#aerolanya writes
Pope’sPrincesa - Chapter 21
A@jedi-mandoand@hotspacepilotscollab!
(Banner by the wonderful @cassandras-nest! Buy her a coffee!)
Chapter 20|Princesamasterlist | We Were Warriors masterlist
Pairing: Santiago Garcia x OFC
A/N: This is it, folks! See the end for notes!
Word count: 1.6k
Warnings: None. Just us getting a little weepy in the end notes.
On the drive back, Santiago and Leah discuss plans, details, how things would happen, and how things would change. At one point, Pope pauses and stares off into the space on the road ahead of them for a moment. Leah picks up on it immediately as easily as if she could have seen tangible wheels turning and looks over from the passenger seat.
“What are you thinking about over there?”
“So follow me through this line of thought, and feel free to say no when I’m done,” he begins and she nods, waiting for him to continue. “Esperanza already calls you Mama, you’re the only mama she knows, and truthfully the only one that she’s ever going to know. What if, and I know this sounds a little crazy but…what if you adopt her? Obviously I’m already totally okay with it, and it would only be a matter of filling out and filing the legal documents. What do you say?” He finishes in a rush, wanting to get it out, and knowing that honestly, Leah is Esperanza’s mother in every way that matters.
“You really want me to do that?” Leah asks. She knows that this is big, certainly bigger for Santi than him asking her to marry him. This was him saying that he was willing to share the legal responsibility of his daughter, the most important thing in his life. Leah is honored that he would trust her with that.
“Yes I do, and I think Esperanza would too. If you want to talk to her about it we can. I don’t know how much she’ll be able to comprehend, but we could try.” Santiago reaches across the center console to take her hand, “I love you, Esperanza loves you, my mother loves you, and Richard adores you too. I don’t want to have just one foot in any more, no more half-assing. I’m all in this.”
Leah pulls their joined hands up to her lips and presses kisses to each of his knuckles. “Okay, I’m all in too. But we have to talk to Richard about this first.” She knows that the man has become an influential part of their lives and he deserves to know that they’re planning on taking this step with Esperanza, who will likely be his only biological grandchild.
“Deal. After we get back, we can go talk to him some time this week,” Pope says, pulling their hands towards him and planting a firm kiss on the back of her hand. “All in.”
After Santi and Leah had returned home and got settled back into their routine, and everyone had a chance to fawn over their rings, they made plans to go see Richard. The older man cleared his schedule for the afternoon, on the condition that they bring Esperanza along with them so he could take her out to ice cream.
When the small family arrived at his office, his secretary, a kind older woman who had been with the company for decades, smiled at them in greeting. As they waited, she let the comment slip that “Mr. Westingham has been a very different man now that he has something to focus his attention on. No more late nights in the office and he actually smiles again. He hasn’t done that since Virginia was a teenager, back before he lost Ella.”
Shortly after that small revelation, Richard walks out of his office to greet them where they’ve been waiting for him. He smiles at the pictures they make sitting together on the bench, Esperanza perched on Leah’s lap, babbling away at her father over something that is clearly very important to her.
“Santiago, Leah, Princesa, welcome! I’m so glad that you all asked to come by today,” he says as he strides across the space toward them. He shakes Santiago’s hand, hugs Leah, and when he turns his attention toward his granddaughter. He opens his arms to take her from Leah, but Esperanza practically launches herself out of Leah’s arms as she squeals “Papa!” and throws her small chubby arms around his neck. She loves Papa Westi, and she knows that there’s always a good chance that seeing him means that she gets ice cream.
“It’s good to see you, sir. We actually came to discuss some adult business with you, if that’s okay,” Pope tells him, his posture stiffening as a wave of nervousness washes over his body.
“Absolutely. Charlotte, would you mind watching Esperanza for a moment?” Richard asks, addressing the older woman. She just smiles and nods, and it’s easy to see that she’s overjoyed to see the man she’s known for years finally happy again. With Esperanza happily transferred into the care of Miss Charlotte, the trio of adults heads into Richard’s office.
