“I lied, but in my defense, your mom helped.”
Her mouth gaped. “My mom knew?”
“And Felicity. It was their idea, but as soon as they mentioned it, I was all in.”
She laughed and cried at the same time. “I’m so happy you’re here.”
I kissed her again. A second quick brush of lips because the baby was between us, but it was enough. Enough to ground me.
“I couldn’t imagine spending Thanksgiving without you,” I said against her mouth.
“I actually thought about surprising you. How crazy would that have been? Me there. You here.”
The baby made a noise, and Saffron looked down at her with so much tenderness on her face it made my throat close.
“She’s beautiful,” I said.
“She really is.” Saffron glanced up at me. “Want to hold her?”
“I— Yeah. Okay.”
She transferred the tiny human into my arms, and I held my breath as I adjusted my grip. I’d held plenty of babies over the years—my nieces and nephews, friends’ kids—but this was Saffron’s niece.Herfamily. And the way she was watching me, the tenderness and vulnerability in her expression, made my heart swell.
“Hey there,pequeña,” I murmured, gazing down at the little face. “I’m yourTíoSnapper.”
I looked up at Saffron, who had tears in her eyes. “I love that.”
I raised a brow. “Not too soon?”
She smiled. “It wasn’t too soon for your niece to call meTía.”
Downstairs,Wagner greeted me. We’d known each other for years—he was a good guy who made Felicity happy, which was all that mattered.
Lucas was the one who made me nervous. He came out of the kitchen, drying his hands on a dish towel, and when he saw me, his brow shot up.
“About time you showed up,” he said. “Diana’s been a nervous wreck.”
We shook hands, the grip firm and familiar. Our families were intertwined—holidays, harvests, celebrations. But he was studying me differently now. Not as just another Avila kid, but as the man dating his daughter.
Diana appeared and herded everyone into the living room, insisting we all sit down and catch up. Wagner gave us the latestupdate on Beatrice. The surgery had gone perfectly, and the doctors were thrilled with her progress.
Felicity came down from upstairs, appearing tired but happy. “Thanks for coming. She’s been moping.”
“I have not been moping!” Saffron’s face flushed.
“You’ve checked your phone approximately eight thousand times—a day.”
Everyone laughed, and just like that, the tension eased. This was family. This was what I’d grown up with—the easy back-and-forth, the teasing, the comfortable way people who loved each other existed in the same space.
Except now I was here as Saffron’sboyfriend, not just a family friend.
Conversations about how the harvests had gone flowed easily, as did stories about Beatrice, who had both her parents wrapped around her tiny finger already.
“You sticking around Paso or heading back to the circuit?” Lucas asked at one point.
“Staying. Done with rodeo.”
His eyebrows went up. “That’s new.”
