“Yeah.” He shrugged nonchalantly. “Fabric is cheap in Taytay, and my go-to sastre in Kamuning keeps telling me my shoulders are too skinny for ready-to-wear.”
Mara shook her head in disbelief. But what she didn’t say out loud was thatof courseJay had blazers and suits custom-made. He seemed the kind of guy who was particular about his look, and she had to admire the dedication. Getting things custom-made wasn’t as easy as it used to be, and this was coming from someone who never fit in anything locally made. There always needed to be a special occasion to justify the price, like Marina’s wedding.
But she supposed that if you had the fabric, and you had a go-to tailor in the garment district, you really could do wonders. Whynothave a linen suit made especially for you, right? It certainly produced the, uh, desired effect.
Especially if someone was taking it off.
Um.
“Are you blushing because it’s hot?” Jay asked, more out of concern than because he could tell Mara was trying to keep her attraction to him at bay. She assured him she was fine with a wave of her hand. It was actually a perfectly cool and breezy afternoon at the beach. The sun was warm but not oppressive, enough that you didn’t mind so much that you weren’t neck-deep in the ocean at that very moment.
Jay led her to the seats for the guests, particularly the one next to Irene, who was bouncing Luna on her lap and playing Sawsaw sa Suka with her. Luna’s little giggles were infectious, and she looked extra adorable in braids with baby blue ribbons and a little crown of baby’s breath. Mara saw Jay hold up the camera to take the photo. He showed her the image immediately after, and it really looked like a stolen, happy moment. The colors were gorgeous, thanks to the sun.
“Nong!” Luna burst into giggles as Jay immediately subjected her to a tickle attack while Irene held on to keep Luna from tumbling off of her lap. “My dress!”
“Is very pretty,” Jay assured her, smoothing out the creases in the blue linen, the fabric matching his suit. “Are you ready to walk the aisle with me?”
“Yes.” She threw her arms up in the air, and Mara had the sudden urge to tuck the girl into her pocket. She was like this with all of her friends’ kids, especially when she saw them on social media. Usually because they were all fucking adorable,andshe didn’t have to be the one to deal with them when they had a meltdown. “I’ll be the best flower girl ever, right, Tita Mara?”
“Tita Mara?” Irene echoed in amusement, giving Jay a knowing smile as she and Luna waved at Mara. “Are you keeping me company while these two leave me?”
“Someone has to take a video while you take a photo.” Mara smiled, moving the empty chairs around to give her the room to sit next to Ate Irene without jostling her or Luna. Jay didn’t comment and put the chairs back, shifting so he was standing behind her, casually leaning while his hand was on the back of her seat.
“And someone has to tell her all the tea about everyone else,” Jay teased.
“What makes you think I know?” Ate Irene asked innocently.
“Ate, don’t at me. You know. I know you know.”
“I do know.” Irene sighed dramatically, leaning back against her seat. She looked absolutely chic in a pale blue halter dress that had a large bow in the back. Her shoulder-length hair was styled so that it flipped up at the ends, and with her drop pearl earrings, a diamond ring on her left hand and a pair of black sunglasses, it was obvious that style was a game that the Montinola family could only slay. “In return, I won’t pepper Tita Mara over here with invasive questions about why I had to tell your inaanak that no, Ninong was not sucking Tita’s face at the beach, he was just being friendly.”
Mara’s jaw dropped, and Irene looked entirely too pleased with herself while Luna snickered at their expressions. Jay opened his mouth to retort, but someone up front was signaling him to come forward. So he glared at his Ate instead.
“Okay, I’ll make sure to walk on this side of the aisle so you can’t see Luna when we walk later.” Jay had an evil glint in his eyes. Well, she imagined he did behind those sunglasses.
That made Irene gasp. “You wouldn’t.”
“Would I?”
“You would not,” Mara said, chuckling as she poked Jay’s stomach. “Now go and be the best man ever.”
Jay grinned and leaned forward so he was face-to-face with Mara. “What if…I would rather stay here with you?”
Mara’s valiant attempt to glare at him failed so miserably she had to look away, and his grin got even bigger. She rolled her eyes and grabbed the sunglasses off of his face, which was probably worse because now she was looking right into his dark brown eyes. They shimmered with amusement and mirth, but there was a low heat there, too. One that tempted Mara to make it burn hotter.
“Ui,” he joked. “Kinilig. You should get used to this, Mara. Practice.”
That deserved a playful threat. “Sige ka. I won’t take any photos of you.”
“Ooh!” Irene sounded intrigued by the prospect, steepling her fingers together like a Disney villain. “Truly evil.”
“Hey,” Jay protested, standing back to his full height and pouting. “I promised I would populate the hashtag! AlexLovesToriBabyJustSayYes!”
Mara laughed, because one had to give flowers to the longest hashtag of all time. “I don’t think they meant for you to populate the hashtag with your face.”
“Between me and Scott, someone has to.”
“The wedding coordinator just tapped her watch,” Irene said, yanking the hem of his blazer and flapping it like a loose sheet. “I think that’s the universal sign for come the fuck on, Bridget.”
