“I didn’t get you a card because they were all stupid, and I haven’t asked because… well, I don’t know why.” I roll my eyes at my own stalling and force myself to look at him. “Will you give me away?”
His eyebrows rise slightly, so maybe he didn’t expect it. “Give you away?”
I nod, feeling my face warm up. “You know, walk me down the aisle at my wedding. Obviously I don’t have a father to do it and I wouldn’t have wanted him to anyway. You’re the only person I can imagine in that role, honestly.”
Mateo watches me for a moment, expression unreadable, then he nods his head. “Of course I will. Thank you.”
I grin, a little relieved. “Good. I don’t know why I was so nervous about asking. I know you don’t like weddings. I wasn’t sure you’d want to be involved.”
“It’s your wedding; of course I’ll be involved if you want me to. Salvatore seems like a pretty decent guy. I wasn’t thrilled about the way it happened, but it’s all worked out much better than I thought it would and I’m glad you met him. He seems to make you happy.”
Smiling softly, I nod. “He does. He’s wonderful. Thank you for forgiving us for framing your dumb maid and whatnot.”
Laughing shortly, he laces his hands together across his torso. “Well, in this instance an alliance was far more beneficial for everyone than revenge.”
Now I roll my eyes at him. “Ever practical.”
He shrugs unapologetically.
“Are you really going to marry the maid?”
“I don’t know,” he says, casually.
“I really don’t think you should,” I inform him.
At least he’s amused instead of irritated as he tells me, “Yes, your opinion has been recorded many times over.”
“I honestly could not believe it when I saw that ring on her finger. You were with Beth for years and you never popped the question.”
Smiling slightly, he says, “I know. I couldn’t even figure out how to ask. I bought the ring but I had no idea what to do with it.”
“How’d you do it?” I ask, since I never got the story.
“The night she got shot. I took her to the piano bar where we had our first date and while we were dancing I just started talking about getting married and had her grab the ring out of my pocket.”
“That doesn’t even sound like a proposal.”
He shrugs. “She seemed to like it just fine.”
I think on that for a moment, because it’s not like I’m against his happiness. If the maid is the one for him, of course I would adjust. I just really don’t believe she is, and I’ve seen nothing to indicate otherwise.
“Well, if you marry her, I’ll hope for the best.”
“Thanks,” he returns, dryly.
“Can you tell me something to make me feel better about it? What is it that compelled you to propose to her so fast? Why do you even want to marry her?”
“Why do you want to marry Sal?” he tosses back.
“Because he’s wonderful,” I say, easily. “Because he has a great heart and it’s all mine. He’s protective of his loved ones and he puts others before himself. He looks out for his own people, and he’s smart and funny. Why wouldn’t I want to marry him is a better question. I can’t believe I got so lucky. We haven’t even been together for long, and I’ve known for months he was the end of the line for me. I knew I’d never want anyone else ever again, because no one else could ever be him. I guess that’s what I’m struggling with. If you and Meg fit together so perfectly, if your connection is so great, then why do you still have feelings for Mia?”
He doesn’t deny it. His head rests more heavily against the back of his chair and he stares at the fireplace across the room—the place where he tried to drink away his interest in Mia. “I had misinformation,” he says, simply. “I liked Mia first, but I realized it too late. I had already crossed a line I couldn’t uncross. There would’ve been no going back from that with a normal woman, but Mia is… Mia doesn’t respond to things the way she should.”
Nodding faintly, I murmur, “I’ve noticed.”
“I realized that Sunday morning she was still workable. I changed my plan accordingly. I didn’t want to test her yet, I wanted to keep her, experiment a little, see what I could build there.”
“When you told me she only served you from then on.”
He nods once. “But Vince shook everything up at dinner when he took her back. I was trying to make her hate me those few days, I’d only decided a few hours earlier to change tacks. I didn’t get to act on it, to see how she’d respond. I shouldn’t have made her go to dinner that night. I needed another week. Another week and she wouldn’t have gone back to his room. Another week and she would’ve been mine.”