A/N: Sorry I disappeared for a while, but to make up for it a little bit, I added another chapter and there is a lot of Tarlos content. I know there are some inconsistencies, but again it's not edited yet. I might have used multiple spellings of Hanukkah, but I took a long break and forgot what spelling I used, it is one of the things that I will great when I edit it.
December 14
"What do you think about ropa vieja for dinner?" Carlos asks Nieves as they are walking through town after he picked her up from school.
Nieves shrugs her shoulders.
"A couple more stores," he promises as he holds the door open for her to walk into the supermarket before him.
Getting through the supermarket, Carlos puts the bags in the trunk when he is distracted by his phone ringing. "Luna?" He answers.
"Are you two going to Midnight Mass with us?"
"Why wouldn't we, hermana?" Carlos is confused.
"Are you going home after for are you coming to Mami and Papi's?"
"Probably going home. That way Nieves can open her presents from Santa in the morning."
"Just wondering. Are you bringing anyone?"
"Other than our niece, no," Carlos answers, starting to see where this is going.
"Not that firefighter you went to the tree lighting with?"
"No, I'm not seeing him. And even if I was, wouldn't that be moving a bit fast?"
"You moved fast with Chad."
"It's different this time. I have Nieves."
"Did something happen?"
"It just isn't the right time," Carlos answers, looking to where Nieves was standing. His heart drops when he doesn't see her. "I've got to go, hermana," he quickly hangs up.
"Have you seen a little girl?" He asks a woman he passes on the street. She shakes her head.
He asks the next several people that he passes, receiving the same answer each time. Trying to remain calm, he thinks about what he needs to do, but being a cop and knowing the true evil the world can hold is making that hard.
TK is bored. He hates being left behind for a call, but still being light duty, knows this is his future until he is cleared. "What should we do now Buttercup?" He asks the dog.
Buttercup looks to his favorite person before plopping down next to him.
"Yeah? I don't think so," TK answers, but gives the dog loving anyway.
"TK," he hears someone calling him from the apparatus. "You got a visitor."
TK looks to the Bernese Mountain dog, "Wonder who it could be?" He doesn't know anyone in Austin besides the crew, who are out on a call, and Carlos… but it wouldn't be him, not after the other night.
"Who is it?" He calls back as he makes his way down the steps. "Nieves?" He freezes seeing her. "What are you doing here? Does Carlos know you're here? Or your grandmother?" TK asks, not knowing who she was with before.
Nieves doesn't answer.
"Was there someone with her?" TK asks the same guy who grabbed him.
"She just walked in here," he shrugs his shoulders.
"Okay," TK mutters to himself. "Umm, Nieves do you want to see Buttercup?" He questions.
She nods her head looking around. TK takes her up to the common room where he left Buttercup. Once she is on the floor petting the dog, TK pulls out his phone, hoping Carlos will pick up. He gets sent to voicemail, so TK tries again. Getting sent to voicemail again, he leaves a message for Carlos to call him back. He also sends a text telling him the same thing.
TK kneels down next to her, "Your uncle isn't picking up. Do you know your grandmother's number?"
"No," she whispers.
"Why did you walk away from Carlos?"
Nieves shrugs her shoulders, still petting Buttercup.
They are silent for a minute before Nieves speaks again, "Tío is sad."
"I think we have some paper and markers around here somewhere, do you want to draw him something?" TK asks out of his depth.
Nieves shrugs, so TK takes that as a yes, but when he goes to get up, Nieves stops him by putting her hand on his arm.
"What is it?" He asks softly.
Nieves shakes her head.
"Okay we can sit here," TK tells her as he checks his phone to see if Carlos has gotten back to him.
They sit there not saying a word for a few moments until TK's phone rings. He looks to see who it is, and sees that it's Carlos. "Carlos," he picks up.
"What's the emergency?" Carlos questions stressed. "I don't really have time."
"Nieves wandered into the firehouse by herself," TK tells him.
"You're with her?" Carlos breathes a sigh of relief.
"Yeah, I didn't know who else to call, and she doesn't know your mom's number," TK explains.
"I'll be right there, just keep her there," Carlos tells him.
"No problem, she's content with Buttercup."
"TK! Cariño!" Carlos calls out as soon as he gets to the 126.
"Over here," TK waves him over.
Carlos makes a beeline for his niece. "Cariño, you can't ever, ever do that to me," Carlos is kneeling so they are on the same level and holding both of her shoulders in his arms. He looks to TK, "I'm sorry, I didn't know where she was."
"Kids can wander off," TK comments, understandingly.
"You could have been hurt. Anything could have happened to you," Carlos tells her.
"Right, but it didn't, right?" TK pipes up.
"Yeah," Carlos agrees, his heart finally calm enough that it isn't trying to beat out of his chest. "I just see the worst of everything."
"I know," TK acknowledges. "But she made it to a firehouse where she was safe."
"Yeah," he nods. "I should get her home," Carlos announces.
"Actually, do you have a minute?" TK asks hesitantly.
"Uh, sure. What's up?"
"Umm," TK looks to Nieves real quick, giving Carlos the message
"Nieves, I'm going to talk with TK for a minute, okay?"
"Sí, Tío," she answers while giving Buttercup a belly rub.
"I think maybe you miss understood me the other night," TK starts.
"No, I think I got it," he argues softly.
"You're a dad," Carlos' heart flutters hearing someone call him this. "And yes, there are some guys who aren't ready for that…"
"No, I got that."
"No, there are some… we'll, there's one…who wouldn't mind that at all. Especially if the kid is Nieves. I'm just really hoping that, maybe sometime, you might want to get a coffee with me," he smiles shyly.
"Yeah, I would like that," Carlos agrees. "Maybe we can make it breakfast and coffee?"
"Yeah," TK nods.
The drive home is silent, not even sound from the radio playing. When they get home, Carlos leads Nieves inside. He puts all the refrigerator items away before going to Nieves on the couch. "We need to talk," he tells her gently, but seriously.
Nieves looks up to meet his eyes, hazel looking at dark brown.
"I think you know what we need to talk about," he starts.
"Because I went to the firehouse?" She guesses in a small voice.
"Yes," Carlos nods. "You need to stay with the adult who you're with. You can't wander away from them. Anything could have happened to you."
"TK was there," she tells him quietly.
"I know, but it's the time between when you wandered away from me and when you got to the firehouse that something could have happened. There's also no way to know that TK was working today."
"I'm sorry," she whispers.
"I know. I want you to promise me that you're going to stay with the adult that you're with from now on. Do you understand?"
Nieves nods, "I promise," she whispers, leaning into him.
"I'm not saying this to scare you, but I see a lot of bad things happen, and I don't want to see something bad happen to you."
Nieves nods.
"Te amo," Carlos whispers, kissing her forehead.
"Te amo," she snuggles into him.
"What's got you grinning like a Cheshire Cat?" Judd questions TK when he and the rest of the 126 get back from their call.
"I don't know what you're talking about," TK tries to deny.
