Page 54 of Fixed Up Ever After
“Dolores, let’s go. We have our jobs to do,” her mother said, making a beeline to the door, expecting her daughter to follow. With one last half smile geared toward her sister, Lola left the room. They had a wedding to start and there was a beautiful man waiting among the guests for her to face.
CHAPTER33
Javi
Lola was avoiding him.
Javi tried not to let that affect him while he was getting ready with Travis, listening to him talk about the different golf courses he had visited last year. He did his best to conjure up the ability to care, even though he didn’t give two shits about golf and the only thing on his mind was Lola. She clearly saw his texts but was making the conscious choice not to respond.
She could be busy. It was wedding day after all, and Archie was in the other room, taking a round of shots with his groomsmen, all clad in shades of white. He had the feeling they had all belonged to the same fraternity in college. Javi hadn’t gone to college and most certainly never belonged in a fraternity, so he was sorely out of place.
He hadn’t wanted to go, but he couldn’t tell Lola’s father no. Especially when Lola all but pushed him into his eager arms. Something was bothering her and he wanted to know what.
Despite her not answering, Javi continued to text her unabashedly. She was going to hear from him, even if she didn’t respond because he needed her to know he was thinking about her.
He texted her when Travis asked him to go golfing with him. Then again to send a sneaky photo of Archie and his basic-ass friends discussing some boring policy in regard to their business. He sent her another message when they were on their way to the venue.
Since Javi wasn’t in the ceremony, he didn’t have to spend any more time with Archie. Not that the time they spent together mattered much. Archie never acknowledged him when he walked in with Travis and Javi hadn’t gone out of his way to congratulate him. Travis also never pushed Javi to talk with Archie, and Javi appreciated that.
They didn’t have to go far for the wedding. The top floor of the hotel—which could only be accessed by a special code given to guests—felt like stepping onto the first pages of a fairy tale storybook. The room was decorated in splashes of green and silver. The altar in the center of the room was raised with an arch made of greenery and twine covering most of the platform. Rows of benches that looked like they were sculpted from tree trunks lined the rest of the room with a sheer white runner going in between. If he had to guess, the room would hold close to two hundred people. Judging by the number of people here, Javi assumed the place would fill up soon.
The theme and decor were not what Javi expected for Marisol. He had pictured sleek corners, white and cream color arrangements, and flowers that looked to be grown in shops and not in the wild. Though if she was playing up the fairy tale theme because she viewed herself as the princess of the family, she accomplished that.
Not wanting to mingle with guests who made his yearly salary by simply coughing in the right direction, Javi took a seat in the back. There was still no sign of Lola, but he hadn’t expected to see her yet. Though he wanted to catch a glimpse of her soon to see her dressed in her figure-hugging dress, hair and make-up done, looking like the most beautiful woman in the room. While everyone would have eyes on the bride, his would be on Lola the entire time.
As he waited for the guests to filter in and the wedding to start, Javi’s mind wandered. He thought of Camilia. He missed her little hugs and the way she would crawl into his bed each morning to cuddle before they had to leave for school or make breakfast.
He thought of the work that still needs to be done on Phoenix. He hadn’t heard much from his crew and when he checked in yesterday, one of his lead men sent him progress photos of the shelves. They looked damn good and they weren’t even finished. He hadn’t seen all the progress in person yet, so he was itching to get back to the store.
Naturally, his mind circled back around to Lola. The way her body moved against his when they made love. For that’s what it was. Sometime throughout the night, it had changed from a need to feel one another and get off as quickly as possible, to something that meant more than either was willing to admit. But Javi could admit it now.
He loved Lola Roberts.
The revelation should frighten him. Should have made him fall back into his insecurities and doubts about money. How he was juggling time between being the perfect father and a loving partner, but those fears seemed so trivial now. There was a solution there and he was certain he would find it, but he didn’t want to do it alone. He wanted Lola by his side and he hadn’t been the best at telling her that.
Maybe that's why she was avoiding him. They hadn’t yet had time to talk about how their fake dating turned real so fast. He should be there to help her through her insecurities and fuck out any doubts she might have about their relationship because he wasn’t going anywhere. Lola was his.
The opening chords of a familiar hymn started to play. Javi looked up to find Archie and his men at the altar. When did that happen? The grand doors opened up and everyone’s heads swiveled around as the first bridesmaid walked in, holding an elegant bouquet of white flowers.
Two other women he did not recognize followed after, making their way toward the bride's side of the altar. The music quieted some as the last bridesmaid walked out. The navy-blue gown hugged her curves like a glove. He loved her body, loved the way it felt underneath him or snuggled up against him. Her dark, caramel hair was pinned in the back with loose strands framing her face. Her eyes had a smokey look, making them look sultry. Despite all the eyes on her, she kept her chin up, looking fucking breathtaking as she commanded the aisle.
Lola was a sight to behold.
Long after Lola went to stand in her spot by the other bridesmaids, Javi didn’t look away. He didn’t look away when Marisol walked in and made her way up next to Archie. He didn’t look away when vows were exchanged and rings were put on fingers. Lola’s eyes kept scanning the room as if feeling his stare. It wasn’t until the officiant pronounced Marisol and Archie man and wife that Lola’s brown eyes meet his.
He locked in on her, the intensity of his stare making her squirm under the heat. It was as if they were the only two people in the room and at a wedding neither of them particularly wanted to be at.
Javi kept her stare even after the bride and groom walked back down the aisle, hand in hand, on their way to the reception. People next to him murmured their apologies as they scooted by him to leave, but Javi stayed in place until Lola descended the dais. His girl looked ready to flee, but he wouldn't allow her to escape him again, not with this new burning need growing inside of him.
Before Lola could dash for the exit, Javi was out of his seat and fighting his way through the crowd. When he was close, he reached out with his hand before she was lost to him, grabbing her wrist and pulling her against him.
Lola didn’t struggle, but she bit her bottom lip, looking up at him as if he were about to punish her for misbehaving. And damn if that didn’t send a jolt straight to his cock.
He was tempted to do just that.
“You’ve been avoiding me, preciosa.”
There was no use in lying; they both knew it to be true, but she still tried. “I’ve been busy, Javi. I’m not avoiding you.”
