He still had hope.
…
Kate looked at her watch as she reached the front steps of Dominic’s parents’ house and breathed a sigh of relief. Ten minutes to spare.
She had seriously underestimated the time it would take to visit her grams, dig out the old recipe for the sweet potato casserole, and put it together. Not helped by the last-minute return trip to the grocery store when she’d realized she should have drained the can of yams before she mixed everything up. Her dish now actually looked and smelled pretty good, kind of surprising even her. She just hoped it tasted as good as it smelled.
Kate reached the front door and took some deep, even breaths to calm her nerves. Not just at seeing Dominic’s family, but at seeing him. She’d been avoiding him for the past few days, and they both knew it. But she told herself it was easier this way—as they drew nearer to reaching the end of their plan, she’d have to get used to being on her own again. Save for her work.
The past couple days at the office had been tough, though, and it was only by going on autopilot that she’d reached the end. Mark’s deposition had gone brilliantly, fortunately, with her cutting off the opposing counsel’s questions and objections when necessary.
Even if it left her with a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.
Why did Ms. Herrera’s attorney have to be so freaking incompetent? He hadn’t even put up much of a fight. If it had been Jessica who sat across from her at that table, Kate might have felt a little better knowing Ava Herrera was getting the best representation she was entitled to.
Kate managed to pin a smile to her face when the front door swept open and three eager faces cried out her name and pushed her inside. She managed to hold onto the dish as they bounced around her, and she couldn’t help but laugh at their exuberance. She was met with an interesting array of aromas, including roasted turkey, buttery rolls, and also something…spicy.
“There you are, Kate.” Dominic’s mom tapped the spoon she’d using to stir and rested it on the large roasting pan. Wiping her hands on a towel, she came and took the casserole from Kate and set it down, then pulled her in for a long, full hug.
“So glad you could make it,” she said softly and stood back, a beaming smile on her face as she looked Kate over and nodded. Patting Kate’s shoulder, Elena returned to the stove.
“Hey, Kate,” Benny said and continued to drop rolls into a basket. Daisy looked up and waved before returning her attention to the steaming pot in front of her. She was holding tongs and pulling out steaming corn husks.
Kate raised her brows. “Homemade tamales?”
“Of course, is there any other kind?” Daisy asked and smiled.
“Just wait until you bite into one of Daisy’s pumpkin empanadas,” Benny added. “Heavenly.”
“I can’t wait.” Kate turned and looked into the main room, where Dominic’s dad sat on the couch, Cruz on the other end, both fixated on the television in front of them. They managed to look up and called hello when they saw her before returning their gaze to the screen.
Kate spotted Glenda seated in the corner of the room at a card table and went over to greet her. Just like everyone else, she stood and wrapped her arms around Kate. “Hi, neighbor, glad to see you here.”
Jenna, the oldest of Dominic’s nieces, grabbed her hand. “We’re playing Candyland. But we can start over if you want to play. I was winning, anyhow.”
“I don’t want to play that anymore. How about Apples to Apples,” Natalie asked. “Kate can be on my team.”
“Let’s give Kate a minute to catch her breath.”
She stilled, recognizing the voice behind her. Before she could turn to meet his gaze, Dominic reached his hand out and wrapped it around her waist. She caught her breath at the familiar touch and tried to slow the yammering of her heart as he pulled her up against his side.
His body was like fifty degrees warmer than hers, as she remembered, and his musky scent with a hint of spice surrounded her. His breath was warm on her neck as he leaned down and pressed a kiss that nearly brought her legs out from under her.
“We were getting worried something happened,” he said, loud enough for everyone to hear. “You should have let me pick you up.” Then, softer, he whispered for her hearing only, “Or were you afraid to be alone with me?”
She looked up and met his gaze. Eyes brilliant and blue stared back into hers. Had it only been three days since she’d seen him? His hair was ruffled and sexy with that familiar piece teasing down over his left brow and that lazy smile that crooked his lips just so. She remembered the touch of those lips on hers—and on a few other more intimate parts that immediately brought warmth to her face.
Now she remembered why she had avoided being alone with him for the past few days. Even now, her resistance to him was melting away.
“Hey,” she finally managed to return, but her voice seemed clogged with emotion. She noticed the glass of red wine he held out for her, and she took it, careful to avoid his fingertips.
“Dinner will be on the table in about ten more minutes,” his mother called. “Kate, if you’re hungry, there are snacks on the table. Please help yourself.”
She became aware of Dominic’s hand resting lower on her hip, and it took all of her concentration to reply as if she were unaffected by his touch. “Thanks. Everything smells wonderful.”
“We’ll be back in a few minutes, actually,” Dominic said. “There were a few things I wanted to talk to Kate about before we ate. About her…kitchen cabinets.”
“Yeah, right. Nice try, bud,” Benny said. “There’ll be plenty of time for you to discuss her ‘cabinets’ later,” she said, in a voice that told them she had other ideas of what Dominic meant, “but this turkey is ready to be carved and there’s no way I’m letting Cruz do it again after the fiasco last year. Kate can keep me company while I set the table.”