Page 148 of Along Came Amor
Roman spotted Ava talking in hushed tones with Michelle. When he approached, Michelle took one look at him, said, “See ya!” and darted off to where Gabe chatted with Jasmine’s brother, Jeremy.
Dark sunglasses shielded Ava’s eyes, and her smile was polite, but cool. Ah, the Resting Pleasant Face was back. Was it because her family was around, or was it for him? He guessed she hadn’t told Jasmine and feared his reaction.
He wanted to slide the sunglasses off her face and kiss her, to tell her that he wasn’t going to scold her. Instead, he stuffed his hands in the pockets of his linen slacks.
“How was the spa?” he asked. He knew she and several of her relatives had gone for mani-pedis earlier in the afternoon.
“Fine.”
“Relaxing?”
Ava huffed out a humorless laugh. “With my grandma and aunts? How could it be?”
“Silly question.” He moved closer and lowered his voice. “Did you...?”
She was already shaking her head before he could finish the question.
“No,” she said quietly. “I’m sorry.”
“I see.” He said it slowly, trying to unpack the myriad emotions tightening her voice. God, hewishedhe could see her eyes. “Are you okay?”
She shook her head again. “I’ve had a headache since last night.”
Shit. And she was standing out here in the glaring sunshine. “What do you need? I can bring you a chair. Get you some water. An umbrella. A fan.”
“It’s all right. I have a water bottle.” She pulled a metal cannister out of her shoulder bag and took a long drink.
“Ava...” He gave in to the urge to run his fingers through his hair. “I gotta tell you, it’s killing me to stand here with my thumb up my ass, acting like I don’t love you more than life itself.”
Her lower lip trembled, breaking his heart. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“I don’t need you to apologize.” He fought to keep the frustration out of his tone. “I just need you totalkto me.”
“I will. I promise.” She started to turn away from him.
“When?” He said it quickly, because he wanted to grab her wrist and pull her back, like they were the leads in one of the Korean dramas his mother loved.
Ava bit her lip. “Before the rehearsal dinner.”
And then she plastered her Resting Pleasant Face back on and went to speak to Jasmine’s mom.
Roman watched her go, a hole opening in his stomach as he resisted the impulse to go after her and kiss that fake-ass smile right off her face.
Miriam, the officiant, was the last to arrive. “Sorry,” she calledout, as she hurried across the sand. “I was getting a massage and fell asleep on the table. Ten out of ten, highly recommend.”
Belinda clapped her hands to draw everyone’s attention. In her usual domineering manner, she reiterated all their roles and took them through the timeline of the ceremony.
“Why does the wedding planner remind me of your mother?” Roman overheard Jillian whispering to Michelle.
“Same Latina ringmaster energy,” Michelle replied, stifling a laugh. “Necessary for wrangling a bunch of clowns like us.”
Finally, it was time to practice, and no one dared deviate from Belinda’s meticulous plan.
When Michelle’s niece Danica went forward as flower girl, she flounced down the aisle and mimed the act of dropping petals with exaggerated flourishes.
“Is she going to do it that way tomorrow?” Ashton asked Jasmine.
Jasmine grinned. “I sure the hell hope so. It’s exactly how I would have done it at her age.”
