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fingers and bringing them to his mouth to brush his lips over the back of my
hand. It was all so fast that by the time it was over and our linked hands
rested on top of the table, I wouldn’t have known it had really happened if
not for the scorching imprint of his lips on my skin.
My mother spoke next, returning my attention to her, “It makes me so
happy to have you home, cariño.” Then, her eyes landed on Aaron. “To see
you like this.” Her smile widened, the sadness vanishing.
A pang of guilt sliced my gut, followed by something sultry and dense.
Something that tasted like regret and hope.
“For a moment there, I thought she wouldn’t really bring you, Aaron. I
even questioned if you were real.” She chuckled, and I swore my lungs
stopped working for a heartbeat. Her gaze met mine, a light smile on her face.
“Don’t look at me like that. You’ve never talked about anyone you were
seeing or brought anyone home from New York the few times you came
back. And it was all so … sudden.”
“Honestly, hermanita,” Isabel pitched in, sounding suspiciously
interested, “we thought you’d end up like one of those old ladies who
dedicated their life to a bunch of cats. But instead of cats, it would have to be
fish. Or like … geckos because you are allergic to cat fur.” She snickered.
“We constantly talked about it in family gatherings.”
“Thanks for the faith,” I muttered and then stuck my tongue out in my
sister’s direction. I couldn’t believe they were saying that kind of stuff with
someone they believed I was dating at the table. Or better yet, with someone
they knew I had dated sitting right there. “I’m lucky to have you.”
Aaron’s fingers gripped mine a little tighter, and I felt mine returning the
gesture.
“No, we did not talk about such things,” my mother firmly denied,
shooting her other daughter a look. “Stop teasing your sister, Isabel. You are
getting married tomorrow.”
Isabel frowned. “What does that have to do with any—”
Mamá sliced her hand through the air, dismissing my sibling.
I snickered, watching her cross her arms over her chest.
“We never thought you’d end up alone, Lina. But we were terrified you
would be lonely.” She looked over at Aaron, her eyes softening. “And
knowing that you’re not, that you have someone to lean on and to return
home to, maybe someone to call home one day, makes me sleep a little better
at night.”