Vinnie smiles nervously, and it’s totally adorable.“You’re very beautiful yourself, Mrs.Hernandez.”
She slides her hands down his thick neck to his shoulders.“Solid frame.Good genes.You’ll make wonderful grandchildren.”
Vinnie stiffens.“I don’t think we’re ready to have children yet,” he tells her, letting her feel him up like she’s buying livestock.
“I didn’t plan to have Luis when I did either.Accidents happen, handsome.”
I bite my lip to stop myself from laughing because I’m pretty sure Vinnie’s going to be running for the hills by the time this evening is over.I haven’t met his family, but they can’t be as crazy as mine.
“My daughter will not have a child out of wedlock,” my papa adds, still thinking of me as his virginal daughter, even though my books are as dirty as they come.
My mother eyes my father.“I remember my father saying the same words to you.”She smirks and finally releases her hold on Vinnie.
“I made an honest woman out of you, Luciana,” my father says as he pulls my mother into his arms and presses his lips against hers.
So far, this evening is going exactly how I planned.My parents like Vinnie, and my brothers don’t.But one thing’s for sure; I’m no longer the lonely girl in their eyes, destined to be single forever.
“Your grandmother is waiting for you, Bianca,” Mama says, glancing toward a table near the dance floor.“She’s excited to meet Vinnie.”
“Okay,” I say with trepidation because my grandmother is like a human lie detector.If she doesn’t give her blessing, we are doomed.“We’ll be back.”
“Should I be worried?”Vinnie asks as we make our way down the staircase.
“Put on your game face, Gallo.My grandmother is a tough one, and she’ll see through any lie.”
“What’s to lie about, baby?”
He keeps calling me that, and I do nothing to correct him.Every romance novel I read where the man repeatedly calls the woman baby has me rolling my eyes so hard, I almost make myself dizzy.But for some reason, when he calls me baby, it makes my insides all warm and my belly flutter uncontrollably.
I stop on the bottom step and turn to face him.“If she doesn’t think we’re in love, she’ll never give her blessing.She has a weird sixth sense about these types of things.”
“I got you,” he says with absolutely no hesitation.
I have no doubt he very much has me, and that’s not something that’s easy for me to admit.
