Many thanks to writeallnight for reading this more than a few times and helping make it its best version.
"TK, Hola." The words came from a familiar, but unexpected voice from behind him and TK froze. Before he was ready she was standing in front of him; for such a small woman Andrea Reyes had a very quick and long stride.
"Andrea, hi," TK croaked, wishing he had decided to go to the regular grocery store instead of the farmers market.
Andrea crossed her arms over her chest, a little awkwardly with the basket full of produce clutched in one hand, but it was still among the five most intimidating sights he'd ever seen. "Well, are you planning to stand there all day or will you come give me a hug?"
"Uh, yeah, sorry." TK stumbled but stepped forward, gingerly placing his arms around Andrea's before she pulled him all the way in and almost crushed his body with a full on motherly hug.
Andrea patted TK's cheek when they pulled apart and smiled. "It's so good seeing you looking like your old self, mi corazón. We were all so worried."
TK nodded and set his hand over Andrea's for a moment. "Carlos told me you were at the hospital, thank you for being there for him, even when the weather was still bad. It must not have been easy getting out there," he said sincerely.
"I was there for both of you, TK. Carlos needed me, but so did you," Andrea whispered, her eyes misting a little. "And you pulled through for us." She blinked the tears away then pinched TK's cheek with a chuckle, admiring the rosy color and signs of life.
"Thank you." TK hugged her again and this time almost squished her in his arms. He had missed Andrea, nearly as much as Carlos. "Carlos isn't here. He's on shift," he said belatedly, realizing that was probably why Andrea had come by.
"And he let you do the groceries?" Andrea gasped. At TK's questioning gaze, she laughed before explaining, "Carlitos is very particular about his produce. I still remember the outrage one time Gabriel brought plantains that weren't ripe enough, while the avocados were past ripped and all black and mushy."
TK couldn't help the laugh that escaped him. "That does sound like Carlos. He can be a little controlling in the kitchen."
"Only in the kitchen?" Andrea asked, eyebrows raised but a twinkle in her eye.
"Touché. But no, Carlos didn't ask me to come." A deep blush spread across his cheeks and TK scratched the back of his head nervously.
Andrea squinted and peered into the basket in TK's hands, a grin breaking on her face as she took in the contents. "Are you making tamales?" she asked, eyeing the corn husks that were a big giveaway.
The blush on TK's face deepened and he ducked his head. "Yeah," he said simply, smiling shyly as he tried to avoid catching her eye. "I just wanted to make dinner for Carlos. He always does it for me and I wanted to return the gesture."
"Did Carlos give you my recipe?" Andrea wondered, smiling proudly at her future son-in-law. Or at least she hoped so.
TK shook his head, and grabbed his phone from his pocket, waving it in the air as he spoke. "I looked at some YouTube videos. And Pinterest. Also TikTok just to be sure."
"Nonsense," Andrea muttered, looking genuinely appalled. "¿Para qué estamos las mamás?" She said the last part in Spanish and TK made a mental note to ask Carlos what she meant, but whatever it was, she didn't sound happy. "You should have called me!" She swatted at his arm playfully and grabbed his hand, pulling him to a stand advertising 'The best homegrown produce in East Austin'. "Come, these avocados look beautiful! And look at these bell peppers," she cried, and TK laughed. Not that he had any doubts before, but at that moment TK realized Carlos really was his mother's son.
TK spent the next twenty minutes or so following Andrea around the farmers market as they continued grabbing everything necessary for chicken and pork tamales, along with a baguette for breakfast, a bag of mixed nuts for their next hike and some conchas and empanadas from the stand that doubled as a panaderia. Those last ones just because they were Carlos' favorite and never failed to make him smile.
"Is this everything?" TK wondered after they had done two laps around the market and filled four bags of groceries.
"What happened with your social media recipes, TK? Don't they tell you if you are ready?"
TK's mouth hung open and he took a step back, but Andrea decided to cut him some slack and let out a little chuckle. "Not funny," he mumbled, seeing he was being played.
