Page 48 of When Javi Dumped Mari

Javi

Now

Wow, Crystal Canyon Farm is unreal . Now I understand why Mari chose this wedding venue.

The landscaping is lush, an abundance of flowers and vegetation blooming as far as the eye can see, and the main building, a barn that’s been converted into a multiuse space, is decorated with high-end furnishings and museum-quality art.

Best of all, the views of the valley below are postcard perfect. Smells good as hell in here too.

I step out onto the circular driveway and set my suitcase beside me as I wait for Mari, who insisted that I “stay put” so she can greet me.

Before long, delicate hands cover my eyes, and I take a moment to bask in her touch.

If only this were a different kind of reunion, one that had nothing to do with her upcoming marriage.

Haters gonna hate, and dreamers gonna dream.

“Luiz? Is that you?” I ask.

She laughs. “Damn, my hands are that rough?”

“Of course not,” I say on a chuckle.

“It’s good to see you, friend,” she says, settling in my arms as soon as I wrap them around her. We hold each other tight, communicating so much while saying nothing at all. She draws back, tucks a wayward curl behind her ear, and squints up at me. “How was the flight?”

“Too quick. I couldn’t even take a nap. As soon as I closed my eyes we were here.”

“Well, you can rest now. The cottages are fully stocked with drinks and snacks, and room service is available twenty-four-seven. Everything’s being charged to our account.”

“Nice. I guess I’ll be ordering a steak, then.”

“Order whatever you like. You’re a guest of the bride and groom.”

I peer at her, trying to gauge her mood, looking beyond the sunglasses hiding her eyes and searching for what’s underneath the surface.

She’s glowing, her serene expression revealing nothing, but she can’t stand still, and there’s a current of restless energy buzzing around her, as if she’s hanging on to a live wire behind her back. “How’s the bride holding up?”

“Not as frazzled as I thought I would be,” she says, rolling her shoulders. “I might have gone a little overboard checking my lists more than twice, but there’s something to be said for being anal.”

I waggle my eyebrows. “There’s something to be said for doing anal too.”

She snorts, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “Javier Báez, behave.”

I straighten and don a serious expression. “Done.”

“There’s the man of honor!” Alex shouts, approaching us with another guy—a relative, probably—in tow. There’s a twinkle in his eye. Pep in his huge-ass step. Which immediately puts me on high alert. Why are they in athletic gear, and why is he so sweaty?

He throws his arm over my shoulder. “My good man, how are you?”

“Fine,” I say. “How…are you?” I’m aiming for friendliness, but even I can hear the wariness in my voice.

“Good, good,” he says. “How was your flight?”

“Good, good,” I reply.

If he’s going to give me bullshit answers, I’ll do the same.

He studies me for a long moment, then says, “Listen, I wanted to personally invite you to participate in my bachelor celebration.”

Oh, okay, sounds benign enough. “Let me guess,” I say, rolling my eyes. “A strip club.”

He tsks. “Mari would have my head on a platter. Wouldn’t you, my love?”

Mari laughs. “In the final days before marrying me? I’d give you a pass.”

He winks at her. “Be that as it may, we have other, more grown-up plans.”

“Which are?” I say, trying to keep my voice neutral.

“Skydiving,” he replies, mimicking a bomb going off.

My stomach drops.

Mari’s brow furrows in concern. “Actually, I don’t think that’s a good idea. Javi’s afraid of—”

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” I blurt. I’m not letting this guy get under my skin.

And I’m certainly not telling him about my fear of heights.

Weakness is this guy’s fuel, so while a fear of heights isn’t one, he would definitely treat it as such, and I refuse to give him sustenance.

Starve, asshole. Starve. “I’m definitely up for it. ”

Alex raises his perfectly defined brows. “You are?”

I nod. “I am. Who else is going?”

“It’ll be me”—he taps the guy next to him on the arm—“my cousin Joel, here, and my uncle Ramón.”

I cross my arms and widen my stance, feigning nonchalance. “Sure, sure, why the hell not?”

“Why the hell not, indeed.” He gives me a toothy smile, then glances at his cousin, who’s staring at me like a hyena eyeing its prey. Assholes are so much more irritating when they travel in pairs.

“Well, all right,” Alex says, rubbing his hands. “Will this be your first time skydiving?”

“Yeah.”

“You’ll need to go in tandem, then.”

Thank God. That means I’ll be in someone’s expert hands. “Works for me.”

“Excellent. The transportation to the jump site is already set. Just wear comfortable clothes and meet us out front at seven a.m. tomorrow.”

“I’ll be there.”

He places a finger under Mari’s chin. “We’re going to check out the gym and the courts. Want to join us?”

