I WAS STANDING at the front door of Leti’s childhood home, and my hands were fucking sweating.
“Come in, Max,” Leti’s father called out just as I raised my hand to knock on the metal screen door. I rubbed the back of my neck before cleaning my feet on the doormat at the front door and entering his home.
Gerardo Montenegro was a man’s man. One who had fathered two beautiful daughters— one who was now married and had just announced was expecting his first grandchild, another who had just graduated.
“Hey, Mr. Montenegro.” I waved. He studied me, and his lips quirked upward before he looked up at the ceiling and shook his head.
“How many times do I gotta tell you,” he said, looking at me, “Call me Gerardo, yeah?”
“I’m, shit…” I had no reason to be as nervous as I was. Gerardo liked me. Respected me. He was a man’s man, but he was also a dad who had never had sons, and he was very clear about how he felt about the men in his daughters’ lives. He liked how happy and loved Leti was with me.
“You know,” he started as he walked through his living room, waving at me to follow him. We walked through the house towards the garage, which he had made his space. “When I first met you, I thought this day would have come a lot quicker,” he said over his shoulder before relaxing into his recliner. The space was decorated in baseball paraphernalia. Los Angeles Dodgers shit all over the place, and it was the epitome of a man cave.
“You owe me twenty bucks, Max.”
“How?”
“I lost a bet with my mother. I bet you would show up a year ago.”
He and I both.
But I had to make sure I was doing things right for Leti. Instead of proposing a month after making things official like I would have preferred, I’d waited. I’d waited for her to declare a major and graduate. I knew how important her diploma was to her, and it wasn’t like she had been far from me. We had moved in together shortly after her sister’s wedding. We had been solid all this time, but it was time to make it even more so.
“Mr. Montenegro,” I cleared my throat, and his deep laughter made my eyes snap up to his.
“Son, sit down, will you? You look like you’re about to pass out or puke.” He pointed to the loveseat across from the recliner he’d chosen, and I nodded and took a seat. “I know why you’re here, Max.”
“Sir—” He put a hand up and silently asked for me to let him talk, so I did.
“I know why it took you this long to get here,” he said and sighed, rubbing his face before leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his eyes meeting mine. “I thank you for it,” he shared, and emotion knotted in my throat.
“It was something she wanted to do.”
“I know.” He nodded. “Nina was easy. Calm. Leti though…”—he smiled and shook his head—“Between us, Leti reminded me a little too much of myself when I was her age. Wild. Untamable. Going where the wind blew, seeking adventures like her next breath depended on it. Then my mom came home talking about you and the man Leti had found, I gotta tell you kid, I was worried. Freaked the hell out. Not only were you older than her, but your life was settled in a way she wasn’t ready for. I was afraid you were going to dim that light for adventure she has.” He swallowed, and I opened my mouth to say something, but he shook his head, putting his hand out to give him a minute. “Meeting you for the first time, I knew I would be fucking lucky to call you my son one day, Max.”
My eyes stung. My dad had passed away when I’d been a punk kid at seventeen. But I knew right then and there my dad was looking down with pride at the man I’d become.
“Seeing Leti not only thrive but you help feed and nurturing that side of her, putting her needs above yours, not just any man could do that.”
“Thank you, Sir,” I said roughly.
“You got the ring?” he asked, and I nodded, taking it out of my pocket and handing him the small white box, then and watched Gerardo Montenegro’s face dissolve into genuine joy before meeting my gaze. “She’s is going to love that.”
“Thank you.”
“Welcome to the family, son,” he said, standing, and I stood, meeting him halfway for a man hug.
Leti
“Max! Hurry up! We’re going to be late!” I shouted from the living room as I looked into my backpack, triple-checking we had everything we needed to catch our flight to Orlando, and from there we were going to fly to the Bahamas.
He was in our bedroom, a little quieter than usual, but he got like that when it came to his shop. I had assumed it was due to the fact this was the longest amount of time he would be gone since he had opened it.