"Well, next time call me instead of looking for gringo recipes. But yes, that's everything we will need. Now let's go, we need to get everything ready before Carlitos gets home." TK's eyes widened, and Andrea amended, "if that's okay with you. I don't want to impose or invite myself. I could just text you the recipe."
TK's surprise was evident but he recovered quickly and nodded emphatically. "No, no. I'd love to cook together. I just didn't want you to feel like you had to offer."
"It would be my pleasure," Andrea said with a smile. She turned and walked out of the market and towards the adjacent parking lot, clearly expecting him to follow.
TK sent a prayer above that he would survive the day and jogged after her. Andrea might seem like her usual, loving self, but he was still the guy that had broken her boy's heart, and she was nothing if not a mother.
-x-x-x-
The whole ride home passed with TK quietly wondering if there were any good places to dispose of a body near the apartment. It was downtown in broad daylight, but if anyone could it would be the wife of a Texas Ranger and mother of a police officer. Especially when she was also the mother of the boy whose heart he broke. But he just swallowed his fear and made small talk; asking Andrea about the ranch, Gabriel and the extended family he'd met at Tía Lucy's, and answering her questions about his recovery, his dad, and the rest of the 126.
"This place is stunning, TK," Andrea exclaimed as soon as they stepped inside, dropping the bags by the door and taking a self-guided tour around the apartment. "Look at these windows! I always told Carlitos there's nothing like getting direct sunlight. And this floor, and the appliances in the kitchen." Andrea continued to comment as she took every nook and cranny of their new loft. "And the couch! The one in the condo was so small and stiff, but Carlos always got offended when Gabriel said it made his back ache."
TK choked on a breath as Andrea mentioned the couch. He also appreciated the size and how comfortable it was but for entirely different reasons. He coughed a few times before he was able to speak again. "Is this the first time you've seen the loft?" he wondered and belatedly realized it wasn't the best question to ask.
Andrea's smile dimmed and her eyes softened as she sadly shook her head. "Carlos said it wasn't ready yet, and he didn't want to invite us until you were done with it. Which, in retrospect, we should have seen as strange. Seeing as he called me when he decorated the condo and he always enjoys fixing stuff around the ranch with his dad."
"Oh," TK breathed out, feeling guilty all over again for the break-up and now also for bringing Andrea here without considering that Carlos hadn't shown his parents around the loft first. He had always felt so proud for being a small part in bringing the Reyes family back together, and now his heart broke at the knowledge that he was the reason it had pulled apart again. "I'm sorry. I-"
"It's okay, mi amor. There will always be some bumps in the road. Now show me around the kitchen, we have to get started if we want to be ready before Carlos gets home."
-x-x-x-
Maybe Carlos was up to something all the times he had told TK problems seemed smaller in the kitchen, because it took only half an hour of cooking alongside Andrea for his heart to stop beating so fast and his hands to settle. He stayed mostly quiet, letting her set the pace and direction of their talk, following her instructions as he soaked the husks in hot water, chopped veggies, and mixed the ingredients for the dough.
"Can you pass me the cilantro, por favor?" Andrea asked, startling TK who was struggling to spread the dough on the husks, making sure it was thin and even. He paused for a moment to search for the herbs she'd requested.
"TK, this is parsley," she said when he handed her a bag.
TK's cheeks reddened as he turned around to look through the rest of their groceries, running his fingers through his hair when he didn't see any other green bunches. "Oh...I must have bought the wrong thing by accident," he said nervously, stumbling through his words.
"That's okay. This has happened to every family at least once." Andrea turned around and rummaged through the rack of spices, lifting her fist in celebration when she found the desired jar. "Aha! I knew Carlos would have some dried cilantro lying around. Gabriel made the same mistake at the store once and Carlitos has never let him forget it".
