Chapter 14 #2
I sat there frozen, eyes wide and mouth opened. He got hair ties for…me? He said it so nonchalantly, like he didn’t go out of his way to do something I offhandedly mentioned days ago. Where the hell did this man come from?
“You’re going to catch flies with your mouth open like that,” Mateo teased, dangling the elastic band in front of me. I took it, unable to form words. This man made me speechless every time I saw him.
A million emotions fluttered through me. It wasn’t anything extravagant, yet it was the most thoughtful thing anyone had ever done for me. How was it that a man I’d only known for two weeks made me feel more wanted than I ever had before?
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I gathered my thick hair at the back of my head and wrapped the hair tie around it. Since I couldn’t lean over and kiss Mateo—not really the place to kiss him for the first time—I gently nudged his arm.
“Thank you.”
When he looked at me, eyes more blue than the Mediterranean, and smiled, I knew I was a goner. “Anytime.”
We ate and talked for well over an hour before we eventually made our way outside. Erin was deep in conversation with Jake, Perry right behind them. Pretty sure I was suddenly nonexistent to my best friend, especially with two attractive men by her side giving her their undivided attention.
I knew I probably should head home and shower, but I wasn’t quite ready to leave Mateo. He was going to be busy this next week with practice and games, so I wasn’t sure the next time I’d see him again.
“Can I steal you away for a bit longer?” Mateo suddenly asked. It was as if he read my mind. “Unless you have other plans?”
Even if I did, I would have gladly canceled them to hang out with him longer.
“I’m free for the rest of the day,” I answered, curbing my enthusiasm that he wanted to do something.
“Drive with me?” That boyish look and charm was going to be my undoing.
“Let me give my keys to Erin.” I felt Mateo’s eyes on my ass as I walked over to her. I knew my ass looked good and had a good pump from our workout class, so he could gladly look all he wanted.
Conversation stopped as I neared my best friend. I sent her a sheepish smile, hoping I hadn’t interrupted something.
“I’m going to get a ride with Mateo. Are you okay taking my car back to the apartment?” I extended my keys and dangled them in front of her.
A sly smile took over her face. “I’m definitely okay with that.” Her eyes flickered over my shoulder to Mateo and back to me. “You go and have fun. Text me when you’re heading home.”
The tilt of her head and the widening of her eyes told me I should stay clear of the apartment for the next few hours. I stole a quick glance at Jake and Perry before turning back to her with raised eyebrows.
“I will.” I turned to Jake and Perry, offering a smile. “It was nice meeting you two.”
“I want to say it was fun, but I’ll never go to a Pilates class with you again,” Perry joked.
“You say that now, but you’ll be back.” I grinned. Pilates was hard, but for some reason, you kept coming back each time.
“It was nice to get to know the girl who has our boy in knots.” Jake sent me a wide smile. “Keep him on his toes for us,” Jake lowered his voice, and I laughed.
“Always.” I took a step back and shot the three of them a mischievous grin. “Have fun you three.” With a wink, I turned and walked back to Mateo. He looked over my head at his friends and then at me.
“Do I want to know what’s going on over there?”
“Probably not,” I chuckled. “What do you want to do?”
“I have an idea in mind.”
“I haven’t been here in ages.” I gazed around the local farmers market, taking in all the booths and people walking around.
The event wrapped around a sprawling public park with stalls stretching along each side and people wandering from corner to corner. Large trees shaded the sidewalk, keeping the bright sun at bay.
From where Mateo and I stood, I caught the scent of yeasty warm freshly baked bread, roasted nuts, and a hint of fresh herbs. People walked past us armed with reusable bags, hands filled with fresh lemonade or coffee, a few dogs trailing after their owners.
The best part about coming here was finding little things you never knew you needed. You were guaranteed to walk away with at least one new thing you didn’t need but wanted.
“I haven’t been in a while, either,” Mateo admitted. He donned a baseball cap, the bill shadowing his face enough that no one should have noticed who he was unless they looked really closely.
“I bet it’s hard being out in public sometimes with fans everywhere,” I commented. It had to be difficult going places and having everyone know who you were. In the figure skating world, I was well-known, but in regular, everyday situations, I was a nobody.
“Yeah, it can be a bit overwhelming.” As we moved toward the flow of traffic on the sidewalk, Mateo reached down and grabbed my left hand. He did it so casually. Like he had done it a million times already.
I tugged my bottom lip between my teeth to hide my smile. His hand was a lot larger than mine, more calloused too, but it fit perfectly as he threaded his fingers through mine. A quick glance down showed my hand swallowed by his. I liked the look of his hand around my pale one.
Mateo and I walked with the crowd, passing by booths.
“I never would have taken you for a farmers market kinda guy,” I said a moment later.
“My mom and I used to go to some back in Toronto,” Mateo answered.
“There was this one in spring that would have fresh flowers, local honey, lawn ornaments. My mom loved to spend a whole Saturday walking around, trying stuff, buying little things here and there. When I was in university we made it a thing that we would go every Saturday the month of April.”
