Chapter 45
One Day Until the Wedding
The next day, Roman texted Ava multiple times, but she either didn’t respond or said she was “busy.”
He had a feeling he knew why.
But she couldn’t avoid him forever. They both had to attend the rehearsal. And after a call with Camille that morning, he
was going to explode if he didn’t tell Ava his news soon.
Belinda gathered everyone on the beach. It was late afternoon, and as hot and humid as one would expect from late August in
Puerto Rico. A few markers were set in the sand to show where the chairs, aisle, and arch would be. The crashing surf provided
the soundtrack, reminding Roman of the last time he’d been here, when he’d lost his swim trunks. The groomsmen and bridesmaids
were all there, along with Jasmine’s parents and brother. Yadiel was present in his capacity as ring bearer and Michelle’s
ten-year-old niece, Danica, was the flower girl.
Jasmine had decided to walk herself down the aisle, but her parents would be waiting for her. When she reached the arch, they would take their seats. Jasmine’s brother was going to read a poem, chosen by the bride and groom. Then, the officiant would perform a short ceremony.
Ashton had told Roman there had been some drama over the officiant. Jasmine had asked Miriam Perez, who’d played her onscreen
mother in Carmen in Charge , to perform the ceremony. Miriam, in addition to being a renowned improv actress, had also officiated dozens of weddings.
But Jasmine’s grandmother had booked a priest without clearing it with anyone first. A huge argument had ensued, and Esperanza
hadn’t let it go until Ashton played the machísmo card and intervened.
Roman spotted Ava talking in hushed tones with Michelle. When he approached, Michelle took one look at him, said, “See ya!”
and darted off to where Gabe chatted with Jasmine’s brother, Jeremy.
Dark sunglasses shielded Ava’s eyes, and her smile was polite, but cool. Ah, the Resting Pleasant Face was back. Was it because
her family was around, or was it for him? He guessed she hadn’t told Jasmine and feared his reaction.
He wanted to slide the sunglasses off her face and kiss her, to tell her that he wasn’t going to scold her. Instead, he stuffed
his hands in the pockets of his linen slacks.
“How was the spa?” he asked. He knew she and several of her relatives had gone for mani-pedis earlier in the afternoon.
“Fine.”
“Relaxing?”
Ava huffed out a humorless laugh. “With my grandma and aunts? How could it be?”
“Silly question.” He moved closer and lowered his voice. “Did you...?”
She was already shaking her head before he could finish the question.
“No,” she said quietly. “I’m sorry.”
“I see.” He said it slowly, trying to unpack the myriad emotions tightening her voice. God, he wished he could see her eyes. “Are you okay?”
She shook her head again. “I’ve had a headache since last night.”
Shit. And she was standing out here in the glaring sunshine. “What do you need? I can bring you a chair. Get you some water.
An umbrella. A fan.”
“It’s all right. I have a water bottle.” She pulled a metal cannister out of her shoulder bag and took a long drink.
“Ava...” He gave in to the urge to run his fingers through his hair. “I gotta tell you, it’s killing me to stand here with
my thumb up my ass, acting like I don’t love you more than life itself.”
Her lower lip trembled, breaking his heart. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“I don’t need you to apologize.” He fought to keep the frustration out of his tone. “I just need you to talk to me.”
“I will. I promise.” She started to turn away from him.
“When?” He said it quickly, because he wanted to grab her wrist and pull her back, like they were the leads in one of the
Korean dramas his mother loved.
Ava bit her lip. “Before the rehearsal dinner.”
And then she plastered her Resting Pleasant Face back on and went to speak to Jasmine’s mom.
Roman watched her go, a hole opening in his stomach as he resisted the impulse to go after her and kiss that fake-ass smile
right off her face.
Miriam, the officiant, was the last to arrive. “Sorry,” she called out, as she hurried across the sand. “I was getting a massage and fell asleep on the table. Ten out of ten, highly recommend.”
Belinda clapped her hands to draw everyone’s attention. In her usual domineering manner, she reiterated all their roles and
took them through the timeline of the ceremony.
“Why does the wedding planner remind me of your mother?” Roman overheard Jillian whispering to Michelle.
“Same Latina ringmaster energy,” Michelle replied, stifling a laugh. “Necessary for wrangling a bunch of clowns like us.”
Finally, it was time to practice, and no one dared deviate from Belinda’s meticulous plan.
When Michelle’s niece Danica went forward as flower girl, she flounced down the aisle and mimed the act of dropping petals
with exaggerated flourishes.
“Is she going to do it that way tomorrow?” Ashton asked Jasmine.
Jasmine grinned. “I sure the hell hope so. It’s exactly how I would have done it at her age.”
Roman took his place next to Ava at the little orange flag that marked the start of the aisle. She’d finally removed the sunglasses
and he desperately wanted to talk to her, but her serene smile was firmly in place and he knew there was no reaching her now.
So he held his tongue and offered her his elbow.
