He jumped up and down, clapping. “Diego! Yay!”
I heard Diego’s excited chatter all the way up the stairs and down the hallway. Miguel was first through the door, carrying his nephew. He held the door open for Isabella, who had Sofia on her hip. His parents followed close behind.
I blinked when I saw his father. It was like seeing a middle-aged, bearded version of Miguel. His father’s dark hair was liberally sprinkled with gray, and his closely trimmed beard was almost entirely gray. But he held himself with the same poise I always saw in Miguel.
Miguel’s mother was a beautiful woman. Her thick, black hair, shot with strands of silver, hung just below her shoulders and framed her face perfectly. She carried herself with such grace that it mademestand up straighter. No wonder Miguel was always so put together. How could he not be?
Miguel set Diego down, and he immediately ran for Cody. The boys hugged each other with great enthusiasm, and then Cody dragged Diego into the living room to watchEncanto…from the beginning. I hurried into the room to help Cody before he could get frustrated because he didn’t actually know how to do that yet.
When I returned to the kitchen, Miguel threaded his arm through mine. “Mama. Papa. This is my boyfriend, Zach Kelley. Zach, these are my parents, Josefina and Eduardo.”
I held out my hand and said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Ramirez.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Zach,” Mr. Ramirez replied, shaking my hand. “Miguel told us you met working at the hotel.”
“Yes. I work as a bartender on Saturdays. The rest of the week, I’m a mechanic at a Harley Davidson shop.”
“Zach is also a staff sergeant in the Army National Guard,” Miguel added.
“My goodness,” his mother said as she took my hand in hers. “You’re a very busy man.” She tilted her head to look into the living room. “And who is that delightful little boy?”
I smiled. “That’s my nephew, Cody. I’m watching him for my sister tonight.”
Isabella came over to us. “Sofia is asleep,” she said quietly. “Is there somewhere I can lay her down?”
“You can put her on our bed,” Miguel said. He glanced at me and blushed. “I mean, my bed. We’ll leave the door open so we can hear her if she cries.”
I put my arm around his shoulders and leaned over to say in his ear, “I’m okay with calling it our room.” Miguel’s smile was radiant. I kissed his cheek and went to get dinner out of the oven.
While Miguel showed his sister to our bedroom, I said, “Please sit. Miguel brought home a whole meal from the hotel restaurant.”
“It smells delicious,” Josefina said. “What is it?”
“Pan-seared chicken breast in a mushroom sauce with mushroom risotto,” Miguel said as he walked back into the room. “We have sides of grilled asparagus and garlic mashed potatoes.” He went to the freezer to get the wine. “And pinot grigio to go with it.”
“Don’t forget the chocolate mousse for dessert,” I added.
Isabella rubbed her hands together. “Let’s skip dinner and go right to dessert.”
I sat down and Miguel took the seat next to mine. I leaned over and took his hand under the table. “How are you holding up?” I asked quietly.
“So far, so good,” he replied with a squeeze of my hand.
CHAPTERTHIRTY-EIGHT
MIGUEL
My parents were on their best behavior. It was freaking me out. I’d fully expected my mother to wrinkle her nose at learning Zach was a mechanic. But nada. She was charming and delightful. I was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
We talked about my job and Zach’s three jobs. My father was super interested in what Zach did with the National Guard. My mother asked him if he had a motorcycle, and he showed her a picture of the one he was considering buying. I looked over at Isabella, who seemed just as mystified as I was.
When we finished dinner, everyone got up to help clear the table. I brought out the mousse and the small container of whipped cream Joanna had given me. I spooned the mousse into small bowls for the adults and set the container of whipped cream on the table. Zach dished out ice cream for Cody and Diego. Sofia was still fast asleep.
I saw Isabella and my mother exchange a look, and I sighed. The time had come. I knew I had to talk to them, but I really didn’t want to. Isabella came over to Zach and said something quietly in his ear. He frowned and looked over at me. Leaning close, he asked quietly, “Are you okay with me going into the living room? I can stay if you want.”
I kissed his cheek. He was so sweet and protective. “I’ll be fine. You’re not far if I need you.”
“Okay.” His gaze fell on my parents. “But you call if you need me.” He kissed me and then rose, taking his bowl of chocolate mousse with him. Isabella took the ice cream for the boys with her and asked Zach to carry in her bowl of mousse.
