by Ruff, K. S.
My mood lifted as soon as I smelled the smoky cigar notes beckoning from the coffee. I blew the steamy tendrils away from the mug and took a sip before sampling my dessert. The dark roast coffee complemented the bread pudding perfectly. “I’d like to take you back to Montana to meet my parents,” I finally confessed.
Rafael’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, then fell into a deep scowl. “Did Jase tell you?” he demanded accusingly. He reached for his cell phone, his thumb hovering over the screen as he awaited my response. He appeared to be plotting some scathing text message to Jase.
Caramel oozed onto the table when the spoon stopped abruptly in front of my mouth. “What? What does Jase have to do with this?”
Rafael looked up from the cell phone. “He didn’t tell you?”
I set the spoon down. “Tell me what?” I grumbled irritably. His odd behavior was seriously threatening my ability to enjoy the decadent dessert.
Rafael’s laughter warmed every part of my body as it rolled through me. I stared at him in shock. His laugh was still one of the most beautiful sounds I’d ever heard.
“Looks like I owe Jase an apology,” he said with a sheepish smile. He flicked at the screen on his phone and scrolled through his e-mail. He handed me the phone when he found what he’d been looking for.
“Is this a confirmation for plane tickets?” I asked a bit uncertainly.
He grinned as he dug into his dessert. “Two plane tickets to Montana. I was planning to surprise you. We leave on Sunday.”
“You purchased plane tickets to Montana?” I repeated, not quite daring to believe it. “Why?”
He held a spoonful of peach cobbler up for me to try. “I’ve wanted to take you back to Montana to see your family ever since we returned from Saint-Tropez, but you were so overwhelmed with your coursework, I didn’t dare schedule the trip until after summer semester was over.”
I nearly knocked the spoon out of his hand as I threw my arms around his neck. “Thank you! Rafael, your timing couldn’t be more perfect. I’ve been dying to go back to Montana. How did you know? God, this is exactly what I need,” I began babbling, then laughed when I caught sight of him still balancing the proffered spoon in his hand. I tasted the cobbler and offered him a bite of bread pudding.
He hummed his appreciation. “That’s even better than the cobbler.” He shoved the cobber aside and reached for my dessert. “I thought you could use some down time and would feel better if you were surrounded by family,” he murmured softly. “Do you mind terribly that I’m going with you? I can stay behind if you prefer, although I’d still want to send Jase in my place. I don’t want you traveling alone.”
I shot him an incredulous look. “I’m not going to Montana with Jase. I want you to go with me. I know we’ve only been dating for five months, but I would really like you to meet my parents.”
Relief softened his face, but the worry lines quickly returned. “Is the rest of your family as protective as your cousin, Lexie?”
I laughed. “No. Lexie is probably my fiercest protector, aside from you, of course.”
“Do you think your father will approve of me?” he inquired nervously. He suddenly seemed no more confident than a teenage boy asking a girl to prom.
My eyes drifted toward the jazz band. “I don’t think it’s my father you have to worry about.”
He glanced at me questioningly.
“It’s Dan,” I remarked softly. “Dan and Kadyn are pretty tight.”
“Dan is the Vietnam veteran who watched over you in Montana… the one who helped Kadyn find you in Trout Lake and when Michael took you to Paris?” Rafael inquired.
I nodded.
Rafael sighed. “Your entire family would probably prefer you marry Kadyn.”
“Kadyn hangs the moon in their eyes,” I reluctantly agreed. “But they know you love me, Rafael. It won’t be an easy transition for them, but once they’ve spent a couple of days with you, they’ll see that while Kadyn hangs the moon, you hang the sun and the stars.”
“You think I hang the sun and the stars?” he asked, suddenly perking up.
“Pretty much,” I confessed. “I know you’d move heaven and earth to see me smile.”
He tilted my face toward his. “And you know how much I love you…”
I searched his eyes questioningly. “I do.”
“And you love me…” he prompted, the full force of his attention on me.
Butterflies danced inside my stomach. I felt skittish but stilled when he cupped my face in the palm of his hand. “Yes, I love you, Rafael… very much.”