Once they’re all seated around his desk, Richard begins speaking, “I see rings, so congratulations are in order. I am pleased that you both finally decided to do something about solidifying this relationship, although I do hope that I didn’t miss the wedding.” He looks slightly hurt as he finishes. Although he knows he has no right, over the past few months he has come to view Santiago as his own son.
“Oh, yes sir, definitely congratulations, but no marriage yet. This just happened this past weekend. We happened to propose to one another on the same trip,” Leah tells him, flushing slightly under his intense gaze. Richard nods, looking more at ease now knowing that he didn’t miss out on anything.
“No, no marriage yet, but what we did want to talk to you about was Esperanza. We would like, well, I would like, if Leah were to legally adopt Esperanza. Meaning that she would absolutely be Esperanza’s mother in every way but biological. But legally, we would have the same responsibilities for her. And obviously, we would both be responsible to love her and raise her as best as we can. I know that Lacy is no longer in Esperanza’s life, but Leah has been there through everything. And to be honest, if I”m going to make her my wife, then she’s going to be around her all the time anyway,” Santiago says, feeling a bit like he’s pleading his case before a courtroom judge.
Richard looks between the couple and hums contemplatively. “I agree, Virginia is no type of mother, nor is she ever going to be. I think it would be an excellent idea for Leah to adopt Esperanza and make the family completely official. At least legally speaking, since we all, including Princesa, know exactly who her mother is,” he says before pausing. “This wouldn’t change that I’m still able to be a part of her life, correct?” He asks, worried that he could potentially lose what has quickly become the best part of his life.
“No sir, absolutely not. She would still come to visit with you, and you would still be her Papa Westi, just legally I would be her mother. We still want you to be around for her, and for us. You’re an excellent person, and she deserves to grow up knowing her grandfather. Just because we get married, or I legally adopt her, doesn’t mean that there wouldn’t be room for you too,” Leah tells him. “She’ll just be an extra loved little girl, and that’s not a bad thing. Family is important.”
After being assured that the current dynamics of his relationship to them would not be changing, Richard walks around his desk to the couple and gathers them both up in a hug. “I have no objections to Leah becoming Esperanza’s mother legally. In fact, I know a judge who would gladly review the case and settle the paperwork. Now, talk to me about this wedding while we go get some ice cream with my granddaughter…” Richard says, already on his way out of the office.
That evening was meant to be a small family dinner to catch up after everyone’s vacations and celebrate Leah and Santi’s engagement, but Jayme had quietly invited everyone. She hadn’t given any explanation, just that everyone should make it over to their house for a barbeque. By the time Santi and Leah showed up with Princesa, Frankie and Jayme were out back with their own children, Mama Garcia was there, Hayden and Benny, Will, Papa Westi, and Smokey and Diane (who had recently convinced all the kids to start calling her Lolli).
Pope and Leah look a bit overwhelmed at the number of people gathered in the Morales’ backyard, but by the time they set Esperanza down to go play with her cousins and make the rounds of hugging everyone, they’re thankful that their entire family is together. They take care to keep their rings as inconspicuous as possible, at least until they can find an appropriate time to tell everyone together.
After dinner has been eaten and everything has been cleaned, everyone is spread out across the yard talking and enjoying themselves. The grandmothers are chatting away together, the kids are all playing tag with Uncle Benny, and Richard and Smokey are getting along surprisingly well.
Pope wraps Leah up in his arms, pulling her back to his chest so he can rest his chin on her shoulder as he whispers, “Are you ready?”
Leah spins in his arms and cups his face in her hands before staring into his eyes and planting a quick kiss on his lips, “I’m ready if you are. All in.”
Santiago smiles as he responds, “All in,” and then turns her around again so he can gather everyone’s attention.
He grabs her hand and they walk out to the edge of the patio before clearing his throat and lifting Leah’s left hand in his.
“Hey everyone, we’re getting married!”
WHEW.Princesa is finished. At least for now…
I don’t think either of us had any idea when we first started bouncing around HCs about Santi as a girl dad that we would end up HERE. Here being almost 70k later and with plans for even more spin off stories and one shots.
We’re so incredibly thankful to all of you for going on this journey with us, and we hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as we have.
