It happened one midnight, p.13
It Happened One Midnight, page 13
“I don’t—” she began.
“We’d be honored,” Tomas interrupted.
Juniper desperately wanted to look at him but didn’t dare because she wouldn’t be able to keep the What the eff? expression off her face.
“Of course we would,” she agreed. “We haven’t set a date yet, and it might be some time.”
She waved her hand in a way that was reminiscent of Gramma Petty. “Pish posh. It’s no never mind to me, my darlings. Love does what it will. I just want to be part of it when you do.”
“Definitely,” Juniper replied.
“I can see it already. How do you feel about pink?”
Juniper arched a brow.
“Obviously not a garish pink, but something soft and pale. It would contrast so beautifully with your black hair.”
“As long as you don’t put me in gray, I’m fine,” Tomas said.
This time she couldn’t help it. She whipped her head around to fix him with a stare.
He shrugged. “What? Gray looks awful on me.”
“I would never,” Rosebud promised. “I’m thinking a moss green for you.”
Juniper rolled her eyes.
Rosebud took her hand and examined her ring. “Oh, the godmothers were right. This ring is truly something special.”
“It’s magic,” Juniper said. “Or so Mama Estella says.”
Rosebud clasped her palms around Juniper’s hand. “She is absolutely correct.”
For a moment, it seemed as if Rosebud was trying to tell her something more, but then the moment was gone, and Rosebud dropped her hand and turned her attention back to their costumes for the masque.
“I’ll get these taken care of, my darlings, and you’re going to look amazing the night of the masque. I promise. It’s going to be the best night of your lives.” She grinned. “Aside from your wedding night, of course.”
“Of course,” Tomas agreed.
Just then, the fat cardinal that had been harassing Tomas earlier flew in through an open window and landed on Rosebud’s shoulder.
“There’s my sweet Bronx!” Rosebud kissed his head.
“That beast is yours?” Tomas blurted.
Instead of taking offense, Rosebud laughed. “He’s a bit on the grumpy side these days. He didn’t crap on you, did he?”
“He tried.”
“Bronx, that’s not nice.”
But the smug bird simply rubbed his head against her cheek.
“Let’s get you some tasty grubs, okay?”
“I already fed him some birdseed,” Juniper volunteered.
She’d swear the bird narrowed his eyes at her words. But that was just silly. Wasn’t it?
“That’s okay. Bronx works hard, don’t you, boo?”
He continued nuzzling Rosebud’s cheek.
“Make sure you stop in the bakery! It’s under new management. Red and Gran have moved out to the country because Gran wanted to retire. Although, she’s performing weddings now. Anyway, I think you’ll really like Gwen.”
“I can totally see Gran performing weddings. I’ll miss her Aztec cocoa, though.”
“I bet if you asked nicely, Gran and Red would be thrilled to have you out at the ranch for cocoa.”
“Red and Gran? You guys take this fairy-tale thing pretty seriously, eh?” Tomas said.
Rosebud obviously wasn’t bothered by this, either. “You’ll see, little Tomas.” She patted his cheek with a soft expression on her face. “You’ll see.”
From the way his brow began to climb up into the beautiful dark waves of his hair, Juniper knew it was time to go.
Beautiful dark waves? Hell on a cracker, she needed to get herself together.
“I think we’re going to be late for lunch. We better go.” She linked her arm through Tomas’s.
Rosebud grinned. “If you’re going to Pick ’n’ Axe, make sure you try their mutton stew. It’s the best thing you’ve ever eaten.”
“We will! Thank you again!” Juniper dragged him toward the door.
“That fucking bird,” Tomas muttered.
The bird in question squawked loudly, almost as if he’d heard and understood Tomas’s words.
“Juniper, slow down.”
“Nope. Not until we get to the pub.”
“I’m not going to lose it. I promise.”
“I don’t know, I think you were pretty close.”
“Not on Rosebud, even though it was slightly condescending of her to treat us like we’re children.”
“I think to her, we probably are. Don’t you remember that summer you came when she let us play in the attic of the shop?”
Tomas stopped walking. “You know, I don’t remember anything about visiting Ever After. Nothing. It’s almost like it didn’t happen.”
“That’s really weird.”
“Nothing could be as weird as that hotel.”
“I don’t know. Just wait until you meet Shandy.”
“What’s Shandy, besides a beer?” Tomas shook his head. “Wait, let me guess. He owns the pub.”
“He does! Along with his six brothers.”
“For fuck’s actual sake,” Tomas muttered.
Once they made it to the door of the pub, Juniper’s phone rang. She was tempted to ignore it, but something told her she needed to answer it.
It wasn’t a number she recognized. She hoped to hell it wasn’t another one of those calls asking about her car’s warranty.
“Hold on, I think I need to get this.” She swiped to answer. “Hello?”
“Hello, Juniper. This is Helen Williams. Do you have a moment to chat?”
She mouthed Helen Williams to Tomas.
He furrowed his brow and shrugged, as if to answer the unspoken question of wondering why Helen was calling her.
“Tomas and I were about to have lunch, but I can spare a quick moment. How can I help you, Helen?”
