A Proposal They Can't Refuse (Vega Family Love Stories, #1)

by Natalie Caña

“Ese doctor no sabe na’. Cuando me duele el pecho, me pongo un poco de Vaporú y ya.”

Bahaha

She beat her fist against the steering wheel but only succeeded in causing a start-and-stop car-horn club remix.

“You didn’t have a problem when I did it last week,” she snipped in Spanish.

Much like the fish from Encanto xoxo, Bruno

“Because I have stage four liver cancer and will be dead before the end of the year.”

No one ever knew the truth of Le Cordon Bleu.

“Funny you are asking their permission, when it’s my restaurant.”

Papo motioned between Liam and Kamilah. “It depends on you two.”

“No, we will sell the building,” Granda corrected. “Unless the two of you get married.”

They’d just been completely played by the grandfathers.

Wow I really don’t like her family. Give the girl a break, not an excessively hard time!

Yeah not cool

“You married your best friend?” At Abuela’s nod, Kamilah’s jaw dropped, and she shook her head in disbelief. “Why would you want to marry your best friend?” “¿Por qué no?” “Because a best friend is one thing, and a person you marry is another,” Kamilah explained. Abuela smiled at her and shook her head. “No ojitos, son la misma persona. You should only marry your best friend. Remember that when you grow up.”

At his side, Kamilah burst into scandalized laughter.

I’m gonna be so pissed if they don’t end up together for real.

The truth was that Liam had come up a lot during her seven-year relationship with Chase. Every time they’d got home after a get-together where Liam was present, there would be an argument. Chase would accuse Kamilah of harboring romantic feelings for Liam.

What a jerk! Dare I say, a … comemierda…

That got her thinking about what Liam’s stubble would do to the delicate skin between her legs.

Like the Avengers.”

Ever since their day in the distillery, Liam had become much more relaxed and even affectionate with her.

Which is utter mierda

Uncalled for

“You’re saying that if we win, you’ll partner with Kane and mentor me.” “I’m saying that you need to make sure your charming grandpa and your bubbly fiancée are here on the seventeenth. After the winners are announced, you and I will see if we need to discuss the particulars more.”

Oh.

Yes sir

Kamilah couldn’t talk, so she did the next best thing. She grabbed him by the back of the neck, turned her head, and yanked his mouth to hers.

She unwound her arms from his neck and reached down to the edge of her tank top. His voice stopped her. “No,” he bit out. “I do that. Not you.” “But—” He nipped her earlobe and then gave it a suck. “I have been waiting to undress you for fifteen years.”

“I need you,” she said between kisses. “Inside me.” More kisses. Rougher and wetter. “Now.”

She didn’t tell him that she’d bought them less than a month ago in a moment of horny hope.

“Fuck this,” she said. “I don’t have to deal with bullshit. I have a perfectly good vibrator hidden in the closet, and it’s charged.”

“I fucking love that you wear my clothes because you want to smell me wherever you are.”

She’d planned to do them both, be at the restaurant but slip away when it was time for the distillery judging. She had no idea how she could slip away if the mayor was coming to El Coquí.

It was as if she was testing him to see how much shit he’d put up with for her, and then she got mad that it wasn’t enough. Why did she always do that?

“We have some things to discuss.”

“Anything more will be too risky,” Abuelo intoned in Spanish. “He’s too old for extensive surgery, and his kidneys are failing. There’s nothing more to be done.”

Whoops, Kamilah.

“No. No, you didn’t. You wanted to help yourself. Because you thought that I would be mad at you for backing out after you adamantly incorporated yourself into my plans. Instead of being honest with me, the man you claim to love, you lied to me in order to buy yourself some time in order to figure out a way for you to save face.”

Oh crap

So yeah. I’m done helping you. I’m done having your back. I’m done with you.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Saint said. “If you’d told me you were this unhappy, I would’ve done something about it.”

“You didn’t love me, Chase,” she countered. “Because not only did you audition without me, you stole my recipes. I heard nothing else from you until you showed back up in my neighborhood—one you hated before but obviously have no problem with now that it’s being whitewashed.”

“It’s what I know. You think I wouldn’t recognize my own recipes on national television, especially when my journals went missing after you moved out?”

Are you trying to make me cry? Jeez Louise, it’s allergies. I’m fine. I’m fine. I’m fine.

“Why did you never tell me this before, Liam? Did you think that I didn’t deserve to know the truth?”

Granda frowned. “Why would I—Ah. That’s why you’re mad at him, because you think that if he’d listened to you, he wouldn’t have died.”

Must be nice, to have your father love you that much. Or at all.

That was the real reason the whiskey was unnamed and not for sale. It was too important, too private, and he’d never wanted anyone to know how very much she meant to him. Especially her.

PREACH

“I’m going to finally be a woman of my word and be there for him.” Kamilah pulled out her phone. “I’m going to text him right now and tell him that I want to support him, but I don’t want to force my help on him.” She spoke as she typed. “Then I’ll offer to still make the food for the tasting, if he wants me to.” She hit Send. “I don’t know if that will be enough to fix things with him, but I do know how I can fix things with you both. I want you both to have the freedom you’ve always wanted.” She took a deep breath. “I’m pulling El Coquí from the Fall Foodie Tour, and you both have my support to sell.”

Everything about this whiskey was his love letter to her. A love letter he’d started years ago.

Well now you’ve done it. You got me in the feels and I can’t even pretend it’s allergies. So thanks for that.

“Ojitos, you are the only one who loves this place as much as your abuela did. You are the one who has always seen it with eyes of hope and possibility, like her. She would want you to build yourself a new dream with this place.”

Omg stahhhp