If you’re wondering what you’re gonna do without Santi, Leah, and The Gang™️ every Sunday, never fear! Each of the boys will be getting their own story/one shot in the near future, with some group reunion one shots.
Will’s very hyped up lunch with Mamá Garcia (the prologue/preview to his story, The Last to Fall) will be coming next Sunday, August 15, same bat time, same bat channel!
For our next We Were Warriors adventure, check out Down Payment, Frankie and Jayme’s story, starting Sunday, August 22, on @jedi-mando’s blog! She’ll be using the same WWW/Princesataglist for Down Payment, so if you would NOT like to be tagged, please let her know!
So so SO many hugs and kisses for all of you.
Love,@hotspacepilotsand@jedi-mando
Taglist:@disgruntledspacedad@kat-r-in@sunrise-river@perropascal@starlight-starwrites@foxilayde@toomanystoriessolittletime@mesmorales@marvelousmermaid@knivesareout@kaqua@mischiefnevermanaged94@general-latino@justanotherblonde23@autumnleaves1991-blog@itspdameronthings@detroitbydark@jedimastergoat@jedimandoscorruption@kesskirata@danniburgh@jitterbugs927@rebelliouscat@cassandras-nest@mstgsmy@anetteaneta@mostly-megan@day-off-inkyoto@brandyllyn@asta-lily@pancakeisreading@its–fandom–darling@fromthedeskoftheraven@salome-c@rosiefridayrogersunday-reads@that-chick212@t3rradactyl@mrsparknuts@dobbyjen@sara-alonso@tanzthompson
Hold It Right There
Pairing: Agent Whiskey x fem!reader
A/N: this is for @djarinsbeskar’s challenge to write something out of your comfort zone! I was tasked with writing Agent Whiskey and domming the heck out of him the actual prompt was this gif so like. That’s the vibe.
Word count: 2.8k
Warning: Whew boy. Sub!Jack/dom!reader, “good boy,” oral sex (f and m receiving), hair pulling, bondage, orgasm delay, edging, use of toys, PiV sex (cowgirl ), honestly it’s filth.
Whiskey gets this way sometimes, after a particularly hard mission. It had been difficult for you to understand before you knew about his real job, the one where he had to jet around and save the world on a regular basis. Once he confided in you though, it was easy for you to see what he needed, and it didn’t hurt that you enjoyed it just as much as he did.
When he comes home and he’s like this, looking so tightly wound he’s about ready to snap, you know exactly what Jack needs. You had given him time to change out of his flight suit and into his usual dark blue jeans and white tee-shirt before you showed up at the door of his room.
You stood there for a minute, admiring Jack’s fine ass in his absurdly tight jeans, but you were the one with a mission now.
“Agent Whiskey,” you address him, waiting for him to turn and look at you.
He turns to you almost immediately, recognizing your tone of voice and knowing better than to make you wait. He inhales sharply as he takes in the vision you present before him.
You’re wearing positively sinful lingerie in his favorite color, a bright red lace bra and garter set with all kinds of fun straps and matching stiletto heels. He takes another deep breath when you tilt your head and nod toward the ground, already knowing what you want him to do.
Jack drops to his knees at the edge of the bed in front of you, folding his hands behind his back and looking up at you expectantly.
“Your weapons please, Agent Whiskey?” you phrase it like a question, but your face tells him that it’s a command. He unloops his whip and lasso from his belt and dutifully hands them over before returning to his previous posture.
“Such a good boy,” you purr, running on hand through his hair, scraping over his scalp with your nails, and you relish the moan he lets out at even that simple touch.
You take a step back and widen your stance slightly, unwinding Jack’s lasso and thinking about your next move. You can’t help but preen a bit as the powerful and dangerous Agent Whiskey kneels at your feet. It’s not new, but it never fails to surprise you how quickly he drops into that headspace when he’s ready to.
After another minute, you decide on your course of action and set your plan into motion.
You walk around the bed and you can feel Whiskey’s eyes tracking you as you go, even though his head is bowed, but you don’t look down or meet his gaze. Instead, you eye him up and down as if you’re appraising him. He keeps his eyes averted and waits patiently for you to tell him what to do next.
