by Allen, Jewel
Too bad he didn’t deserve her.
“Just go, Isa,” he said, warding off her hands. “Go and leave me in peace.”
“You can’t mean that.” She sounded bewildered.
“I needed you at one time, but I don’t need you now. I wish you well in your life.”
“Alejandro—”
“Horatio,” he said, hoarsely, “let’s go.” He veered away, tapping with his cane and avoiding a chair.
He made his way across the room but she didn’t follow. Not that he expected her to.
Outside in the hall, he had to take deep breaths. Horatio had him sit on a couch to wait for the car to come around. Alejandro welcomed the respite from the crowds. From Isa.
Isa.
His body ached with yearning for her. He wished things were different, that they had met when he was whole. He ripped off his sunglasses and flung them to the floor.
Loud footsteps approached him on the carpet. A woman walking fast and stopping over his shoulder.
“I need to tell you one more thing,” Isa said.
He veered away from her voice, unmasked without his sunglasses. “Go, Isa.”
“No, you will listen to me.”
He didn’t answer.
“I love you. I’ve missed you. I don’t know why we couldn’t make a go of this. I know I have my shortcomings, but surely we can make a life together.”
She stopped, her voice trembling. “I wish you would give us a chance.”
“You don’t want me.” His voice was hollow.
“But I do!”
“Not this monstrosity!” He turned to reveal himself, and heard her gasp. He turned away again. He knew she would be repelled. He knew...
“Oh, my love,” she said, sinking beside him and enveloping him in her loving arms. “Oh, my darling.”
He froze, then leaned into her, allowing her to care for him. “You’re not repelled?”
“Of course not. I’d heard about Alicia and the attack, but I didn’t realize...oh darling. My heart.”
He let her embrace him, touching her face and feeling her warm tears fall.
“And you, Isa,” he said. “You are my light, my hope, my joy. But I am stubborn and I nearly threw all that away.”
Kissing her cheeks tenderly, he continued. “You have shown me what it’s like to accept someone, failings and all. I know I will love you without conditions. You can flourish in your career, or choose to do something else, my love for you will never depend on that.”
“The night I left.” She sobbed. “I could have been there for you, but I wasn’t.”
“It wasn’t your fault. I was stubborn and I didn’t want Horatio to bother you.”
She half-cried, half-laughed. “Bother! You are out of your mind.” She cradled his face. “Do they hurt?”
“Not as much as it did at first. Only when I cry. So don’t make me cry, woman.”
“No promises.”
She kissed his brow tenderly. He might have let out a tear drop or two. They did burn a little, but not as warm as his heart did.
“I’ve missed you so much,” he said. “Mi amor.”
She kissed him gently, as though she was afraid of breaking him.
“I said my eyes might hurt, but not my lips,” he teased.
“Oh?” she said, with a smile in her voice. “I think we have to test that.”
He sank his fingers into her glorious hair, which felt longer now. He stroked and followed it to her waist. “Your hair,” he said. “It’s long.”
“It grows out fast.”
“I love it.” He wrapped his hand around the tresses and kissed her fully on the mouth. She yielded herself to his caress, pressing as close as she could.
Into his darkness, she brought in the light.
Something wet trickled on his face.
“Are you crying?” he said.
“Yes,” she said, but she sounded happy.
She was kissing his cheeks and lips and eyelids. They leaned together and simply held each other.
He knew without a doubt, forever and a day, that she would be his beacon.
Epilogue
Michael Monroe arrived at Alejandro and Isa’s wedding reception by himself.
He hadn’t been too sure about attending this as he had been scheduled for some eye surgeries, but he was able to move them around enough for this trip to Spain. He wasn’t about to miss the wedding of the century, that of his client who had become his friend.
Michael was an eye doctor by trade, one of the most sought after in Europe. Someday, he might find the girl of his dreams and be in Alejandro’s situation, but meanwhile, he could keep doing his thing. He was certainly not looking for love. His life was fulfilling enough as it was.
“Dr. Monroe!” Isa Diaz greeted him.
In the setting sun over the Sevilla vineyard, her skin was sun-kissed and her dark eyes a-glow. She was beautiful in her stunning vintage-style wedding gown. Alejandro was a lucky man.
Alejandro came forward too, handsome in his tux, wearing his signature sunglasses to cover the burn scars around his eyes. He and Michael embraced as brothers.
Isa adjusted Alejandro’s bow tie, a sweet moment passing between them. Isa nuzzled her husband’s beard, and Alejandro claimed her lips for a kiss, forgetting that anyone was watching. Or maybe despite of.
