#she’s my green onion girl but green on green works nicer

[candycryptids]

Fat Chuusday is top quality

[hermankopusortizorsumshite]

You and Kozik had been married for twenty years, your daughter turned eighteen a week ago and was currently on a date with a nineteen year old boy. Your husband Kozik was pissed. He was nervous for her, he was scared she’d get her heart broken. He didn’t want to kill anyone, but he would.

You came in after a long day at work to find his pistol on the table and him in the kitchen cooking. You’re met with a sweet smile and a glass of your favorite sweet red wine. “Hey baby.” He smiles, pulling you back against him as you take a sip of your wine.

“Hey, it’s almost eleven, what are you still doing up?” You ask, as normally he was sleeping on the couch by now. You’d smile at him as you entered the living room, you always found him so peaceful.

“Making dinner, Hermione is out with that Morrow kid again.” He growls, letting go to finish cooking. Placing a platter in front of you with sliced chicken, green peppers, onions, and a side of mashed potatoes.

“Oh baby, don’t worry hunny. Don’t you remember us at that age?” You ask, smiling at him with a knowing smile. He smiles for a second, frowning.

“I sure do. And that makes it worse. I’d have shot me for the fun we had, babes.” He growls, loading his gun. With a chuckle, you pull his pistol from his hand and take it upstairs. You finished a little under half of the plate before you could barely keep your head up.

“I’m gonna head to bed, baby. Don’t be too harsh, Hemi.” You smile, pressing a warm kiss to his lips and heading back upstairs.

“Night baby!” He calls, coming up the stairs after you. He pulled off his dark, oily jeans into his oily clothes bin and crawling into the black sheets next to you, both of you in your underwear. You found so much comfort in his warm grip that in mere seconds, the circles he gently drew into your shoulders had you snoring against him. He smiled at you sleeping, kissing your forehead. “I love you so much.” He hushes, pulling you atop his chest to hold you closer and feel you breathe against his chest.

Tears filled his eyes for a second as he thought about her. His little girl. His little Harley angel. She was his light and his crazy little sidekick. She is now an adult, and the fact that he couldn’t protect her from everything scared the hell out of him. The tears in his eyes ran down his cheeks. He sniffed as quietly as he could, trying not to wake you. He loved his daughter with his whole heart, and her tears broke his whole heart. He’d do anything to keep her little forever; but he couldn’t and it was time to accept that she was going to get her heart broken. She would have to learn how to be a functioning adult and mess up sometimes.

Around midnight he heard the door open and he slid you off him, slipping into his jeans, no shirt, pistol tucked away. You watched him pad out of the room, looking sexy as hell. Once he was out of sight, you jump out of bed and grab your closest item, a tee shirt of his and a pair of shorts, padding down the stairs behind your husband.

“Hermione get up to your room. I wanna talk to the Morrow boy.” He orders, his deep voice booming through the quiet kitchen. You sneak around the corner to find the pistol laid on the table, Kozik’s arms crossed over his chest. You took a moment to soak him in, still masculine as the day you met, still strong, but still sweet. With a gentle hand to his back, you hear him sigh. Hermione watches with a little smile. She wanted what her parents have. They were her role models, the strength between them and the love that held them together, even when they fought. She found it with Keaton Morrow. She was totally in love with him. He even wanted to marry her, and she wanted to marry him.

“Daddy! Momma tell him that Keaton means well! He loves me momma! Tell daddy—“

“Christ Hermie! Shut up! Quit screeching! You’re dad hasn’t shot him yet, even after we both said eleven-thirty. And sneaking him into our house, good try darling. I learned all the tricks sneaking your dad into our house. Your grandpa shot him in the leg once. You’re lucky your dad’s nicer than pops.” You snip, pointing a finger at her. Her head hung low as she toed at the wood floor.

“Go to your room. I wanna talk to Morrow.” He growls, pointing to her door.

“Christ Herman. Stop it. If you don’t remember it wasn’t only twenty years ago Pop did the same thing to you. Said you weren’t scared, but I knew you were. Baby, he hated you for the same reason. You’d never be enough for his baby, his first daughter or only daughter. But baby! Look at her! She looks at him the same way I look at you. Give him a running start. Just a chance.” You smile, cupping his face in your hands and pulling his eyes to yours.

“Damn, baby. You’re right I guess. But you listen to me buck,” he jabs a stern finger at the boy in front of him, “you hurt her, I’ll shoot ya. Same way her grandfather shot me. We clear? And when I tell you eleven thirty. I don’t mean twelve fifteen.” He growls, pointing the gun at the young man. Your hand pulls his down, pulling the gun from his hands tucking it into the waist band of his jeans.

“Come on, baby. Back to bed. I trust you to make the right decisions. Any noises from her bedroom at all, I’ll send Mister Kozik in there with the pistol. Safety off.” You assure, grabbing Kozik’s hand and pulling him up the stairs. “Hey! You little devil!” You squeal, letting him scoop you up and carry you to bed.

“I love you baby, you really still look at me like some starry-eyed teenager?” He asks, grabbing your waist and tapping the radio’s on button. Their song started and he starts swaying back and forth, eyes never leaving yours. With a sweet little smirk, he presses a soft kiss to your lips.

“I love you too, did my dad really shoot you?” You ask, your smile faultering a little.

“Yeah, he did.” He absolutely did. You laughed as he pulled up his sleeve to show you the scar. A small round mark where the bullet exited.

“I love you so much. Sorry I lost it. I just get so scared, you know? Like, what happens when she moves out and it’s just us again. Shit babe. What would we do?” He asks, his bright blue eyes misty with unshed tears. You give a soft chuckle, framing his square jaw with your petite hands.

“Oh my sweet love, you and I will have the house to ourselves. We could do exactly what I told them not to do.” You wink, letting him walk you backwards to the bed, falling next to you and kissing your cheeks, forehead, and nose, leaving your lips for last.

“We could do whatever we want. I dare him to try that until they’re married.” He growls, nuzzling your neck with his scruff. You giggle as ‘I’m So Into You’ by SWV comes on, jumping to your feet and swinging your hips back and forth, your golden skin peeking from under his SAMTAC tee shirt.

The next morning, you hear a light knock at the door before someone walks in. Creeping downstairs, you find your father sitting at your table.

“Hey dollface.” He whispers, patting the chair next to him. You whisk into the kitchen to make coffee before scampering over to sit next to him. Sliding the chair closer, you lean your head over on his shoulder, your curly hair falling in ringlets over his shoulder as you did.

“Hey Pop, what are you doing here already?” You ask, soaking his warm arm over your shoulder when you hear your daughter come into the kitchen. “Morning baby.” You smile, pointing to the chair across from you. With a happy, sleepy smile she leans against him on his other side.

“Hi Pop. Did you really shoot daddy in the shoulder?” She asks, giving a yawn. He chuckles, nodding in confirmation. You hear Kozik’s heavy footfalls on the stairs and you grin, standing and greeting him with a sweet kiss at the entrance of the kitchen and slipping a cup of coffee into his hands.

“Thank you, baby.” He whispers, kissing your forehead and sitting at the table across from Tig.

“Hey old man.” He chuckles, shaking his hand.

“Hey kid.” He chuckles. All of a sudden, without warning, your daughter climbs into Kozik’s lap and hugs tightly to his neck.

“I love you so much, daddy. I hope you still come visit me like Pop does when I move out.” She cries into his shoulder. He smiles, a tear slipping down his cheek as he nods.

“I promise you, you’ll be begging me to stop visiting so often, babygirl. I love you, baby. You know that?” He asks, tipping her head back brushing a blonde curl from her face. She looked so much like his gorgeous wife, big frizzy curly hair, a warm sleepy smile and sweet blue eyes.

“I know, daddy. I’m just scared to grow up. You and momma make it look so easy, ya know?” She asks, hugging tightly to him still.

