“Yes!” I snapped, totally over it and then I went straight into a rant. “But I don’t get it. Excuse me, Hector Chavez, but you saw how I grew up, you know! I’ve never been to a Family Meeting! I’ve never put on lip gloss in the restroom of a club with my girlfriends! I’ve never sat around a dinner table looking through photos and reminiscing! All this is happening while the Balducci brothers are assaulting and threatening me, my father is freaking me out and I’m having conversations with police detectives. Not to mention, you’ve decided not to ‘fuck around anymore’, whatever that means, and I have an opening tomorrow! So, if I’m a little slow, you’ll have to cut me some f**king slack, all right?”

Somewhere during my rant, Mr. Mood Swing decided he wasn’t angry anymore (really! how was I supposed to keep up with this guy?) and his face went soft, his eyes went so warm they were hot and his fingers drifted up into my hair.

As his head descended, he murmured, “All right, mi corazón, I’ll cut you some slack”

“Well, thank you,” I said, sounding snippy which was hard when his mouth had settled on mine.

“Now I’m gonna do you in the shower then we’ll get you home, you can get changed, get your stuff because you’re spendin’ the night tonight and we’ll go to La Reunión.”

My heart flipped, my belly melted and my irritation disappeared.

“Do me in the shower?” I breathed.

His tongue traced my bottom lip and that felt so nice, my knees buckled right out from under me, so badly I had to grab on to the material of his tee at his waist to stay standing.

His eyes were open and looking into mine.

“Yeah,” he said against my mouth.

“I think I’m not over my rant.”

His hands left my hair, he pulled my skirt up around my waist, his thumbs hooked into my panties and I gasped against his mouth as he pulled them down.

“You can yell at me while I’m f**kin’ you.”

Oh my.

That was it, I wished I could say I was stronger, held out a little longer but I melted.

And, incidentally, we showered, he did me in the shower, my back against the tiled wall, my legs wrapped around his waist, my hands everywhere they could touch and I didn’t yell at him while he was doing it.

* * * * *

The rest of the day weirded me out, so much, I couldn’t handle it so I decided to ride with it and memorize every last second so I could carry it with me forever.

We went to the brownstone and I did my business (with the addition of Buddy begging Hector and me to take YoYo, even if she was spending the night at Hector’s because, he explained, Ralphie was becoming so attached to the dog, Buddy feared there would be a dognapping).

We loaded up my stuff (Hector told me to “pack heavy” which meant more than a night’s worth and, after my rant, I didn’t have it in me to put up a fight so I did as he ordered), YoYo, YoYo’s doggie paraphernalia (under Ralphie’s maniacal dognapper-in-the-making glare) and we headed off to Blanca’s.

Jet and Eddie were getting married imminently and Jet was barely holding onto her dream vision of a wedding. She’d given into the whole Catholic Mass thing (for Blanca) but for a reception, she’d hired a barn somewhere in the mountains, replete with a hog roast, hayrides, a bonfire and s’mores at the end.

Bizarrely, at the same time, Blanca and Nancy had rented the local hall, Blanca’s cousins were catering and Nancy’s neighbor was going to croon lounge music during a sit down, four course meal.

And, apparently, Blanca and Nancy’s vision included loads of lavender bunting.

After a gut-busting lunch, Nancy and Blanca ganged up on Jet.

I sat with YoYo in my lap and noticed right away that Jet was going down.

First off, Eddie was removed, entirely. In fact, he looked like he thought the whole thing was funny and didn’t even flinch when Jet glared daggers at him. Hector and Carlos stayed silent but they also appeared to find the whole thing amusing. Gloria, Rosa and Elena were also silent. I could tell they were commiserating with Jet but they didn’t have the guts to jump in. Carlos’s girlfriend Maria sat silent too but she looked scared out of her mind (probably exactly what I looked like). Tex, on the other hand, was busily eating through the leftovers on the platters of food on Blanca’s table and it appeared he didn’t even know the meeting was happening at all.

So it became apparent that it was going to have to be me.

I thought about how to do this without Blanca’s house exploding under the force of a Full Blown Blanca (and Nancy) Hissy Fit.

Then I came up with a plan.

“I’ve never had roasted hog,” I announced during a lull in Jet’s browbeating.

Everyone’s (surprised) eyes came to me.

Even though they were scaring me (particularly Blanca but also Nancy), as per usual I sallied forth.

“And I’ve never taken a hayride.” I looked at Jet and informed her in a chirpy voice, “I’ve always wanted a s’more but my father never let me go to camp. Or take a hayride. Or go to a hog roast. He was weird that way, you know, being kind of suffocating and not letting me be social or have friends.” I glanced across the table and declared, “Sounds like fun!”

So I was manipulating the fact that they were nice people and trying to make them feel sorry for me.

It was the only card I had to play and, for Jet, I played it.

Jet was smiling at me, beautiful and huge.

Eddie wasn’t smiling, exactly, but I could see his dimple.

Hector was shaking his head but his eyes were warm and intense in a new way that was mixed with humor and affection and that brought back that lovely, snug, comfy feeling.

Tex’s head snapped in my direction.

“Fuckin’ A, woman, you’ve never had a s’more?” he boomed.

I shook my head.

“Christ, everyone’s gotta have a s’more before they die. Fuck that shit, I’ll build a fire in my backyard tonight and I’ll stop by Kumar’s on the way home to get the stuff. Everyone can come by –”

Damn and blast!

Tex was being really nice but he was ruining everything!

“No,” I cut in quickly, “I can wait until Jet’s wedding.”

“There’s no waitin’ for s’mores,” Tex boomed back.

“But –” I started.

“No lip!” Tex boomed again.

“Sadie and I have plans tonight,” Hector put in smoothly and Tex’s eyes went to him, they narrowed then I watched as the light dawned and, slowly, he sat back.