She scrunches her face, her eyebrows shooting up. “Do you see these day-two curls? I would never.”

Alex shakes his head, an indulgent smile on his face. “My bad, princesa. I’ll see you later, then.”

“You will,” she says, smiling at him.

He kisses Mari on a cheek, a move that shouldn’t affect me but does. This man is going to be Mari’s husband. Maybe even the father of her children. My stomach twists; it’s probably going to be in knots this whole weekend.

Alex taps his cousin on the arm again, and then they walk off, bouncing a basketball between them.

Mari and I watch them disappear over a footbridge.

“You don’t have to go skydiving with them,” she says. “No one will think less of you if you pass.”

“Nah, it’s fine. The scared-of-heights thing was so long ago, when I was a kid. This should be good for me. Besides, I need to spend more time with Alex. You can learn a lot about a guy when he’s around other men.”

She looks askance at me. “Javi, please don’t get yourself hurt trying to find something wrong with Alex. It isn’t worth it.”

“Marisol Campos, it is worth it, and I won’t get hurt. I’m just going to be strapped to some instructor’s back and land on the ground twenty seconds later. How bad could it be?”

Mari pulls down her sunglasses and gives me a flat stare. “I’m not answering that.”

***

Mari sees us off the next morning.

“Bring him back in one piece,” she tells Alex as our group climbs into the passenger van that will take us to the drop zone.

“Princesa, we’re not going off to war. It’s skydiving. Only ten fatalities a year. It’s safer than driving.”

“Still, watch out for Javi,” she admonishes. “He’s not experienced like you are.”

“Of course,” Alex says, nodding.

I brace the doorframe to hoist myself into the van, but Mari clutches onto my long-sleeve T-shirt and yanks me back. Without a word, she wraps her arms around me tightly.

“Mari, I’ll be fine,” I say into her hair.

“Don’t try to be cute up there,” she says against my chest. “Just go up and come down.”

I lightly tap her chin and give her a confident wink. “That’s the plan.”

Alex looks between us, his mouth flattened into a thin line. “Any day now. We have a schedule to keep.”

Mari kisses Alex on the cheek—seemingly (and satisfyingly) as an afterthought—then chews on her thumb as she waves goodbye to us from the property’s driveway.

I pass Joel and his father, Ramón, both of whom greet me by way of a head nod.

As soon as I’m seated, I take deep breaths, trying to empty my brain of any worst-case scenarios.

There’s a reason so many people do this, right?

But maybe I’m not supposed to be doing this.

I mean, I’m firmly in the camp of folks who think if you get chewed up by a shark, you were somewhere you weren’t supposed to be.

By extension, if my ass gets chewed up by an airplane propeller, I can’t really fault anyone but myself.

Oh, and Alex. I can definitely fault him.

Because who the hell chooses skydiving as their bachelor party outing?

Which reminds me that I don’t know enough about the guy and should use this as an opportunity to get some dirt on him.

I study his face as I consider what approach to take. He’s movie-star attractive and wears his confidence like a second skin. But as Chloe observed, it’s all suspiciously perfect. I need to find the cracks in his shiny exterior.

“So, Alex, are you nervous about getting married in two days?”

A couple of rows ahead of us, Joel turns his head to the side, as if he’s trying to listen in over the soft rock music playing through the van’s speakers.

A smile tugs at Alex’s lips before he responds. “Nervous? No. How could I be? I’m marrying Marisol. She’s literally perfect.”

I throw up a hand. “I love Mari too, but I think we can both agree she isn’t perfect. I mean, no one is, right?”

“Where’s the flaw?” Alex challenges.

I turn to face him, propping one leg over the other. “The way she leaves toast crumbs in the margarine tub.”

He laughs. “I don’t eat that crap, so I don’t mind.”

“Well, what about the way she stands at the refrigerator door and blocks everyone else when she’s grazing?”

“That’s a flaw?” he asks, his eyebrows drawn together. “I think it’s adorable.”

“Okay, but I bet you sleep through all those classic black-and-white movies she forces you to watch: Casablanca , Seven Samurai , Sunset Boulevard. ”

“No, no,” he says. “I loved them all.”

“Oh yeah?” I’m getting more frustrated with each word out of his mouth. “Which was your favorite?”

He ponders my question a moment, then says. “Um, Citizen Kane , maybe?”

“ Interesting .” And truly enlightening. “You two are a match made in heaven, then.”

“We really are,” he says, straightening his shoulders.

I close my eyes to signal that, as far as I’m concerned, this conversation is over, but Alex whispers my name, forcing me to engage once again.

“Psst, Javi.”

I open an eye to find Alex angling his backpack so only I can see its contents. “Want a shot of tequila?”