You walk back in front of him and then climb up on the bed, settling against the headboard and spreading your legs before beckoning for Jack to join you. He goes eagerly, moving to rest between your open thighs before you stop him by delicately placing the toe of one heel on his forehead.
“Hold it right there, sir,” you tell him, tilting your head to look down at him. His lips almost drop into a pout, but when one of your eyebrows peaks, he thinks better of it and looks down, waiting for your instructions.
You let him stew for a few more moments before withdrawing your foot, setting it next to him on the bed and dropping your thighs to either side of his shoulders. He slowly places one hand on your leg and raises his eyebrows to you, waiting for permission. You nod and he smiles before sliding his hand up the inside of your leg and lifting it, setting the crook of your knee on one shoulder. He repeats his motions on the other side and then stops to stare up at you expectantly.
You cross your ankles behind his head and pull him forward so that his face is hovering right over your center. You can feel how wet you are inside your panties, and when Jack looks up at you with a sparkle in his eyes, you know that he can tell how turned on you are too. You reach down to thread your hands into his hair and pull him the rest of the way down, shoving his face into your clothed core.
One thing to be said for Jack “Whiskey” Daniels is that the man understands the assignment. Once you’ve given him permission to touch you, he wraps his arms around your thighs and holds you in place, eating you like a starved man. He runs his tongue over you in flat, wide stripes, just enough to get you worked up and aching for him. He uses his teeth to pull your underwear to the side and circles your clit delicately with his tongue before wrapping his lips around it and sucking hard.
Your moans egg him on as you run your hands through his hair and use your hold on him to guide him as he works you over. You know Whiskey loves this, and it’s gratifying to watch his hips grind small circles into the bed as he eats you out. He works you up quickly, alternating between licking over your clit and thrusting his tongue inside you, letting his nose bump over your sensitive bundle of nerves with each pass. You can both tell that you’re on the edge when your hips start grinding up on his face of their own accord, your hands fisted tightly in his hair to hold him in place.
You come with a shout, Jack’s tongue buried deep inside you as he lets you ride it out, his arms wrapped around your legs and moving gently in time with your thrusts. When you gather yourself, Jack is waiting patiently beside you, sitting on his heels with his hands clasped behind his back again.
“What do you say we get you out of that shirt and get this taken care of?” you ask, walking on your knees over to him and cupping the obscene bulge in the front of his jeans.
He nods, and you bring his arms forward to help him strip out of his shirt and toss it aside. Next, you gesture for him to lay down on the bed. He glances down at his still-clothed bottom half, but he doesn’t question you and moves to rest on the bed with his back against the headboard.
You quickly move to straddle his hips and grind down onto him, soaking the front of his jeans with the moisture between your legs. His hands shoot forward to grab your hips, but you stop him before he can with one peaked eyebrow.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
His hands drop to the bed and he looks disappointed but doesn’t say anything. You eye his lasso sitting on the nightstand and grab it, tying a knot in either end before slipping them over his hands and drawing them up to the headboard. You’re pressed up against his chest, nose to nose with him as you render him helpless against your will. Your eyes search his, looking for any hint of hesitation before whispering “You good?” but Whiskey only nods and stares up at you with a mix of trust and awe.
You finish securing Jack to the headboard and then lean back to admire your handiwork. Jack looks gorgeous like this, his thick dark hair mussed from your hands, his beautiful brown eyes so lust-blown they look black, and his mustache still glistening with your arousal. His strong shoulders flex against the lasso and you’re proud to see that the ties hold and he’s completely at your mercy.
You push up on your knees and move back so you’re settled between his legs, smirking up at him as his arms flex and pull against his lasso, desperate to touch you. You lean over and lick a stripe up his torso from his waist to his collarbone, and he hisses when your chest presses over his painfully tight jeans.
“Do you want these off, baby?” you coo, running your hands over his clothed thighs, just brushing against where he wants you most.
“Please?” he grits out, straining against the instinct to buck his hips up toward you.
“Well, since you asked so nicely…” you undo his jeans and tap his hip so he’ll lift up off the bed so you can slide them and his boxers down over his muscular thighs. Jack lets out a sigh of relief as his erection springs free and you can see there’s already precum welling up at the head.
