What You Caused

34.

Chapter 34 | Thanksgiving dinner

Lucas:

"Oh my God it smells amazing," I groan as I walk into the Quintero abode the next day, thrusting forward a bouquet of lilies.

Abuela takes the flowers from me, an eyebrow raised. "No hello?"

"Sorry," I smile sheepishly. "Happy Thanksgiving!"

"Happy Thanksgiving to you too cariño," she laughs, ushering me inside and I shove off my shoes before following her through the hallway.

As I stroll into the kitchen, I'm met with the glorious aroma of turkey, pie and roast potatoes and my stomach rumbles promptly.

I had purposely skipped breakfast and lunch so that there would be room for all of Abuela's cooking so you bet I was hungry.

Sofia runs out to greet me, squealing loudly with her arms outstretched as she collides with my leg. Her sister on the other hand displays a much less affectionate greeting as her gaze falls onto me: she nods her head at me in acknowledgement before glancing back down at the phone clutched in her hand.

"Hiya Lucas!" Valeria smiles, pulling off her oven mitts and I wave at her in response.

As I try to walk over to the stools by the kitchen island, I find it to be quite the struggle with a 2 year old attached to my calf so I promptly bend down and scoot Sofia into my arms. She giggles happily in my embrace, wrapping her little hand around my thumb as I take a seat by Isabella who, by the way, still has her eyes trained on her mobile phone as she types away on it aggressively.

"Dinner smells amazing," I compliment, my stomach rumbling again as my eyes zero in on the orange glow of the oven where I can see the blurry outline of the turkey.

Sofia begins to play with tufts of my hair as abuela sends me a knowing grin. "It'll be ready soon don't you worry," she replies, adjusting the petals of the lilies before placing the vase in the middle of the dining table. "Why don't you go to the sitting room and watch some of the football game or something?"

"You sure you don't need help with anything? No taste testing or-"

"Go watch the football Luke," she interrupts, pointing a finger to the door menacingly, however her smile only widens. "Bella you go with him."

Isabella makes a grunting noise in reply, taking no actual notice of what abuela had told her to do, her focus still solely on her phone.

"Bella?" Her grandmother repeats, waving a dish towel in front of her face. Isabella doesn't budge until abuela snatches the phone out of her hand.

"Hey," she jumps up in protest, trying to grab the phone back from her grandmother but it's no use - Abuela merely moves the device out of reach.

"What has you so distracted," abuela scoffs, glancing down at the phone screen. She begins to read whatever Isabella had been texting out loud.

"Argh the swearword is here. Who is the swearword that is here? Lucas swearword Miller, who else? Are we still swearword mad at him? Kind of. Okay. I still want to cut off his nonobits. I hope he doesn't swearword ask me for more swearword explanations because I will swearword, more swearwords and more swear-"

"Okay I think that's enough!" A light blush taints Isabella's cheeks as she grabs the phone from her grandmother who sends Isabella a warning look.

"Mija that was so rude!"

"Yeah that was so rude!" I repeat, narrowing my eyebrows at Bella. Sofia murmurs in my lap also.

"Very rude," Valeria hums from where is she stirring the cranberry sauce by the stove. "I'm disappointed mija. Apologise to Lucas right now, that is no way to talk about a guest!"