White Wedding: A Christmas Romantic Comedy (Blackwood Cellars Series Book 3)

by Carla Luna

  Best not to think about it. A drink might ease her nerves. Since the wine had yet to be opened, she opted for punch. The liquid simmering on the stove looked a little like sangria, laden with chunks of apple, pear, and guava. She ladled the punch into a ceramic mug that resembled a grinning Santa head. The first sip filled her with a comforting warmth, flooding her taste buds with cinnamon, nutmeg, and the slightest kick of rum. Much better than her mulled wine. She’d have to ask Araceli for the recipe.

  Luz passed a bowl of frosting toward her, along with a pile of lollipop sticks. “You’ll need frosting to apply the candy. But use one of the sticks rather than your fingers, or you’ll get the stuff all over yourself.”

  Thank God she’d been assigned something so basic. Luz, on the other hand, was piping frosting onto the gingerbread bride, using a photo of Missy’s dress for reference. For a while Victoria worked in silence, taking great pains to apply the candy as directed. Definitely not as easy as it looked. The mini M&M’s were a bitch to work with.

  From over on the couch, Ernesto rang one of the jingle bells, calling the group to attention. “Yo, can we get the game on? This movie’s boring as hell.”

  Araceli glared at him. “I love this movie. Nena, turn it up.”

  “What are you watching?” Victoria asked.

  “The Holiday. You know—that rom-com with Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz? It’s one of my top five Christmas movies.”

  “’Celi, get over here,” Nena called out. “It’s your favorite part.”

  “Have you seen it?” Luz asked Victoria.

  She nodded. “That bit with Mr. Napkin-Head always makes me laugh.”

  Araceli scooted past them and plunked on the couch next to her sister. “I love it when Iris gets to L.A. and realizes she got the better end of the swap. That mansion is amazing.”

  “Can you imagine staying in a place like that for two weeks?” Nena said. “Maybe when I win the lottery, right?”

  “Victoria lives in a house like that,” Araceli said. “Except bigger.”

  As all eyes turned toward her, Victoria wanted to crawl under the table.

  “No shit?” Nena said.

  “Yeah. It’s enormous,” Araceli said. “Six thousand square feet. They have a giant wine cellar and a media room. And a pool with water features. Victoria’s brother gave me a tour.”

  By now, Victoria’s cheeks felt as red as her sweater. Tonight wasn’t about her. All she’d wanted to do was drop in and help out. Instead, she was the center of attention. Should she apologize? Say something self-deprecating?

  Fortunately, Ernesto spoke up. “Yo, ’Celi, you’re embarrassing her. Take it down a notch.”

  “Sorry.” Araceli gave a sheepish grin. “But it was better than the house Iris stays in.”

  “We should have held the decorating party there,” Nena said. “Way more room.”

  Victoria could only imagine how her father would have reacted if she’d opened their house to the Sanchez clan. She wiped her forehead and addressed Luz. “Is there a bathroom I could use?”

  “Sure. Down the hall. Past the bedrooms.”

  “Thanks.” Victoria set her apron down and made her way to the bathroom. The walls were painted a bright aqua, decorated with colorful ceramic tiles. She splashed cold water on her face, hoping to cool down. But even after she’d gotten herself together, she wasn’t quite ready to face the group. She cracked open the door to Araceli’s bedroom and knelt on the floor, drawing the attention of Mimi. The small black cat sprawled on her back, presenting her tummy. She stroked the soft fur, eliciting a purr in response.

  Another reason to get her own place. She could adopt a cat. Or an adorable kitten.

  Araceli opened the door and peeked in. “Are you okay?”

  She looked up. “I needed a little cat-bonding time. I don’t have any pets at home.”

  Araceli knelt next to her. “Sorry if I made you feel weird. I shouldn’t have said that stuff about your house.”

  “It’s fine. I…I just don’t want your family to hate me.”

  “Why? Because you’re rich? It’s no big deal. Hell, we’d all live in mansions if we could afford them. That’s why Nena buys lottery tickets every month. But I appreciate that you’re here, helping us out.”

