Page 5 of Dina's Favorite Mistake

“Ama says I can’t go to the party!” Camila put on her best show of tears. “She says I have to clean my room and do laundry!”

“Enedina?” Her mother glanced at her with concern.

“Look at this mess!” Dina gestured around the cluttered room. “It needs to be cleaned. Her laundry needs to be washed and dried and folded and hung up.”

“But I don’t know how!” Camila wailed pathetically. “Why am I being punished for something I never learned?”

Soila shifted Jasper to her other hip. She seemed torn between babying her granddaughter and supporting her daughter. “Dina, she’s right. She’s like this because you let her get away with everything.”

“I let her get away with everything?” Dina couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She stared at the woman who always shielded Camila from responsibility and consequence. “Are you serious, Mama?”

Soila pursed her lips. “We’ll talk about this later. Guests are starting to arrive for Jasper’s party.” She glanced at Camila. “I think that’s enough makeup for today,mija. You’re so beautiful. You don’t need all of that.”

Dina finally noticed all the makeup on her daughter’s vanity. “Is that...? Did you take this from my bedroom?” She crossed the floor and snatched up the pilfered tubes and palettes. Dior, Chanel, YSL—Camila had collected the very best from her mother’s vanity.

“I was just borrowing it!”

“Borrowing requires you to ask first.” Dina grabbed the jar of La Prairie from the vanity. “You don’t need this either! You’re fourteen! You can stick to Bissu.”

“Do you want me to break out? To get clogged pores? That’s what happens when I use that cheap garbage!”

“Then I guess you better get a job so you can afford the good stuff!” Dina shot back before stomping out of the room with her armful of makeup and beauty creams. Behind her, Camila sobbed for attention, and she was certain her mother was only too happy to give her the coddling she wanted.

As she returned her things to their empty spots at her vanity, Dina caught her reflection in the mirror.Where did I go so wrong?

She’d tried to be a good mother to Camila, to always put her first and to make sure she had a stable, happy, loving environment. But somewhere along the way, she had been too indulgent. Maybe she shouldn’t have always dropped everything the moment Camila needed something.

I’ve spoiled her.

I’ve ruined her.

“You okay, Dina?” Sky, her new sister-in-law, cautiously asked from the open doorway of the bedroom. She always looked effortlessly beautiful, but today, she practically glowed. Her blonde hair fell around her shoulders in loose waves, and her makeup was barely there. She’d chosen a cheetah print shirt dress and brown leather sandals to fit with the zoo-themed party. “I came to get Jasper and heard the yelling.”

“I’m fine.” Dina waved off Sky’s concern. “Just mother-daughter things.” Knowing that it would be only a few blinks of an eye before Jasper was a teenager, she warned, “You’ll find out soon enough.”

“Oh, gosh.” Sky grimaced. “I’ve barely got a handle on teething and ear aches!”

Remembering how difficult those early years of parenthood could be, Dina smiled reassuringly. “You’re doing an incredible job, Sky. I’m sure don’t hear that enough, but you are.”

Sky shyly nodded. “Thank you. I appreciate that.”

“We’re lucky to have you in our family.” Dina closed the distance between them and gently rubbed her sister-in-law's shoulder. “You’ve been such a source of strength for us and especially for Rafael. I don’t know that he would have gotten through that gunshot and then the infection without you.”

“He would have,” Sky said. “He loves his family too much to give up without a fight.”

“He loves you more than anything.” Dina had watched the transformation in her oldest brother with interest. He had stepped into the role of father without complaint and was now stepping back from the role of CEO to focus on Sky and Jasper. “You’ve been so good for him.”

“He’s been ever better for me.” Sky had a faraway look on her face. “He makes me feel safe, like I finally belong somewhere.”

“You do.” Dina hugged her. “You’re part of our family now.”

Just down the hall, a door slammed and Camila shouted some nonsense that echoed off the vaulted ceilings.

Dina sighed. “Our very loud, chaotic family.”

Together, the two women laughed and made their way downstairs. It wasn’t a quick walk across the mansion that had housed generations of the Farias family. Dina’s ancestors had settled in the area in the early 1600s. Over hundreds of years, the family had built a sprawling estate centered around a grand mansion in the Spanish colonial style. Parts of the house had been razed, rebuilt and renovated. Others remained almost exactly as they had since the earliest days with only minor updates.

Growing up, Dina had always felt like a princess in a fairytale castle. She had servants and the prettiest clothes and jewelry boxes filled with gold and pearls and anything else she wanted. She had been spoiled and pampered and shielded from the harsh realities of life.

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