I scoot my chair back a few inches until I can see them both. I keep my voice quiet, but serious. “Listen, I like Holly. More than a little bit. This may be fake for her, but I’m going to treat this like a genuine marriage, respecting the boundaries of our arrangement, of course. If at the end of a year she doesn’t want me, that’s her choice. But I’m not going to sit on my behind and wait around for her to fall in love with me.”
Cruz smiles, dramatically clasping her hands to her chest, and leans in conspiratorially. “Have all of my lessons on romance and grand gestures actually helped you?”
I scoff. “Do you mean all those times you had me watch romantic comedies, went over romance tropes, and talked about grand gestures with you? No. It means Holly is special and deserves to be treated as such, and I will be using my own creative genius to woo her.”
Reina tilts her head, a small smile on her face. “You’re already in love with her, aren’t you?”
I scratch the back of my neck. “Love might be a strong word.”
Reina shakes her head. “It’s the right word. Okay. I’m a hundred percent on board now, and I’ll help.”
“Help?” I sputter out.
“Yes, I’m going to help Holly fall in love with you.” She does a little happy dance in her chair. “If you stay married, you’d actually be my brother, which would be awesome.”
I raise my hands. “Woah, woah. I don’t need any help. I’ve got this.”
Reina rolls her eyes. “I meant I’ll help when Holly calls and wants to talk. You’ve still got to actually win her over. I’ll just be your wing woman.” She shrugs and continues her happy dance at this statement, like I’ve made all her dreams come true.
Cruz rubs her hands together gleefully. “I’ve always wanted another sister.” She does her own little squeal and now they’re both dancing in their chairs.
How much trouble will these two bring to my love life? Hopefully, none.
This conversation needs to end before things get even more out of hand and Holly notices. “Alright ladies, I’m going to take a restroom break and try to forget we had this talk.”
They giggle as I get out of my chair.
I remember to push it in, because Mami didn’t raise a heathen.
I weave through tables, finding the sign for the restroom, and wonder if today can be over already.
Can we just skip to the part where I get married, my meddling familydrives away to the airport, and I head off into the sunset with my marriage-of-convenience wife?
Chapter 12
M-Kiss-Communication
Holly
The morning has been a blur, and I’m not sure if the rest of the day will be the same or not, but I’m ready for today to end. I look at the courthouse. I'm still in the parking lot and not quite ready to go inside. A car door slams, and I turn to see Reina skipping toward me, the skirt of her lilac dress flowing around her. She’s stunning with her brown hair in a messy side braid, and I can totally see why social media easily accepted her as the love of my brother’s life.
Her arms wrap around me when she reaches me, my brother a step behind her. I welcome the embrace and soak in the warmth of her hug. She’s been the sister I’ve never had, and I can’t even express how grateful I am that she came into Alex's life and mine.
Reina’s excitement is palpable, and she pulls back, gripping my arms as she bounces on her toes. “I’m so excited for you, Holly. Mateo is an amazing man. Give this marriage a real chance, sister.”
I shake my head and extract myself from her grip. “This is just for a year and it’s only to help get creeps away from me.”
Her lips quirk. “I’m sure that’s how this started, but that isn’t how this has to end. Just enjoy spending time together, okay? That’s all I ask.”
I nod, my throat tightening.
Enjoy spending time with Mateo? That’s not the hard part. Is he going to enjoy spending time with me, is the real question.
I let out a deep breath and turn to see Hudson, the grandpa I never had, and my favorite person from Bolt, Oregon, approaching me. He’s wearing a navy blue suit with pin-stripes, a lilac pocket square, and a tie to match. If he wasn’t old enough to be my grandpa, I might have asked him to marry me after seeing him all dressed up.
Hudson pulls me into a hug and I melt into his embrace. He squeezes me tight, still strong even for his age. “You know, Holly girl, I thought you and our Mateo would be a good match the first time we met.”
I lean back and look into Hudson’s weathered face. “Really? We didn’t even talk to each other that first time you came to visit.”