"You were in a mood last shift, and you were in a mood before we left on that last call," Judd points out. "What changed?"
"Nothing," TK tries to brush off.
"Really? Do I gotta get the others?" Judd questions.
"You wouldn't?" TK tries to tell if Judd is serious or not.
"I won't," Judd informs him, "but you do seem happier."
"I don't want to put you in the middle," TK decides to leave his answer vague.
"In the middle?" Judd questions, curiously.
"I met Carlos and Nieves at the Christmas tree lighting on Saturday," TK starts.
"I remember you mention someone like that," Judd recalls. "How'd that go? I know Carlos had broken up with Chad," Judd comments.
"It was good, until the end."
"What happened?"
"Should I be telling you? I mean Carlos is your friend."
"I can be friends with both of you and not judge."
TK sighs in defeat, "They dropped me off because I got an Uber. He asked me out and there was a little bit of a miscommunication."
"And you like him," Judd nods. "That would explain the mood last shift, but what changed that you were in a mood before we left and now you're… well you're in a different kind of mood," he grins at his own observation.
"Well, you're not going to like this part," TK starts. "But the important part is Nieves is fine."
"TK, what happened?" Judd asks worriedly.
"They were in town and I guess she wandered off. She made it here. I called Carlos and he came and got her."
Judd nods slowly, "I'm guessing you aren't grinning like a Cheshire Cat because Nieves wandered away from Carlos?"
"No!" TK agrees immediately. "Before they left, Carlos and I talked about what happened, Nieves was distracted by Buttercup, and we're going to meet for breakfast tomorrow," TK admits.
"Meeting for breakfast?" Judd teases.
"Yeah, but it doesn't mean anything. Besides, I need to tell him something first… he might not want me near Nieves."
"What do you mean? I know the clearances you have to pass to be a firefighter."
"No!," TK responds quickly. "Nothing like that, I would never hurt a kid. I just… might not be the best influence on one."
"What do you mean?" Judd is confused.
"Another time?" TK asks hopefully.
"Whenever you're ready," Judd answers without judgment or pressure.
TK nods, "So how did the call go? I'm going stir crazy here," he laughs.
Judd nods going into the latest call with a play-by-play as if it were the Super Bowl.
December 15
"Hey," TK greets Carlos when he meets him the next morning at a small diner.
"Hey," Carlos echos back.
"I hope you weren't waiting long."
"No, I just got here."
Before either of them are able to continue the conversation, a waitress comes to their table to take their order. "I feel like you know some things about me," Carlos comments. "I want to know some things about you?"
"Like what?"
"Like who you are? What's your family like?
"I'm an only child," TK tells him. "My dad was the lone survivor of his firehouse after 9/11. That actually is a big part of why my parents divorced."
"I'm sorry."
"It's okay. I mean I always dreamed that they would get back together, but I got Enzo out of it."
"Who's Enzo?
"My mom's boyfriend, but they've been together forever, so it feels weird calling him that, ya know?"
"Yeah," Carlos agrees.
"He was there for me whenever my dad was too busy."
"Was that a lot?"
"It felt like it," TK answers after a minute. "What about you? I know you have sisters?"
"Yeah. Growing up I was the youngest and the only boy. My oldest sister was Nieves' mother," he pauses. "She was great. A little wild, but being a mom suited her. She wanted to get far away from Austin, so that's how she ended up in Dallas. When she got pregnant, she asked me if I would be Nieves' guardian if anything ever happened to her. I didn't know anything about raising a kid, and Esmeralda said 'Just start by loving her'. I said yes, of course. Because nothing was ever going to happen to her, I would never need to raise Nieves… until I did," he sighs.
"Nieves' father?"
"When I asked her about it, she told me that it was better if he wasn't in their lives. I don't know if she even told him."
They stop while the waitress brings them their food.
After taking a couple of bites, he continues, "Luna is next. She married David and they have four kids: Javier, the twins Sebastián and Santiago, and little Martina. Luna is very outgoing. She gets into everything."
"Everything?"
"All three of my sisters were troublemakers in school, and that didn't stop once they graduated."
"Who's the last sister?"
"Marisol. She married Esteban and they have two girls, Dulce and Maya. She's the calmest of my sisters, but that doesn't mean much," Carlos laughs.
"You grew up here?"
"Yeah, actually, I don't think I've ever left Texas," Carlos thinks out loud. "What's New York like?"
TK takes a sip of coffee before answering, "Loud and busy. People are right when they say it's the city that never sleeps. There's always something happening. It actually feels weird to fall asleep here, it's too quiet," TK tells him. "Why'd you become a cop?"
"My dad's a Texas Ranger… I guess I wanted to follow in his footsteps a little. And I had a friend go missing when we were in high school. Her case went cold, until a few years ago because her sister never gave up. She had been presumed dead, but she was actually living in one of those homeless camps, dealing with mental health problems."
"How is she now?"
"She's still there, but we know she's okay, or at least alive…" Carlos answers. "What about you? Why firefighter?"
"I don't know. I don't think there was another option for me. It just seemed right."
"What about your mom? Is she a firefighter too?"
"No," TK laughs. "She's a lawyer. And yours?"
"She's a teacher."
"What's she teach?"
"She's an elementary school teacher for Austin ISD."
"Does she teach at Nieves' school?"
"No, she's at Sunset Valley, and Nieves, and the other kids, are at Bear Creek. It gives the kids independence, you know, not being at the same school as their grandmother."
"Do all the kids go to the same school?"
"Only three of them for now, but they will eventually."
"Did you ever picture this?" TK asks. "Not raising your niece, but kids?"
"Yeah," Carlos answers slowly. "I always wanted to have kids, but…"
"Adopting as a gay man in Texas isn't easy?"
"Mmm," Carlos hums.
The two of them continue to learn more about each other as they eat their breakfast. TK learns that Carlos came out to his parents when he was seventeen, but had come out to Esmeralda first when he was fifteen. And Carlos learns that TK was close to his maternal grandmother due to both of his parents being busy with work and learned a lot of Jewish recipes because of that.
TK knows he needs to tell Carlos about his addiction, so when they finish eating, he asks Carlos if he wants to go for a walk with him. Carlos agrees, so after they pay, Carlos leads him to a nearby park.
"I really liked getting to know you," TK tells Carlos as they walk through the park after getting breakfast.
"I liked getting to know you too," Carlos smiles.
"But, I need to tell you something before this— whatever this is— goes any further," TK informs him. "You should know what you're getting yourself into, especially since you have Nieves to think about."
"What is it?" Carlos asks, scenarios running through his mind.
"I think we should sit," TK motions to a park bench.
"Okay," Carlos takes a seat, following TK's lead.
TK lets out a breath, trying to organize his thoughts. "I'm a recovering addict. It's opioids. I— a couple of months ago, I had a relapse. It was bad, my heart had stopped and my dad did what he does best and saved my life. Before that, I had been sober for three years. I haven't touched anything since I overdosed back in New York."
Carlos is at a loss of words, so he grabs TK's hand in his own. "How are you doing?"