“I cried last night while you were out. I was thinking the same thing you are, but I’ve spent twenty years raising you, making you a stand up adult. I’m scared of what the world is gonna do to your sweet, innocent little heart, but your mom promised me you’d be okay. I want that same thing for you, baby. I want you to know the kind of pure love I get from your mom. And if I don’t give you a chance, like Tig gave me, how will you know? I’m not sorry for pulling a gun on his sorry ass, but I’m willing to get to know him.”

“Hell, he may turn out to be a pretty stand up guy. Even if he is five years older than your daughter.” Tig huffs, scowling at the new face in their kitchen. His granddaughter’s boyfriend. “Maybe not.” Tig growls, giving the boy a daringly dark look.

“You must be mister Trager. I’m Keaton Morrow.” He sticks out a hand and firmly shakes her grandfather’s hand.

“Morrow?” Tig booms.

“Daddy, it’s okay. It’s almost as bad as a Kozik.” You giggle, patting his shoulder and sitting him back down.

“I don’t know, baby. Anyway, nice to meet you. You got any ill intentions with my granddaughter?” He demands, taking a scarily calm sip of coffee.

“No sir, I’d like to marry her someday. If you and Mister Kozik would give me your blessing?” His eyes jut between your husband and your father, both frowning into their coffee cups.

“If you hurt her, I’ll kill you.” Kozik mutters, giving her a smile and kissing her forehead.

“I’ll hide the body.” Tig snips, sipping from his cup once more.

“Thank you daddy!” She cheers, gripping his neck. “Thank you Pops!” She squeals, hugging his tightly. A ringed, weathered hand pats her back.

“And the cycle continues.” You giggle, patting your daughter’s back as she hugs you.

[issyaboimoony]

So I said that I’d be posting WIP/abandoned projects, and I’ll actually kick this off with one of the works that was suppose to be for Valentine’s (and instead I chose angst). Essentially, Chi Chi makes a Valentine for Goku - that ends up being delivered to Piccolo on accident:

Chi Chi wrapped up her little box with a pink ribbon, and set it into the hands of a little plush monkey. All in all, she thought it looked rather cute. A grin worked its way onto her face, as she mentally prepared to deliver it to Son Goku. He’d been her best friend for years, and she couldn’t wait to confess her feelings to him tomorrow. Ever since they were children, she’d dreamed of marrying him, and today would be her first major step in that direction.

She went to bed, visions of the upcoming day bounding through her mind. She had made sure to set her alarm clock extra early, to ensure that she arrived to school before Goku. She’d made her way down the hall, the monkey and chocolates tucked into an inconspicuous brown bag.

She arrived at classroom 2-C, and tried to recall where exactly Goku sat. She wandered in between the desks, before she managed to spot one that had Krillin’s name engraved on it. She remembered Goku saying that he sat next to Krillin, and she quickly placed the bag down. She ran out of the classroom, heart fluttering as she giddily made her way back to her own homeroom.

**

Piccolo walked into class with Nail behind him, and headed towards their seats. They both stopped dead, however, at the sight of Piccolo’s desk.

“What is that?”

“I—a bag?”

“Is there a bomb in it?”

“You’re seventeen! Who’s trying to bomb you?”

Piccolo pressed his lips into a thin line, before he gave the bag an experimental prod. He’d never once, in all of his life, received a present. Well, there had been one time when his religious uncle had tried to cram an entire Porunga statue underneath Piccolo’s pillow while he slept, but he didn’t count that.

“Open it up,” Nail ordered. He had already seated himself, and had promptly dropped his books to cover up the graffiti on the surface from the previous owner. It was a rather sore spot for Nail, who found it quite offensive. Piccolo had sat through more than one rant about respecting belongings.

“I still don’t trust it.” Piccolo grumbled as he prowled around the edge of the desk. He dropped his backpack onto the ground, and tentatively opened it. The paper rustled, and inside he was greeted by an offensive amount of pink.

Piccolo furrowed his brow. He reached in, and pulled out a stuffed monkey, along with a heart shaped package, wrapped up in a neat little bow. Nail stared, slack-jawed, as Piccolo reached in to find a note written.

I’m not terribly good with flowery words, but I’ve always had feelings for you. I’ll meet with you at lunch.

Love, Chi Chi

“Chi Chi…?” Piccolo balked. He knew of Gyumao Chi Chi—he certainly didn’t know her well enough to have ever expected love notes from her. Nail had already reached over to claim the paper so he could read it, while Piccolo still attempted to process what exactly was happening.

“It’s a Valentine,” Nail explained. He seemed just as incredulous as Piccolo. “Though… who in the hell is Chi Chi? I’ve never heard of her. I thought you didn’t have friends?”

“I don’t,” Piccolo griped, and sunk into his seat. He stared at the pathetic stuffed monkey, and imagined it without its creepy large eyes. “And… Gyumao Chi Chi is this girl I have Home Ec with…”

“As someone who doesn’t eat dishes, why the hell are you taking that class?”

“Easy A,” Piccolo replied, with a shrug. “And all of the other electives sounded horrible.” All the ‘Topics on Etc’ had required more writing than he’d wanted to supply, anything to do with band gave him a headache, and he had a horrendous voice, which ruled out choir. With no options left, he’d opted for Home Ec, which was the only interaction he’d ever had with Chi Chi. And, even that was minimal.

The most they ever dealt with one another was when they were teamed up for an assignment, when the bossy girl shoved him to a corner, or delegated him for something simple like chopping onions. He didn’t hate her, but he sure as hell wasn’t her biggest fan. The Chi Chi he knew was rude and loud—he couldn’t imagine her picking out such a cute stuffed animal, or piecing together such an atrocious looking package.

He told Nail all of this, who merely hummed thoughtfully.

“Maybe she’s mean to you, because she likes you? Teasing the person you have a crush on, you know?” Nail thoughtfully pressed his forefinger to his chin. “Vegeta and Bulma constantly prank one another, and its honestly only a matter of time before they hook up.”

Piccolo was doubtful, but then again, there was no way to misconstrue this. Gyumao Chi Chi had delivered a Valentine to him—his very first. He didn’t know how to feel about it at all. He supposed most people were overjoyed at such a confession, but Piccolo…

His frown deepened, just as Yamcha and Krillin entered the class.

They chattered happily as they sat down, while Nail continued talking.

“So how do you feel about it?” he persisted. “This’ll be your first girlfriend.”

“A lot of assumptions happened in that sentence,” Piccolo retorted, and stuffed the monkey back into the paper bag. He held the chocolates aloft, and wrinkled his nose at them. “I can’t even eat these,” he complained.

“Are you getting a girlfriend?” Krillin had twisted in his seat to give Piccolo a bewildered look. Yamcha mirrored this, both looked very confused at this.

Nail grinned. “Gyumao Chi Chi gave him a Valentine.”

“Nail,” Piccolo gritted his teeth, but his cousin merely waved him off.

“Chi Chi did…? Huh, I didn’t know she liked you,” Yamcha furrowed his brow. “She never mentioned it before.”

“Maybe she’s just shy?” Krillin supplied. Yamcha stared at him. “Okay—I know Chi Chi’s pretty—uh—brazen—but sometimes she gets really into the maiden-girl stuff.” He looked to Piccolo. “She’s a nice girl, really! You should give her a try.”

Piccolo stared at the bald boy, and crossed his arms. He didn’t even feel the need to respond to this idiocy. He didn’t know why all Gyumao’s friends seemed to be taking it so well that he was the one she supposedly had a crush on. He was a big, green alien—they should have been far more concerned about her mental stability.

More students soon filtered in, however, and Piccolo hastily crammed all the evidence back into the bag. He could already hear a strange rustle of gossip around him, and for once Piccolo was at the heart of it for all the wrong reasons. His exploits as a fighter, or exaggerations of his ‘delinquency’ were always there—but he’d never heard any whispers about his romance before. He wished ill-luck upon both Nail and Gyumao Chi Chi for this mess.

