I follow Gina’s dad outside, grateful for the small reprieve. Gina’s mom is great, but I could tell her brothers were going to go for the intimidation factor if I stuck around.
I’m waiting for her dad to go that route too.
He doesn’t disappoint.
The second he gets to the grill, he turns to me. “What are your intentions with Gina?”
“I want to date her, sir.”
“Is that all?”
“It’s still new, but I’m in this for as long as Gina will have me.”
He stares at me for a moment before nodding. “So, where are you from, Will?”
“Texas, sir.”
“Your folks still live there?”
“It’s just my mom, but yeah, she still lives there. She moved to Austin recently.”
He eyes me closely. “And your dad?”
“He’s been out of the picture since I was five. Decided being a dad didn’t fit his life.”
Ricardo scoffs. “I’m sorry to hear that, son. Your mom must’ve done a good job if my Gina likes you.”
I grip the back of my neck. “According to her and your sons, she’s not so good at picking guys.”
“She told you that?”
I nod.
He shakes his head. “It’s taken a long time for Gina to see her worth. Even when she was a little girl, she wasn’t confident about her importance in our family. She allowed that insecurity to guide her in her relationships and chose men who weren’t quite worthy. Men who didn’t see her value. That’s their fault, not hers.”
“I agree.”
He turns toward me. “Do you see her value?”
I look him dead in the eye. “Yes.”
I do. More now than ever.
He refocuses on the grill, setting the burgers every couple of inches apart. I feel the need to elaborate on my answer, to prove I’m worthy of her, even though I’m not entirely convinced I actually deserve her.
“Gina makes me feel something I’ve never felt before.” I pause, debating how much to share with this man I just met. I decide to lay all my cards out there. “I was engaged once.”
He pauses his work on the grill but remains still, not looking at me.
“She died in a drunk driving accident.”
He turns to me now, sadness coating his features. “I’m so sorry, son.”
I nod in recognition of his words.
“I’m telling you this because even though I was engaged and thought I was in love, what I feel for Gina is different. Stronger.”
He looks at me closely. “Do you love Gina, Will?”
I’m startled by his question, although I suppose I shouldn’t be given what I’ve just implied. But I was fooled by love once before, and the idea of being in love again, of giving someone that kind of power over me, is not something I’m ready for.
“I don’t know yet. We’ve only been together a little over a month.”
He closes the grill and faces me full-on. “Did Gina tell you how Ava and I met?”
I shake my head.
“We met at the movies. I was there with my buddies, and she was there on a date. The moment I saw her, I knew. I knew she was the woman I would marry. I even tried to interrupt her date by talking to her when her fella went to the bathroom.” He laughs and looks down at the ground, shaking his head, then looks back up at me. “She wouldn’t give me the time of day. Her date said her name to ask if everything was okay, and I used that to my advantage. I asked around to see if anyone knew her and found out she actually lived in the neighborhood behind mine. We went to rival schools, because of how the zoning worked in our area. I put in a transfer to go to her high school just so I could see her. She was furious when she found out, but eventually went out with me. We’ve now been married for thirty-eight years.”
He looks toward the house, love clear as day all over his face, even all these years later.
“I’m telling you this story because when a man loves a woman, when she’s the only woman who will ever complete him, he does anything it takes to win her love. He fights for her until the end of time.” He points to the house. “I have fought for Ava every day of our marriage. That’s what makes a marriage last—when you continue to fight for one another, when you choose to never let your love fade. Love is like a small flame that must always be cared for so it doesn’t go out.”
He looks me over closely, a small grin on his face. “You’ll know when you figure it out.”
It almost seems like he thinks I love Gina already, which is crazy. We just got together. Yes, I have intense feelings for her, but that doesn’t automatically mean love. I thought I loved Candace, but she proved me wrong in the end.
He turns the conversation to lighter topics while I help him man the grill. And by help him, I mean I basically just stand there and talk to him while he does all the work. I offer to take over a couple of times to give him a break since he’s making a feast, but he declines. When Ava comes out to gather the burgers that are already done, I start to understand why.
“How’s my Grillmaster doing out here?”
He smiles and blushes. I fight a laugh at how cute Gina’s parents are together. I’ve never witnessed a parental couple act this way. It was never like this between my parents, even before my dad took off.
When we go inside, the table is set with a separate kids’ table next to it. There is so much food, I can’t imagine we’ll even make a dent. When I take a seat, Gina explains all the different options.
“We have the typical American BBQ food—burgers, hot dogs, potato salad—and then we have the Puerto Rican food like arroz con gandules, which is rice and chickpeas, and…” She hesitates, causing me to look at her.
“What?” I ask.
Her eyes shoot to her mom.
“You made pasteles? Mami! When did you even have time to do that?”
Ava looks at Gina with a wide smile on her face. “Of course I made pasteles! This is a big occasion. You haven’t brought a man home in years. We wanted to make a good impression and my pasteles are famous.”
Gina drops her face into her palm. “Mami, that was totally unnecessary.”
“No, it wasn’t.” Ava scoops up something that looks similar to a tamale but appears to be wrapped in a banana leaf and places it on my plate. “Try it. I’m famous for my pasteles, but it’s really a group effort.” With that, she turns and heads back into the kitchen.
I turn to Gina for an explanation about what just happened.
“Pasteles take forever to prep and require a lot of people to help. We typically only make them for holidays or special occasions.”
She turns to Marisol. “Did you know she was doing this?”
Marisol shrugs and replies, “You know there’s no stopping Mom when she gets an idea in her head. The kitchen was filled with women when I came by the other day, so I just turned around and left.”
“I can’t believe she went to all this trouble.”
I take a bite, and barely refrain from groaning with how delicious it tastes. “Damn, that’s good.”
Within minutes, I’ve decimated the entire thing, and Ava, who has returned to the table, happily piles two more on my plate.
I lean over to whisper in Gina’s ear. “Your mom makes these every holiday?”
She nods.
“We’re officially spending all our holidays with your family then, because this is the best thing I’ve ever eaten.”
Her whole face brightens with her smile.
“And what is this drink?” I ask as I take a sip of the concoction that was placed in front of me at some point during the meal.
“Coquito. It’s a mixture of coconut milk, rum, and lime juice. Good, right?”
“Mmmhmm,” I mumble around a mouthful.
I’m definitely going to need to double my time at the gym tomorrow, but fuck, it’s so worth it.
After dinner, we all move back into the family room. Andres walks over to the radio and starts fiddling with it.
“Enough of this old folk’s music. Let’s turn it up with something a little more upbeat.” The music shifts and I quickly recognize the Daddy Yankee song now filling the room. Gina’s older brothers grab their wives’ hands and start dancing, their kids watching on the sides with big grins on their faces before they start chasing each other around the house. When Marisol’s husband scoops her up to join the other couples, I grab Gina’s hand and we dance and laugh with the rest of her family.
I catch sight of her dad and mom holding each other with smiles on their faces as they take in the scene before them.
Her dad’s eyes meet mine, a knowing look on his face. When I look down at Gina, I wonder if I might actually understand what he was talking about outside after all.
I’m still not convinced what I’m feeling is love, but I know I’d do anything for her.