You keep your eyes on his the entire time as you lean over and press a soft kiss to the tip before parting your lips to let your tongue dart out and lick at it. His hips buck up almost immediately at the sudden stimulation, but you pull back and press your hands to his hips.
“Hey, you’re going to be good, aren’t you? Going to lay there and take what I give you? At least if you want to come, that is…” Whiskey nods slowly and his hips drop from underneath your hands.
“Please?” he asks, a little breathlessly. You can tell that he’s desperate to come, wound up from pleasuring you and all your teasing, but you’re determined to make him wait a bit longer.
You lean forward and lick his head, swirling around like you’re sucking on a lollipop, and every time he makes a sound, you pull back. After a few minutes, Jack is huffing and straining against his bonds, torn between desperately trying to be good for you and needing to come.
“You’re doing so well, baby,” you coo, gripping him in your hand and sliding up and down, not tight enough or fast enough to get him off, just enough to keep him on the edge. Whiskey looks down at you and groans as he takes you in, kneeling between his legs, licking your obscenely red and cock-swollen lips as you stroke his dick.
“Well, aren’t you just as pretty as a picture?” he breathes.
You slap the inside of his thigh harshly and grip the base of his cock hard, “Did I say you were allowed to talk?” He shakes his head and then drops it to the headboard with a groan.
You reach into the nightstand beside the bed and pull out the toy you had stashed there earlier in anticipation. Whiskey’s eyes light up when he sees you bring out the small bullet vibrator and you smile, knowing what you have planned for him. You run it through your slick folds, moaning obscenely as it brushes over your sensitive clit. Jack sucks in a breath and bites his bottom lip, watching you intensely as you turn the toy on and tease yourself with it.
“Oh baby…this isn’t for me. It’s for you,” you smirk as you grip his cock firmly at the base and place the vibe on the tip. He groans and his hips lift off the bed at the sudden overwhelming sensation. “Shh…I thought you wanted to be good and come?” He slams his mouth shut and you can tell he’s straining to keep his hips from bucking up as you tease him with the toy, all of the lines of his body taut and the cords of his neck visible as he works his jaw.
You smile as you sit back on your heels and tease Jack with the vibrator, watching him fight against his own body to behave for you and be quiet and still. His hands tighten into fists and relax as he aches to touch you, but he’s fully at your mercy, and it’s glorious.
You place open mouth kisses along the inside of his thighs, working your way up as you continue intermittently tightening your grip on him and running the vibe over his weeping tip. Looking up to meet his eyes, you turn off the vibrator and release your hold on his cock before sliding your hand and the vibe down to rest where your other hand had been. You turn the vibe on to the lowest setting and stare up at him, holding eye contact the entire time as you drop your head to wrap your lips around his head and suck hard.
Whiskey moans brokenly and his eyes roll back as his head thuds against the headboard, his hands clenching and pulling at his binds. You pull off his cock with a “pop” and smile up at him. “That’s it, baby. I’m gonna make you feel so good.”
He’s close, you can see it in his body, hear it in the soft sounds he makes as he tries to be good for you. You wrap your lips around him again and turn the vibe up as you take him as deep as you can, not stopping until you feel him nudging at the back of your throat. You fight the urge to gag and instead swallow around his dick, reaching down with your free hand to play with his balls. When his eyes close and his mouth drops open, you pull back and he whimpers at the loss of contact.
When he realizes what just happened, Jack’s eyes fly open and you can see him considering saying something, but you quirk an eyebrow up and him and he decides against it. You run your hands over his thighs soothingly, pointedly avoiding his painfully hard cock on your passes.
“Are you ready for me?”
Jack nods silently, watching you closely, and you can feel your heartbeat pounding inside your chest as you move to straddle Whiskey’s hips and his cock slides against you. You plant your hands on his broad chest and rock back and forth slowly, never sinking down, just letting him feel you. His eyes are wide as he stares up at you reverently, and you decide that it’s time to put your good boy out of his misery.