“You know Logan won’t let anything happen to the shop,” I called over my shoulder, trying to be as supportive as I could. His best friend, Logan, the groom who had been left at the altar, was going to be taking care of the office part of the shop, and his other two buddies and mechanics would be taking care of all the scheduled cars and drive-ins.
Maybe two weeks away was too much? Maybe we could cut our trip to seven days.
“I’m not worried,” he said as he walked into the living room.
“You look nice.” I smiled. He was in a black tee that clung to his muscular torso. I couldn’t wait to see him in nothing but swim trunks.
“You do too, baby,” he said, lifting my bag and his in one hand and leaning in to kiss my neck. “Ready?”
“Always.”
We arrived at the airport with more than enough time, and he checked us in. We went to the airport bar and finally got on our flight. The couple of days leading to our trip had been exhausting. What with packing, Max’ weird mood, and my graduation. It felt like I sat down, rested my head on Max’ shoulder, and knocked out.
“We will be arriving in Las Vegas shortly. It is a warm eighty-three degrees,” the pilot said in the loud speaker just as I woke up.
“Vegas?” My eyes popped open and my heart tweaked in my chest. Vegas! What the hell? I looked at Max, but he didn’t look surprised. He was calm and cool.
“Max! We’re in Vegas.”
“I know. Don’t worry about it.” He shrugged like the mistake wasn’t huge. Like we weren’t in a whole other state.
“Don’t worry about it? We’re supposed to be on our way to Florida, Max.”
“We will be. Trust me.” He winked like he didn’t have a care in the world, and I was confused. Utterly baffled. I was the easygoing one when plans changed last minute. Not him!
We got off the plane, and with our carry-ons in one arm and my hand in another, Max led us towards the front of the airport.
“Max, where are we going? We need to get on another flight. We need to figure out what happened,” I said, stopping in my tracks, and he looked at me and licked his lips.
“Trust me?”
“You know I do—”
“Good,” he cut me off. “Come on!” He pulled my arm, and I followed him. I mean, who was I kidding? I would follow Max anywhere.
We got in a town car, and it took us to the Strip. The casinos were bright, and the streets filled with people walking up and down the streets. He was quiet, and I wasn’t asking questions; I was going to ride this out, and whatever was going to happen would.
The car stopped and the driver slipped out and opened the door. Max slipped out, and when I slid down the seat, he was waiting for me with an arm out for me.
“Ready?”
“For?”
“Last-minute change of plans.” He winked, and I took his hand trying to process his words. He hated last-minute changes. He pointed up at the hotel, and I laughed, loud, and covered my mouth. “It’s the hotel!”
In all the time we had been together, we had been back to Vegas once but stayed off the Strip. Now we were back at the hotel where our paths had crossed.
“Come on,” he said, and I followed, Hand in hand he rushed us through the casino and to the very spot where he got rid of the drunk creep. It wasn’t the same slot machine anymore, but it was the same spot of the casino floor.
“You were right here,” he said, so much love shining through his eyes, and I couldn’t believe what he was doing. “I saw you before you saw me, and I wanted to figure out a way to get close and talk to you,” he shared, and I was rendered speechless. I opened and closed my mouth, trying to find something, anything, to say.
“You did?” I asked.
We had talked about so much through the years we’d been together, but this was the first time he had shared this with me. I knew something monumental was happening.
“Oh yeah.” He grinned. “Then that guy came up to you and I lost my mind. I didn’t stop or think I should keep my cool, or anything. It was like a whole other side of me came alive,” he said, and a tear trickled out. “Everything seemed brighter. Better. And I lost my head and went at the guy. It was like something was pulling me right to you.”
I smiled, and my nose stung as I sniffled.
“Come on.” He tilted his head, and we walked towards the tables. We moved around the crowds, zig-zagging through, but he never let go of my hand. He stopped us and dropped our bags on the ground when we reached the table where I’d won big. The place I had first called him my last-minute good luck charm.
