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“Are you two together?”
“How far along are you?”
Ana runs up to her son and repeatedly smacks him across the face and chest, cussing him out and praying to God in Spanish. He tries to duck away, but he knows this is something he must take.
But then she catches my eye and stops assaulting her son to cry and pull me into the tightest hug.
“Mija,” she sobs.
I sniffle. “Lo siento.”
“No,” she says sternly. “Do not be. This is good news. This is a blessing.” She releases me and gives Raf a death glare. “You are lucky this happened with her.”
Dane and Jonah jump in a circle and force a shocked Isaiah to join in. “We’re gonna be uncles!” Jonah bellows.
“Oh my god, this was better than I imagined,” Joaquín says from his little perch on the patio table.
Ana whips around to clutch the phone. “You knew about this?” she seethes.
But all that chaos fades away the second I focus on my dad. On my dad who’s crying, which is making me cry because I’ve only seen him tear up at funerals.
Fuck, I didn’t expect this.
Before I can think it through, I’m running into his arms and bawling, “I’m sorry, Dad. It was an accident, I swear.”
I don’t know what has come over me because I’m not sorry at all. But some innocent part of me desperately needs his love and approval right now, and maybe if I apologize, it’ll be easier for him to give it to me.
“Hey, hey. It’s okay, bunny,” he soothes as he sniffles and rubs my back gently. “Don’t apologize. Are you happy?”
“Yes,” I sob, fisting the back of his shirt with shaky hands.
“Then I’m happy too,” he says. “It’s surprising, but you’re going to be the best momma.”
I rub my face against his shirt, uncaring that my eye makeup smears everywhere. I pull away enough to look at him. “Thank you, Dad.”
Wiping the tears from my eyes with his thumbs, he smiles through his own. “You can do this, Angela.” Then his focus shifts over my head. Being the shortest member of my family, everyone’s always looking over my head. “And Rafael is the father?” I nod. “By choice or biologically?”
“Both.”
He looks back at me. “Did something happen between you two?” he whispers.
My shoulder lifts. “I mean, something obviously happened but…nothing’s happening, you know?”
“Okay, bunny,” he says, pulling me back into a full embrace and kissing the top of my head. “We’ll follow your lead.”
1. Vivir Mi Vida by Marc Anthony
Chapter 11
July 4th
Angie
When Rafael suggested we go camping for the long holiday weekend, I was all-in. After we told his father the news over a video call, we were both feeling uneasy. His father’s reaction was, let’s just say, less than enthused. I think Rafael actually preferred Ana’s reaction because at least she was excited underneath all the hitting and praying. His father was cagey—he tried changing the subject a few times over the course of the fifteen-minute call, and by the last time, I think Rafael got the hint to end the conversation.
I know my friend’s relationship with his father is strenuous. He acts like it’s not, but when his father is around or on a call, it’s easy to see Rafael become a shallower version of himself. He hides a lot from his dad but shows off when he thinks his dad will be proud. Then Raf will do what he always does after talking with him—he’s going to bury himself in work and rugby and numbers until he feels better about himself. Until his father approves.
And that’s exactly what he did this last week before our camping trip. He buried himself in work at the office, but he also created an entire spreadsheet for our child’s college fund including pie charts of what investments will yield the best returns. He talked with his brother about buying more properties here in Philly, then met with his real estate agent. He adjusted his 401k and updated his will. Then he made me a will.
