The Driving Force to Love (MXM) ✔

Chapter 36

Dean Axle Lance

I rode in the back seat with Sarah. There had been a small argument about that as Liz had wanted to sit in the back with Sarah, but when Tonio reminded her it would look weird to his family since they were supposed to be a loving husband and wife, she relented.

It had been awhile since I could just relax and enjoy the ride through the mountains without having to keep my eyes on the road. I had to be careful not to mess up on this trip. I had to keep reminding myself that Tonio and I would only be friends this time. I wouldn't be the one to accidentally out him to his family.

We had left early in the morning. We stopped at a store to get food and since we didn't know anyone here, Liz and Sarah openly held hands so I slid my hand in Tonio's. We packed up the cooler with ice and whatever groceries would need to remain cold before we got in the car and continued on our way.

It only took us a few hours to get to the lake. It was about nine in the morning, but the sky was bright above. There were only a few white, fluffy clouds. The water of the lake was blue. Small waves slowly lapped against the shore. Most of the shore was rocky, but there were a few areas where it was more of a sandy dirt. There were dock areas to put boats in the water. We drove along the lake past the main campsites to the area with the private cabins. He pulled up in front of the largest one.

There was already a truck with a boat attached to the back of it. I recognized Antonio's brother and nephew standing next to the truck. There was a third man. An older gentleman that I assumed was Antonio's father. That was confirmed when Tonio stepped out and greeted him as 'Papa'.

I stayed close to Sarah since I really wasn't sure what the polite procedure here was. I trusted her to give me any clues I might need.

She went to the back of Antonio's car and opened the trunk so I went with her. I helped her pull out the cooler and the luggage while Antonio and Liz greeted his family.

"Where's mama?" Antonio asked.

"She should be arriving soon with Rosa and the girls," Jose said.

"Is Maria coming?" Liz asked.

"Yeah," Felipe said. "She's riding up with mom and the others. They should be here soon."

"We rented the boat and were just getting her ready," Felipe said. "Ready to do some fishing?" he asked me when I rounded the car with the luggage.

"Sure, when everyone else is," I said.

"Forget fishing," Felipe said. "How about water skiing?"

"I'm up for that too," I said. "Where should we put the luggage?"

"I'll help," Antonio said. He immediately took some of the luggage from me. Liz took some from Sarah. "Papa, this Dean, my friend."

I reached out and shook his dad's hand. He had a firm, grip and greeted me friendly. I wondered if he would greet me as warmly if Antonio had introduced me as his boyfriend and not a friend.

"Grab the cooler," Antonio said to Felipe.

"There's a fridge in the cabin. Why did you bring a cooler?" Felipe asked, but he was already moving to get the cooler.

"So we can take it on the boat," Antonio answered. "No alcoholic drinks on the boat," he said pointedly to Jose.

"I wouldn't," he lied. "I don't understand what the big deal is though. You are allowed to drink alcohol on a boat."