The Matchmaker Bride (The Bride Series) (13 page)

“Hey everything okay, babe? You didn’t happen to see my phone did you? Did we leave it in the room?” The young man continued.

Sandy pinched her lips and took her coffee and told the young man to leave her for a moment because she had something to discuss.

Sophie’s jaw fell open this time. She didn’t know what to say now.

“Listen,” Sandy closed her eyes as if she seemed to regret the whole encounter. “This had better not get out. My mom….she’d have a fit. She wanted me to hook up with some stiff suit society dude but…”

“Let me guess, stiff suits aren’t exactly your type right?”

She grinned sheepishly. Sophie felt sorry for her all of a sudden. Imagine being forced into a marriage because your parents or your late father didn’t approve of the “class” of dates you had. Who had any right to tell people who they could and could not fall in love with? Different strokes for different folks. Tattooed guy probably was a really cool dude who clicked well with Sandy. Why couldn’t her folks see that? Argh! It seemed as if Carlos and Sophie being together was the best thing that could have happened to Sandy who admitted that Carlos was cute but she didn’t know much about him outside of the profile that she saw. She had told her mother she liked Carlos’s profile and they got excited and started to proceed with the matchmaking. This was before her father passed away. Her mother made her promise that she’d find a suitable husband by the time she was 30 years old. How awful to be put under that kind of pressure. Sandy barely looked out of her teens. Maybe she’d had a rough time growing up prim and proper and just wanted to be “normal” for a change and choose her own friends and suitors.

The two had a heart to heart conversation that by the time Carlos came back he looked stunned to see the two hugging afterwards. It was just…a weird set up in Sophie’s eyes. In fact, she was secretly glad they had a chance to meet and get it all out in the open. Sophie was torn with guilt before their encounter about the whole matchmaking thing being interrupted by her.

The events of the morning in no way overshadowed the glorious ceremony overlooking Niagara Falls in the bright cloudless day. It was noon hour and Sophie’s belly felt like a thousand tiny butterflies were moving inside her. Her heart felt
tinges
of despair that it would end in annulment but right now she was thinking about doing it for
Bria’s
sake. Carlos would be the best guardian for
Bria
and maybe she could continue to see her professionally. That was all she could hope at the time. Carlos hadn’t said anything else except thanking her for doing this for
Bria
. After last night’s passionate love-making she had hoped it would be more.

The minister stood with his back facing the window as they stood in front of him, the bright sun shining through and into the tiny chapel on the 23
^rdfloor of the hotel giving the most spectacular view. Who ever thought of this idea was clever, she thought to herself.

“You may now kiss the bride,” the minister said with a smile on his face.

Carlos kissed Sophie so passionately that she thought she would lose her breath.
Yet again.
It all seemed so real.
So permanent.
How could they annul their marriage? How could they even think about it? Her heart longed for this permanent arrangement and she also wondered if it was her imagination or did Carlos say “I do” with such an intent that it seemed real. She knew she meant her vows, but did he feel the same way?

“Thank you again, Sophie,” he whispered in her ear as he hugged her from behind later as they stood back in their suite staring out at the view in the window.

“You’re welcome,” she said with sadness.

“I mean thank you for making me a happy man.”

She turned to face
him
now.

“Your eyes look sad for a woman who just got married,” he tried to tease her to
make
light of the situation.

“Carlos, we both know it’s so that you can win the custody battle.” When the words slid off her tongue she almost wished she hadn’t said them. The look on his face was deadly as if she’d slapped him hard across the face.

He removed his arms from her waist and shoved his hands in his pockets pinching his lips together as if in thought.

“Carlos, I…”

He silenced her with his hand and told her that he had to leave for a
minute
.

Great going, Sophie, you just turned him away after insulting him
. She’d realized that he’d offered her funds to make this go through but she really didn’t want to talk money until much later. She just felt it was wrong to do so in the beginning.

