Authors: Caroline Mickelson
No doubt Mr. O would ask for clarification during the next morning’s visit but that was okay. She’d make it a point that evening to ask Mateo how he wanted to handle the issue. Which suited her just fine, she didn’t want to spend one more moment thinking about having a family with Mateo. It was an impossible dream and her heart already hurt enough.
**
“Try to sleep, Abuelo.” Mateo leaned forward and tucked the blanket under his grandfather’s hands the way he liked it. “We can talk later.”
Joaquin smiled weakly. “Waiting for later is a waste of time.”
Mateo sat back in his chair and studied his grandfather’s face. For as long as he could remember it had been lined and worn from exposure to the sun, exposure to life for that matter. He remembered being about seven years old and asking his grandfather if all the lines were from worry. ‘Some,’ his grandfather had answered, ‘but even more are from being happy, from laughing and smiling. They’re easy to see because they’re the big important ones’. “I love you, Abuelo.”
Joaquin smiled. “I know. I love you too, mi hijo. I always have and I always will.”
Always. The word was like a knife twisting in Mateo’s heart. He and his beloved grandfather were almost out of time together. And he was old enough to know this was the way of life, he was man enough to understand and accept that. But the little boy in him carried the burden of an unbearable sadness.
“I’m happy for you and Ava,” his grandfather said.
Mateo could have sworn his grandfather winked at him. There certainly was a twinkle in the old man’s eyes. “I’m glad you were here to see us married.”
“Me too, my boy. Me too.” Joaquin’s eyes fluttered shut. “The three of you are going to be very happy.”
Mateo stared. “The three of us?”
His grandfather, eyes still closed, smiled. “Ava told me about the baby.”
Chapter Fourteen
Mateo stayed with his grandfather until well after midnight. A tiny bit of light glowed from the small lamp in the corner. The room was warm. And still. But his grandfather’s expression was peaceful. Mateo, however, felt anything but peaceful. What on earth had Ava said to his grandfather about a baby?
It was hard to believe that she would tell anyone that she was pregnant when she couldn’t possibly be. They’d never even discussed children. But it wasn’t like Ava to blatantly tell an outright lie. But she’d also done everything she could do to make his grandfather comfortable and happy. Maybe she thought that the knowledge Mateo was going to be a father would please his abuelo. And it obviously had.
Mateo leaned back and closed his eyes. An image of a pregnant Ava smiling up at him stole into his mind. The idea of her carrying his child sent a rush of warmth into his heart, even though he knew it was an impossible dream. Or was it? Could she actually be pregnant? He hardly dared to hope.
Although his intention had been to stay awake, Mateo dozed off. When he awoke he immediately looked over to the bed and was reassured to see that his grandfather was still asleep. His abuelo’s breathing was slow and shallow but this was the longest that Mateo remembered him sleeping at a stretch in weeks so there was something positive. Whatever Ava had said about a baby, it certainly appeared to have made Joaquin happy.
A quick glance down at his watch told Mateo that Ava was likely asleep. That precluded him from questioning her tonight, and it was probably for the best that he avoided seeing her when he went home. It was taking all the strength he had to keep her at arm’s length. The wedding had been over a month ago now and everyday he was finding himself more drawn to Ava. At the same time, a growing sense of dread filled him when he thought about the end of the arrangement. When Ava was gone from his life, it was going to feel like the clouds had permanently covered the sun.
He turned when the bedroom door opened. It was his Tio Oscar.
“Mateo, you go home,” his uncle whispered. “You should be with your bride.”
Another ping of guilt chinked at Mateo’s conscious. “I can stay longer, Tio. You need to go to work in the morning so you go get some sleep.”
Oscar shook his head. “I’ve taken a few weeks off to be with Sylvia. She’s going to need me.”
What he didn’t say, didn’t need to say, about being there for Joaquin, sent a ripple of sadness through Mateo. “I’m glad you’ll be here for Tia’s sake,” he said. “You think…” he let his voice trail off, unable to speak his question aloud. Did he really believe that they would lose their beloved patriarch so soon?
Oscar nodded in answer to the unspoken question. “We think so.” He glanced at the bed. “And we need to look at it as a blessing, your abuelo is in more pain than he lets on.” He laid a gentle hand on Mateo’s shoulder. “He’s ready to go, mi hijo.”
