The Wedding Favor

by Caroline Mickelson

  His smile was gentle. “Ava, I completely respect how well you’ve done for yourself. But this isn’t about money. I know you can afford these expenses but we also both know that this isn’t a normal situation.” He leaned against his car. “This whole wedding is a favor to me, to my family, and you’ve given more than enough already. There’s no way I’m taking your money. That’s my final word on the subject.”

  Ava’s eyebrows rose.

  His expression was sheepish. “Okay, well, I guess that isn’t a very respectful way for a husband to talk to his wife, huh? Let me rephrase. Can you please agree that it’s really only appropriate I fund this whole thing?” He reached out for her hand and pulled her closer. “Fair enough?”

  She could only nod. She didn’t trust her voice not to betray her desire for him. Being this close had a most profound effect on her.

  “So that leaves the honeymoon,” Mateo said. He squeezed her hand. “Any thoughts on that subject?”

  None that she’d confess to. She cleared her throat. “What did you have in mind?”

  “Sedona?”

  Ava smiled. Sedona, a town north of Phoenix famous for its red rock canyons and breathtaking scenery, sounded perfect. Except that she didn’t think a honeymoon was necessary and she told Mateo so.

  “Of course it is,” he countered. “Don’t you think after the craziness that is my family en masse that we might enjoy getting away for a few days to someplace quiet?”

  “We could have peace and quiet staying in our respective homes.” Housing was a whole other matter they needed to address. Were they going to live together? Or was it better if they each stayed in their own home, all the while letting Mateo’s family only think they were living together? Should she continue to keep her mother’s house listed or take it off the market for a few months more?

  Mateo reached down and soothed the skin between her eyes. “Tell me what has you frowning like that and I’ll help you find a solution.”

  “There are just so many decisions to make and I don’t want to make the wrong one.”

  In answer, Mateo reached out and drew her into his arms. Ava rested her head against his chest, knowing that letting him hold her was playing with fire. But she didn’t want to move. There would be time enough in the months ahead that she would be alone.

  “I think,” he murmured into her hair, “that we should move in together. Tomorrow would be the ideal time to pack up before the rehearsal. What do you say?”

  She drew back and looked up into his eyes. “Let’s move into my mother’s house.” It wasn’t what she’d been planning this morning, and she surprised herself to no end by saying it, but somehow it felt right. For what little time they had together, she wanted to experience as much of Mateo as possible.

  Mateo put his forefinger under her chin and tilted her face up. “You’re sure?”

  She nodded, her eyes intent on his lips. A warm, happy feeling spread through her as Mateo lowered his lips to hers and brushed a soft kiss against them.

  “Thank you,” he whispered, his voice husky.

  Ava smiled. “None of this feels real.”

  “I know, it’ll be like playing house.” He grinned. “Maybe we should start packing today then.”

  The truth of Mateo’s words struck home. Ava knew she was playing. With fire. Because, despite what Mateo said, this was more than playing house. It was playing with her heart. Every bit of reason she had left in her was warning her to be careful. But between the pull of Mateo’s warm smile and good heart, between her strong desire to make Joaquin Ortega’s last days happy and her desire to be a part of the Ortega family even for a short while, she couldn’t back out. She didn’t want to back out of their agreement, whatever the cost was going to be once the whole charade was over.

  “What do you say we head over to my apartment and pick out a few pieces of furniture to move into your house?” Mateo asked.

  Ava smiled up at him. “I’m in.”

  **

  Although she probably shouldn’t have been, Ava was surprised by the condition of Mateo’s apartment. It was neat and tidy but sparsely decorated. Only a few family photos were displayed on a shelf. Several bookshelves brimmed with books but otherwise his quarters gave the appearance of a place he ate, slept, and did a bit of work on the evenings.

  “Have you lived here long?” Ava asked as Mateo was making them both a cup of coffee.

  He shrugged. “Awhile.” He handed her a cup, which she gratefully accepted. “My sisters are constantly offering to do something with the place.” He smiled ruefully. “And while I appreciate their offers, I have to turn them down because I don’t know what the heck they’re referring to.”

