Page 39 of Never Finished

I wanted to take her back to the lake, lift that skirt up over her hips and slide into her, making her scream out in pleasure.

At my perusal, her eyes widened. "Is this okay? Should I go change?" She nervously clutched the bakery box in her hands.

"No Bella, you're gorgeous as always. Just a little too gorgeous for my libido. We might have to make a stop before we get to my house."

She looked at me sideways. "Oh, no, I remember how important it was for you to be on time for these dinners. There's no way I'm going to be the reason you're late," she said, shifting her skirt around her knees as I closed the door after her.

When I got in the truck, the smell of whatever was in that bakery box had taken over the cab. I inhaled it deeply. "That smells delicious… is that what I think it is?"

She smiled. "Yeah, I remembered how much she likes them… I don't know if she still does, but I thought I'd take a chance."

I gave her a warm smile. I cranked the engine, remembering the first time Emma met my mother and presented her with a slice of cake from the bakery at the resort. It was triple chocolate with chocolate mousse and chocolate shavings on top. My mother took one bite of that chocolate treat and her eyes rolled up in her head. She said it was the best cake she's ever tasted. And there had been many times over the years where Maria had been asked to order the cake special for Mom's birthday. Thankfully, my mom was kind enough not to ask me to go anywhere near Pine Crest after everything that went down with Emma and her family.

The smell brought back memories, but right now I only focused on the sweet ones.

As we drove to my childhood home, I coached Emma, "Things may get tense tonight—if Sofia shows up. She and Mama have not been on speaking terms in quite some time."

"And if Sofia doesn't show up?" Emma inquired.

I let out a long sigh. "I don't know. They may not make amends before my mom dies. I've tried everything I can think of to get through to Sofia, but she's stubborn. Ironically, she's just like Mama, which makes it even more difficult to deal with. I don't want her to find out the hard way that life is short and we only get so much time before it's gone," I replied before I thought better of it. But then I noticed Emma was quiet, and I looked over and saw her staring out the window, worry creasing her brow.

"Oh hey, I'm sorry. What am I doing? If this is making you think about—"

She turned to me and gave me a watery smile. "Jaime, you don't have to edit your thoughts because it might remind me of my mother. To tell you the truth, there's very little that doesn’t remind me of my mother. But that's okay, because they are lovely memories. I was just thinking I really hope Sofia shows up. Those last months with my mom were precious and I rely on those memories a lot to get me through. I don't know what I’d do if I didn't have them."

I wanted to pull the truck over and wrap her in my arms to erase the sad look from her face. Instead, I stared out the windshield, thinking about my own mother and hoping tonight went well.

Maybe after dinner was over, Emma and I could talk about what was bothering her, but for now, I needed to help bring my family together before it was too late.

There was no sign of Sofia's car as we pulled up to my house, and I couldn't help the stab of disappointment. Even though I knew her absence would mean less drama at dinner, I really wanted her to be there.

I walked up the steps to the front door, and I kept my arms slung around Emma's waist. I could hear her sucking in a nervous breath before I opened the door, but as soon as we crossed the threshold, she was all smiles. Emma could talk to anybody, and there wasn’t a challenge she wouldn’t face head on.

Still, I felt for her. Facing down Esmeralda Acosta was no easy task even when you were related to her, and considering Emma was the girl who broke her baby boy's heart? I’d be nervous too.

The first face to appear was a glowing Maria. "Emma?" she asked, beaming. "Is that you?" she continued, putting her arms out for a hug.

I hadn't told anybody Emma was coming. I just said I was bringing a "friend."

Maria had been suspicious at the time, but she didn’t say anything knowing that things were a little tenuous with my situation.

"Oh, my God Maria, you're all grown up," Emma said, throwing her arms around her.

"And out," Maria laughed as she pulled back, showing off her impressive belly.

Emma grinned at her. "Jaime told me he’d be an uncle soon. Congratulations! Although it’s a little hard for me to wrap my brain around you being a mom. Seems like just yesterday you were still in pigtails."

"Yeah, sometimes it's hard for me to wrap my brain around, too. Then I have days where all I can feel is her kicking to get out and there's no doubt it's real," Maria said, laughing. "It's so good to see you again," she said, putting her arm around Emma's shoulder and walking her to the dining room. "I can't wait to hear about everything you've been up to."

Their voices faded as my little sister stole the woman I loved away, but my heart warmed at the sight of them. The house was full of the smell of Sunday dinner and I was immediately comforted. No matter how much our circumstances were changing, especially with Mama, some things remained the same.

When Maria launched herself at Emma, I swiped the cake from Emma's hands to save it, and I carried it to the kitchen. I wasn’t expecting to find my mother there looking pensive.

"Mama?" I asked, concerned.

She eyed me, worry etched on her face. "Jaime, that girl you just brought into the house… have I met her?"

She was genuinely curious, not accusatory.