“I wanted to talk about your future.”
A stone the size of a mountain dropped inside her gut.
She was tempted to just hang up. Oops, bad signal. But she knew whatever Helen wanted to say, she’d still want to say it when they got back from Ever After.
“It’ll just take a moment,” Helen promised, as if sensing her displeasure.
“Okay,” she managed.
“First, I’m so happy you’ll be joining our little family. I think you could help us do great things at the foundation, the same way Tomas has done great things for the practice. Your marriage is going to be the frosting on the cake.”
“Thank you?”
Helen laughed. “I’m sure you’re overwhelmed, and I’m hoping instead of adding to that, that our chat can lend you some peace of mind.”
Peace of mind would be good. She wasn’t sure how Helen was going to accomplish that, but at this point, Juniper would try anything.
“I’m sure Tomas has told you that after you’re married he’ll make partner.”
“Yes.”
“There are other incentives, too, I thought you should be aware of. I know how scary it is when you’re first starting your lives together as a couple. But I want you to know, I’ve been where you are.”
You’ve pretended to be engaged to your best friend so he can make partner and get your grandmothers to stop trying to set you up? Doubtful, but we’ll roll with it, she thought.
“Oh really?” was all she could manage.
“When my husband and I met, he was with a little firm much like ours now. They had the same incentive structure in place, and it made planning for the future so much easier. In fact, I got a call much like this one after we got engaged.”
She wondered if Pick ’n’ Axe had enough tequila for her to deal with this.
“Oh?” Apparently, that was the limit of her available words for the day.
“Don’t worry, is what I’m trying to say,” Helen said in a motherly tone. “After Tomas makes partner, he’ll be making more money and have a better retirement, but we also have bonuses for other milestones as well. With the birth of each child up to three, the practice will open a trust for that child with fifty thousand dollars. For every five years of marriage, you will get a onetime bonus of a paid vacation to a destination of your choice. I can’t believe I almost forgot the most important parts!”
“Oh?” She shook her head. “I mean, what would that be?”
Helen laughed. “I know it’s so overwhelming. But the biggest perks we offer our partners are paying off any leftover student loans and any help you may need to buy your first home together.”
“I . . . I don’t know what to say.”
“Say that this is wonderful and you can’t wait to start your life with Tomas.”
Juniper swallowed. “This is wonderful, and I can’t wait to start my life with Tomas.”
“Fantastic. I’ll let you get back to your visit. Now that you have my number, call me if you need anything.”
“I will, Helen. Thank you.”
She put down the phone and looked at Tomas, feeling a little numb.
“What did she want?”
“To tell me about all the financial perks of getting married.”
“What?” He narrowed his eyes. “Are you serious?”
“Did you know they’ll pay off your student loans?”
“Yeah, actually I did know that.” He managed a half smile. “There’s more? Might as well tell me everything.”
“Bonuses for every five years of marriage. Trust funds for each kid, up to three, of course. Any more than that”—she shrugged—“fuck them kids, I guess.” She couldn’t help the snarl in her voice. Juniper shook her head. “With this kind of pressure, no wonder you feel the way you do.”
“It’s not just the pressure, Juniper. It’s everything.”
She pressed her lips into a grim line. “I understand. I do.”
He studied her. “Do you?”
His voice was low and soft, and it reminded her again of things she shouldn’t be thinking about on the wholesome streets of Ever After.
Or maybe she should. This was a town that was supposed to celebrate love, and carnality was definitely part of that for many couples.
It would have to be part of it for her.
“I do,” she said.
Just as she said that, the door to the pub swung open, and a short man with a bright red beard stood there and gave a mighty laugh.
“Don’t be saying your vows just yet, me girl. Come on in and give ol’ Shandy a hug.”
She leaned down to squeeze him with a laugh.
“And you’re the groom, eh?” Shandy eyed him. “Might as well come along. What’s your pleasure today? A bit of this mutton stew and some cider?”
“That sounds great,” she agreed easily, and Shandy led them inside the darkened pub and to a table off in the corner, far away from the pool tables.
Tomas looked around the place as they were led to their table, and after his first sip of the hard cider that was put in front of him, he nodded approvingly. “Okay, this place is living up to its reputation.”
“See? I told you. You should trust me when I tell you things.”
He looked at her over his mug, and she realized it sounded like she was talking about more than just their choice of where to eat.
She bit her lip, knowing she should qualify her statement but deciding not to.
“I do trust you.”
She held his gaze for a long while, not only unsure of what she wanted to say next, but if she was ready for the fallout.
Then her mouth made the choice for her. “You know, maybe we should just do it.”
“What? I don’t think I heard you correctly.”
“You did.”
“I didn’t.”
“But you did.”
“But I’m so very sure I didn’t.” He took another long pull from the cider. “Because if I did, you just proposed to me.”
“I’m already wearing the ring that doesn’t seem to want to come off.” She wiggled her finger at him. “Why not?”
“You just said you understood, Juniper.”
“I do. But hear me out.”
His brow did that thing again where it crawled up his head like a wandering yet well-clipped caterpillar.
