We had five minutes to get to Blanca’s.

“Let’s motor,” I announced and shoved the cookies at Trixie, the flowers at Mom and herded everyone out, standing at the front door and motioning everyone through with a wide sweep of my arm.

Eddie stopped at the door and cal ed into the hal where Mom and Trixie were knocking on Ada’s door.

“We’l be out in a minute.”

He closed the door and pushed me against it.

“Eddie! We have to go, we’re going to be late.” He didn’t respond, he pressed his body into mine and he kissed me.

Not a light touch on the mouth but a ful -on make-out session.

I was stuck in an Eddie Daze when he disengaged from my lips but rested his forehead against mine and ran his hands down my sides.

“I like your dress,” he said.

I was getting that.

His fingers trailed the zip at my side.

“I like it but I’m gonna like takin’ it off more.” Eek!

Eddie idled at the curb outside Blanca’s bungalow in the Highlands area while we al unloaded.

The street was packed with cars and you could hear a party in ful swing.

Mom took my arm and Trixie took off to look for a parking spot, Eddie trailing her.

I watched them go and then asked Mom, “Don’t you want your chair?”

She shook her head.

“Nancy, is that wise?” Ada asked softly, looking at Mom closely and carrying both the cookies and the flowers.

“I’m going to walk in there,” Mom said.

It wasn’t that she was in the mood to show off and chal enge herself again. This was a pride thing. She’d already had a long day and this concerned me.

I knew better than to argue, and luckily Mom had me to hold on to before she fel . And hold on to me she did, she had my arm in a death grip.

We walked slowly to the house and I saw Rosa, Eddie’s sister, coming around the side.

“Hola!” she said smiling. “Thought I heard Eddie’s truck.

We’re around the back, this way.”

She led us to the back and into a yard that was one of the most magical things I’d ever seen. Late summer blooms were stil in the garden, bushes held bunches of Christmas lights, colorful lanterns were strung up high and lit lumieres were down low.

It looked like every chair and card table in the neighborhood had been set up, most of them ful of food and there were more people there than in the parking lot doing tailgates at Mile High Stadium before a Broncos game. I saw Indy, Lee, Al y, Hank, their parents and Indy’s Dad hanging around and I gave them a wave.

Soft, Mexican guitar music played in the background.

I realized immediately that I should have made more cookies.

I was impressed that Blanca could pul this off in less than forty eight hours.

I was terrified that al of this was for Eddie and me.

I couldn’t have asked for a better wedding reception.

“Jet!” Blanca disengaged from a bunch of people and rushed forward. The bunch of people she was with turned and stared at me openly.

I smel ed Eddie before I felt his hand at the smal of my back and Trixie came around the other side of Ada. I didn’t have the chance to greet them as Blanca was there.

“How are you?” she asked, her eyes smiling with the sheer delight of a mother intent on ending her days spoiling her grandchildren into unruly brats and seeing that time looming brightly just ahead of her.

“Bien. Y tú? ” I replied.

She grabbed my cheeks, pul ed me down to her and gave me a big kiss on the lips.

“Bien, mi hija. ” she said softly, letting my face go.

Uh-oh.

In less than a week and with Eddie and I only having one (weird) date, I’d graduated to her hija.

Eek.

I pushed down the panic and made the introductions.

“Blanca, I’d like you to meet my Mom, Nancy, and our friends, Trixie and Ada.”

Mom’s fingernails were digging into my arm but she let go, balanced and held her hand out to Blanca. Blanca took it into both of hers.

“Welcome to my home,” Blanca said.

Mom smiled her majorette smile and I saw Blanca’s eyes become dazzled.

Then Mom grabbed onto my arm again and we nearly both went to the ground as I staggered slightly with the weight she transferred to me. Blanca’s eyes moved to Mom’s hand on my arm and then to me. They were questioning. I shook my head in the barest hint of “no” and she immediately turned her attention to Trixie and Ada while I steadied Mom and myself.

“Jet made you cookies!” Ada announced and shoved the cookies at Blanca.

I turned to Eddie, leaning away from Mom as best as I could while stil holding her up.

I got up on tiptoe, put my free hand on Eddie’s bicep and said into his ear, “Mom needs a chair, like, now.” Our eyes caught, he nodded, then he touched his lips to mine.

I could swear I heard a col ective sigh from our audience.

Wonderful.

“Nancy, do you want a drink?” Eddie asked and pried her hand loose from my arm and guided her away.

I watched them go, Mom leaning heavily into Eddie’s body.

Okay, so, I could love that guy.

There you go, I admitted it.

Shit and damn.

* * * * *

I spent the next two hours shuffled between Blanca, Elena and Rosa being introduced to Eddie’s family; aunts, uncles and cousins. And there were a lot of them.

In this time, Eddie semi-disappeared. He was there but wasn’t there. I saw him with Lee. I saw him with Hank. I saw him with Lee’s Dad, Malcolm and Indy’s Dad, Tom. I saw him with some of his male cousins (needless to say, there was definitely a male/female divide). I did not see him anywhere near me.

I also had more food shoved at me than I’d eaten in a week (al of which I consumed so I wouldn’t appear rude) and I seemed to be carrying a mystical bottomless margarita glass.

Bottom line, no matter how ful I was, I was also quite drunk.

I kind of needed to be drunk because I found out the reason behind the big bash that included Christmas lights and tables groaning with food. In Eddie’s thirty-three years (yes, I learned that too), I was only the second woman he’d ever brought to meet “the family”.

Worse than that eek-worthy fact, I was the only one Blanca liked.

I also found out a lot about Eddie. Maybe too much.

See, there’s a reason Eddie seemed dangerous. Eddie had a chequered past. In fact, everyone, al the way down to the cousins, were stil saying rosaries in grateful thanks to the Holy Trinity that Eddie chose to enter the Academy rather than embark on a life of crime.