Operation London (32 page)

It was a long run, but Ava finally found Miguel. Actually, she finally heard him. Driving like a woman possessed, Ava didn’t even register the familiar ring of her cell phone, hardly realized that her hand was fishing in her sleek red purse for it until she had it against her ear. “Hello?” she barked impatiently, keeping her eyes peeled for Miguel’s Jeep.

“Ava.”  It was Miguel’s voice, thick and rich
. He sounded relieved, and realizing that made her feel guilty.

“Miguel, there’s something I have to…” she began, just as he said, “I’ve really missed you, Ava.”

They laughed, a feeling of relief spreading through Ava’s chest.

“Meet me tonight,” he said
. She felt her heart soar as she imagined all the things that could happen if she did. She also felt a flutter of nervousness.

“Are we going to have a date?” she asked, trying desperately to keep her voice light and flirty even as her stomach did flip-flops.

“Yes we are, bonita,” he laughed. “Be ready by seven and wear that red dress.”

She was a little shocked that he wasn’t grilling her, giving her the third degree about why she had been avoiding his calls
. “Why the red dress?” she asked.

“I need something I can peel off tonight, Ava
. I’ll see you soon.”  And with that he clicked off.

Ava turned the car around, stepped on the gas and made her way home
. Once inside her spotless house, she opened all of the windows, lit some candles and prepared to relax for a few hours. Which was a wonderful escape from the driving madness that had forced her to use her pent up energy all the long week.

Before she knew it, Ava was looking around the room in frenzied shock, realizing that she had just dozed off
. Glancing at her new gold watch, she realized that she just had time to get washed, throw on her red sheath of a dress and put on a little makeup before she was out the door, waiting for Miguel.

The night was warm and she could hear the insects chirping and buzzing in the inky night
. She sat on the top step of her wide porch and gazed up into the never-ending sky. The stars were dancing feverishly, sending winking messages to one another. Ava couldn’t remember the last time she had just stopped to watch the world go on. Somehow, she had become so involved in her own life that she had stopped realizing what beauty she was surrounded by.

Her philosophy session was interrupted by the soft growl of Miguel’s engine
. His headlights blinded her for a moment before flickering off. She closed her silver eyes and tilted her head to listen to the crunch of the dry grass under his shoes.

“Ava?” he asked, squinting as his eyes adjusted to the impending darkness of early night
. “Are you alright, bonita?”

Ava looked up at him, drank in his broad shoulders, his dark brown hair tousled boyishly
. She loved how straight and strong his jaw line was, how steady his step was. Ava reached her slim arms out to him, suddenly feeling like a small child who wanted to be held.

“Miguel, I’ve been so stupid!” she wailed
. He crushed her thin body to his chest, rocking her as panic filled his system.

“No, Ava, you’re crazy
. And you’re unpredictable. And you’re a little shocking. But you’re not stupid by any stretch of the imagination,” he said, pressing his lips to her shiny honeyed hair.

“Then why did I avoid you for such a long time?” she asked in a wobbly voice that was very out of character for her.

“It’s been a week, honey. That’s not a long time,” he laughed, relief taking the place of panic.

“But I should have told you the day I met you…..” she began, feeling tears prick her eyes.

“What do you want to tell me, Ava?” he asked, and their breathing became the only noticeable sound in the tense, waiting silence.

The words she had held back for so long burst out of her, left her mouth in a sweet cascade that felt so good she was laughing by the time she finished.

“That I love you, Miguel. That I’ve loved you since the moment I saw you. That I don’t ever want to let you go.”

Miguel was kissing her face, nuzzling her neck and running his hands along her body
. He had never felt so complete. Something had died inside of him when Joey died all those years ago. In prison he had killed what was left so he could survive. And since his release he had lived a half-life, waiting for someone to make him feel good again.

But that wasn’t what Ava had done.

He had been waiting for good. Ava had given him complete love, radiating through him and making him feel alive.

“Ava London, my beautiful mystery
. I’ve loved you so much. I didn’t tell you because I was afraid I’d scare you away,” he laughed, his brown eyes full of happiness.

“Well, I guess we’re both stupid,” she smiled, and Miguel felt like he had been turned inside out
. That smile was enough to make his heart race.

“And we’ve been cowards,” he said solemnly
. “But I’ve been inspired by your courage, Ava London.” His face was very serious, even earnest as he spoke. “I do love you. I’ve sworn to protect you, even if that meant following you wherever you went. Even if it meant that you didn’t want me around. Because I love you.”

“I love you too, Miguel,” she said, pressing her lips to his
. When they ended the long, slow kiss he got down on his knee. Ava felt her mouth fall open in shock.

“I’ve been carrying this around for a long time, Ava
. I had it made the night we danced, the night that our bodies were trying to tell us what our minds and hearts were feeling.”  He held a small black box in his palm. Looking  up at her, he took her hand in his, kissing her fingers and closing his eyes as her scent filled his nostrils. “Ava, you have inspired me. You are beautiful. You’re brave. You’re kind. And I don’t know if I can be all that you deserve. But I’m sure as hell going to try.”

Ava’s eyes were bright with tears
. “Miguel,” she said softly.

“Ava
. Ava London, would you do me the honor of being my wife?” he asked, opening the small box to reveal a gorgeous ruby ring.

“Yes!   Of course, yes!” she cried, throwing her arms around him and kissing him passionately
. Laughing, he put the ring on her finger and they watched it’s heat in the moonlight.

