23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Matías Moreno

C attleya's parents arrived later than expected last night, so we're having dinner with them tonight instead. It just so happens that Franco and Sofi are back from their trip, and they'll be joining us for dinner too. I need to talk to Franco before we go out—I don't want him to find out I'm dating Cattleya when he sees me arriving hand in hand with her.

From what Cattleya has mentioned, Sofi knows about us, so I quickly text her asking if she and Franco can meet with us at Cattleya's place before we have to be at the restaurant.

" Hermanita ." Sofi greets Cattleya as soon as she and Franco come inside the apartment. They hug and head to the kitchen, Sofi chatting a mile a minute. I guess their trip was eventful.

"Hey, man," I say to Franco, and I hate the small tremble in my voice. I know deep inside that things are not like they seemed. I never played with Cattleya. Most importantly, I know that I am where I'm supposed to be: with my soulmate.

"Hey. Not sure why, but I'm not surprised to see you here." I chuckle at his response and motion for him to take a seat on the couch. The moment I sit down, a playful Tinta comes to take residence in my lap.

"Look at you, all settled in Cata's life," Franco says, a hint of humor in his tone, and I relax a little bit.

"Listen, Franco. I still don't feel like I owe you an apology. I never played Cattleya, we were adults then, and we're adults now. As far as I can tell, I'm not going anywhere. I'm thankful she moved here, and that pushed me to finally deal with my anxiety and my demons. But at the end of the day, everything that happens between us only involves Cattleya and me. No one else."

Franco looks at me, a blank expression on his face. If I didn't know him for as long as I have, I'd be squirming in my seat. But I do know him, it's his thinking face, and I'm at peace with what I said. Franco shakes his head, amusement replacing the blankness in his face.

"You don't need to apologize, man. After everything went down in Alamo Peaks, I came home, and my wife handed my ass to me." I bark out a laugh, and Franco joins me. "I know it wasn't my place to act like an overprotective brother-in-law. I know everything that happened between the two of you was consensual, and Cata wasn't actually in pain afterward. She's just had a crush on you for forever."

I can feel the heat rising on my neck. "Yeah, she and I both had a crush longer than it should have been healthy, but here we are." I open my arms, showing him we're living together and happy.

"You're a lucky bastard, man. The long-distance relationship thing is something I don't wish on anyone. The months I was apart from Sofi were torture." I nod my head because I know he's right. Now that I'm with Cattleya, I can't imagine being apart for long periods of time. If she ever gets transferred, I'm going with her. Even if it's in the middle of nowhere. No questions asked.

"Well, I'm glad we were able to clear things up before my official ‘meet the parents' dinner."

Franco shudders, and I laugh. "To this day, the thought of being in the same room as Samuel makes me sweat. The man is the nicest person ever, but he has an aura of authority that makes him larger than life."

I've only met him once, but Franco's description is on point. Samuel is kind but fierce, just like a certain daughter of his who has me head over heels for her.

" Mi cielo , we should get going. Dad doesn't like waiting, and we have a good forty-minute drive ahead of us." Sofi joins us and sits on Franco's lap.

Cattleya simply stands in front of me, her eyes melting at Tinta, who's patting my lap with her front paws. "Awww, Furball. You love Daddy. Right? We'll be back."

Cattleya grabs Tinta and takes him to his perch by the window. "Hey bae, we need to get going, too. "

I stand up, and Sofi and Franco follow suit. On our way out, Franco stops me and gives me a bro hug. "Welcome to the family, boludo . I'm glad we're going to be real-life bros now."

I hug him back. "Calm down, bro. I'm not going to propose to mi ángel tonight. We're just starting."

Franco glares at me, and I can't help but laugh. "Dude, don't you dare break her heart."

I love him, but he can be so dense sometimes. "Who's talking about breaking hearts? All I'm saying is Cattleya and I are in no rush to get married. Unlike you, who married Sofi the same day you proposed, I want to take my time experiencing things with Cattleya before I propose. Her team is about to play the championship final; I need to support her and not overwhelm her."

