Montserrat was nervous, yes she was. There was a point where breathing became difficult. Kara had to remind her several times to take a few breaths. Looking back at it, Montserrat regretted ever bringing up the idea of meeting each other's family. It was a terrible, terrible idea now that she had to go first.

"Calm down, you look great," Kara told her as she readied to leave. "Very...modest."

"Good, that's what I was going for." Montserrat could at least relax about that. She'd chosen a long leather brown skirt with an off-the-shoulder black blouse to tuck under. Nothing short, nothing peeking out. Her hair was left dangling on her shoulders with its usual curls.

"You'll be fine!" Kara helped her into her black coat. "You said the grandmother already loves you. One out of two ain't bad!" The noise that came out of Montserrat expressed how "helpful" she thought Kara was being. "Just relax! Everything will be fine!"

Montserrat had no choice but to believe her.

The night was set.

~ 0 ~

Italian food. They had both decided to go with where they had started. It was a nice callback and a place of luck for them. Hopefully, they would have some luck tonight too.

Montserrat had one small argument with Rafael that he should take his mother and grandmother directly to the restaurant and she would just meet them there. There was no way she was going to let him take her instead of them. The last thing she wanted was for either woman to think she was demanding or something. The only thing Rafael would get her to compromise with was meeting her outside the restaurant to walk her in.

Montserrat would now be thankful that he managed to convince her of that idea because walking up to the restaurant seemed like the biggest challenge right now. Her legs felt like jelly the closer she got to the entrance.

"There you are," Rafael stood by said entrance and was relieved to see her coming. He didn't want to say that he started panicking each minute she didn't show up. 'Had she changed her mind?' was the primary thought in his head up until he saw her.

"I know, I know, I'm late," Montserrat tried picking up her pace. "Lots of traffic." Lots of nerves.

"It's alright, you're here now." Rafael could relax now that he had her in front of him. His hands came to rest on her coat-clad arms. "You look wonderful," he breathed.

Montserrat smiled sheepishly. "Good enough to impress your mother?"

"You do not need to impress her—you only need to have dinner with her." Rafael made that clear already and he would repeat himself however many more times she needed to hear it. "Thank you for coming."

Montserrat nodded. "You're going to save me if I need it, right?"

"Always," he promised. His hand took one of hers to hold tightly. "Always," he reiterated, his eyes looking deep into hers for her to understand what he was trying to say. He would go neck-deep for her no matter the situation.

~ 0 ~

Montserrat recognized Catalina straightaway and despite the nerves she felt, it was comforting to see one familiar face. She was even smiling warmly at Montserrat, probably deducing how nervous she was.

"Ah, there you are," Catalina said, "We've been waiting, some of us a little bit more impatient…" Rafael did not appreciate the nod she sent his way.

Montserrat meekly smiled. "Sorry, there was some unexpected traffic but...that's not really important." Her eyes landed on Lucia who, though silent, had been taking her chance to look her over. The sharp gaze was definitely where Rafael got his from, that Montserrat was sure. "Hello…"

Rafael stepped in when he heard the subtle crack in her voice. He really did just want her to be comfortable. "I've already talked about her but this is Montserrat, my girlfriend. Montserrat, my mother—Lucia—and you know my grandmother, Catalina."

"Nice to meet you," Montserrat stretched a hand over the table to shake hands with Lucia.

Lucia nodded, "Well, apparently I'm the last one…" The shot went for her son but Montserrat still felt it.

"Mamá," Rafael's voice was as sharp as his mother's gaze. It was a true wonder of who would win. Montserrat wouldn't be able to tell.

"Oh calm down you two," Catalina scolded the pair. "Lucia, I went to the woman. If you want to be angry, I already told you to direct it at me."

"I would...prefer if nobody was angry with each other because of me," Montserrat said awkwardly.

Rafael snapped out of his anger to see her overtly concerned. This is the last thing he wanted for her tonight. "No, no, nobody is angry." He pulled a chair open for her to sit down.

"Thanks," she told him quietly. She had to ease up somehow.

"Of course nobody is upset with anyone," Catalina said, sending her a sweet smile. "I am more than happy to finally sit down with you. It's about time, you know?"

"I suppose it is," Lucia begrudgingly agreed, eyes settling on Montserrat. "You're a...detective?"

"Mhm," Montserrat nodded. She then reprimanded herself for nodding so nervously? Was she really? Or was she just imagining?