TK blew out a long breath, relieved that confusing cilantro with parsley wasn't going to be the thing that made Andrea realize this was too much and TK didn't deserve to be part of the Reyes family. But he couldn't stop thinking that Andrea was secretly still mad at him for what he did to Carlos, so he smiled tightly and continued to work quietly.
"I'm sorry," TK said tentatively after the silence in the kitchen started to become uncomfortable.
"It's okay, mijo. Fresh cilantro is always better but this one works too," Andrea said softly, not bothering to look at him as she placed tablespoons of the chicken and pork filling on the dough that he'd already spread out.
TK set the dough down and walked to the sink, washing his hands for longer than necessary. "I'm sorry for hurting Carlos," he finally said when he turned back around. His gaze settled on the window to his left as his eyes filled.
"Oh, TK, come here." Andrea took the dishcloth from him and pulled him in for a hug. When they parted she grabbed his hand and led him to the couch. "You don't have to apologize to me, mi amor. I know you love Carlos, just as much as he loves you, and that's all we care about."
"But, I hurt him. So badly," TK sniffled, and used the sleeve of his hoodie to swab at his eyes. "How can you still want me around after that?"
"Because you make Carlitos happy, and that's everything we have ever wanted for him." Andrea's words made it sound so simple, too easy, and if it had been anyone else he wouldn't have believed them. But it felt different when it was spoken by a Reyes. He suspected it had something to do with the familiar soulful eyes and warm presence.
"But I didn't make him happy the last three months and I'm so sorry," TK sobbed. "I never meant to hurt him, I just-"
"TK, you don't owe me an explanation." Andrea cut him off, setting her palm on his face and wiping his tears away. "Carlitos already gave me the cliff notes version. And what happened is between you two. And I know you're both working to move past it and make sure it doesn't happen again. That's all that matters to me. Can you just promise me one thing?"
"Anything," TK rushed to say, smiling wetly when Andrea chuckled.
Andrea pressed a kiss to the top of TK's head and held his gaze as she spoke. "Don't leave him again. I know Carlos has a big heart and sometimes that love translates to being overbearing or rash but just talk to him, don't run. Work your problems together. I've known Gabriel since we were 15, we married at 23, and I can tell you that's the key to any long lasting relationship."
TK nodded. "I promise. I love him so much. And I never want to hurt him again."
"But you might, TK. And he might hurt you too. No one is perfect and we all make mistakes." Andrea took a breath and reached for his hands, holding them tightly. "Just make sure your heart always gets back to the right place. Talk things out, be a team, and remember sometimes all we need is to be a little forgiving."
"Thank you," TK said softly, and leaned into her touch when Andrea pulled him in for another hug.
"We all love you, Tyler. And that won't change after just one fight. Now come on, take a moment to clean yourself up and let's finish these tamales."
The day ended as one of the best TK could remember. He laughed, shared stories and learned more of his new family in between spreading dough, laying the filling and folding the tamales. In the end, Andrea's looked like a work of art, while TK's were a little frayed along the edges.
"Do you want to stay for dinner?" TK asked as he removed the tamales from the water.
Andrea shook her head and grabbed her purse and grocery bags. "Thank you, but I already meddled in your plans enough." When TK opened his mouth to protest, she patted his cheek, and smiled, "you're a sweet boy, TK. But this is a night for you and your boyfriend to enjoy. Just save us some tamales, Gabriel and I would love to try them."
"Okay," TK agreed as he walked her outside. "Thank you, Andrea. And not just for today, but for loving Carlos, accepting us, and seeing me as enough for your son. Being welcomed into this family is everything to me."
"Thank you, TK. You're everything we ever wanted for Carlitos. Just remember what we talked about and let your love be enough." Andrea hugged him goodbye and, after a parting kiss to his forehead, got in her car and disappeared down the street.
A half hour later when the door swung open and Carlos came in, the kitchen was still a bit messy and TK's eyes were puffy and a little bloodshot, but seeing his boyfriend's face break into an adorable, little grin as he took in the spread on the table and the familiar aroma, TK knew it had all been worth it.
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