“Yes, I do. I have never screwed a woman into being a paraplegic, and that’s terrifying to think of.” Gasping in surprise, goosebumps swept down my legs when Mateo smacked my butt playfully. His easy smile, so familiar and tender, stretched his lips, and his brow eyes sparkled with content. “Thank you for the sandwich.”
“You’re welcome.” I passed Mateo his sandwich, wrapped in a paper towel, and he kissed my cheek as he took it. He only had whole grain bread, which was fine, and I put the roast beef and Swiss cheese back in the refrigerator before grabbing my own and shuffling to sit at the island. His shirt bunched up around my hips, and goosebumps washed my legs as my butt connected with the cold, wooden seat.
“I was thinking of going to find a music store and get some instruments today.” Pausing as Mateo just casually threw out that declaration, my brows rose in interest, and he stood across from me to catch my eye firmly. “Do you want to come?”
“Yeah, definitely.” I answered immediately, and excitement blossomed in my chest as I took an animated bite of my sandwich. The taste of mustard and roast beef and cheese pulled a groan from behind my lips, and Mateo smiled, satisfied, before taking a bite of his own. “So, what instruments can you play?”
Mumbling around my bite, I slumped a little to hold my cheek on my palm, and he hummed in recognition. For a moment, I couldn’t taste my own mouthful as Mateo visibly enjoyed what I’d made him, and warmth suffused my chest. He chewed slowly, and I forgot to chew at all as I watched him in the early morning gloom. Only the light on the stove illuminated the kitchen, and shadows danced on his face before he swallowed.
“Ah, piano, guitar and drums, but I’m actually the best at electric violin. I went to college for four years for it, so I better be good at it.” He smirked a little, and I continued chewing even as my heart fluttered at the idea of him playing such a romantic instrument. “I can play the standard violin pretty okay, I think.”
“I would love to hear that.” Swallowing my bite, I licked my lips of mustard while Mateo nodded, and the memory of that brief moment in Hawaii floated through my mind. “You have a beautiful voice. If you put yourself out there, you’d be a rock star, easy.”
“Professional music takes way more than I’m willing to put into it. I could’ve done it, but, eh.” Mateo shrugged, and I smiled as I took a bite out of my sandwich while he leaned on his elbows. His face twisted in disdain, and my brows furrowed even as he opened his mouth to continue. “I don’t like all that attention. Maybe, it was growing up knowing that secrets are really hard to keep with the spotlight on you constantly. Also, some people are real jerks that manage to hide it really convincingly, and that’s a lot of pressure in itself to have a public image.”
“Yeah.” The kitchen descended into a peaceful silence, and I knew just from the way Mateo spoke that he’d put a lot of effort into deciding whether or not to go for it. During college, maybe, or even beforehand. Growing up the way he had, he knew that money for the sake of money was hollow, and musicians had it rough.
“I like this peace. I don’t want to lose it.” Tender, brown eyes met mine, and my heart ached as I smiled around my bite. “No one gets lucky like this often.”
“Once things settle down, it’ll get even better.” His cheeks picked up in a smile, and I swallowed my bite to sigh in utter bliss. “I’m going to go online and find a good camera for Seth. I talked to him a few days ago. Apparently, Meredith went on a rampage about the wedding, but really the only thing you did was destroy the dress, so he wrote her a check for it and threw it at her and told her that he hoped thirteen grand was worth him as a son. He even showed me a video of their fight that his sister took. It was really nice to see him stick up for himself.”
“Good for him. We can have a housewarming party or something- maybe next weekend. I like Seth— he’s a great guy.” But as quickly as that affection infected his tone, Mateo frowned. “Are you going to have a serious talk with Mikayla about what happened at the store yesterday?”
“If I have to say anything more, I think that speaks in itself. We’ll see what happens when I go back later.” The truth was, I knew Mikayla was probably tearing herself to shreds. She acted so bubbly, but she was probably really worried about me, and people do stupid things when they’re worried about someone. Sex with Seth had never beenmeaningful. . . enjoyable, sure, but not anything more . . . and she knew how important tonight was to me.
We’ve been friends so long, and she’s never seen that side of me. It was a side I didn’t know I had, and I didn’t like it. Being told off over superficial stuff, I could handle, but . . .
“I think you two will be fine, Lucy.” Everything was coming together, slowly but surely. Like this house, I would gradually be filled with wonderful experiences, and I’d have my family here— the family that proved itself to me, Seth, and his sisters, and their husbands, and Mikayla. Despite everything, Mateo wouldn’t keep me from them. He accepted that they were permanent fixtures in my life despite the engagement and the breakdown.
They were bumps in the road, and he didn’t try to smooth them over for me. I held on to what I could, and he embraced the beautiful parts and ignored the rest.
Andthatwas why I loved Mateo. Even when we were stuck in that room, when he was in terrible agony and suffering, he brought out the beauty in it.