**

Chi Chi was a nervous ball of energy the entire day. She scribbled down notes without participating in any of her classes. She couldn’t seem to get herself to calm down. She just kept thinking about how Goku was going to react. She was so focused on her hypothetical dream sequence, that she didn’t notice the amount of people that whispered about how her as she wandered in between classes.

It wasn’t until lunch that she noticed it, whenever Yamcha and Krillin approached her. They stopped her in the hall, and drew her out of her reverie, where she could see a few people loitered in the halls to peer at her.

Yamcha gave her an affectionate clap on the shoulder, and a rather wide grin.

“Good luck, Chi Chi!” he’d told her, and Krillin gave her a thumbs up.

She furrowed her brow. “Did… he show you the Valentine?” That was more than a little embarrassing, but she knew Goku could be dense at times. Perhaps he hadn’t been certain as to what the Valentine had really meant?

“Nail told us about it,” Krillin said. “People have been talking about it all day. Man, I’m really surprised with you, Chi Chi!”

That threw her off. She wasn’t aware that she’d ever been secretive about her feelings for Goku. At least—not to the point where everyone was entirely thrown off by the revelation. Around Goku her entire demeanor changed, and she was often much nicer. They spent plenty of time together outside of school, and were practically family already.

“Okay…” Chi Chi stepped around them, and held onto her backpack. She didn’t know this Nail person, either. Perhaps a new friend of Goku’s? The two boys once more wished her luck, and she headed into the cafeteria. She’d packed her lunch, so she could quickly snag a table before anyone else had gotten to it. She settled down, and attempted to calm herself as she opened her lunchbox.

She was distracted, however, as someone sat at the table across from her.

“Hey, I’m saving this seat,” Chi Chi said, before lifting her head. She was startled to see… what the hell was his name?... a kid from her Home Ec class there. He was large and green, with big elf-like ears. He had antennae that stood up at attention, while his small black eyes barely met hers.

“Yeah, I know you are. Look—I guess there’s nothing really wrong with you but, I’m not interested.” The green kid stared at her, and Chi Chi crinkled up her nose.

“What?”

“The—,” he dropped his voice down to a whisper, “the Valentine? Ringing any bells, Gyumao?”

Chi Chi still stared, stupefied.

He sighed, and reached down into his backpack, where he extracted the brown bag. He pushed it onto the table, and Chi Chi felt her entire face burn a fiery red. He pointed at it, and seemed to be waiting for something.

“Wh-Why on Earth do you have that?!” she shrieked, and the boy flapped his huge ears at the intrusive sound. Chi Chi quickly snatched the bag off the table. Her entire body felt as if it had been dipped in lava—all but her stomach, which was icy cold.

“You put it on my desk,” the boy said slowly, as if she were stupid. “I’m here to tell you I’m not interested.”

“It doesn’t matter if you were interested!” Chi Chi hissed. “Because it wasn’t for you!”

“Then what the hell was it doing on my desk?”

“How would I know?! Maybe you stole it! As if I’d give a big, green, ugly freak like you a Valentine!” Chi Chi shouted at the top of her lungs as she rose from her seat, embarrassed by the amount of people that looked her way. She snatched up her backpack, and her fuming face was met with an equally aggravated one from the other boy.

“I’m not interested in stealing your shitty chocolates,” he snarled. “Especially not from someone so stupid as to not be able to figure out which desk they put them on!”

“Fall in a hole and die!” Chi Chi shot back, voice acidic as she stomped out of the cafeteria. It wasn’t until much later, when she’d sunk onto a toilet seat in private, that she let her frustration reveal itself. She couldn’t even cry she was so angry, so she sat there, and punched the stall repeatedly. Far too embarrassed to return to class, she had called her father to check her out. She never asked to leave, so her father had been more than willing. She’d waited until class was in session to scuttle outside with her tail between her legs and clamber into her father’s truck.

“Princess, you okay?” Her father gave her a soft look, and his bushy moustache twitched with the frown that overcame him. Chi Chi didn’t answer, and instead stared resolutely out the window. Her rage was building. Anything that she could think to say was incredibly rude, which she wouldn’t subject her father to.

At home, she stormed upstairs, and threw her back pack with enough force against the wall to rattle all of the shelves. She then flopped onto her bed, her eyes stinging, and planned the alien boy’s bloody end until she finally fell asleep.

**

“Congratulations!” Goku clapped Chi Chi on the back, and it felt as if her humiliation had come full circle. She’d just sat down for lunch—after viciously snapping at anyone who tried to talk to her—when Goku had spotted her. “I didn’t realize you had a crush on Piccolo!”

Piccolo—the whole reason for her shame. Inside, she felt fire churn about in her belly, and she wanted to tell Goku the truth. But now…

“He’s a really swell guy, Cheech. He’s a bit odd,” Goku pinched his chin, and glanced upwards, “but, in a nice way!”

“He’s incredibly grumpy,” Yamcha argued as soon as he joined them. Chi Chi wanted to melt out of existence. “But hey, weren’t you yelling at him during lunch yesterday? Did he turn you down?”

“No!” Chi Chi’s voice was raw and guttural, and both boys gave her disturbed looks. Too angry to speak, she gripped her sandwich with enough force to puncture her finger through the bread.

“All right…” Yamcha returned to his own food, and motioned for Goku to do the same. Chi Chi sat and stewed in silence. It wasn’t until after lunch, that she remembered that today was odd periods, and she’d have Home Ec.

Where Piccolo was.

She stormed down the hallway, and people all around her scattered. The attention from the previous day had all evaporated. She didn’t know what had caused it, nor could she find it in herself to care much. In the classroom, people still gave her a wide berth, except for Piccolo, who was already in their cooking station, with his backpack slumped pathetically up against one of the cabinets.

Chi Chi tossed hers next to it, and sat at the stool beside Piccolo.

He remained silent.

“Not going to humiliate me again?” Chi Chi hissed, and she had to fight to keep her voice down as their teacher started class. She had a rather—loud—voice, if she were being honest, and she’d rather avoid any more embarrassing situations.

Piccolo flicked one ear at her. “You humiliated yourself,” he muttered. His notebook was open, and she saw that he was haphazardly scribbling just to look busy.

“I did not!” Her shrill voice cut through the air. She flushed as the teacher turned a rather stern gaze upon her, and Chi Chi quickly hid behind her bangs. She scrabbled into her backpack for a notepad of her own. She clutched angrily at the lead pencil, and tried to focus on the board. Typically, Home Ec was her favorite class. But now—of course she had to be paired with the source of all her problems.

They received their assignment, and Chi Chi scrambled out of her seat, and began gathering the ingredients. She saw Piccolo loitering by a cabinet, apparently studying the recipe once more. Chi Chi still felt rather vindictive, and gave him a rude snort.

“You never do anything in this class,” she said, “so why don’t you enjoy doing today’s assignment by yourself.” Chi Chi then tossed the ingredients on the counter top, tossed her hair up into a messy bun, and glared at him, daring Piccolo to argue back.

He appeared as if he were going to, before he cut his eyes to the side. He muttered something unintelligible under his breath, then turned his back to Chi Chi and started working.

"�o8t�iy1

[trendhaar-blog]

A summer outdoor dinner party : drinks and salads

New Post has been published on https://trendhaar.net/a-summer-outdoor-dinner-party-drinks-and-salads/

A summer outdoor dinner party : drinks and salads

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This post is sponsored by ALDI, all opinions are my own. Click here to find an ALDI near you!

A part of my life that doesn’t translate onto the blog or social media is my love for hosting! Anything from a casual cook out with friends, to a nicer dinner with a more detailed menu is fun for me. I love thinking through the prep work, paying attention to details that guests may notice, and generally enjoy cooking and baking. The clean-up often doesn’t bother me either, as I usually use that time to wind down after a fun evening with friends!

