One Night with His Ex

by Katherine Garbera

  “Hey, Mo, I need you inside for a photo of all the groomsmen,” Malcolm said. “I have a surprise for y’all that I think is pretty cool.”

  “I think most of us are just happy to see you in love and marrying the woman of your dreams.”

  Malcolm shook his head. “I still can’t believe Helena said yes. I’m not nearly good enough for her, but I’m trying to make sure she’ll never regret her decision.”

  “She’s a lucky woman,” Mauricio said, clapping his hand on his friend’s shoulder.

  “I saw you with Hadley and Jackson earlier.”

  “Yeah, that wasn’t weird or anything,” he said.

  Malcolm laughed. “One of the cons to living in Cole’s Hill is that it’s hard to avoid past girlfriends.”

  “True.”

  “Helena already warned me I’d have to keep you in line. No fighting,” Malcolm said. “Not with Hadley or Jackson or heck, even me.”

  “I’m not doing that anymore,” he said. “That was just a bad spell.”

  “Glad to hear,” Malcolm said. “Behind all their Southern charm, the Everton ladies aren’t happy with you at all.”

  He didn’t blame them. “I’ll be on my best behavior.”

  “Mal, come on,” Helena said. “Daddy wants to get the pictures taken so he can take off his tie.”

  “Coming.”

  Mauricio followed the engaged couple into a sitting room. There was a large picture window with a spectacular view of the hills behind the house, which were covered with bluebonnets in full bloom. Crissanne Moss, one of the newer residents of Cole’s Hill, was acting as photographer today. She was engaged to Ethan Caruthers, who was related to Mauricio through marriage.

  “I’m going to do a shot of the ladies first, then all of you guys and then a big group photo.”

  There was some grumbling especially from the men as they stood with their backs against the wall. The last time they were all together waiting like this was in high school when they’d gotten their yearbook photos taken.

  He shook his head at the thought.

  “I hate photos,” Malcolm said. “I always look either like a creepy toothpaste ad or like I’m getting ready to be tortured.”

  “Just relax,” Mauricio said. “Maybe look at Helena. You don’t look creepy when you smile at her.”

  “Glad to hear it,” Malcolm said sardonically.

  “No problem, man.”

  “Guys, come on over,” Crissanne said.

  Mauricio walked past the bridesmaids and Hadley’s floral perfume scent filled the air. He couldn’t help taking a deep breath as he moved into the position that Crissanne directed him to. When she had everyone posed, she explained that they had to do a serious photo and a silly one. Mauricio realized that if he never had to be in another photo again, he’d be happy.

  “Now let’s mix it up,” Crissanne said.

  There was some jostling around Helena and Malcolm, who were in the center of the group. Crissanne kept moving the men and women to get a good balance of something that only she could see with her photographer’s eye.

  Mauricio stood toward the back; being six foot five, he was pretty much always in the back of any group shot. When Crissanne repositioned two of the bridesmaids, it put Hadley right in front of him.

  He stood a little taller and held himself back from her.

  “Okay, guys, I need you to put your hand on the shoulder of the woman in front of you,” Crissanne said.

  He put his hand on Hadley’s shoulder. As soon as he did, a tingle went through him. He noticed goose bumps on her left arm, and she shifted under his touch. Her breath become shallower and a slight flush spread down her neck. He felt a zing of awareness go through him, and he did his best to ignore it until Hadley glanced back over her shoulder at him and their eyes met.

  They both might have decided to move on, that they weren’t ever getting back together, but there was an undeniable sexual energy between them now; it hadn’t been extinguished. He knew better than to think that this would lead to anything more than the most exquisite sort of torture, but he couldn’t help rubbing his finger over the small bit of flesh exposed by the thick strap of her dress. Her skin was softer than he remembered, and she shivered delicately under his touch.

  Crissanne brought their attention back to her and snapped the photos. “Okay, you’re all free to go.”

  Hadley bolted from under his touch and all he could do was watch her go.

  Two

  One touch and she was back where she’d been all those months ago. She glanced around the busy party. Jackson caught her eye and nodded toward the door leading to the parking lot. She made her way through the crowd, careful to avoid all the women who had well-intentioned advice for her, and finally stepped outside and took a deep breath. She hoped that it was just being inside in close quarters with Mo that had made her react the way she had. But the truth was, her skin still tingled from where his fingertips had been. The back of her neck was still sensitive where his breath had brushed over it.

  “Hey, there. You look like the party was getting to be too much for you,” Jackson said, coming up and putting his hand under her elbow.

  His touch was nice. But it didn’t cause a chain reaction in her body the way that one small brush of Mauricio’s fingers had. That was the problem.

  She looked at Jackson. He’d always been a good friend to her, starting back in high school when they’d both been in the International Baccalaureate program and study groups together. He’d been skinny and small and worn those glasses that were too big for his face. Of course, he’d changed. Matured into the kind of man she would have said was her type if not for that damned Mauricio messing with her body.