"Aren't there...rules against that kind of stuff?" Lucia's finger drifted between her and Rafael.

"We went through the process," Rafael assured her. "Nobody's in trouble."

"Right, but, isn't it a little odd working together?" Lucia tilted her head at the pair. "I mean, if I do recall, you weren't very crazy about her in the beginning."

"Mamá," went Rafael again but this time Montserrat chuckled.

"That's okay, he knows he wasn't exactly the light of my eyes either." She shot him a smug smile that made him forget what his mother said in the first place.

"It's alright, he takes some time to warm up to," Catalina's remark, however, put a damper in his mood.

He made a dramatic sigh. A moment later he felt something warm cover his hand on his side. He looked up to see Montserrat's gaze on him. She seemed a little more at ease which, in turn, helped him feel better.

"Would you like to order?" she asked him.

"Yeah," he nodded. He kept her hand in his while they looked through the menus. They settled for, ironically, the first things they'd ordered on that first lunch they had together.

"Why did you come here of all places?" Catalina asked them when they'd revealed the important detail of the restaurant.

"I was having a bad day," Montserrat shrugged. She had a lot of bad days in the past.

"Given the jobs you have, I can't imagine there being a lot of good days," Lucia remarked.

"You'd be very right about that," Montserrat agreed.

"What made you want to work there?" Lucia then asked. "I mean, you have to actually seek terrible people and talk to them. At least Rafael can have them a good distance away from him. You don't have the same luxury what with going to these people's houses and jobs all the time."

"It's a hard job but I like what I do, and I definitely like knowing that I can help people who are at their lowest."

"So it's a definitive job for you?"

"Um, yeah, I guess?" Montserrat chuckled out of embarrassment and, perhaps, a little caught off guard. She never really thought about her long term future as a detective. It had been hard to think of a future in the past year. "I don't...I don't really know, if I'm being honest. I'm only 30—I have time."

Lucia's eyebrows raised suddenly, and before Montserrat could wonder what she'd said to cause that, Lucia asked, "You're 30?"

"Yes…?"

"Decent gap, don't we think?"

Oh. Montserrat immediately looked to Rafael, shamefully helpless. Once upon a time, he'd used that same excuse on her but that was it. It just an excuse. He never really meant it completely.

"Don't start," he warned Lucia who was still very much waiting for an answer.

"I'm only saying...it's not big but pretty decent."

"And nothing wrong with it. Leave it be."

"Age gaps used to be much worse back then," Catalina made her input.

"You mean they were illegal," Rafael corrected partially out of his prosecution experience and because it was a true fact. "Because most of the time the wives were children."

Catalina gave him the point with a gesture. "Exactly. But you two are far from being children. Not that I'm calling you old," she said directly to Montserrat.

Montserrat had to chuckle. "My dad likes to make fun of me for that. I'm the baby and I'm 30."

"And that is not old. You want to see old? Look at me," Catalina patted her cheeks. "I'm wrinkly. You're not. You're very beautiful."

"I agree," Rafael shot Montserrat a smug smile because the moment he said it, her cheeks blushed red. He would never get tired of doing that to her.

Their drinks came to the table first. While they waited for their dinner, Montserrat asked Catalina how she was doing. She hadn't heard much about the situation with the assistant nurse anymore.

"Aracely is wonderful," Catalina rambled on about her lovely nurse. "I love her. Where did you find her?"

"My roommate's employee's friend," Montserrat said, having to pause to double check she'd gotten it right. Catalina laughed.

"So it was you who did all that," Lucia seemed to just now be finding out about that. Montserrat nodded at her. "Why?"

"Well, I just...I didn't like the way Rafael was getting anymore so I decided to stick my nose into his business," she sent him a big grin.

"She always does that," he sighed.

"Well, it's not like you're much of a talker," Lucia said to him. "I don't know how you do your job when you can't even have a conversation with us."

"He doesn't talk?" Montserrat incredulously looked between the family. "Are we talking about the same person!?"

"Ha, ha," Rafael rolled his eyes. "I do talk...just when I want to."

"Oh, good to know you like talking to your mother then!" Lucia exclaimed.

"He will definitely be talking to you more often," Montserrat shot him a look for him to know she was very much serious. He had to roll his eyes again and suddenly, the warm hand holding his was now squeezing him to death.

"I mean yes, of course," he said with a tight smile.

Lucia cracked a smile for the first time. Montserrat barely held her beam in.

