by Mimi Barbour
Everything had gone from screwy to worse the minute Sheri arrived late. Miguel greeted her with a lovely scented bouquet of pink magnolias and a smile filled with… relief?
“I don’t want them.” Her arms twisted behind her.
The hurt look on his face threw her for a few seconds. He deserved her anger, but being a pushover for flowers, she took them when he shoved them toward her. They were so beautiful.
“You waited,” she said.
“Why doesn’t it surprise me that you weren’t on time?” If he felt any emotion whatsoever, it didn’t show. His face remained stiff and his expression bland.
“You’re lucky I came at all. I almost didn’t.”
“I knew you would.”
“How could you know something even I didn’t?”
“We’d made a deal.”
Now why would he go and say something like that. Something guaranteed to soften her.
He broke the loud silence full of unspoken thoughts. “Why didn’t you let me pick you up? I could’ve saved you a bus ride.”
Caught off guard by his soft tone, some of her anger collapsed, enough for her to speak the truth. “I’d hoped by the time I got here, you’d have re-thought this farce.”
“I couldn’t. There’s too much at stake. This had to happen.”
“Not for me it didn’t.”
Not in a million years would Sheri have envisioned her wedding to be an unhappy event. Tears of joy, maybe, but never ones that tore at her on the inside while, on the outside, her eyes remained dry. I can get through these next few minutes. If anyone pushes me, I’ll just push back.
Her theory didn’t work well with the Justice of the Peace. He insisted she repeat her ‘I do’ since he couldn’t hear her the first time. The door looked tempting, but Miguel snuck his arm around her waist as if he sensed her desire to run. Faced with the stranger’s expectation, she caved and spoke louder.
“You may kiss your bride,” followed soon after. She lowered her head stubbornly. Who would have expected her new husband to sweep her into his arms and find her lips so easy? He succeeded because he’d surprised her, the rat. However, it was done. Mrs. Sheri Rivera. Bah!
“Mrs. Rivera, please sign the marriage license before you leave.” She stopped dead about a foot from escaping. Her signature finalized their agreement. Damp and shaking, her fingers dropped the pen and it had to be retrieved. When the preacher passed it back to her, he seemed surprised to see her hands behind her back. They stayed there until she glanced at Miguel and saw his raised eyebrows.
“Oh just give me the damn thing,” Sheri took childish pleasure signing her name without the usual flourish. While she waited for the others to sign and settle the bill, she looked around at the office-like surroundings. Thoughts reverberated. I’m not going to cry. When the lump formed, she swallowed and repeated. I’ll not give him the satisfaction.
All the way downtown she’d prayed that he’d come to his senses. As soon as she saw him, well groomed in a dark suit and light gray shirt with matching tie, she knew there would be no reprieve.
She’d almost come in jeans and a t-shirt. Unfortunately, at the last minute, Charly had talked her out of it. “You won’t like yourself, Sheri, if you act the brat.” So she’d flung them back on the bed and chosen a light-pink, flowing dress, one of her favorites. Hands on her hips, stubborn and not caring, she’d refused to wear the lipstick Charly held out, and even stuck her hair in curly pigtails which made her appear about eleven.
In contrast, he’d had his cut and styled. It suited him. He looked charismatic and sophisticated. She liked his old look better.
Just then a young blonde strolled past, an implied message to Miguel in her smile. Was that an answer in his? Sheri gave her brand new hubby the eagle eye and dared him to comment. He spread his arms out and said nothing. Smart man! Then he nodded toward an approaching limo, obviously a hire.
“Hold it.” She stopped by the litterbin. “These have served their purpose.” She dropped the flowers in through the swinging door in the front and then brushed off her hands.
Miguel looked down, hesitated, and then continued to guide her to the dark vehicle, but not before she’d seen his jaw clench and his eyes squint. Guess he didn’t like her behavior. Good! She felt much better.
Once they were settled into the back, he spoke first. “I stopped by the hospital to see Rafael this morning, after his surgery. He looked fine to me, and the doctors were cautiously optimistic about a speedy recovery. You’d already left?” He ended the speech with a question, inviting her to answer.