Michael was certainly happy for his friends even as he glanced away in embarrassment.
“When did you get in?” Alejandro asked.
“Just now, barely. Thanks for sending Reina to me.” Michael smiled at the memory of Alejandro’s self-driving car turning heads at the airport curb.
“You’re welcome.” Isa looked at her husband fondly, and then back at Michael with a sly grin. “I wish Reina were a real girl. We could set you up with her.”
“Oh no,” Michael protested. “I’m an eye doctor. I help people improve their vision. I certainly don’t see life through rose-colored...”
His voice trailed off as he caught a view of the girl who was in the line further down from the couple’s wedding party. She was talking to a man and laughing at something he said. Her hair was a dark blonde mass that framed her gorgeous angular face, but it was her happy attitude that drew him to her.
“Dr. Monroe?” Isa was saying.
“Sorry,” he said. “What was that?”
She looked over at the mystery girl and then at him, with an impish look. “Mmm. Well, I do believe you need to be introduced to my college friend and Maid of Honor.”
“Your c-college friend?” Michael cleared his throat. “Sure. That would be great.”
“The one who’s leaving for Greece?” Alejandro asked.
“She’s my only college friend in the wedding party,” Isa retorted.
Michael’s face fell; the girl was going to Greece. He’d heard that Greece was the place for a romance with a dark-eyed Greek god.
He bit his lip. “Well, in that case...”
“No, no,” Isa said. “Come anyway. No excuses.”
As she led him over, Isa’s friend glanced over at him, her eyes widening with intrigue.
“Lara,” Isa said. “Come meet our good friend Michael Monroe.”
Lara gave him a sidelong glance, her eyes dancing with mischief. “Hello, Michael Monroe.” Up close, her beautiful face glowed with what seemed like fairy-dust.
He was so tongue-tied he couldn’t even form a coherent thought about her or him. “Hello.”
She offered her hand to shake and he took it, his hand clammy from being so nervous.
Lara looked at him expectantly.
“He’s an eye doctor,” Isa said. “And Lara’s a....”
“I’m in-between jobs,” she said. “Was a lawyer for a while but had to quit all that soul-crushing work.”
“You did?” He was definitely intrigued now.
Isa moved away. “Talk to you later,” she said over her shoulder. “I see some new arrivals.”
“Yup.” Lara nodded
, again with that carefree expression.
Michael could relate. As much as he loved his job, it would feel good to just do what you wanted when you wanted to do it.
“Isa tells me that you’re going to Greece, is that right?”
She nodded. “On a service trip with the refugees.”
“Oh. That’s wonderful.”
Again, she waited. He wasn’t doing too good. In fact, he was messing this up so badly.
He revved up again. He was about to tell her he was actually traveling too, to Africa on a safari. A long overdue bucket list item for this billionaire doctor.
But just as he opened his mouth, the man she had been talking to earlier pulled at her hand. “Come and dance with me,” he said.
“Sorry,” Lara told Michael, giggling. “Do you mind?”
Michael was annoyed at the guy for butting in, but he certainly wasn’t going to be a grump about her dancing with some other fellow, especially since she didn’t owe him anything.
“Of course,” Michael said. “Go ahead.”
He went to the buffet table, laden with a complete meal. No little appetizers for this billionaire and his wife. He munched on little cheesecakes and cuts of salmon, exotic tapas and flanks of ham, and more paella than one could eat. He drank some cucumber water while watching the dancers.
Lara had apparently forgotten about him, as she danced to her heart’s delight, not just once, but three times, with this fellow. To her credit, she would try to get off the dance floor, and he’d coax her again to return.
His cell phone beeped. It was his sister Helen. He took the call, despite a promise to himself that he was going to avoid the outside world.
“Michael!” she said.
“Yes?” He seized up with worry at the apprehension in her voice. “What’s wrong?”
“Roger and Amy were in a car accident. They...it’s not good. Not good at all.” She sobbed into the phone.
“What?” He blinked. Had he heard correctly? “What happened?”
She told him, in a garbled rush that his older brother and his wife had been driving in the canyon and rocks came down. To avoid the obstruction, a car veered to the left, right into them.
Michael closed his eyes. “No.” His voice came out hoarse. “The children?”
“Were not with them, luckily. But you need to come home.”
“Of course.”
He staggered to talk to Alejandro and Isa. They hugged him, whispering their sympathies. Michael spared a fleeting glance to Lara, who was looking at him curiously. He nodded his head, and left.
There was no time for goodbyes.
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