"You look like the type to talk to your mother," Catalina remarked.

Rafael felt a ping in his heart when he saw the flicker of pain cross Montserrat's eyes. The squeezing of his hand stopped altogether. Both her hands came to rest on the table but her fingers were joining together to no doubt pick at each other.

"Uh, to be honest, I'm not," she said quietly.

"Montserrat," Rafael wanted to stop her but she gave him a casual wave that it was fine.

"My mother's not in the picture," she then told Catalina and Lucia, smiling with shame as if she had fault in the situation. "She hasn't been for decades."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Catalina was quick to backtrack.

"It's okay, you didn't know." Montserrat drew in a breath. "I was a kid, I can actually barely remember her." She swallowed hard when the memories of the old knitted pink sweater she still kept in her closet popped into her mind. It was like Gael always said: how could she treasure an object that her mother left behind when she clearly cared about everything else besides her own children.

"I'm very sorry to hear that but...it's better to live without the parent who didn't want to be there," Lucia said suddenly, her tone sharp but this time Montserrat felt like there was a specific meaning behind her chosen words. Her eyes flickered to Rafael who was watching his mother with a degree of caution. He shook his head very subtly and if she could read his mind she would see him trying to get Lucia not to touch that topic.

He deliberately kept his father out of every conversation for his sake and Montserrat's. The last thing they needed was to bond over terrible parents. Her mother abandoned her when she was just a child. His father had stayed. At first glance, the second one was exactly what it should've been but it was as his mother said: it was better not to have a parent who clearly didn't want to be around. His father was an alcoholic who loved using his hands for a lot of things. The last thing he ever wanted was for Montserrat to learn anything about that man.

"Well," Montserrat broke the terse silence over them, "I know for a fact that I got left with a very good father just as I'm sure that Rafael had a very good mother." Her hand found his over the table again. "And grandmother of course."

He smiled at her. "I did," he agreed, soon sending the same smile for his mother and grandmother. "And now I have you." She shared the same sentiment.

A short moment later, their food came over. It was funny how their dishes always tasted so good. She and Rafael always liked to think it was due to their first lunch being there. It would hold a special place in their lives.

"Montserrat, I know your cousin always worked with you and Rafael," Catalina said, "Is your whole family in the same profession?"

"No," Montserrat said. "My older brother is an engineer and my father works for the local school district here."

Lucia turned her head at that. "Does he?"

"Mhm," Montserrat nodded. "Rafael said you're a charter school principal. Maybe you two have met somewhere."

"Maybe," Lucia agreed. "What's his name?"

"Thomas Novak." Montserrat watched the older woman closely for any sign of what side she would lean on. If it turned out that she did know her father, then it was a point for Montserrat. It would be a point she could use to her favor. If not, well...at least she managed another conversation with her.

"I think we may have," Lucia said after a moment of thinking. "I'll have to pay more attention next time. Charter schools aren't always in line with the districts."

"They're like private schools in that aspect," Montserrat said and beamed when Lucia agreed. "I was in private schools my entire life. We may have gotten away with some things because of its status."

"Upstate..." Lucia realized. Her eyes briefly flickered to Rafael. He didn't know exactly what was going to come out of her mouth the next time she opened it but his sharp look would hopefully make her rethink it if it wasn't nice. She seemed to understand. "How nice. I sent this one to Catholic school."

"I know," Montserrat glanced at Rafael with a chuckle. "I've heard stories and I can't really imagine him there sometimes."

He tilted his head at her, slightly confused. "Why not?"

Her eyebrows raised incredulously. "Because you have a mouth that won't stop. That had to get you in trouble often."

"Very," Catalina said before Rafael could even open his mouth to defend himself. She laughed when he threw her a look.

"Not always," he said in the end.

"You used to talk back," Lucia said as well, much to his dismay.

"Ah," Montserrat put her hands together on the table, smiling much too mischievously for Rafael's liking.

His eyes landed on his mother then. "You have no idea what you just did now."

She seemed amused. "Me?"

"She's not going to let it go now," Rafael jerked a thumb in Montserrat's way.

"I really won't," she chuckled. "But in my defense, I need things like this because sometimes he gets too cocky for own his well being."

Rafael pointed at her as a warning. "Don't you worry, when I meet your dad, I am going to make sure he tells me some things about you."

This, however, didn't seem to perturb Montserrat. Her lips formed a full blown smirk. "Bring it on, dear."