He wove his fingers through my hair. The rest of the room faded to black when he pulled my face toward his. “I’m not asking you here. This isn’t the right time or the right place, but you will agree to marry me when I propose?”
My heart ground to a stop. If I said “yes” now, I was sealing our fate. I’d be forfeiting any right to say “no.” Clearly, he was looking for a promise… a promise he’d consider binding once it was made. Still, there wasn’t a single part of me that wanted to say “no.” Rafael was the thin thread holding me together. As thin as that thread was, our experiences had woven us together so tightly there was no room for anyone else. Rafael understood me, bore my pain, and shared my losses like no one else. The answer seemed easy enough, but it was frightening all the same. I knew that if I committed to this dream, it would disintegrate right in front of me, robbing me of any remaining desire to live or breathe. This was no small leap of faith.
Rafael’s cedar and clove scented cologne soothed me as he leaned forward and kissed me on the lips. He trailed kisses all along my jawline before pressing his lips against my ear. “Neither of us is meant to be without the other, Kristine. Say ‘yes,’” he murmured in a low, seductive tone.
My heart thudded once… twice… three times as he pulled back and peered into my eyes. Time hung suspended while he awaited my response. A familiar sense of peace fell over me… the same peace that had found me on the beach in Saint-Tropez found me here under this makeshift tree and moonlit sky. I marveled at how something could seem so frightening and so undeniably right. “Yes,” I finally breathed.
Rafael’s face lit with a triumphant smile. His lips captured mine in a caramel and coffee laced kiss as he gathered me into his arms. His tongue swept through my mouth, coaxing, possessive, and strong. My anxieties flared, then faded as he reclaimed every last piece of my broken heart.
* * * * *
I kissed Rafael’s cheek before ringing Cenia’s doorbell. “You okay?” I asked. The poor guy was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that one of Kadyn’s friends had invited him over for dinner.
He eyed the bottle of wine he’d selected as a gift for the hundredth time. “I’m good. Are you sure she likes Chianti? Maybe I should have purchased the Riesling.”
Cenia pulled me in for a hug as soon as she opened the door. “Hi, Kri. Thanks so much for coming to help.” She stood on her tiptoes as she gave Rafael a hug. “It’s good to see you again, Rafael.” She pulled the door open a little wider and ushered the two of us inside her condo.
Rafael handed Cenia the bottle of wine. “Thank you for inviting us to dinner.”
Cenia read the label before setting the bottle on the dining room table. “Thanks! This will be perfect with dinner. How’s your handwriting, Rafael?”
He glanced at me uncertainly. “My handwriting?”
Cenia laughed. “I’m afraid I’m going to need a writing sample from you. I’m not letting you near those wedding invitations without a writing sample.”
“What?” Rafael asked, thoroughly confused.
“All you have to do is scribble something on a piece of paper, make it look really messy, and you’re off the hook,” Roger said as he joined us in the living room.
Cenia threw her hands on her hips. “Surely you don’t expect me to address all two hundred and twenty-three wedding invitations by myself?”
Roger offered her a quick p
eck on the cheek before shaking Rafael’s hand. “Certainly not. That’s what Kri’s here for. Rafael’s going to help me grill the kabobs.”
Rafael laughed. “Nice to see you again, Roger.” He met Cenia’s gaze as he confessed, “My handwriting leaves a lot to be desired. I’m much better equipped for the grill.”
I nabbed one of the wedding invitations from the coffee table so I could see what Cenia had ordered. The invitation was written in an elegant script, the heavy linen paper embellished in all four corners with scrolling leaves and delicate blue flowers. “Rafael’s a really great cook, Roger. You’re missing out if you don’t task him with something a bit more complicated.”
Roger’s eyes brightened. “Do you know how to cook rice?”
Rafael nodded. “Do you have fresh garlic, onion, tomatoes, cilantro, and parsley on hand?”
Cenia reached for an invitation. “I have everything but fresh parsley. Why?”
“I’ll run to the store and get fresh parsley so I can make Portuguese rice. Kabobs are quite popular in Portugal, but we typically serve them with Portuguese rice,” Rafael explained.
