Runaway Groom
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Lynne Marshall
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15,5K
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13
Prologue
Mark Mendoza shuffled the cards and groused to his brothers. “I can’t believe Rodrigo isn’t here tonight.” Here being the tasting room at the family winery in Austin, Texas.
“He’s stubborn, you know that,” Carlo, his older brother, didn’t waste a beat to reply.
This was how Mark wanted to spend his last night as a bachelor, playing poker with the guys he loved and trusted most in the world, his brothers Chaz, Carlo, Rodrigo and Stefan. But Rodrigo had refused to come tonight, and more unbelievably, to his wedding tomorrow. It hurt.
He dealt, but before he picked up his cards, he took another drink of thirty-year-old whiskey, compliments of Chaz. Smooth, smoky, with just the right amount of heat as it went down. Then he reached for the lit Dominican cigar Stefan had provided and took a puff, enjoying the full-bodied aroma while he studied his cards. It struck him as ironic that winemakers who preferred clean air were sitting in a confined space beneath a cloud of smoke. But, hey, it was a bachelor party for a thirty-five-year-old guy who had finally realized how much he wanted to get married and have a family, and this was exactly how he wanted to spend it—man time with his hermanos.
“He thinks I’m making a mistake, but I’ve thought everything through,” Mark said, determined more than ever to convince his brothers that he didn’t want to make the same mistakes his parents had made—marry for love and passion, drive each other crazy with jealousy, then slip into infidelity, making each other miserable until they finally divorced.
“He doesn’t agree with your plan, that’s all,” Chaz said, starting off this hand of the card game with a mediocre bid.
“Says you’ve made it more like a business deal,” Stefan added, as he passed.
Mark held cards in one hand, and the cigar in the other. “And I ask, is that such a bad idea?” he said as he raised the stakes.
“Nothing beats love,” Carlo said as he took his turn. Married to Schuyler, he thought he was an expert.
The game continued around the table.
Mark had figured out the best way to choose a good woman to spend the rest of his life with, and it had nothing to do with love or a matchmaking website. Like a fine cigar, a marriage was something you developed a taste for.
“Let’s use Rodrigo’s example, then, and think of marriage as a successful business deal. Each party knows exactly what is expected of them and they follow through on the plans.” He lifted his brow when Carlo raised his bet, then Mark called but didn’t miss a beat with his explanation. Because it mattered to him that his brothers understood. That, and the fact he didn’t want to give away his great hand. “The key is being honest,” he touted before demonstrating with a huge grin as he laid down his full house.
But victory was brief when Carlo showed his four of a kind. “Don’t forget you have a tell, little brother,” Carlo teased. “You sniffed and scratched above your eyebrow when you made your bet. I knew you weren’t as positive as you pretended to be.”
“Yeah,” Stefan said. “I noticed earlier you sniffed when you mentioned how excited you are to marry Brianna, too.”
“Guys, this is not how a bachelor party is supposed to go. You’re supposed to be happy for me, support me, let me win.”
They shared a group laugh on the last part. Still, the secret message about his tell and having used it when talking about Brianna tore at his confidence about doing marriage his way with logic and reason. Love would come later. Wouldn’t it?
He liked Brianna a lot and had no illusions about how she felt about him. She wanted someone to take care of her—someone stable and with a steady job. Mark wasn’t dumb, he knew “steady” was code for lucrative, and he’d keep his end of the bargain there. He was part owner of the family winery, with a marketing side business breaking into new venues every week. They had also agreed on having a family as soon as possible. His practical approach to achieving a mindful marriage would ensure a stable home for their future kids, which he hoped would be many. Brianna was as excited as he was to have a big family, too. He’d seen plenty of passionate romances crash and burn, so, in Mark’s view, friends with benefits was the only way to go.
Carlo claimed the poker pot. “What if this approach to marriage backfires?”
“Oh, now I see you’ve been talking to Rodrigo, who you may have noticed is not here.” He didn’t try to hide his frustration or impatience.
His younger brother Rodrigo had begged him to reconsider, but Mark insisted he knew what he was doing. Bottom line, he didn’t want to wait much longer to start that big family.
“Maybe he’s right,” Stefan posed.
“He’s just ticked off I’m beating him to the altar. And now you guys are trying to ruin my last night as a single man. Are we playing poker or what?” Mark lifted his glass for Chaz to give him a refill and took another puff of the cigar. His brothers nodded. “Then let’s shut up and deal. Okay?”
An hour later, having lost the card game and developed a coughing spasm from smoking the “fine” cigar, which had begun to taste like wet acidic tobacco in his mouth, Mark let more doubt seep in. Rather than spend the night tossing and turning, he’d make a plan. Another plan. Who cared if they said it was bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding? He didn’t believe in luck, he believed in plans. Besides, they weren’t getting married for the usual reason—love—so why follow tradition. Theirs would be a solid untraditional approach to happily-ever-after. Just like in marketing where you followed the accepted steps to success and got results. This was his plan, and he was excited to get married and start the next phase of his life—together with his bride.
To put an end to the doubt his brothers had stoked with their stogies and whiskey and cards night, he’d sneak off to see his bride before the wedding tomorrow afternoon. He’d surprise Brianna and make one final analysis on the marital collaboration, to confirm that they were still on the same page about their marriage and family deal.
It was a simple plan that was bound to reassure him his unique strategy was the only way to go.