  As much as she wanted to avoid the subject of Rafael, Victoria had to know the truth. “I hate to ask, but do you know about…I mean, did Rafael tell you…”

  She was making things worse, but Araceli didn’t let her flounder for long.

  “Do I know about Baja? Yeah.” When Victoria stared at her in horror, Araceli held up her hand. “Don’t stress. I haven’t told anyone, not even Jaime. He says I have two settings—unfiltered and ‘the vault.’ That stuff about you and Rafa is in the vault.”

  Victoria let out a long, shaky exhale. “Thanks. I’m not ashamed. Rafael is an amazing guy, but—”

  “I get it. This is a job. In his defense, he told me about your fling right after he got back.” She frowned. “Not gonna lie, but I hated you at the time.”

  Victoria swallowed past the painful lump in her throat. “I hated myself, too.”

  “Don’t break his heart again. If you do, you won’t just have me to answer to, you’ll have the whole Sanchez family. Trust me when I say you do not want to get on our bad side.”

  Yet another reason why Victoria needed to play it cool with Rafael. “I won’t. We’re keeping things professional.”

  For that, she got another snort, but she didn’t ask what it meant. Instead, she followed Araceli back into the main room. Now that she’d tackled the mini M&M’s, her next job was to paste gumdrops on the roof of the house in precise, rainbow-colored order.

  While she struggled to align the gumdrops, Luz had already created a gingerbread bride, a groom, a minister, and two flower girls. But after another cup of punch, Victoria found her groove. She listened to the cousins joking, trash-talking, and sharing gossip as the movie played in the background. Despite coordinating multiple Christmas events, tonight was the first time she felt caught up in the holiday spirit.

  When had she felt this comfortable around her own family?

  Not at the Blackwood mansion. Or even at her cousin Marc’s wedding in July. If she was being honest, the last time she’d truly enjoyed spending time with her extended family was during her childhood at Big Bear, when she and her cousins had run wild for two weeks every summer. Night games, bonfires, ghost stories. Long, embattled games of Monopoly. Lazy mornings of pancakes and waffles, where the Chavez girls dropped in for “second breakfasts.” A time when she’d equated family with fun, not with obligation and pressure.

  Araceli peered over at Victoria’s handiwork. “That’s some perfect rainbow symmetry, right there.” She pulled her phone out of her back pocket and peeked at it. “Rafa’s bringing us leftovers from the restaurant.”

  “He’s coming?” Victoria glanced down at her green apron, now flecked with streaks of frosting. She wondered if she should leave before he arrived so things wouldn’t get awkward.

  Araceli smirked at her. “Nah, he left the restaurant ten minutes ago. He’s on his way up.”

  Too late now.

  Chapter 16

  Rafael pounded on the door with his elbow, since he had both hands full, carrying an insulated delivery bag from the restaurant. He wasn’t sure who all was at the party—with Araceli it could be three people or thirty—but he’d brought plenty of food. After hustling all day at Tres Hermanos, attending a craft party at his cousin’s apartment wasn’t high on his to-do list. But given how much Araceli had helped him with the wedding, he owed it to her to make an appearance.

  She opened the door, greeting him with a sly grin. “Hey, primo. Your girlfriend’s here.”

  “My what?” He scanned the room, taking in the usual suspects, until he noticed Victoria seated at the kitchen island next to Luz, her head bent over a gingerbread house. He lowered his voice. “You didn’t say anything, did you?”

 
; “Not a word. But she knows that I know. If you know what I mean. But otherwise…” She made a motion of zipping up her lips. “In the vault, baby.”

  He let out his breath in relief. But he still wasn’t sure how to act around Victoria. Their last conversation had been the sexy phone call she’d ended abruptly. They’d texted since then, but only in relation to the wedding. Seeing her in person made his pulse quicken, especially since she looked adorably cute in one of Araceli’s goofy holiday aprons.

  He set the insulated bag on the kitchen counter. “Hey, Victoria.”

  “Hi, Rafael,” she said softly.

  When she met his gaze, the longing he felt played havoc with his heart. It didn’t matter that she was a millionaire’s daughter. He still had it bad.

  For a moment, he could only stare, mesmerized by her gorgeous blue eyes, until Luz cleared her throat. “Rafael? You gonna join us or stare into space?”

