29. Chapter 29
Chapter 29
“Hey, Mama.”
My mother’s face brightened as soon as she answered my FaceTime call. “Mi hijo! I’ve missed talking to you.”
I grinned at her. “We literally talked two days ago, Mama.”
Her soft brown eyes rolled. “Pshhh. What have I told you about teasing your mother?”
Leaning back on my couch, I rested my phone on my abdomen. “It’s my favorite pastime. Don’t try and take away my joy.”
“If teasing me is your favorite pastime, you need to get out more. Are you dating anyone?” she asked with hope lilting her voice.
For once, I had the answer she wanted to hear. “Actually, yes. I’ve met a woman I like a lot.” Love a lot.
Mama’s eyes danced with delight as she started her maternal inquisition. “What is she like? Is she pretty? Where did you meet her? Are you being polite and respectful? You better be opening her door and treating her like a lady, or I’ll come up there and throw a shoe at you.” Her questions and comments came like rapid machine-gun fire, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Mama, you raised me right and taught me how to treat a woman, so no need for any shoe throwing. And yes, she’s beautiful. Her name is Lehra, and she has blonde hair and the prettiest gray eyes.” I let out a soft sigh. “She’s so sweet and funny, Mama. There’s just something so vibrant about her. Everyone at work loves her.”
It had been a while since I’d seen my mother smile this big. “Oh, so you met her at work. Which job? Your security one or your police work?”
“The security one. She’s a receptionist, but she’s training for an executive position.”
“Oooh, ambitious. I like that,” Mama crooned. “Have you met her parents?”
“I met her mom when she came up for a visit. Tabby is a nurse, and I really liked her a lot. I haven’t met her dad yet. He’s a plumber with his own business, so you know how that is.”
“Yes, your father worked so hard, but he always made time for family. You need to remember that when you start your own family, mi hijo. You’re working two jobs, and I worry about that.”
“I know, but you don’t have to worry. I’m making time for some fun. My security job pays the bills, but I really enjoy being on the force, even part-time.”
“You’ve always been a protector,” she said, her voice soft with pride. “I never had to worry about Quintessa or Eli because I knew big brother would look after them.”
“Always,” I confirmed. “How is Eli, by the way?”
“Oh, that boy! You and Quinnie were always so ambitious, and he’s just… not. He wants to stay tied to my apron strings all the time.”
I frowned. I didn’t want my brother to end up like Dwight. “I know he’s the baby of the family, but you need to be firm with him, Mama, like you were with us. Don’t get soft in—” I cut myself off.
“In what?” Mama asked, her eyes narrowing.
Well, I’ve really gotten myself into a pickle here. “In, um, now that Papa’s not around to back you up.”
Her lips quirked up on one side in amusement. “Nice save. For a second there, I thought you were about to call me old.”
“Never,” I chuckled. “You don’t age, Mama. You’re as beautiful as when I was a kid.” I wasn’t even schmoozing with that comment. My mother barely had a wrinkle on her lovely face.
She ran a hand through the hair over her ear, fingering the few gray strands that had started appearing there in the past couple years. “Except for these,” she stated flatly.
“I like them. They show you’ve lived.”
“They show I’m a worrywart,” she retorted on a laugh. “And I’m handling your brother. I’ve started making him go to the P.I. office with me, and he’s actually doing a good job as an investigator. He’s got a sharp mind; he just has to put it to use on something other than those stupid video games.”
“That’s good, Mama. Maybe he can take over the business one day and you can finally retire.”
“Won’t that be the day,” she sighed. “Now, how are your jobs going? You never talk much about whatever you do in the security business.”
I tried not to let the stress of what I was hiding show on my face. “It’s just basic personal security for a corporate executive. He’s… in the clothing industry.” I wanted to tell her that I was working for Auburn Bouvier, but I didn’t want to do it over the phone. This was a conversation best had in person. “Tell you what. Why don’t you come for a visit, and I’ll tell you all about it. Maybe you could ride with me for a couple days.”
“I could use a little vacation,” she said thoughtfully. “And I’d love to see mi nieta in person. Noelle is getting so big, and I’m a little jealous you get to see her all the time. Quinnie said you babysit quite often to give her a break.”
