Fate

Baby Sister

Vince's ever perfect cousin, Sal, turned just as they reached the table and smiled. “Tia Letty, how are you?"

“Hi, mijo. Oh, I'm hanging in there." She gave him a knowing look then turned around searching the crowd. “There he is. I swear that man gets caught up so quickly. I knew he was right behind me."

Sal looked up and smiled at Vince's dad as he approached, greeted him, then turned to his girl. “This is my girlfriend, Grace Zendejas, and her baby sister, Rose."

Both of Vince's parents reached out to shake the two girls' hands as they smiled politely. Rose. Vince couldn't think of a more fitting name as his eyes took her in at this closer range.

“Hey, Vinnie," Sal patted him on the shoulder, “damn, you get taller every time I see you. What are you fifteen now?"

“Sixteen," Vince said, adding as his eyes met Rose's shy but sweet golden-brown eyes, “seventeen in a couple of months."

“Wow that was fast!" Sal smirked then turned to Grace. “This is my cousin Vinnie from La Puente."

Vince rolled his eyes at the tag added to his name, but the near frown dissipated as his and Rose's eyes met again. There was something so delicate about her features. Everything from her lashes to the curve on her lips seemed so well defined, and he noted how much younger she looked up close. Maybe she wasn't his age.

Wiping his hand quickly on his jeans, Vince dried his suddenly sweaty palms before reaching out and shaking Grace's hand first then smiling at Rose as he shook her soft hand, “Nice to meet you."

“How was that two-hour drive?" Sal asked Vince's parents as they all sat down.

After a few minutes of small talk, Sal excused himself, saying he'd be right back. Vince was now having a hard time keeping his eyes off Rose. She was far more interesting than all the baby shower crap, and he was trying to figure out just how old she was. She was as tall as her sister, who was obviously old enough to be with his twenty-something-year-old cousin's girlfriend, but minus the makeup—any makeup. Was she not old enough to wear any? He knew thirteen-year-olds that wore full-on makeup back home.

Rose leaned into Grace and whispered but not hushed enough. “They hired waiters for a baby shower?"

“They hire waiters for everything." Vince smirked trying to overcompensate for the irritation the very thought caused him. “My aunt's known for outdoing everyone in the family with her parties."

His mom nudged his leg under the table and gave him a look which Vincent ignored.

“We've never attended any of the Moreno's parties," Grace explained, glancing back at him then looking around again.

Vince had to chuckle at that. “Well if you're with Sal now, get used to it. It's like this every time."

Rose lifted an eyebrow. Even something as simple as her eyebrows said “young" to him. It wasn't bushy, and it arched nicely, but it wasn't anything like the ones on some of the girls he knew. Vince could tell it was naturally thin. Most of the girls in his neighborhood and school had been plucking their eyebrows for so long that they had to pencil them back on. It looked so stupid, too. Many of them even sported that permanently surprised look.

Before Grace could respond to his comment, Rose tilted her head and her light-brown eyes stared at him curiously. “Where is La Puente?"

He hadn't really noticed earlier when she first made the waiter comment that her voice was a bit husky. But unlike her sister's noticeable accent, Rose's husky voice was accent free. She may look young, but that voice sounded older. Unexplainable hope crept in him, and he couldn't help but smile.

Why the hell did he care? She lived two hours away, and he didn't even own a car. Not to mention over the years his mom had often talked about how incredibly protective his cousins were over their own younger sister. If he had to guess, Sal was probably the same way over his girlfriend's baby sister. Vincent wouldn't dream of trying anything here. So why would he hope even for a second that they were in any way compatible?

He explained it was a half hour before Los Angeles and near the LA county fair. But since Rose had never been, she still had no idea. Sal came back just then with a tray of drinks for everyone. After giving the girls and Vince's mom their drinks, Sal handed a beer to Vince's dad and finally a soda to Vince.

“Where's my beer?" Vince smirked.

Sal lifted an eyebrow as he sat down next to Grace, taking her hand. “You're funny, Vin."

Even though Sal smiled, Vince didn't miss the hint of contempt in his eyes. Vince knew what his cousins thought of him—what everyone in the family thought. He'd been anything but an angel the last few years, and his father often turned to his older brother, Sal's dad, for guidance.

None of them could know he was actually trying to better himself now, but he didn't have to prove a thing to them. The only ones he'd be proving anything to were his parents. He owed them after all the s**t he'd put them through.

“I've never even seen such a big yard." Rose's voice brought him back to party and away from his resentful thoughts. “They don't have homes like this in Chula Vista." Her eyes looked around the yard.

“You're from Chula Vista?"

That was a bit of a relief. As far as he knew, Chula Vista was about as ritzy as La Puente was. Maybe Sal hadn't hooked up with a snooty fellow student like he'd assumed.

Rose nodded, sipping her soda. Vince studied her delicate features openly, holding nothing back just like he always had when he flirted back home. She looked away, blinking several times, making him smile—a shy one. The girls in his neighborhood were anything but. But again maybe she was just too young.

“How old are you, Rose?"

“I'm fifteen," she smiled lifting an eyebrow, “but I have a birthday coming up soon, too. So I'll be sixteen in a few months."

“Oh yeah? When's your birthday?"

She put her cup down on the table. “July eighth."

“No, s**t? Mine is the tenth."

Sal turned and gave him a look. Vince pressed his lips together and refrained from rolling his eyes. He knew what that look was about. Watch your mouth! Sal was all about respect, but Vince had seen the way he'd glanced at him a few times earlier. He was already keeping his eye on Vince and his girlfriend's obviously virginal baby sister. No surprise there. Sal would be watching really close.

“You seen the koi pond yet?"

Her nose crinkled slightly. “Koi pond?"

“Yeah, it's pretty cool, right around the other side of the house. You wanna check it out?"

She hesitated for a second then nodded. Relieved, Vince stood up, happy about the chance to get away from his cousin breathing down his neck.

Both Sal's and Grace's eyes were immediately on them as Rose stood. “Vincent is gonna show me the koi pond on the other side of the house."

With that same perturbed expression Sal had worn from the moment Vince showed even the tiniest of interest in Rose, he raised an eyebrow. “Best behavior, Vin. I mean it."

Vince hid his annoyance the only way he knew how—with an evil grin. “You know me."

“Yeah, that's why I'm worried." Sal frowned.

This time Vince didn't hold back rolling his eyes, only he waited until he'd turned his back to them. He'd probably never see this girl again, and it was obvious what Sal would say if he so much as thought of making a move. So why the hell did it bother him that Sal was making sure he pointed out in front of her how much he didn't trust him? Thankfully she didn't ask about that.

“Do they have a lot?"

Vince glanced at Rose, not sure what she was talking about. Now that he knew she wasn't too young or maybe it was the fact that Sal was throwing out blatant don't-even-think-about-it bombs, her golden-brown eyes were even more impressive in the sunlight.

Walking next to her, trying hard to keep his eyes from going down to those long, sexy legs was becoming increasingly difficult. Normally he wouldn't bother trying. He'd gape unabashed, and the girls he did this to didn't ever mind his gaping. In fact, the drill was that if they hadn't been doing the gaping to begin with, they'd gape right back, and it was on. But it wasn't just Sal's flat-out warning that kept him from doing so with Rose. So far he'd been wrong about that sass he thought he'd detected earlier. Vince had now been witness to her timid demeanor. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable.