Fate

  To say his mom was livid was putting it lightly, but his dad’s reaction was what really got to him. They’d only just started getting along in the last few years. Vince had resented that his dad was gone so much when he was younger. He was just a kid, and he didn’t understand it, but he’d since come to respect that his father was doing the only thing he could to support his family. His mother told him his dad was working, but he had so many friends whose mothers would say the same type of things to them about their fathers, and it’d turn out they were in jail or were busy spending time with their real families, so Vince didn’t know what to believe.

  Vince lashed out, getting in trouble left and right, and when his father would return after months of being gone, he’d still be so patient with him and tell him he knew he was angry but that someday he’d understand. Now that he did, he felt bad about the amount of crap he’d put his parents through over the years and was determined to make it up to them, but now this happened.

  His father, while obviously upset, was still the epitome of patience: patience Vince knew he didn’t deserve. He almost wished his father would actually yell at him, maybe even slap him around like some of his other friends’ parents had done. Instead, he sat him down and had a one-on-one while his mother slammed cabinet doors and dishes around in the kitchen, cussing in Spanish.

  He even called Lorenzo into the room to talk to them both. “I want you both to hear this. You two are better than this. I know what it’s like to be your age and make bad choices. Sometimes it’s necessary for things like this to happen, so you learn. You may not have been tagging, Vince, but your decision to be there with them cost you. What’s done is done, but I don’t want this to be all for nothing. What I want you to do now is take something from this experience. Learn that nothing good comes from making choices that you know in your gut are bad, yet you still go along with them. Know that one bad decision can cost you dearly. Now you got off easy this time, but next time you may not be so lucky. Always think about what’s at stake. What do you stand to lose? Is it worth it? Ninety-nine percent of the time, you’ll find it’s not.”

  ***

  Plucked out of his dream as the bedroom door swung open, Vince squinted at the sight of his mother who stood at the doorway with a puckered expression. “Get up and get ready, Vicente. We’re leaving in a half hour.”

  With that she was gone. It’d been a couple weeks since the whole getting arrested thing had gone down. Ever since, this is what his conversations with his mother consisted of—strained orders. She could hardly stand to look at him for very long, but Vince knew he deserved it. He’d let her down one time too many, and now he’d have to prove himself all over again.

  Pulling himself up on his elbow, Vince turned to his brother Lorenzo who lay in the other bed. Lorenzo turned over, closing his eyes and making himself comfortable again.

  “How come you don’t have to go to this shit?”

  Without even opening his eyes Lorenzo mumbled, “Because I’m not grounded like you, remember?”

  Vince let his head hang back with a groan. God, he hated these family functions with his perfect cousins who were just another reminder to his parents of what he was not. Normally he’d have a choice to stay home and clean or come along, of which he happily chose the former. Now he had no choice. As his mother put it so bluntly, since he couldn’t be trusted to behave without parental supervision, he’d be treated like the irresponsible punk he’d proven himself to be. He’d now be taken along everywhere with mommy and daddy.

  Even a simple trip like this to a family party was digging deep into his parents’ pockets. Gas wasn’t cheap, and his cousins didn’t live close. They’d also have to buy a gift. But this added expense, one they might’ve ducked out of, was necessary—necessary because of Vince.

  After a shower and grabbing what was left of the chorizo with eggs, he got dressed. He now sat grudgingly in the back seat of his dad’s old Cutlass ready to make the two-hour drive to La Jolla. At his mother’s request he’d worn something suitable for a baby shower–not just any baby shower either. His Aunt Isabel was notorious for going all out, and this would no doubt be huge, especially since the shower was for their first granddaughters—twins to boot!

  His mother had allowed the jeans and the newer dark sneakers he’d chosen, but he was forced to wear one of his dad’s polo shirts.

  As they walked into the backyard, Vince frowned at how these parties seemed to get bigger and bigger every time. The huge canopy covered almost the entire backyard. There were balloons everywhere, and the tables were as professionally decorated as they had been every time he’d attended one of these functions. He’d gotten out of attending most of them, but he and Lorenzo had been dragged along to the bigger ones, like all the weddings and wedding showers.

