embroidering both on the suit and the matching sombrero. Even if he’d just rented it, it must’ve cost him a lot, and she knew he wasn’t the type that would hit up his dad for money. So, he’d paid for this out of his own hard-earned money.
“I love the suit, Alejandro. Te vez tan guapo. But it must’ve cost you so much.”
“Gracias, hermosa.” He smiled then leaned in so close her breath hitched. “But I keep telling you, nothing will ever be too much for you.”
After the second time the photographer asked them to turn to him, they did, and the photographer snapped a few of them in front of Atrevido before Alej helped her onto him side saddle. Her mother and some of the other women fussed over getting her dress spread over and sprawled all around the horse just so, before they all started toward the church in the middle of town.
Despite the church not being very big, Isabella was still surprised there were many standing outside because apparently it was at capacity already. Thank goodness Sacerdote Cervantes suggested they reserve the front two rows for her and Alejandro’s family members.
The Mass went on a little longer than the usual Sunday Mass with the added traditional rituals of a quinceañera. Through it all, it was almost overwhelming to be the center of the entire town’s attention.
After the Mass they walked out in the placita. It was a papel picado wonderland—endless strings of the colorful perforated banners they’d worked so hard on for weeks. All the table and chair decorations her mom and her aunts and their grandmother had gotten up earlier to put up were absolute perfection as was the beautiful cake.
Like the discounted material for her dress, Alejandro’s father had offered to make the dinner for the party at cost and no charge for his labor. At first, they’d tried to insist he take something for his time and work but to no avail. He said he was used to making birria in large quantities and it’s what Isabella had requested when asked. So, dinner would be a feast of the well-known in town and picking up popularity in the city, Moreno’s birria.
No surprise the Negrete brothers arrived without their father. Isabella held her breath, glad for the ongoing distraction of guests coming up to her to wish her a happy birthday and compliment what a beautiful young woman she’d become. Still, the whispers and inevitable excited smiles from all the other girls at the party as the brothers made their entrance wasn’t missed. Thankfully, Luis didn’t do anything to make things awkward, and as far as she could tell, Alejandro’s good mood wasn’t tainted by their arrival.
Isabella had wondered if they’d bother to show now that her mother ended what had begun to feel like a courtship between her and Señor Negrete. Seems she wasn’t the only woman in town, or even in the city, he was having intimate dinners with. There were even rumors that he’d been seen leaving the house of another woman in town at the wee hours of the morning. Her mother said she refused to get caught up in that soap opera. In a town like this, that was exactly what it would become.
Thankfully, her mother seemed too distracted with her sisters and family to pay any mind to the Negrete brothers showing up. The formalities began, and Isabella did her rounds greeting guests and posing for photos.
The moment Isabella knew Alejandro had been waiting for was upon them and her heart sped up. After dancing with her padrino and her other uncle, it was time for her to dance with her chambelan. Taking her hand delicately, Alejandro kissed it then walked her out to the center of the placita where they positioned themselves to dance the only dance they’d rehearsed for this very special event.
After all the work, time, and money her mom and grandmother had spent putting this together, Isabella had wanted to do something special and very traditional for them. She and Alejandro stood there facing each other, Isabella holding the sides of her dress’s skirt, ready to begin fanning them. She breathlessly watched as Alejandro winked at her and began tapping his foot on the floor slowly. The mariachi members followed suit as the tapping became stomps and increased in speed and they reached one final stomp with the chant, “Viva Mexico!”
The crowd cheered and clapped, clearly pleased when it became obvious what song Isabella had chosen