Page 76 of Tastes Like Summer

My jaw drops in disbelief. “How could you not tell me?”

Michael shakes his head, speechless.

“That’s highly inappropriate of you, Diana. I mean, have you no consideration for our daughters? You’re sleeping around with this man I haven’t even met while the girls are under the same roof?”

Shame crashes over me like a tidal wave, skin flushed in embarrassment and disappointment because, my god, what was I thinking? As much as I hate to admit it, Rodrigo is right. My actions were inappropriate and disrespectful, even if I thought the girls were in the dark. And now to find out that Cami knew all along…

“Hey,” Michael’s sharp voice breaks through my shame spiral. “Don’t talk to her like that.”

I lean into Michael a bit, needing the support as my balance wavers. His arm tightens around me in response, but I quickly pull away once I hear the girls’ bedroom door open.

Rodrigo pushes between Michael and me, forcing himself into the house as if he owned the place. He calls out for our daughters while walking through the front hall and the living room, all the way to the kitchen.

“Papi?” Cami’s sleepy voice comes from inside.

I follow behind Rodrigo closely while I try to prepare myself for the storm that’s about to hit us. Not only did he decide to drop by without any warning after disappearing for the past three months, but now I need to address the whole Michael situation in a wholly different way than I’d planned.

When I reach the kitchen, I watch as Cami runs into her father’s open arms, closing her little eyes and fisting her hands behind his neck when he squats to hug her back. My heart tears in two, because I can see the sadness in her face when he lets go much sooner than she’d hoped. He looks over his shoulder at me, almost smug that his daughter would still want to spend time with him. But when Emi comes out of her room, Rachel behind her, and makes no move to greet her father, there’s no sense of satisfaction that washes over me as the evidence of their hurt becomes apparent. Because, while part of me feels validated that I was right, that I wasn’t exaggerating, and that Rodrigo’s behavior this summer has been unacceptable, an even bigger part just wants them to never know this kind of pain. The kind where you learn to believe you’ll never be good enough, no matter what you do.

And in that moment, I realize why Cami did what she did. Why she wrote her father about our relationship. Maybe a part of her thought that this would be a misguided attempt at getting her parents back together, but I don’t think that’s necessarily true. Cami has never once mentioned us to get back together throughout our entire separation, which is surprising. So part of me wonders whether she told her father as a way to bait him into a reply, test whether he’d been reading their letters or not.

And the little genius did it.

“Hey, kid,” Rodrigo says to Emi. “You gonna say hi to me or what?”

But Emi doesn’t move, expression cautious.

Rachel runs over to her dad, who takes her hand and leads her aside, giving us space to deal with this incredibly awkward family reunion.

“Why don’t we go out for breakfast? I can take you guys out to a diner and get some waffles or pancakes? Load up on some syrup and whipped cream, huh? Your kid can come too, if you want,” Rodrigo tells Michael, who looks like he might actually growl.

“They can’t; they have to get to camp. Today is their summer talent show and the girls are doing a dance. And you might think twice about giving Emi a plate of pancakes or waffles smothered in syrup and whipped cream. I don’t know if you know this, but she has type 1 diabetes,” Michael says, narrowing his eyes at Rodrigo, his cheeks reddened in anger.

Rodrigo gets to his feet, all pretense of being a nice guy finally out the window. “Don’t talk to me about my kids. My kids’ lives are none of your fucking business.”

I gasp, getting in between Michael and Rodrigo as they quickly move toward each other.

“Maybe it technically isn’t, but it’s clear that I care more about them than you do.”

“Michael,” I say with a groan, because he doesn’t know he’s just awakened the beast. “I’m gonna need you to leave.”

He turns to look at me, hurt. “What? You’re asking me to leave?”

Rodrigo laughs, while all three girls look like they’re on the verge of tears, the expression on their faces begging for answers neither one of us can give yet.

“Girls,” I say, before continuing. These two are seconds from going nuclear, and it’s not something any of them should see. “Why don’t you get changed for camp? Rachel, you can still come with me, if your dad’s okay with it. You have your things, right?”

“Yes, Mrs. Castillo,” Rachel replies, voice soft and meek.

“Sweetie, I’ve told you to call me Diana a million times, now.” I smile encouragingly. “Why don’t you three go back into the bedroom and get ready?” I usher the girls into the room and shut the door behind them. When I get back to the kitchen, Rodrigo and Michael seem to be in the middle of a testosterone-fueled staring contest, each one nearly shaking with rage or frustration.

“Michael,” I whisper, touching his shoulder gently, trying to get him to look at me. “Please. Please go, and I’ll see you later at the talent show.”

“You’re kicking me out?” he asks, eyes wide with shock.

I sigh and run my fingers through my hair. “There’s just… a lot we need to deal with as a family right now. And this fighting is not helping.”

His brows pull together as he looks from me to Rodrigo and back to me again. “I don’t want to leave you here alone with him,” he whispers, low enough only I can hear.