Luis (Royal Caleva #2)

CHAPTER 4

Eve Howard stopped in front of the entrance to the local law office in Ames, Iowa, and tugged at the collar of her striped cotton blouse. She had gone home to change out of her scrubs after work. Something about the mysterious Mikel Silva’s voice on the phone had made her suspect she needed some metaphorical armor for this meeting. She had twisted her hair into a low bun, applied mascara and lipstick, donned a navy skirt and the businesslike blouse, and shoved her tired feet into high-heeled black pumps.

Silva had refused to say much during his call to set up their meeting, but he had assured her that this was not a legal matter, that he was merely borrowing a colleague’s office to give them privacy. Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that he had bad news of some kind.

She squared her shoulders and pulled open the glass-and-steel door to enter a small waiting room containing a few unoccupied chairs, a large potted Ficus shrub, and an oak desk behind which sat a young blond woman.

“May I help you?” the receptionist asked with a pleasant smile.

“I’m Eve Howard, here to see Mikel Silva.”

“Of course, Ms. Howard.” The receptionist rose, exuding a physical energy, as though she should be rock climbing, not sitting at a desk. “Follow me, please.”

She led the way down a carpeted hallway lined with closed doors on both sides. The office was surprisingly quiet, even for the end of a workday. The lawyers in the firm must keep bankers’ hours.

The receptionist stopped in front of a door with a brass nameplate, knocked, and opened it without waiting for a response. She gestured that Eve should go inside. “Mr. Silva is expecting you.”

“Thank you.” Eve stepped into the office, getting a quick impression of furniture that matched the blandness of the waiting room except for the photos of men holding up large fish arrayed over the walls.

“Ms. Howard, thank you for coming.” A wiry, dark-haired man stood with his back to the window, so his face was in shadow. He started toward her with his hand held out. “I’m Mikel Silva. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

The way he moved reminded her of a hunting cat, attention laser-focused, muscles coiled to spring in any direction. He wore a charcoal suit, white shirt, and maroon tie, all precisely fitted but not attention-catching.

As he came away from the backlighting of the window, she could see that his smile reached his eyes, making their pale blue look almost warm. She judged him to be in his forties. When he shook her hand, his grip was firm but unthreatening. Yet she had the sense that—like the receptionist—he was tamping down his real strength. “Nice to meet you too,” she said.

“Please.” He gestured toward a seating area holding a beige love seat, glass-topped coffee table, and two chairs upholstered in rust-colored fabric. On the coffee table sat a tray with two carafes, a pitcher of water, mugs, and glasses. “May I offer you tea, coffee, or water?”

She caught a faint accent in his voice. Spanish, she guessed, given his name.

“No, thank you.” She seated herself on one chair, tucking her skirt over her knees. “I’d like to know why you wanted to talk with me, Mr. Silva.” And who the hell you are.

“Mikel, please.” Humor glinted in his eyes. “This is why I enjoy Americans. They get straight to the point.” He filled two glasses with water before he sat back on the love seat. “I have come here on behalf of someone else. He is a prominent person and feels it would be less…overwhelming if I speak with you first.”

The nebulous sense of dread dragged at her breathing. She nodded.

Mikel clasped his hands on his knees and locked his gaze with hers. “Ms. Howard, I come to you because the person whom I represent has recently discovered that he has a daughter. We believe that child to be your adopted daughter, Grace.”

The dread forced itself out in a gasp as shock tightened her chest. She had always wondered if this day would come.

“As you can imagine,” Mikel continued, “her father would very much like to meet your daughter. However, he feels strongly that he should speak with you first. You will know how best to approach your daughter so she is not upset by the revelation.”

“I appreciate his tact.” She did, but at the moment, Eve was the upset one. She had been Grace’s only parent for so many years, trying to fill the place of both mother and father after the divorce, fighting to give her daughter everything she deserved on a vet tech’s salary and the tiny amount of child support her ex had grudgingly paid. Now a total stranger wanted to waltz into Grace’s life after Eve had raised her beautiful, brilliant daughter almost entirely on her own. Who the hell does he think he is?

“All I know is that the father’s name listed on the birth certificate is Luis Dragón, but I always thought the birth mother made that up,” Eve said. “I’m pretty sure she didn’t use her real name either.”

“His name is the one thing the birth mother did not lie about,” Mikel said.

“Who is he, then? Where does he live? Why didn’t he know about Grace before?” So many questions that she needed answers to. Since Mikel had that slight accent, perhaps Grace’s biological father was from another country.