"I'm going to meetin—"
Carlos cuts him off, "I don't mean that. I mean how are you?" He emphasizes the last word.
"Okay. I was kicking myself at first, but I can't change it."
Carlos nods, taking in this new information.
"I understand if you don't want me to be around Nieves," TK tells him, giving Carlos an out.
"This doesn't change anything," Carlos tells him.
"It doesn't?"
"No. I care about you and I want to get to know you better. And I know Nieves feels comfortable around you."
"How?" TK is confused how a child who he just meet and barely interacts with can be comfortable around him.
"When we went to the tree lighting, that was the most that she's talked since her mother passed."
"I don't know if I would measure a kid being comfortable by that," TK laughs.
"Yeah," Carlos agrees, "but when she wandered off and ended up at the firehouse. When I got there, she didn't rush to me like she does when she's scared. It's like she felt safe there… with you."
"That could have been the giant dog," TK shakes his head.
"Okay, how about this," Carlos suggests. "We can meet here again," he offers. "Nieves loves the park, there's a small trail that Nieves likes to take and all get to know each other."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, we can get pizza after?"
"I haven't had pizza here yet," TK comments.
"Well, in that case, I can convert you," Carlos jokes.
"There is nothing better than a New York Pizza," TK responds.
"We'll see," Carlos grins.
Like any day Carlos doesn't have a shift, he is waiting outside for Nieves to be done with school. "Tío!" Nieves races to him when she sees him waiting for her.
"Nieves," he wraps his arms around her when she crashes into him. "How was school?"
"Good. We did clocks," Nieves tells him on the way back to his car.
"Yeah, en inglés o español?"
"English," Nieves answers, "time in Spanish is next week," she adds.
Carlos nods, "When we get home, I want to talk with you about something," he tells her as he watches her buckle her car seat.
"Did I do something?" She asks scared.
"No, cariño. I want to make sure you're ok with something."
"Okay," she scrunches up her face.
The car ride home is filled with Carlos asking Nieves what she did in school. When they make it home, Carlos opens the door and Nieves takes her backpack into the kitchen. "Do you want a snack?" Carlos questions.
"Sí," Nieves nods.
Carlos pulls out a jar of peaches from the refrigerator, "Duraznos?" He holds up the jar for her.
Nieves nods, so Carlos pours some into a bowl for her. Carlos lets her eat before he talks with her about the plans that he made.
"Tío?" She questions, staring at him with her hazel eyes,
"Sí, cariño?"
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, chiqutia," he responds. "Are you done eating?"
Nieves nods.
"Can you put your bowl in the sink for me?" Carlos asks.
Nieves does as she is told before going back to her uncle. "Let's go to the couch," he guides her.
Once they are both settled on the couch he makes sure she is listening. "You know how when we were in Dallas Chad was my boyfriend?"
Nieves nods, "Is he coming back?" She asks confused, having been under the impression that he won't be around anymore.
"No, he went back to Dallas," Carlos answers quickly. "But you know how when we were still in Dallas, we would spend time with him?"
"Yeah," Nieves nods.
"I was taking with TK, from the firehouse, and thought we could go to the park and get pizza after," he tells her. "Is that okay with you?"
"Sí," she answers. "He's nice," Nieves hesitates.
"What is it?" He wants to know.
"You said he wasn't going to be around anymore?"
"I know, I did," Carlos acknowledges. "Sometimes when adults talk, they misunderstand each other and that's what happened between me and TK when we went to see the tree lighting," he tells her. "But the day you wandered off to the firehouse, TK and I talked again. We both know that we weren't communicating well that night. I took what he said in a way that was different than what he meant."
"You and TK talked again? Are you and Chad going to talk again?"
"Chad and I… want different things," Carlos answers.
"Do you and TK want the same things?"
"I think we do," Carlos nods. "But we're going to take it slow. We want to get to know each other as friends before either of us decides anything."
Nieves stares at him.
"Nieves," he makes sure she is paying attention. "You and I are a package deal," he tells her. "Do you know what that means?"
Nieves shakes her head.
"It means anyone I decide to date has to be okay with me having you. You're my girl," he reminds her.
"What if I don't like your boyfriend?" Nieves asks timidly.
"Then I want you to be able to come to me," Carlos answers. "Are you really okay with TK?"
"I am. I didn't like Chad," she whispers the second part.
Carlos opens his arms and Nieves climbs into them. "Did he hurt you?"
"No," she cuddles into his embrace. "I don't think he liked me. He ignored me a lot."
"It's okay, he's out of our lives now," he whispers, stroking her hair.
December 16
"Tío!" Nieves bounces over to Carlos when he's waiting for her after school on Friday.
"Hey," he greets when she reaches him. "How was school?"
"Good," she answers. "Are we going to the park now?"
"We are. Is that still okay with you?" He checks.
"Sí," she answers. "Does TK like hiking?"
"He didn't say anything when I suggested it," Carlos comments.
"What if he doesn't like it?"
"We can find something else to do," Carlos answers quickly, as he opens the car door for her.
When they get to the park, Carlos leads Nieves to where he and TK ended up the day before, finding him sitting on a bench a little further than where TK told him about his addiction.
"TK!" Carlos calls.
"Hey," TK looks up from his phone.
Nieves waves from next to her uncle.
"Hey, Nieves. Your uncle tells me that you like hiking here?"
She nods, "It's just a trail. Do you like hiking?"
"I've never been before. There weren't many in the part of New York that I'm from."
"Oh."
"Do you want to lead the way?" TK asks.
Nieves looks to Carlos, "Go ahead cariño."
Getting her uncle's permission, Nieves grabs TK's hand and leads him in the direction of the path. TK looks at Carlos in shock and he shrugs his shoulder following the two of them.
"What do you like to do?" TK asks.
Nieves shrugs her shoulders.
Carlos decides to help her, "Nieves, do you like helping Abuelita cook?"
"Sí," Nieves answers.
"Do you have a favorite thing to cook?" TK asks.
"Tamales," Nieves answers. "They're fun."
"Nieves, what's your favorite kind of tamale?" Carlos asks.
"Chicken," she looks back to her uncle.
The three of them continue along the path as both Carlos and Nieves explain the different types of tamales to TK.
"Do you like soccer?" Nieves looks to TK.
"Um, I watch it sometimes," TK answers. "Do you play?"
"No, Mami said she was going to put me on a team," Nieves responds sadly.
"Cariño, we can sign you up to play in the spring okay?"
"Okay," Nieves agrees.
"Did you play sports?" TK asks Carlos.
"I played baseball. What about you?"
"Hockey when I was little, but by high school…" TK drifts off not wanting to mention his addiction in from of Nieves without knowing how Carlos wants her to know.
"Do you know how to swim?" Nieves gently tugs on his arm, pulling him out of thought.
"No," he answers. "Do you like swimming?"
"I don't know."
"Did your mamí teach you to swim?" Carlos questions.
"No," Nieves shakes her head.