  “Sure. I brought leftovers. If you’re in the middle of decorating, they can wait. But there’s food for whenever you need a break.”

  Araceli clapped her hands together, calling the family to attention. “Break time!”

  Rafael peered over Victoria’s shoulder and inspected her project. He was impressed she’d shown up, since her weekend had been as crazy as his. In her last text, she’d mentioned being slammed with events on Friday and Saturday night. “I thought you said you weren’t crafty.”

  “All I’m doing is sticking candy on the house,” she said. “I’m much slower than the rest of your family. They’re so talented. Thank you so much for recruiting them to help.”

  A rush of tenderness shot through him. He didn’t know why it mattered, but he was pleased Victoria liked his family. “Missy’s projects are in good hands with this crew. I would have come sooner, but the restaurant was packed.”

  “That’s good, right?”

  “Yeah, just kind of exhausting.” He was grateful Araceli had taken charge of dishing up the food. “Do you want anything to eat? I brought leftover carnitas, arroz rojo, and some of that pork with mole sauce. The dish you love.”

  She bit her lip in a way that was both cute and sexy. “Can you make me up a plate? I have to secure a final row of gumdrops, then the rainbow will be complete.”

  After waiting for the others to fill their plates, he dished out food for himself and Victoria. And then he sat with her, knowing full well his family would take notice. But he couldn’t help himself. When Victoria took a bite of the pork in mole sauce and let out a tiny groan of pleasure, his groin tightened in response. He’d be remembering that groan all night.

  As the conversation swirled around them, he coaxed Victoria into sharing a few anecdotes from her hectic weekend. In the background, a holiday rom-com played on full volume. He enjoyed the festive vibe and appreciated the way his family had come together to help him out.

  By the time they finished eating and cleaned up, it was ten.

  “Great job, fam,” Araceli said. “But Jaime texted and said he’s on his way back from poker night, so it’s time to shut this party down. You can leave your stuff, and I’ll box it up.”

  The family filed out, exchanging the usual jokes, hugs, and fist bumps, but Rafael lingered, helping Araceli and Victoria put away all the projects. The gingerbread houses were done, as were the jingle bells and half the white glass ornaments.

  “I can’t believe how much you all accomplished,” Victoria said.

  “We made a big dent in Missy’s list,” Araceli agreed. “I might host a smaller get-together later in the week to finish up everything, but we’re way ahead of schedule.”

  Victoria bagged up the remaining candy and placed it into one of the bins. “Make sure to keep track of your expenses and add them to the catering bill.” She pushed up her sleeves. “Can I help you with anything else? Like the dishes?”

  “Nah, I’ll stick everything in the dishwasher.” Araceli gave Rafael a pointed look. “Can you make sure Victoria gets to her car? She shouldn’t be walking alone at this hour.”

  Victoria tensed up visibly. “Why? Isn’t it safe out?”

  Rafael suppressed a chuckle. Araceli knew damn well the neighborhood wasn’t that bad. She was giving him an excuse to spend a few minutes alone with Victoria. “It’s fine. But I’ll go with you just in case.”

  “You can leave the stuff from the restaurant,” Araceli said. “I’ll drop it off tomorrow.”

  He gave her a quick hug, then waited as Victoria retrieved her purse from the bedroom. Once she was ready, he escorted her out of the apartment toward the visitor parking on the west side of the complex. As she unlocked her car door, he told himself to leave well enough alone. But he wanted to clear the air between them. He touched her arm. “Victoria?”

  “Yes?”

  He rubbed the back of his neck. “About Wednesday night. I want to apologize for crossing the line.”

  She did that adorable lip-biting thing, which only weakened his resolve. “No. I’m sorry. All you did was send a few texts. I’m the one that called you, and then I shut you down. But I heard my father come home, and…”

  “I get it.” And because he was an idiot who didn’t know when to quit, he said, “You wouldn’t want to get a drink or anything, would you?”

  From her surprised look, he wanted to kick himself. Stupid. When would he stop acting like a lovesick teenager?

  “Now?” she said. “It’s after ten.”