Just for that, he would.

"She's definitely keeping you on your toes," Catalina told Rafael, barely keeping herself from laughing. "No la sueltes."

Despite it being more fun to poke at Montserrat, Rafael would agree with Catalina. "Para nada," he said. He looked at Montserrat and smiled at her bemusement. "She said not to let you go," he helped her out.

Montserrat felt a heat start in her cheeks. "Yeah? And what did you say?"

"Take a guess," he smirked at her.

"Wait a minute," Lucia cut in, making the two turn their heads to see her confused, "Your name…I thought you spoke Spanish."

It was a fair assumption that many people had made about Montserrat all her life. She smiled bashfully and shook her head. "Not a lot, no. Unfortunately, it was my mother who was Mexican. I didn't grow up with that because my father's Slovak. The little bits that I picked up were from high school and being on the job but I really just grew up more with my Slovak heritage."

There was a lot to pick up from Lucia's expressions so Montserrat couldn't decide where this would be going now.

"Well that's just a mixture," she finally said but it was still a vague precursor. "Your mother's family? They didn't teach you?"

"Mamá," Rafael started earning her but Montserrat went ahead and answered anyway, if only to keep things from going south.

"I don't really speak to them. I don't see them either."

Lucia was appalled. "What do you mean? What kind of family—what kind of father doesn't teach his child about who she is?"

"It was painful," Montserrat found herself responding before logic could yell at her not to antagonize the woman. "My mother abandoned my brother and I but she walked out on a decade old relationship with my father. He was hurt and he didn't really feel like he could stand to see her family after what she did to him." Whatever feelings she had about her mother were pushed to the furthest corner of her heart at that moment, all for her father. Gael always told her how she could still love a mother who left their family without a car in the world and right now, hearing someone blame their father made Gael have all the sense in the world. Still, because of who she had just snapped at and what the consequences would probably be, tears worked up in Montserrat's eyes. She looked at Rafael with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry but I can't let anyone blame him for what happened. Nobody."

"It's okay, it's okay…" He nodded at her reassuringly. He wanted to take her hands into his but she, very politely, excused herself from the table for a moment. "Mamá!?" He wasn't sure what to feel more: the anger or disappointment.

"Por qué?" Even Catalina was thoroughly lost with her daughter at the moment.

Lucia at least looked a little guilty in front of them. "I'm sorry, that wasn't my intention but honestly, Rafael, you have to think about this."

"The only thing I'm thinking of right now is how to fix this!"

"She's obviously going to apologize because I did not raise my daughter to be so rude," Catalina said, eyes narrowing on Lucia until she would hear what she wanted.

Lucia initially couldn't put her words together to properly explain what she had wanted to do. "Yes, of course, but I need you to listen to me, Rafael. This woman, she seems very nice and she likes you but—"

"No," he shook his head, "There is no 'but' in this. She is those 2 things."

"Think about the future, piensa! She's Slovak, that's all she knows. She doesn't know about our heritage, her own heritage."

"That wasn't her choice!"

"Yes, but what does that mean for you two in the future? They're two very different customs and traditions that would have to somehow find a way to either amalgamate or compromise. Can you handle all that?"

"We've been fine for a long time now," Rafael reminded her. "It's not an issue to us so it sure as hell shouldn't be one for you."

"He's right, no tiene nada que ver contigo, Lucia," Catalina wagged a finger at her daughter. "Nothing to do with you. It's their relationship."

"It's not an issue per say, but something that deserves to be thought about," Lucia amended. "I have no reason to dislike Montserrat, especially not for who she is, but if you're serious about her then you have to consider everything before you decide to take bigger steps with her."

Rafael almost sneered and the only reason he didn't was because it was his mother in front of him. She was making it really hard to control himself. "Like what?"

"How about marriage!?" Lucia was incredulous with his lack of thinking.

"That is way in the—"

"It doesn't matter! Even if it's years from now, you need to think about how your life would be beside someone who thinks differently from you. Someone who's used to doing things in a much different way than you were raised to do. Before you yell at me, ask yourself how your marriage ceremony would even be like? You're Catholic, what is she?"

It really irked Rafael that he couldn't answer the question because he didn't really know what Montserrat believed in. They never really spoke about it. As far as he knew, she may be an atheist. That was fine, anything was fine, but he didn't know the answer. On some level, as much as it pained him to agree with Lucia, he did have to think about a couple things that he never considered. What wasn't a problem to him might be for Montserrat. The last thing he wanted was to lose her over a disagreement about traditions.

