“I’m teaching my guerita how to cook,” Caro said, reaching out for Charlee, who walked over and placed her arm around Caro’s shoulder.
Charlee wrinkled her nose. “I’m not very good at it.”
“Oh, but you’ll get better,” Caro said, rubbing Charlee’s baby bump. “This baby’s gonna eat Mexican food just as my boys did even if he or she is as redheaded as you.”
“Wouldn’t that be something?” Nellie asked, smiling big.
Just then Abel walked in the kitchen, holding a whimpering infant in one arm and trying to unwrap his daughter from his leg with his other.
Nellie was immediately on her feet. “He woke up?”
The moment Nellie took the baby from him, Abel picked up his daughter, who immediately hid her face in his chest.
“What’s wrong with her?” Caro asked.
“She just woke up too,” Abel said, soothing his daughter’s hair and kissing the top of her head. “I guess she wasn’t expecting to walk out into a kitchen full of people.”
“Aw,” Charlee said, reaching out her hands to the little girl. “Too many people for you, Reina? Come to auntie.”
The little girl had already begun to reach for Charlee when Caro put her hand up. “No, no. You shouldn’t be holding her. She’s too heavy and it’s not good for you.”
Reina immediately recoiled and wrapped her arms around Abel’s big neck. “I got her,” Abel said, walking toward the refrigerator.
It was a good thing Abel’s kitchen was so big, because within minutes Noah and Roni were there with their two boys. Gio and Bianca showed up a little later with their little one. They all acted as if Ella had been part of this group forever. Meanwhile, she still couldn’t believe she was there with all of them—with Felix’s mom!
At first she thought it might be a little awkward between her and Bianca given her history with Felix, but it wasn’t at all. She was as sweet as she’d always been, and while Ella knew she shouldn’t play favorites, their son, little Gio, had always held a special place in her heart. She’d heard a little bit about the scary beginning they’d had when he was first born. Every time Gio brought the shy but very happy little guy wearing his two little ear pieces into the gym, Ella’s heart went out to him.
Ella had moved over by the stove to help Nellie flip tortillas. “I’ll be out back with the guys,” Felix said, kissing the side of her face from behind. “You’ll be okay in here?”
Ella nodded, smiling, a part of her still wondering when she’d be waking up from this dream.
“Of course she will,” Nellie said with a smirk. “Get out of here.”
Felix kissed Ella again before walking away. The moment he was out of the kitchen, what her father would’ve called “the hens” were at it.
“I’ve never seen him like this,” his sister said.
Isidora shook her head. “Me neither.” She peered at Ella. “And you said it’s only been a few weeks?”
Ella nodded, feeling her face warm again, something that had never happened so often either. She was only glad Bianca had walked away earlier to take little Gio to the restroom; otherwise, that might’ve been awkward. A conversation in front of his ex about Felix never having acted this way before with any girl would just be weird.
She remembered when she’d first heard about that whole scandal in the papers and all over the television. That felt like a different lifetime now. Another world. Never in a million years would she have believed she’d be here with that same notorious boxer’s friends and family, listening to them go on and on about how into her he was.
Felix Sanchez was officially her boyfriend now. Was she really ready for all this? She thought of Grayson’s warning about it getting tough. The media still didn’t know about them, and already it felt overwhelming. By the end of the night, as much as Ella had enjoyed her time with all of them, her head was spinning. They’d gone from talk of never having seen Felix so happy to the girls warning her to ignore the tabloids. As much as they’d all had to deal with it, they all agreed it’d be especially hard on Ella because of Felix’s unsavory reputation.
She and Felix had already touched on the subject. The girls and the mothers were all in agreement with the same thing Felix had told Ella. Always talk to him first before believing anything you read or hear about in the tabloids. Ella had already decided it was exactly what she’d be doing.
“I know my boy’s made mistakes in the past,” Isidora said. “But one thing I’ve always told Felix is not to bring any girl to me unless he was serious. Technically, today he hadn’t planned on me being here, but I’ve also told him to have respect for you girls.” She motioned to Nellie, Roni, and Charlee. “I know you don’t want him parading different girls in and out of your homes either. So I don’t think he would’ve brought anyone here unless he was serious.”
“Oh, no,” Caro said, lulling baby Abel in her arms gently. “I’m telling you I’ve seen that very look I saw on Felix’s face today on my own boys. I think your boy’s been zapped.”
When Ella was finally in the privacy of Felix’s car, she leaned her head back and let out an exaggerated breath.
“That bad, huh?” Felix asked, wincing.
“No, not at all.” She laughed, feeling a little guilty. “It was just all . . . a little overwhelming. That’s all. A lot to take in at once, but I had a good time.”