortilla duty and checked on his kids. Pete set a mug before Ethan and poured the coffee. Watching Sergio fussing over his kids made his own heart pang with an unexpected sadness. How many times had Pete imagined this sort of future for him and Amaliya?

Wrangling the kids out the back door was easier than expected. Jackie nearly drowned herself gulping down the last of her sugary milk and hurried out after her younger siblings. She gave Ethan one last dark look before banging the backdoor behind her.

“No slamming the door!” Cynthia shouted after her.

Sergio gathered up the cereal bowls and boxes to clear the table. The baby finished her bottle and set it down on the tray of the highchair with a loud thump.

Ethan laughed. “Like she’s just finished a good beer. ”

Anna Belle regarded him thoughtfully.

“She’s always like that. I think she got it from Sergio,” Cynthia said, laughing. She set a plate of steaming tacos before Pete and another in front of Ethan. “Here you go. ”

“Thanks for the meal,” Ethan said with a charming smile.

Cynthia returned it. She was obviously less suspicious than her kids.

Pete hungrily bit into a taco, almost devouring half of it. It tasted so amazing he wanted to shove the other half in after it.

A sharp intake of breath and a whispered prayer in Spanish drew the eyes of all in the room to the doorway. Innocente stood in the doorway looking furious.

“You!” she said sharply.