“It would be best if he answers those questions himself,” Mikel said. “There is also the issue of confirming that Grace is truly his daughter. Because of his prominent position, it is necessary to perform a DNA test.”

He didn’t shift a millimeter, but Eve could tell he was watching her reaction as she tried to sort through how she felt about such an intrusive request. Why did Grace need to prove anything to her father? Silva had sought out Grace, not the other way around. The burden of proof should fall on him. “How did he find out about Grace in the first place?”

“Grace’s birth mother told him, but only recently.”

Why had Grace’s birth mother kept that a secret? Was the father a criminal? Abusive? An addict of some sort? Had the mother been protecting her infant daughter? Fear clenched a fist in her throat. Eve had handled rabid dogs. She could face down a mere human, even if he had some high-level position in the world.

Eve picked up a glass of water and swallowed a mouthful to loosen up her throat. “And why do you doubt the biological mother’s word about Grace’s father?”

Mikel’s face tightened. “She is not a reliable source.” He seemed to make a decision. “Would you be open to meeting Grace’s father? He will be able to both explain his position and reassure you.”

“I—” Who could this highly important person be? “Yes, of course.” For Grace’s sake, she needed to gauge what kind of man this Luis was. Not that she could stop him from contacting Grace if he wished to. Grace was an adult.

“He would very much like to meet you as well,” Mikel said. “He is waiting in the office next door. I know this must be something of a shock. If you need a few minutes…”

Putting it off would only wind the anxiety tighter. She shook her head. “Let’s get this done.”

Although Grace was an adult now, Eve found she didn’t want to make room for another person in her daughter’s life. A selfish impulse. She should be happy that Grace would have the option to know her biological father. Depending on what kind of person he was, of course. The next few minutes would tell her. Maybe. After Ben’s desertion, she wasn’t sure how good a judge of men she was.

Mikel nodded before he stood and left her in the office alone. Eve took another gulp of water and then wiped her damp palm on the sofa cushion. Stand or sit? She decided to stand, dodging around the coffee table to stop beside one of the chairs and face the door. Although she was only of average height, her heels added a couple of extra inches, so she felt taller. That might give her more confidence in facing the person who claimed to be Grace’s father.

She took a deep breath and braced herself to face whoever came through the door. He would be a factor in her life going forward. She would have to deal with him, whether it was to accept him or to protect Grace from him.

The door opened. The man who entered somehow projected his presence into every corner of the office, not with arrogance but with power. He was tall and lean with a short, neatly trimmed beard and salt-and-pepper hair combed back from his temples. He wore gray trousers and a pale blue dress shirt, open at the neck, casual clothing that did not look in any way casual on him. His smile was so potent that she nearly backed up a step.

“Ms. Howard? I’m Luis Dragón.” He strode forward with his hand outstretched. “It is a pleasure and an honor to meet you.”

“Please call me Eve,” she said as his long fingers wrapped around her hand. His handshake was as firm as Mikel’s but somehow warmer. As she examined his face, she felt a tug of recognition. She knew him from somewhere. Or maybe it was just that she could see in him a more mature and very masculine version of her daughter’s face. She swallowed her impulse to say how much he looked like Grace. Better not to give away too much at the outset.

“Eve. Thank you. And I am Luis.” He had a smooth baritone voice and, like Mikel, a slight Spanish accent. “I appreciate your willingness to meet with me on short notice. I know this must be something of a shock to you.” His smile took on a rueful cast. “It was a shock to me as well, but of the most miraculous kind. Shall we sit?”

He swept his hand toward the seating area, and something about the gesture gave her that nag of familiarity again. Yet she was sure she had never met him before.

Who is he?

Mikel Silva had said Luis was a prominent person, so maybe she had seen him in the media. She snuck a sideways glance at him as she sank onto the sofa again, trying to chase down his identity.

He waited until she had settled before he seated himself in a chair, his back ramrod straight and his hands resting on the arms as though he sat on a throne rather than an ugly orange chair.

A throne.

“Holy shit,” she whispered. “You’re the King of Caleva.”

He had been in the news recently because of the wildly successful music festival in his country. Grace’s favorite rock star, Kyran Redda, had been the headliner, so they—and Redda’s millions of other fans around the world—had watched the festival on television. The king had introduced Redda at the concert, and Eve had commented to Grace that Caleva’s ruler was a sexy silver fox. The cameras had loved him, too, because they had often panned to show him sitting in his box, applauding Redda’s performance.