“This is where you sparked me up to life,” he said, his voice grave and serious, almost nervous. “I saw how you were. You were like a live wire, and I wanted to live in that force field. I felt so damn alive with you, I felt like everything before that moment had been lived in muted grays.”
“Max,” I whispered, and he held my hands with his as he looked at me.
“We were tipsy and high on adrenaline, but fuck me, Leti, I think I fell in love with you right then and there.”
“You did?”
“Yeah, then the rest of the night was just as great, and when I woke up the next day and you were gone… I swear I felt like I’d been punched in the gut.”
“But our paths crossed anyways.”
“Thank fuck,” he said with so much relief in his voice I felt it.
One of his hands left mine, and it moved to the back of my neck. His thumb grazing a sensitive spot, and it clicked. I knew what he was doing. He’d done it before. He was rubbing the spot he’d marked.
“I left a hickey on you that night,” he whispered low enough I knew it was for my ears only. “I liked that I left it there. I know it sounds barbaric, but I liked knowing I’d somehow claimed you.”
“Perv,” I teased with a small smile.
“I think it’s time I mark you again.”
“You do, huh?” I flirted, wagging my brows. “I wouldn’t mind a hickey.”
“Hmm, I was thinking something a little more… permanent?”
“A tattoo?” I guessed, and he laughed, dropping his hand as he pulled me in and hid his face in the crook of my neck.
“I love how after all this time I still don’t know what you’re going to say.” I stilled. “Don’t go there. You know I love that about you. How because of you I get to have a lifetime full of surprises.”
“Max,” I sighed and smiled.
There were so many sides to Max, but one of my top favorites was ultra-romantic Max. He didn’t show up a lot, usually because Max didn’t need to. His actions spoke for him and how he felt. Never in the time we had been together had I wondered where I stood with him. Never did I question if I was a priority to him. But when ultra-romantic Max popped up, it was so big, you didn’t know how you hadn’t read it in a book yet.
“I know you were worried you were too all over the place when we first started out, but did you know I was scared too?”
“Of what?”
Of fucking shit up between us. Being too rigid and boring. Somehow accidently dimming your light and your need for adventure,” he confessed, and I pulled away, my own hands reaching up to meet his face.
“Baby.” I searched his eyes, and he shrugged.
“I know it sounds stupid, but I worried.”
“But you drive a motorcycle any chance you get,” I blurted out and felt his body shake with laughter.
“That doesn’t mean I’m as adventurous as you.”
“I always just thought of us as two different types of… adventure seekers.”
“Come again?”
“You know I would be scared shitless trying to drive a bike, but I can ride with you. Just like you would hate jumping out of a plane with me, but you’re behind me when we’ve gone ziplining.”
“Jesus, babe,” he exhaled, and it looked like a heavy weight had been removed from his shoulders. “Leti, that’s why this took so long. I wanted you to be ready.”
“Why what took so long? And ready for what?” I asked, and my mouth dropped to the floor when he stepped back and kneeled in front of me. “Shut up!” I cried, covering my mouth and jumping up and down. “Are you serious!”
“This is where it all started,” he pointed out, and he became slightly blurry.
“Oh my god!” I said too loudly, but he didn’t seem to care.
Everyone around us seemed to stop and watch what was unfolding, but I didn’t see them. I saw the man of my dreams, the man I loved with every part of my being kneeling in front of me, a small black ring box in his hand.
“You didn’t just bring me to life, Spark Plug.” His deep voice was steady, and the happy tears started to roll down my face. “You are my life, Leti Montenegro. Say you’ll be mine forever.”
“I already am, baby.” Didn’t he know that?
“That a yes?” His lips twitched, and I nodded my head furiously. “You going to marry me, Spark Plug?”
“Yes!” I fell to the floor, kneeling in front of him, and hugged him. “Yes!” I said into his ear, breathing in the man who got me. Understood me in a way I never thought would happen. The man who showed me how much he loved me every day in a way that made it seem easy. Seamless.
I couldn’t believe how life took twists and turns.
But I had to say, I loved last-minute surprises.
Especially when they involved Max Riley.
