“Don’t Abuelita me, Nydia! You’re thirty-three, practically avieja, so it’s time you think about getting married.”
“She’s not an old woman,” Sandra and Isabel said in unison.
Nydia affected a graceful curtsey. “Thank you very much.”
The chiming of the doorbell echoed throughout the first story. “That must be my coworkers,” Sandra said. She covered the pot, wiped her hands on a dishcloth, and left the kitchen to answer the door.
Chapter 22
Lamar lay in bed, his head resting on folded arms, listening to the sound of sleet lashing the attic windows. He felt as if he’d become an unofficial member of Nydia’s family when the younger children were instructed by their parents to call him Uncle Lamar, a title with which he was more than familiar.
And he had to admit that the Santiago women were exceptional cooks. The presentation of the dishes lining two buffet servers were worthy of a photo shoot, and proved to be as delicious as appealing. Every morsel he’d put into his mouth exceeded his expectation, and he’d watched Kendra as she concentrated on eating rather than talking to Noemi or Brianna, both of whom had kept up a nonstop dialogue with each other. Conversations were conducted in English and in Spanish for the benefit of Kendra and Joaquin’s husband, who did not speak the language but had hired a Spanish-speaking nanny to care for their young sons.
Lamar sat up and flicked on the bedside lamp when he heard a soft tapping on the bedroom door. “Come in.” A smile tilted the corners of his mouth when Nydia poked her head through the slight opening.
“May I come in?”
“Of course you can.”
Lamar knew it was going to test whatever self-control he had left when interacting with Nydia for them to spend a week under the same roof and not be able to make love. She tiptoed across the carpet in a onesie and got into bed with him.
“Did you enjoy Christmas with the Santiagos?”
Draping an arm over Nydia’s shoulders, he pulled her closer. “Yes, I did, and I hope I’ll be invited back next year.”
Nydia glanced up at him. “Of course you’ll be invited back. Everyone loves you.”
“Does that include you, too?”
“Of course it does, Lamar. You claim to have a photographic memory, yet you forget that I’ve told you that I love you.”
He shook his head. “No, you haven’t.”
“I told you I love you the day we made love for the first time.”
“I think I remember now. Tell me again, sweets, because I never tire of hearing you say it.”
Nydia rested her hand over the one on her shoulder. “I love you, Lamar Pierce.”
Lamar buried his face in her hair, smiling when the floral-scented curls tickled his nose. “And I love you, Nydia Santiago.”
* * *
Nydia closed her eyes. She loved him and he loved her, and she knew sometime in the future their relationship needed to be resolved. Would they continue as lovers or commit to a future as husband and wife? And although she was more than fond of Kendra, Nydia’s intuition told her the girl did not want her to replace her mother.
She’d noticed the curious stares when Lamar’s presents were distributed and the tags read: “From Lamar, Nydia, and Kendra.” He’d given her parents tickets to next season’s New York Mets and Yankees subway series; her nephews were the recipients of gift cards to Game Stop; her nieces were overcome with emotion when they received gift cards for an Apple product of their choice. Sandra and Nelson also received gift cards, while her grandmother was overjoyed with her luxurious cashmere throw. Joaquin and his husband were the recipients of an exquisite Baccarat vase. Kendra was nearly overcome with emotion when she opened a small box and discovered a pair of diamond stud earrings from Nydia and Lamar. The young girl had been dropping hints that she wanted her ears pierced like many of the girls, and a few boys, at her school.
Nydia had noticed everyone watching her and Lamar when they exchanged gifts. He’d given her a pink gold Cartier bracelet, and she’d presented him with a Montblanc Meisterstück fountain pen, engraved with “L. A. Pierce.” “I think you spent too much money on gifts for everyone,” she said.
“Are you monitoring my checkbook?”
Nydia went completely still for several seconds before relaxing again. She heard the censure in Lamar’s voice. “No, I’m not. But—”
“But nothing,” he said, cutting her off. “Valerie and I never argued about money, and I don’t intend to begin with you.”
Nydia recoiled as if struck across the face. She did not want to believe he’d compared her to his dead wife. She pulled out of his embrace, swung her legs over the side of the bed, and stood. “You’re right, Lamar. Please forgive me for broaching the topic. Good night.”
Lamar scrambled out of the bed, his hand going around her upper arm and stopping her retreat. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
