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She raises those stunning chocolate eyes first to Mari’s, who is smiling in nothing short of motherly pride, to mine, and it takes me a hot minute to focus on anything other than how fucking proud I am right now before the wind is taken utterly out of both of our sails.
“Who…who are you?”
Mariana jerks her hand from both mine and Rey’s, the confusion on her dear face making my heart clench in pain.
“Where am I? Where is Thiago?” She rises from her seat as Penelope and two other staff arrive out of nowhere.
Rey stands, holding my hand like a lifeline as the caretakers for her abuela rally to care for her.
“Don’t you want to—”
She cuts me off with a soft voice. “Let’s just go, Alex.” Her eyes find mine. “Today was more than I could have ever dreamed of. To know that you met her, and even though this engagement is a lie, she was fully behind it…” She trails off, exhaling a heavy sigh. “It meant the world to me.”
Mari has been taken back inside, seemingly less distraught already in her familiar inner surroundings, and Rey shoots a pained smile at Penelope when she gives her the thumbs-up from inside Mari’s room.
“Come on, let’s go.”
Once she’s slipped into her shoes, we start for the exit, but I draw up before we have even exited the courtyard. “Rey, I want to honor Mari’s wish. I want to get married on…on…what was it called?”
“Dia de Juan Santamaria? Umm, pretty boy, that’s—”
I spin around, uncaring of where we are, and drop to my knees, a plea and a prayer on my face. “Rey, I want to make your abuela happy, your abuelo proud—and…”
I shrug as a grin splits my face. “And sticking it to Henry is an added bonus, I won’t lie.”
She giggles softly, glancing about at the bystanders as I edge closer on my knees, wrapping my arms around her slim waist.
“Let’s do it. Let’s do it for her.” I raise my biggest puppy dog eyes to Rey, resting my chin on her belly button.
“Let’s get married onDia de Juan Santamaria. Let’s give Mari the day she wants for you, Sunshine.”
Rey cups my cheeks in her soft palms, tears threatening to spill from her dark lashes.
“You realizeDia de Juan Santamariais insix days, right? That calendar in her room is years out of date!”
“Six days? Six months? Rey—” I stand smoothly, grasping her cheeks in my palms and dropping my forehead to hers.
“The timing doesn’t matter because you’re stuck with me forever. I know I’ll be in your life in whatever capacity you need me. When I said always, I meant it.”
Tears crest her lashes, and my thumbs brush them away as they glide down her cheeks.
“I’ve said it before, I’ll continue to say it until I’m blue in the face.I’ve got you,Sunshine.”
CHAPTER15
REYNA
“You look simply stunning, Miss Marquez.”
Simona, the stylist Alex had insisted upon, beams a bright smile as she slowly steps back.
Her entourage of hair stylists, make-up artists, lash and nail technicians, and heaven knows what else, are all wearing matching wide smiles as they watch Simona walk over to the long, full-length mirror that, up until now, has been covered.
She whips the white sheet from it with a flourish, and for a moment, I don’t recognize myself.
Stepping closer, I tilt my head in wonderment. I run my hands along the mulberry ruffles and gently slide my fingertips along the band that’s cinching my waist.
My eyes follow the movements, trailing higher along the gentle curve of my breasts, up to my bare collar bone that’s on full display thanks to the mass of curls piled artfully atop my head.
