His eyes got big. “Really?”
“Really,” I replied.
“Uncle Zach?” Cody’s voice came from behind Miguel.
Miguel looked panicked. He spun around and said, “Hey, little man. Did you have a good nap?”
Cody ignored Miguel’s question and pointed at me. “Uncle Zach looks like you.”
I reached down and picked up my nephew. “Miguel helped me put this on. What do you think?”
Cody looked at me and then back at Miguel. He touched my face. “Nice.” He smiled at Miguel. “Pretty.”
Miguel threw his head back and laughed. “I told you I was cuter.”
I couldn’t help but join him. “You sure are.” There was an unfamiliar warmth in my chest when I thought about Miguel. I wasn’t sure what to make of it.
CHAPTERTWELVE
MIGUEL
Albert stared at me with his mouth open. “No way!” A few people in the restaurant in Moonlight Inn turned to stare at my best friend.
“Way,” I said more quietly. I pulled out my phone and opened the photo gallery. “He let me take a picture and everything.” I turned my phone to show him.
Albert took the phone from me. He examined the picture up close. “Nice job on the makeup,” he said. “He looks good. Different. But good.” Albert handed the phone back to me. “I don’t see him wearing that every day though.”
I shook my head. “No. It’s not his thing. It was enough that he asked me to do it in the first place.”
“Why did you wait a whole week to tell me about it?” Albert asked.
He made it sound lighthearted, but I could tell he was hurt that I’d kept this from him. “I was going to call you on Monday, but then I started getting calls from my relatives about going to my mother’s for Easter, and I forgot about it.”
Albert’s brows pulled together in anger. “For all the shit they give you about your makeup and you being gay, you would think they’d be happy you weren’t going to be there.”
“You know that’s not how it works,” I said. “They want me to comply ‘for the good of the family.’” I made air quotes. “Because what I want doesn’t matter as much as what Macho Man Carlos wants.”
“But he’s only related to you all by marriage. Why does his opinion matter more?”
A server came to the table and said with a smile, “Hey, Miguel. What can I get you?” She noted the two extra chairs. “Are you waiting for someone?”
“Hey, Lisa, we’re waiting for Mr. O’Neil and Caitlin. May I have a glass of the house white wine, please?”
“And I’ll take a glass of the red,” Albert added.
After Lisa left, I answered Albert’s question. “Because Carlos gave my parents grandchildren. Something I can’t do since I’m gay.”
Albert tilted his head. “Um, there’s such a thing as adoption. And surrogacy.”
I made a mock dismissive gesture. “You with your logic. It only counts if it’s done the heteronormative way.”
Albert sighed. “I’m sorry they’re being such assholes. Have you talked to your cousin, Raphael, about it?”
I shook my head. “I don’t want to bother him. He doesn’t usually come to our Easter dinner anyway. He spends it with his parents. Now that he’s married, he probably has to split his time between his parents and Evan’s parents.”
“Well, you know you’re always welcome at my mom’s house,” he said.
I smiled. “I know. I was going to ask you, but Zach overheard my conversation with my mother and invited me to spend it with him.” I felt a blush rise to my cheeks. “He looked so nervous about asking, I couldn’t say no.”
