‘She said it was only close family and friends.’
‘So half of Madrid, then?’
He met her eye and grinned. ‘You know my mother.’
She smiled in agreement.
It seemed incredible to him that he could still read her smiles.
‘Is Blanca going to be there?’ she said. ‘I meant to message Carlota earlier and ask.’
‘She flew in a couple of hours before you landed.’
‘How does she feel about us marrying?’
‘I haven’t spoken to her about it, but I don’t imagine she has any negative thoughts. She always liked you.’
‘I always liked her, too… Is she still very serious?’
‘Blanca was born serious. I think our father’s death solidified that aspect of her nature.’
Her smile turned into one of sympathy, and she slid her hand across the small but deliberate divide he’d created between them to squeeze his. ‘Is she seeing anyone?’
‘If she is, she hasn’t mentioned it.’
‘What about Carlota? Is she still seeing that archaeologist?’
‘What archaeologist?’
She shook her head and chided, ‘Do you actually knowanythingabout your sisters?’
He tried not to feel defensive at a subtle rebuke similar to ones his mother often made. ‘I know they’re both getting on well in their careers. Their personal lives are none of my business unless they choose to make it my business.’
‘If I had siblings, I’d make their business my business. I’d want to know everything about their lives.’
‘Why?’
‘I like knowing the minutiae of my friends’ lives, so I imagine my nosiness would be even stronger with a sibling.’
Beth, Xavi remembered, had always wanted siblings. He’d often thought one of his attractions for her had been the female-dominant contingent of his household. She hadn’t just loved him, she’d loved his mother and sisters, too, especially Carlota. Although Carlota never spoke of it, he knew they’d stayed in touch over the years. He’d been glad of it; another tenuous way of keeping Beth in the periphery of his life.
Sure enough, when they reached the villa and got out of the car, Carlota was straight out the front door to greet them. With a squeal that made his ears hurt, she bounded down the marble steps to throw her arms around Beth, an embrace that was enthusiastically returned.
Inside, the villa overflowed with people. One glance around the open-plan reception and Xavi figured every single aunt and uncle—his father had been an only child, but his mother was one of six—cousin and second cousin was there. Entertaining, he’d long ago realised, had been his mother’s way of coping with the loss of her husband. Once she’d pulled herself out of the worst of her grief, she’d taken to throwing parties of all shapes and sizes for any given reason, and had the space and money to feed whole armies if she so wished. Tonight was her way of celebrating her eldest child marrying before the press turned the nuptials into a circus.
Soon, everyone piled around the tables in the garden to drink whatever the hell they pleased and feast on a variety of tapas before the chefs brought out pans of traditional paella.
One of the things Xavi had always so loved about Beth was her unashamed love of food. There was none of the nibbling at dishes the way his mother and sisters did or the few women he’d dated over the years did: She attacked it the way she did everything else in life, with gusto and relish. It was sexy. Watching her expertly peel the shell off a langoustine was sexy. Watching her screw up her expert shell peeling and splatter her cheek with paella juice and burst into laughter as she dabbed at it with a napkin was sexy, and it came to him, really came to him, that in two days he’d be marrying her. After eight years of emptiness, the time was finally right for them.
Seated directly opposite him, Beth’s stare caught his. His heart caught in his throat.
She raised her glass of white wine to him.
He lifted his bottle of beer to her.
Carlota, seated to Beth’s right in complete disregard of their mother’s table plan, whispered something in her ear that made her laugh again and take a large drink of her wine, which she promptly spilt down her chin to even greater peals of laughter.
‘I’m glad she’s giving you a second chance,’ Blanca said softly from the seat beside him.