“You’re not going to make partner until you’ve signed a marriage contract.”
“I know. And I’m considering leaving the firm.”
She swallowed. “That’s valid, but consider this. We’re already basically married, so why not reap the benefits?”
“This is even more insane than pretending to be engaged,” he said.
“Well, yes.” It was. It was completely batshit. “But we spend all our free time together, we don’t see other people, our lives really won’t change that much except for that our mothers will be really happy, you’ll be really happy because you’ll make partner, and I can take more risks with my work as well. And I get to see my best friend all the time. You could say we’re giving in to the pressure, or it could be the best prank we’ve pulled yet.”
“If I thought you believed like I did, I would say this was the best idea you’ve ever had. But you don’t. You believe in true love and happily ever after. Why would you take that away from yourself? For me? I can’t let you do that.”
“How about we rewind to the part where this was my idea? You can’t let me? Who do you think you’re talking to?”
He laughed then and nodded. “Fair enough, but what about . . .” Tomas shrugged and went silent.
He didn’t need to put it into words. She knew what he meant.
“What about it?”
“It looks too much like what you want, only you’ve dressed me in a cape that doesn’t fit.”
“I haven’t. I know full well who you are, Tomas.” She did, and it was at that moment she knew . . . everything. The knowledge steamrolled over her like a Mack truck.
It was what their mothers and her grandmothers had known all along. It was what that voice in the back of her head had been trying to tell her. It was what she’d been trying to deny for so long now.
Tomas Rivera was her person.
She’d been low-key in love with him for years. It had started with a stumble, that time under the stars when she’d been so sure he was going to kiss her. How oddly bereft she’d felt when he only touched his lips to her forehead. Then the remaining years in between had been a slow, yet steady fall.
The ring on her finger seemed to burn her skin, and she twisted it round and round underneath the table as her epiphany rose up in a tsunami that threatened to spill out of her mouth.
There had never been anything she couldn’t tell Tomas, but now there was this thing. This beautiful, glorious, powerful thing, and she should’ve been able to speak this truth to him.
Yet, she couldn’t.
Because she knew he didn’t want it.
He loved her, she knew that, but he didn’t believe in romantic love. These feelings coursing through her, he’d say it was simply a biological imperative.
She supposed he was right, in a way. He was vital to her in ways he couldn’t and didn’t want to understand.
“And who am I?” he asked. “In this equation, who do you want me to be?”
That was the question, wasn’t it?
“You’re my best friend. I’ve never wanted you to be anyone but who you are.” She took a drink of her own cider. “You love me. I love you. Why not?” Juniper forced a smile. “We could take that Galapagos trip for our honeymoon.”
“Why not? Because when you wake up and realize this farce isn’t what you really want, I’m going to lose you. And I can’t have that, Juniper.”
Her bottom lip quivered. “Don’t be silly. You could never lose me. I’m a fungus. For life.”
Except hadn’t she already had this conversation with herself? The one where she’d been adamant she’d never settle for anything less than everything? He knew her. He knew the parts of her that she didn’t want to face.
“Some fungi are symbiotic. What happens when you don’t get what you need?” His expression was earnest, and she’d swear it was almost haunted.
“I know what I’m asking for,” she whispered.
“Galapagos it is,” he said softly.
What had they done?
Nothing, yet. It was what they were going to do that was the problem.
And the way she was going to break her own heart. She knew it was coming. Juniper had the sure knowledge that every step forward was another down toward a special kind of torture that was going to hurt more than anything in her life ever had.
Yet, she accepted that was the price she’d have to pay.
Chapter 12
Something in Juniper changed at Pick ’n’ Axe and Tomas couldn’t help but think it was something he’d done.
He’d agreed to what she wanted, even though he knew it was a bad idea. So he didn’t understand why she was so muted, defeated.
It occurred to him that he was already losing her.
They couldn’t go back, not now.
The only way forward was through, and he didn’t know if he was strong enough.
He’d been so sure that they could survive anything, but if this was the thing that broke them? His mother would say that if they could be broken, they needed to be. Tomas didn’t agree.
For a moment, he reconsidered what she’d said about being married. How their lives wouldn’t change, but the two of them were already changing. The easy silences they’d always been able to share seemed to have become a thing of the past.
Yet he thought about coming home to her every night. Having her near him always. Never having to say good night. A forever sleepover. Seeing her with her deadline hair, in her dirty T-shirt, and having to silently make her enchiladas while she cried and typed toward the end of her deadline, the way she mouthed dialogue along with her characters and made their facial expressions as she wrote.
He grinned.
“Okay, what?” she asked.
“I was just thinking, maybe this marriage in name only won’t be so bad.”
“Gee, thanks.” She snorted.
“No, really. I get all the . . .” He cleared his throat. “We get all the marriage perks without the hard parts.”
“I wouldn’t say that’s a good thing,” she teased.
He rolled his eyes. Hard parts. “Listen, if you want those hard parts you can have them. You did agree to buy the whole pig.” The words were out of his mouth before he could think better of them, or perhaps his filter had simply disengaged. Or maybe it was those self-same hard parts doing the talking.