"I'll teach you this summer," Carlos tells her. "Did you know your mamí is the one who taught me to swim?" Nieves shakes her head.
"Did she teach tías?"
"She did," Carlos nods. Nieves lets go of TK's hand and goes over to Carlos. "Are you okay?" Nieves nods but indicates that she wants to be picked up. Carlos easily lifts her up and rests her on his hip.
TK walks back over to them, "Is she okay?" He whispers to Carlos. "We can reschedule if she wants to go home."
Carlos nods, "Do you want to go home?" He asks rubbing her back.
"No," she whispers.
"Do you want to head back?" Carlos asks, "Get off the trail before dark?"
"Okay," TK agrees. "How did you find this?" He asks as they start the trek back to the entrance of the trail.
By the end of the hour, TK, Carlos, and Nieves are sitting in a booth at the Reyes' favorite pizza place. TK gets a mineral water, Carlos an iced tea and Carlos gets a lemonade in a child's cup for Nieves. They get a large plain pizza to share.
"Remember," Carlos stage whispers to Nieves, "we have to convert TK."
"Why?"
TK laughs at the two of them, "Because," TK answers for him. "I'm from New York, and we have the best pizza."
Nieves shakes her head at him.
"We do," TK repeats. "And bagels too," he adds as an afterthought.
"Nun-uh," she disagrees.
"We do, when I go back to visit my mom, I'll bring some bagels back for you to try if it's okay with your uncle."
"Have you even tried our bagels?" Carlos wonders.
"You mean the round things that taste like cardboard?" TK shoots back.
"Oh, you're funny," Carlos shakes his head.
"I've been told," TK grins, making Nieves laugh at him and her uncle.
When their pizza arrives, Carlos first gets a piece for Nieves before getting one for himself, reminding her that t is hot and to let it cool before she eats it.
"Is pizza your favorite?" TK asks Nieves as he gets his own slice.
She shakes her head, "It's not spicy enough," she answers.
"You like things spicy?" TK is surprised.
Nieves nods, while Carlos answers, "A lot of the Mexican dishes my family makes are spicy. The ones for the kids are a bit milder, but it still has a kick to it."
"So is your abuela's food your favorite?"
"Sí," Nieves answers. "Do you like Mexican?"
"I like it," TK responds, "but my favorite is Chinese. Do you have a favorite?" TK turns to Carlos.
"Not really," he answers.
As they eat, the three of them make small talk so TK can get to know them better and Carlos and Nieves can get to know TK better. When they leave, Carlos offers to give TK a ride since he drove them to the pizza place and he got an Uber to the park.
After driving for a few minutes, Carlos quickly glances over to the passenger seat where TK is, "So, there's a menorah lighting on the first night of Hanukah if you want to go. It's at the capital."
"Really?" TK is surprised that there would be one in Texas.
"Yeah, it's at the capital… it's probably not as big as one in New York, but it sounds like the Jewish community here likes it."
"How did you find out about it?" TK wonders.
"I looked it up… you went to a Christmas tree lighting with us when you don't celebrate it. I thought if you wanted to hang out again we could go to it… or if you wanted to go with your dad?"
"You'd go?"
"We would," Carlos answers. "Right, Nieves?"
"Sí," Nieves agrees.
"That sounds fun," TK agrees.
December 18
"Ready to go to Abuelos?" Carlos asks when Nieves comes back from brushing her teeth.
"Sí," Nieves nods. "Are we still going with TK tonight?" She wonders.
"Yes," Carlos answers. "When I pick you up from Abuelos, we're going home so I can take a quick shower and then we're going to pick up TK."
"Where is it?"
"At the capital," Carlos answers.
"Is it going to be like the Christmas tree lighting?"
"Um…" Carlos hesitates. "Tonight is the first night of Hanukkah, so they're only going to light one of the candles."
"So, it's one each night?"
"I think this is a question for TK when we see him tonight," Carlos answers as they are on the way out the door.
"Okay," Nieves nods, climbing into the car.
Nieves follows her grandparents back into their house after church. "Do you want to help me make Christmas cookies?" Andrea asks Nieves once they take their jackets off.
"Yeah," Nieves nods.
"Sugar cookies?" Andrea questions.
"Can we make shapes?"
"Of course, we can, mijita. You know where the cookie cutters are?"
Nieve nods.
"Okay, go get them and I'll get the ingredients for the cookies."
Nieves opens the cupboard where she knows her abuela keeps all the fun-shaped cookie cutters. She picks out a tree, stocking, and candy cane. "Albueltia, do you have a star?"
"Sí, mija. It's in the back. Tú primos used it when we made cookies for the Forth of July."
Nieves finds the ones that she is looking for and brings them to the kitchen table where Andrea is putting the rest of the ingredients.
"Are these all the ones that you want to use?"
"Sí," Nieces nods.
"They look like good ones," Andrea comments as she preheats the oven.
With the ingredients out, Andrea starts giving Nieves instructions. Andrea creams the butter and sugar in the mixing bowl, she then lets Nieves add in the vanilla and peppermint extracts, and crack the egg before continuing to beat the mix.
In a separate bowl, they mix together all the dry ingredients, before adding them a little at a time to the wet ones.
Once mixed well, they break the dough into three chunks and roll the first one out onto the floured table. Andrea lets Nieves use the cookie cutters and places each cookie onto a tray to put into the oven.
They go through the process several more times and when they don't have enough dough left for Nieves to use the cookie cutters, they make shapes without them.
"Can we give some to TK?" Nieves asks Andrea as she puts the last batch into the oven. "Even if he doesn't celebrate Christmas?"
"Who's TK, mija?" Andrea asks caught off guard by the question.
"Tío's friend. We went to the Christmas tree lighting with him, and after school on Friday we got pizza," she tells her. "But he doesn't like it. He thinks New York pizza is better— that's where he's from."
Andrea nods, understanding. "Sí, mijita, we can give some to TK," she answers. "Are you going to see him soon to give them to him?"
"Sí, we're going to a men-no-rah lighting tonight with him. He's Jewish and celebrates Han-nu-ka," she pronounces slowly.
"Yeah?" Andrea questions caught off guard by this new information. "How does Tío know TK?"
Nieves shrugs her shoulders. "He works with Mr. Judd at the firehouse. Mr. Judd helped us move and paint my room at Tío's," Nieves tells Andrea.
"I remember him," Andrea nods. "Mr. Judd is a good man."
"Can we give TK some Christmas cookies? Even if he doesn't celebrate it?" Nieves asks again.
"Of course, TK can have some Christmas don't have to celebrate Christmas to eat Christmas cookies." Nieves smiles at her answer.
After the cookies are done, Andrea sends Nieves into the family room to read with her grandfather while they wait for Carlos to come pick Nieves up.
"Something smells good," Nieves hears when the door opens.
"Tío!" She leaves Gabriel to greet her uncle.
"Hey, cariño," he hugs her. "Did you have fun?"
"Sí. We make cookies and Abuelita said we can give some to TK."
