Page 47 of Cartel Devil

That wasn’t hard to figure out since it’s so similar to Italian.

I feel the blush rising in my cheeks.

“Mamá.”

Joaquin hisses the word, and I see his perpetually suntanned cheeks tinged with red. At least I’m not mortified alone.

“¿Qué?” What?

She’s utterly unrepentant as she teases her son. She turns her gleeful smile on me, and she’s not just youthful but breathtaking. The Diaz genes run strong in this family. I can tell Tres J’s—I learned that’s what Joaquin, Javier, and Jorge are called—inherited some features from their father, but they look too much like all the other members of the Diaz family to ever doubt the connection. It’s no surprise Joaquin—hell, all Tres J’s—are so attractive with a mother who looks like Luciana.

Her smile’s infectious. Where Enrique was reserved when he approached us, Luciana has no qualms pulling me in for a hug. I don’t expect it to feel nearly as good as Elle’s hugs. But it does. She’s more diplomatic when she speaks to me, keeping her voice to a whisper.

“He cares for you, muñeca. Be patient with him, please. He’s new to this.”

New to being in a relationship? To having a partner? To caring about a woman?

All of it.

I nod against her shoulder. We step apart, and I miss the hug. It shocks me. All of this fucking shocks me. The unconditional acceptance from his family. It’s unlike anything I imagined. Unlike anything I’ve seen before.

“We’re taking off.”

Joaquin declares our plans, and no one bats an eye at it. The party’s still going strong, so it’s early for us to leave. But we get a round of hugs before we find Alejandro and Toria to say our thanks and goodbyes. My friend waggles her eyebrows at me, and Alejandro smirks at Joaquin.

When we make it outside, Joaquin pulls me in for a kiss, his arm around me again. He only let go when we hugged the others. It’s a light kiss that feels so familiar. The kind you’d expect a couple that’s been together for a while to exchange.

“What does muñeca mean?”

“Little doll. Is that what Mamá called you while she made my blood pressure take off?”

“Yes.” I pat his chest comfortingly, amused at his distress over his mother whispering to me.

“She calls the other women who married into the family that. She’s happy we’re together.”

He leans down and kisses me again, making my toes curl. It’s over too soon, but we know there are guards watching us. He pulls me back to the present when he speaks.

“I drove today. Did you?”

“No. Toria sent a driver to pick me up since I came over to help set up. I thought I’d have a few mimosas, so I didn’t want to drive. I didn’t feel well enough to handle anything sour. Just as well if I’m…” I trail off since it doesn’t need saying aloud.

“Do you want to walk to the pharmacy and then come back for my car? Or is there somewhere on the way to your place?”

“I suppose we’re less likely to run into anyone you know if we go to the pharmacy closer to my place. The employees wouldn’t know you there.”

“I appreciate your concern for gossip. I’m not embarrassed to buy a pregnancy test with you. While we can’t keep people from talking about our family, most are wise enough to keep the murmurs to a minimum.”

“An unwed member of the Diaz family buying a pregnancy test would spread faster than fleas on a dog’s back.”

Joaquin grimaces and nods. “Whatever you want, chiquita.”

Joaquin’s arm draped around my shoulder as we sit together on my sofa is the only thing keeping me from pacing my living room. I watch the timer on my phone tick down from five minutes. We chose a pharmacy near my apartment and spent ten minutes evaluating all our choices. Who knew there were so many types of sticks to pee on to tell you “yes” or “no.”

I’ve been picking at my left thumb’s cuticle for the past three and a half minutes. I’m going to make it bleed if I do this for the next minute and a half. Joaquin wraps his hand around mine, effectively stopping my self-mutilation. Thank goodness because it stings like a motherfucker.

“Tre, why don’t you turn your phone over until it buzzes?”

“No. I need to know how long we have, even if it’s making me anxious. Not knowing will only make it worse.”