I hosted an outdoor “girl’s night” dinner party with a few friends recently and it was so much fun. The weather was perfect, it was about 70 degrees with a very soft breeze. A few days prior the temperatures were still sitting at 80 by 7:00pm, so I was thrilled to see we had a slightly cooler day on tap.

My husband strung cafe lights over our deck table, and I accessoried with plants and candles on top of a pretty printed table cloth. The vibe I was going for was a bit rustic but mostly really natural and simple. I wanted to hang some greenery from the lights but since that was our only light source I didn’t want to risk blocking too much light with it, so I left the greenery to the tabletop!

Once I knew I had 8 guests attending, I started thinking through the menu. I wanted something that wouldn’t require me to be in the kitchen the whole evening, and something a little light in case it was a bit warm that evening. Nothing is less comfortable than eating a heavy meal of chicken and potatoes outside on a warm, summery night.

After finding Naan flatbread at ALDI on a shopping trip, I decided flatbread pizzas were the way to go. I had the felixibilty to make a few different kinds, so I was sure everyone would at least find one that they liked! To go along with the pizzas I chose 2 salads, one being a bit heavier than the other. I didn’t want to mess with making the dough ahead of time, and finding everything I needed on one ALDI shopping trip made it so easy. And the low price points meant I could offer a few different flavors of pizza with interesting and delicious ingredients without a huge grocery bill.

For drinks, I knew I was going to pick up Broken Clouds Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. I had a glass when I was in D.C. with ALDI and it was so good. I’m not well-versed in wine drinking, I just know what I like, and I really like the Broken Clouds Pinot Noir.

I also wanted to have a more fun, girly drink for those who don’t prefer wine. I made sparkling sangria and it was the favorite drink of the night.

Sparkling Sangria Recipe 

10 minutes prep time, serves 8-10

1 bottle sparkling Prossecco, Moscato or Champagne (I used Moiselle Sparkling Moscato Spumante)

1/3 – 1/2 cup Triple Sec 

1 lime, sliced thin

1 orange, sliced thin

6-9 strawberries, sliced thin

blueberries, raspberries or blackberries

Slice the fruit and add it to the bottom of a large glass pitcher. Pour the Moscato over top of the fruit. Finally add the Triple Sec. Stir a few times to mix, then fill the pitcher with ice. Serve immediately.

If you’ve hosted a few times before you may know that guests can congregate in the kitchen. Often it’s because they are trying to help, which is exactly what my friends did this night, but I intentionally set up the drink station and cheese board outside on the screened in porch to encourage them to be outside and enjoy the evening. I had asked my friend Caroline, who loves to cook, if she was able to come early so I could have a chance to be in the kitchen with her. I handed her the kale salad recipe as she is a healthy eater and is much more familiar with kale than I am!

The salads were a Spicy Quinoa and Kale salad and a classic Caesar Salad. I chose the Spicy Quinoa and Kale salad because it was a little bit more substantial for those who may not choose a pizza with protein on it. And for someone who doesn’t often eat kale, it was really good. The spiciness of the salad dressing completely masked the bitterness of the kale.

Spicy Quinoa and Kale Salad (original recipe can be found here)

30 minutes prep time, serves 4

Make the dressing first so it has a little time for the flavors to develop.

Spicy Dressing

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1 clove garlic, mined

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1/4 cup hot sauce

1/4 cup water

1 teaspoon maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon cumin

salt + pepper to taste

Salad 

1 cup quinoa, uncooked

6 cups chopped kale, de-stemmed

1/2 red onion, chopped

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup corn, cooked

Cook quinoa according to directions on package. In a very large bowl, add the kale and the onion. Next add corn, black beans and quinoa to the bowl, giving it a good mix. Finally top with the salad dressing. Serve immediately.

The second salad was a classic caesar that we kept simple with chopped romaine, Specially Selected Gourmet Croutons, freshly grated Priano Parmesan, and Tuscan Garden Caesar dressing.

While we were assembling the caesar salad, Nicole mentioned that she’s never had freshly grated parmesan (that she’s aware of), and we all got to talking about how vastly different it is in taste versus the grated stuff you can find on the shelf of the grocery store. I picked up a wedge of Priano Parmesan while I was at ALDI and grated it right before we added it to the salad. It added a nice element to an otherwise simple salad.

I chose to serve the salads and pizzas together so the table was full of options and full of color! The green salads and pretty flatbread pizzas looked so delicious on everyone’s plates! It was the right amount of food to save just enough room for dessert too.

I’ll be back with another post soon sharing the pizza recipes and the dessert!

This post was sponsored by ALDI, all opinions are my own.

[hermankopusortizorsumshite]

Don’t Call Me Daisie Mae.

WARNINGS” honestly I don’t know, I’m so tired. Read at your own risk.

Daisie Mae Grady, the daughter of the late Michael Marsden Grady, a military man with a big heart. She was her father’s baby, his world, his sun and his moon. He was her knight in shining armor, her protector. He also taught her a lot of self-defense and to ‘take no shit’.

As she pulls into the lot of the Romero Brothers Scrapyard, she finds the nerves eating away at her. Her father had told her so many beautiful stories about Santo Padre, but she didn’t even really have a chance to look as she was busy finding this hole-in-the-wall bar place her father had spoken of so many times. Stepping out of her car, she takes in the view around her. The dustiness floating around her like smoke, the crinkled up car parts and twisted metal, the short man blowing spitballs at a big man with full sleeves. He misses the big, burly man and hits her directly in the neck.

“Oh shit!”

“Goddamn it Coco! She hasn’t been here five minutes!”

“My bad!” The smaller man calls as he pushes his tousled hair from his eyes and waves. The thinner man was sort of charming, with his crooked nose and impish grin, childlike behavior.

“It’s alright!” She waves with a giggle, heading up the steps. Coco, as she’s recalled, jogs up to her, pushing a loose strand of hair behind his ear.

“You at the right place, Ma?” He asks, very serious.

“I think so, Romero Brothers? Mayans MC hangout?” She asks, looking at the door and waving to the plaque on the door. Her southern twang catches Coco off guard and he just grins at her for a moment.

“Ah, you here for someone?”

“Obispo Losa, actually.” She nods, smoothing down her thighs. With a quick nod, he swings open the door waving her through.

“Thanks, darlin’.” She drawls, sashaying in front of him. His eyes trail down her curves and come to land on her butt as she heads towards the bar.

“Damn, ma.” Coco calls as she looks over her shoulder at him.

“I’m sorry?” She asks, a little smirk on her pink lips.

“You are fine, ma.” Coco winks, lightly smacking her butt, making her jump and squeak.

“Well, bless your heart.” She drawls, and Coco just nods.

“That’s code for you’re a dumbass.” Bishop chides as he reaches out and pulls her into a hug. “I’m real sorry about your dad, darlin’. He was a good man.” He murmurs, gripping her tight. Bishop’s hug felt so much like her father’s that as he leaned back she couldn’t help but hold on a little longer. As she lets go and swipes quickly at her cheeks, she meets his smile with a grin. “I haven’t seen you since you were a baby. Your dad wouldn’t even hold you, said he didn’t want to risk breaking you. You here for the job?” He asks, nodding to the bar.

“Yeah, actually. I’m gonna settle in Santo Padre for a while. Pop used to blabber about it all the time so I figured I’d come see what the fuss was about.” Bishop laughs at her slick remark, shaking his head. “Is there a certain uniform?” She asks as she follows Bishop back behind the bar.

“No, you can wear what you like. I’ll get you a yard shirt in case we put you on any yard shifts.” He disappears a moment, giving her a second to process things. She takes in the bar her.

“Yo Bish! I gotta talk to you!” She turns and faces the owner of the gravelly voice. She could swear her heart stops as she lays eyes on the most beautiful man she’d ever seen in her life. Angel assesses the woman standing before him. Short, about five feet, five inches, blue eyes, round face, beautiful look honey blonde hair pulled back into a thick braid. He takes in her long, bell bottom jeans and sunflower top, a pair of black cowboy boots poking out from under her sweeping pant legs.

