“I will,” I confirm with a victorious smirk.
Lex turns to MC, offering her a wince. “I’m sorry, Maria, but nothing can beat the freckles.”
She mumbles something in Spanish I can barely make out, acting defeated, and leaves us alone again in the kitchen. I pause the scrubbing of the pan to extend my lips toward my man, who quickly grants me a sideways kiss.
I bathe in this happy moment, elated that things are going so well with my parents. And I love that we’re spending our first Christmas together in a couple of days. The first of many.
At least fifty, from what we just agreed on.
Chapter 34
Something slams into the wall, waking me up with a startle. Grumbling with disapproval, I seek Lex in the bed—which I shouldn’t even have to, given how small my old bed is. But he isn’t there, so I let out another disappointed mumble. The slam happens again, and I realize it’s Rafael playing basketball outside. The backboard is right against my bedroom wall, and this isn’t the first time he’s woken me up like this. Ugh, what time is it?
For the past two nights, I haven’t slept well. It’s hard to when your boyfriend coyly turns you on as you’re trying to fall asleep. He still doesn’t understand why I won’t have sex while we’re here, and I suspect it’s because he isn’t used to cheap construction and thin walls. But I didn’t give in, which I’m proud of, even though falling asleep took me a while.
Yesterday was flawless. Lex had a few chess games with my dad, which the latter won, somehow. It’s very uncharacteristic of Lex to let him win, so it betrays how much he wants my family to accept him and needs this to go well. In the afternoon, I went shopping with my mom and abuela to get everything we’ll need for Christmas dinner while the men handled a firewood delivery. Then we all watchedDie Hardin the evening while eating takeout Chinese food—a true Walker tradition. Because of the lack of room, I was plastered onto Lex the whole time, which was fantastic.
When the ball slams against the wall again, I push the covers down with a curse. That asshole knows exactly where my room is, so he’s aware of what he’s doing.
I get up, slip on an oversized plush hoodie and warm pants, and go downstairs. I find my mom and abuela at the kitchen table, playing a game of Spanish Scrabble, and use the fact that I’m there to pourmyself a mug of tea. Something smells delicious, and when I look into the oven, I see a batch of cookies in there.
Then I exit through the back door, ready to scold my brother for his lack of consideration for my beauty sleep. As I reach him, though, I realize he isn’t the only one to blame. Lex is right there with him, wearing a very tight, black, long-sleeved crewneck, and loose jogging pants of the same color. Gosh, this would work a lot better to get me to cave in than “accidentally” rubbing his cock onto my ass in bed.
They stop when they see me, and Lex comes to give me the first kiss of the day.
“You look revolting. What happened to you?” Rafael asks with a grimace.
“Why are you even here? Don’t you have a house?” I don’t bother signing since he can easily read my lips.
“I should have stayed there because that’s not a good sight.”
After squinting at him, I turn to Lex. “Defend my honor and annihilate him, baby.”
“Will do.”
I sit on the cold curb to watch their match. Lex is slightly taller and clearly broader than Rafa, but their talent at basketball is about the same, with a slight advantage to my brother. He’s a little quicker, and his sleight of hand fools Lex a couple of times. Rafa is a fantastic dribbler.
I’ve been there for about ten minutes when my mom joins us, holding a plate of freshly baked cookies.
“This is my best recipe,” my mom proudly says as Lex takes one after Rafa.
I absolutely do not expect Lex to answer with, “Andrea once told me those are why her body looks like it does, so you get my most heartfelt thank you for them, Isabella.”
I go crimson while my mom giggles and says, “What a charmer you are, Alexander…”
“You’re unbelievable,” I scold him once she’s gone.
“What those did to your ass is what’s unbelievable,” he counters with a wink, biting into his warm cookie.
Who the hell is this man?! I didn’t even know he could wink!
Although I expected this trip to go well, I don’t think I foresaw how quickly Lex would feel comfortable around my folks. Maybe it’s my influence, or maybe it’s how thoroughly welcomed into this family he feels. But seeing him get along so well with everyone warms my heart. They’re all fond of him, from my brother to my abuela—whom I’m pretty sure is crushing hard on Lex. The woman’s a lot like me, so that was bound to happen.
Once my tea is finished, I return inside to prepare for the day. That’s what I’m doing when someone knocks on my door. It’s MC holding a small blue box.
“Nieta, I bought those yesterday,” she explains in Spanish, showing me what I now see is a box of Mack’s earplugs. “If you and your man ever want to get frisky, knock three times on the wall, and I’ll whip those out.”
A little incredulous, I protest with, “We aren’t animals, you know. We can spend five days withoutgetting frisky.”
