“Yes, that one.”
Something stirred inside me. The memories of that place. And now adding Elly to them too. “Getsemani it is.” Another pause as I tried to collect my thoughts. I looked down at my notes in front of me.
“Okay. Next. We will not announce the wedding date yet, but we will have the ceremony in two months. That gives you enough time to meet my family, win their heart…”
“Are you sure your family won’t see through this?” Elly asked. “And what if they don’t like me? I mean, I’m not exactly part of the elite club. And don’t you all, like, marry each other? Rich family to rich family?”
I bit my lip. I couldn’t exactly lie to her that that practice was ancient history. The elite didn’t usually go for anyone outside “their own”, or else they may end up with an Elonzo/Lavina situation.
Thankfully, though, my parents were different. They weren’t the type to turn their noses up at any person they may pass by on the street or welcome to their home.
Suddenly, a worrying thought occurred to me.Yes, my parentswerelike that. Before Lavina. What if they’ve suddenly had a change of heart? What if now they will be more reserved, more closed? What if I’m leading Elly on, only to have my mother or father shut the door in her face?
I gritted my teeth.I should’ve thought more about this.
But now, there’s no way to go back.
“They will love you,” I said. “My parents will be glad to welcome you.” It wasn’t a lie if I didn’t know if it was true or not.
“You didn’t answer all of my questions,” Elly said, her eyes on mine. She frowned. Could she see through me? No, I had an excellent poker face.
How long could I pull it off without answering that first question? “My parents aren’t like that, okay? You’ll get to meet them tomorrow.”
Elly’s eyes widened. “Tomorrow?” Her voice was almost a squeak. “Isn’t that…too soon?”
I shrugged. “It’s my Father’s name day and we always have a family celebration at their place. I think it’s ideal. Plus, we have two months so we need to hurry things up. I mean…after we sign.”
I nodded at the contract. Elly chewed on her bottom lip.
“What if your parents see through all of this? What then?” There it was again. The question I was trying to avoid. But there was no way out of it.
“I will take the blame, then. You don’t need to worry about it, Elly.” We locked eyes. She nodded.
“Okay.” And with that, she picked up the pen that lay between us and signed her name on both contracts. I then signed my name.
“And now…” I whispered, looking up at her. “You are to be man and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
Elly rolled her eyes. “Don’t get your hopes up, Sebastian.”
CHAPTER19
ELLY
If Sebastian’s mansion had taken me by surprise, his parents’ mansion was like something out of a fairy tale.
I never thought I’d say it, but Sebastian’s mansion was like a private apartment compared to the senior Rojas’ abode. Even the hotel I’d been staying at was small by comparison. It was like stepping into a different world. Or driving into another world in another of Sebastian’s sports cars. He did try to get me excited about this one, what with its horsepower and something about its wheels. But the most I could offer him was a “That’s nice.” A car was a car for me. Sometimes it had air-conditioning and didn’t break down in the middle of the highway every time you were headed to something important like your graduation party. Or prom.
As the front gates opened to let us in, we were greeted with a fountain the size of a pool, a mermaid blowing water out of her mouth as the centerpiece. Palm trees circled the pool, their branches bending over as if in prayer or worship over the crystal-clear water and foam that was collecting from the fountain. A man who looked to be the gardener was snipping at a few rose bushes by the front steps. He glanced back at Sebastian and me as we approached and grinned.
“Sebastiano!” His voice was deep despite his small frame.
Sebastian grinned. “Matteo!” The two men clapped each other on the back, Matteo ruffling Sebastian’s hair. The man turned to me and said something in Spanish, but I struggled to catch the meaning.
“Elly.Sí.” Sebastian answered him and turned in my direction to translate. “Elly, this is Matteo. He’s been taking care of my mother’s gardens for over twenty years. He knows everything there is to know about flowers and plants. Everything you see here…” At this, Sebastian made a sweep with his hands of the whole property. “Is because of Matteo.”
With one swift move, Matteo cut a bright red rose from the bush he had been trimming and offered it to me.
“Señorita,” he said.