by Ella Brooke
This time she made it to the elevator, thanks in large part to Maria’s scolding of Mateo, who clearly was placing all the blame on her son. Hanna didn’t want to think about it. She didn’t want to think about much right now. The best thing for her would be to head home, crack open an ale, and put Mateo Di Larreo out of her mind.
Chapter Five
Mateo
“For goodness sake, Mateo! What did you say to that girl?” Maria scolded.
Mateo watched Hanna’s retreating form. He almost didn’t hear his mother’s ranting. When he finally turned back to her, she crossed her arms.
“Well? Are you going to say anything?” she demanded.
“Hanna was scared off by the strangeness of this situation and your attitude!” Mateo said sternly. “God have mercy, Mother. You can’t treat her like an object—”
“As if you weren’t undressing the poor thing with your eyes.” Maria shook her head.
“Even if I was, she was too distracted by being looked down on to notice!”
“I really thought she’d do. She was such a ray of sunshine in her video,” Ariana said tentatively. She stepped into the room and sighed. “So self-assured and put together…”
Mateo wished Ariana didn’t feel so guilty about not being able to do this part on her own. He disliked the situation, but how could he blame her for how her body functioned? It wasn’t her choice.
“You have a lot to learn about people, Ariana, dear. That woman is a snake. Untrustworthy to the core,” Maria said.
“Well, which is it, Mother? Did I run her off or was she worthless to begin with?” Mateo grabbed Ariana’s jacket from the coat rack. “We’ll handle it from here. I don’t want you involved anymore. Do you understand?”
“Do you think you can threaten me?” Maria said incredulously.
“It is no threat. Simply this: if you expect us to go through with the surrogacy and the marriage, you will have to turn this over to us. There is no other way.”
Maria looked up at her son, assessing his expression for seriousness. He wasn’t one to challenge his parents this way. Complain, yes. Do what he wanted without their approval? Certainly. But this was new.
“How do you think any young woman is going to feel with three of us in there judging her? With you lurking over the whole conversation like a vulture?” Mateo shook his head. “It absolutely will not work. No woman would agree to this situation even if she were a saint.”
Ariana seemed to glean some of his determination and stood by his side, saying somewhat more diplomatically: “Yes, your majesty. Let us take care of this. Either we’ll convince her, or we’ll find another surrogate. Either way, it really ought to be our responsibility.”
Mateo smiled and put his hand on her shoulder.
Maria narrowed her eyes as she considered them. “I suppose it is nice to see the two of you on the same page. Fine. Figure it out.” She waved them off and motioned to Stella. “I trust you’ll ensure all of this remains legal. We’ll have no room for scandals.”
“O-of course, your majesty,” Stella managed.
It was like a cord had been cut loose in Mateo’s chest when she left. Now, all he had to do was convince Hanna they weren’t all insane.
Mateo had to admit he was no fan of the Louisiana weather. The heat seemed to seep under this clothes, wetly, no matter how lightly he dressed. He had dropped by his hotel room with Ariana to change, to no avail.
“Be gentle with her,” Ariana had said, almost pleaded.
It seemed oddly like Ariana had the most sympathy for the future mother of his child. He’d thought Ariana would be jealous of this woman, who could be there to do what she could not. That was interesting, though. Mateo always liked it when a woman could surprise him.
The shop where Hanna worked was quite charming. An old style building downtown with a cobblestone walkway in front. On one side was a barbershop, and the other, ice cream. The art shop itself was three stories, with large windows to let in the sunlight. The first floor could be seen entirely from the street: paintings, pots, jewelry, and knick-knacks.
The iron gate in front of the main door creaked open. It was unlocked now, but Mateo could imagine it would be quite difficult to get through and that those glass windows on the first floor would be pretty difficult to break. He entered the gallery.
Passing a line of charcoal drawing—some quite artfully rendered—and a few paintings with sloppy brushwork, Mateo wondered what made Hanna want to work in a place like this. It was a collision of disparate pieces, and Mateo couldn’t imagine customers coming here. How would they ever find what they needed? As if to prove him wrong, a trio of teenage girls strolled in the door and headed over to the arrangement of jewelry. They knew the place. Well enough to point at new pieces and try them on. That was something.
“Can I help you?” A young woman with pink streaks in her brown hair came up to him with a smile. “Welcome to The Kaleidoscope Art House and Gallery. What can I help you find?”
“To be truthful, I was looking for Hanna Cohen. She does work here, doesn’t she?”
The woman put her hands on her hips. “Well, yeah. She’s in the workroom right now, though. Could I leave her a message?”
“This would really be best done face to face.” Frankly, Mateo assumed Hanna would simply pretend she hadn’t gotten any message he left. Not that he would he blame her.
“I’m sorry. We can’t let customers into the backroom. There are chemicals back there.”
He crossed his arms and approached her. “I will sign a waiver if need be. I simply need to talk to Hanna.”
The woman raised a brow. “Just a minute.” She turned to the girls at the front. “Hey, Abby. Let me know if you have any questions. Oh, and tell your mom I’ll have her order ready by Friday.”