  She wondered if she should just go home with Jackson and sleep with him. Maybe the fact that Mauricio had been her only lover was the reason why she still reacted to his touch. She toyed with the idea of sleeping with Jackson only until their eyes met. He was a good guy. He didn’t deserve to be dragged into her mess with Mo.

  “When you look at me like that I know this doesn’t mean anything to you,” he said.

  The sun was shining brightly, and it was the kind of late summer afternoon where the heat was so oppressive that being outside was a chore. She was just thinking that when she glanced past Jackson’s shoulder and saw Mo standing there on the patio outside the country club.

  She shook her head. It was over between them, had been for longer than either of them wanted to admit.

  “It could,” she whispered to Jackson, not sure if she was talking to herself or him. “It’s just...”

  “I’m not Mauricio,” he said with his usual bluntness. “I never will be. And I’m not about to apologize for that.”

  “I wouldn’t ask you to, and I don’t think you want to be Mauricio,” she said. “I like you, Jackson.”

  He laced their fingers together and pulled her toward the willow tree that had been planted decades ago and now had large branches that cascaded down to the ground. He held the willow branches to the side as they stepped underneath them into the relative coolness of the shade provided by the tree. She could hear the melodic sound of the fountain in the nearby water feature.

  He let her hand drop and then shook his head. “I like you too, Had, but not enough to play second fiddle to a Velasquez or any other man. There was a time when I might have considered it—”

  “No, there wasn’t. You’ve always been such a strong, confident guy. That’s one of the things I’ve always admired about you.”

  “But you’ve admired me as a friend, right?”

  “Yes. But I thought that’s what you wanted from me,” she said.

  “It is. I mean it would be a major cosmic F you to Mauricio if you and I had clicked and ended up married,” Jackson said. “But I wouldn’t do anything to mess with our friendship.”
/>   “Me neither,” she said, putting her hands on the sides of his face. He had a strong jaw with only a hint of five o’clock shadow. His eyes were gray, so unlike Mauricio’s with their dark power. Jackson was the kind of man she’d always thought she’d fall in love with and end up marrying. But the heart didn’t work that way. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be,” he said, before pulling her close and bringing his mouth down on hers. He angled his head for the kiss and she closed her eyes as their lips rubbed against each other’s. She opened her mouth and his tongue brushed against hers. He tasted of mint and it wasn’t an unpleasant experience but...

  There was no spark.

  Not a single bit of attraction. There was no way she could hook up with him to get over Mo. Not when all she could think was how one single brush of Mauricio’s fingers against her skin had set her on fire.

  No matter how much she wanted there to be a spark with Jackson, there just wasn’t.

  He pulled back and shook his head. “Well, hell. I guess we are meant to just be friends.”

  She smiled at the way he said it. “I was hoping for something more too.”

  “I bet,” he said. “You going back in? Want me to stay with you?”

  She shook her head. She’d had enough of being the proper Southern lady her mama wanted her to be. She was done standing in the same room with a man she didn’t want to lust after and pretending that she was cool with every society matron gossiping about her lack of prospects. “I’m not going back in. I think I’ve done my sisterly duty.”

  “Then I guess I’ll see you around,” Jackson said. As he walked away, she stood there in the shade of the willow tree and felt her hands clench into fists. She wanted to punch something or someone... Mauricio Velasquez, who had ruined her for other men, it seemed. She felt a scream rising up in her throat and realized she needed to get out of there. Go somewhere far away from engagements, her parents and the man she was thinking way too much about.

  * * *

  Mauricio went straight to the bar, ignoring his brother who lifted a beer toward him. He needed the hard stuff if he was going to be able to drive the image of Hadley and Jackson holding hands out of his mind. He knew he had no claim on her, and thought he had made his peace with that until he’d touched her.

  Touching her had proven that all of his growth since they’d broken up had been for nothing. The spark was still there. Maybe what they needed was one good lay to get it all out of their systems. But he somehow didn’t think that Hadley was going to be too interested in that.

  He ordered Jack Daniel’s neat and downed it in one swallow, and then forced himself to turn and move away before he started that slide back down to the out-of-control-guy he’d been last fall.

  They’d broken up when she’d moved to New York but had kept in touch with texts and video chats. Mo had missed her but he had been casually dating and hooking up as well. He’d texted her a few times saying he wanted her back in his life permanently without realizing that she was coming back to town the very weekend he’d sent his last text. Then she’d used her key to let herself in and surprise him at his place early one morning after he’d hooked up with someone else. She’d caught them together.

  Until that moment he had never realized what an ass he’d been. He had wanted Hadley back but he’d also hated to be alone so he’d been playing both sides. He shouldn’t have done that. He’d regretted it since then but he was too stubborn to admit that at first.

  He noticed Helena watching him with one eyebrow arched. He put his hands up and walked away from the bar, but as he turned, he knew he needed to sort this out. He was in the wedding party and had to spend the next nine months with this group. Helena deserved some reassurances that he wasn’t going to ruin her wedding with some sort of brawl.