~0~

She vowed that no tears would leave her eyes. This was neither the place nor the moment to ruin her appearance. She still had to leave the restroom and face them again. No matter how the night would turn out, she would do without mascara running down her cheeks.

"I really hope you come out soon," Catalina startled Montserrat into turning away from the mirror.

"Oh, you do that a lot," she said with a heavy breath afterwards. "And if it's alright with you, I'd rather take up another hour before I leave this place."

Catalina raised a finger to then wag at her with. "Not on my watch. You are the only woman I know of who's managed to crack through my grandson's cold exterior. I have never seen him willingly talk to somebody so openly the way he has with you tonight."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Montserrat crossed her arms over her chest, resembling a very tight hug. "As far as I know, Yelina made it very far around here. I wouldn't be surprised if this is why Lucia said what she said back there."

Catalina scoffed and waved a hand to dismiss that presumption. "Esa mujer, there's a reason why she's not here anymore. I always thought she was a little more interested in material things. You care for us, you cared about me before even meeting me. I will never forget that."

"But it doesn't matter, Yelina was exactly what Lucia wanted for her son. She understood where he came from. She was like him."

"Get that out of your head right now," Catalina ordered in what Montserrat presumed was a grandmotherly way. "In her spectacular way, Lucia meant for you and Rafael to consider certain aspects of your lives should you ever decide to build a life together. But you know what? You can come out to hear her explanation and an apology."

Montserrat shook her head, "No, I...I think I ruined any chance of us being good. What I said about my father I am not taking back, not even for Rafael's mother." Catalina smiled almost proudly. It was puzzling for Montserrat. "What?"

"Nothing, I like your way of thinking. You're not here to please anyone."

"Not anymore."

"Montserrat, you have every right to defend your family. Lucia knows that and she really does want to apologize. The only reason she's not here doing it is because Rafael is still chewing her head off."

"Oh God," Montserrat shuddered. She didn't want them arguing because of her. "This is not what I wanted. This isn't working out."

"Then go help fix it," Catalina said plainly. "Those 2 need our help."

Montserrat chewed on her bottom lip. "I'm afraid I'll mess it up even more."

"You won't."

"God, ironically, I can't help but wonder if I would be better suited for this if I had my mother around," Montserrat almost humorlessly laughed at herself.

"Do you really not know where your mother's family is?"

"They're here in New York, I just...I haven't seen them in decades. And my father's family is in Slovakia." Another bitter smile crossed Montserrat's face. "The closest thing I have ever had to a female role model is my older cousin Casey. And she's my cousin. My best friend's mother sometimes helped me out but I really just grew up with my dad and my brother." Fresh tears pooled in her eyes.

Simple things like girl talks had always been with Casey and later on when she met Kara, but Montserrat knew that it just didn't compare to having talks with a mother. There were things that had to be better coming from your mother. Learning how to shave, how to put make-up on, how to do hairstyles...that was all self taught or improvised with Casey and Kara. She would never forget when Casey offered to take her prom dress shopping. That was fun but it would've been better had her mother been around.

"Okay," Catalina stepped closer to Montserrat. She picked up the forgotten paper towel to help Montserrat clear some of the waterworks. "Well, you know what? From now on, you have a grandmother. I'm a little old and slow but that's how grandmothers come in the package."

A small laugh slipped through Montserrat's lips. "My father's mother thinks like that too."

"Is she in Slovakia too?"

"Mhm. She and my grandfather. Most of our family is there."

"But with a lack of communication," Catalina understood. She dabbed very gently the corners of Montserrat's eyes. "Consider me your abuelita."

"You don't have to do that." Montserrat took the paper towel from her, crumpling it in her hand. "Trust me, at this point in my life, I'm used to my situations."

"Well, you can get used to this too," Catalina grabbed her free hand. "Besides, I always wanted a granddaughter too. Perfect arrangement."

Montserrat felt a different type of warmth fill her chest. Her little family was growing. "Okay," she said in a frail voice.

"Now let's go back out there to make sure they're still alive." Catalina reached up to Montserrat's hair, pushing it slightly back. "I love this hair of yours! It would look adorable on a great grandchild!"

Montserrat's laugh was full of nerves when Catalina led her out the door.