"Wow, I think that he'll love it," Carlos tells her just as excited. Turning to his mother, "Mom, you made enough for an army" she laughs.
"Carlitos, you know I only have recipes for a lot of people," she reminds him.
"Lo sé," Carlos nods.
"Nieves, why don't you say goodbye to Abuelito and grab your bag? I want to talk with Tío before you guys leave."
Nieves nods before scurrying out of the room back to her grandfather.
When Nieves is out of earshot, Andrea turns back to her son, "Aren't you worried that you're going to confuse Nieves?" Andrea questions.
"What are you talking about?" Carlos asks confused.
"You just broke up with Chad. It sounds like Nieves is already attached to this TK," Andrea voices her concern.
"I broke up with him three weeks ago; and, we're not… we're taking it slow," Carlos responds.
"Carlos, you went to the tree lighting with him, and you went out with him Friday; and now you're going to a menorah lighting? With Nieves?" She raises an eyebrow.
"We're all getting to know each other. He knows that I'm going to put her first, he even asked if she was okay with tagging along before the tree lighting and when we went out on Friday, Nieves got a little sad because we were talking about Esmeralda, he was okay if she wanted to go home."
"Just be careful."
"I am, but he's different," Carlos responds.
"I just don't want either of you to be hurt."
"I know," Carlos whispers, letting her hug him.
"Alright, you better get going. You don't want to be late. And don't forget TK's cookies," she hands him a container for TK and a container for himself and Nieves.
"Gracias, Mamá."
"When are we going?" Nieves asks Carlos after he comes back into the living room from his shower.
"Soon," Carlos answers. "I just texted him to see if he's ready."
"Is that him?" Nieves asks when she hears Carlos's ringtone for a text.
Carlos checks his phone, "It is," he answers. "Ready to go?"
"Yes!" She yells pulling on his arm.
"Hey, slow down," he laughs. "He's not going anywhere and we have plenty of time before them menorah lighting."
"Okay," Nieves sighs, slowing down.
"Get your jacket and shoes."
Nieves grabs her shoes, sits on the floor putting them on. "Can you tie them Tío?"
Carlos nods and kneels down to tie her shoes, "We need to work on you tying your shoes yourself, okay?"
"Okay," Nieves nods.
"Done," Carlos pats her shoes. "Go get your jacket and hat, while I get my stuff, okay?"
"Okay, and his cookies?"
"And his cookies," Carlos nods.
Five minutes later, the two of them are out the door and in Carlos' car on the way to the Strand home to pick up TK.
Pulling up to the Strand home, Carlos watches as the door opens just as he puts the car into park. He watches as TK shuts the door behind him, walking up to the car.
"Were you waiting for us?" Carlos jokes. "We would have knocked," he tells TK, with Nieves noting her head in the back seat.
TK shrugs, "I figured this was easier than getting Nieves in and out of the back seat," he raises an eyebrow. "A two-door car isn't exactly the easiest with using the back seat."
"Okay, you have a point."
"TK!" Nieves greets from the back.
"Hey, Nieves!" He turns to face her. "Are you excited for the menorah lighting?"
"Sí!" She nods her head vigorously.
"Don't let her fool you," Carlos teases his niece. "She wouldn't stop asking me when we were leaving."
"Tío!"
TK laughs at the interaction between uncle and niece. "TK?" Nieves asks from the backseat.
"Yeah?" He turns slightly so he can kind of see Nieves.
"What do you do for Hanukkah?" She questions.
"When it gets dark out we light the menorah. There are nine candles, one for each night and an extra one that is used to light the others," TK answers. "We just spend time with family," he continues. "Sometimes we play with a dreidel, and we eat food. Latkes and sufganiyots are common around Hanukkah."
Nieves tilts her head curiously.
"Do you know what a top is?" TK asks.
"A shirt?" Nieves answers confused.
"No, a toy top," TK clarifies.
"Oh," Nieves exhales. "Yeah, they spin."
"Yeah, a dreidel is kind of like a top. You spin it, but instead of being a circle, it has four sides and each side has a letter in Hebrew on it," TK explains.
"What do the letters do?"
"The letter that is facing up, tells you what to do."
"To do with what?"
"We play with anything that's small and we have a lot of. Sometimes it's chocolate gelt, sometimes it's peanuts, raisins, or any other type of candy we have on hand. Sometimes we even use pennies," he explains. "When we start, each player has an equal number of playing pieces. And at the beginning of each round, you put a piece into the center pot. You spin the dreidel and on each side, there is a letter; with each letter, you do something different with the pot. Nun means you don't do anything; Gimel means you take everything; Hey, you take half of the pot; and shin means you put a piece in."
"What happens if the center pot is empty before the round is over?"
"If it's empty, or even if there's only one piece left, everyone should add one into the pot again."
"Can we play?" Nieves asks.
"Maybe another time?" TK looks to Carlos.
"Yeah," Carlos agrees, looking over to TK quickly before looking back to the road.
"What are la-takes and sof-gaan-yotes?" Nieves asks.
"Close," he laughs. "It's laat-kuhz and soof-gaa-nee-owt," he pronounces slowly so she can hear the proper pronunciation. "They're different types of foods. Latkes are potato pancakes that are cooked in oil. And you can eat them with apple sauce or sour cream."
"Why?"
"Why eat them with apple sauce or sour cream?"
Nieves nods her head.
TK thinks about it for a minute, "I don't know," he finally answers. "I guess it's always been that way."
"What about the sufganiyots?" Carlos questions as he parks the car.
"Donuts with a jam filling," TK answers. "But you can fill them with things other than jam too if that's not your thing," he adds after a moment.
The three of them get out of Carlos' car and Nieves reaches for Carlos' hand.
"Is that the men-no-rah?" Nieves asks TK, pointing to the giant menorah.
TK looks to where she is pointing, "Yes, that's the menorah," he answers.
"How are they gonna use the one to light the others?" Nieves asks.
"They won't," TK answers. "It's too big. But the helper candle, the shamash, is used to light candles on the menorahs that people have at home."
"How big are men-no-rahs at home?"
"It depends, but they fit on a table and you can put them on a windowsill," TK answers.
"Why the window?"
"Because we want to bring attention to the miracle of oil, so we display it in the window where everyone can see it."
"Oil?"
"A long time ago, there was only enough oil to last for one night, but it lasted for eight nights."
"So oil is important?"
"Hmm-mmm," TK nods as the three of them walk around. Looking around TK sees a booth. "Hey, are either of you allergic to any foods?" He asks Carlos.
"No," Carlos answers. "Why?"
TK nods his head towards the stand. "I'm going to introduce the two of you to sufganiyots."
"Okay," Carlos nods following him, Nieves still holding his hand.
Walking up to the stand, TK asks them what flavors they want. "Strawberry?" Carlos checks with Nieves.
She nods.
TK looks to Carlos. He looks at his options, "Umm, blueberry," Carlos answers.
"Two strawberries and a blueberry," TK orders.
After paying they wait a minute before the vendor hands TK the sufganiyots. "Here," he hands them the sufganiyots.
