“Mo-om,” I groaned, finally looking at her. Her smile widened and I knew I was busted.Fuck!If I thought my mom’s calls were bad before,nowthey were going to be downright awful. She was going to want to know every little detail about Reyes, right down to his blood type and ring size.
“Forgive me for interrupting. I’ll just—"
I slipped a finger in the waistband of Rey’s pants when he tried to step away. “Oh, no, you don’t. Mom, this is Reyes. Rey… meet my mom, Katheryn.”
“Hola,”Rey said, giving me a playful “why didn’t you say anything”squeeze on the ass.
“Nice to meet you, Reyes.” I could have sworn her tone dropped a few degrees when she added, “You should have told me you were dating someone, Jake.”
I tried not to flinch at her accusation. Reyes and Iweren’tdating. Not really. But I didn’t have a better way to explain what we were doing either.
“We’re not,” I said in a dry tone. “We’re… it’s complicated.”
“I don’t care how complicated it is. If he’s good to you, you hold on to him, you hear? I’ve told you before, you deserve someone good. Besides, you know I want grandbabies someday. A hoard of them!”
I stared at her slack-jawed. Was she for real?
“What?” she pressed. “I’m not getting any younger, son. It’s time you find a man and start a family.”
“Mom, enough!”
Reyes chuckled and slipped an arm around my waist, kissing my cheek. “I think I’m going to have to disagree with you, Katheryn. Jake doesn’t deserve someonegood.He deserves the best.”
Mom cooed and said something I didn’t hear over the blood rushing in my ears. My attention had shifted entirely to Rey and the way his eyes were locked with mine.
He continued in much a softer voice, “Jake deserves someone who will love him with his whole heart, the way I know he will love them in return when he meets the right person.”
I coughed, suddenly nervous. “Hey, Mom, I’m going to finish dinner. Can I call you later?”
“Not yet! I want to get to know Reyes more.”
“Next time. Love you, Mom.”
She must have heard the finality in my voice because she sighed. “Fine. I love you too.Call me,though. Soon! It was lovely to meet you, Reyes.”
He flashed her a smile. “You, too, Mrs. Thompson.”
I set my phone on the counter and went to the fridge, needing an excuse to hide my face for a second. Rey’s words had completely rattled me. I wasn’t sure what to make of them. Did he really think that? And why was it so fucking difficult to breathe all of a sudden?
I took a deep breath, trying to shake off the unexpected emotions. “Sorry about that. You know how moms can be.”
Rey didn’t reply as he stirred the chili, though I doubted his brain was on overdrive like mine. A moment later, he stepped up beside me at the counter and reached for the onion. It was a deliberate move, since there wasn’t enough room for two grown-ass adults to work here.
“Would it be so bad?” he asked.
“What?”
“If we were dating.” He gave me that sexy, crooked smile when my eyes widened. “I saw the way you flinched when she said it.”
I groaned. “Rey!I meant nothing by that! My mom gets these ideas in her head and I just… I had to stop that train of thought before it left the station.”
I wished like hell I could read his expression. Everything about this conversation was making me uneasy, and I needed to know what he wanted me to say. Did Reyes want more? And if so, what the fuck was I going to do about it? I didn’t…couldn’tdate. Not with my career. Mom might not understand it, but I couldn’t put that kind of burden on anyone. It would be inviting them into a life of fear, knowing there was always a chance something could happen to me on the job. I just couldn’t do that to someone else, especially if we had kids.
Besides, Rey would be leaving soon. He’d said that much before. His job here was only temporary. So there simply was no future for Reyes and me.
“Tell me, Jake. Have youeverdated anyone?” he asked.
I barely contained a sigh. “Do we have to do this?”
