Page 15 of Curve Ball (The San Jose Coyotes #2)
ADRIANA
“ S o let me get this straight,” Gael turns into the parking lot of Marisol Taqueria and puts the car in park. “Your ex was a piece of shit, and me praising you in bed triggered a fight-or-flight response because you were worried I was going to flip and be an asshole?’
This is not the conversation I thought we were going to have when he said, Let’s go have an early lunch before he has to go to a team meeting.
Not at all.
I feel guilty as he sits there, not angry, more hurt than anything. “It’s hard trusting people after what he put me through. I was just trying to protect myself.”
“What’s his name, Mama?”
“Why?” I narrow my eyes. “You wanna talk to him?”
“Nah,” he chuckles. “I wanna beat the shit out of him. Then when I’m done, and I’m fucking you right in front of him, showing him he lost out on the most amazing woman,” he leans over and whispers in my ear so softly that the hairs on my arms stand up.
“I’ll have you coming on my cock, having you moan my name while you take all of my cum. ”
My cheeks flush and I seriously do not need to be turned on while I meet his family for the first time. “We need to have a rule about you not turning me on right before meeting family.”
“Me saying I want to beat your ex and fucking you in front of him gets you all hot, Mama?” His lips press to my neck and let out a little gasp.
“Ye—yes,” I let my head fall back, exposing my throat to him. Gael takes full advantage, kissing and licking and sucking, turning me into a wet mess.
“Maybe I should pull the car around back, hmmm. What do you say? Have you ride this dick and make all those nerves go away?” He presses his lips to mine and moans. “Meet my mom with your pussy filled and dripping down your thighs.”
“Gael, noooo.” Not that my whimpering sounds are convincing at all.
A thump on the hood of the car pulls our attention from each other and a young woman stares at Gael. He smirks, raising his hands, and signs something to her. She signs back with some attitude and he laughs, turning to me. “My cousin, Bianca.”
I look at her, and she smiles at me.
“Oh god,” I wave to her. “Did she see all of that?”
“Yep. Apparently so did my mom. They sent her out here to stop us before… well, you know.”
Fuck, already embarrassing myself in front of his family.
He gets out and helps me out of the car. Taking my hand, we walk towards the entrance. “So, your cousin, she’s deaf?”
Gael grabs the door, pulling it open. “Yeah, she got real sick when she was like three years old and lost her hearing. So we all learned how to sign so she wouldn’t feel left out. I can teach you if you want.”
“I’d like that, amor. ”
“Gael Javier Hernández Mendoza! ”
“Oh, shit. She full named you…” I stare wide-eyed as a woman who shares Gael’s eyes storms toward us.
“Quick, back to the car.” He whispers, standing there frozen. “Save yourself, Mama.” He inches backwards toward the door when she continues.
“?Detente! Ven acá, Gael. ?En qué estabas pensando besándola así frente al restaurante? Podríamos haber tenido clientes.”
I take a deep breath, steeling myself for the onslaught of questions and potential disapproval from Gael’s mother. I’ve never been great at making a good first impression, but I’m determined to try my best for Gael.
Gael’s mother crosses her arms and gives us both a once-over. “ ?Quién es esta, Gael? ” she asks, more so staring at him than me.
“Mom, this is Adriana. My—” He pauses and I almost want to just blurt out girlfriend, to help him out. But he takes it a step further. “Fiancée.”
She raises an eyebrow. “ ?Tu qué? ”
Gael puts an arm around my waist, pulling me close. “Mom, I wanted to tell you in person. So you could meet her first. That’s not all, though.”
His mother sits in the booth next to us and he takes a deep breath and just lets it out. “We’re pregnant and having twins.”
The room falls silent for a moment before his mother’s eyes widen in shock. “Twins? But how—when—” She stutters, clearly at a loss for words.
Before I can say anything, Gael’s aunts and Bianca crowd around us, their eyes wide with surprise and excitement. “Twins! That’s wonderful news!” one of them says, kissing Gael on the cheek.
It looks like his tias are taking this better than his mother. She still looks confused.
Bianca signs something to Gael, who translates for me. “She says congratulations and that she can’t wait to meet her new cousins.”
I smile at Bianca, feeling a warmth spread through me despite the initial shock. I sign “Thank you” because that is the only thing I know in ASL.
Gael’s mother, who is still processing the news, looks at me with a mix of confusion and concern. “I’m just so confused, mijo . I know you and Natalia were?—”
Gael quickly interrupts, “Ma, Natalia and I broke up four months before I met Adriana. We’ve been over for a long time.”
A wave of relief washes over me as I realize Gael was single when we met. The concern that had crept into my mind fades, but not completely. I can’t help but wonder who Natalia is and why his mother brought her up.
Gael must sense my unease, because he squeezes my hand reassuringly. “Adriana, these are my Tías, Rosa and Carmen. And you’ve already met cousin Bianca. This is my mom, Junia.” He motions to the bench, urging me to sit.
“It’s nice to meet you all. I’m Adriana.”
His Tías exchange glances, then push his mother down the bench so they can sit. “We’re so happy to have you in the family,” Rosa says, her voice warm and genuine. “Twins! That’s such a blessing. I don’t think we’ve ever had twins in the family.”
Carmen nods in agreement. “No, never. Are there twins in your family? How exciting!”
I feel a lump form in my throat, touched by their warmth and enthusiasm. “Uh, I have cousins that are twins, actually. So I guess it runs on my side.”
Junia, still looking shell-shocked, finally manages a small smile. “Well, this is not what I thought we’d be talking about today.”
Gael grins, clearly pleased with himself. “Yeah, Ma, I know. Isn’t it great, though? More Mendoza boys in the world. ”
Junia rolls her eyes but can’t hide the twinkle of pride in her eyes. “You give me more problems than any of your brothers, Gael. But if you’re happy, then I’m happy. Wait, did you say boys? Twin boys?”
“Yep.” He leans back, draping his arm around my shoulder. “I can’t wait.”
“Okay, okay. How about we eat… You said that you had a meeting today. Adriana, ?tienes hambre? Puedo prepararte lo que quieras.”
“Whatever is fine with me. I’m not picky.” His Tías get up and the three of them head back and start cooking. The aroma of freshly made chili verde and carne asada fills the air, making my mouth water despite the nausea from the pregnancy trying to start up.
Gael’s family is loud, opinionated, and incredibly welcoming.
They tease Gael mercilessly, but it’s clear they adore him.
And now, they’re welcoming me into their fold with open arms. My family is pretty small since it’s just my mom’s side and I can only think of how our boys are going to have such a big family to love them.
They are going to be so loved.
Bianca sits down and signs something to Gael, who translates for me. “She wants to know if we have any names picked out yet.”
I shake my head, laughing. “Not yet, but we have some time to think about it. Do you have any suggestions?”
Bianca signs something else, and Gael chuckles. “She says anything but a junior.”
I laugh, loving how welcome I feel here.
“Agreed. Having a junior brings nothing but trouble.” His mom and aunts bring plates of food out, and as we eat, the conversation flows easily, filled with laughter, stories, and well-wishes.
I can feel the tension from earlier melting away, replaced by a sense of contentment and happiness.
Gael’s family is everything I could have hoped for, and so much more.
Gael leans over, pressing a soft kiss to my temple. “See, Mama? Everything is gonna be just fine.”
I smile, feeling tears prick the back of my eyes. “It really is. I love you, Gael.”
“I love you too, Adriana. All three of you.”