She realized what she had said out loud and embarrassment scorched her cheeks. “Oh my God, I shouldn’t have…”

Now she understood Silva’s secrecy and the DNA test. She also understood that she was dealing with a man way out of her league.

Did he expect her to stand and curtsy? That would seem weird and awkward, especially since she had never curtsied before in her life. But maybe it was required when one met a king.

“Please. Here, now, I am just Luis Dragón.” He looked…resigned, his smile slipping a bit. “A man who is overjoyed to discover that he has a daughter he did not know existed.”

“But you’re the King of Caleva. How… Why… I don’t understand.” Confusion took away coherent speech as she tried to connect Grace with Caleva’s monarch. “I mean…I don’t know where to start.”

Was this some kind of elaborate prank? Did this man just look like the King of Caleva? But why would anyone go to all this trouble to prank her?

Or maybe it was a scam of some kind. But she had no money—only debt—so why would anyone bother to set up such an elaborate plot? If anything, it should go the other way around, where she would try to claim Grace was the king’s daughter to get some of his vast fortune from him. Which would be so far-fetched no one would consider doing such a thing.

“I understand that it seems strange that my infant daughter found her way to Iowa,” Luis said. “From what I have learned, though, she was very fortunate that you adopted her.”

The compliment sounded sincere. “She was a gift to me, but thank you.” Eve shook her head, trying to settle her whirling thoughts. “How did this happen?”

“It is not a pretty story.” For a moment, he stared out the window, obviously not seeing anything but the past. He brought his gaze back to her. It was daunting to have those ice-blue eyes locked on her with utter focus. “When I was in my twenties, my father, King Carlo, was diagnosed with glioblastoma. Knowing he had only a short time to live, he asked me to marry, which I did. It was a political marriage, and my wife was emotionally…fragile in ways I didn’t understand until too late.” Sorrow dragged at the corners of his mouth. “Sofia became pregnant and gave birth to my son, Raul, but she struggled with postpartum depression. My father died shortly after Raul’s birth, so Sofia also had to endure the weight of a state funeral and a coronation. Six months later, the car she was driving went off a cliff in what was ruled an accident.”

Wow. He was almost admitting that his wife committed suicide. Why? To manipulate her into feeling pity for him? “I’m so sorry,” she said.

He waved one hand in a way that was both acceptance and dismissal. “It was a long time ago. I have learned to live with my responsibility.”

He meant it. He felt responsible for his wife’s death. She couldn’t help feeling a little sad for him.

“Time dulls pain but doesn’t erase it.” She knew that from her own experience.

He gave a small nod. “It was a difficult time. That is my only excuse for the poor judgment I showed when I chose to have an affair with the woman who is Grace’s mother.”

He became father, king, and widower in one short period of time. That could excuse a lot. It was strange to feel sympathy for this powerful man, but she did.

“We all make mistakes,” she said, thinking of her own failed marriage.

His smile held no humor. “My mistakes reverberate.”

She nodded as though she understood his issues, but she was more concerned about Grace’s. “This woman got pregnant and didn’t tell you? That seems strange since you certainly had the means to take care of a child.”

This was the crux of his story. Why?

Before he could answer, an ugly thought struck Eve. He was a king. “Was it because Grace was illegitimate? Would you not have wanted her because she couldn’t inherit the throne? Or because she would be a public relations problem?” She couldn’t keep the accusation out of her voice.

Luis’s features tightened as though she had slapped him. “I am here because I want her,” he said harshly. “I would always want my child, no matter what the circumstances of her birth were.” He snapped his mouth shut and took a breath before he said in a softer tone, “My apologies. Your questions were quite reasonable, given the circumstances.”

“Yes, they were.” She kept her voice firm.

He gave her a rueful half smile. “My ancestors were not a respectable bunch. Children born out of royal wedlock are always considered part of the family, if they wish to be. Grace’s legitimacy would not be an issue for me or for the people of Caleva.”

Luis might feel he could ignore the lack of a marriage license between Grace’s biological parents—he was a king—but Eve wasn’t convinced that the people of Caleva would be as unconcerned.

He locked his eyes with Eve’s. “I broke off the relationship before she realized she was pregnant. I did not handle the ending well, and she was very angry.” His hands clenched on the chair arms. “I terminated the affair because I sensed a lack of mental stability that worried me, especially after my experience with my wife.” His gaze did not plead, but rather hoped for understanding. “Her revenge was to withhold knowledge of my child from me until now.” His voice dropped to a near whisper. “It was quite effective.”