Leaning forward to press your lips to Jack’s, you sink down onto him. As he cries out in relief, you moan at the feeling of finally being filled after spending so long teasing him. You stop moving as soon as he bottoms out, just enjoying the closeness and his lips working against yours. You can tell that he wants to move, that it’s tortuous for him to finally be inside you and not thrust into you, fast and hard, the way you both like it, but he stays still for you.
You start out slowly, lifting up so that just his tip remains inside you before dropping down again, and Whiskey’s eyes stay on you the entire time. It’s almost overwhelming, the power that you feel when he’s vulnerable and pliant like this beneath you, and a fresh rush of arousal washes over you at the thought. You start moving faster, working your hips back and forth as you brace yourself on his chest, and you can tell that it’s not going to take you long to come like this.
Whiskey must feel the same way, because his eyes are frantic and he manages to grit out “close,” as his hands wrap around the headboard and his jaw tightens. It’s beautiful to watch him try to maintain control for you, but you’ve made him wait long enough.
You lean forward and your lips brush his earlobe as you whisper, “Come for me.” And he does. He cries out and his hands tighten into fists as his hips buck up of their own accord and he rides out his high. You clench around him as you feel him flooding you with his cum and you rock down hard, slamming your hips into his, and then you fall apart right behind him.
Your arms give out and you collapse onto Whiskey’s chest as you try to catch your breath. You feel him trying to bring his arms down to wrap around you, as if he had somehow managed to forget that he was tied to the headboard. The thought makes you giggle as you sit up and stare down at the beautiful man underneath you. You quickly untie his hands and rub at his wrists, carefully checking for any rope burn or bruises.
“I’m just fine, sugar,” he tells you, seeing the concern on your face. He does wrap his arms around you then, and pulls you back down to his body, his softening cock still inside you. “Could stay like this all day with you in my arms.”
“It wasn’t too much?” you ask, tilting your head up so you can meet his gaze.
“It was just perfect. Darlin’, you’re perfect. Always know just what I need. I love you.”
“I love you too, Jack.”
So…this is the lingerie I had in mind if you were wondering… and as always, hugs and kisses and thanks so much for reading!
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The Last to Fall - Prologue
A@jedi-mandoand@hotspacepilotscollab!
(Banner by the wonderful @cassandras-nest! Buy her a coffee!)
We Were Warriors masterlist|Princesamasterlist
Pairing: Will Miller x OFC
A/N: Welcome to the beginning of Will’s story! It goes along with our entire We Were Warriors universe. The Lunch Date is the prologue, and there will be more to come (eventually), but everyone was so invested we felt like we needed to give the people what they wanted to see. And apparently, what y’all wanted to see was Will and MamáGarcia.
Word count: 2.1k
Warnings: None!
Gloria Garcia had been anxious her entire flight down. All of the nonsense with her granddaughter, Esperanza, and the child’s birth mother had her a fidgeting wreck. Gloria Garcia was not a fidgeting wreck. Thankfully, the young woman sitting next to her turned out to be absolutely lovely, and someone that she was glad to spend the flight speaking with. They had started out talking about books, and it had morphed into more from there. Gloria told the woman about her trip, why she was going, and how excited she was to see her Princesa, regardless of the circumstances.
The delightful younger woman’s name was Evelyn Jasper, and she explained that she was flying into town because she had a new job opportunity and she needed a fresh start. They chatted amicably for the majority of the flight and wished each other well as they departed from the baggage claim. When Gloria left with a tall, handsome blond man and an obviously pregnant woman, Evelyn waved her off and thought nothing of it. She got a taxi and went to her hotel to begin preparing for the interview she had scheduled for the morning.
The next day was a blur for everyone, Gloria and Evelyn included. Mamá Garcia learned that her granddaughter was safe, would be staying with her son and Leah, and that her biological mother wouldn’t be causing any more problems for their family. Evelyn’s interview had been a great success, and after a simple introductory review, they offered her the position on the spot. She quickly agreed and adjusted her plans with the airline so that she could spend the next few days looking for a new place to live.
That evening before Gloria went to bed, she joked with Santiago about her upcoming lunch date with Will, and while it was all in good fun, she was obviously looking forward to it. There was something about the soft spoken and meticulous man that Will had become after his fiancée left that left him that left him deeply endeared to the woman. She was proud of the growth that he had experienced and the man he had grown to be.