“What the hell is that?” He asks Coco, waving nonchalantly at her. “Some kind of Daisie Mae from Alabama?” He hisses, glowering at her. Just then, Bishop comes storming in, handing her the green shirt.

“Here’s your uniform. She’s not just any Daisie Mae, she is Daisie Mae. Daughter of a friend. She works here.” Bishop barks, jamming a finger into his chest. “And she will be respected.”

“Daisie Mae.” He snorts, shaking his head and heading to the bar for a drink. “Hey Daisie Mae? You started your shift yet?” The man calls, perched on the barstool with his back to her. She takes a moment to drink in his hunched over form, the red checked shirt he had buttoned up to his collar.

“I haven’t. But I’m sure it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to pull a beer out of a fridge.” She drawls, swinging her hips a little extra as she sashays around the bar and swings open the fridge, grabbing a cold bottle from the door, twisting off the cap with her bare hand and sliding it over to him with a wink.

“Weird.” He huffs, taking a long pull before his eyes lift to hers for a second, before he gently shakes his head and rolls his eyes.

“Hey, Daisie Mae, come here really quick.” Bishop calls from his seat on the couch, glasses on his head as he looks through some papers. “Have a seat, hun.” He pats the couch with a chuckle. Angel watches over his shoulder as she all but sits in his lap, close enough to him that she laughs when he wraps her in his arms and hugs her tightly.

“Gross. You two get a fuckin’ room.” Angel chides, rolling his eyes. Bishop watches her blush and she quickly pulls away from him.

“Angel! Get the fuck out!” Bishop strikes the table with his fist and jams a finger at the door.

“Sorry, Bish.” He mutters, grabbing his beer and heading outside.

“Sorry about him. He’ll grow on you.” Bishop nudges her shoulder with his and she gives a shy smile. “He already has, huh?” He plays, poking her sides.

“He’s cute, that’s all.” She giggles, waving her hands.

“Sure.” He chuckles, sliding some papers over for her to sign. She finishes up for the day and heads out to her truck and grabs the door handle just as she hears a shout from across the yard.

“Yo! Ma! Where you stayin’ tonight?” Coco calls as he jogs over, swiping his hair from his eyes.

“No. Do not.” Angel barks, grabbing Coco’s arm. Coco gives a ‘psh’ and yanks his arm away.

“Yo! We got an extra room? We could rent it out to you.” Coco smiles as he wanders up to her, hands stuffed in his pockets.

“Thank you, Coco. But your friend doesn’t like that idea. I ‘d hate to impose on y’all.” She smiles, patting his shoulder.

“Girl, fuck him. He ain’t never there anyway.” He waves Angel off with a single swipe of his hand.

“Aw, hun. Thank you, but-“

“I insist, ma.” He grabs her hand, kissing her knuckles and earning a sweet giggle.

“Alright, fine then. But one wrong move and I’ll drop that sum’bitch.” She threatens sweetly.

“Yes, ma’am.” He chuckles, opening her door and letting her follow him home. She heads in and Coco helps her carry in her bags. “Yo, drop that shit, I’ll get you some groceries. C’mon!” Coco calls, letting her follow him to his car.

“Hot damn! A nineteen-sixty-three Chevy II Nova!” Her voice fires off full of giddiness.

“Hot damn! mamacita knows her cars.” Coco calls, slamming a hand to his chest in an overdramatic gesture.

“Just a little. My daddy was a mechanic.” She smiles, waiting as Coco steps up and swings open her door. “A true gentleman.” She laughs, mimicking his earlier hand to chest.

“Hush and get in.” He rolls his eyes as he slides across the hood and gets in. They head to the grocery store and she grabs a lot of fruits, vegetables, some chicken, pasta, tortillas, and they head for the check out. As he cruises home, he looks over at her and grins when he finds her with the window down and a big smile on her face. “‘Aye ma? You’re gorgeous. Anyone ever tell you that?” He asks as he still drives.

“Not really.” She gives a shy smile, her cheeks turning pink.

“Hey, about Angel, you’ll warm up to him. He’s kind of an asshole but he gets nicer the longer her knows you.” He assures, patting her knee.

“Sure, why does everyone keep saying that?” She asks, looking over at him as he pulls into the driveway.

“He likes you, we can all tell. And you clearly like him.” He raises his brows at her, poking her side.

“I do not!” She cries, laughing as Coco tickles her side.

“Sure.” He laughs as he gets out and grabs her grocery bags. As they walk in, Angel pads out to the kitchen in his boxer-briefs. Coco heads down the hall to his room. Without a word, Angel’s hand grips her hip as he slides behind her into the kitchen. Gulping and stiffening straight as a board, Angel chuckles, looking over his shoulder at her with a smug grin. Grabbing a bottle of water, he heads back, but this time as he slides behind her, he grabs both hips and squeezes, whispering in her ear.

“Sorry, lemme get past you, querida.” His low, rough voice in her ear sending shivers down her spine. His fingers graze her lower back as he walks away. Her eyes follow the swing of his hips as he disappears down the hallway, Coco appearing a moment later in sweatpants, no shirt.

“Gross, I’ll make him put some clothes on.” Coco groans until he looks and sees her flushed cheeks. “Or I won’t.” He laughs, looking over his shoulder and whistling.

“Shush, you want dinner? I’d love to cook for ya’ll.” She drawls, grabbing the chicken out of the fridge, the peppers, onions, to make a stir fry.

“Nah, it’s good.”

“I insist!” She cheers, putting together a dinner and grabbing the small tortilla shells to make fajitas. “Coco! Angel!” She calls, “dinner!” Angel and Coco come into the kitchen smiling, digging in.

“Thanks, Daisie Mae.” Angel huffs, his mouth full.

“My pleasure.” She smiles, filling her own plate and finding a seat on the couch. Angel flops next to her, letting his hip rest against hers as he stuffs the fajita into his mouth.

“Hey!” She barks as he grabs a fajita off her plate and takes a bite, a mischievous grin on his face as he finishes his bite.

“You love it.” He chuckles, patting her knee before he gets up and heads to the kitchen. Coco smiles at her and nods, loving every bit of the playfulness between the new girl and Angel. He didn’t normally open up like that, but Coco put it up to her sweet accent and innocent demeanor. Angel appears a moment later with two fajitas and drops one on her plate.

“Thanks.” She smiles, eating the fajita and heading to the kitchen. Angel appears next to her, working around her to wash the dishes in the sink and he grabs the sprayer from the sink and sprays her. She lets out a happy squeal, sticking her hands out to stop the water.

“Oh shit! I knew that was broken.” He chuckles, sneaking a side glance at her for a second before going back to doing the dishes at the sink. Popping open the freezer, she grabs an ice cube. Tossing the cube down Angel’s sweats, she spins on her heel and runs away giggling. Coco just sits on the couch shaking his head. Coco hears a happy squeal and peeks down to see Angel’s hulking figure wrapped around her and carrying her towards him.

“Coco!” She cries, letting Angel toss her over his shoulder and carry to her to the couch. “Coco!” She squeals, reaching for him. He puts his hands up in mock surrender, letting the two work it out. Angel drops her onto the soft cushions, tickling her sides and reveling in the sweet ring of her giggle. Coco’s phone rings, and he he snags it while disappearing down the hall.

“So tell me, Querida. You’re from Texas?” He asks, sitting up and letting her up.

“Yeah.” She nods, straightening her shirt as Coco comes out fully dressed in jeans and a tee shirt, kutte hung on his shoulders like a banner. Without a spoken word between the two, Angel rises to his feet and heads down the hall, appearing a moment later fully dressed.

“Yo chica, we gotta go. Not sure when we’ll be back but I’ll make sure to call you when we know.” He assures.

