Chapter Thirty-Seven
chapter thirty-seven
RAFAEL
Today is the big day.
I stand in the middle of the new Olive they look excited, eager to see what I've done with the place, and pride settles deep in my tummy at that. “So welcome to the new and improved Olive&Vine, how about we make some new history tonight?”
Everyone in front of me claps, and I feel Gianna’s hand land on my shoulder before she whispers, “Good speech boss.”
I move aside and people start to filter through the doors, eager to see the place. My friends stand at the back of the line, everyone is here, even Heath, but still no sight of my little spitfire.
Isla must see the look on my face, because she rests a hand on my arm and smiles up at me. “She’s coming.”
“Who?” I ask, attempting to play it cool considering the way I haven't explicitly told any of our friends about May and me, Isla and Caio catching us at the gallery before I could say anything. But by the way her face pulls into a grin, I don’t think it worked.
She looks at Marina. “She told us.”
“Yeah, and they told us.” Leo claps me around the head. “Why didn’t you?”
“Uh…” I don’t really have any excuse. I’ve wanted to shout from the rooftops that May is mine since that day at the cabin, but I didn’t want to push her boundaries.
Vanessa walks up to me, planting a kiss on my cheek. “And we told everyone else.”
Caio rolls his eyes. “You two just can’t get enough, can you?”
She shrugs. “What else are two old ladies meant to do with their spare time? Our favorite restaurant has been closed for a month. We’ve been bored.”
I chuckle. “You better get in there, then.”
She nods and scurries through the door. Marina and Isla follow close behind.
Caio throws an arm over my shoulder. “I’m happy for you .”
“ Don’t get too excited. She’s not even here.” I sound like a sad sack, but that’s how I feel.
It doesn’t feel right opening this place without her. She was such a big part of it, and this place was a big part of us. This is where we opened up to each other. More than once, and I don’t know if that would’ve ever happened otherwise. This is where she promised me to stop pretending, where she gave herself over to me on the table of the booth just by the door.
“You heard Isla. She’s just running late.” I nod as we walk through the doors.
Some people have taken up seats, and others stand, mingling and admiring the space around them. My team is floating through the room, handing out champagne. It’s perfect. Almost perfect. It’s just missing one thing.
“It truly is beautiful, Rafael,” Arianna gushes. “You’ve done such an amazing job.” She rests her hand on my arm affectionately, but it feels cold. I look down at it and it looks all wrong. I shrug her off, but she doesn’t seem deterred.
Arianna is someone I used to see on a casual basis, but she moved out of town, and I haven’t talked to her in over a year, but that doesn’t stop her from acting like she was in my bed only last night.
She looks me up and down. “Somehow you’ve gotten even better looking over the last year.”
Oh god.
Before I can respond, I see a swish of blonde walking straight towards me. May’s face is like thunder as she comes up to me, her heels clonking against the wooden floor as she does.
May grabs a hold of my collar and yanks me down, pulling me into a kiss. A forceful, possessive kiss. I’m breathless by the time she pulls away.
She turns around to face a blanch-faced Arianna. “Oh my god! I am so sorry, I didn’t see you there,” she says, her voice that sickly sweet tone that she used to reserve purely for me. She links her fingers through mine. “Rafael, who’s your friend?”
Oh, she is evil, and I love it.
Arianna answers for herself. “I’m Arianna.” She swings her dark hair over her shoulder. “Rafael and I have known each other for a long time.”
Oh, here we go.
“Really?” May looks back at me before casting her gaze back on the woman in front of her. “He’s never mentioned you.”
Arianna’s eyebrows draw together. “And who are you again?”
I squeeze May’s hand in mine. As much as I’m loving this, I don’t need a fist fight at my reopening.
May hesitates, and it gives Arianna the extra second she needs to look at me and say, “She looks like she could be half your age, Raf. If you were that desperate, you just needed to pick up the phone.”
Just when I think May is about to lunge, she just laughs. “Gotta keep ‘em young, don’t we? Have a good night.”
Arianna bristles at the clear dismissal and her eyes meet mine. “Call me.”
“He won’t.” May smiles and waves as Arianna walks away.
I wrap my arms around her waist and lean down, pressing a kiss to her shoulder. “A little possessive, don’t you think?” I echo her words from weeks ago.
She turns around in my arms, linking her arms behind my neck. “Outrageously. But I’m sure she’ll spread the word to all your previous hookups that you’re now occupied.”