The next morning Will parked in the driveway of Pope’s house, grabbing the flowers off the passenger seat as he went and heading to the door. He knocked loudly as he opened the door and walked in to see Gloria and Leah already waiting to greet him.
“Good morning ladies,” he smiles at them both before handing the flowers to Gloria, “These are for you.”
“Oh William, you didn’t have to, but you are so sweet,” Gloria says, patting his cheek in her motherly way. She turns to head toward the kitchen to find a vase. Or at least, a substitute for one, since she knows her son doesn’t have any. She thinks that hopefully Leah will rectify that for him soon.
“Yes, I did. My mother said never to show up empty handed for a date, even a lunch date, and I would hate to disappoint her,” Will answers with a smile as he and Leah watch Gloria disappear into the kitchen.
“You know that she’s never going to stop if you keep encouraging her,” Leah says, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow. She knows that Gloria means well, but it also points out the glaring reality that Will is the only single one left of the gang, and they occasionally give him a hard time about it.
“Eh, it’s okay. I wouldn’t want to disappoint her either, and besides, it’s looking more and more like she’s my best girl,” he laughs. “Maybe if I was thirty years older…” he says, knowing that Gloria is walking back from the kitchen and can hear him.
“Will, if you were thirty years older I would have proposed years ago. But you are not, and I am not thirty years younger, so we will just have to settle for dreaming. I am not cut out to be, uh, what is it called, a jaguar?” Gloria asks, causing Will to chuckle and Leah to snort.
“It’s a cougar, Mamá. An older woman with a younger man is called a cougar,” Leah tells her after composing herself.
“Ah,si si, una puma. No, I am not cut out for that life,” she says as she gathers her things. Will turns toward the door and offers his arm to her. “Come now, we will go to lunch. I am looking forward to this though. I will be home soon, mija. We will figure out dinner later.” With that, Gloria and Will head out the door for their lunch.
Will takes the time to open the car door for Gloria, walks her into the restaurant on his arm, and helps her with her chair. He does all of the things that his mother and father always taught him to do, even though some of them seemed to be falling out of style. But that was a thought for another day. They talked all through appetizers and hit a lull after ordering entrees, but Mamá Garcia has plenty more questions for Will.
“So, tell me about this ‘I’m dating her but we’re not dating’ girl that your brother had at the house yesterday,” Gloria probes. She’s been curious about the situation ever since she met Hayden. She wants all of her adopted sons to have partners as lovely as Jayme and Leah.
“Hayden, her name is Hayden. She’s a fighter like him. I’m not sure what she does for her other job, but she fights in a female league that’s comparable to Benny’s. I know he says they’re not dating, but they are dating. If he’s told our mom about her yet is another story, but from what I understand, he loves her. Or at least it certainly looks that way,” Will explains.
“I see. I wonder if he is aware that he is awfully clingy for one who claims that he is not dating her,” Gloria chuckles, taking a look around the restaurant as she waits for her meal to arrive. As she scans the room, she notices that the young woman from the plane, Evelyn, is at the hostess stand and she appears to be alone. Gloria had liked the woman immediately when they had met, and when she sees her again, an idea starts forming in her brain.
“William, will you please excuse me for a moment? I see someone that I know and would like to say hello to them,” she tells him, rising from her chair and quickly taking off before Will can object. She approaches the hostess stand and as she does, Evelyn raises her head.
“Mrs. Garcia! How lovely to see you again, how did everything turn out with your granddaughter?” Evelyn asks with a smile.
“Everything turned out wonderfully. She will be staying where she belongs with her father and her mama, and she also got a new grandfather out of it all. How about you, my dear? How was your interview?”
“It went well! I was offered the job and I’m staying a few extra days to find a place to live,” Evelyn tells her with a bright smile, excited and proud to have landed the new job.
“Excellent! Come join us, my dear, I’m here having lunch with my son, you should meet him,” Gloria says, motioning for Evelyn to follow her. When Evelyn glances over Gloria’s shoulder, she sees the same tall blond man from the airport watching their interaction. God, he certainly is handsome.
