Chapter 20
20
Mateo
“D id you find what you were looking for?” The florist standing behind the counter smiled brightly at Mateo, her eyes warm and sparkling. There was a lilt to her voice, one he was incredibly familiar with—one that he’d used frequently when winning women over.
That time of his life was over.
There was only one woman for him.
He nodded, pulling out his wallet to purchase the bouquet he’d picked out for the love of his life. “This is all I need.”
“Would you like me to write anything on the card?”
He considered it for a moment. “For the girl from my past, and the one I want in my future.”
The florist crooned as she nodded and wrote what he’d dictated. “That’s so sweet.”
“Thanks,” he said.
The last week had been strained. He wanted Nikki to know just how much she meant to him, no matter how tough things got.
Caroline had been persistent. She’d managed to track him down on social media and commented on several of his business posts for the ranch from different accounts. She’d private-messaged him and told him that she was going to be in town soon and wanted to meet up. He’d ignored every message. He had no interest in seeing her or speaking to her.
That woman was someone he wanted to keep in his past. She would have no part of his life or what he’d created from the ashes of her betrayal.
The florist handed him his card back along with the flowers. “I’m sure she’ll love them.”
He smiled. “Yes, she will. Thanks.”
Mateo stepped out of the floral shop, a whistle on his lips and a skip in his steps. He couldn’t wait to see the look on Nikki’s face when she saw the flowers he’d bought for her. He’d never gotten her flowers before, but he couldn’t imagine that she was one of those girls who would prefer something else.
Who didn’t love flowers?
Even if she didn’t like them, he’d figure out what she did like, and next time he’d make sure to get it for her.
He’d spend the rest of his life making sure she knew she was loved just like she deserved. No one deserved to be cherished more than Nikki. And no one deserved to feel as though they belonged than her amazing kid.
A woman collided with him just outside of the bookstore, and she gasped as the flowers nearly fell from his hands. “I’m so sorr—” Another gasp tore from her lips, followed by a sharp giggle. “Mateo? Oh my gosh, Mateo! I can’t believe we actually bumped into each other!” Caroline squealed her delight, her hands reaching out and grasping his forearms with both of her hands. She even jumped a little.
It was all overkill and reminded him so much of why he disliked her.
Mateo gritted his teeth until his jaw ached. He gripped the flowers dangerously hard as well. Seeing her brought back flashes of memories he had long since buried. And along with them came the debilitating pain.
All he could think about was how desperate he’d felt when he saw Caroline’s mother walk down the aisle with that look on her face.
Pity.
Apology.
He hadn’t realized why Caroline had abandoned him—not until a few hours later when word got to him that she’d left with one of her brother’s friends. They’d run off into the sunset with each other, not caring that Mateo was left behind to pick up all the shattered pieces of his wedding. It had destroyed him to the point that he couldn’t bring himself to speak of it after that day.
She squeezed his arms, and he tore away from her.
“There’s a reason I didn’t respond to your messages, Caroline. I don’t have anything to say to you.”
She pouted like she hadn’t ripped his heart from his chest and stomped on it. Then she flipped her hair and placed a hand on her hip. “I know I hurt you, Mateo.”
He scoffed, but that was all he could muster.
Caroline frowned, her expression dissolving into something that resembled guilt—or as close as someone like Caroline could get to it. “I wanted to clear the air.”
“I don’t need the air cleared. I’ve moved on. And I’m sure you have too.”
“That’s just it,” Caroline said, inching closer to him. “You don’t know how much I’ve agonized over what happened between us.”
Mateo hated how much that confession brought him satisfaction. This wasn’t him. This person who was callous and unforgiving. And yet, she was the woman who had turned his world upside down and left him in pieces.
She reached out to touch his face, but he jerked away from her. “Don’t.” His voice wasn’t as strong as it should have been. It was as if he’d used up all his energy simply reliving his past, that he couldn’t fight her off if he tried. He swallowed down the lump in his throat. “Don’t touch me.”
Caroline had the good grace to nod and look somewhat chagrined. “Will you get coffee with me? I know it’s a lot to ask, but I…” Her voice trailed off, and emotion filled it unlike anything he’d heard from her before.
It tugged at his heart in a way that made him feel sick inside. He shoved down that feeling and straightened, waiting for her to continue her plea.
“Please let me try to make this right.”
There was no making this right. They both knew it. So why was he still standing here, considering it?
Because Nikki would want him to get closure. She would want him to heal. And what better way to do that than to let Caroline say her piece. He didn’t have to agree to anything more.
“Fine,” he ground out.
Her eyes widened with excitement and relief. “Thank you.”
He nodded down the street. “There’s a shop just down here.”
“I was actually on my way over there.” She looped her arm through his, and he pulled back from her.