“After that interaction, I’m assuming she’ll say a bit more than that,” I chuckle.
“That’s fine.” She presses a kiss to my lips. “They should all know who they’re messing with.”
“You’re adorable when you’re jealous.”
She frowns. “I am not jealous.”
I kiss her again. “No, I like it. You’re right, everyone should know about my little spitfire.”
Heat blooms on her cheeks, and she snuggles her head into my chest. I chuckle. Truly adorable.
It’s only now that I take notice of what she’s wearing. A deep plum dress hugs her body, accentuating every curve of her figure. Her hair is curled into waves, and she looks absolutely divine.
I pick up her hand and raise it above her, prompting her to spin around for me so I can really admire her.
“You look unbelievable,” I say as I press a kiss behind her ear.
It’s only now that I take notice of the sets of eyes on us. Somehow, I forgot where we are. She pulls me so far into her magnetic field that I nearly forget who I am. What I’m supposed to be doing.
I look around the room and see my staff have got everything under control. I’m lucky to have such a steady team, and I’m lucky to have Gianna to keep them in line when I’m distracted.
“No shit. This is really happening.” Leo has appeared next to us, and he’s shaking his head in disbelief. “I told Isla I’d believe it when I see it, and now I’m seeing it, and I still don’t believe it.”
May giggles and it makes me smile.
Leo’s face contorts. “Ew, why are you smiling like that?”
That makes May cackle. “That’s what I used to say, but now he does it so much that I’m used to it.”
“I’ll never get used to that.” He leans over to me. “How’d you do it? Make her go from hating you to wanting you? I somehow only go from them wanting me to hating me.”
May snorts and pats him on the arm. “You’ll get there one day, Leo.”
He brushes her off, rolling his eyes, but then they catch by the door.
My eyes follow his gaze to see my sister standing in the doorway of my restaurant. She’s looking around like the place is foreign to her, and I guess it is. She hasn’t been back here in years, so I can barely believe she’s here now. I have to blink a couple of times to make sure I’m not imagining it.
Her eyes catch on mine, and then she starts walking towards us. “Rafael, this is beautiful.”
I wrap her in a hug before she can say anything else. “What are you doing here?” My body is in the driver's seat, my brain barely functioning seeing Marisol back in Ruby Cove.
She kisses me on the cheek before she pulls back. “A little birdy told me that tonight was the grand reopening of Olive&Vine and I…god, it looks so different.”
I nod, taking another look around. “Do you think she’d like it?”
Her eyes go glassy, and Leo gives her hand a squeeze. She nods. “I think she’d love it, Raf.”
May’s hand has made its way into mine, and it gives me the confidence I need. “Marisol, I think it’s time you two properly met. This is May, she’s my…” I glance down at her and she’s just looking up at me, waiting for what I’m about to say next.
She’s my girlfriend?
My partner?
No.
I look back at my sister. “She’s just mine.”
She frowns. “That’s a little possessive, no?”
“That’s what I said,” May says before she wraps Marisol in a hug. “It’s nice to officially meet you. How long are you staying?”
Marisol looks over at me now. “Any chance you’ve got a spare room?”
May waves me off. “Oh, he’s got plenty.” What she doesn’t say is that I've barely been staying at my place, preferring to be at May's cottage, and sleeping in her queen bed next to her.
She links her arm with Marisol’s and turns away from us. “Now tell me you’re not still with that dick sack, Jack?”
Their conversation drifts out of earshot as May leads her over to where Isla and Marina are sitting in a booth. I watch as they sit down, my sister being effortlessly integrated into their group.
May must feel my attention on her because she turns her head to look at me, and when she winks at me, my heart feels like a volcano exploding, sending lava coursing through my veins.
A hand claps me on the shoulder. I turn around to see Caio, Leo and Heath all standing in front of me .
“Well, that’s one person I didn’t expect to see tonight.”
I just hum in response, my attention still on May as she talks to my sister.
“She’s good for you,” Caio says, his gaze must have followed mine.
I shove my hands in my pockets, turning back around to face them. “Yeah,” I say. “I think she is.”
Heath holds my gaze. “Are you good for her?”
I frown. I didn’t expect that question, but I shouldn’t be surprised. Heath has always got May’s best interest at heart, and until now all he’s seen me be is an asshole to her.
I look back over to where she sits with the girls. Her face lights up as she laughs at something Marina said. “I hope so.”