She thought of her smart, beautiful daughter having to accept the limitations of Eve’s financial situation in the schools she attended and the few places she had been able to travel. If Grace had been raised by the king, she could have studied anywhere in the world and been to exotic locales many times over.

Maybe, though, Grace would not have been loved in the all-encompassing way that Eve loved her. Weren’t the children of royalty often raised by nannies? Could Grace’s birth mother have been worried about that?

Although, if she had been concerned about Grace not receiving a parent’s love, why would she put her baby up for adoption? Had she worried that Luis would figure out who the child was if she had kept her?

The whole scenario made Eve’s head spin. “I don’t understand why she would deprive her child of the advantages you could give her.”

Sorrow shadowed Luis’s face. “Odette is a very troubled woman.”

“Why did your ex-lover decide to tell you now?” Eve asked, suspicion making her question sharp.

“The story gets even uglier in the present,” Luis said. “Odette Fontaine is currently in prison for life in Caleva. She masterminded my nephew’s kidnapping two years ago.”

“Oh, dear God, I remember that! His ear was cut off.” Horror clawed at Eve’s gut as she recalled the tragic story. The American media had reported on the attention-grabbing details with relish: A handsome royal duke’s brilliant talent had been destroyed by the horrible mutilation his kidnappers had inflicted on him. Even at the vet clinic, everyone had talked about it.

Grace’s mother was a monster.

“Yes, Gabriel suffered terribly.” His words were filled with pain. “The victim was supposed to have been my son, but my nephew convinced the abductors that he was the prince, so they took him instead.”

For a fleeting moment, he sagged in the chair. But then his spine straightened, and she wondered if she had imagined his slump.

“That’s horrendous,” she said, but her real distress was for her child. Terrible things might happen to Grace because she was the king’s daughter. Eve suppressed a shudder.

“My only consolation is that every single person involved has been punished.” His eyes blazed with a satisfied fury that was almost frightening. “But Odette reached out from her prison cell in an attempt to torment me further.” The fury died. “She miscalculated, because this news was pure joy. I had hoped to have many children, but…” He shrugged.

Why hadn’t he married again? Women would have lined up to have him father their children. But that wasn’t a question she could ask a king.

So now he wanted her daughter, which could put Grace in danger too.

“It seems to me that this Odette would lie if she thought it would hurt you,” Eve said, choosing her words with care. “Mr. Silva mentioned that you want to have a DNA test done.”

“Mikel is being very cautious, but I believe more and more that Grace is my daughter.” He held up both hands to frame his face. “Do you not see me in her?” He pulled a cell phone from his back pocket, tapped at it, and then held it out to her, a glow of love in his eyes. “My son, Raul. They are clearly siblings.”

She took the phone, feeling the warmth of his body on it. Royal body heat.

The young man who smiled from the phone looked like a younger version of his father, but also almost like a twin brother to her Grace. His hair was brown streaked with blond, while Grace’s was a deep auburn, but the angle of the jawline, the strong cheekbones, the curve of his lips, and the shape of his face all matched her daughter’s to a stunning degree.

She wondered if Raul shared Grace’s integrity, dedication, and persistence.

Handing the phone back, she said, “People can look alike but not be related.”

“I have some proof already. Odette had her baby’s DNA stored in a databank. It has been confirmed that I am the father. Mikel has, of course, pointed out the remote possibility that Grace isn’t the same child that the DNA was taken from.” Luis sighed. “Asking for a DNA test is an awkward way to begin a relationship.”

A startling thought struck her. “If she’s proven to be your daughter, then would Grace be a princess?”

The irony almost made her laugh. All of Grace’s little girlfriends had dressed up as princesses every chance they had gotten. Grace had preferred to be a unicorn, a puppy, or a cat.

“If she wishes to be. There are various technical options involving her royal standing, all of which we can discuss later.” Luis sat forward. “I would be overjoyed to acknowledge her as my daughter, but she already has a mother. Perhaps she does not need to have a father as well.”

His words jabbed like daggers. He had more legal rights than Eve did, and she hated that. Grace was hers! Eve had changed her diapers, wiped her tears when her boyfriend dumped her, edited her essays for college and grad school, and loved her for all of Grace’s life.

