“Oh shit, really? No offense, but you don’t look like a Marine. You’re really pretty.”

I laughed. Between her comment and Natasha’s a few nights before, I wasn’t sure what the standard for a female Marine was supposed to be.

 “Well, thank you—I think. But there are actually lots of beautiful females in uniform.”

“I just haven’t seen any, that’s all,” she said, brushing it off. “Anyway, I’ll let Alex take you around because curious eyes are on you two. Everyone wants to know who Alex’s mystery girl is.” She leaned closer to Alex and muttered, “You better get her to Grandma before she chops your balls off.”

Alex grinned, but the comment made me nervous. His grandmother sounded like a hard-nosed, no nonsense woman, and the warm and fuzzy reception I’d gotten from Imelda and Adriana just didn’t seem likely.

“I have to take you to meet Guadalupe, the glue that holds this family together, my grandmother.” He started to walk, but I stood still for a second longer, my eyes begging him to prepare me. “What’s the matter?”

“Alex, your grandmother. She doesn’t sound like your mom and sister.”

“She’s a tough old lady, but loving. You’ll see. No formal handshakes, just hug her.”

I swallowed as he began walking. We passed tons of people, all of them greeting us with friendly hellos for Alex and assessing looks for me.

The garage was unattached, sitting directly behind the house. Passing through the throngs of people hanging out on the patio, I took in the unfamiliar surroundings. There were people young and old, eating, drinking, dancing, and laughing. The plot of grass just to the right of the patio was filled with children, laughing and playing. I was completely out of my element, but excited at the thought that Alex wanted to share this part of his life with me.

When we reached the garage area, Alex let go of my hand and made a beeline for an older woman sitting on a sofa, engaged in conversation with another elderly woman.

“Hola, abuelita!” he said, stretching his arms wide for her.

She looked up from her conversation, mouth agape, looking like she hadn’t seen Alex in years. A smile stretched across her face as she stood, then wrapped her arms around his middle, clutching him tight. “Alejandro, donde has estado?”

“I’ve been busy with work,” he replied, shocking me that he chose to say it in English.

She pinched his cheeks, pointing and wagging her index finger at him while saying something in a chastising manner that came out much too quickly for me to make out.

He took her hand and walked her over to where I stood. Here it was, the meeting that had me turned inside out, upside down, ready to pass out.

“Abuelita, I’d like you to meet my girlfriend, Cassie.”

I did exactly what Alex said and forgot about the handshake, instead grabbing her and pulling her in for a hug. Sadly, the gesture wasn’t reciprocated. She kept her arms down as I held on tight, making me feel supremely stupid. I finally pulled back, looking into Alex’s startled eyes, feeling completely embarrassed.

“It’s nice to meet you,” I said, unsure of how I should address her. The stale air swirling around us made me wish for an escape route, but there was none. She stood measuring me for a few seconds, filling me with apprehension.

“Hello,” she coldly replied.

She turned to Alex and asked, “quien es esa huera?”

“Abuelita, she’s my girlfriend. Her name is Cassie, and she’s a great girl.”

I smiled awkwardly because I had no clue what the hell to say or do in front of her. Disapproval was all over her face, and she made no qualms about trying to hide it. After rubbing Alex’s cheek, a loving look finally emanated from her, and she turned back to me.

“Nice to meet you.”

She turned and walked back into the garage, sitting back down and going back to her earlier conversation.

“She hates me,” I said, finally feeling like I could breathe again.

Alex pulled me close, nuzzling his mouth to my neck. “No, she doesn’t. She’s just old school and suspect about anyone we bring home. Ask Adriana. She hated her boyfriend, Hector.”

“Yeah well she sure knew how to make me feel her suspicions.”

Alex brought his finger up to my lips, halting whatever was due to come out of my mouth next. “We’re not focusing on my grandma right now. I want you here, and that is all that matters.”

Without another word spoken, he took my hand and led me through the abundance of people, introducing me to everyone—I was sure I wouldn’t remember any of the names. Thankfully, the rest of the introductions were warm and welcoming, the polar opposite of meeting Grandma. I met his favorite aunt and uncle, Tia Maria and Tio Joe. They were the only other people whose names I remembered besides his mom, grandma, and sister.

The aroma of the homemade food had my stomach yearning for it. There were pans of carne asada, chicken, bowls of rice, beans, and what looked like freshly made tortillas. My stomach did cartwheels, taking in the scrumptious aroma of it all--food that I loved, but hadn’t had in what felt like forever.

“Dig in,” he said, handing me a plate.

If I had taken him literally, I would have shamed myself and taken large amounts of everything that was available to me. Instead, I kept it modest, only taking a couple of tortillas and making two carne asada tacos, filled with plenty of cilantro and pico de gallo. Alex finished off my plate, placing spoonful’s of rice and beans onto it before squeezing lime juice onto my tacos.

“You have to eat the rice and beans. They’re my mom’s, made from scratch with plenty of love.”

I laughed. “Yes, sir.”

We took a seat at one of the tables next to a couple of guys who looked to be about Alex’s age. One of them was in a wheelchair. Alex jumped up and grabbed us a couple of beers, returning with two cans of Tecate. He popped my top and slid the can over to me, finally taking his seat and digging into his food.

“Hey, sorry. This fool is rude as fuck. I’m Danny, Alex’s cousin.”

I hurried and swallowed the food in my mouth before reaching out my hand and shaking his.

“Sorry, I’m Cassie.”

“Nice to meet you, Cassie.” He positioned his wheelchair at the table and began talking to Alex. “So we don’t see you for who knows how long, and you show up with a fucking beautiful girl on your arm? Fuck you, Alex.”

Alex laughed, swallowing his food before turning and hugging Danny.

“Sorry, man. I get so caught up with work.”

“Is she work related?” Danny asked, nodding his head in my direction.

“I guess you could say that.”

Danny turned to me, his eyes bugging out of his head.

“Fuck, I should have become a fucking soldier if it meant I could pull chicks like this one.”

“Marine, asshole,” Alex corrected, chuckling at his cousin. He looked across the table at me, honey eyes beaming with pride. “Sorry, Danny has no fucking filter, but he’s harmless.”

“Yeah, I don’t bite,” Danny said, winking at me. He was friendly. I liked him. “How long have you been a Marine?”

“Not long. Only a few months.”

“You like that shit?”

I laughed. “Yeah, I do.”

Danny nodded his head appreciatively. “Much respect to you two. That’s some crazy shit you guys do.”

“Thank you.”

A second later, Adriana was behind me tapping my shoulder, asking me to help her with dessert. Alex looked at me, nodding his head almost as if he was granting me permission.

“Don’t try to steal her, Adriana. I want her back.”

“Oh shut up, Alex. I’ll bring her back in one piece.”

She whisked me off into the house, beelining for the kitchen. A pan of cupcakes sat on the counter, waiting to be frosted. She reached into the cabinet, pulling out the frosting.

“So how long have you and Alex been together?” she asked, not wasting any time. She handed me a butter knife, silently asking me to help.