Mateo Santiago felt like a really terrible husband. Between their sorta surprise marriage, and things going sideways at the reserve with Njall, Mateo had barely had time to actually enjoy time with his wife. It was weighing fairly heavily on the wizard, especially since they hadn't really done things the traditional way. There had been no courting, no dates—both things he knew (thanks to a sneak peek of Nora's diary when they were younger) were very important to Nora.
It didn't help that Bettina kept dropping less than subtle hints that maybe he needed to step up his game a little.
She wasn't wrong—not in the slightest—and now that things were beginning to calm down again, Mateo knew he needed to fix this. Nora was the most important person in Mateo's life, and he loved her more than he had ever thought possible. He didn't want her to feel neglected. He wanted to give her the things that she'd always hoped for in her perfect relationship - the things that they'd skipped right over when they went and got hitched while drunk in Vegas.
That was why he'd popped down to the house on his lunch break and grabbed his blue suit to change into after work. He slipped out of the office a little early (the last bit of paperwork was nothing that couldn't wait until the morning), and popped down to Laramie to pick up a bouquet of roses for Nora. He also managed to get them a reservation at Bistro Enzo in Billings, which was a damn miracle, and it was late enough that he could get home and Nora would have plenty of time to get ready.
Flowers secure, he apparated back home, to their front porch. Nora should be home by now, in theory. Instead of walking in like normally would, Mateo straightened his suit jacket and rang the doorbell.
Despite the drunken conversation she'd had with Bettina this past weekend when it came to her marriage, Nora was generally happy. She had someone who loved her unconditionally through all of her emotions, even her violent ones, the sex was fucking amazing, and there was a trust there that she'd never really had with Karl. Or anyone else, for that matter, not counting her siblings. All in all, Nora knew that she couldn't have done any better than Mateo Santiago. He was her happy place and had been for more years than she cared to remember.
Nora never wanted Mateo to feel like he wasn't enough for her. It was so much simpler than that. Nora had insecurities of her own that spawned from her relationship with Karl that, though she knew were unfounded and ridiculous logically, she couldn't seem to kick.
So, when she got home to find him not there and knew that he wasn't at the office because she'd slipped in to see him and found him gone, Nora couldn't help the sinking feeling in her gut. A feeling that she shoved to the back of her mind and moved to the kitchen to start figuring out what to cook for dinner.
He just had something he needed to do. That was all. It wasn't anything else.
The sound of the doorbell ringing surprised her. As far as she knew, she wasn't expecting anyone, but maybe Teo was. So, running a hand through her hair, she moved to the front door and pulled it open, more than a little surprised to see her husband standing on the other end in a suit and holding a gorgeous bouquet of flowers.
An uncertain smile crossed her features as she looked from his face to the flowers and back again. "Teo... what's going on? What are you doing?" she asked, slowly, curiosity taking hold and running rampant.
As the front door swung open, Mateo was struck by just how god damn beautiful his wife was. Her bright blue eyes were staring up at him with confusion and surprise. Those red tresses that he loved to tangle his fingers in looked like they had been recently tousled - knowing Nora as he did, she’d probably just ran her fingers through it before opening the door. Even dressed in her blue jeans, she absolutely took his breath away.
“Why, I’m courting my wife, of course.” Eyes alight with his complete love for her, Mateo’s lips broke out into one of his mischievous grins. “I’m here to take you on a date, Elle - a proper date. I brought these for you,” he told her, holding the flowers out for her to take. He was pretty sure he’d driven the flower shop attendant absolutely mad with how picky he’d been, but dammit, he’d needed it to be perfect.
Resisting the urge to run his own hand through his hair, Mateo’s smile went from Cheshire like, to soft, and sincere. “I realize we did everything a little bit backward, and I know that you’ve always wanted that perfect, sweep you off your feet romance, so you should probably go and get changed. We have dinner reservations in an hour.”
Courting his— Nora's eyes widened as he explained what he was up to and why. Slowly, at his explanation, her shoulders drooped and her smile and eyes softened considerably. He was... he was giving her what she'd always dreamed of. The courting and the dates and the romance... She couldn't help the way her eyes watered up and a couple of tears fell down over her cheeks.
She was a wretch of a wife. Here she'd been thinking the worst, thinking that maybe she'd been wrong, giving in to her insecurities for a moment... and he was actually being the best husband he figured he could be. "I am a horrible wife," she sniffed, moving to take the flowers and wrap her arms around his neck tightly. She knew she had issues, knew that what happened with Karl sometimes tainted her views on romance as a whole, but she also knew that Mateo was nothing like him.
In reality, though, it had nothing to do with Mateo and everything to do with the thought that maybe she was the one who had never been "enough".
"I love you. You really have no idea how much," she said into his neck. Placing a kiss there, she pulled back, wiped at her eyes, and took a breath. "I'll... You put these in water and I'll go get dressed." There was another kiss pressed to his lips and then she was turning, heading into the bedroom to start getting ready for the reservations he'd surprised her with.
“Hey now,” He wrapped his arms around her as she took the flowers from him. “You are no such thing. If anything, I’ve been a horrible husband.” He felt bad that he’d neglected these kinds of things. Work had been all-consuming while Njall had been out, but things were finally letting up again, which meant he had the time (and the energy) to focus on his wife. This little date was only the beginning of the things that Mateo had planned for her.