She swallowed her outrage. Grace deserved to have a father. She especially deserved to have one who could offer her the advantages Luis could. His resources made Eve’s look downright pitiful. Grace didn’t crave material things, but Luis could send her on journeys anywhere in the world or pay for advanced degrees at the finest universities. Jealousy reared its ugly head before Eve could smack it down.

“If I acknowledge Grace, I must be honest with you.” Luis gave a half grimace. “She would need a certain amount of security.”

Because the king’s relatives could be targets for kidnapping and, dear God, mutilation. Fear wrapped icy fingers around her heart and squeezed.

“Or I can be a beneficent uncle with no acknowledged blood ties, but with a very strong interest in being part of her life in some way,” he offered with a noticeable lack of enthusiasm. “We could keep it very private.”

“You already have an heir,” Eve said, wanting to protect her child from potential kidnappers. “Why would you even need to claim Grace as your child?”

His face sharpened with something she could only call hunger. “If she is my daughter, she is of my blood.”

Another slash at Eve’s heart. Grace was not of Eve’s blood.

“I would have her honored as she deserves,” Luis continued. “Even more, I would wish to be a father to her in whatever way she—and you—will allow.” The angles of his face softened. “I have missed so many years of her life. I want to make up for that.”

Another unwelcome thought charged in. “If you acknowledged her, would you expect her to move to Caleva?”

He spread his hands in an admission of uncertainty. “She is an adult. She will make her own decisions about where to live.”

But a father and a palace could be very tempting. If Grace moved, Eve would have to move to be near her. A small bubble of panic lodged in her throat. She coughed once to clear it. “All of this is up to her, of course. I appreciate your courtesy in letting me know first.”

“I thought you could help her in navigating this surprising situation,” he said. “If something of this magnitude had happened to Raul, I would wish to know so I could assist him.”

He was not only a king, but a father. He had some understanding of how this would upend Grace’s world. He was also a parent who was desperate to meet the young woman who might be his child. That resonated in Eve’s heart, and she found herself softening toward him.

The final decision, though, was Grace’s.

“I assume you want me to be your envoy,” she said.

“I thought it would be best for her to learn the news from you, but if you don’t feel comfortable…” He lifted a hand to indicate he would handle it.

He wanted her to put her seal of approval on the DNA test and their meeting. That would smooth his way. It was to his credit that he didn’t just swoop down on Grace from his throne, assuming his daughter would be thrilled to be a princess. Eve respected his restraint. Of course, as a king, he must have had a lot of practice dealing with touchy situations.

“I’m happy to start the ball rolling with Grace, but she has a mind of her own. I can’t guarantee how she’ll respond.”

“I understand.” For a moment, he looked stricken, and her heart cracked open a little more for him.

“Knowing Grace, she’ll want to meet you. Beyond that, I can’t predict.”

“If you persuade her to give me that one chance, I will accept whatever comes.” His smile held the confidence that he would convince Grace to let him into her life.

He was probably right.

“When will you speak with her about this?” he asked.

Right. He was a king. He had responsibilities that didn’t allow him to hang around in Ames, Iowa. Besides, there was no good reason to delay telling Grace such important news. She glanced at her watch. It was six o’clock. Nearly dinnertime, yet her usually healthy appetite had deserted her. “I’ll tell her tonight.”

A fleeting look of relief crossed his face. “Thank you.”

She started to stand, then sat again. “I don’t know how this works. Do I need your permission to leave?”

He pressed his hand against his chest. “Here, I am only a man who begs your help. My crown was left outside the door.”

She considered the confident tilt of his head, the authoritative set of his shoulders, and the way his presence filled the room. “You don’t need a crown to be a king.” She stood.

In a surge of graceful power, he came to his feet as well. “You have Mikel’s number. Please contact him anytime, day or night, and he will reach me.”

“What exactly does Mikel do?” she asked.

“Mikel is in charge of my personal security, as well as being a trusted advisor.” Luis spoke with sudden intensity. “He came to me after Gabriel’s kidnapping and was instrumental in arranging his release.”

“Ah.” Whoever had been in charge of security when his nephew was kidnapped probably was not working for the king any longer.

She went around the table and held out her hand. “No curtsy either, right?”

He nodded and folded his fingers around hers, laying his other hand on top. “It has been a great pleasure to meet you. I know it is not necessary, but I would like to thank you again for being such a wonderful mother to Grace.”

All she could focus on were the sparks flickering up her arm from where his skin touched hers. His grip was strong, yet protective.

When he released her hand, she mentally shook herself and tucked her hand into her skirt pocket. Luis had said something nice to her, hadn’t he? “Thank you,” she said. “But I’m the lucky one. Grace is an amazing person.”

