Page 62 of Seductive Desires

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Apparently my motherwas a popular person. Carmen’s house was crowded by the time we arrived. People approached me from all sides, telling me how much I looked like my mother and how happy they were to see me. I was a little overwhelmed until Mateo put his hands on my shoulders. I rested against him, soaking in his support as I tried to memorize everyone’s names. Once Carmen introduced Mateo as my fiancé, he was dragged into the center of attention with me. We were grilled on all sides until Carmen announced food was ready.

Mateo leaned against me heavily, feigning exhaustion. “I do not think I have been interrogated this much in all my life. And I have been interrogated many times.”

I rolled my eyes at him. He kept his voice low so no one else could hear him but it still made me a little nervous to talk about his work. I promised myself I’d ask a lot of questions once we were alone. Jo and Gabi once mentioned that it was the fear of the unknown that made them hesitate more than what the guys actually did. I planned on following their lead. Mateo was an open book with me anyway, so I didn't feel worried about asking him.

There was enough food at the party to feed several armies. Anything you could think of was squeezed onto a long table on the patio. Tacos with every known filling, tamales, beans, rice. If you thought it, it was probably there. I wanted a little of everything because it all smelled so good. Mateo’s plate was piled high. Carmen kept adding more when he wasn’t looking. I would have told him if he wasn’t decimating everything she put in front of him. He said he missed his mother’s cooking and it reminded him of home. I don’t know where he put it all, he wasn’t huge like Dmitriy. He must have hollow legs or something.

After dinner came dancing. It took two shots of tequila to get me out on the dance floor. I was passed around to different family members, all taking their turns telling me about their memories of my mother while they spun me around. With all the love they had for her, I felt like she was there, smiling as she watched me.

Mateo was passed around too, though Carmen seemed to monopolize him. I thought she was still interrogating him but evidently one of the younger women tried to grab his butt so she rescued him and kept him close until I could join him again. After I was back in his arms, he held tight to me and refused to let go. I didn’t mind. As much as I liked dancing with my family, I was getting a little dizzy.

Amari showed up a little after sunset. I saw her standing outside when I went to use the restroom and dragged her into the party. I introduced her to Carmen as my friend and she was immediately fed and fawned over like she was family. She looked a little stunned and stuck close to me and Mateo, but I caught her smiling more than once. I was relieved, the last party we were all at together, she was not happy to be there.

While Mateo and Amari chatted, Carmen snagged my hand and dragged me inside. “I have something for you, mija.”

I followed her, not noticing until she sat me down on the couch that half the party trailed after us. Even Mateo and Amari joined, hovering in the corner. Carmen handed me a large photo book.

“You told me you did not have many pictures of your mamá. So when I called everyone to invite them to the party, I asked them to bring some for you and we put them in here. Now you have many to look at whenever you miss her.”

My jaw dropped as I turned the book over in my lap. The cover was navy blue, my mom’s favorite color. When I flipped it open, I was bombarded with pictures of my mom and her friends. She was always smiling, always happy. There were even a few of me as a baby and a little girl. Eventually, the photos blurred as I was unable to fight back tears any longer. I hugged the book to my chest, sobbing.

The couch shifted as people sat down next to me. Mateo’s warmth enveloped me as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders. Carmen petted my hair, cooing a little poem in spanish that my mom used to say to me when I was little.

“Thank you. This means more to me than anything.”

“We are your family, mija. Whenever you come to visit, we will tell you more stories about your mamá. We loved her as we love you.”

I gave her a watery smile. “Is Christmas too soon?”

* * *

Mateo basically hadto drag me from the house. It was the middle of the night. Mexican parties last forever apparently. I clung to the photo book, leaning against him. Amari followed beside us, yawning.

“I’m sorry for keeping you out so late. You had to travel a long way.”

She shook her head, shooting a glare at Mateo. “I’m fine. I’m just glad you told me where to find you.”

Mateo refused to make eye contact, his focus on the road ahead. “I told you, I don’t need a babysitter.”

She growled at him. “No, what you need is a fucking leash.”

I snickered and he pinched my side. Elbowing him, I agreed with her. “Maybe a tracking chip or something. Something he can’t remove so easily.”

She grinned at me. “I like it.”

He scowled. “Great. Now you two are going to team up against me.”

I just shrugged. “Stop giving us reasons to team up then.”

Mateo ended up giving Amari the key to his room since she hadn’t gotten a place of her own yet. We stopped there long enough to pick up his things before waving goodbye and heading to our little bungalow. His room may be a fancy suite, but I maintained mine was better. His room didn’t have its own pool.

Mateo let me pack the photo book in his bag since my carry on was so small. I fretted about it but he promised to buy another carry-on for himself so we could keep it with us when we went back to Chicago in a few days.

He dropped onto the bed, throwing his arm over his eyes. “Mama Carmen’s parties are wild. I am stuffed.”

I giggled, crawling into bed beside him. “She was sneaking more food onto your plate when you weren’t looking.”

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