Mateo wanted to tell her not to touch him again, but he had a feeling it would fall on deaf ears. And he wasn’t going to waste his breath trying. So instead, he took a few measured steps away from her.
When they got to the coffee shop, he pulled the door open for her and followed her inside.
The coffee shop wasn’t terribly busy—a fact that unnerved him. No one in Copper Creek knew who Caroline was. Hardly anyone had heard about the embarrassment that was his failed relationship. In fact, as far as he knew, no one had heard the story. And that was how it would stay.
Still, the gossip mill had already gotten wind of the bachelor from Winding Creek Ranch and the girl from his past that had stolen his heart. He and Nikki had received more than their fair share of glances from the older women in town. They were all smiles and gushing congratulations. It was strange and mildly embarrassing, but nothing more than he’d expected.
If any one of those women caught him with Caroline at this coffee shop, he’d have a lot to explain about if Nikki caught wind.
He grimaced at that thought alone. There was a good chance that Nikki wouldn’t understand. And he wasn’t going to risk it.
So, he avoided ordering himself a coffee and chose instead to move to the table in the corner of the room—far away from the windows facing the street.
Caroline was seated soon enough. As she pulled out the chair across from him, she smiled like she’d won something. His stomach knotted. He didn’t want her winning anything—not after what she’d put him through.
Taking a deep breath, he reminded himself this would be the only time he allowed a meeting like this one.
Caroline wasted no time in batting her eyelashes and treating him like she always had. She reached across the table and traced a fingertip along the back of his hand. “How have you been?”
He scoffed. “I thought you wanted to clear the air.”
She frowned slightly, then nodded as she retreated. “I’ve been working on myself, Mateo. I want to be better. And out of everything I’ve done in my life, you are my biggest mistake.”
Mateo could believe that.
Caroline made a move to touch him again, so he dropped his hands in his lap, the bouquet of flowers resting on the table between them. Her eyes snagged on them as if seeing them for the first time. For a long moment, she stared at them before she lifted her gaze to him. “Those aren’t for one of your sisters, are they?”
He shook his head, tempted to tell her that he’d fallen for her best friend—the very woman who Caroline had thought was beneath her. But Mateo knew he wouldn’t take pleasure in Caroline’s pain. He was over that part of his grieving. And he didn’t want to bring unwanted attention to Nikki in case Caroline ended up reaching out to her.
“Is it serious?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“Who is she?”
“Does it matter?” he said. “We’re not here to talk about my girlfriend. We’re here to hash out what happened between us so we can both move on. I take it that’s what you wanted to do when you sought me out. That’s usually what people do when they’re trying to make something more of themselves.”
She flushed, the first sign that she might be telling the truth. She cleared her throat and placed both of her hands in her lap. “You’re right.” She dropped her gaze to her hands and fiddled with them before she said, “Does she make you happy?”
“She does.” The warmth returned to his voice, causing her to look up at him. “And for what it’s worth, I hope you’re happy too.”
Caroline smiled at him, but he needed to shut down the hope she had shining in her eyes.
“That being said, I don’t want you to contact me again.”
It took all of a few seconds for fury to blaze in her gaze. The coloring in her cheeks deepened, and her jaw tightened. “But?—”
“No buts. I don’t owe you anything else. And you don’t owe me anything.”
“How dare you,” she seethed.
He stiffened, his own anger returning. He’d given her a chance to apologize, but all she seemed interested in doing was turning the conversation over to him. What did she think this would be? Did she actually believe that he’d take her back with open arms? Because that was what this felt like.
“You seriously want me to believe that you’ve found someone better than me? I mean, I know that I hurt you, but you clearly weren’t over me. Otherwise, you would have been married by now. I bet you anything that you barely know this woman, whoever she is. And soon enough, you’re going to kick her to the curb because she won’t compare to me.”
He leaped to his feet, his hands slamming on the table with enough force to have it shuddering. “You’re right. She’s nothing like you. She’s a hundred times better than you because she would never hurt the person who loves her the way you hurt me.”
Emotion flickered in Caroline’s eyes. Anger, surprise, pain, then triumph. “See? You love me.”
“I loved you,” Mateo emphasized. “I really did. But the second you walked out on me with someone else, that love fizzled out. I don’t love you anymore. And there’s nothing you can do to change that.” He stormed for the door without waiting for her to respond. She’d manipulated an emotional response out of him, and he hated her for it.
It had been a mistake to meet with her. He should have told her to leave the second he’d bumped into her.
Mateo got all the way to his car before he realized he’d left the flowers behind. A groan dragged itself from his lips, and he rested his forehead against the steering wheel. There was no way he’d go back for them. He couldn’t risk seeing her again. And that meant he wasn’t going back to the floral shop either.
Caroline was smart. If she really wanted to corner him, she’d figure out a way to do that. And those flowers were ammunition.