Page 1 of When Love Changes Everything

Two Months Before

Mateo

As I sink into my seat on the flight home, an overwhelming sense of loss settles in my chest, leaving a hollow ache that I know I’ll have to live with for the rest of my life.

Before I left Cold Spring, I had to face the hardest conversation of my life—one with my daughter, Lily. We talked about Marian—the woman I was involved with not once, but twice. Both times, I had no idea she was married. And now, years later, I’ve learned that the man she was married to is Lily’s fiancé.

Our talk wasn't easy, but what really shattered me was learning that Marian had a miscarriage not long after we ended things. And the baby she was carrying was mine. The truth hurt me deeper than I could have ever imagined.

In two months, I'll have to face Noah again when I walk Lily down the aisle and place her hand in his. We’ll both be forced tobury the tension between us and wear masks of fragile civility, all for Lily’s sake—because we both love her. But no matter how well I pretend, the guilt will still be there. That’s where things stand, and I know that’s where they might stay forever, because not every wound or trespass can be healed with time.

I close my eyes and try to figure out a way to make things right. Guilt quickly finds me as, despite the mess I’ve created, my thoughts keep drifting back to Lisa, my daughter’s beautiful friend. I saw her several times during my visit. Her fiery red hair and those striking blue eyes drew me in, but it's her sharp wit that kept me completely captivated. Every conversation with her felt charged, and though I know I shouldn’t, I find myself replaying those moments, unable to shake the way she made me feel.

Lily asked me to keep my distance. She knows my history; knows I’m not a man who easily settles down. I’m certain she gave Lisa the same warning. Despite our playful banter, Lisa always maintained a subtle distance, as if she’d already drawn an invisible line I wasn’t allowed to cross. But then I asked her to go on a hike with me—and everything changed.

I’d be lying if I said I’m not looking forward to seeing her again.

Chapter 1

Lisa

Mateo, effortlessly cool and undeniably charming, takes his seat with the rest of the wedding party. His gaze sweeps over the crowd until it lands on me. At forty-something, standing over six feet tall with a strong physique and those piercing blue eyes, he looks ten years younger, radiating confidence and a magnetic sex appeal that draws me in like a moth to a flame. I can’t help but stare, my heart racing as I pray he doesn’t notice just how openly I’m checking him out.

"I love my dad, but he's an insufferable Casanova," Lily's warning about her father echoes in my mind. "You should steer clear. In fact, don't even talk to him."

Lily and her new husband are completely lost in each other, wrapped in the bliss of newlywed love, oblivious to everything around them. They never notice as Mateo stands and stridestoward my table, each deliberate step sending a ripple of excitement through me.

"May I have this dance?" he asks, his eyes intense and filled with a quiet challenge, daring me to resist our attraction.

"I'm not supposed to talk to you, remember?" I tease, walking that fine line between caution and temptation. Make no mistake—Mateo Cruz is dangerous in all the wrong ways. Or maybe all the right ones.

"It's just a dance," he replies, flashing that devilish grin that sends a shiver through me. My heart flutters, betraying any resolve I have to say no.

"You do realize you're old enough to be my father," I say, pretending I'm not interested, though deep down I wait, wanting him to ask again.

"One dance," he murmurs, his voice low and tempting. "Just one, and then I'll disappear."

"You promise?" I meet his grin with one of my own, caught in the game we're playing.

"I promise," he says, but his eyes tell a different story.

He extends his hand—strong, steady, and impossible to resist. The instant my fingers slip into his, a warmth spreads throughme, sinking deep into parts of myself I hadn’t realized were frozen.

I’m not into older men,I remind myself, even as his arm wraps securely around me. But then I catch the scent of his cologne, intoxicating and all-consuming, pulling every one of my senses to him. The flutter in my chest intensifies, morphing into a rapid, unstoppable thrum, each beat echoing the thrill of stepping into something I swore I’d never want.

"I'm not into older men," I murmur, more to myself than to him. I feel like a hypocrite, uttering what I know is a big fat lie.

"I don’t believe you," he whispers, his voice a teasing challenge, before he twirls me effortlessly across the dance floor until the song comes to a close.

Mateo might be many things, but a liar isn't one of them. After our dance, he's gone, leaving me with the memory of his blue gaze as he held me in his arms, captive in a moment that felt too perfect for my own good.

"Hi." Lily’s soft voice pulls me from my thoughts. "You made it!"

"I almost didn’t," I admit, the guilt settling in. "I'm sorry I couldn't serve as one of your bridesmaids."

Her smile lights up, as she steps closer. "I’m just glad you’re here."

I smile and rise to pull her into a hug. "You look beautiful," I say. "And Noah is completely love-struck.”

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