Page 41 of Matched By Mistake
He shook his head and smiled back at her. “I’ll definitely try not to give off too many of those vibes.”
“I’m not even worried about you. It’s more me. When I was a kid, I thought dating was going to be so much fun and I couldn’t wait until I was old enough to go out, but the truth is it has always been nerve-wracking.”
“Really? You’re so pretty—”
“Jeez, glad I’m pretty.”
“You know what I meant,” he said but he knew he’d said the wrong thing. “I just meant I bet a lot of guys asked you out.”
“You’re not wrong, but some of them asked me out because I was a Del Rio or because I was pretty or popular, and the ones I liked didn’t seem to notice me. I mean you’re handsome, Jericho. Did you ever have any dating angst?”
“Well, uh, no. I dated the same girl all through high school and then when we went to college, she broke up with me and I sort of just had fun dating.”
She gave him such a sour look he knew better than to smile.
“What?”
“How is it you can be so laid-back about it?” she asked.
“I’m not, but it seemed when I had planned for the rest of my life at eighteen, I didn’t have a clue, so then I figured I’d just roll with it,” he said.
She slid her feet into a pair of sandals near the front door as her phone alarm went off. “Somehow that makes me feel better. I guess that you don’t really have it all figured out.”
“No one does, Mags. And anyone who tells you they do is lying,” he said, then remembered that he was trying to show her she could trust him. “The truth is, until you, it didn’t matter to me if the relationship ended.”
“Until me?”
“You’re different, and I’m not saying we should book a church, but I like you and I don’t think moving on would be easy,” he admitted.
She hugged him again. “Me, either.”
He hugged her back and reached for that chill she thought he had, but it wasn’t there. Because a part of him did want to book a church, and she’d already told him she was never getting engaged again. So he knew he still had a lot of work to do.
And he might screw things up with her parents or they might not get along after the heat wore off. Which he didn’t anticipate happening anytime soon.
He tipped her head back with his finger under her chin and kissed her long and deep, but she pulled back. “We can’t be late. Save that kiss for later.”
Twelve
Fernando Del Rio III was a tall man with thick dark hair streaked with gray. His brown eyes were very serious when he held out his hand to Jericho. His handshake was firm but not overly so. It was easy to see why he was considered a shark with killer instincts in the business world. His petrochemical company was making strides by changing practices to be more environmentally friendly.
Maggie hugged her mom hello. Gayle Del Rio had a slim athletic build and an easy smile for her daughter but her expression was more guarded when she turned to face him.
“Welcome to our home, Jericho.”
“Thank you, ma’am,” he said, handing her the bouquet of flowers. “These are for you and, sir, I brought this for you.”
“Whiskey? I’m more of a tequila drinker,” he said, accepting the bottle.
Gayle cleared her throat and gave Fernando a hard look, which made him turn back to Jericho with a forced smile. “But I look forward to trying this.”
“It’s from a friend of mine. Like you, I prefer tequila, but it’s not bad,” Jericho said. “Thank you, both, for inviting us over tonight.”
“You’re very welcome, Jericho,” Gayle said. “We’re having cocktails on the back patio before dinner.”
Gayle linked her arm through Maggie’s, leading her down the large Spanish-tiled entryway toward the French doors that he could see from where he stood just inside the house. He looked at Fernando, who set the whiskey on the side table before looking back at him.
“So you’re the son that’s the architect, right?”