  He walked over to Hadley’s sister. “I’m not going to F this up.”

  “Good,” she said. “Your mom reassured my mom that you were over Hadley.”

  “She did?” For fuck’s sake, he thought. His mom was going around making sure that everyone knew he’d behave? That was messed up. Like really messed up. He didn’t need her doing that.

  “Yup. You know what it’s like living here. It doesn’t matter that we’re the fastest growing small town in Texas, the attitudes are slow to change,” Helena said.

  He sighed. “Believe me, I know. You should be in real estate if you want to see slow attitudes. No one wants to pay full market value for anything.”

  “I’ve heard you have a way of charming them into paying the going rate,” Helena said.

  Real estate was a nice safe topic and one that he had no problem discussing. Anything to keep from talking about Hadley.

  “Your fiancé isn’t that bad at it either,” Mauricio said.

  “Good to know...” Then after a long pause, she asked, “Has he made any investments lately...big ones?”

  “Not that I know of. Why?”

  “It’s probably nothing,” she said.

  But he knew Helena. She wouldn’t have brought it up if it were nothing. “Want me to talk to him about something?’”

  She shook her head. “I’m not even sure if there is anything to talk about. It’s just he’s been acting odd and we have some funds unaccounted for.”

  Helena was notorious among their group of friends for her tight purse strings and keeping Malcolm on a budget. Or trying. It wasn’t that Mal didn’t earn a decent salary, but that he tended to be frivolous and impulsive in his spending habits. And Helena was a save-for-a-rainy-day girl.

  “I haven’t noticed any big new toys at work, but we are playing cards tomorrow night with my brothers, so I’ll see what I can find out.”

  “Thank you,” she said. “I don’t want to make a big deal out of anything, but I had to ask my parents to put a down payment on the flowers for the wedding and you know my mother. She thinks that means she’s in charge of the planning now.”

  He did know. His parents were the same way. If they were paying, they micromanaged every detail, which was why he hesitated to ask them to invest in any of his projects. “You’re welcome. It’s the least I can do for causing you stress today.”

  “I knew you’d behave.”

  “Right, because of my mom.”

  “Nah,” she said over her shoulder as she started to walk away. “Because you don’t like hurting Hadley.”

  Of course, she’d lobbed that as a parting shot so he couldn’t argue or defend himself against it. But it was the truth so who was he to argue.

  He noticed Diego watching him and just shook his head. He needed to get out of here. Now. He’d done his part to support his friend and even been pretty damned polite to Hadley’s new boyfriend, so he figured he could call it a day.

  He left the country club and the party, but once he got outside, he didn’t fancy going home to his empty penthouse apartment. He had always liked the place because Towers On The Green had been the first big development he’d done on his own in Cole’s Hill. And he’d claimed the penthouse that overlooked the square for himself.

  But he’d also lived there with Hadley for a short time and it had been where she’d come home from Manhattan to find another woman in his bed.

  “Mo, wait up,” Alec called from behind him.

  He turned toward his twin and stopped. Growing up, they’d gotten into a lot of good-natured fun switching places with each other and pulling pranks on friends and their parents. But these days Alec was busy running his tech company and Mauricio didn’t see him often enough.

  “Thanks,” Alec said. “I need a ride to the airport. Just got an email and I need to get to Los Angeles to take care of a problem.”

  “Sure.”

  “Want to come with me?” Alec asked. “A few days out of town would be nice and we could hang out. I feel like I haven’t spent enough time with you lately.”

&nbs
p; He shook his head. “I can’t. I have a meeting tomorrow with Homes for Everyone. It’s one of my bigger projects. I agree we haven’t been hanging out enough. When are you back in town?”

  “Ten days,” Alec said.

  “For the polo match that Diego set up?”

  “Yes. I can’t wait. Should be a good game,” Alec said.

  Diego and Mauricio had been working on a new horse stable closer to town and had added a field that was big enough to host charity polo matches. Diego ran the Velasquez ranch, Arbol Verde, which had been in the family for generations.

  Mo dropped his brother off at the airport and took the long way home, stopping by the old warehouse district where Hadley’s loft was. He told himself he was checking out the land because it might be a good development project. But he knew a lie when he told one to himself, and as he stared up at the corner loft unit and noticed that the lights were on, he had to force himself not to call her.

  * * *

  Hadley spent a restless night trying to forget that one little touch from Mauricio. She went for a run and then showered and pretended that her week was starting like every other one. She had this. Of course, she’d broken up with Jackson and now had to find something to fill her hours, which made her feel exactly like the old biddies who thought she needed a man to be complete. It was just... Her sister was engaged and most of her friends were in long-term relationships, and it was hard being the third wheel all the time.

  She went into her shop and took a moment to look around. The best part of coming back to Cole’s Hill was opening this place. She’d always known she wanted to do something artistic as an adult. After college, her career had taken her into brand marketing and graphic design, which was challenging and rewarding but had too many restrictions. She’d quickly realized she didn’t mind following a brief but hated having someone tell her exactly how to design a project.