She didn’t. Instead, Sheri ignored him and stared out the window at the city’s decorative cement planters, home to a wide array of limp flowers. Today’s forecasted heat wave topped the charts, and her sympathy increased for those walking. At least the luxurious car’s air conditioner kept the atmosphere cool even if her inner temperature boiled.
“Sheri, please.”
He didn’t like her attitude. So what?
“We’re now husband and wife, and we have two children in our care. There’s no time to pout, or to punish. I will do everything in my power to make this marriage work. Can’t you please meet me halfway and forgive the way I proposed?”
She turned to stare at him, astonishment stamped over her tight features. “Your kiss-ass technique needs a lot of refining Miguel. I’m not sure I can ever forgive you,” she admitted, the glare in her brown eyes building until she wished they could shoot real bullets. “Do you even know how much a woman cherishes the dreams of her wedding day? What you’ve forced me to do is archaic and horrid.”
How she came to be in his arms, she’d never know. The devastating temper she’d been feeding for the last twenty-four hours dissolved, leaving her with only the hurt. The best cure-all for heart pain had to be a hug. In her book, it was anyway. She’d promised herself she wouldn’t cry. Now look what he made her go and do.
Tears poured out. Then came the moans from stress too long held in, worries too many at once and fear too hard to hide. His arms gathered her close and her traitorous heart sped up. She felt his kisses on her forehead, while his gentle, large hands cradled her shoulders and her face, caressing and patting.
“Lo siento, Cariño.” Her puzzled sigh made him switch to English. “I’m sorry, Sweetheart. I should have explained my situation to you. About how ill my mother is, and that I felt the only hope for her to get better is by knowing her grandbabies would be coming to Chile, to their rightful heritage.”
Sheri quieted then listened to his softly spoken words and his deeply accented voice. Like strokes of gentleness, it soothed. “Why didn’t you just tell me the truth? Tell me your mother had taken a turn for the worse. You know I would have brought Rafael and Carrie-Anne to see her if it would have helped in her recovery.” Her hiccups cut off word endings and made understanding difficult.
He caught the last bit. “But would you have stayed?”
“Well, no, of course not. Our home is here in Washington. But we could have made an agreement and arranged trips once or twice a year.”
“Not enough. Those babies belong in Chile, where they have a birthright, a future and a family.” Before she could speak, he added. “I do know, if left to your own devices, you would have given them the best life you possibly could, but you don’t understand what they would have missed. We will leave for my home very soon and you will see. Just promise me to keep an open mind.”
“How soon is soon?” she asked, trepidation apparent.
“By the beginning of next week. I must return to Santiago before many more days have passed. My mother needs us, and I have left my company running itself for a very long time. My responsibilities cannot be ignored any longer.”
Sheri pushed away from his comfort, swiped at her face and slid back to her side of the backseat. “That’s only five days. I can’t possibly be ready by then. I’ll have to join you later. We can travel once Rafael has fully recovered and the apartment has been
closed down.”
“I’ve already passed it by the doctor and barring any unforeseen complications, Rafael will be fine to travel. As far as your stuff, you can give away everything or incinerate it for that matter. Whatever you need will be provided by the many stores in Santiago. They have wonderful shopping malls, and the downtown area is—”
“Excuse me! Are you crazy? I’m not giving away my belongings. And you listen to me, Miguel Rivera. My stuff is not garbage for a furnace. It’s precious, and I’ll be keeping everything, including the apartment.”
“You won’t need it—”
“And don’t tell me what I’ll be needing.”
“Stop interrupting me. I’m only trying to tell you that I can buy you whatever you want. You’ll never have to worry about money again. You don’t have to work.”
“Not work? You’re crazy. I love working. And I will use my own money. For the twins, we can come to some arrangements, but my expenses are non-negotiable. I will also be keeping my apartment and paying the rent until I feel it’s safe to let it go. And…” She held her hand up to stop him from butting in. “I will be checking with the doctors myself to see when it’s safe for Rafael to travel. If you think for one minute that you will be taking charge of me like you do with everything else, my man, you have a lot of re-thinking to do.”
