Alana
I smoothedmy dress over my thighs as I stood awkwardly in the doorway waiting for Alejandro’s mom. I was surprised I was feeling so nervous. Meeting people and being charming had become kind of my thing in New York. I was accustomed to working on my father’s campaign and he often wheeled me out for interviews and PR events.
I had no idea why I should be so bothered about impressing Alejandro’s mom. It wasn’t as though I even liked him. But, I knew from the change in his demeanor these past few hours that she obviously meant the world to him, and he was keen to protect her and make her happy.
From what he’d told me earlier, she believed we’d had a whirlwind romance and got married because we were madly in love.
She had been on a month-long cruise with her sister, which had been orchestrated by Alejandro’s father, Mateo, to ensure his wife was out of the way when her only child got married. This was in case she became suspicious and asked too many awkward questions about our relationship. But, now that Alejandro and I were married, there wasn’t much that she could do about it.
I wondered how we’d manage to convince her that we were happily married newlyweds, when we had barely said a dozen civil words to each other in the past two weeks. But, I was willing to give it a try, and maybe I could even have a little fun while I was doing it?
I watched as Alejandro walked up the driveway with his mom, her arm linked through his and a wide smile on her face.
Maria Montoya was a stunningly beautiful woman. I knew that she was in her fifties, but she could have easily passed for a woman ten years younger. Her dark hair was swept up into an elegant chignon and she wore a simple, yet clearly expensive dress.
I looked down at my own attire. I’d chosen a simple pink wrap dress that suited my skin tone and emphasized my curvier figure.
I swallowed as they drew nearer. What if she hated me? What if she was one of those mothers who never thought anyone was good enough for her son?
Why the hell did I even care?
‘Mama, this is Alana,’ Alejandro said when they reached me.
I stepped out into the driveway. ‘Hello, Mrs. Montoya, I’m delighted to meet you,’ I said with a smile.
She looked me up and down and I took a deep breath, bracing myself for a potential onslaught. ‘So, you’re the woman who has captured my son’s heart?’ she said and her face broke into a huge smile before she held out her arms and beckoned me to her.
I stepped forward and was enveloped in a cloud of her sweet perfume as she kissed each of my cheeks in turn.
Then she stepped back and took another look at me. ‘Please, call me Maria,’ she said before she smiled again, and I was sure that I saw tears in her eyes.
‘Maria,’ I said, returning her smile. ‘Come on inside, I’ve just brewed a fresh pot of coffee and there are cookies in the oven.’
‘Sounds delicious,’ she said as she linked her arm through mine.
I looked up at Alejandro and he gave me a nod of appreciation before we all walked into the house.
A few hours later, the three of us were sitting on the patio. We’d eaten a beautiful lunch and Maria had regaled me with dozens of stories of Alejandro as a child. He had rolled his eyes throughout and admonished her for the more embarrassing ones, but she had simply laughed and told him not to be so grumpy.
I saw a completely different side to him when she was around, and it was a side of him I could learn to like.
For our part, Alejandro and I had played the adoring couple, and I took the opportunity to flirt outrageously with him every chance I got.
He went into the house and brought out a fresh jug of lemonade. When he set it on the table, I placed my hand on his forearm and rubbed my thumb over his warm skin. I felt him stiffen at my touch and I bit back a giggle.
I smiled up at him. ‘Thank you, darling,’ I purred.
He flashed me a quick scowl before plastering a fake smile on his face.
‘Oh, you two are just perfect for each other,’ Maria said as she clasped her hands together and looked between the two of us. ‘So much so, that I have almost forgiven you for depriving your mother of her only child’s wedding,’ she said to Alejandro with a scowl.
‘I said I’m sorry, Mama,’ he replied.
As soon as we’d got into the house earlier, Maria had spent a full half hour grilling her son about our relationship and subsequent wedding, and admonishing him for marrying in secret. It had been a sight to behold and I’d had to bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from smiling throughout.
‘So am I, Maria,’ I added. ‘But we just couldn’t bear to wait a moment longer. Could we, darling?’ I looked up and gazed at him adoringly.
I saw the wicked grin spreading across his lips and wondered what was going through his mind.