“I’minlove with you, Ry,” she whispers dreamily, falling asleep as quickly as the words leave her mouth, a soft snore rattling through the room.
“I’m in love with you too, darlin’.” Maybe when she wakes up, she’ll want to tell me while sober.
Chapter Fifty-Eight
MAMI KNOWS BEST
SUNDAY, JUNE 22
“You need a good vacuum,mija. You have a dog, and when you and Ryder decide to give me grandbabies, I don’t want them covered in hair.”
I roll my eyes, continuing to sweep the kitchen floor. “I’ll add it to the list,Mami.And in case you’d forgotten, we just got married and even more recently decided to make it real.”
She waves a hand in front of her face, dismissing me. “Of course it’s real. It always has been. You belong together.”
I steer her away from the topic of grandbabies and onto something that’ll make her smile instead. “I moved my things into the main room with him yesterday.”
“Don’t think I don’t know exactly what you’re on about,” she says with a pout.
“Mami, he kept the flowers I made him,” I tell her, my eyes pooling with hot tears, this time joyful ones. Ryder’s the only man who has ever made me cry happy tears.
Mamiphysically swoons, wringing her hands together and tucking them under her chin. “That is so sweet,mijita. You’ll have to teach your children how to make those flowers someday.”
I groan, sighing as I finish sweeping the dirt into a dustpan before dumping it into the trash. “Can we talk about something else?Please.”
“Fine. Come here. You need to catch up onSecrets Signed In Inkbefore Ryder gets home.”
My brows pinch as I take a seat beside her. Nugget hops up, making little donuts before plopping down between us. “And why is that?” I run my fingers through Nugget’s thick fur, relaxing into the tan cushions.
I meet my mom’s guilty gaze before her eyes dart away.“What did you do?”
“Nothing, nothing.” She waves a hand in the space between us. “It’s really your husband’s fault, though, if you want to get down to it.”
“Mami, seriously.”
“Okay,fine.Ryder came over earlier and watched the episode from last week with me, so now you’re behind.”
“Already picking my husband over me, I see,” I say, snatching the remote and turning on the TV. There isn’t a single ounce of me that’s actually upset about it. The fact that Ryder watchestelenovelaswith my mom is the most adorable thing and an absolute panty melter, if I’m totally honest with myself.
We spend the next hour catching up on the episode I missed, and when Ryder gets home from his trip to the feed store,Mamiinsists on cooking dinner.Papi,Mayte, Isabela, and Ryder’s parents wound up coming over, and despite all the madness taking place on the ranch lately, there’s some semblance of normalcy at having all the most important people in my life around for something as simple as a good meal.
Chapter Fifty-Nine
NOT AS IT SEEMS?
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25
Just like every other morning,Lola’s asleep when I leave for work, her body curled around a pillow and the covers tucked beneath her chin.
I press a kiss to her forehead. “I love you, darlin’.”
“I luhf woo,” she whispers, her breathing still steady and slow, with no signs of her being awake. Every morning, I tell her I love her, and every morning, her unconscious mind registers it, telling me she loves me back.
Warmth spreads through my chest, and a satisfied smile tugs at the corners of my lips.
Nugget blinks up at me, and I lift him onto the bed to snuggle with Lola. He wags his little nub-tail and rubs his head against her back, twirling in place before he plops down.
“I love you too, Nugget,” I tell him, kissing the top of his head before gently closing the door behind me. I grab the two breakfast burritos I warmed from the counter and leave Lola a note so she knows there’s one in the fridge for her.
