Navigating the immigration system felt nearly impossible at times, but Ofelia and her husband sponsored me, making it easy for me to come up. I was made to feel like a welcome part of the family. We still chat regularly, and I could not be more grateful for how we have always gotten along.
A few minutes after my son’s arrival, Trip and Sam walk through the door. Sam is holding my favorite Argentinian wine.
“How did you know?” I grab the wine from him, examining the label before giving him a hug.
“Sparrow, of course.” Sam smiles, and the barely-there scar puckers the skin of his cheek ever so slightly. Something about the asymmetry makes him even more beautiful than he already is. “I'm glad you like it.”
We work together and set places at the huge dining room table, and along with a huge spread of beautifully prepared vegetables and a large salad, my son-in-law provides something new from his company’s vegan food line. Sparrow and I share the same plant-focused-but-not-exclusive diet, and it's fun to dabble when Luke brings something new to the table.
With good food and wine, the conversation flows easily, and most of the awkwardness with Colt seems to disappear.
Luke brings out decks of cards for everyone, including a gaucho deck for me, which I find incredibly thoughtful. We play a couple of rounds of a really fast game calledPounce, and it's a lot of fun.
Colt seems to have gotten into the swing of things and is having an especially good time. “Stop moving so fast! I can't see what I need to do next!” His laughter fills the space.
“Too bad you're so slow,” Abel says, putting the queen of hearts down in the middle. I glance at my hand and, damn, I have the queen of hearts that I needed to move.
“You beat me,” I say, holding up the card.
“Hoo, that’s no way to impress the new boss,” Wick says, sliding the three of clubs out in the middle just under Sebastián’s card.
Abel looks at me, his brow raised. “No fucking way I'm letting you win. Just putting that out there.”
I laugh. “Fair enough.”
Colt slides something over from the deck in front of him, then yells, “Pounce!” He jumps up and wiggles his ass, a little off rhythm. It’s adorable and entirely hilarious.
“Gringo has skills,” my son says, smirking. Luke giggles, then whistles at his best friend.
I look around the table and love that everyone is smiling, lit up from within and just enjoying each other’s company.
Yes, this will all work out just fine.
True to their word, they shut down everything at nine o'clock since we’ve got an early morning and plenty to do. I initially thought of this as a way to be closer to my son and, business-wise, a lateral move. I’m starting to realize that I just leveled up in a big way.
I follow the guys upstairs, and Colt and Abel go to their rooms, leaving Warwick to walk me to mine. I open my door, and he leans against the frame.
“You had a good time, right?” he asks.
“I really did. You have something special here.”
“Glad you noticed,” he says, smiling softly at me. “Wereally do.”
Dios mio.I give him a stiff smile and turn to walk past him.
He runs his teeth over his lower lip, making it a plump and slick red. “You going to sleep right away?”
He inclines his head toward my room as if to invite himself inside.
It's a subtle move, but I know what he’s asking. He definitely knows that I know what he's asking. Having seen some of the potential for drama earlier in the day, I shake my head.
“Good night, Warwick.”
He stands up straight and sticks his hands in his pockets, disappointment ticking his jaw. “You got it, boss.”
Quietly he makes his way into his room, and I make my way into mine. Closing the door, I lean back against it and let out a long gust of air.
Warwick is going to be a problem.