As she turned, he gave her ass a solid smack as he followed her into the house, heading straight to the kitchen to grab a vase for the flowers. He got them in water and placed on their kitchen table. The urge to go into their bedroom to watch her get ready was strong, but he knew if he did that, they wouldn’t be leaving, and he’d lose out on those reservations. Instead, he sat down on their couch and pulled out his phone to browse Wizgram, and do a little research on one of the future surprises he had in mind for her.
"You haven't been a horrible husband at all," she assured him, shaking her head. But still, when he told her to go, she went, and she couldn't help but grin as he reached out to connect with her ass. He always seemed to have his hands on either that or her chest whenever possible. It was a heady feeling most of the time. That fact that she knew he couldn't help but to touch her.
It didn't take her too long to get ready. A quick shower, magically drying her hair, make-up, and styling... the real issue came with choosing the dress. She was already trying to shove her insecurities into the back of her mind, so wanting to look perfect for him after he went through so much trouble was what she was focused on. It took a moment, but she finally found the little black dress that would work best and the jewelry to go with it. After slipping into her shoes and spritzing herself with the perfume she knew he loved, she made her way back into the living room. "Well, does this work for you?"
He certainly felt like a horrible husband at times. He felt like he'd been neglecting her, with everything that had been going on. That was going to change, though. Mateo Santiago was going to show his wife just how much he appreciated her, and just how damn important she was to him.
Looking up as she came back into the room, his jaw nearly hit the floor. "Hell yes, it works." She looked positively stunning. The little black dress hugged her curves perfectly. It was short enough to tantalize him, and he could already imagine getting her out of it when they got back home. Standing up, he moved over to her and placed his hands on her hips, looking her up and down from a closer perspective. "You look amazing, Elle."
When Mateo looked at her like that, she couldn't help but feel like maybe she was enough. Like maybe she was the only thing that he would ever need. It was that look, that feeling he caused, that set her aflame every damn time. It reminded her that he loved her. That he loved no one else but her.
Her arms rose to wrap around his shoulders, pulling him in for a slow, deep kiss. When she pulled back to look at him, really look at him, she couldn't help but shake her head slowly. "How did I get lucky enough to have gotten you?" she questioned, honestly. She didn't know what she'd done, didn't know who she'd made happy up there, all she knew was that he was hers and he was so damn good to her. Better than anyone else ever had been.
He didn't need anyone else. In all of Mateo's life, he had never found someone that he couldn't imagine living his life without. This woman has captured his attention years ago, and never let go. He wouldn't trade that for the world.
Hands sliding up and down her sides as they kissed, Mateo let himself just enjoy the feel of his wife. "The universe just wanted to show you what it really means to be loved, obviously." After the bullshit with Karl, she deserved a proper relationship. Theirs may have started off a little backward, but Mateo was determined to make that up to her.
"Now," he said, taking a step back. "We should get going, otherwise I may be too tempted to say forget the reservations and just get you out of that dress."
Nora laughed, nodding in agreement. "Well, then I owe the universe a big thank you. Maybe some dinner to go with it." She knew she owed far more than dinner and a thank you for the man in front of her and she was going to continue to do whatever she could to make him happy.
Her own hands slid along his arms as he kissed her, loving the feel of the muscles her fingers trailed over. "Mmm... it would certainly be easy to convince me," she murmured against his lips, grinning still. It wouldn't take much convincing at all. She may love food, but what this man did to her transcended every known word she could think of and a thousand times more that she couldn't.
"But, if you insist."
He let out a small groan at her words. "You're killing me, Elle. Seriously. When we get back from dinner, you can bet I'm getting you out of that dress." He was determined to stick to the plan for the evening. He wanted to give her the perfect night out tonight.
Stepping back and linking his arm with hers, Mateo apparated them both to a secluded spot near the restaurant. It was mostly in an effort to make himself stick to his plan. From here on out, he was going to do everything in his power to make sure his wife knew just how much he appreciated her.
Nora grinned at his response. When they got home, he was definitely going to be getting the best thank you that she could give him. "You look like you're breathing to me, Valley Boy," she pointed out, almost purring the words. Yeah, Mateo Santiago was definitely in for it when this dinner was done.
She couldn't help how easy it was to tease her husband, and how fun it was. He was doing the sweetest thing and she appreciated that more than he could imagine, really. Even the way he held her whenever they apparated out was intimate, close as if he held the most precious thing in the world to him.
Once they had apparated, however, Nora grinned up at him, taking him by his tie and pulling him down to meet her lips.
Mateo loved the way she teased him if he were being honest. Plus, he gave just as good as he got. It meant their relationship was never boring, and they were comfortable enough with each other to tease in such ways.
He held her close and tight because she was the most precious thing in the world to him. He could not think of a single thing that was more important to him than the woman in his arms. There was no doubt in his mind that marrying her had been the best decision he'd ever made.
Grinning against her lips, he deepened the kiss, hands resting on her hips—okay, maybe they were more or less resting on her ass, but could you blame him?
"If you wanted to put your hands on my ass, Mr. Santiago," she started, speaking against his lips, "then you should have taken the opportunity when I offered it at home." She was teasing again, slipping out of his grasp and starting for the little restaurant.
It didn't take him long to close the gap between them, moving to open the door for her. She loved the gentleman in him, the way he took the time to be chivalrous in a world where far too many people didn't appreciate it anymore. It only made her love him even more.
Upon entry, however, her eyes lit up. "Teo, this place is gorgeous!" She'd never been here before, but she'd heard they had great service. And now, her husband was treating her to a beautiful date night and Nora was ecstatic.