“You’ve made me the happiest man in the world, Ava London,” he grinned, bringing her hand to his lips
.

Ava grabbed him by the collar and yanked him towards the door
. “Oh, you have no idea, Miguel!”

***

“It’s two carats!”

“Three!”

“Two!”

“Three!”

“What are you two fighting about?” Ava laughed
. Magdalene looked amazing in a jade fitted sleeveless dress, her gold hair bound on top of her head with curly tendrils bobbing down around her smooth neck.

“This idiot seems to think that you’re ruby is only two carats!” Magdalene fumed, her cheeks turning a very appealing shade of pink
. She took Ava’s hand and held it out, displaying the blood red, emerald cut stone caught snugly between two glimmering diamonds.

“It’s clear that it’s a two carat ring, love
. Maybe you haven’t received enough jewelry to know,” Cormac grinned smugly. He also looked great in a traditional kilt and jacket that showed off his amazingly muscular body.

“Guys please stop!” Ava said, smiling indulgently
. Magdalene and Cormac had been fighting like two school kids all through the wedding. They had also fought during rehearsal, and at the engagement party. Ava sighed. “If I didn’t know how much you guys hated each other, I’d say you should just get it over with and date.”

Magdalene’s mouth fell open, and Cormac snorted in disgust
.

“Anyway, you’re both wrong
. It’s two and a half carats exactly,” Ava smiled, kissing Magdalene on the cheek and hugging Cormac close.

“She looks like a dream,” Cormac said as she walked away, his heart glad for his friends.

“I know. That silvery white dress goes perfectly with her eyes,” Magdalene sighed. “She looks like a goddess in silk.”

“That looks like sateen to me,” Cormac said, taking a long slow sip of beer and smiling into his mug.

“It’s silk, you blockhead!” Magdalene fumed.

“Are Cormac and Magdalene fighting again?” Miguel asked Ava, putting his arm around his lovely wife’s shoulders
. “Why don’t they just date already?”

Ava laughed happily
. She snuggled closer to Miguel, resting her head on his chest. She had a wreath of white rosebuds entwined around her head, resting on top of her gold streaked hair. Her tight silvery silk dress was a long, lovely column, with delicate straps over her shoulders and an enticingly plunging neckline. Her mother had given her a strand of black Tahitian pearls which rested on her caramel skin, and her father had presented her with matching earrings.

“So how does it feel to be Mrs. London-Gustan?” Miguel asked, kissing his wife’s pretty ears
.

“It feels pretty wonderful,” she sighed
. Ava scanned the room, watching her new extended set of family and friends mingle. She and Miguel had made sure they made the circuit of birthday parties, christenings, barbeques and graduations on both sides in order to be familiar with all of the faces at their wedding. And it wound up being a wonderful idea. The wedding was full of life, fun and dancing.

“Look at your parents
. They’re amazing together,” Miguel smiled. He was right. Her mom and dad danced with passion and beauty. Her eyes welled up with tears at the sight.

“You know, before our engagement, I hardly saw them
. I did my thing, they did theirs, and we never really met in the middle.”  Ava blinked hard to keep the tears back.

Miguel wrapped his arms around her more tightly, and Ava took a long look at him in his perfect looking tux
. She sighed like a giddy teenager. Her man definitely had the perfect body for a tux.

“It’s nice working for yourself, isn’t it?” he asked.

“Are you referring to my job or yours?” she asked, gesturing around. Miguel’s restaurant had received its funding, and it’s grand opening was scheduled for the week after their wedding. It was Miguel’s one condition; he wanted the wedding party and the food to come from his new place.
Gustan’s
would be part of their life for a long time coming, and he wanted to christen it correctly.

With his wife at his side.

“I was talking about both of us, I guess. If
Gustan’s
had to rely on only our family members as customers we’d probably still wind up rich. And I hear Cormac has a lead on a hot case for you,” Miguel grinned.

Ava gave him a slow smile
. “Well, I might not be able to be as directly involved in this case.”  Her eyes were dancing teasingly.

Miguel looked at her with questions in her eyes, but before he could ask anything more, Cormac was at the microphone.

“Hello, everyone. I just wanted to make a toast. Please lift your glasses,” he instructed. Ava and Miguel were given champagne from passing hurrying waiters. “Ava and Miguel, you two were made for each other. I watched you fall in love and act like idiots because you wouldn’t admit it. So today is extra special for me, because I was a little nervous it wouldn’t happen,” he said, amid the soft chuckling of the two families. “Here’s to lovers true!  May their lives be merry and full of passion!  May they always share their good times with us and come to us in the bad!  And may we all learn to never let true love pass us by!  Cheers!”  Everyone had tears in their eyes after Cormac’s speech. Ava and Miguel kissed happily.

Magdalene’s eyes were locked on Cormac’s
. She wanted to look away, to flirt a little more with Miguel’s too handsome cousin. But something in her forced her to share the toast with the man who made her so angry.

The band struck up an old Ecuadorian love song and Miguel led Ava to the floor
. Cormac made his way over to Magdalene, offering his hand gallantly.

“You might be a royal pain in my ass, but you look so beautiful that I must ask for this dance.”  The spell broken, Magdalene was able to roll her eyes at him this time
. But once again, she couldn’t deny him.

He led her to the floor, wrapping a strong arm around her waist and pulling on one golden curl with his free hand
. “Don’t pull my hair,” she said hotly.

Grinning, he released the curl and moved his fingers to the soft skin of her neck, massaging slowly.