“Oh! That’s fast,” Abby said. “Thanks, Maris.”
“I had some extra time this weekend, so I thought your mom would appreciate getting those necklaces sooner. The more stuff you can check off before the big day the better.”
Mateo watched them closely, then gave Maris a nod when she turned her attention back to him. She went behind a small counter with an iPad that was set up to swipe credit cards and pulled out a mask to cover his mouth.
“Just to protect you from clay dust and all the hazardous things back there,” Maris said before turning to the back of the store.
“Can you just leave this place unattended?”
“It’s not.” She pointed to a sofa in the corner where a man with dark curly hair was absorbed in his phone. “Blaine’s watching the front of the shop.”
Mateo shook his head. He hadn’t seen that kid there. They were all kids, really. Hanna, this Maris, Blaine… From her profile, Mateo knew Hanna was 24 years old, but they all seemed so young. Where were the adults in this store?
The “workroom” was another large open area, smaller than the showroom but just as well lit, because the windows in the back were all propped open. Hanna was sitting on a stool near one of them. Music sung in French played as she carefully glazed a large mug. Mateo approached quietly, so as not to disturb her well-placed strokes. Only when she set the mug down and was examining the piece did he speak.
“I hate to disturb you,” Mateo said. He grinned as she jumped and stepped back from her workspace to stare at him incredulously. She was also wearing a mask over her mouth, likely due to working so closely with the glaze. It was intriguing, seeing her hair swept back and her mouth covered. It made her dark eyes stand out all the more.
“What are you doing here?” she demanded.
“I wanted to clarify a few things.”
“I think I made my point clear. If you have the money to hire a woman to have your baby, then you have the money to find someone else,” Hanna said. She went to the sink and began washing her hands.
“I do, of course. But for Ariana’s sake, I was hoping to at the very least make you understand our situation. If you still choose not to do this, I will
accept that. Although I’d be disappointed.”
“Do you normally flirt with other women before doing your fiancée a favor?” Hanna drawled, looking up from the sink.
“There is no ‘usually’ with Ariana and me. I met her a month ago.”
Hanna’s brows screwed together, and she tilted her head to the side.
Mateo met her eye and latched onto the sympathy there. “Our marriage was arranged for us several years ago, although her family held off on making it official. They said they wanted to give Ariana time to finish her schooling and choose what she wanted out of life… but now I suspect they were stalling. They knew that biologically, it was unlikely she could become pregnant and dangerous for her to carry a child even if she could.”
“Adoption exists, you know. Or you could wait a few years. See how treatments go with her,” Hanna suggested.
“It is a family custom to, um, I believe the expression is ‘put the cart before the horse.’ They want to make sure we can make viable heirs to continue the bloodline.”
“That’s insane,” Hanna said. She seemed like she didn’t believe him. Her arms crossed over her chest. He wanted to come up to her and peel that mask away.
“I don’t disagree. It’s inconvenient, and it is frankly a stress on our budding relationship. Marriages for our family are at the very least companionable, but I haven’t known her very long, and she feels bad that she can’t do this the way it is supposed to happen. She chose you because she liked you. Your profile, whatever it is about you that makes you the kind of woman others admire. I would like to do this for her, at the very least.”
Hanna’s frown grew doubtful. “I can’t leave my home for a year to have a baby. It’s… I mean, we need the money, but I don’t know. I think this was a bad idea.”
“How much money? What made you want to do this anyway?”
Hanna’s shoulders slumped slightly. She started to close the distance between them. “Our building is being sold, and we don’t have enough to even get a loan. I thought, maybe, if I could do this, get the cash, then the bank would give me a loan for the rest.” She shrugged. “It’s fine. I mean, it’s a risk, if we move our business. I don’t know if we’d be able to make it month-to-month somewhere else.”
“A loan could be risky, too,” Mateo pointed out. “You miss the payment once and the bank can take your building.” He looked around. “I have to say, though, I’m not sure this building is all that worthwhile.”
“It’s in a good location. Good foot traffic. It has enough space for us to sell our work, but also to create back here. The second and third floors are livable areas. We could rent them out, or as I had planned, live on the third floor and use the second for workshops. Miniature art lessons. Those would sell, and it would be fun.” Hanna spread her hands. “Other places we could afford to rent for are too far away, or they don’t have the space we need. Even with a perfect place, we’d lose business with the move.”
“It is just a business. You could do other things,” Mateo suggested. “You’re very talented. I imagine you could sell your pottery without the rest of them. How much can you make from bad paintings and homemade jewelry? Most collectors aren’t going to purchase from small town types.”
Hanna scowled. “Even if the others were producing crap— and they aren’t— I would still try my hardest to help them. You’re starting a family with a girl you barely know. I’m trying to hold together one that’s existed in some form for six years. You have no right to judge what I would do for them.”
Mateo held up his hands. When she softened, he pulled his mask away.
“You shouldn’t—”
“Maybe not. Look. What would you say if I just bought the building in your name? That would solve the problem, wouldn’t it? No need to get banks involved, no mortgage. Just your building, ‘til death do you part.”
Hanna blinked slowly as she processed that. “You can’t buy the whole building.”