The trio walks away to let others get their orders in. "What do you think?" TK asks once they try it.
"It's good," Carlos answers.
"I like it. Es dulce," She answers.
"English, cariño," Carlos reminds her at TK, at confused look.
"It's sweet," she repeats.
"I'm glad you guys like it," TK grins.
They walk around a bit more finishing their sufganiyots, "They're about to start the lighting," TK tells them.
Nieves lets go of Carlos' hand and runs around him so that she is now in between the two of them. She grabs Carlos' hand again and grabs TK's hand on her other side.
They gather around the giant menorah. "They're going to do three prayers before they light it," TK whispers to Carlos and Nieves. "I don't know if they're going to be in English or Hebrew, and the third one is only ever said on the first night of Hanukah."
Both Carlos and Nieves nod.
The speaker steps up to the microphone, causing the crowd to become quiet. He gives a short speech before starting on the prayers in Hebrew and lights both the shamash and the candle for the first night.
"What did you guys think?" TK asks as they are walking back to Carlos' car.
"I liked it; it was interesting," Carlos responds.
"It was fun!" Nieves adds.
"I'm glad you guys had fun."
"Oh, TK! I forgot!" Nieves yells when they get back to the car.
"What did you forget?" TK asks.
"Albeulita and I made Christmas cookies. Yours are in the car," she tells him before pausing. "You can have Christmas cookies?" She asks unsure of herself, even after her grandmother's words earlier in the day.
TK laughs softly at the question, "Yes, I can have Christmas cookies," he answers.
"I didn't know," she tells him shyly.
"No, Jewish people can have Christmas cookies."
Nieves smiles hearing this. Carlos opens the car door for Nieves to climb in. "So, I don't know if this is too soon," TK starts once Nieves is in the car. "But, I was thinking maybe you two could come over tomorrow night? I can teach you guys how to play the dreidel game and watch a Christmas movie?"
"That sounds good," Carlos nods. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah, if you're okay with it. I know you want to take it slow with Nieves, so if you're uncomfortable with it, I don't want to push it."
"No, no," Carlos shakes his head. "I mean, I do want to take it slow, but she seems comfortable with you… and I like how we're all getting to know each other," he responds before they both get into the car.
Carlos pulls up to the Strand house. "TK! Wait!" Nieves stops him as he goes to get out of the car. "Don't forget your cookies!" She holds out the container and hands it to TK between his and Carlos' seats.
TK turns around to face her. "Thanks," he smiles at her, taking the container.
"De nada," she grins back.
"See you later," Carlos tells TK as he gets out of the car.
TK nods, "Text me when you two get home?"
"Yeah," Carlos agrees. He watches TK go inside the house before he pulls away to go to his own home.
"Tío?" Nieves asks on the way home.
"Yes, Nieves?" Carlos looks in the rearview mirror.
"Is TK your boyfriend?"
Not expecting this question from Nieves, he pauses. "Where did this come from?"
"You're happier when he's around. He's nicer than Chad."
"TK and I are friends," he answers.
"We went to the tree lighting with him and not our familia."
Carlos sighs, "Can this wait until we get home?"
"Am I in trouble?" She asks nervously.
"No, cariño. I think it's just better to talk about it when we're not in the car."
"Okay," she whispers.
"Hey, te amo."
"Te amo," she echos.
The rest of the ride home is quiet. When they get home, Carlos turns the car off and helps Nieves out of the car.
Entering the house, Nieves goes straight to the couch. Carlos follows her, "Hey, you're not in trouble."
"Are you boyfriends?" She asks again in a quiet voice.
Carlos sighs, sitting beside her. "We're not. We like each other and want to see what happens. Maybe, one day we will be boyfriends. But we want to take it slow."
"Is it my fault?"
"No, baby. We both want to take it slow. I have you and TK has his reasons for wanting to go slow too."
"Chad was really fast."
"I know."
"I like TK. He's nice… and funny."
"Funny?"
"Sí. He was funny at the firehouse," Nieves responds.
Carlos nods, "How would you feel about seeing TK again tomorrow?"
Nieves' eyebrows furrow, "Are we going to?"
"TK invited us to come over tomorrow night. He said something about teaching us how to play the dreidel game and watching a Christmas movie. Would you want to go?"
"Can we?"
"I told him we would, but if you don't want to I can tell TK another time."
"I want to," she tells him.
"Okay. If you change your mind, I want you to tell me, comprende?"
"Comprendo," Nieves nods.
Carlos kisses her forehead, "Time for bed."
"Are you going to read?"
"Of course, go brush your teeth and I'll be in to read to you after." Once she is out of sight, Carlos sends a text to TK letting him know that the two of them got home safe.
December 19
"Are you sure you're gonna be okay here by yourself?" Owen checks with TK for the tenth time before he needs to leave for the firehouse.
"Dad, I'll be fine. It's been three weeks."
"I know," Owen sighs. "Are you okay if I leave Buttercup with you?"
"Yeah, that's fine," TK responds. "I invited a friend to come over and hang out, but he's fine with Buttercup."
"He?" Owen raises an eyebrow.
"Not like that Dad. He's just a friend, and he's bringing his niece. I'm going to teach them the dreidel game and we'll probably end up watching a Christmas movie."
"Just a friend?"
"We both want to take things slow."
"Who is it?"
"Carlos. He's a patrol officer."
"He was at the car accident scene— where the baby was in the tree?"
"Yeah," TK nods. "We also ran into him at the diner when we first got here."
Owen nods, "I remember. Just be careful."
"Dad, I just told you we both want to take things slow… and he's bringing his niece."
"That's not what I mean," Owen stops him. "I almost lost you, not even six months ago. And then, you got shot and I almost lost you again."
TK nods in understanding.
"I love you, son," Owen tells TK, pulling him in for a hug.
"I love you too Dad," TK rests his head on Owen's shoulder for a moment.
"Hey," TK opens the door with Buttercup on his heels.
"Hi TK," Carlos greets.
"Hi, TK," Nieves echoes her uncle, bouncing on her heels in front of him. "Hi, Buttercup," she greets the dog.
TK laughs softly at her. "Come in," he opens the door wider to let them in. "You can pet him," TK tells her. "He loves attention," he adds after a moment when they are all in the house.
Nieves looks to Carlos for his permission. Carlos nods and Nieves follows Buttercup into the living room. "Thanks for inviting us over," Carlos thanks TK as he shuts the door behind him.
"Yeah, no problem. It will be fun. Before we I teach you guys the dreidel game, I thought we could make latkes?"
"Yeah, sure," Carlos agrees. "Do you want me to get Nieves?"
"Yeah, I'll get everything out," he tells Carlos as he goes into the cabinets to gather everything they will need.
Carlos returns a minute later with Nieves following him and Buttercup walking next to her, "Tío said we're making something?" Nieves questions as Carlos helps her onto a stool.
"We are," TK confirms. "I thought I would give the two of you the full experience of dreidels and latkes," TK informs her as he sets everything on the table.