I loved the way he talked about her. The way his tone shifted and a smile took over his face.
“You’re a momma’s boy, aren’t you?” I said teasingly.
“I am.” He grinned down at me. “She’s the best person I know.”
A wave of melancholy swept through me. I came to accept that I’d never have a mother figure, but sometimes the reality of it still stung.
My dad did his best raising me alone and carried the weight of both roles.
Our strained relationship aside, I never felt unloved or like I was missing out on something.
“What about your dad?” I asked as we walked up to a booth selling all different kinds of homemade soaps.
Mateo was quiet for a beat. He brought a bar of soap to his nose and set it back down before answering.
“My dad walked out on us when I was born.” The tension in his voice was unmistakable. I had a feeling I just brought up a very sore topic.
“Mateo, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories,” I quickly amended.
He gently squeezed my hand. “Don’t apologize. You didn’t know.”
The words slipped out. “I didn’t know my mom, either.” Something Mateo and I had in common was an absentee parent. “All I know is she showed up on my dad’s doorstep when I was three months old and left.”
My dad didn’t know I existed until that moment. One second, he was a single twenty-five-year-old living his life, and the next, he was a father to a three-month-old.
“Oh, wow. I’m sorry, Em.”
“Hey, we’re basically trauma bonded,” I joked, hoping to dispel the discomfort in the air.
“You have mommy issues, and I have daddy issues,” Mateo joked back.
We shared a grin. “The perfect pair.”
Wanting to get away from the hard topic of parents, I put my right hand on Mateo’s arm, peering up at him with a smile. “What do you say about getting shaved ice?”
Mateo matched my expression. “I say you’re a woman after my own heart.”
I tugged his arm away, pulling him from the soap booth and toward a shaved ice stand I saw earlier.
For the next two hours, we walked around the farmers market eating our shaved ice, looking at all of the booths, and trying different kinds of foods. I laughed more in the last two hours than I had in years.
Mateo told me stories about him and his brothers. How he took his role of little brother to heart and made sure to keep them on their toes. It was clear he was close to his family and looked up to Wyatt and Landon.
I learned he liked cherry-flavored things, even cough syrup, which was the most disgusting flavor on the planet. Along with his dislike of avocados, Mateo wasn’t a fan of mayonnaise, something we both agreed on, and he hated any and all amphibians. He literally shivered talking about them.
“So,” I said as we left the market and headed for his car. “I noticed you have a thigh tattoo. What is it?”
“Checking me out, huh?” Mateo smirked. I rolled my eyes and tugged on his hand. The same hand that he only let go of twice in the last two hours.
“Come on, show me your slutty thigh tattoo,” I pleaded.
“Slutty?”
“Yeah, everyone knows a thigh tattoo on a guy is a little slutty.”
“Interesting,” Mateo hummed.
“Mateo.” I pulled him to a stop on the sidewalk, not caring people had to go around.
He laughed under his breath before he reached down and pulled the hem of his shorts up a little. A few inches above his knee in simple script were the words: for those that raised me.
“I got it for my family.”
Our eyes met and the realization settled deep in my chest. Mateo was genuinely good.
Not the kind you pretended to be. He wasn’t performative.
This was just who he was at his core. He might’ve been one of the league’s most sought-after quarterbacks, absurdly attractive, and splashed across billboards all over the city, but he was humble.
I’d met my fair share of good guys, only for their real side to show eventually. With Mateo, I knew what I saw was what I was getting.
“It suits you,” I managed, though emotion made it hard to get the words past my lips.
“Thanks.” He tugged me forward to keep walking.
We were almost to the car when he spoke up again. “How about you? Any tattoos you want to show me?”
“Can’t see it with my clothes on,” I answered. My Olympic rings were on my ribs.
“Is that an invitation to undress you?” Mateo’s eyebrow went up, tone dropping low with intent.
With the car a few feet ahead, I pulled my hand out of his and stepped back, walking in front of him backward and never breaking eye contact. A slow smile curved my lips. “Do you want it to be?”
I didn’t wait for his answer.
Turning away slowly, I let the space grow between us, every step a challenge. I could feel his eyes on me, heavy and unblinking, and he followed after me.
I made it all of two steps before his hand was at the back of my neck, fingers threading just enough to make my breath catch. He spun me back to him, no warning, no space to recover.
“Don’t walk away from me like that,” he murmured.
Then his mouth was on mine.
His kiss was hungry. Possessive. Like he was claiming me. All I could do was grab the front of his shirt and hold on as a rush of heat swept from my head to my toes.
Our lips danced and our tongues tangled. In all my years, I’d never been kissed the way Mateo was kissing me now.
When he finally pulled back, he rested his forehead against mine, our uneven breaths mixing.
Something shifted deep in my chest, and I knew he just unlocked something I couldn’t pretend wasn’t there.