~0~

As soon as Rafael saw his grandmother bringing Montserrat back to the table, he got up to meet them. "Are you okay?" He asked her all sorts of questions, even taking her hands to see if she'd picked at them. At what point had he learned he needed to do that, Montserrat didn't know but it somehow made her like him even more.

"I'm okay, I'm g-good," she said, squeezing his hands to assure him she was being honest. "Your grandmother talked to me. You better treat her nice because she's my grandmother too now."

Rafael chuckled. "Of course. Would you like to come back to the table? You don't have to. We can leave right now—"

"No," she cut him off. "I'm not running away because I didn't do anything wrong."

"You didn't," he agreed with her. As much as he loved his mother, he couldn't side with her anymore. "You don't have to apologize for anything."

"I want to talk to her again," she said after gathering a bit more courage. "Catalina said she didn't explain herself well and I want to hear what she meant for real."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "Did she tell you already?"

He told her she had. "But it's stuff that we don't have to talk about right now, things from the future…"

"But I want that future," she startled him with her admission. Now she felt like Lucia in that she couldn't find words to explain herself. She put herself on the spot out of bluntness. "Raf, look, I know I have my stuff—a huge baggage—but it would make me really happy if you were in my future. If...if you wanted to be…"

The smile on Rafael's face told her it should've been obvious what he wanted but he supposed that if rules were reversed he would have some doubt too. "Absolutely," he said as clearly as possible. "I don't know what it'll be but I want it to be with you."

Montserrat broke into the biggest grin ever. She threw her arms around him for a very tight hug. "I thank God I met you so much, you know?"

"Me too." Rafael held her tighter. "Actually, um, question…" She drew away to meet his gaze, "And it's completely random that you don't even have to answer. Do you practice any type of religion?"

"What?" Montserrat laughed for a short moment before it struck her. "Oooh!" Her eyes widened and her mouth formed a little 'o' shape. "That's what she meant!" She took his hand and hurriedly led them back to their table. As soon as she sat down, Lucia attempted to clarify herself but Montserrat beat her to it. "I get it now! I get what you meant!"

"What?" This wasn't what Lucia was expecting but it seemed like everyone else was just as lost. "Honey, I shouldn't have it like that—"

"No, no, no," Montserrat waved it off, "I understand now. There are things that we—" she met Rafael's rather concerned look, "—haven't really discussed and that was a fair thing to bring up. I'm Catholic," she told him with a light chuckle to follow. "That's never really come up. It probably never would've if you—" she looked back at Lucia, "—hadn't mentioned it."

"I'm still sorry," Lucia said once she got the opportunity to talk. "I would never dislike anybody because they're from different cultures. Believe me, I didn't mean to offend you or your father."

"Thank you," Montserrat said earnestly. "And it's not that he didn't want us to learn, he...it was very hard. I can't remember those early days—I was only four—but my brother was older and he told me the stories. It was too hard."

"I am no one to judge," Lucia assured her, "I don't know if Rafael's mentioned his father—"

"I have not," he cut her off sharply.

Montserrat would genuinely pity Lucia if she continued, though she did make a mental note to come back to that topic on another day. If he thought he was going to get away with it, he had another thing coming. "It's alright," she spoke up before anything else could be said. "That's the whole point of this dinner. We can start getting to know each other."

"I agree," Catalina said, glancing at her daughter. "Don't we?"

Lucia nodded. "Yes, although next time I'm going to make dinner for all of us. Introduce you to some good food."

Montserrat laughed. "I like the idea." She felt Rafael's hand covering hers on the table. She glanced at him and was relieved to see his expression much more at ease than earlier. "We can swap recipes, right?"

"Yeah," he nodded. His smile was small but it would grow when Montserrat started talking about her own family recipes. She seemed to get more and more comfortable as the night progressed. It was exactly what he'd hoped to see. It was like they were all one family.

A/N:

This chapter was sort of in the morally gray area but something so personal to my side of life. I can't tell you how many times my family (from Mexico) have talked about the same thing that Lucia did. And given that I'm Mexican American living in California, the topic of mixing cultures and how two people from very different religions could ever make it work is pretty big. Some of them are good natured about it and others unfortunately aren't. I thought it would be a nice idea to show that here and get some future things talked about. Hopefully, others can identify with it too!

P.S. As always, I have an AO3/Wattpad account under "noblecrescent" and a tumblr account under "saiilorstars" if you'd like to follow :)