“Tía, tía!” Lia came barreling into me when we got closer to her field. She was ten years old and she was just like her father.
“V, you made it!” Miguel said, bringing me in for a hug.
“Daddy! Tía came to watch me play! I’m going to win now!”
“Si, mija. She came to wish you luck, but you don’t need it, huh?”
Lia shook her head. “Nope! I don’t need luck, I have skill! Tía, Who’s your friend?”
“Lia, this is my girlfriend, Cara. Cara, this is my niece, Lia.”
Lia looked at Cara with wide eyes, who was smiling at her, but cautiously. We’d never discussed using that word, and I was nervous on how she would react. So far, she hadn’t given any indication that it bothered her.
“Girlfriend? Wow! It’s nice to meet you, Cara. Thank you for being my tía’s girlfriend. Are you going to marry her?”
“Woah, Lia. Shouldn't you be getting ready for your game? You can’t win if you're talking to us, can you?”
She gasped. “No, I can’t! Bye!!” She turned around and took off towards her team and I let out a long breath.
After what felt like hours, I risked a glance at Cara. That marriage comment had to have scared her off. It was way too soon to be using that word. Even I knew that. But her expression didn’t betray what she was thinking. She had a soft smile on her face and watched Lia sprinting off to her team.
“She’s adorable. And you must be Miguel. Vera’s told me so much about you. It’s nice to finally meet you.”
For a moment, my brother just looked at her without saying a word. No expressions on his face to tell me his thoughts. Not a smile in sight. Just staring.
To my surprise, Cara didn’t seem phased by his pause, only continued to hold her hand out, waiting for him to take it.
Finally, he shook her hand, a little too firmly that I felt wasn’t totally necessary. What was that about?
“Si, I am. So, you’re the one who’s been taking up all of our sister’s time and thoughts. When we’re at the gym, it’s like she’s not even there. When we’re at dinner, the conversation is all about you. You must be pretty special.”
Cara smiled and stood up straighter, probably a little proud about my brother’s embarrassing admission. “I’d like to think so, but I don’t mean to be a distraction. I can assure you, I have no control over Vera.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that. She is definitely whip?—”
“Okay, you two have met enough. Let’s find our seats. Where’s everyone else?”
Cara looked at me with a raised eyebrow and a smirk. I wanted to die. Why would my brother say that? I was not whipped by any means. Just because I’d give her anything shewanted and I’d do whatever she asked without question didn’t mean I was whipped. I liked her. So what?
My brother was still eyeing her but didn’t say anything more as we headed to the benches where the rest of my family sat.
Besides Miguel and Lia, Estephan and his wife, Teresa, Luis, as well as two of my cousins, Maria and Camilla were there. Estephan had one daughter, Mila, who was also on Lia’s team, but she was out sick. Luis had two girls who weren’t on the team.
I introduced Cara to the rest of my family, who seemed to be a lot nicer, introducing themselves and hugging her like she was already part of the family. Maybe because they weren’t as protective as my Miguel.
We’d made it just in time because not ten minutes after we sat down, the game looked as if it were starting. The entire family yelled for Lia and wished her good luck, probably embarrassing her, but what else was family for?
A few minutes after the game started and the girls were running back and forth with the ball, I felt Cara’s hand in mine. I looked at her and raised an eyebrow.
I honestly didn’t think she would’ve touched me at all in front of my family. It wasn’t like they could really see anything, anyway, but even if they could’ve I wouldn’t have cared. We were dating and we weren’t doing anything inappropriate.
“Is this okay?” Cara was looking nervously at our joined hands.
“Si, princesa. It’s more than okay. We’re adults. It’s not like I’m taking you behind the goal. Which now that I’ve mentioned it…” I winked, loving the blush my comment provided.
“Don’t even think about it, Vera.”
“So, Cara, you're a publisher? What’s that like?” Miguel asked, but something in his tone didn’t sound genuine.
