“Alright.” I dropped my hand and opened the door wider so they could come inside. “How is she?”
“Excited,” Damien answered. “She’s wearing my mother’s dress, just made a few changes. She and Anna are having a good time together.” He spoke normally, looking me in the eye without an underlying tone.
“I’m sure she’ll be beautiful.”
Richard walked inside and took a look around. “I see my daughter written all over these walls.” He stopped at the picture on the wall, an image of sunflowers. He nodded in approval before he kept going.
Balto got to his feet and quickly pulled on his shirt. “Richard, I’m Balto.” He shook his hand, being on his best behavior for her father.
Damien stood with his hands in his pockets, taking a look around, admiring the wooden staircase. “It’s nice.”
“Thanks. You want a tour?”
“Sure.” I took him through the house, ending at the backyard where the greenhouse was.
He looked through the window then turned back to me. “She told me about this.”
“It’s a little small, but she—”
“It’s perfect.” He was in jeans and a jacket, his hands still in his pockets as he surveyed the yard. “She told me about the flowers…”
I didn’t say anything.
“That’s some pretty romantic shit.”
I shrugged.
He went quiet, like he had nothing else to say.
Catalina would marry me in a few days, so I didn’t feel obligated to kiss his ass or prove anything to him. He could take me as I was—or not. “Come here for that brother talk? You know, where you threaten to kill me if I ever do anything to hurt her?”
“No.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“I’ve never seen Catalina so happy.” He looked away for a while before he turned his gaze on me. “We’ve got a rough past, but…it’s in the past. A motherfucker who grow flowers in a greenhouse just for her…can’t be that bad.”
My chest tightened, like that meant the world to me.
“And my father is really fond of you. Not exactly sure why. He’s a hard man to impress.”
He would never know the truth. “Because I kicked his ass at my first chess match.”
He smiled slightly as he ran his fingers along his jawline. “Yeah, maybe that’s it.”
I crossed my arms over my chest.
“I think my mother would have liked you.” The words came out of nowhere, and they carried so much weight, the weight of her spirit.
“Yeah?”
He nodded.
“And I think I like you too.”
I dropped my gaze.
“I know you don’t need my approval, but you have it…if you want it.”
It’d been a long journey with Damien, a lot of shit-talking between two men who didn’t put up with shit from anyone. His blinding hatred had finally settled down, inexplicably. “What changed your mind?”
He stared at the ground below his feet for a few seconds before he answered. “Seeing how much she misses you when you aren’t around.”Twenty-FourCatalinaIt was the night before my wedding.
I sat across from my father, playing a competitive game of chess.
He watched me, his eyes burning into my face as he waited for me to make my move.
I let my fingers rest against my lips, considering the move, before I grabbed another piece and made a diagonal move.
He released a quiet sigh, as if he’d hoped I wouldn’t have figured out the perfect opening. He grabbed his piece and moved it.
“So, Heath is a good player?”
He nodded. “Caught on quickly.”
“He’s a smart man.”
“But you can still beat him, sweetheart. Don’t let him win just because he’s your husband.”
Husband. Tomorrow, he would be my husband. “He wouldn’t want me to let him win.”
“Good. He seems that way.”
“Is that why you like him?”
He shrugged. “Doesn’t seem like a man who’s easily intimidated—especially by a woman.”
“He’s not. What did you think of the house?”
“Beautiful. He’s putting a lot of work into it.”
My eyes softened. “I can imagine.”
“It’s nice to see a man use his bare hands instead of paying someone to do the hard work.”
I moved my piece. “See the greenhouse?”
“Yes. It’s perfect.” He moved his piece.
I made the final blow. “Sorry, Dad. That’s checkmate.”
He sighed in annoyance. “I’ll get you next time, sweetheart.”
Damien came to our side. “Can I play the winner?”
“Yes.” Dad finished the rest of his wine before he got to his feet. “I’m going to bed. See you in the morning.” He patted his son on the back then kissed me on the cheek before he left.
We reset the board and started a new match.
Damien poured himself a glass of wine and drank it while I made my move. “I got engaged before you, but you’re tying the knot before me.”
“It’s not a race, Damien.”
He drank from his glass. “I know. Just saying…” He moved his piece. “I loved the house. It suits you perfectly.”
“I know. He took me over there one day, and I couldn’t believe he’d had it the whole time.”