  They stood there near the gate. His dad was already mingling with some of the relatives they hadn’t seen since the last one of these parties. His oldest cousin Sal made his way through the crowd, and to Vince’s surprise, Sal was introducing what appeared to be a girlfriend to everyone.

  Vince laughed to himself and was about to nudge his mom to let her in on how her theory about Sal holding out on love to put his career first and to get more restaurants going was a bust. Bringing a chick to a family party of this size could mean only one thing—it was serious. Then he spotted the young girl with them.

  Curious, Vince continued to watch as Sal introduced them to the next table they came to. Had Cupid not only nailed Sal finally, but also saddled him with an insta-family?

  As they came around giving Vince a clearer view, he thought better of it. The girl whose hand Sal held was way too young to be the other girl’s mom. They were probably sisters. There was a definite resemblance. The younger girl came around the table also. Vince’s eyes were immediately on her long, tanned legs. She wore a short, denim skirt that showed off the muscle along the side of her upper thighs and calves nicely—an athlete.

  Vince smiled, remembering the senior on the cross country team he’d hooked up with a few times. He loved running his hands up and down those soft but very firm legs. The young girl with Sal and his girlfriend looked up, meeting his eyes for just an instant until her attention was called back to the older lady she was being introduced to. Cute.

  Maybe this party wouldn’t be such a drag after all. She looked to be about Vince’s age, maybe a tad younger. Even at sixteen, Vince was used to older girls, but he’d had his share of younger ones, too. Like most of the kids in his neighborhood, even the girls weren’t immune to growing up too fast: something his mother reminded him and Lorenzo of often. She’d warned them that they could barely afford the cell phones and Internet service at their place. Grandbabies were nowhere in their budget, so they’d better “keep it in their pants.” Thankfully, their dad being more realistic had provided him and his brother with a longer talk. The talk had ended with a box of condoms, and he’d made them promise that if they needed more, they’d come to him no questions asked.

  He watched as Sal, his girlfriend, and the younger girl continued to zigzag their way through the crowded backyard, stopping at just about every table.

  “Let’s get a table before there are none left.” His mother hurried in the same direction Sal and his girlfriend headed.

  Just as Sal and the two girls got to one of the last empty tables available, Vince’s mom reached and claimed the remaining seats at the same table. Perfect.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Vince’s ever perfect cousin, Sal, turned just as they reached the table and smiled. “Tia Letty, how are you?”

  “Hi, mijo. Oh, I’m hanging in there.” She gave him a knowing look then turned around searching the crowd. “There he is. I swear that man gets caught up so quickly. I knew he was right behind me.”

  Sal looked up and smiled at Vince’s dad as he approached, greeted him, then turned to his girl. “This is my girlfriend, Grace Zendejas, and her baby sister, Rose.”

  Both of Vince’s parents reached ou
t to shake the two girls’ hands as they smiled politely. Rose. Vince couldn’t think of a more fitting name as his eyes took her in at this closer range.

  “Hey, Vinnie,” Sal patted him on the shoulder, “damn, you get taller every time I see you. What are you fifteen now?

  “Sixteen,” Vince said, adding as his eyes met Rose’s shy but sweet golden-brown eyes, “seventeen in a couple of months.”

  “Wow that was fast!” Sal smirked then turned to Grace. “This is my cousin Vinnie from La Puente.”

  Vince rolled his eyes at the tag added to his name, but the near frown dissipated as his and Rose’s eyes met again. There was something so delicate about her features. Everything from her lashes to the curve on her lips seemed so well defined, and he noted how much younger she looked up close. Maybe she wasn’t his age.

  Wiping his hand quickly on his jeans, Vince dried his suddenly sweaty palms before reaching out and shaking Grace’s hand first then smiling at Rose as he shook her soft hand, “Nice to meet you.”

  “How was that two-hour drive?” Sal asked Vince’s parents as they all sat down.