Before he could hold her back, while the car stopped at a red light, she flung open the door and high-tailed it through the traffic.
Chapter Thirteen
Sometime later, Miguel caught up with her at the hospital and heard the good news. Rafael would be released soon. Sheri, finally able to relax, eased into the chair and nuzzled and crooned some of his favorite songs to her sleepy boy. The distressing particulars of the morning, pushed to the back of her mind, stayed away until Miguel reminded her.
He stood across the room, hands on hips, voice firm. “Sheri, we have a lot to discuss. Will you come out to dinner with me tonight? Then, when I pick you up, I’ll bring my suitcase so after we eat, we can go straight back to your apartment.” He must have read the look on her face, because he added with less confidence. “Unless you’d rather we spend the night at my hotel?”
An eruption began forming in her stomach before she felt it appear on her face. Uncontrolled words spewed from her mouth. “No. I won’t have dinner with you.” She hissed the words at him, trying not to wake the sleeping baby. “And there is no way in the Kingdom of all that is Holy that you will you be staying with me in my apartment, spending the night, doing God knows what!” The sound she made resembled a sigh mixed with a groan forced through a tight throat. “Look, when you coerced me into marrying you, not once did you mention the rules of this arrangement. I know it’s the twenty-first century, and that girls today are promiscuous and take sleeping around in their stride, but I don’t. I would never sleep with any man unless…” She lifted her hand from where she’d been caressing Rafael’s head and stuck out her index finger. “One, I’d have to believe I loved him. Or two.” Now she added another finger. “I’d have to be drunk as a skunk.”
His smile was slow to build, but when it did, she had to catch her breath. God! That face and those eyes…damn and double damn! Concentrate, his lips are moving.
“Which were you? In love or drunk?” he asked.
Busted! Sheri sighed deeply. She spoke without taking her eyes away from Rafael. “Miguel, I know we’ll have to come to some arrangements for the future, but right now, all I want to do is hold my little man here and later get a good night’s sleep. There’ll be no ‘tickle and slap’ until we know each other a whole lot more, and I like you a whole lot better. Capisce?”
“Si. All I ask is that you give us a fair chance to make this union a success, for the twins’ sake, if for no other reason. Just so you know I find you very attractive. I’ll be the best husband I know how to be if you’ll only be up front with me about your wants and needs. For now though, I do agree with your edict. Our agenda will be to discover more about each other.”
The fact that she got her way so easily made the tightness in her body uncoil and she calmed down. “It’s a deal. I promise to think over what you’ve said. I have a lot to do in the next while so, don’t rush me. Give me space to breathe. Let me assimilate everything that’s happened.”
He nodded, and came to lean over her. He reached his big hand and gently cuddled the sleeping infant’s face, which had a much better color. Then Miguel turned so his lips were inches from Sheri’s. Staring into her soul, he whispered. “You make beautiful babies. Thank you.” Hesitation lasted a few seconds and then he lowered those devastating lips to hers.
Weightless, her neck fell back while pressure from his mouth gave him entry. His tongue worked magic with her shyness until she joined in his game. Heat rode up through her chest, hit her breasts and then slammed back down to bypass her stomach and settle between her legs. She peeked to see his long eyelashes resting on his cheek, sighed and fell back into wonderland.
Rafael’s murmur broke them apart, and they both glanced down to see his gray eyes watching. He smiled first at his mother, and then aimed that beautiful grin at Miguel.
One minute she was in the man’s arms, smelling his special scent of sexy masculinity, and the next minute she was staring at the door closing silently behind him. Before he’d turned away, she’d caught a glimpse of glassy eyes and a face full of love as he’d returned her son’s smile.
“Rafael, my beautiful boy, I think your big strong uncle is a mushy fake and a truly certifiable kisser. Maybe life in Chile won’t be so bad after all.”
