Page 67 of My December Darling

I’m nervous but excited by the time we make it to the final house.

“No way!” Catalina rushes over to the table of snacks after theparranderosfinish singing. “Gabriela! Look at this!”

Gaby flashes me a knowing smile before walking up to her sister. “Tembleque. Abuela and Papi’s favorite.” She grabs one of the small plastic cups and a mini spoon.

“Who made it?” Catalina asks.

I rub the back of my neck subconsciously before scolding myself for giving me away.

“I wonder…” Gabriela does a shitty job at hiding the truth.

Catalina’s gaze swings around the room. “Was it Mami?”

“No.” Gabriela scoops a spoonful of the coconut pudding from the cup and takes a bite. “That’s…um…” Her brows scrunch together.

Fuck. It’s terrible, isn’t it? I should’ve known Aiden was lying when he taste-tested the thing, but he swore to me that it was good, so I believed him.

“What?” Catalina snatches a spoon from the table and tries a bite from her sister’s cup. Her eyes widen, increasing my anxiety two-fold.

Shit. Thank God I didn’t tell anyone about me baking the dessert or else I would’ve never lived the embarrassment down. I only bake for Aiden and myself, so bringing a dessert to an event?

Nerve-racking to say the least.

Catalina shocks me by stealing another spoonful oftemblequefrom her sister’s cup before earning a slap on the wrist.

“Get your own,” Gabriela hisses.

Catalina takes a bite with a smile. “Damn. That’s so good.”

Aiden shoots me a look and mouths,I told you so.

Huh. Maybe there is hope for me in the kitchen after all, so long as I stick to baking.

“You’ve got to try this.” Catalina grabs my hand and pulls me toward the table. “It tastes exactly like my grandma’s recipe.”

My chest clenches at her statement. “I’ve heard.”

“You have?”

Gabriela pops her head out from behind my back. “Yeah. I told him about it when he asked if he could bring anything for theparranda.”

Catalina’s eyes bounce between me, her sister, and the table. “Did you…”

Aiden claps a hand on my shoulder. “Luke woke up at the crack of dawn to start making it.”

Catalina’s eyes widen. “You did?”

I resist the temptation to rub my neck, trying my best to ignore the prickling sensation. “Yeah.”

She shakes her head in disbelief. “I had no idea you baked.”

“I mess around sometimes.”

Aiden’s eyes roll. “Bymess around, he means obsessively practicing a recipe until he finally believes it’s good enough.”

“I’m going to assume that means you use a scale?” Catalina looks up at me.

I fake an outraged scoff. “Is that even a question?”

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