Walking down the aisle with her was bittersweet. One of her hands was on his arm, and she pretended to hold a bouquet in the other. Her eyes remained straight ahead and it was a wonder Roman didn’t trip because he couldn’t look away from her. For the briefest moment, they stood in the spot where the arch would go, and in his imagination, they weren’t maid of honor and best man, but bride and groom. Then the moment was over and they parted to stand on either side of the imaginary arch, waiting for Gabe and Michelle to join them next.
Once everyone was assembled in the proper order, Belinda called, “And now it’s Jasmine’s turn!” She began to hum a slightly
off-key rendition of “Here Comes the Bride.”
As Jasmine started down the aisle, it was clear why she was an award-winning actress. She moved with gravitas and grace, like
she was clad in a diamond-encrusted gown with an eight-foot-long train instead of a white tank top and denim shorts. Roman
glanced over at Ashton, who watched Jasmine walk toward him with his heart in his eyes. Then Roman looked to Ava. She still
wore the same placid expression, but he knew her well enough now to know the truth: this experience was breaking her. It was
there in the tightness around her eyes, the pinch of her mouth, the set of her shoulders. She was holding herself very still,
as if the slightest breeze would shatter her into a million pieces.
He wanted to hold her, to comfort her, to fix whatever was hurting her. But he couldn’t. She wouldn’t let him. And it was tearing him apart inside.
This ends today , he thought. No more hiding. No more secrets. Come hell or high water, they were getting to the bottom of whatever was still
holding her back, and he would convince her to let him fucking help .
Somehow, he got through the rest of the rehearsal. Most of it was a blur. He couldn’t have said what poem Jasmine’s brother
read, or what the officiant said, even though it had everyone laughing. All of his attention was on Ava.
When it was over and they all filed off in pairs, he stayed close to her and spoke out of the corner of his mouth. “Let’s
go inside and talk before everyone else gets to the dinner.”
She gave him a brief nod and slipped her sunglasses back on. They made their way over the sand and across the pool deck, where they had once flirted and lathered each other in sunscreen.
The exact spot where Roman had realized he was in love with her.
As they passed the rows of lounge chairs, his steps slowed and he fondly remembered that day. A few people sat sipping drinks,
their faces shielded from the sun by beach umbrellas tilted low. Two women were chatting loudly in Spanish, their voices clearly
audible over the music drifting from the bar inside.
“Where’s Gloria?” one of the women said. “I thought you were bringing her as your guest.”
Ava froze, and Roman nearly ran into her. Alarmed, he turned her to face him. Was it her headache? Was she going to faint?
He opened his mouth to ask, but she pressed a finger to her lips to shush him. He played back the question he had overheard.
The name “Gloria” sounded familiar but he couldn’t say why.
An older woman’s voice responded in Spanish. “Jasmine said no.” The words were punctuated with an offended sniff.
Ava grabbed Roman’s arm, whether to stop him from interrupting or for emotional support, he wasn’t sure. He stood still and
listened.
“Why?” the first speaker asked.
“Because of Ava.”
“Oh, that’s right. Gloria was her mother-in-law.”
Ah. That was why the name sounded familiar. He kept his gaze on Ava, who fairly vibrated with tension. He suspected she knew exactly
who the women were.
The second speaker went on. “After everything Gloria did for her, Ava won’t even answer her calls.” A tsk . “So selfish.”
Next to Roman, Ava sucked in a sharp breath. He wanted to hold her, but her grip on his arm was like iron. His blood started
to boil.
“Is Ava still upset over the divorce?”
“You know how she is. Always too sensitive.”
“I heard Hector is getting married again.” The first speaker’s tone held the hush of hot chisme.
“Yes. To some girl from the neighborhood.”
“Is she pretty?”
Another sniff. “Not as pretty as Ava.”
“Well, who is?” The woman’s tone turned thoughtful. “With that face, you’d think she’d be able to find another man.”
“She’s not trying. I told her to apologize. You don’t have to mean it, I said. But men like to think they’re right.”
“Did she do it?”
“Clearly not, since Hector is marrying someone else!”
“And they didn’t even have any kids.” Roman could practically hear the head shake that went along with those words. His skin
broke out in goosebumps from the stress of holding his tongue.
“Such a shame.” The second speaker let out a deep sigh. “My sister is so disappointed.”
“Let’s hope Jasmine doesn’t make a mess of her marriage too.”
“She probably will.” There was a pause, followed by a speculative, “How much do you think they spent on this wedding?”
“More than Miguelito spent on Ava’s wedding, that’s for sure.”
“Well, that was a waste of money.”
What. The. Fuck.
Roman had heard enough. Red flashed across his vision as he started toward the chismosas, but Ava hissed and yanked on his arm.
“Don’t!” she said in a desperate whisper. “You’ll make it worse!”
He let her drag him inside, then gave in to the urge to snatch the sunglasses off her face.
Her hazel eyes were wet and devastated. Helplessness slashed at him, warring with the impulse to fight for her.
“ Now ,” he said, his tone fierce. “We are discussing this right the fuck now .”
She let out a trembling breath and nodded. “Okay.” Her voice shook, and he wanted to go out there and toss all the lounge
chairs into the pool, along with their occupants. Instead, he grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the ballroom where the
rehearsal dinner was being held.
And he didn’t give a damn who saw them.