Page 63 of Love and Other Goals

“You’re welcome, sister dear!” she sings as she sashays past me. I can’t help but laugh.

The doorbell rings, and I rush to greet my grandparents. I fling open the door and immediately give them hugs around the dishes they’re carrying. “Gramma! Grampa! I’m so glad to see you!” One of the gifts of moving to Kansas City was getting to be close to my dad’s parents. We live in different parts of the metro, so it’s still about a thirty-minute drive between our houses, but they were always present at every special occasion and soccer game.

Olivia and the twins have joined us in the foyer and take turns greeting my grandparents. Dean’s uncustomary good-ish mood is still in place, and he gives my grandma a short hug, making her smile. Mom and Dad come to welcome them in and take their dishes and coats.

Mateo is hanging back, so I pull his arm over to introduce him. “Gramma, Grampa, this is my boyfriend Mateo.”

“Mr. and Mrs. Grant, I’ve heard a lot about you from Lana,” Mateo says as he shakes my grandpa’s hand. Gramma skips the handshake for a hug.

“Young man, we’ve heard quite the positive earful about you from Lana’s mother. And you’re even more handsome than she said,” my grandma says with a cheeky grin as she pats Mateo’s shoulder.

“Gramma!” I squeal, but Mateo just chuckles good-naturedly.

He takes my grandma’s hand in both of his and winks at her. “Well, it’s obvious that Lana inherited her beauty from both sides of the family.” He pivots to me and puts his arm around my shoulders, pulling me to his side.

I loop both arms around his waist and smile up at him. “If you’re done charming everyone, we can go in and start eating,” I tease.

Everyone moves toward the dining room, but before we follow, Mateo leans down and whispers in my ear. “I’ll never be done charming you.” His breath against my neck sends a shiver down my spine, which makes him grin.

My grandma has brought her famous cranberry Jello salad and two pies to complete our Thanksgiving spread. Dad prays to bless our meal and give thanks for our time together, and then the delightful chaos of dishes being passed and food being heaped onto plates begins.

We talk about things we’re grateful for from the past year. Mateo shares his thankfulness for his soccer team and their successful season, and then adds, “Will you all just think I’m sucking up if I say the highlight of my year was Lana saying yes to a date?” Everyone laughs, and my cheeks turn pink as Mateo winks at me. I notice that Dean half-heartedly rolls his eyes, but a smile is playing at the edge of his lips. Leave it to Mateo to win over even my cranky teenage brother.

As the meal winds down, my mom brews a pot of decaf coffee. Mateo and I clear the plates from the table as my mom unwraps the pies and sets the polvorosas from Mateo’s mom on a decorative plate. She whispers conspiratorially at us, “Don’t tell, but I already sampled one earlier. They’re simply divine, Mateo.”

“They’re one of my favorites. I’ll pass along your compliments to my mom.”

We linger around the table until my grandma announces that “it’s time for these old folks to get to bed.” She packages up some polvorosas to take home along with the bouquet of flowers from Mateo, leaving the leftover pies with us for tomorrow. We all walk them to the front door to say goodbye, and my grandma whispers in my ear when she hugs me, “He’s a keeper, Lana.”

“I know, Gramma,” I whisper back.

We work collectively to clean up the table, pack up leftovers for the fridge, and load the dishwasher. When we’re done, Mateo says he should head back to his teammate’s house. “They’re being so kind to let me stay with them—I don’t want to get back too late.” I’m a little disappointed, but considering he’s been with us for almost twelve hours today, it does seem fair to let him spend some time with his hosts.

Mateo takes turns telling my family goodbye, giving quick hugs to my mom and Olivia, and shaking hands with my dad and brothers. When he comes to Dean, Mateo pauses to tell him, “I’m going to talk to Parker about the Esports. I’ll give him your number if that’s okay with your mom and dad.” He glances over to my parents, who nod approval.

“I’ll walk you out to your truck,” I tell Mateo. He turns to put on his coat, and Olivia looks at me and makes kissing faces. I shove her maybe a little too hard, and she bumps into the entryway table, squealing, “Hey!”

I pull Mateo’s arm toward the door as I say, “Don’t worry about her, such a clumsy girl.”

We walk down to where his truck is parked along the street. I’m putting faith in my mother to obstruct Olivia from watching us out the window as we say goodbye. Although, come to think of it, my mom might be the one requiring interference. Please come through for me, Dad.

We pause on the sidewalk by the bed of the truck, and I wind my arms around Mateo’s waist. “Thank you so much for coming today. It was perfect.”

He murmurs agreement, holding me tight against his chest with one hand on my lower back and the other cradling the back of my head. I’m lost in my Christmas tree farm spice market and don’t want to go back inside.

Mateo draws back and runs his fingers through my hair, eyes watching as they trail through the entire length before his gaze travels briefly to my lips and then to my eyes. “Lana,” he starts, voice gravelly. “I just want to be honest with you. I think about kissing you every single time I see you. I think about it even when I don’t see you. Every. Freaking. Day.” I glance down briefly, feeling the flush in my cheeks, but look back to meet his gaze. “If I had been following my feelings, I would have kissed you a long time ago.”

I smile softly. “Dancing on our first date, right?”

He huffs out a laugh. “Oh Lana, long before that. And countless times since,” he pauses, brushing his thumb across my cheek. “But I’m going slow because I want kissing you to be a meaningful progression in our relationship. Kissing isn’t just something casual to me.”

His words hug my heart with warmth, the same thoughts I’d expressed to Amaya and Teegan. I smile up at him. “We’re on the same page, Mateo. And I appreciate you communicating your thoughts so openly.”

He smiles back at me and says, “I just didn’t want you thinking that I don’t want to kiss you. Because I absolutely do. Desperately.” I blow out a laugh and look down at my feet before meeting his eyes again. “I never want you wondering how I feel about you, Lana. I’ll always be honest with you.” Mateo cups my face with both hands, fingers sliding over the sensitive skin at the base of my neck. He leans in and gives me a soft kiss on the cheek before whispering goodnight.

My heart dances a fairy-tale waltz as I head inside. I nibble on another polvorosa as I half-heartedly make conversation with my parents. I’m sure they can sense my mind is elsewhere, so they make excuses about being tired and hug me goodnight before heading to their room.

Up in my room, I turn on my Magical Mellow playlist full of mostly ethereal love songs as I remove my makeup and change into pajamas. I cuddle up under a pile of blankets in bed and send a “Happy Thanksgiving!” message to the Beefs’ group text.

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