***
Waiting in the living room, Charly pounced when Sheri arrived home. “You went through with it. You’re married.” Charly spat the words out and pointed at the thin gold band on Sheri’s left hand, third finger.
“Don’t start on me. I told you, I had no choice.”
“Don’t give me that. There’s always a choice.”
“Not when it comes to my son’s life. He needed that operation, and I didn’t have time to hold up a bank or sell my body.” Sheri caught the flash of humour Charly couldn’t hide. “Don’t be mad at me, my friend. I couldn’t take it right now. I need your sympathy and support.”
“I can’t help being angry. What am I going to do without you guys around? I’d already started sorting out my things to move into our new house. Now, I find out I’m losing you altogether. What am I gonna do?”
“Sell that damn book you’re working on and get a fat advance. Then come halfway across the world and look us up.”
“Could do that I suppose, but in the meantime, I’d better not be in the same room with that bastard. I’d want to rip his throat out for taking my family away.”
“He’s really not that bad, Charly. In fact, before Rafael’s operation, he’d treated me very kindly.”
Charly’s tone hardened. “Setting you up for a major fall, the creep.”
“No. I think his mother’s health worried him to the point where he’d felt forced into coercing me to do what he wanted.”
“To get those babies, you mean. Listen, my girl, don’t let your smarty-pants notions rule out your common sense. He came here wanting his brother’s child, and now he has both of them. Watch your back, Sheri. What if you’re the odd woman out? What if he’s taking you because he has no choice? Does he intend to keep you?”
“For heaven’s sake Charly, don’t make me play the devil’s advocate here. Most of the time, I’m madder than hell at the guy and you’re forcing me to stick up for him!”
Sheri stuck her face close to her friend’s and saw the guilty expression before Charly could hide it. “You’re doing it on purpose, playing the old reverse psychology, you conniver. God, I’m gullible.” Sheri fell back against her well-worn sofa in a huff.
Charly pointed at Sheri’s childish hairstyle. Her raised eyebrows started them both laughing. “My friend, you have some huge ballitos.” At Sheri’s questioning look, she added. “I’m practicing my Span
ish. And don’t change the subject.”
“I never said a word. And what is the subject?” Sheri’s knew her expressive eyes smiled even while she forced her mouth into a straight line.
“I have to know. Girl, whatever possessed you to wear your hair like a teenager and no make-up?”
“I guess my smarty-pants pissiness overrode my common sense. I don’t know. It just seemed to fit the occasion at the time. You know he brought me a lovely bouquet of pink magnolias all wrapped up in baby’s breath and bows. They smelled heavenly. Then he made me mad so I threw them in the garbage.”
“Yeah? So where did you get that fantastic bunch of flowers I saw you sneak into the kitchen when you came in? You know the pink ones with the baby’s breath?
“Oh. You saw me, did you? Funny thing. I went back a little while later to check the bin, and there they were. Couldn’t leave the poor things to rot away now could I?”
“You slay me, you sucky. I’ve never known you to stay mad at anyone for longer than it takes you to put yourself in their place. I’m so going to miss you.”
“Don’t try and weasel into my good graces with your butt-kissing, Charly. Just sell that damn manuscript.”
Chapter Fourteen
Lack of organization, one of Sheri’s worst traits, slowed down the moving process. In fact, it got so bad everything would’ve come to a halt if not for Charly. Super quick on making decisions, her logical mind overrode much of Sheri’s dithering and procrastination. Full days of visiting Rafael at the hospital had to be cut back to half a day so Sheri had the time required to argue with her ruthless packer. Charly’s ‘Get rid of this shit’,” became one of her most hated phrases.
During these gruelling days, she saw very little of her new husband. They would relieve each other at Rafael’s bedside, but without their actually meeting. Where he tended to be wrapped up in business during the days, Sheri, sometimes with Charly and Carrie-Anne, would spend those hours with the recovering infant. Once Rafael went down for his afternoon nap, they’d head back to the apartment to get to work, and Miguel would arrive to cover the night shift.