“Are you sure? I would hate to impose…” Evelyn is cut off as Gloria reaches out to grab her hand and tugs her along, reassuring her the entire time that she would be welcome. As they get closer to the table, Will stands to his feet and grabs another chair, already sensing that the woman Gloria was leading over would be joining them for the rest of their meal.
“Will, this is my friend Evelyn, and she has graciously agreed to join us for lunch. Evelyn, this is one of my sons, Will,” Gloria gets introductions out of the way as everyone gets settled. Will holds chairs for both of the ladies as they sit before returning to his own seat.
Evelyn looks around for a moment and Gloria asks, “What are you looking for?”
“I was looking for your daughter, Gloria. I thought that she would be here too,” Evelyn tells her, confused.
“Oh, Jayme! She is at home with her husband and their children. He didn’t have to fly today, so he was staying home to go with her to her doctor’s appointment later,” Gloria explains. Seeing that Evelyn doesn’t look any less bewildered, she goes on, “Ah, lo siento, you are confused. I have four sons, but only one is biologically mine, and the rest are his friends. Santiago is my first son, and his best friend is Jayme’s husband. Will here and his brother Benny served with them both, and I have adopted them all.”
As Gloria explains the situation and Evelyn gains a better understanding of her “sons” and the family dynamic, a small part of her is excited to hear that Will is not married, or that at least Gloria has yet to mention a partner.
“Now, Santiago is with Leah, and his daughter Esperanza is the one that I came out to see this week,” Gloria continues, pulling out her phone to pull up the photos from yesterday, the happy adults hugging the dark haired toddler. Will sits quietly as he watches the woman chat, noticing a spark of recognition in Evelyn’s eyes when she looks at the photo of Pope, Leah, and Princesa. He noticed right away that she was gorgeous, she seems to be quiet but confident, and clearly comfortable speaking with Gloria.
“Is that Leah Connor?” Evelyn questions.
“Si, it is, do you know her?” Gloria asks. A tinge of defensiveness enters her voice against her will, but after all of the drama had just settled down, she is more than a little protective of her family.
“I do know her, she used to teach a self defense class in that town that I live in. We had become friends and I was disappointed when she left, but glad that she was moving to be closer to her sister. It looks like it worked out well for her,” Evelyn answers.
“Ah! Well, I hope that you will have an opportunity to reconnect with her now. So, tell me about this new job…” Gloria launches into a series of questions and Evelyn answers until Gloria has exhausted her curiosity and Will finally has a chance to join the conversation. Evelyn learns that Will is very well spoken, that he’s a partner at the company he works at, and that he enjoys helping his brother train as an MMA fighter. He was also an uncle to several nieces and nephews, both from his own sisters and Santiago and Frankie.
As the lunch hour turns into early evening, Gloria checks the time before exclaiming that she needs to return to the house, as she had promised Leah that she would be back in time to help with dinner for the evening. The time had passed so easily when Will and Evelyn had begun speaking and asking questions of each other that Gloria had simply sat back with a smile and cataloged things for later, like telling Leah that her friend was moving to town.
“What is going on in that golden head of yours, William?” Gloria asks on the drive home, knowing that the wheels are turning in his mind. “What did you think of Evelyn? She is a lovely girl, yes?”
“Yes ma’am, she was. To tell you the truth, I probably could have spent several more hours talking to Miss Jasper. She’s easy to get along with. Did you have a good time?” Will responds carefully, knowing that the older woman is probably weighing everything he had to say.
“I certainly did, thank you for taking me. Hopefully I can find a place we like and these lunches can happen more frequently. Would that be okay with you?” Gloria asks with a smile, already knowing the answer.
“Of course I would, you know you’re my best gal, Mrs. Garcia. I would love to go to lunch with you any time we both have a free afternoon.”
“That’s a good thing, William. I plan on making it happen. I look forward to our lunches, and maybe in the future we could include Miss Jasper from time to time?” She hopes that he will be agreeable; after seeing how they had talked and how ease they were with each other, Gloria hoped that she would get to witness the start of a beautiful friendship, and possibly more to come.
For more We Were Warriors content, check out our finished story Pope’s Princesa or Down Payment, coming next week from @jedi-mando!
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