“Okay, is it dangerous?” She mutters, looking at the ground. Angel is the first to pull her against him in a gentle hug.

“Don’t worry about us, Querida.” He chuckles, grabbing the door handle and heading outside. Coco pulls her in, gripping her tight.

“We are the big bad Mayans. We’re good, ma. Don’t worry.” He assures, pressing a chaste kiss to her forehead before he heads out the door, stopping before he shuts the door completely and she hears murmurs behind the door. Angel steps back in, heading to his room and appearing a moment later with a pistol.

“Okay, querida. The safety’s on right now. Just click it off, point and shoot at whatever comes through that door that doesn’t introduce itself. Okay?” He asks, handing it over to her. “Be careful, okay?” He whispers, kissing her forehead before he slips back out. The bikes roar to life and they pull away from the house, leaving her alone with the pistol and silence.

Her alarm wakes her with a fresh start around six- forty-five in the morning and she heads to the kitchen for some coffee. By seven thirty she’s starting a smoothie when she hears someone grunt behind her. Whipping around, she finds Angel standing there in his boxer briefs.

“Good morning!” She sings, handing him a cup of coffee before whisking away to her blender.

“Querida. It’s seven in the morning. We got home at three. Why are you running a generator? Did the power go out?” He grumbles, reaching around her and grabbing her hands, placing them at her sides.

“It’s not a generator, it’s just a blender. I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were home already but you have a yard shift at nine. Did you want a smoothie?” She asks, looking to him. He groans loudly, disappearing back to his room. She giggles a little and fills a bowl for him, not sure if he was returning. A few minutes later, Angel appears in his jeans and work shirt, looking at her through sleepy eyes. Without a second thought, he wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her down to his lap.

“Listen, I can tell you like me. So tell me,” he nuzzles her neck with his warm nose, sending chills down her spine. Slipping from his grip, she grabs his smoothie bowl, sprinkling on some granola and handing it to him.

“Enjoy! You’re training me on yard shifts today.” She giggles, sitting next to him and stuffing a bite into her mouth. He grunts in response, too busy eating. Scampering off to change, she puts on a little mascara and a pair of bootcut jeans that hugged her thighs, tying back her hair into a huge bun and tying a black bandana over her head and tugs on her Romero Brothers shirt, tying it at her waist. Fiddling with the tie in the front, she smooths her jeans down and nods, heading back out to the kitchen. Angel almost chokes on a small piece of granola seeing her. She looks beautiful.

Almost a week passes as she gets comfortable in her new home. Angel pads into the kitchen rubbing the sleep from his eyes and greeting her with a squeeze to her shoulder.

“Hey, we have a run today.” Angel coos, resting his chin on her shoulder as he looks over to see what she’s cooking.

“You guys gonna be gone long?” She asks, turning to face him.

“I’m not sure. Might be a couple days though. We gotta go to Mexico.” He takes a raspberry and smashes it against her cheek.

“Argh, Angel!” She whines, grabbing the kitchen towel as he leaves the kitchen, looking over his shoulder with a smirk. Appearing a moment later with jeans, green button up and his kutte.

“Well, do I look okay?” He asks, shifting his vest a little.

“Nah.” She giggles, heading towards him and fixing his hair before smearing black raspberry across his face.

“Goddammit.” He groans, shaking his head and heading for the kitchen.

As Angel approaches the shop, he parks his bike and heads in. Bishop sees the black raspberry on his cheek and snorts.

“Y’all get kinky before you left?” He chuckles, pointing the the smudged black spot on his face.

“Are you fuckin’ kiddin?” He barks, licking his thumb and scrubbing it off.

“It’s gone now.” Angel shakes his head as they head into Templo. When they come out, Angel sees her standing off to the side with EZ chatting and laughing. Angel takes a moment to soak her in, in her bell bottoms and tank top knotted at her waist. Her smile was from ear to ear and EZ was holding his sides. Striding over, he joins the party.

“Hey. What are you here for? You work today?” He asks, hooking an arm lazily around her shoulder.

“Yeah, Bish called me and asked if I’d take over while you’re gone.” She smiles, involuntarily leaning in against his warmth. Bishop’s eye is caught by the two standing in the corner, Angel’s arm around her shoulder, her tucked so nicely under his arm.

“Hey you two lovebirds, you wanna break it up over there?” Bishop shouts, watching them separate momentarily, her whisking away to the bar. Finding ways to keep herself busy, she watches as everyone heads for the door, each Mayan stopping to tell her bye. Angel was last, pulling her into a hug.

“Be careful. Gun’s under the bar.” He whispers, smacking her butt and sauntering out.

“Be careful Angel!” She calls as the door goes shut.

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursdsay

Friday morning, as she heads to the shop to open up at seven thirty, and she greets Chucky at the door.

“The club should be back this morning.” He states, giving her a weird smile. Giving a nod, she lets them both into the clubhouse. “Angel is very vulnerable around you.” Chucky blurts as he makes coffee.

“I’m sorry?” She looks across the counter from her stack of books, face screwed up.

“He is very vulnerable around you. Normally he’s very guarded. He doesn’t let down that wall so easily. But you just blew on it and it crumbled like a sandcastle that’s dried all day on the beach.” She just stares at him for a minute before heading back to the back to open the door for the local scrapper Guillermo, a small Mexican man with a huge laugh.

“Morning Mo!” She calls, waving him through onto the scale. “What do you have for us today?” She smiles as she leans onto his window sill, handing him the clipboard.

“Just alimunum querida. You and that biker a thing yet?” He asks, as if he’d read Chucky’s mind.

“Not you too.” She groans, pushing off the truck with her clipboard.

“Que, corazon? If he won’t take you out, I will!” He calls to her. She just laughs, meeting his smiling eyes. With his tag filled out, she hands it to him.

“If you were ten years younger, I might let you.” She chuckles as he grips her knuckles and kisses them, his grey mustache tickling the sensitive skin. “Pull forward, you big lug. Got a couple guys down there to unload it.” She laughs as he drives away. Pulling on her yard shirt, she grabs her gloves and heads down. After unloading Mo’s truck, they head inside, Mo leaving with a huge grin as he waved.

“Jeez, Chuck! It’s almost noon!” She cheers, pulling out the lunch meat from the fridge.

“Wash your grubby hands, querida.” He barks without ever turning around from his bills. She lets out a laugh as she looks down at her blackened hands, and heads to the sink. “Bishop called. He says they’re on their way back. You and Angel could—“

“Lemme stop you there, darlin’. Me and Angel ain’t doin’ nothing.” She nips back, making herself and Chucky a sandwich.

“Well fine. But don’t cry to me when Angel is deep into another women.” She chokes on her own saliva and looks at Chucky wide eyed.

“Did you—did you just crack a joke Chucky?” She deadpans, dropping his sandwich on his desk.

“I am very humorous. You might not see it, but—“

“Chucky! Chuck! Goin’ in for the kill!” She cheers, hoisting him from the chair and lifting him in the air. Chucky is laughing, so is she when the crew comes in the door, seeing Chucky hoisted over her shoulder, both too busy laughing to hear them.

“Christ, Chucky’s converted her to the weird side.” Angel chuckles, slipping passed them and grabbing her sandwich off the counter and taking a bite.

“Angel!” She barks, sitting Chucky on his feet and reaching for her sandwich, which Angel holds above his head in taunting.

“She lift a grown—man into the air, but she can’t reach anything on the top shelf.” Angel chuckles, watching as she climbs onto the bar and tackles him to ground, grabbing her sandwich off the floor and blowing off the dirt.

“She can reach anything she puts her mind to, but she’s not very intuitive on other people’s feelings.” Chucky chides, eyes boring into the paperwork.

“Man Chucky! Two for two!” She cheers, patting him on the back as she takes a bite of her sandwich, heading out the yard.