He walked beside her to the door. She was aware of his long stride and of a faint scent that evoked fresh air. When he reached for the doorknob, she felt the tiny brush of his shirtsleeve against the fabric of her blouse. What was wrong with her?

She stepped through the door to put some distance between them before she pivoted. “I’ll be in touch as soon as I speak with Grace.”

He lowered his chin, almost in a bow. “I am in your debt.”

The receptionist was standing partway down the hall. As soon as Eve reached her, the woman smiled and turned to accompany her.

In the lobby, Eve looked around the silent, empty space and realized something. The lawyers in the office weren’t lazy—they and their clients had been cleared out for this meeting.

“You’re not really a receptionist, are you?” Eve said to the young woman. “You’re with the king, right?”

The woman unlocked and opened the front door for her. “I am part of el Rey Luis’s security team.”

Right. He traveled with his own personal security.

Grace’s father could claim all he wanted that he was just Luis Dragón, but Eve understood who he really was.

Luis watched from the window as Eve Howard headed down the sidewalk to her car, her steps slow, as though she was lost in thought. Not surprising, given their meeting.

A knock sounded on the office door.

“Come in, Mikel,” Luis called.

His security chief entered in his silent way and gave a slight bow. “May I ask how the conversation went, Se?or?”

With some difficulty, Luis separated his anticipation of connecting with his daughter from his objective evaluation of how Eve Howard had responded to his revelations. “On balance, it went well. Se?ora Howard seemed sure that Grace would choose to meet with me. That is the outcome I hoped for.”

“And the DNA test?”

“She understood the necessity for it, given who I am.” Luis frowned. Eve had not commented on whether she thought Grace would be willing to take the test.

“Does she know who Grace’s birth mother is?” Mikel asked in a neutral tone.

“It was unavoidable.” Luis grimaced. “I told her as little as possible about Gabriel’s kidnapping, but it was impossible not to explain the reason Odette is in prison.”

“Se?ora Howard strikes me as an intelligent woman who would understand some of the less positive implications of her daughter’s relationship with you,” Mikel said.

“Yes, she will conclude that being related to me could put her daughter in danger. I even told her that some security would be necessary if Grace allows me to acknowledge her as my daughter.”

Mikel nodded.

“You, too, have a daughter, one you love deeply,” Luis said. “Would you refuse to include her in your life because it might put her in harm’s way?”

A haunted expression flickered across Mikel’s face. Luis knew Mikel carried a dark past, but the man was loyal to the core, and that was all Luis asked.

“Our positions in life are very different,” Mikel said. “In my case, I took Serena away from a dangerous environment.”

“Whereas you feel I am leading Grace into a dangerous environment?” Luis put a warning in his voice.

“You are bringing her into a complicated environment, especially for someone who did not grow up in it.” Mikel did not intimidate easily.

“If she is mine, it is her birthright!”

Mikel gave him a level look. “Have you not sometimes wished to lay down your crown? She may not wish to pick up hers.”

Worry overwhelmed the anger, and Luis sat in a nearby chair, briefly closing his eyes against Mikel’s relentless gaze. “She would not be the heir. She would not face as much pressure.”

“Se?or, I sympathize with your desire to hold your child close, but she is from this small town in the midst of Iowa. She may not understand what you are offering her. And if she does, she may not want it.”

Luis pictured the alarm on Eve Howard’s face when he had mentioned Grace needing security. The woman had grasped the problem immediately, and he had regretted bringing up the subject so early in the conversation. “Grace did not have all the advantages I could have given her, but she was raised by a smart, capable woman. Eve Howard will guide her daughter with wisdom.”

“Assuming she understands how drastic the changes in her daughter’s life will be,” Mikel said. “And her own.”

Luis waved a hand in both acceptance and dismissal of Mikel’s words.

In fact, Eve had shown an impressive composure even after she realized who he was. There had been no apparent calculation of what benefits she might derive from the relationship, which surprised him. Too often, Luis had seen the avarice in people’s eyes as they angled for his attention. Eve might have a real claim on his resources, yet she didn’t seem to care about that. Perhaps the shock hadn’t worn off enough for her to consider her possibly advantageous position yet.

He could only hope that Eve was the exception to his previous experience with significant women in his life. He needed her as an ally until Grace took the DNA test. Once Grace was confirmed as his daughter, he would not hesitate to go around Eve, if necessary.