Page 83 of Ridin' True
I had no allies in sight.
“She’s excited for you,” said mami. “I might be, too, if he wasn’t such a secret.”
“It’s not like I was deliberately keeping anything from you. It’s only been a few weeks. We’re new.”
“Mmhmm,” she murmured, folding her arms across her chest. “Bella says it’s serious.”
I glared at Bella, who was still smiling, and then softened my expression for mami.
“I like him. A lot.” I paused long enough to realize I was still underplaying it before I added, “A whole lot. And I’m pretty sure he feels the same way about me.”
“I hear he has two kids. He’s divorced? You won’t be able to marry him in the Catholic church,hija.”
“Oh, okay, wow, mami,” I muttered, taking a step back as my eyebrows shot up. “We’renew. You’re getting a little ahead of yourself.”
“You’re thirty-three. How old is he? At your age,seriousputs marriage on the table sooner than later.”
I was suddenly a little uncomfortable. Jed and Iwereserious, but we hadn’t talked about the future like this. He never married Nicole. I wasn’t even sure if marriage was something in which he was interested.
If he wasn’t, could I be okay with that?
I didn’t know.
And I hadn’t considered whether or not he’d want more kids.
I definitely wanted to make babies.
Except, I hadn’t thought about marriage or babies with Jed before this moment. My plate had been a little full, and what we had at present was enough. At least, I thought it was.
“Mami…” I took a breath, glared at Bella again, and then sighed. “Jed’s thirty-nine. He does have a couple of kids, but no, he’s never been divorced. He and his ex didn’t get married. And before you go freaking out about that—here’s what I’m betting Bella leftout.
“He makes me happy. He makes me feel safe and seen and beautiful. He’s a really great guy and an amazing dad. I can’t see into the future, so I have no idea if we’ll get married—but I’ve got enough going on right now. I’m not trying to rush things.”
“And when do I get to meet this Jed who makes you so happy?”
I smiled in spite of myself. “Soon, mami.”
“Soon,” she mumbled, rolling her eyes. Continuing toward the kitchen she said, “The most ambiguous measure of time I can think of.”
I cut my eyes at Bella.
“What? Alejo stood her up yesterday. She needed the distraction.”
Hearing this was enough to curb my annoyance. I didn’t like that I hadn’t been the one to share my news, but if it had successfully redirected mami’s thoughts, I couldn’t stay upset.
“Fine. Whatever,” I grumbled, following after mami.
We started on lunch, and I managed to go the rest of the afternoon without getting interrogated on all thingsJed. It helped that I had other major life updates to share. Bella was as surprised as mami to learn I was leaving the firm, but it was easy to convince both of them it was a smart career move.
Twenty minutes before I planned on leaving, I sent Kade a text. When I heard the rumble of a passing motorcycle, I knew that was my cue to say goodbye.
It was a little after four when I arrived back at Jed’s place. I found everyone in the backyard. Marlowe was stretched out on the porch swing, reading another book. Axel—whose arm was now free of his cast—was with his skateboard, practicing tricks on the half-pipe. Jed stood with his shoulder propped against the corner post of his patio, keeping a close eye on his fearless son. Much like the night we met, the kids took my presence in stride.
We had grilled chicken for dinner, and I contributed by throwing together twice baked potatoes and cheesy broccoli. Jed teased I took most of the nutritional value out of the broccoli, but the kids devoured it, and I considered that a win.
After we ate and cleaned the kitchen, Axel wanted to watch a movie, so we all settled on the sectional and watchedBack to the Future—which, I learned, was his current obsession. They’d watched it half a dozen times since Jed introduced the series to them a couple of months back. He didn’t mind watching it for the millionth time because Marlowe was into it, too. Apparently, getting the two of them to agree on a movie was a rarity.
Jed and I ended up on opposite ends of the couch, Marlowe snuggled close to her dad and Axel stretched out with his feet in his sister’s lap. I found myself watching them. It would have been easy to feel like an outsider, but I didn’t. Instead, I felt like I wanted to be part of it—part ofthem. And as the movie played on, I kept thinking about what mami said to me earlier. While I really hadn’t thought much of it before that afternoon, I felt like I couldn’tstopthinking about my future with Jed.