“Angel Reyes, you better watch out for Mo. He’s trying to court your woman.” It’s Angel’s turn to flush, staring at Chucky in disbelief and confusion. “He offered to court her, and he kissed her hand.” The weird little man states matter of factly. Angel gives Coco and Gilly a knowing look, and they all grin.

“Thanks Chucky,” Angel chuckles, disappearing to the yard.

“So, you and Mo, huh?” He asks, leaning against the post of the weigh in station. Jumping, her last bite of sandwich hits the ground and glares up at him.

“Fuckin’ christ.” She heaves, her hand over her heart in attempt to calm it down.

“Chucky says Mo is trying to steal my woman.” His voice is low and smooth as he steps closer to her, crouching to eye level.

“He-he did what?” She stammers, taking a drink of Gatorade and gulping loudly.

“Is that true? Mo is trying to steal you?” He hushes, his lips inches from hers.

“N-no. He’s just a flirt.” She manages to get out, tapping her toes on the ground to expel the pent up anxiety. Angel’s intoxicating sent, the sweet smell of cigarette smoke drawing her in. Her eyes drift shut as Angel gets an inch closer, ghosting his lips over hers. Within seconds his lips are on hers and he’s standing, hauling her against the wall.

Moments later, Coco and Gilly are snapping photos of the two. Coco’s favorite is her shocked looking over Angel’s shoulder. Her eyes meet Angel’s as he chuckles, stepping away from her. Swiping his thumb across her bottom lip he slips out of the weigh shed and she looks on at Coco and Gilly, confused as to what just happened.

“He bet us that he could make out with you. Had Chucky planting some shit in your head.” She hiccups at Coco’s words, remembering Chucky this morning saying ‘Angel is vulnerable around her’. He hadn’t meant it.

“You guys just—it was all just a prank?” She whispers, staring at them as the tears come filling her eyes. Blinking them away, she stares at the now guilty looking men standing in front of her.

“It was just a joke. I told him there’s no way you’d let him make out with you when he got back. You barely know him.” Coco tries to explain himself but it doesn’t help. She’d trusted Angel with secrets and suddenly they weren’t safe. All the times he playfully pulled her into his lap or the late nights he cuddled with her on the couch while they watched a movie.

“Angel Reyes!” She shrieks as she storms towards the clubhouse. “You are a son of a bitch!” She hisses, slapping him across the face in front of everyone. Stalking over to Chucky, she grabs him by the collar and hauls him against the wall. “And if you so much as talk to me in the next week, I’ll strangle you with your own goddamn shoelace. Got me?” She growls, watching the little strange man nod.

“Hey, Daisie-“ She spins on her heel and jabs a finger into his chest.

“Don’t.” With that she leaves the clubhouse, leaving the older men of the club in shock, wondering what the hell just happened.

“Angel-“

“Shit.” He murmurs, following her on his bike back to the house. He gently walks in, afraid to scare her. “Ma?” He calls, ducking as a shoe whizzes past him and hits the door. Maneuvering down the hall, avoiding the flying objects, he peeks into her room to find her slamming things into her suitcase. Frowning, he stands and stalks over, grabbing her hands.

“Let go!” She shouts, yanking her hands away from him.

“Daisie Mae-“

“Don’t Angel.” She nips, finishing her packing.

“I’m sorry.” He whispers, gripping her hands in his once more. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. It was just a friendly bet, mi amor.” He murmurs.

“Well it did hurt. I told you things no one else knows about me. And then, when I’m supposed to trust you this is how you treat me. Christ Angel.” She mutters, trying to pull her hands away.

“I’m so sorry, mi amor. Let me make it up to you.” He whispers, pulling her away from her bags. “Let me kiss you, no one is here.” He murmurs against her lips. Against her better judgement, she lets him press a kiss to her lips.

“Jesus, come on.” She pushes him away from her and grabs her bag.

“Hey hey hey, no.” He calls, grabbing her bag from her.

“Angel, let go.” She mutters under her breath, tugging weakly on the bag.

“No, I’m sorry. Okay?” He asks.

“Okay. Now let go.” She tugs her bag from his hands and heads out to her car.

“Hey! Please!” He calls, trying to stop her. Chills run down his spine as she slams her trunk.

“I just need some space!” She calls, hopping into her car and starting it. Angel stands in the driveway, his heart pounding heavily against his chest. His feet are cemented in one spot as he watches her leave. His favorite person to see after a long day was leaving. Everyone always left him. He always drove them away. He heads inside and pulls a beer from the fridge, taking a moment to look over the little Polaroid on the fridge of the two in the kitchen that Coco took.

“Angel?” Coco asks as he steps inside. The smaller man’s eyes land on his roommate sitting on the couch, blanket pulled under his arm and a beer in his hand. “Shit man, did she leave?” He asks hesitantly. Angel only looks up, his eyes meeting Coco’s, heartbroken. “I’m sorry.” He hushes, heading down the hall to his room.

Morning comes all too early, Angel wakes to hear rustling and clanking in the kitchen. Joy fills his heart, excitement fills him as he all but sprints to the kitchen. She came home.

“Morning.” A deep voice answers.

“Holy fuck!” Angel barks, grabbing his pistol and training it on the large man standing in his kitchen. “Who the fuck are you?” He nods.

“Cole.” The man responds, putting down the milk. “Heard you got some drugs to run. Is it the club?”

“Nah, just me.”

“Personal gig. I like it. You got it here?”

“Nah, but I can get it here in an hour.” Angel sits in the chair.

“You move your shit through tunnels. I like it. Say, I was here the other day, but the only person here was a cute little lady. Heavy sleeper though.” He chuckles, watching Angel stand at once, fists clenched at his sides and jaw taut.

“You leave her out of this.” He seethes, watching the man laugh once more.

“Yikes, see. I figure if we have something important, you’re less likely to screw this up. She’s in Mexico, actually, in a little villa. Got a friend I need you to bring back, then we’ll talk about the drugs. And if you don’t bring him back, your girl dies.” He nods, taking a sip from the jug once more.

“You wouldn’t fuckin’ hurt her for no reason.” He says, more for himself than Cole.

“See, I wouldn’t. But I’m here with you. And she’s in Mexico with a trigger happy ex-marine with a habit of killing civilian women. So anything’s possible. I’ll text you the address.” With that, Cole leaves as quickly as he appeared, Angel sitting on the couch hyperventilating. Grabbing his phone, he calls EZ and Coco.

“Cole and his ex military goons have Daisie Mae in Mexico.”

“Alright, what do we do?” EZ asks.

“Meet me at the bronco in twenty minutes.” He slams his phone shut and yanks on a pair of jeans and her favorite shirt of his, the red plaid, buttoned up to his neck.

They arrive at the address in almost six hours and as Angel heads up the stairs he sees what looks like Daisie Mae storming away from the scene.

“Ma!” He shouts, clambering from the truck an sprinting towards her.

“Well it took you long enough!” She barks as he gets closer. His feet don’t stop until he’s standing in front of her. Grabbing her shoulders without another word, he yanks her into his grip, arms tightening around her.

“Christ.” He hums against her hair, so content that she’s close to him. He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed her until now. His chest heaves against her, his heart slamming as he holds her tighter a second longer.

“Jesus christ, Angel. Chill out.” She chuckles, pushing him away from her.

“You don’t understand, some dude broke in and threatened you.” He murmurs, toeing the ground with his boot.

“I do understand. I was fucking kidnapped.” She laughs, heading to the bronco.

“You just wait there for us, okay ma?” He calls as she climbs in. Ez appears almost an hour later without Angel, he climbs in the truck and they floor it for the border.

“Where’s Angel?” She asks, looking behind them.

“They kept him prisoner until we come back.” EZ shouts over the rattling of the truck on the bumpy dirt road.

Once they return with Adelita, they all get out and run up the steps inside.

“Angel?” She calls, looking around.

