by Bethany-Kris
That was fine.
He was ready.
A boss had to be.
“I haven’t told him, and no one is going to mention it to him until the time is right,” Andino said pointedly.
Siena nodded. “Something like that could really upset his—”
“I can’t hold his hand and watch his back forever, Siena. That’s not my job now. Remember?”
The woman glanced down. “I know. It’s mine.”
“Yeah, so let’s worry about that later.”
Because later was coming all too soon …
“Just give me a second with him first?” Andino asked.
Siena nodded, but he could see in her eyes that she wanted to be the one to greet John first. The woman really did love his cousin, and after this was all said and done, Andino was going to make damn sure Siena and John were able to be with each other.
It was what they deserved.
“This place is beautiful,” Haven said.
Andino smiled over his shoulder at her. “Doesn’t look like a psychiatric ward, huh?”
“Not at all.”
“Good, it shouldn’t,” Andino said. “People who struggle with mental health don’t need to feel like they’re being shut off from the rest of society like there’s something wrong with them when they need a chance to reset, and figure shit out.”
Haven nodded. “You’re right.”
He would have continued that conversation, but something else caught his eye. John coming out of the entrance of Clearview Oaks Facility. Despite being two steps ahead of Siena and Haven, John’s gaze went to the woman behind Andino first even as he approached his cousin.
Not surprising.
Siena wasn’t the only one who was ensnared in this thing they called love, apparently. Funny how that worked.
“John, my man,” Andino said, opening his arms to embrace his cousin. “You’re looking good.”
John hugged him back with a firm squeeze, and even patted his back, but his cousin was still a little distracted in starting at someone else.
“You could say hi, you know,” Andino joked. “And I brought Haven along to meet you properly. It’s about time you meet the woman I plan on marrying.”
John blinked, and glanced at his cousin. “What?”
Andino laughed—not even the slightest put off by John’s distraction. Sure, he hadn’t seen John in far too long, but he would wait a little longer for a conversation as long as John was happy. And right then … he looked happier than ever.
“Shit, you didn’t hear a word I just said, huh?” Andino asked.
John glanced at Siena again. “Not really, no. Sorry, man.”
Andino slapped John lightly on the cheek and chuckled. “Nah, it’s okay. You’ve got a good reason to be off your game today. I guess they didn’t fill you in on who I was bringing along to visit, or what?”
“Leonard has his odd ways,” John muttered.
Still distracted as hell.
Andino found it funny.
“Sure, sure.”
“It’s good, though.”
He knew his cousin didn’t typically like surprises, but he figured this was a good one given he brought Siena along.
“Anyway,” Andino said, gesturing at the woman he’d brought along for him—Haven. “I said, I hope you don’t mind that I brought someone else to properly meet you. I mean, I know this place is supposed to be sacred for you, and all. Focusing on you, but I might not get another time to do this before you come home.”
His cousin quieted as he glanced at Haven, and took her presence in for what seemed like the first time. It wasn’t like John could miss Haven, but you know … Siena was there.
“You don’t mind, do you?” Andino asked again.
John smiled, and shook his head. “No, man. Of course, not.”
“Good. I want you to meet the girl I’m going to marry, you know.” Andino shrugged, and shifted from foot to foot. “Properly fucking meet her, John. Not hear things about her from someone else, or see her in passing. Actually meet her with me. Take some time to sit down and have a real conversation with her. I talk about you all the time, and she’s a little out of the loop about me and you. Kind of a big fucking deal to me, and everything.”
John cocked a brow, and glanced at his cousin like he was seeing him all over again for the first time. Andino almost laughed out loud. “Seriously?”
Andino nodded. “Yeah, man.”
“I thought …” John trailed off like he was considering his words before settling on saying, “I mean, the family didn’t have a high opinion of her a few months ago, and all. I thought they had made it clear she wasn’t acceptable, or some shit. You kind of gave me the impression you didn’t know what the hell you were doing about them, her, or the rest.”
True.
Nothing John said was a lie.
Andino still had the same answer for that as he always would, now. “It’s not about them.”
It took his cousin a second, but John was John. He was quick to roll with the punches when it came to Andino—it’s just how they were. John laughed, and clapped Andino on the shoulder before pulling him in for another one-armed hug. Andino laughed, then, too, and gave his cousin a nod.
Their silent way of chatting.
John seemed a hell of a lot more relaxed in those moments, and Andino was grateful. He knew this place was supposed to be good for John. Something to let him focus on himself, and getting to a better place. Andino wasn’t supposed to bring outside stressors and problems into these grounds. He’d worried bringing Haven here might do exactly that as John really didn’t know the woman, and all of that.
It seemed Andino worried for nothing.
Thankfully.
“Give me some time with Siena,” John said quietly, pulling away from Andino’s embrace. “It’s been too long.”
Andino nodded, and stepped away. “You got it, John.”
John only needed to hold out his hand without saying anything for Siena to dart away from Haven’s side. Once the two were face to face again, it seemed like Andino and Haven disappeared to them.
