Page 88 of Who's Loving You

“It’s not that cold. Spend a winter in Philly and this feels like summer in comparison.”

“I’m a SoCal girl who moved to South Texas. Anything below sixty degrees isThe Shiningcold.” Her eyes shine so bright as she looks up at me and I want to bottle it forever.

She’s everything I never knew I wanted. Strike that. She’s everything I never knew I needed. Dad always told me that when the right woman comes into your life, you’ll feel it. It will creep into your heart and smack you in the face like a sonuvabitch, but that it will be worth every minute.

The car pulls up and I help my girl, tucking her inand throwing the valet a look that saysif you want those eyes in your head, look away. It’s something I’ve perfected since being with Val. She turns fucking heads everywhere we go, and damn I can’t believe my good luck to be the asshole by her side. But let some asshole step in her direction and I’ll scoop their eyes out with a rusty knife.

I rev the engine and peel out of the restaurant and Val grabs the door, throwing me a glare.

“Is the screeching of the tires like a Nascar driver really necessary? We aren’t drag racing.” she asks.

“Says the woman with the hot as fuck car with an engine she doesn’t even know how to use.” The way she always tries to hide her smile forces my pants to grow uncomfortably tight.

This time, instead of me gripping her hand in mine and holding it for dear life, she takes mine. The relief that I feel in my chest is overwhelming. She’s finally here. Here with me.

“Are you sure your friends don’t mind that we’ve left dinner early? I feel bad for cutting out, but I know your family is waiting for us.” I bring her hand to my mouth and kiss the back of it.

“No, mi Reina. They understand. I needed to see my boys. This is the longest we’ve been away from each other since we were like…seven. So mom and pops understand.”

I knew my parents were coming for Thanksgiving the moment we got our schedule. That wasn’t a question. But when Nick and Nik informed me they’d also be in town, my parents knew I’d want to spend time with them.

“Besides, Mom said she was working on something special for you and needed the extra time to prepare.”

Yes, it’s a little late to be eating a second dinner, butmom said it gave her time to prepare a meal that she began prepping last night. Dad gripped about it, but mom told him to suck it up and eat at the stadium. I’m assuming the food trays in the suite were left with only crumbs.

“Okay. As long as everyone is fine.” I hear her exhale and decide now might be the perfect time to broach something I noticed at dinner.

“So, um, I have something to ask and I don’t want you to be offended.”

“Well when you preface it like that…it definitely means I’ll be offended. But ask away.”

I take a deep breath and ask, “Did you not like my friends? You seemed a little…standoff-ish?” My teeth clench and I wince.

She pulls her hand away and I know I’ve screwed up. Why didn’t Nick tell me about what words are off limits during our lessons?

“Standoff-ish? Why would you say that? And of course I liked them.” She crosses her arms over her chest and leans against the car door.

I turn the volume down on the music and decide that I’ve already plunged the shovel into the cold, hard dirt, why stop now.

“You weren’t very talkative. And anytime Scottie tried to pull you into a conversation, you didn’t really give away too much. Short answers and not really much in return in way of questions of your own. It just seemed like you would rather have been anywhere but there.” I hear the popping of her jaw as it clicks with anger.

“Listen, I’m not the kind of woman that’s going to make instant besties with someone I just met. You can ask Lucy. She had to bully me into a friendship. She said she’s never met a more stubborn woman in herlife. But that’s me. So if you were hoping I’d invite them over for a sleepover and romcoms with face masks, you don’t know me at all.” She turns her head to look out the window and I need to find a way to redeem myself.

“No, I-I know that. It’s just…I really want you to like them. I think Scottie is it for Soba and though he fights it, Papas has already been whipped by Noelle. They’re always going to be in our lives.”

“You say always like we’re going to die in each other’s arm like the fuckingNotebook.”

I chance a look at her and tell her in all honesty, “Well, yeah. That’s my plan.”

“For fuck’s sake,” she whispers.

“Look. You can try to deny it all you like but I know it’s true. I’ll quit talking about it, but there is nothing you can do to stop me from feeling it.”

She stays quiet, only the low hum of the music playing, and I decide to lighten the mood. I grab my phone, searching for a song with one eye on the road until I find it. (I know, I know. But this is for the greater good.)

I tap the play button and set it back on the charger then wait.

A woman’s voice sounds and I can tell she doesn’t recognize it. A man with a heavily accented voice replies and I see her turn her head slowly in my direction. The conversation between the two goes on for a few more seconds, then the opening bars of the song play.