"What's this?" Nieves points to a container of matzo meal.
"It's matzo meal. It's a flatbread," he adds to her confused look.
Together the three of them make the lakes, uncle, and niece listening carefully to TK's directions.
Half an hour later TK pulled the latkes out of the oven and had them sitting on the cooling rack. He looks to them, "Okay, now the real question is: what do you want with your latkes? Sour cream or apple sauce?"
"What?" Carlos asks.
"Do you want sour cream or apple sauce to put on your latke?" TK questions, more directly this time.
"Oh, umm, sour cream," Carlos answers after a moment. "What do you want Nieves?"
"Apple sauce?" Nieves asks shyly.
"Got it," TK grins.
"So, what are you TK? Apple sauce or cream cheese?" Carlos asks TK.
"I'm team apple sauce," TK answers as he gets both the apple sauce and cream cheese out of the refrigerator. He high-fives Nieves before continuing, "It is the superior latke topping," he jokes.
"'Team'," Carlos repeats, eyebrow raised.
"Yes, team. It's a thing," he deadpans. "There are debates on it… sometimes it gets ugly," he grins.
Feeling a latke to see if it's cool enough to eat, deciding it is, he scoops another one onto a plate for Carlos to test for Nieves, "Is this cool enough for her?" He questions.
Carlos feels the latke, "Maybe a little cooler?" He looks to TK.
TK nods, "The apple sauce will cool it down some too," he informs Carlos.
"Okay, maybe just another minute or two."
TK nods before looking to Nieves, "So, I couldn't find any gelt to play with, and I didn't know if you guys liked chocolate, so I got M&Ms and Skittles. What do you want to play with?"
"M&Ms," she answers, but it comes out more as a question as she looks at Carlos.
"That's fine," Carlos nods.
"Do you remember what I said last night about the dreidel?" TK asks her.
"Sí, there are four sides. And each side has a letter. The letters do different things. But I don't remember the letters."
"That's okay," he tells her. "You remembered a lot. I'll tell you how to play again in a little bit, but right now, I think the latkes are cool enough to try." He turns to Carlos, "What do you think?"
"I think they are," Carlos agrees. "How much do I put on?"
"I've got it," TK responds, gently taking the plate out of Carlos' hand. He then takes the container of sour cream and scoops some onto the latke, he repeats this with the apple sauce. Handing Nieves and Carlos the correct latkes, he motions for them to try it.
"What do you think?" He asks them after a moment.
"It's good," Carlos answers.
"Yeah?" TK grins. "What do you think, Nieves?"
"It's yummy," she answers taking another bite.
"I'm glad you both like them."
TK prepares another latke for each of them, "Are you ready for me to teach you guys the dreidel game?"
Carlos looks to Nieves, letting her take the lead. Nieves nods excitedly.
"Nieves, do you want to help me set up?"
"Sí."
TK nods, "Okay, then," he opens the bag of M&Ms. "Can you count out fifteen M&Ms for yourself?"
Nieves nods and starts counting out the M&Ms in Spanish.
"Fifteen?" Carlos questions.
"Yup," TK nods, taking a handful out to count his own.
Once they all have fifteen pieces, TK pulls out a large dreidel that had both the Hebrew letters and English words written above it. "This is a dreidel," he holds it out for Nieves to see.
Nieves takes it in her hands to examine it, "The letters look funny," she tells him.
"Nieves," Carlos gently chastises her.
"It's okay," TK laughs before turning to Nieves. "They do look different, don't they?"
"Yeah," she nods. "Why?"
"You know how with English and Spanish, the letters are the same?"
Nieves nods.
"Some languages have different alphabets."
"Like Spanish has more letters?"
"Not exactly," TK pulls out his phone to bring up a picture on Google that has all the Hebrew letters on it. He shows her his phone screen, "This is the Hebrew alphabet, it's the language that we use for different occasions."
"Why does this have our letters too?" She questions, pointing to the dreidel.
"Not all dreidels do. This is the one that I use when I play with people that can't read Hebrew."
"You can read Hebrew?"
"Not a lot, but I know the important ones for prayers for the high holidays, and what the letters on a dreidel mean."
"How do you play?" Nieves asks.
"To start we each put an M&M into the 'pot'. When we spin the dreidel, the letter that lands on the top tells us what to do," he takes the dreidel from Nieves and points to each side as he explains, "Nun means you don't do anything; Gimel means you take everything; Hey, you take half of the pot; and shin means you put a piece in."
"What happens if there's nothing left in the pot before you spin?"
"Each player puts another M&M in."
"Who goes first and last?"
"It's different every time," TK answers. When Nieves gives him a confused look, he continues, "We take turns spinning the dreidel and the letter that it lands on decides on who goes first, and then we go clockwise."
"What happens if we get the same letter?"
"If two people get the same letter, then they spin the dreidel again and go in that order."
"What's the order?" Carlos questions.
"Nun, gimmel, hey, then shin," TK answers. "Are you two ready to try?" Both Carlos and Nieves nods. "Nieves can go first."
Nieves takes the dreidel and spins it; the dreidel lands on gimmel. TK lets Carlos spin next, he also gets gimmel. When TK spins the dreidel, it lands on shin. "Okay, you both need to spin it again," TK reminds them.
Nieves spins the dreidel again first, this time landing on hey. Carlos spins again and lands on nun.
"Okay, so Carlos will go first and then you'll go after him," TK tells Nieves.
"And you're last?"
TK nods.
The three of them each put a M&M in the pot. TK hands Carlos the dreidel to spin it. The dreidel lands on hey, "Do you remember what that one means?" TK asks.
"Put a piece in?" Carlos questions.
"No," TK laughs. "You take half; since there's an odd number take two. And then we'll all put another M&M in."
"Nieves, it's your turn," TK hands her the dreidel that landed in front of him. She spins it and it lands on gimmel. "Do you remember what gimmel is?"
"Take it all?" She answers, unsure.
"Yup," he nods at her. "Someone was listening to me," he teases Carlos.
They all put an M&M in for TK's turn and when the dreidel lands on shin, he groans dramatically adding another piece, making Nieves laugh at him.
After playing with the dreidel for about forty-five minutes, the three of them decide to call it quits so they can watch a movie before Carlos and Nieves go home. TK finds snack bags to put their M&Ms in so Carlos and Nieves can keep theirs.
"Do you guys mind if I light my menorah before we start the movie? Or you can start without me."
"It's fine," Carlos assures him.
"Can I watch?" Nieves asks TK shyly.
TK looks to Carlos, not wanting to overstep. "Go ahead, just don't bother him," Carlos instructs Nieves.
"She won't," TK responds, holding the stool still so Nieves can climb up. Once he is sure that Nieves is safely seated, he goes to the cupboard where he pulls out his menorah, simple silver one with a small Star of David under the center branch and three candles.
Taking a piece of tin foil, TK sets his menorah on top of it before placing the candles in the correct spots.
"What's that?" Nieves asks pointing to the menorah.