Franco shakes his head, but he knows I'm right.

When we get to Elena, one of the most exclusive restaurants in the city, we're ushered to a private room. Sofi and Cattleya run to hug their parents, while Franco and I stay back a couple of feet, giving them space.

"I've been married to Sofi for four years, and I'm still not used to the level of luxury and privacy that comes with her every time we're with her parents."

I heave a deep breath, happy to know I'm not alone in the way I'm feeling right now. "Yeah, I know we grew up with everything we could ever want but this is next level, man."

Franco nods at me and smiles as Claudia, Cattleya's mom, makes her way to where we're standing.

" Mijo , long time no see. Please tell me your parents are joining us for Christmas this year. My main wish is to have all my family under the same roof," Claudia tells Franco as he bends to hug her. She's a wisp of a woman, and it's even more noticeable when she's being hugged by a six-foot-four guy. Franco doesn't reply, but smiles big at her, so Claudia releases him and gives him a pat on his cheek. Then she turns to face me, and I stop breathing.

"Matías, so good to see you again. I'd love to learn more about you," she says as she hugs me and takes me with her to the table that's been prepared for us.

"Claudia, mi amor , I know you want to grill Cata's love interest as much as I do, but you're going to have to wait. I have prepared a set of questions for him." I blanch as Samuel comes to shake my hand. "No need to get all worked up, Matías. I just want to talk."

I know he's right. I want to get to know him too, but this man does possess loads and loads of authority and power.

"Daddy, please stop. Mati and I have only been dating for a couple of months, no need to make him run for the hills with the inquisition."

Samuel bellows with laughter as he pats my back. I laugh, nervously too.

"See, mija ? He's fine. I mean, he must know what he's getting into dating the youngest daughter of one of the most influential families in Colombia," Samuel explains, no trace of humor left in his voice.

I swallow hard, but I agree with him. If Cattleya was my daughter, I would be roasting the asshole who was dating her.

" Ay , Samuel. Leave the toxic masculinity for the bedroom, right now we need to catch up with our daughters and their partners, and see how we can help Matías with the scam his boss is trying to get him into."

The table falls eerily quiet; you could hear the flap of butterfly wings in this room. Then, unable to hold it in any longer, Sofi jerks her head back and howls in laughter, prompting us all to join in .

Wiping tears from her eyes, Sofi gently smacks her mom's shoulder. " Ay, Ma. I'm so happy you and Dad have a healthy sex life, but we definitely didn't need to hear about it." Claudia smiles against her napkin, and Samuel's eyes tell us just how healthy their life is. Cattleya clears her throat after taking a sip of water and looks at me, asking me without words if I'm okay. I smile at her as I give her a quick squeeze on her thigh. Dinner goes smoothly, Claudia clearly managing to get Samuel to cool off a little bit.

I tell them everything they want to know about me, from who my parents are to where I work, and how I discovered my boss was trying to steal money.

"Let me get this straight, you guys won the biggest contract the company you work for has ever had, and now your boss wants to take money from of the project? How does that even make sense? If he gets caught, this could end the company," Sofi says, flabbergasted.

"I'm going to pay him a visit tomorrow, and we'll talk business with him," Samuel interjects, and my eyes grow wide as my eyebrows rise to the sky. "Don't worry, mijo . He won't know your connection to me. I'm a well-known businessman."

A smile forms on my lips at the term of endearment

"Thank you, Mr. Cardona. I really appreciate you coming all the way here to help me out."

Cattleya reaches for my hand under the table, that sense of belonging to her spreading through my veins, making me feel whole. Complete.

"Well, as long as you're part of my daughter's life, we got your back. Just treat her right, and you can always count on us," Samuel says, in earnest .

I take our interlaced hands out from under the table and kiss her knuckles one by one. "That's what I intend to do, Mr. and Mrs. Cardona," I say, even though my eyes never leave Cattleya's.

"Ohhhhh, look at my bro, a goner. He has finally joined the club," Franco says, amusement in his tone. I don't even bother to correct him, he's right. I'm far gone and all in with mi ángel.