Chapter Seventeen:
Not Enough Pancakes
As I followed Mia backto her house, I was nervous. I logically had no reason to be – she knew who I was, at least most of my dirty little secrets, and I’d had time to explain to her why I was wet and smelled like ass. But I hadn’t had time to explain it to her kid that I was about to meet for the first time or whoever else lived in that house. “Everyone,” she’d said. Everyone. Not “my son” or “Rio,” but “everyone.”
I had no idea what to expect as we drove away from the diner and toward a section of town I hadn’t been to before. It was all residential with a single gas station and one of those dollar store chains, but not much else. There wasn’t even a red light from what I could tell, but the houses were cute. Small, but quaint. Homey.
Mia’s proved to be no different. It was two stories, almost square with a stone archway over the porch and a red, Spanish tile roof, with bushes and shrubs and flowers all decorating the slightly cracked walkway up to the porch steps. I parked my car behind hers and got out to grab the single bag I’d packed, then smiled sheepishly at her as she waved me over to the front door.
I was immediately taken with the place when we walked inside. It was bigger than it looked from the outside thanks to her decorating skills and the placement of the furniture – the living room opened up into the kitchen, separated only by a large dining room table with chairs cluttered around it, but my brain wasn’t working hard enough to count them. The smell of the place alone had me distracted. I couldn’t quite place what it was, but it smelled like ... home. Like warm cinnamon and something else I couldn’t identify, but it made me never want to leave.
“So I’m moving in, right? We’re skipping the dates and the marriage and going straight to cohabitation?” I asked, pulling her in to kiss her lips. She looked almost as nervous as I felt though I couldn’t fathom why, and all I wanted to do was put her at ease. “I already love it here. Good luck kicking me out.”
“We’ll see about that, Huevos.” Mia pulled back playfully and grabbed me a drink, then started straightening up the dishes someone had left in the sink.
I walked up beside her to grab a towel since I didn’t see a dishwasher anywhere, then held my hand out for a plate. “Gimme.”
“Already making your case, huh?” She handed it over with a smile and bumped me with her hip, yet she still looked nervous as she watched me in her kitchen.
“I’m clumsy sometimes, but I promise I won’t drop anything,” I whispered playfully. “I’m not that big of a klutz.” I helped her with the dishes then stole another kiss, chuckling when she swatted me away. “Okay, okay. Hands off. Scout’s honor.”
“Maybe not hands off all night but ... for now.” She winked playfully. “I’m sure you want to shower so I’ll show you where it is, but I won’t be joining you this time.”
“Mamá?” a small voice from behind me called, and one look into Mia’s eyes told me exactly who it was.
Okay, here goes.I flashed Mia an excited smile then turned to meet Rio, the son she’d only told me a little about but I was dying to meet. It just ... turned out I’d already met him. “Little Hombre?” I grinned wider, kneeling in front of him and holding up a hand for a high-five. “No way!”
He gave me one, even though it was skeptical. “Hi, Ollie. Why do you smell like that?”
Mia snorted. “Rio, that’s not polite. His house was flooded with water. It’s not his fault.”
“Oh, sorry.” He looked at me again and then back at her. “We’re going to help him right? We have towels in all kinds of sizes.”
My heart swelled and fucking exploded, which made it extremely difficult not to squeeze him to death in a hug. “Yeah, Little Hombre. You’re already helping. Did you color any of the pictures in the Planets book?”
“Yeah!” He took off toward where I assumed his room was and Mia had the nerve to look sheepish.
“He’s going to talk your ear off now, you know that right, Papí?”
“I can’t wait,” I said honestly. Thinking back, I wasn’t sure how I’d missed it. I’d been so entranced by her that I’d barely noticed all the times she’d checked on him when we were at the diner at the same time, and the tender way she’d ruffled his curly hair. The way she’d gotten weird with me when I brought the coloring books in to begin with. It was right in front of me all along. “How soon is his bedtime? I don’t wanna keep him up too late or anything, but I’m gonna need him to bring his crayons out.”
“Oh, he will,” she chuckled, moving in a little closer while we were still alone. “His bedtime is soon but I’ll let you guys color one picture together, deal?”
We heard his little footsteps as he returned with his coloring supplies and a wide grin. “It even has the dwarf planets. Remember I told you about them? This book is awesome.”
Mia held up her hands and stepped back, looking like she couldn’t tell if she wanted to kiss me or hug me more, but I’d take that win either way.
“Come here. Your mom said we can color one together before you go to bed. Sound good?”
Rio’s eyes lit up as he led me to the dining table, and when she was out of earshot, he leaned in to whisper, “Did you tell her you like her hair?”
“No,” I said just as quietly. “Should I?”
He nodded excitedly. “I think she likes your hair too. I see her watching you walk away.”
I flushed and simultaneously fought a snort. I’d forgotten he’d caught me checking out his mom’s ass and I’d blamed it on her hair. “Okay. I’ll tell her, Little Hombre, but after you go to sleep. Right now is just Ollie and Hombrecito time, okay?”
I couldn’t place the look on his face, but it reminded me how his mother said he was an emotional kid. He understood more here than I thought he did. “Thanks.” He flipped it open to two blank pages and held out a crayon. “You have to stay in the lines. My mom showed me how to trace them so it’s easier, but I don’t have to do it that way anymore.”