  After a few minutes of small talk, Sal excused himself, saying he’d be right back. Vince was now having a hard time keeping his eyes off Rose. She was far more interesting than all the baby shower crap, and he was trying to figure out just how old she was. She was as tall as her sister, who was obviously old enough to be with his twenty-something-year-old cousin’s girlfriend, but minus the makeup—any makeup. Was she not old enough to wear any? He knew thirteen-year-olds that wore full-on makeup back home.

  Rose leaned into Grace and whispered but not hushed enough. “They hired waiters for a baby shower?”

  “They hire waiters for everything.” Vince smirked trying to overcompensate for the irritation the very thought caused him. “My aunt’s known for outdoing everyone in the family with her parties.”

  His mom nudged his leg under the table and gave him a look which Vincent ignored.

  “We’ve never attended any of the Moreno’s parties,” Grace explained, glancing back at him then looking around again.

  Vince had to chuckle at that. “Well if you’re with Sal now, get used to it. It’s like this every time.”

  Rose lifted an eyebrow. Even something as simple as her eyebrows said “young” to him. It wasn’t bushy, and it arched nicely, but it wasn’t anything like the ones on some of the girls he knew. Vince could tell it was naturally thin. Most of the girls in his neighborhood and school had been plucking their eyebrows for so long that they had to pencil them back on. It looked so stupid, too. Many of them even sported that permanently surprised look.

  Before Grace could respond to his comment, Rose tilted her head and her light-brown eyes stared at him curiously. “Where is La Puente?”

  He hadn’t really noticed earlier when she first made the waiter comment that her voice was a bit husky. But unlike her sister’s noticeable accent, Rose’s husky voice was accent free. She may look young, but that voice sounded older. Unexplainable hope crept in him, and he couldn’t help but smile.

  Why the hell did he care? She lived two hours away, and he didn’t even own a car. Not to mention over the years his mom had often talked about how incredibly protective his cousins were over their own younger sister. If he had to guess, Sal was probably the same way over his girlfriend’s baby sister. Vincent wouldn’t dream of trying anything here. So why would he hope even for a second that they were in any way compatible?

  He explained it was a half hour before Los Angeles and near the LA county fair. But since Rose had never been, she still had no idea. Sal came back just then with a tray of drinks for everyone. After giving the girls and Vince’s mom their drinks, Sal handed a beer to Vince’s dad and finally a soda to Vince.

  “Where’s my beer?” Vince smirked.

  Sal lifted an eyebrow as he sat down next to Grace, taking her hand. “You’re funny, Vin.”

  Even though Sal smiled, Vince didn’t miss the hint of contempt in his eyes. Vince knew what his cousins thought of him—what everyone in the family thought. He’d been anything but an angel the last few years, and his father often turned to his older brother, Sal’s dad, for guidance.

  None of them could know he was actually trying to better himself now, but he didn’t have to prove a thing to them. The only ones he’d be proving anything to were his parents. He owed them after all the shit he’d put them through.

  “I’ve never even seen such a big yard.” Rose’s voice brought him back to party and away from his resentful thoughts. “They don’t have homes like this in Chula Vista.” Her eyes looked around the yard.

  “You’re from Chula Vista?”

  That was a bit of a relief. As far as he knew, Chula Vista was about as ritzy as La Puente was. Maybe Sal hadn’t hooked up with a snooty fellow student like he’d assumed.

  Rose nodded, sipping her soda. Vince studied her delicate features openly, holding nothing back just like he always had when he flirted back home. She looked away, blinking several times, making him smile—a shy one. The girls in his neighborhood were anything but. But again maybe she was just too young.

  “How old are you, Rose?”

  “I’m fifteen,” she smiled lifting an eyebrow, “but I have a birthday coming up soon, too. So I’ll be sixteen in a few months.”

  “Oh yeah? When’s your birthday?”

  She put her cup down on the table. “July eighth.”

  “No, shit? Mine is the tenth.”