"The menorah?" TK is confused.
"No, that," she points to the menorah again. "In the middle— the triangles."
"Oh," TK lets out, understanding what Nieves means. "That's the Star of David. You know how you have the cross?" He waits for her to nod before continuing, "We have the Star of David."
TK recites the two prayers, in English so both Carlos and Nieves can understand him, before using a lighter to light the shamash and then using the shamash to light the two candles.
Once he is done, he puts away the lighter. "Why did you put that down?" Nieves asks pointing to the tin foil.
"To catch the wax as it melts. It makes it easier to clean up."
"How long do the candles stay light?" Nieves asks as they walk into the other room to watch the movie.
"They should be lit for at least half an hour, but I usually let it go until it goes out by itself," TK answers.
TK and Carlos settle in on the couch and Nieves makes herself comfortable laying on the floor with Buttercup. "Nieves, are you comfortable down there?" TK questions. "You can sit on the couch with us, there's plenty of room," TK offers.
"I'm okay," Nieves tells him.
"If you're sure," TK looks to Carlos.
"She's fine. She lays on the floor at my parents' all the time," he informs TK.
"Okay," he nods slowly but tosses a pillow to Nieves to use.
"Gracias," she thanks him.
"Welcome," TK nods, pulling up the DisneyPlus app on the tv. "What do you want to watch?" He questions selecting the holiday collection.
"Beauty and the Beast?" Nieves looks to both TK and her uncle.
TK looks to Carlos for the okay. Carlos nods and TK selects Beauty and the Beast Enchanted Christmas.
Carlos looks to see Nieves is distracted now that the movie is playing. "Hey," he whispers gathering TK's attention.
TK turns to look at him, "Yeah?" He whispers.
"I know that you shared your past with me, and I haven't done the same."
"I don't want to force you to," TK shakes his head.
"No. I want to," Carlos insists.
"Okay," TK nods slowly. "Do you want coffee? We can go in the kitchen so we won't bother her."
Carlos nods and quietly follows TK into the kitchen. TK starts a pot. "You can tell me as much or as little as you want to," TK tells him.
"You told me a lot if not everything," Carlos counters.
"You're bringing a kid into whatever this is," TK waves his hands into the space between them, know knowing what else to call it. "You needed to know."
Carlos nods, understanding what TK means. "Thanks," he nods when TK hands him a mug. He takes a slow sip, trying to figure out where to start. "You know that I was a cop here before I went to Dallas, right?"
"Yeah," TK nods. "You were a cop here and when your sister was killed, you dropped everything so you wouldn't have to uproot Nieves."
"Well before the explosion that took out the original 126, maybe three months before, I had to go to a conference in Dallas," he starts. TK listens patiently. "I met Chad then… and we hit it off."
Carlos watches to see if TK reacts at all, "It was nice, we would take turns driving between Austin and Dallas when we both had a weekend off. After the explosion, we started to move fast. I guess we both saw how short life is, so why waste it."
TK nods in understanding.
"When I got the phone call that Esmeralda was in a car accident…" Carlos trails off, not able to put his thoughts into words. He shakes his head, "I knew that I would be moving to Dallas. I didn't want to change Nieves' life more than it already was. Chad was excited that I was moving. We wouldn't be doing long distance anymore."
He takes another long sip, "He was around a lot more, probably more than he should have been after Nieves was traumatized. When I made the decision to move back here with Nieves, he wasn't happy. He thought I was making a rash decision."
"Do you think it was rash?"
"No," Carlos shakes his head. "I had been thinking about it for a while, and the school that she was at in Dallas, wanting to put her back in kindergarten for another year, that was the last straw. Moving back to Austin with Nieves was actually the best decision that I've made."
"What happened once you moved back?"
"There was distance between us, and it wasn't just the miles between Austin and Dallas. I think he was starting to realize that Nieves was my number one priority. He was in town over Thanksgiving weekend, and we tried to make it work, but I ended it when I realized he wanted to be number one and that's always going to be Nieves… she's always going to come first for me, so if that's not something you can handle…"
"I am fine with Nieves being number one," TK answers. "Actually, I would be concerned if she wasn't."
Carlos raises an eyebrow.
"Remember? I come from divorced parents. I know what it's like to be the kid when their parent starts dating."
"Right," Carlos nods. "Except you were already in the picture when your parents started dating again."
"How did Nieves take it?"
"She was fine. She didn't really like him that much and he didn't like her either."
TK looks to him concerned.
"He never hurt her," Carlos clarifies. "They just ignored each other."
"Is Nieves okay with this? I want to see where this goes, but I don't want to put you in a position where—"
"She likes you," Carlos cuts him off. "She asks about you a lot, and last night when we got back home she asked if we were boyfriends."
"Does that mean we're moving too fast?"
"No, she's a six-year-old kid. She'd probably ask that if I spent a lot of time with any guy."
"So, where do you want this to go?"
"I like you and I want to give us a chance if that's what you want too."
"I'd like that," TK answers shyly. "But for now, we should probably get back in there before Nieves or Buttercup notices we're gone."
"Probably," Carlos agrees.
The two quietly re-enter the living room to find Nieves still absorbed in the movie. They watch the movie for about fifteen minutes when Nieves decides to abandon her spot on the floor and climb up onto the couch with TK and her uncle.
"Nieves," Carlos starts to shake his head when she leans against TK.
"She's fine, as long as you're okay with it," TK assures him.
Nieves looks to her uncle, hazel eyes pleading, "Okay," Carlos nods. Getting her uncle's permission, Nieves makes herself comfortable in TK's side.
When the movie ends, Carlos gathers his niece and their belongings. "Thanks for having us," Carlos smiles at TK as he is walking them out.
"Thanks for coming over. Did you guys have fun?"
"We did," Carlos answers looking to Nieves.
"TK?" Nieves asks, looking at the menorah, whose candles are close to going out.
"Yes, Nieves," he answers, turning his attention to her.
"What do you do with the men-no-rah when you work? Tío says not to leave flames by themselves."
"Your tío is a smart man," TK tells her. "I have a battery-operated menorah at the firehouse. It's not as good as a real menorah, but it's safer to leave alone when we have to go out on calls," he answers her question.
"Why is it not as good?"
"I'll tell you another time," TK responds, looking at Carlos quickly. "It's a long story and I think it's close to your bedtime."
"Promise?" She questions unsure.
"I promise," TK nods.
"Pinkie promise," she holds out her pinkie to him.
"Pinkie promise," he wraps his around hers.
"We should get going," Carlos motions to Nieves, "this one has school in the morning."
"Yeah," TK nods. "I'll see you later?"
"I'll text you," Carlos tells him.
"Bye, TK," Nieves hugs him around his waist.
"Bye, Nieves," he wraps an arm around her shoulder.
"Bye, Buttercup."
"Time to go," Carlos leads Nieves away from TK. Nieves grabs Carlos' hand as he leads them to his car, TK and Buttercup watching from the door.
Translations:
Duraznos = Peaches
Chiqutia = Little one