“I’m flattered you’d think about canceling for me, but you’d feel awful about it and I wouldn’t let you do that. Family is very important and I know how close you are to yours. I’d never ask you to do that.”
“I know you wouldn’t, and I’d feel terrible, you’re right. Should we go before I have a second to change my mind? Because if you kiss me like that again, I might have to rearrange my priorities.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes. Oh, wait! I almost forgot the cookies!” She ran back inside before I had the chance to ask any questions.
She came back with a huge tub filled with cookies. She looked at me with a slight blush and held it out. “I got them! Ready to go?”
I looked at them and frowned, confused. “You made cookies? When? And why?”
She shrugged. “Last night. I didn’t want to show up empty handed.” She gasped. “Shit. Does anyone in your family have a peanut allergy? I’m so stupid I should’ve asked!”
“Baby, calm down. You didn’t have to do anything. But no, no one has a peanut allergy. What kind of cookies are they?”
“They are peanut butter blossoms. They have a Hershey’s kiss in the middle.”
“Did you call my abuela?”
“What? No, why?”
“Because, princesa, those are my favorite cookies. You made them last night? There’s like dozens in there.”
She shrugged. “Well thanks for telling me your favorite cookie! Now I know how to win your heart.”
“Oh, baby, you already have it. Don’t you know?” I winked. “But seriously, you didn’t have to do this. That was very sweet of you.”
“I know, but I didn’t want to show up empty handed.”
The field was only thirty minutes from Cara’s house. We were almost there, and I kept noticing her fidgeting with her shirt. The closer we got, the more she fidgeted, and I didn’t like it.
“You’re fidgeting, princesa. Are you nervous?” I put my hand on her leg and it instantly stopped bouncing.
She looked at me and took her bottom lip in her mouth. “A little. That’s why I made the cookies last night.”
“What do you mean?”
“God, it’s so embarrassing! Only a few people know this, but when I’m nervous or anxious about something, I bake. It calms me and distracts me from what I’m scared of. Last night, I made these cookies because of today.”
“Today? Why are you nervous for today? It’s just a soccer game.”
“It’s not just a game, V. I’m meeting your family. I want them to like me. Am I the first?—”
“White woman I’ve brought home? No, but you are the first woman I’ve been serious about. My family doesn’t care who I’m with, as long as they treat me right and I’m happy.”
“Are you?” she asked, worry coating her question.
That was the easiest question I’d ever been asked. I laced our fingers together and kissed her knuckles. “Si, princesa. I’ve never been happier.”
Her smile was so bright. “Good. For the record, I am too. Happier than I’ve been in a long time.” I didn’t need to hear the words to know that was true. That smile told me all I needed to know.
“Thank you for sharing that with me. It means a lot to me that you trust me with something personal.”
“I do trust you, Vera.”
We pulled into the packed soccer field, games already starting. We’d hit a small patch of traffic on the way in, but Lia’s game wasn’t set to start for another ten minutes.
I rounded the truck to pull open Cara’s door before she had a chance to take her seatbelt off. I smiled when she just looked at me, accepting my outstretched hand.
I grabbed our chairs from the back and the cooler. I’d packed drinks for us, my brothers, cousins, and juice pouches for the kids. There was always a parent who volunteered to bring snacks and drinks for the team, but I usually offered to help out as well.
