Mateo studied Abigail from the corner of his eye. He told himself he wouldn’t. He told himself that he could just ignore her; pretend that she wasn’t even there, that she was someone else.
It shouldn’t be hard to do. After all, he hadn’t seen her in over ten years. She could have changed completely.
Mateo told himself these things, but his body had different ideas. Abigail seemed to spring up like an unwanted flower wherever he looked. He watched her as she greeted Melissa and Nick, as she followed Mom into the kitchen, and as she held the plate laden with food as far from her as humanly possible.
She was still beautiful. The pretty face that he had fallen in love with ten years ago was amplified by tasteful makeup and a polite smile. Her dark hair was longer than he remembered and cascaded to her shoulders like a glossy curtain.
He wanted to touch her.
He wanted to drag her upstairs and demand answers.
Mateo held himself still. Ten years was a heck of a long time and the least he could do was pretend that Abigail Palacio had no more power over him.
He saw a flash of green in his peripheral vision. Abigail was on the move. She set the plate on the counter and glanced around to see if anyone was watching. He quickly turned his head fully to Moira, who arched an eyebrow.
“What?” he asked. “Did I miss something?”
Moira folded her arms across her chest. “Mateo, are you playing games with me?”
“Games?” he murmured, leaning slightly past the girl to check the kitchen again. Abigail was staring at the plate as if something on it would bite her. Was she okay?
“Mateo!” Moira yelled.
“I’m sorry. You want to play a game? What kind of game? We have cards or board games…”
“Is this some kind of joke?” she hissed. “I asked you if you were interested in me five minutes ago and you were quite clear about your feelings. What’s changed between now and then?”
Mateo closed his mouth and blinked, straining to concentrate on Moira while Abigail pranced just a few feet behind him.
“Interested? Who said I wasn’t interested in you?”
“So you are?”
“What?”
“Do you think this is funny?”
“No. I don’t think this is funny. What are we arguing about right now?”
Moira huffed. “I know I may seem desperate to you, but I’m really not. I have a ton of men interested in me. I only came today because Melissa swore you were just a little rough around the edges, but this is way past what I can handle.”
“Excuse me,” a feeble voice said.
Mateo barely held back the groan of frustration when Abigail shuffled up to them. Had she heard the argument between him and Moira? Heat tinged his cheeks and embarrassment curled around his spine. This was not the picture he’d wanted to present. He had to find a way to make things right with Moira.
“Do you need something?” Moira smiled kindly at Abigail and side-stepped him to walk closer to her.
“I was just wondering if you wanted to split my lasagna with me. I was going to throw it away, but it feels so wasteful and I don’t want to offend Ida.”
“Sure,” Moira said. “I’m watching my diet too so I totally understand.”
“Great,” Abigail beamed and Mateo wanted so badly to snap a picture of her, he palmed his phone and fumbled with the power button before coming to his senses and sliding the cell back into his pocket.
“I’ll go with her,” Moira said without looking at him. Mateo nodded and watched the two walk off.
Abigail Palacio was here. In his living room. And she was getting married to someone else.
It all felt a little too overwhelming to be real. He had to sit down. Mateo walked to the living room and found an empty seat beside his brother.
“Mattie, didn’t you share out a plate?” His mom inquired, staring at him with worried eyes. “Do you want me to take out some food for you?”
“No, I’m fine,” Mateo said. “I’m not that hungry.”
His mother sent him a curious stare, but one of his little brothers grabbed her attention and Mateo was spared the interrogation.
“She’s hot, isn’t she?” Santi whispered as Abigail and Moira entered the living room and found seats beside Melissa.
“Who?”
“Abigail, doofus,” Santi said. “I totally understand why you’ve been pining after her.” Mateo slapped his brother’s chest and the plate in his hands nearly toppled to their feet.
“Hey! Watch it!” Santi yelled.
“I wasn’t pining and don’t say anything stupid like that in front of Moira, okay?”