“I could.” Mateo took out his phone. “How much is it? A million? Two?”
Hanna rolled her eyes. “It’s 700 thousand.”
“That’s not a problem. I don’t even think my parents would blink at that.” Mateo quickly tapped in a text message. “What do you say? I solve your problem, you solve mine?”
He looked up at her, and she slowly pulled her mask back as she looked up at him in disbelief. One more step, and he was nearly on top of her, watching her eyes flicker in indecision as she considered his offer. He moved his hand to brush her hair over her ear. She flinched slightly, but not as much as she had the last time he’d moved to touch her. It was progress.
“We can also discuss how much time you would spend with our family before the baby is born. I think it’s reasonable for you to stay in your home during the first trimester, at the very least. Why you would fly out before the pregnancy had taken root is beyond me, and I wouldn’t consider it wise to have you pregnant and ill on a nine-hour flight.” He smiled at her. “Until then, though, it would make sense for us to stay in town, yes? Ariana would want to be close to the baby, and we should be here for anything you need.”
Hanna creased a brow and looked away from him. She was considering it. How could she not? He could save her friends, her way of life, and all she had to do for them was, really…
Give over her body for nearly a year.
Her face betrayed her decision before she had even made it. By the time she was nodding, Mateo was already celebrating his win. Hanna would be in their lives and secure this for them. Everything was going Mateo’s way.
Chapter Six
Hanna
Hanna sat on the loveseat in the living room with her legs crossed underneath her and papers strewn about like fallen leaves. She had already agreed. Verbally, she’d assured Mateo she was ready and willing to go through with this. All she had to do was sign these documents, and in a few days, she would be in a doctor’s office. Spreading her legs and whispering a prayer.
Sam was at the piano plucking out a new song, which meant he’d play for a minute, then take some notes, play the same piece, replay it differently, and so on, eternally. If she had been doing anything else, it wouldn’t have distracted her like this, but she found herself watching him as his fingers moved fluidly over the piano. She couldn’t focus. If it did, she would have to come to terms with the reality. She had agreed, however informally, to carry Mateo Di Larreo’s child. Now that she’d read through the papers, she knew who that really was and what it meant for her to have his child.
She’d never even heard of Artigua. Though, she had to admit she’d gotten a C minus in Geography. All those pointless maps. But when it really came to it, Hanna had to admit that Mateo had a charisma that defied rational thought. She’d wanted to give him whatever he wanted. Just like in their first meeting, she’d been somewhat captivated by him, even as she had resisted.
Last night, she’d had a dream in amazing technicolor. His large hands moving over her thighs, cupping her breasts. In her dream, she’d held his face, trying to figure out exactly what color his eyes were.
“You’re starin’ a hole through the back of my head, hon,” Sam said. He turned around and smiled at her. “Whatcha got there?”
Hanna held up the papers and shrugged. “It’s… a long story.”
“I’ll get us a night cap.” Sam came over to the couch and brushed a hand over her hair. “Are you stressed out about the building? I think we could take over that abandoned Peruvian restaurant on 70th.”
“A restaurant?”
“We’d just sell off the kitchen equipment. Repurpose part of it for a workspace. It could work. Or we’d have happy hour.”
“I have another option.” Hanna sighed, and then pushing past her hesitation, unburdened herself of everything.
When she was finished, Sam stared at her for a long minute.
“Say something, Sam.”
“A prince?” He stared at the floor at a loss. “Oh, and fuck Blaine. You and Maris are under
no obligation to rent out space in your bodies.”
“Don’t worry about Blaine. This was my choice. I just… I’m at the point where I have to decide for sure. I have to sign these papers, or not. Because after that I can’t change my mind.”
“Won’t it be hard? Having to… go through all that, and then give the baby up?”
“I guess it will be.” Hanna looked at the papers. “I don’t know if it’ll be too hard. Other women manage it. I wouldn’t have contacted the agency if I didn’t think I could.”
Sam nodded and crooked his mouth to the side. “I think maybe this is something you want to talk to Maris about. I’m a bit ill-equipped for this conversation.”
Hanna bumped his shoulder with hers. “I’m not as close with her.”
“I guess as someone who knows you… I think you’re strong enough for anything. I just don’t want to see you hurt.”
“I’ll be here for the first part of it, so you can keep an eye on me.” Hanna licked her lips and sighed. She picked up her pen, hesitated for another moment, then signed one page and then the other until she was done. “I can do this.”
She shook herself and looked up at Sam, who half-smiled and patted her knee.
“We’ll be here for ya. I promise.”
Hanna squeezed his hand. “I know.”
When Mateo showed up at Hanna’s door the evening after she’d turned in the paperwork, she was surprised to say the least. It wasn’t appropriate for her to see him outside of the doctor’s appointments, without the lawyers. Then again, not much about Mateo struck her as appropriate.
“Good evening, your highness.”
Mateo flashed her a charming smile. “Afternoon. I just moved in to an apartment next door and thought I’d come say hello to the neighbors.”
“Did you.” Hanna pressed her lips into a tight line. “So, what are you here for? A cup of sugar?”