  Ava laughed. “Spoken like a true bachelor.”

  “Not for long.” Mateo settled into an overstuffed chair and motioned for her to sit in the other.

  “Does that unnerve you?” Ava asked.

  “Surprisingly, no.” Mateo took a long, slow sip of his coffee before speaking again. “You?”

  “It doesn’t actually, which is in and of itself sort of odd. I wonder what it says about the whole situation?”

  “Do you think it’s necessary to analyze it, Ava?”

  “Oddly, I don’t, which is totally unlike me.”

  “There’s a lot I don’t know about you, Ava.”

  “Such as?” Something in the way he was looking at her made Ava’s heart race but she did her best to keep it from showing.

  “Such as…I wonder what you look like first thing in the morning.”

  She laughed. “Scary probably. What else?”

  “I wonder what annoying habits you have. I haven’t seen anything about you yet that I think is anything less than charming.”

  Ava smiled. “It’s early days yet, Mateo.”

  He nodded. “Allow me to ask one more pressing question then. You game?”

  She nodded.

  Mateo set his coffee mug on the small table between them and leaned forward. His eyes were on hers. “Why haven’t you married?”

  Ava looked away.

  “Look at me, Ava.” His voice was strong, yet gentle. More compelling than commanding.

  She did as he bid, looking straight into the warmth of his dark brown eyes. “The truth?”

  “Nothing but the truth,” he said.

  She took a deep breath and said out loud what she’d never admitted to herself. “I didn’t want to get hurt.” She gripped her hands more tightly around her mug. “I didn’t want to be left alone and broken hearted ever again.”

  Before Ava had time to take a deep breath, Mateo was kneeling before her chair. She let him take her coffee mug and set it on the table beside his. When he took her hands in his, the warmth of his touch spread through her.

  “Ava, the last thing I want to do is hurt you.” Mateo squeezed both of her hands gently. “I want you to feel safe with me, to trust me.” He reached up and traced her jawline with his fingertips. “Querida, if you want to call this off-”

  Ava didn’t let him finish his sentence. “No, Mateo, I want to do this.”

  His smile was gentle. “Would it be better if we didn’t really get married? Back to plan A where we pretend to get married?”

  “No.” She shook her head emphatically. “Can you really face Mr. O if we are flat out lying to him? I don’t think you can, and I know you don’t want to.”

  He lowered his head and brushed his lips across her knuckles. “You are a gem.” He stood and pulled her to her feet. “You’re right.”

  “Just what every woman likes to hear.” Ava grinned. She stepped back, reluctantly, because if there was one thing in the whole world she wanted right now, it was for Mateo to take her into his arms and kiss her. But that, she knew, would only complicate an already complicated situation.

  She needed to keep her wits about her. “So what do you want to take over to the house?” She almost said our house but stopped herself in time. The line between fantasy and reality was rapidly blur
ring. “Let’s start a list.”

  Together they made short work of picking out what they thought they might need from the living room and kitchen. But once they headed into the bedroom Ava felt suddenly off-kilter. “Why don’t you take your bed and I’ll have mine sent over as well.”

  Mateo’s gaze was suddenly sheepish. “About that….”

  Ava watched him for a moment, waiting for him to speak, but he didn’t. “What?”

  Mateo sat on the edge of his bed and patted the space next to him.

  “What? You want me to test the mattress?” she quipped, and then blushed realizing that he could take the word test in one of two ways. But she did as he bid and sat beside him. “Just blurt it out.”

  Instead of answering, Mateo flopped backwards and covered his face with his hands.

  Ava could have sworn she heard him groan. After a moment she flopped down beside him and stared up at the ceiling. “Out with it, Ortega.”

  Mateo lowered his hands and rolled over onto his side to face her. “Okay, you know the old expression that every slice of cheese has two sides?”

  Ava moved on to her side and watched him. His lashes were dark and framed his eyes in a way that made her stomach feel like a butterfly sanctuary. “Cheese slices? What is that code for?”

