I treat that as a rhetorical question and stay quiet, but that brain of hers doesn’t stop for a second. Soon enough, her eyes widen with understanding.
“Question,” she says, holding up a finger. “Is the man in love with Warwick also the best friend of our son-in-law?”
Dammit.
She ignores my silence and keeps going. “That’s Colt, right? Luke’s friend? I thought I’d be meeting him at the reception, but Sebastián said he showed up and left quickly.”
I sneer. “That’s because he left with Warwick.”
Her laugh is loud and fills the air around us. And frankly, it goes on for a little too long.
“I'm so glad that my mess amuses you.”
She cackles even harder. “Oh my God. This is peak Joaquin. I know that at the old ranch, you were fucking the ranch owner's son, the farrier, and the man who sold you the hay, and I thought that was pretty spectacular. But this? It is so perfect.”
“You know, I could use some guidance here. I will ask somebody else,”
I say, turning my chair away from her.
She laughs even louder and then bangs the table to get my attention. “Joaquin, don't be a child. Look at me.”
I turned to her with my eyes wide. “You call me a child? You're the one who is laughing.”
“It is perfectly fine to laugh at something so damn funny.” Seeing my expression, she reaches out and grips my hand. “But I hate seeing you in pain. I like you way too much for that. So, tell me. What kind of guidance do you need?”
I pout, knowing this will amuse her. “I want both of them.”
“Of course you do,” she says with a knowing grin. Scanning my face with those shrewd eyes of hers, she continues, “So you're not talking about just sleeping with both of them at the same time. You’re maybe wanting both of them in, what, a relationship?”
“I think so. Colt is newer to me, but he’s perfect.”
“Really? I’ve maybe seen him in passing, but I don’t know him. Would I like him?”
I smile, soft with the memory of him in my arms. “You would love him. And he would like you very much, which means I don't ever want you to properly meet each other.”
Her cackle once again fills the courtyard.
“I hate you,” I lie, biting back laughter.
“No, you don't. You love me. But fully clothed and without any of your messy emotional entanglements.”
“This is true,” I say, blowing her a kiss, then stiffen at a familiar voice.
“Joaquin?”
Madre Dios, that’s Colt.Does the universe have it out for me today?
I stand and turn to smile up at my beautifully freckled man. “Colt, my friend. This is my ex-wife, Ofelia. Ofelia, meet Colt.”
Her eyes shine with glee as she sticks out her hand. “Colt, mucho gusto.” Switching to English, she purrs, “My, what a handsome man.”
Colt, taking in Ofelia's artistic, paint-splattered aesthetic and the beautiful white braid that spills over her shoulder, flirts back. “Ofelia, is it? And here I thought that Sparrow got all of his beauty from his father, but that was only half the story, wasn't it? You arestunning,” he says, kissing the back of her hand.
Ofelia looks up at me, a sharp grin on her face. “Oh, you flatterer. Take a seat. Can I buy you a drink and have you flatter me some more?”
Colt’s smile falters. “Honestly, I would rather do that, but I have some family responsibilities to attend to. I'm just picking up something to eat.”
“Next time, then,” she says, returning the hand kiss.