  Sal turned and gave him a look. Vince pressed his lips together and refrained from rolling his eyes. He knew what that look was about. Watch your mouth! Sal was all about respect, but Vince had seen the way he’d glanced at him a few times earlier. He was already keeping his eye on Vince and his girlfriend’s obviously virginal baby sister. No surprise there. Sal would be watching really close.

  “You seen the koi pond yet?”

  Her nose crinkled slightly. “Koi pond?”

  “Yeah, it’s pretty cool, right around the other side of the house. You wanna check it out?”

  She hesitated for a second then nodded. Relieved, Vince stood up, happy about the chance to get away from his cousin breathing down his neck.

  Both Sal’s and Grace’s eyes were immediately on them as Rose stood. “Vincent is gonna show me the koi pond on the other side of the house.”

  With that same perturbed expression Sal had worn from the moment Vince showed even the tiniest of interest in Rose, he raised an eyebrow. “Best behavior, Vin. I mean it.”

  Vince hid his annoyance the only way he knew how—with an evil grin. “You know me.”

  “Yeah, that’s why I’m worried.” Sal frowned.

  This time Vince didn’t hold back rolling his eyes, only he waited until he’d turned his back to them. He’d probably never see this girl again, and it was obvious what Sal would say if he so much as thought of making a move. So why the hell did it bother him that Sal was making sure he pointed out in front of her how much he didn’t trust him? Thankfully she didn’t ask about that.

  “Do they have a lot?”

  Vince glanced at Rose, not sure what she was talking about. Now that he knew she wasn’t too young or maybe it was the fact that Sal was throwing out blatant don’t-even-think-about-it bombs, her golden-brown eyes were even more impressive in the sunlight.

  Walking next to her, trying hard to keep his eyes from going down to those long, sexy legs was becoming increasingly difficult. Normally he wouldn’t bother trying. He’d gape unabashed, and the girls he did this to didn’t ever mind his gaping. In fact, the drill was that if they hadn’t been doing the gaping to begin with, they’d gape right back, and it was on. But it wasn’t just Sal’s flat-out warning that kept him from doing so with Rose. He’d already been witness to her timid demeanor. He didn’t want to make her uncomfortable.

  This would probably be a long, boring day with his aunt going through every mind-numbing Mexican baby shower tradition, and they’d have to st
ay to be part of each one. If nothing else, Rose would be a nice distraction for the day.

  “Do they have a lot of what?”

  “Fish in the pond.” She looked at him curiously.

  “Well, the last time I was here—”

  “Vinnie!” his cousin Sofia, Sal’s younger sister, called out as she smiled big, walking toward him. Next to her were his other cousin and Sal’s youngest brother Angel, and his wife Sarah.

  “Did you just get here?” she asked, hugging him then looking up at him. He was finally taller than her.

  “About a half hour ago,” he said, smiling crooked and motioning back toward his parents.

  “How goes it, Vin?” Angel reached out to grab his hand and gave him a hearty handshake. “You staying out of trouble finally?”

  Vince felt his smile wane but managed not to frown. He never cared before what any of them thought; in fact, he made it a point to annoy them by shrugging at these kinds of questions with no real answer, acting like the bad seed they thought him to be. Now they were annoying him.

  “For the most part,” he said accepting and returning Angel’s wife’s Sarah’s hug.

  “You look good,” Sarah said as she pulled away, and Angel took her hand.

  “Thanks.” Vince rubbed his hand against his neck feeling a little awkward standing there as they all stared at him inquiringly.

  “Where’s Lorenzo?” Angel asked before casually looking in Rose’s direction.

  “He didn’t come.”

  Vince didn’t offer any further explanation. The last thing he wanted was to get into why he’d been forced to come and his brother hadn’t. They probably already knew, but it wasn’t a subject he felt like talking about. He noticed that both Sofia and Sarah were now looking in Rose’s direction. She must’ve noticed also because she spoke up. “Vincent is going to show me the koi pond.”

  They all nodded at the same time as she answered their curious unspoken question. Vince didn’t miss the warning look that followed from Angel. Clearly, like Sal, he was sure none of them trusted him to hang out alone with Grace’s baby sister.