Free Say Yes (Something More) by Tara West

asked me to paint a seascape of Tio’s beloved home town of Guadalajara for his birthday. It’s one of my best murals to date, and I can’t wait until he sees it. We’ve had to keep the pool deck sectioned off, and Tia has had to threaten Tio on numerous occasions to stay away from the area.
    “Okay, but if you need to leave, just tell me,” Andrés says as he smoothes his hands down my arms.
    The feel of his skin rubbing against mine sends little currents of lust buzzing across my flesh, and I wonder if he’s as turned on as I feel. As I lean into him, the bulge pressing against me is confirmation enough. Damn us both for being horny on a day like today.
    I heave a frustrated groan as I rest my head on his shoulder. There’s no way I could get into sex right now anyway, so I guess I will have to settle for tamales and beer.
     Although, as much as I love his Tia’s Mexican cooking, nothing can ever top the euphoria of making love to Andrés.
     
    * * *
     
    Andrés
     
    “How you doing?” I squeeze Christina’s hand for at least the tenth time, my other hand on the steering wheel and both eyes on the road.
    “Fine, Andrés. I’m still doing fine.”
    She doesn’t sound annoyed, more amused, which is a good thing.
    I wish I could feel amusement, but I’ve been nothing but a ball of nerves since we set out toward Tio’s ranch. My aunt and uncle live an hour from our Austin apartment, on several hundred acres in the Texas Hill Country. Normally, the drive doesn’t feel long, even with the heavy traffic along the 35, but I have a lot on my mind, starting with the growing pressure from my family to ask Christina to marry me.
    I should be grateful Tia loves my girlfriend and Christina gets along so well with my family.  I shouldn’t be bothered how they’re always dropping matrimony and baby hints. But after Christina told me she doesn’t want to have kids, I need them to back off until we can have another talk.
    I’ve been thinking about what she said, and I think I know where it’s coming from. She’s afraid she’ll turn out like her mom. That’s why she doesn’t want kids. There’s no way she could love Tyler so much and not want to have kids of her own. Now all I need to do is convince her she’s nothing like that old bitch.
    But I’ve got this gnawing feeling in my gut that my family won’t back off with their marriage hints. When I think about everything Christina’s been through this week, I don’t want anyone adding to her stress. That’s one reason I didn’t want to go to the party tonight.
    I love my family, but sometimes I wish they’d ease up and give Christina and me a little more space. I’ve seen them intrude on other family members’ relationships. My cousin, Cesar, swears Tia was the cause of his breakup. I lost my best friend to a roadside bomb in Afghanistan, so I know the deep, dark grief of losing a loved one. After over a year of therapy, the pain of losing James is finally starting to become bearable. She’s thoughtful, artistic, and the most beautiful girl I’ve ever dated. I can’t imagine the heartbreak of losing Christina, too.

 
    Chapter Eight
     
    Christina
     
     
    Good thing I went to the pool, or else the little girl would have drowned. I’d initially gone there to escape Andrés’s nosy aunts. No sooner had we showed up at the party than a few of them started in on us getting married. What’s wrong with them? We’ve only been together six months.
    Anyway, Tia had barricaded the pool until the big reveal, so I knew it would make a good sanctuary. It’s huge, fully enclosed and heated; that way the family can use it all year round. Until recently, the brick walls framing the building were a dull grey, but Tia had commissioned me to create a mural stretching the length of the pool.    
    Anyway, long story short, I thought I could get some alone time by sneaking past the yellow tape and lawn chairs serving as a makeshift obstruction. As soon as I