“Ma! Go outside!” He shouts from his position leaned up against the wall. Huffing, she disappears to the truck to wait. As her eyes land on Angel sauntering out, the Adelita woman grabs his face and plants a kiss on his lips. Her heart stutters, hammering against her chest in raw pain. She was so in love with him and she thought he felt the same. Guilt clouds his beautiful honey eyes as they land on her in the front seat. Quickly averting her eyes to the windshield, EZ, Angel, and his girl all climb in at once. EZ pats her knee, giving her a sweet smile.

“Damn, two people kidnapped in one day. Let’s get the fuck outta here.” He chuckles, shifting into drive and heading for Santo Padre.

Six hours in the car seems like days and she grows more and more anxious by the second. She couldn’t wait to get out of the stuffy, hot vehicle. The minute they get back, she all but stumbles from the vehicle and starts sprinting away. A few minutes later she hears the familiar rumble of Angel and EZ’s bikes.

“Hey, it’s another three miles to Romero’s. Climb on!” Angel shouts as they pull up next to her. She ignores him as he calls to her. “Hey! Daisie Mae!” He shouts, parking his bike and jogging to catch up.

“Angel, just go. It’s not that far.” She barks, pushing away his outstretched hands.

“No.” He growls, grabbing her, holding her arms against her sides. “If you don’t remember, the last time I let you go you got fucking kidnapped.” He nips in her ear as he carries her to his bike. She swings her foot down and connects with his knee, rolling away from him and standing up, brushing the dirt off.

“I got kidnapped because of you.” She growls, jabbing a finger down at him.

“I know, but I can’t let it happen again. You know that!” He stands up, reaching for her hand.

“Well, let me tell you. I’ll ride to Romero. But I don’t promise anything from there.” She hisses, stomping to his bike and waiting expectantly for him. He climbs on, letting her use his shoulder as a brace while she swings one toned leg over the bike. Gripping the handle between the seats as he kicks the bike to life.

“Hey, hold on to me, that handle’s broken.” He calls over the roar of the engine. Huffing her disapproval, she snakes her arms around him and holds tightly as Angel floors it for the yard.

“Christ, could you drive any slower?” She yells as he turns onto the road for the yard.

“I could!” He shouts back, slowing down to a snail’s pace and swerving back and forth to keep them righted. The minute he stops in the yard, she bails off and storms for the door.

“Ugh! I never want to see you again Angel Reyes!” She shrieks, stomping into his face as he calls after her.

“What did I do? What happened?” He asks, staring at her.

“First of all, that little prank. You played with my emotions and my feelings Angel! You did that! I wouldn’t dare hurt you that way. Next, I was kidnapped and dragged to Mexico because of you! And to top it all off, you and that Adelita!” She swings a hand at the woman standing off to the side. “She likes you, Angel! And so do I!” She shrieks, grabbing her purse from under the counter and heading out the door.

”Ma! Wait!” Angel shouts, trying to follow her, but Bishop and Taza stop him.

“Let her go. She’ll go back to Texas, find someone else.” Bishop murmurs, shaking his head. An hour passes in silence, Angel sitting at the bar downing beers like water, when the door opens.

“Is Bishop here?” She asks so gently, he’d almost thought he’d imagined it until he looked over his shoulder.

“Bish!” Angel shouts, ordering a shot. Bishop appears from the back room and slips his glasses to the top of his head and strides the room to meet her.

“I’m heading back to Texas, just wanted to say bye.” She murmurs, letting Bishop pull her into a hug.

“I’m gonna miss you, little scrapper.” He chuckles, his knuckles brushing her cheek gently before he heads out the door with her. “I’m sorry about Angel, he did mean the best.” He assures as he pops open her door. Just as she nods, a small paper wad hits her in the face.

“Aw shit, my bad!” Coco shouts, jogging over to her. “You headin’ out?” He asks, and all she can do is nod. “Well damn, ma. I’m sorry to see you go, but we all got plans.” He smiles, yanking her into a warm hug.

“I’ll see ya later, Coco.” She chuckles as she hears a shout from the clubhouse and Chucky sprinting towards her.

“I’m gonna miss you, my fine little Daisie Mae.” He mutters, hugging her rather tightly.

“I’m gonna miss you too, jokester.” She smiles, patting the weird little man’s shoulder. “I’ll see you guys later.” She smiles as she climbs in her car and heads for Texas.

Six months pass, and her friends convince her to road trip with them, though they won’t tell her where. They’d given her hints, but her closest guess was San Francisco or Santo Madre, which she was rather unimpressed about.

“Hunni, it’s gonna be fun.” Jess assures, with a sweet smile, her green eyes twinkling in the sunlight as they arrive in a little town on the beach.

“I guess you’re right.” She chuckles, heading inside to put her things away in the little cabin they rented for a week. After putting away her things, she finds herself wondering about those sweet Mayans.

“Girl, come on. There’s tons of cute guys on the beach.” Groaning, she puts on her bikini and heads out, sun hat slapped on her head and sunglasses on her nose. She supposed she was ready for a cute guy to take her out. As they get to the beach, a frisbee is launched at her head, but she ducks instantly (having spent so much time with Coco). The frisbee clobbers Jess in the face and she shrieks, falling backwards into the sand and starts cackling.

“Boy that’s a welcome to California if I ain’t never been here.” She drawls, standing and brushing the sand off.

“Aw shit, my bad!” That voice. She turns slowly, afraid she’ll see exactly what she sees. Coco, Gilly, EZ, and the whole fucking crew jogging their way.

“Goddammit Coco! This is why we never come to the beach.” Bishop shakes his head and she can’t help the laugh that escapes.

Angel had been sitting on the beach towel in the shade, not feeling like doing much. As Coco launched frisbee to Angel, he totally missed and the wind caught it, launching it into a group of giggling girls. Angel rolls his eyes as his fellow brothers jog over there to check on the girl when he hears that laugh. Like music to his ears, a song he heard once on the radio finally being replayed. He knew that laugh. Peering across the beach to group of women, his heart all but stops when his eyes land on her.

She searches the crowd around them for Angel as her friends start to mingle amongst the men, getting them invited to a party at the clubhouse tonight.

“He’s over there.” Coco nudges her and points to the towel under the tree. A small gasp escapes her lips as she drinks in the beauty that is Angel Reyes. His caramel skin, his ebony hair and scruffy face, his sweet honey orbs, the muscles, the tattoos, she was so in love with him. His eyes seemed to be fixed on the beach, so she takes the opportunity to go over there while her friends were distracted.

“Angel Ignacio Reyes. In the flesh.” She coos, sitting next to him with a little smirk. He looks over at her for a moment, taking in her lack of coverage and how warm and tanned her skin looked. He wanted to taste her.

“Hey there, ma. You thrivin’ out there in Texas?” He asks, looking back to the rolling blue water.

“I guess. You and Adelita married yet?” She asks, looking at him.

“Nah, I cut it off with her. It’s just me anymore. I missed you.” He murmurs, looking into her eyes for a second, the weakness showing in his tired eyes.

“I missed you too.” She whispers, attacking him with a hug. Straddling his legs she wraps her arms around his neck and holds tight as Angel hugs her waist, leaning back on the towel and rolling on his side.

“Querida, I love you. I love you so much.” He whispers, pressing little kisses to her cheeks.

“You do?”

“Yeah, ma. I love you. I love you so much. I’m so sorry I was so stupid. I missed you so much. I love you, please. Let me kiss you.” He whispers. She nods, letting his hands grip her ass as he presses a hot kiss to her lips.

“I love you too, Angel.” She whispers, kissing his cheeks and nose.

“Thank god. You gonna come home now?” He asks, his eyes hopeful.

“Sure, I think I could do that. But, I have one demand.” She croons, nuzzling his nose with hers.

“What’s that, mi amor?”

“Roommates, but I want to share a room. And a life with you.” She nods.

“Done.” He murmurs, hugging her and rolling through the sand with a huge smile.

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