Mateo nodded. It took him a full minute to trust his voice to speak. “I’m glad you’ll be here.”
“Go on home, Mateo. We’ll call if we need you, I promise.”
Mateo did as he was bid, closing the door to the darkened house as quietly as he could. He headed through the opening in the hedge toward Ava’s house but he lingered on the porch for several moments instead of going in. He stared at the sky. The stars were unusually bright. He was going to miss his abuelo when he was gone. And he’d miss Ava when she was gone as well. He glanced at the master bedroom window, hoping that he’d see a glimmer of light to indicate his wife was awake. But her room was dark, which meant that a conversation about the baby would have to wait until morning. A baby. The very thought made him smile.
**
Ava awoke the next morning to the smell of coffee. And bacon. Fresh bread, too. She glanced at the clock. It was well past eight. Doubtless Mateo had long since gone to school. She inhaled deeply and then smiled, wondering which one of her new relatives had decided to play kitchen elf. She quickly showered, slipped into a white pique sundress with red poppies, and then plaited her hair into a neat French braid.
“Good morning,” she called out as she sailed into the kitchen. She stopped short when she saw it was her husband at the stove, spatula in one hand, plate in the other. “Oh.”
“Morning, Ava.” He forked several pieces of bacon onto the plate, added some scrambled eggs and a slice of freshly baked wheat bread. “I hope you’re hungry.”
Ava took the proffered plate. “Thank you, this smells delicious. For some reason I’m ravenous.” She glanced up at the clock. “I thought you’d have left for school by now.”
Mateo turned off the burners and turned to face her. His face showed both grief and a lack of sleep but also something else she couldn’t identify.
“I wanted to talk to you about something,” he said. He motioned for her to have a seat at the table. “Is coffee okay?”
Considering she was a caffeine addict and he knew that, the question surprised her. Coffee was beyond okay, it was a necessity. “Please.” She watched him as he carefully filled a mug with coffee and then splashed some milk in, just the way she liked it. “Is there something you want to tell me, Mateo?”
He handed her the mug and settled in the chair across from her. “I was going to ask you the same thing.”
Ava took a long, slow sip of her coffee. “We haven’t really seen each other long enough to have a full conversation.”
“I know, I’m sorry,” Mateo said. He reached out to cover her hand with his.
His touch was warm and Ava was surprised by just how much she welcomed it. “Don’t be sorry, that’s not what I meant,” she said. “How was Mr. O last night?”
The spasm of pain that flashed across his face was all the answer she needed. She squeezed his hand.
“He appeared comfortable and for that I’m grateful. But Tio Oscar has taken some FMLA time.” He sighed. “That tells me what I need to know.”
Ava’s heart sank. None of this was, or should be, news to any of them. Mr. O was elderly and his cancer was at an advanced stage. So none of this shocked anyone, but the pain, the impending sense of loss, was a heavy burden to bear. “I’m sorry.”
They sat in silence for several long moments before Mateo pointed to her plate. “You need to eat.”
Ava glanced down at the now cold bacon and eggs and her stomach suddenly felt sour. Even her coffee had a bitter taste. She pushed the plate away. “I can’t. I’m sorry.”
To her surprise, Mateo actually smiled. Why he found that the least bit amusing she couldn’t begin to understand but she wasn’t about to question it. She’d missed his smile.
He took her plate back to the counter and left it by the stove. “More coffee?”
She shook her head. “No, thank you.” She stood and pushed in her chair. “I’ve got to get to the office. Unless you need me here?”
Mateo reached up to massage his temples, his eyes closed for only a second. “No, you go. But Ava…please be careful.”
“Of course I will.” She turned to leave but her heart willed her to stay. She turned back to him. His expression was so forlorn that she couldn’t bear not to comfort him. She crossed to where he stood but then uncertainty made her hesitate. They’d had no physical contact since their wedding. Would he even welcome her touch? “Do you want me to stay with you?”
In answer, Mateo reached out and gently drew her into an embrace. He kissed the top of her head as gently as if she were a small child. She laid her cheek against his chest and listened to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. She never wanted to let go.
“Ava,” his voice was lower, tender, questioning. “Is it true?”
She didn’t move or pull away. She wanted to savor the precious moment of closeness for as long as she could. “Is what true?”
