Page 44 of Sweet
And Chino’s dad had been the kind of man who ran a violent crew of drug-dealing criminals.
Chino nodded a little. “I get you.”
Spider offered his hand. “Respect, brother.”
After what felt like an eternity, Chino took it. “Respect.”
“What didyou have to give him?” Daisy put her head on Spider’s shoulder as they sat in the driveway of her parents’ house. It had been one of the longest days of her life, and it wasn’t over yet. Spider was finally attending a Rivera family dinner.
“Free tattoos for life,” he said. “A promise not to ever go to Southern California. And my firstborn child.”
She sat up straight and her eyes went wide. “What the fuck?”
Spider laughed, then kissed her mouth. “What is that language, Daisy Rivera? I’m joking. You better not start cursing or Imelda will blame me.” He looked at the lit-up house warily. “Are you sure about this? Maybe it would be better if we waited for—”
“Nope.” She squeezed his hand. “You made peace with Chino, you’re settling in Metlin, and we’re done being secret.”
“Fine.” His lips pursed. “But just so you know, your dad and I agree about the school thing.”
She narrowed her eyes. “I knew you two were talking before he brought you over!”
“Oh, I’m sorry. You mean when he brought me to Café Maya to be part of a plan you and your aunt plotted without even talking to me?”
Daisy wanted to feel bad about it, but it had all turned out okay in the end, so she couldn’t. Much. “Betsy helped too.”
He shook his head. “I should be fucking furious at you for risking yourself that way. And risking all the rest of them.”
“We didn’t force anyone to be there,” Daisy said. “And all those people already knew about your past. We just wanted to make sure that you and Chino both knew that your future is in Metlin.”
He pulled her close and kissed her hard. “Okay, princesa. It’s a damn good thing I love you so much; don’t ever pull anything like that again.” He opened the door of the El Camino. “Now let’s go meet the family.”
He was distinctly paler walking toward the house than he normally was.
Daisy took his hand. “You survived a meeting with your old boss this morning, but a bunch of little kids and aunties are scaring you?”
“Chino’s world I understand.” He shook his head. “This one I haven’t been part of for nearly ten years.”
“What world is that?”
“Normal-people world.”
Daisy shook her head, making sure her face was extra sad. “Spider, I hate to break it to you” —she pushed open the door to the raucous sound of women laughing in the kitchen, half a dozen teenagers blasting music in the living room, and a clutch of men shouting at the television as a Nerf bullet sailed past them and into the night— “but my family is not even close to normal.”
Spider nodded. “Cool. I might be able to blend in.”
He didn’t,of course. Not yet. But while Daisy was dragged into the kitchen to be interrogated by the aunties, Kiko shook her boyfriend’s hand and silently promised in the language of siblings to take care of the new guy. Daisy raised her eyebrows menacingly. Kiko shrugged like she had nothing to worry about.
A hundred questions and three large pans of enchiladas later, they were finally sitting down to dinner, old people and teenagers at one table, parents and young adults at another, and the last of the little ones running in between, dropping crumbs everywhere.
Spider sat next to Daisy, silently clutching her hand under the table.
“So Spider, how long have you worked at Bill and Ruby’s place?” Daisy’s aunt started.
“About ten months,” he said quietly. “So far it’s good.”
The table had fallen silent while he answered. Her family had quickly learned that if you wanted an answer from Spider, you had to listen closely.
“And what do you think about Daisy not going away to school?” Daisy’s mom dropped that bomb while she was serving Kiko enchiladas.