  He laughed. “I’m talking about my family. They are a blessing.”

  “I sense a ‘however’ is coming,” Ava said. She rested her head on her elbow. “What have they done?”

  “Swindled a key to your Mother’s house from your realtor and shanghaied what they think of as our bedroom so they can decorate it.”

  Ava laughed. “A feisty bunch I’m marrying into.”

  Mateo’s smile was wide. “You’re one in a million.” He reached over and pushed a lock of hair back from her face. “You’re smart, you’re kind, you’re a good sport, and you’re beautiful.” His hand caressed her cheek. “And when I saw you in your wedding dress, you took my breath away.”

  Ava closed her eyes. She felt as if she were in danger of drowning, of being pulled under by Mateo’s gentle touch and husky voice. A small part of her brain warned her to fight her attraction to him but a much bigger part of her heart urged her to surrender. She opened her eyes.

  “I want to kiss you.” Mateo’s voice was husky, his eyes fixed on her lips.

  “I won’t stop you.” As if her words weren’t invitation enough, she leaned in toward him.

  It was all the encouragement that her fiancé needed. His lips found hers.

  Ava rolled onto her back and reached up to run her hands through Mateo’s hair. The weight of his body on hers sent a ripple of pleasure through her. She lost herself in his touch, his taste, and the gentle exploration of his hands on her breasts. How much time passed she couldn’t have guessed, and frankly she didn’t care.

  Until Mateo’s cell phone made an incessantly annoying buzzing. Mateo groaned and Ava moved away from him, the magic of the moment broken.

  “Ortega,” Mateo all but growled into the phone.

  Ava rolled off the bed and smoothed her hair while Mateo spoke into the phone. She did up the buttons that Mateo’s fingers had opened. She repressed a sigh and schooled her features to look composed and relaxed, neither of which she felt.

  “Ava, I’m sorry.” Mateo stood beside her.

  “You don’t apologize.”

  “It was my sister and cousin. They’ve finished their top secret project and want us to come over and see-”

  “Let me guess, Shanghai?”

  He laughed. “Thank you for understanding.”

  She shrugged. “They are just trying to please the soon to be newlyweds.” But as she followed Mateo out of the apartment and into his car, Ava realized she’d finally found the chink in the Ortega family armor. They had a rotten sense of timing.

  Chapter Ten

  As Ava slid a key into the deadbolt and unlocked the front door of her mother’s house, she realized she needed to work on thinking of it as her new home. She looked up at Mateo. “Ready to see what they’ve done?”

  He shook his head. “Ready as I’ll ever be.” He put one hand on her low back and reached around her with the other to open the door for her. “Ladies first.”

  She stepped into the front foyer and barely had time to register the thought that the house was surprisingly quiet when what felt like twenty-six Ortegas jumped out at her. “Surprise!!!”

  Too stunned to reply, Ava stepped back and was grateful that Mateo was there to wrap his arms around her waist. She leaned back against him as the room erupted into conversation. Fortunately it seemed little response was necessary save for a minimal amount of smiling and nodding.

  “Any chance we can get a few feet into the house?” Mateo asked.

  “Well, come in already then,” his Tia Sylvia laughed. She shooed a few of Mateo’s cousins into the living room. “Make room for Mateo and his beautiful bride. Come here sweetie.”

  Ava took her outstretched hand and leaned in to kiss Sylvia’s cheek. She liked Mateo’s aunt, she always had. She glanced back at Mateo but he was being pulled into the living room where his cousins were gathered. She smiled at him before he disappeared and allowed herself to be led into the kitchen.

  Claudia and Serena, two of the Ortega cousins Ava had gone to high school with, greeted her with hugs when she entered.

  “Do you like what we’ve done?” Claudia waved her arms around as if she were a spokes model on a game show. “Please say you love it!”

  Ava stood back and looked around. She’d been so focused on who was in the house that she hadn’t seen what had been done. In fact, she hadn’t even known anyone was going to do anything besides redecorate the bedroom but as she gazed around it become immediately apparent that a lot had been done to the kitchen in a very short time.