“Abuelo told me about your conversation yesterday morning. He told me what you said.”
Ava replayed what she could remember of the conversation in her mind. She stopped when she remembered that she’d said, ‘I will always love him, Mr. O. I can promise you that.’ So now Mateo knew she loved him. She bit her cheek but didn’t pull back to look at him. “Does it bother you?”
Mateo tightened his hold on her. “Bother me? Good heavens no, Ava. It’s the best news I could have ever hoped for. I didn’t even dare hope.”
Her heart began to race. He knew that she loved him and he didn’t sound anything but delighted by the knowledge. She felt a bubble of joy form in her heart. “You’re sure you’re not upset? I mean, it wasn’t part of our original agreement.”
Mateo laughed and held her at arm’s length. His smile was tender. “I couldn’t be happier about this, Ava. And I’m glad you told Abuelo. Hearing it from you meant the world to him.”
Ava stared up at him, surprised by his reaction. But she wasn’t about to press him about his feelings. The poor man was emotionally raw with grief and sadness. There would be time later to talk this all through. “I’m glad if he was happy about it.”
Mateo laughed. “Happy doesn’t begin to describe how either of us felt.” He reached down and gently cupped her face in his hands, his gaze lingering for a brief moment on her lips. “I’m just surprised that you told him first.”
“I didn’t know how you’d feel about it.” Truthfully, she’d had no intention of telling him, her only intent had been to reassure Mr. O.
Mateo leaned down and kissed her for a long moment. “This is the best thing that could have happened to us. It’s a new start, a beautiful new life.”
He was about to kiss her again when the front door bell rang. Not just once, but several times in a rapid succession. Sharing frustration at the interruption, they both looked toward the door as it opened. It was Tia Sylvia.
One look at her face, at the tears streaming down her face, was all Ava needed to know. She glanced quickly up at Mateo. The shock on his face told her that he knew, too. Mr. O was gone.
“Papa died.” Sylvia covered her mouth with her hands, tears flowed freely down her face.
“I’m sorry,” Ava whispered into the stunned silence of the kitchen. She pulled back from Mateo’s embrace and put her arm around his aunt’s shoulders. “Tell me what we can do.”
Sylvia took a deep shuddering breath. “Could you call everyone? Maybe start with my sisters and ask them to call their families?”
“Absolutely, I’ll start right now.” Ava glanced up at Mateo. He stood still, as if frozen by the news. She turned back to Sylvia. “Is Tio with Mr. O?”
Sylvia nodded and pressed a tissue to the corner of her eyes. “Yes, the paramedics are coming now.”
“Let me call the office and tell them I won’t be in. I’ll call the school, Mateo.” Ava said. “Then I’ll be right over and make the calls from your house. Someone should be there when people start arriving.”
“Thank you, Ava.” Sylvia dried her eyes and straightened her shoulders. “Mateo, will you come with us to the funeral home?”
The direct request seemed to do the trick and break through Mateo’s shocked silence. “Of course, let me have one moment with Ava and I’ll be right over.”
His tia hugged them both and thanked them profusely. After she closed the front door behind her, Ava turned to Mateo. His grief was palpable. Her heart ached for him. “Mateo, I’m so sorry.”
His eyes met hers. “Ava,” but his voice cracked when he spoke her name. He shook his head.
Ava wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him close. “Let me help you, Mateo.”
He held her against his chest with one arm and stroked her hair with his free hand. “You already have, Ava. You already have more than you know. I love you.” He kissed the top of her head. “If it weren’t for you and the baby, I don’t know how I could bear this.”
Then, before his words fully registered, he kissed her once more, released his hold on her and was out the front door before she could react. He loved her. Mateo loved her. Her mind started to spin. Baby? She shot a look at the front door and her eyes widened as the full meaning of his words sunk in. Baby. She felt frozen in place. Mateo thought she was pregnant.
Chapter Fifteen
On the morning the Ortega family buried their beloved patriarch, the heavens honored the new arrival with a brilliant blue sky. Ava, dressed in a navy blue sheath dress with a bolero jacket, stood at Mateo’s side during the graveside service. The family, honoring Joaquin’s wishes, did not hold a traditional mass. Instead, Mr. O had requested a brief service at the grave and instructed his family to go back to the house to spend the day together to share their love, laughter and good memories.