“I’d love to try Portuguese rice,” Cenia said, dropping the invitation back inside the box.
“Did you drive the Enzo?” Roger inquired.
Rafael smiled. “Yes.”
“Then I’m going to the grocery store with you,” Roger announced.
“Would you like to drive?” Rafael asked as the two men turned toward the door.
Roger grinned. “I’d love to.”
“Just great!” Cenia exclaimed. “If he lets Roger drive that Ferrari, they’ll be gone for hours.”
“Grab another bottle of wine for dinner,” I called after Rafael, “because Cenia and I are opening this one now.”
Cenia flopped onto the couch. “These invitations are way more complicated than I thought.”
I grabbed the bottle of wine off the dining room table and ducked inside the kitchen. “We’ll get a lot more done with the two of them gone. They’ll just distract us if they’re hanging around.” I dug through Cenia’s kitchen drawers until I found her foil cutter and corkscrew. I popped open the bottle of wine, poured two glasses, and returned to the living room. “Let’s put some music on,” I suggested after handing her the wine.
Cenia reached for her cell phone. “Thanks,” she murmured, taking a sip of wine. She set her iPhone to play Lady Antebellum’s “Need You Now” before setting it back on top of the coffee table.
“Have you generated a list of wedding guests?” I asked, settling in next to her.
She pulled an Excel spreadsheet out from underneath the box of invitations and handed it to me. “I figured I might as well develop a spreadsheet, so I can keep track of the RSVPs.”
I handed her the top four sheets and kept the rest. “You work on that half of the list, I’ll work on this half. Did the stationary shop include instructions for assembling the wedding invitations?”
Cenia dug through the box. “Here’s a diagram and some directions for addressing the envelopes.”
I reviewed the instructions. “The only thing I’m not sure about is how to address invitations to military members. I assume you need to note their rank.”
Cenia nodded. “Yes. I have some guidelines pulled up on my iPad. I’ll go get it.” She took another sip of wine before walking away from the couch.
I arranged all the different inserts into piles; accommodation card, map card, response card, response envelope, reception card, tissue, invitation, inner envelope, and outer envelope; so it would be easier to assemble everything in the proper order. “We need to choose a date for the bridal shower, and I need contact information for the friends you’d like me to invite.”
Cenia set the iPad on the end table next to the couch. “I’ll e-mail you a list of names, addresses, and some possible dates tomorrow.”
I began addressing my first invitation. “What kind of bridal shower would you like?”
Cenia gathered up the envelopes, invitation, and other inserts for her first invitation. She paused briefly before addressing the inner envelope. “My mom is throwing a kitchen and bath shower while Roger and I are in McAllen sampling cakes and food for the reception. I’d like to change things up a bit with my Virginia friends… maybe a lingerie party?”
I secretly smiled inside. I had the perfect gift in mind. “A lingerie party. That’s what I was thinking! Do you want to have a bachelorette party afterwards?”
Cenia shook her head. “No bachelorette party. Roger and I loathe the idea of bachelor and bachelorette parties. We’re hosting a dinner and dance at my parent’s house instead.”
“I’ve never really been a fan of bachelorette parties either,” I confessed. I assembled another invitation. “I see you’ve already put stamps on the response envelopes. Do you have stamps for the outer envelopes?”
Cenia shook her head. “Roger ordered some custom-made wedding stamps, but they haven’t arrived yet.” She topped off our wine glasses before assembling another invitation. “Rafael sure knows his wine. Has he forgiven me for asking you to dance with Kadyn?”
I crossed another name off the excel spreadsheet. “Rafael’s fine. He knows how much I love him.”
“Does he?” Cenia inquired softly.
I glanced at her in surprise. “I suppose I’ve given him enough reasons to feel insecure with everything that’s happened.”
Cenia nodded. “I’m still secretly rooting for Kadyn, but I understand why you’re in love with Rafael. You’ve been through a lot together, he’s a really good guy, and he is crazy about you.”
“I don’t deserve either of them,” I mused. I crossed another name off the list before assembling another invitation.
Cenia scowled. “That’s where you’re wrong. Your ex-husband stole your self-worth, Kri. What I wouldn’t give to see you get it back. If only you could see what the rest of us see when we look at you. Maybe then you’d find some peace and happiness.”