“What? It’s better that she know now.”
“Just shut it.”
“Or what?” Santi snickered and forked a piece of lasagna into his mouth.
Mateo sent the kid a mean glare. Growing up with Parker and Mom had a lot of perks, but it also made his brother soft. Santi couldn’t fight to save his life. If he kept talking smack, Mateo would take him out back and remind him of just where they came from.
“So Abigail,” Melissa spoke quietly, but the name on her lips snapped Mateo to attention like a taunt guitar string, “how’s everything coming with the wedding planning?”
“I’m not sure. It hasn’t really started yet. I have a meeting with my dad on Tuesday to iron those details out.”
Melissa sighed. “I remember my wedding day. Everything leading up to the sixth was so hectic and crazy, I thought I’d never make it, but when the day actually came and I saw Nick, all my anxiety just disappeared.”
Abigail shifted and slid her gaze away from Melissa until it landed on him. Mateo sucked in a deep breath and stared right back at her, wondering why she had sought him out.
“In my opinion,” Melissa said, “the wedding dress, the flowers, the band, the food, it means nothing. Everything that matters is finding the person you can trust, depend on and love for all the days that come after the wedding.”
“I’ve been planning my wedding since I was six,” Moira said. Her comment caused Abigail to look away from him and the vise in
Mateo’s heart loosened a bit. “I get what you’re saying, Melissa, but I want my wedding day to be spectacular.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Melissa said. “As long as you’re certain about the man you’re getting married to. You don’t want to spend more time planning the wedding than making sure your future marriage partner is sound.”
“What are you guys whispering about over there?” Nick nodded at his wife. “How handsome and wonderful I am?”
Ida laughed. “Why on earth would anyone discuss something that isn’t true, Nick.”
“Oh!” Nick clutched his chest and fell into the couch, narrowly missing Reagan. “You wound me, Ida.”
The room burst into laughter and Mateo took the opportunity to observe Abigail. She smiled, but her lips were tinged in sadness. Was something wrong? Or had the years so stolen his ability to read her that he was looking too deeply into things?
“How was your wedding, Ida?” Moira asked.
“It was big,” Ida said.
“And expensive,” Parker rolled his eyes.
“I had a big poofy dress, which was always a dream of mine, but to be honest, I can’t remember much more of it. That was what?
Nine-ten years ago?”
“It was nine years. I’ll never forget it. You guys stuffed me into a monkey suit,” Santi grumbled.
“But you were so cute in it,” Mom cooed.
“I wanted to throw the flowers,” Santi explained to Abigail and Moira. “I had this great idea to rig a water gun with roses and shoot them down the church aisles, but Mom axed it.”
“It sounds fun,” Abigail said and this time, the smile she wore was genuine.
“If you’re into it, I can rig it up for your wedding,” Santi said. “It’s always been a dream of mine.”
Abigail’s lips turned down and Mateo felt his own doing the same. There it was. A reminder that Abigail was someone else’s woman.
Mateo had heard rumors, seen a few pictures online, but he’d never once considered that Abigail would marry someone else. Not after all they’d been through together. Not after that day…
“Thanks for the idea, Santi,” Abigail said, drawing him out of his thoughts, “but I think I’ll pass for now.” “You’re quiet, Mateo,” Parker said and at once, every eye was pinned on him.
“It’s wedding stuff. Not my scene.”
“I remember you being quite vocal in our wedding planning,” Ida said. “You and Abigail.”
“Oh yeah,” Nick added. “He and Abigail used to clash about everything.” “We really didn’t,” Abigail murmured.
“Yes, you did,” Melissa scooted to the edge of her seat. “You have to understand, Moira, Mattie was always headstrong, but even though he put up a lot of fuss, whenever Abigail said ‘jump’, Mattie asked ‘how high’.”
The room burst into chuckles and Mateo ducked his head. He’d been an idiot back then. Abigail Palacio had made a fool of him once, but he would rather chew on glass than let it happen again.