Andino didn’t mind.
For now, anyway.
John and Siena headed down the walkway, and Andino moved to stand next to Haven’s side. Wrapping an arm tight around her waist, he pulled his girl in close, and kissed the top of her head. She tipped her head back, and smiled sweetly up at him.
“We’ll have to give them some time,” Andino said. “Or he’ll never forgive me.”
Haven shrugged. “That’s okay. It sucks when you love someone, but can’t be with them. I don’t blame them for wanting to have five minutes.”
Andino smiled. “Yeah, me either.”
Turning her around in his arms, Andino dropped a quick kiss to Haven’s grinning lips. She used the pad of her thumb to wipe away the small lipstick stain left behind on his lips. Not that he gave a damn about it.
“And I love you,” he told her. “Entirely, Haven. More than anything in my life. I love you. I will spend the rest of my life telling you that as often as you will allow me to. I hope you know that.”
Because someone had almost made sure he wouldn’t be able to tell her. So, Andino was going to make damn sure she never questioned how he felt about her, and them. He was never going to let her feel anything less than the most important thing in his life from this point forward.
No matter what.
Her gaze softened. “Good because I expect it.”
“Demand it, woman.”
She smiled slyly. “Noted. What was that you said to John, anyway? He kind of looked at me funny.”
Andino chuckled. “Did he?”
“I mean … a little.”
“I think I shocked him a bit, that’s all.”
“By bringing me here, you mean?”
“No,” Andino murmured, slipping a hand into his pocket to bring out an item he’d been keeping hidden. Haven glanced down between them just as he started to low
er down on one knee, and he offered the velvet box in his hand like a prize for her to take. “Because I told him that I wanted him to meet the woman I intend to marry.”
Haven blinked, and her pretty pink lips fell open as she whispered, “Oh.”
“I know it’s a strange time, and maybe this isn’t the best place. That’s the thing, though—I don’t give a damn about any of that. The only thing I care about is you. Look at all the things I did just to have you, and keep you, Haven. I’m so tired of waiting. I don’t want to wait to do what I should have done from the start.”
“And what is that?” she asked.
Andino smiled crookedly. “Vow to love you … forever. To always put you first, and to make sure you never feel like an afterthought in my life. How could you be an afterthought when you’re the first thing on my mind in the morning, and the last thing at night? I will give you the world if you ask me for it, I promise. I will give you everything … if you just marry me.”
She pressed her lips together, and glanced away. Andino didn’t miss the wetness clouding her eyes, though, even if she did try to hide the tears. “And you’ll keep those vows?”
“Until you no longer want me to.”
“I will always want you to, Andino.”
“Say yes,” he murmured.
Haven looked back at him, but he was already standing because he knew her answer before it could slip from her lips. How could she refuse him—she loved him. Every horrible, good, and gray part of him that scared her, loved her, and wanted her forever.
Andino had hurt her, and he’d done things that he knew he would spend the rest of his life making up for. He was willing to do that, though. He was willing to grovel every morning, and crawl through broken glass just to please this woman as long as she was waiting there at the end for him, and she still wanted him.
He would do all of that for her.
She’d brought out the very worst and the utter best of who he was, who he could be, and who he would be. He would not be half the man he could be in ten years if this woman was not standing by his side.
And she knew all of this.
All those parts of him …
They were hers.
Softly, she whispered, “Yes.”
EPILOGUE
“Let him have his moment, okay?”
Andino glanced over at her as they came to a stop at the front door of a quaint Florida beach house. “Pardon?”
“My dad,” she said, laughing a bit. “Just … he might try to size you up, or something. Let him have his moment. I know he won’t actually scare you, but would it hurt to let him think it did?”
He raised a brow at her, and Haven wanted to laugh at the amusement dancing in his eyes. “But this does scare me. I don’t have to fucking pretend.”
That was not the reply she had been expecting from him.
“Why would this scare you?”
“Meeting your parents at the same time we’re going to tell them we’re getting married in a couple of weeks?” Andino made an anxious noise, and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Also, if you missed the memo, I didn’t have relationships. I don’t know how to do the whole meet the parents thing, Haven.”
“Awe,” she cooed, reaching up to pat his cheek. His facial hair tickled her fingertips. He was due for a shave, but she loved the feeling of it between her thighs first thing in the morning. He knew it, too, so he’d been holding off. “Poor you.”
“Stop that,” he murmured.
“But it’s cute.”
“Keep doing that, Haven, and I will tan your ass later.”
She winked. “Promise?”
Andino groaned, and stared up at the sky. “Stop it, woman. I don’t need a fucking hard on when—”
“Are you two just going to eye fuck each other out on the porch, or come inside?”
Haven laughed at the way the color drained from Andino’s face at the male voice filtering out from the opened window. Apparently, her parents had been listening the whole time if the laughter coming from inside the house was any indication.
“Jesus Christ,” Andino mumbled under his breath.