More than an hour had passed and Sophie wondered what happened to Carlos. Had he gone? Did he decide to leave her there in Niagara Falls on her own? Anger seethed inside her now. Okay, so she said it the wrong way but could
Mr
. high flying executive really been that hurt or thin skinned? Carlos was anything but thin skinned she recalculated.

She took her swipe card and left the hotel suite and went down to the lobby. Over by the indoor garden of tall trees she saw Carlos outside near a corner as if hiding. She decided to go outside and go up to him. She was walking towards him from behind and then realized that he was on his cell phone.

“I want to pay her off and get rid of her.
Period.
Understand.” Carlos words tore a hole in her heart as panic choked her. She quickly
ran
off and back into the hotel.

Her heart pounding a thousand beats per minute hammering away in her chest. She fumbled as she stuffed her clothes into her tiny suitcase. Just then Carlos opened the door.

“What are you doing?”

She stopped and turned around dramatically. “I’m leaving. You can keep your money and annul the damn marriage as soon as possible. I don’t want any part of this.”

“Whoa, slow down there lady. What’s gotten into you?”

“You called me an amateur sleuth once, well, I may not be that much of an amateur. I overheard what you said about me.”

“Oh, that!” He said without emotion.

“So you don’t deny it?”

“No. I love you and I want to remarry you. Make it real. No other woman has gotten into my heart and mind the way you do, Sophie. I can’t stop thinking about you when you’re not with me. It drives me crazy but I need you. I want you in my life. Not just
now
but for as long as we both shall live. Isn’t that the vows we took this morning?”

Sophie had a confused look on her face. “But…I overheard you saying that you want me out of the picture and you’ll pay me off, Carlos. I was outside while you were talking on your cell phone.” Tearfully she turned away.

She could not believe Carlos burst out laughing, a deep hearty laugh. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“What?”

“Yeah, exactly.
What
exactly did you hear?”

When Sophie told him, Carlos shook his head and grinned. “My dear Sophie I was referring to Tessa, my stepmother. After the time we’ had together and my feelings that were intensifying for you, I decided that I love both you and
Bria
too much to drag you through this legal battle.
It’s
money Tessa wanted so I gave her the equivalent of the inheritance as long as I can continue custody of
Bria
and she’d have visitation rights whenever she wanted.”

“What? And…and she actually agreed to this?”

“Yep, she did.”

“Oh, my God.
I feel…speechless…foolish. Carlos, I’m so sorry I…”

He leaned closer to her and silenced her with a passionate kiss on her lips. He then took his finger and traced her jaw and kissed her again.

“Matchmaker Sophie will you honor me with your hand in marriage for the most perfect match this side of heaven?”

Sophie felt her heart flutter wildly in her chest. Tears came to her eyes. She’d never thought she’d end up being matched with her perfect soul mate.

“Yes, I do. I love you, Carlos.”

He presented her with a gorgeous diamond ring.

“Who said you were an amateur matchmaker anyway,” he grinned. “You’ve just made me the
most happiest
man in the world. That’s something that can’t be matched anywhere.”

Epilogue

One year later, Sophie and Carlos Bradley returned to Niagara Falls on their first wedding anniversary to renew their vows. Little
Bria
was the flower girl and Trina her maid of honour while Julian, Carlos’s long-time friend and business partner played the best man. The intimate wedding couldn’t have been more beautiful. When Sophie signed up with the Stone Matchmaking Services never in her wildest imagination did she think that the match she was coordinating would be her
own.
Carlos’s sexy lips curved into an adorable grin as he leaned closer to his wife and gently rubbed his hand on her growing belly. “I thought I saw the baby move. I’m guessing Carlos Junior doesn’t want to miss out on the celebration.”

Sophie blushed at her little miracle. She never thought she would be a mommy one day
and
here she was happily married and happily expecting.

Yes, this was the perfect match this side of heaven.

THE END