  Right. Not everyone had Monday off. “You probably have to be up early for work tomorrow.”

  Even if she didn’t, she’s not getting a drink with you, dumbass.

  But then she smiled. A sweet, inviting smile that lit up her whole face. “Actually, I don’t. Since I worked all weekend, I’m not going into the office on Monday.”

  Her response filled him with far more excitement than it should have. “So…one drink?”

  “One drink. Should I follow your car?”

  “No need to. I live here.”

  “Here? As in this complex?”

  “On the other side of the courtyard. If you don’t mind going to a dive bar, there’s one a few blocks away. It’s about a five-minute walk. The place gets busy on the weekends, but it should be quiet on a Sunday now that the game’s over.”

  She hesitated for a moment, then smiled again. “Lead the way.”

  As they walked together, he took a deep breath. After a long workday and the cloying smells of Araceli’s apartment, the cool night air came as a welcome relief. He almost reached over and took Victoria’s hand, like he’d done so often when they’d walked on the beach in Baja, but he stopped himself in time.

  You’re sharing a drink as friends. Got it? Under no circumstances are you to hit on her.

  When they got to JJ’s Tap, his shoulders tightened. What if his cousins had decided to stop in? This bar was their usual go-to. He didn’t want to deal with long explanations or make Victoria feel awkward. Thankfully, he didn’t see anyone he knew.

  The place was dark and dingy, with a wood-paneled bar, the usual beer signs, a couple of TVs, and a few pool tables. No DJ or dance floor. No hipster craft brews or small plates. Just a place to hang out, shoot pool, and grab a beer.

  Other than a group of guys playing pool, the bar was nearly empty. Rafael got their drinks—a beer and an amaretto sour—and led Victoria to a small table in the corner. But when they sat down, he fumbled over what to say, now that they were alone. Talking with her had always been easy, but they’d never had so many boundaries before.

  Fortunately, the wedding was an easy topic. “Any new demands from Missy?”

  She gave a short laugh. “How did you guess? She called me this morning. Never mind that I was wiped out from running my ass off on Saturday night. Now she wants a signature cocktail for the event. Something Christmas-y, but not too tacky. Sophisticated yet festive. But also easily adaptable into a mocktail, since she can’t drink.”

  Though she didn’t sound thrilled about the prospect, he saw it as
another way he could help her out. “I could come up with a drink if you want. Like a variation on a mistletoe martini or a cranberry orange cocktail.”

  Her face lit up. “That would be great. Maybe I could come by the restaurant some night after work, and we could experiment. I’d put the booze on Missy’s tab.”

  “Sure. Let me talk to my brothers and figure it out.” He never would have admitted it, but he was secretly glad Missy was such a demanding bride. If she’d just wanted a simple wedding or if she’d hired an actual wedding coordinator, he wouldn’t have been able to spend as much time with Victoria.

  “Thanks.” She placed her hand on his, making his senses tingle. “You’ve been great about this. I know it’s a huge time suck.”

  “It’s kind of fun. A challenge.” He raised his beer bottle. “Here’s to a kick-ass wedding.”

  She held up her glass in a salute. “Only two weeks left. Then we’ll be free.”

  Two weeks.

  He suddenly wished he could slow down time. Once the wedding was over, he wouldn’t have an excuse to hang out with Victoria. Even if she was having fun with him now, their connection would end as soon as the job did.

  Chapter 17

  When the bartender announced last call, Victoria checked her phone. Ten to midnight. She’d been at the bar with Rafael for almost two hours. The first few minutes had been awkward, but once they started discussing Missy’s wedding, they fell into an easy conversation. Though Rafael’s hand occasionally brushed hers, he kept things platonic. No diving back into old memories. No suggestive comments. They talked as friends as they bonded over the wedding from hell.

  But when she stood, the ground swayed. She grabbed her chair.

  “Are you okay?” Rafael asked.

  “I don’t get it. I only had two amaretto sours, and I had plenty to eat at Araceli’s.” Though she was a lightweight when it came to booze, this was extreme, even for her.

  “You didn’t drink any of her Christmas punch, did you?”

  “Two cups? Maybe three? But it was mostly fruit.”