A wild, anxious gleam lit up his gaze as it turned on her. She could tell he was silently asking her what the fuck to do, but she didn’t know what to do for him. Her parents were pretty laid back, all things considered.
And still, even after all their years, very much in love.
Haven often stayed in hotels when she visited simply because of how in love her parents still were. She’d gotten woken up by their antics one too many times over the years, and as an adult, she just didn’t need to be hearing it anymore.
“Well?” her father called again. “I hear we have something to talk about. I did just hear marriage, didn’t I?”
“Neil! Stop it,” Mae hissed. “I would like to talk to them before you run them off.”
“I’m not gonna run them off, woman.”
“Keep thinking that.”
Andino was still looking at her in that way.
Haven only laughed, and shrugged. “Don’t worry. It’s going to be great.”
How could it not be?
After all, she loved him. And so, they would love him, too.
The front door swung open, and Haven’s father loomed in the doorway. Loomed was an appropriate word considering her Irish and German father stood at eye level with Andino, and in size, filled up the whole doorway. Much like Andino did standing on the other side.
“Andino, is it?” Neil asked, cocking a brow.
Behind her father, Mae lingered close. Her mother beamed—all tiny and sprite-like with her painting smock on, and her wild curls pulled high into a messy bun. At least this time around, the chemo wasn’t taking huge chunks of her mother’s beautiful strawberry blonde hair. Medical advancements were miracles, really.
“Oh, move, Neil,” Mae muttered, pushing her much larger husband out of the way. Her mother bounced out the doorway, and gave her daughter a hug first before doing the exact same thing to a still quiet Andino. Mae pulled back, and gave him a look. “You are handsome.”
Haven grinned.
Andino blushed, and cleared his throat. “Thank you.”
“He is, isn’t he?” Her mother glanced back at her husband. “Isn’t he?”
“Mae,” Neil started to say, “I am not going to—”
“What, he is!” Mae smiled widely again. “I hope you like steak.”
“Love it,” Andino said.
“Good. You can help Neil cook. I paint—I don’t cook.”
Andino’s laughter filled the front yard. “I can absolutely do that.”
Her mother gave Haven a look. “And he cooks, too. I approve.”
Neil only laughed.
Because really, what else could they do?
Yeah, it was going to be great.
It couldn’t be anything less.
The movement around Haven’s still form seemed chaotic, and while she knew this was a big day … these women, and even her, had every single reason to rush, all she could do in that moment was stand there and watch.
How long had she wondered …
How often had she asked …
Haven never thought—after everything that happened—this day would be possible for her and Andino.
Their wedding day.
So, maybe her still daze could be excused because this was all a little surreal for her. Oh, she was happy. So happy. She wanted Andino more than anything else in her life—hadn’t she proven that time and time again?
It was only Andino’s mother stepping in Haven’s line of vision that broke her daydreaming. Kim wore a soft smile—as proud of a mother as she could be. The woman really was sweet, and wonderful.
All the Marcellos were, really.
They were just … protective.
Careful.
A little too cautious about those they allowed inside their family, and what the consequences might be when they did allow someone as close as Haven now w
as with them. And she understood, too.
They had something to keep safe.
This life.
Their love.
All of it.
She didn’t blame them for the hesitance they might have felt about her, or the warnings they’d repeated again and again. None of it had been personal … not when business and family was on the line, too.
Haven knew this now because she was one of them.
Or she would be.
Soon.
And once that little fact had become officially decided—although Andino hadn’t really given anyone a choice in the way he handled his business to get what he wanted—the rest of the Marcellos were quick to do what they needed to do for Haven. Anything and everything—she was pretty sure if she asked, they would try to give her the world.
She had a family.
A beautiful family.
She also had a second one, now.
“Did you decide?” Kim asked. “Birdcage, or traditional for the veil? Jordyn brought both.”
Across the room, the woman in question held up both options for Haven to decide.
“What do you think?” Haven asked. “I like both.”
“If we were in a church,” Kim said, glancing over her shoulder at her sister-in-law, “then I would say traditional. But we’re not in church, and the birdcage would fit your dress better. But that’s my opinion. This is your day. And you can have whatever in the hell you want.”
“Yes, she can,” Catrina called as she slipped between the rooms. “And you should choose the birdcage!”
Haven laughed. “Birdcage, then.”
Kim nodded. “Sounds good. We should start getting you ready beyond …” Her future mother-in-law waved a finger at Haven. “This. You can’t walk down the aisle in a robe.”
True.
Although, Haven didn’t think Andino would care how she came down the aisle to meet him, or what she looked like as long as she did it. He would be there to meet her at the end, of that, she had no doubt.
There was no need for cold feet.
Not today.
“Let me grab your dress,” Kim said.
“Thanks,” Haven replied, smiling.
At least her makeup and hair was done—one less thing to worry about. A quick check of the clock on the bedroom wall told her they were getting dangerously close to the time the wedding was supposed to start.