I was uncomfortable with the direction our conversation was heading so I steered the conversation back toward their wedding plans. “Has Roger picked out a tux yet?”
Cenia let me off the hook. “Yes. Roger and Kadyn picked their tuxes out last weekend. That reminds me... we still need to go shopping for bridesmaid dresses.” She tucked all the bits and pieces of the wedding invitation into the outer envelope.
I took another sip of wine. “I’m afraid that’s going to have to wait until I get back from Montana.”
Cenia’s pen stalled just above the envelope. “I didn’t know you were planning a trip back to Montana.”
I smiled. “I wasn’t. Rafael surprised me with plane tickets last night. We’re leaving tomorrow morning so we can squeeze the trip in before school and my job at Seeds for Peace start up again.”
“Tell Lexie, Kimme, and Dan I say ‘hey,’” she said as the front door swung open.
“We’re cancelling the reception so we can buy an Enzo F70,” Roger announced.
Cenia laughed. “Cancelling the wedding reception wouldn’t free up enough money to buy the tires for that car.”
“A man can dream,” Roger quipped. He perched on the arm of the couch and swiped at the screen on his cell phone. “I can’t even find a photograph of the Enzo F70 on the Internet. In fact, the only thing I’ve found is speculation about an Enzo successor.”
Rafael pocketed his keys. “The Enzo F70 hasn’t been released yet.”
Roger looked thoroughly confused. “But you referred to your Ferrari as an Enzo F70.”
Rafael glanced at me a bit sheepishly. “Technically it’s not. I’m driving one of the prototypes for the Enzo F70. This prototype has a V-12 eight hundred horsepower engine. They’re planning to pair this engine with a KERS hybrid system which should bump the engine capacity up to nine hundred and fifty horsepower. They still need to work through a few design kinks, so I don’t think you’ll see the Enzo F70 released for at least another year.”
Roger�
��s mouth fell open. “How did you get your hands on that car?”
“I was in Maranello when they were track testing the prototype.” Rafael leaned over and kissed the top of my head. “Let’s just say I made Amedeo Felisa an offer he couldn’t refuse.”
“I can’t believe you settled for an eight hundred horse power engine,” I murmured mockingly. I grasped the back of his neck and pulled him down for a more thorough kiss.
Roger grabbed Rafael’s arm and dragged him toward the kitchen. “We’ve got to get the rice and kabobs started,” he insisted. “Then you’re going to give me the full story on that Enzo.”
Cenia and I continued assembling and addressing wedding invitations while the two men cooked. We were nearly finished by the time they called us to the patio.
Roger poked his head through the sliding glass doors. “The kabobs are ready.”
Rafael pulled me up off the floor when he walked by with the rice. “Table’s been set. We’re all ready for you two lovely ladies.” He reached for Cenia’s hand and gently pulled her to her feet.
“Thanks, Rafael.” Cenia gathered our wine glasses and followed Rafael and me out to the patio.
The guys had removed the umbrella and draped a white linen tablecloth over the top of Cenia’s wrought iron table. Three white candles were glowing softly from the center of the table. Bamboo torches were lit all along the patio. Country music was playing softly from Roger’s iPod, which was docked in a speaker near the grill. “This is lovely,” I noted admiringly.
Rafael pulled a chair out for me. “Sadly, I can’t take any credit for this. This was all Roger’s idea.”
Cenia kissed Roger on the cheek. “Thanks, honey. This is very sweet.”
He tucked Cenia into the chair across from me. “Is it sweet enough for you to reconsider abstaining from sex?”
Cenia looked completely mortified. “Roger! We are not discussing this in front of Rafael and Kri.”
“I’d like to hear what they think,” Roger replied. He winked at me. He always winked when he was being mischievous. His voice took on an overtly wounded tone as he settled into his chair. “We had a great sex life before I proposed, then she totally cut me off. She’s decided we shouldn’t have sex until our wedding night. I can’t figure out where I went wrong. I would have thought a proposal would have earned me loads more sex, but it’s had quite the opposite result.”