  “Oh my word.” Ava twirled around, hand at her throat. The small kitchen area had gone from an empty, deserted shell to a sparkling, homey and warm room. New curtains hung, several new pictures hung on the walls, and the countertop boasted a new coffee maker, spice rack and small toaster oven. It was a kitchen transformed. “It looks so…so…perfect.” Ava waved away tears of gratitude that threatened to spill. “It looks like someone actually lives here now.”

  Serena and Claudia gave each other a jubilant high five before wrapping their arms around her.

  “We’re so happy you like it, Ava.” Serena reached over to wipe away one of Ava’s tears. “We agreed that we could almost feel like your mother was somehow here, you know?”

  Ava nodded. It had once been a house full of life and love, at least before her mother became ill.

  “I swear your mom made the best double fudge brownies on the planet,” Claudia chimed in. “And she always looked happy to see us eat a whole batch as long as we were doing homework.”

  All three women laughed at the memory of puzzling over their geometry while fortifying themselves with chocolate.

  “How can I ever thank you?” Ava asked. She gratefully accepted a glass of white wine from Serena. “You’ve bought wine glasses and a corkscrew?”

  “Yes, ma’am we did. We tried to cover all the little details that will make you and Mateo feel like you’re at home.” She had a dreamy smile on her face. “It’s all so romantic to know that you and Mateo found each other after all these years.”

  Claudia nodded her agreement. “Mateo has never looked happier. We have you to thank for that.” She cocked her head and glanced thoughtfully at Ava. “I just don’t know how you two kept your romance so hush hush. We didn’t know that Mateo was seeing anyone and our radar is usually quite good too. So how did you pull it off?”

  Ava took a sip of her wine so that she could avoid telling a direct lie to two women who were being so kind to her. This wasn’t getting easier like she thought it would. It was getting harder. She decided to side step the question entirely and change the subject. “The real question is how can we thank you for everything?” She waved her hand around the kit
chen. “This is all too much.”

  The women laughed. “You haven’t even seen the bedroom yet.”

  Ava cringed inside at the idea that the whole Ortega clan had so generously opened their hearts and wallets in order to help create an instant home for them. For the first time she realized how wide spread the ramifications were going to be when Mateo told them the marriage was over.

  Claudia leaned back against the counter and smiled at Ava. “With so little time until the wedding we couldn’t figure out how to plan a bridal shower for you, so we got together with everyone and pulled this off instead.”

  Serena winked at Ava. “But there’s no getting out of the baby shower when it’s time. That’s non-negotiable.”

  Ava could feel her cheeks warm and she knew it wasn’t the wine.

  “Are you taking care of my fiancée?” Mateo stood in the doorway, the smile on his face made Ava think he’d just overheard his cousins. “Do you need rescuing, Ava?”

  Yes, from the whole situation, she longed to say. But it was too late. She was in over her head. She took a deep breath and forced herself to smile. To play the part. “Not at all, Mateo. We’re just having some girl talk.” She crossed over to him and reached up to kiss him on the cheek, partially because it’s what any bride-to-be would do but also because she felt reassured being near him. “What do you think about all this?”

  He slipped his arm around her waist. “I’m just as overwhelmed as I imagine you are.” He smiled down at her and Ava saw in his eyes that he understood how she felt. It was too much generosity under any circumstances but especially fraudulent ones. But what could they say or do?

  Claudia and Serena exchanged a conspiratorial glance.

  “Ava,” Claudia said. “We want to set up a schedule for tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow?” Ava looked to Mateo for an answer but he shrugged. “What’s going on tomorrow?”

  Serena was the first to answer. “We’re going to help you get ready for the wedding. The only reason you need to see Mateo is to get your wedding license in the morning.” She shook a playful finger at her cousin. “Be warned, Mateo, you’ve got the rest of your life with Ava. We get her tomorrow. So Claudia and I are going to meet you right back here after you get the license. After that, it’s all girl stuff all day.”