“She’s such a doll, Mama. She has Quinnie’s sweet personality, but she’s a little sassy too.”
“Oh, corazón mío,” she said, patting her chest.
“So you’ll come?” I had the sudden urge to spill my guts to my mother about everything. Working with Auburn. Meeting my biological dad. Everything.
I’d been upset about her hiding my paternity when I first found out, but after reading the letters and my long talks with Paul, I understood that she was only doing what she thought was right. But I wanted— needed —to clear the air.
“I’ll see when I can get away,” she promised. “Te amo, my hijo.”
“Te amo también, mamá.”
I’d organized the letters between Papa and Paul, arranging them chronologically and reading them like a conversation between the two men. With one of them in my pocket, I entered the restaurant and found our usual table at the back.
“Son, how are you?” Paul asked, rising and giving me a hug, which I returned. It was becoming easier and easier to relate to this man, and I enjoyed our weekly dinners as much as he seemed to. We no longer focused on what happened all those years ago, and instead, we just talked. Like a normal father and son would do.
Paul had served as my sounding board regarding my feelings for Lehra. While he initially agreed that I should give her time, after a few months, he pointed out that maybe she was waiting on me to make a move. I think his exact words were, “Cruz, you need to either shit or get off the pot.”
Then I’d seen her quiz results on her phone and knew he was right. Knew Lehra and I would be perfect together. Like I didn’t already feel that with every fiber of my soul.
“I’m good. How is your week going?”
“Very well. I was glad to see you at Monty’s get-together. You two seem to get along well.” He smiled. “That makes me so happy.”
“Me too. He’s a good friend.” The server brought our drinks and took our food orders before I continued. “I think I’m feeling better about telling them. I just… I don’t know… I wanted them to get to know me as a person before we tell them I’m their brother.”
Paul’s smile and nod were filled with compassion. “I understand where you’re coming from on that. Whenever you’re ready, we’ll tell them.”
“Thanks,” I said with gratitude for his patience. “I talked with Mama today, and I’m trying to talk her into coming up for a visit.”
His breaths visibly quickened, and I wondered, not for the first time, if he still had feelings for my mom. He always spoke about her with something like reverence. “So you can talk to her about everything? I know you said that you wanted to talk to her face-to-face.”
“I do, and after I get the whole story from her point of view, I think I’d feel more comfortable talking to Monty and Auburn.”
Paul was quiet for a moment. “After you speak with Stella, would you ask her if she’d be willing to meet with me? If it would make her uncomfortable, I completely understand, but I’d like the opportunity to ask her what Chloe said to her when she fired her. And to apologize and let her know I knew nothing about it until she didn’t come to work the next week.”
“I’ll ask her. Hopefully, after all these years, she’ll be okay with it.”
“Thank you, Cruz. How are things going with Lehra?”
We chatted about that for a few minutes, and after Kenzie brought our food, I pulled the letter from my pocket and handed it over. “I was wondering if you could tell me more about this letter. It’s the only one I’ve seen that was a bit hostile between you two.”
Paul opened it and smiled after reading. “Yes, Benjamin was quite annoyed at me.” He laid down the letter, forked up a bite of his salmon and chewed slowly. “This was shortly after I found out about you. I’d agreed to step back since you were obviously in good hands with your parents, but I still wanted to support you financially. I called Ben and made an offer to him.”
“Oh, like child support?”
“Yes, initially, but… well, he took offense to that. Said he was perfectly capable of supporting his family.”
“I can imagine. Papa was very proud.”
Paul chuckled and tapped the sheet of paper with his knuckle. “He was indeed. He sent me this letter to let me know what I could do with my money. I gave him time to cool off and called him again a few weeks later.”
“I’m guessing you two worked things out?”
“We did. I came up with another proposition that was more… palatable to him. See, at that time, your papa was a private investigator at a firm, working for someone else. The guy he worked for was a bit of an ass. He grossly underpaid and overworked his employees, so I offered to start a corporation with Ben as the CEO. He would have full control over all the operations, though I would provide the office space and any necessities.”
Taking a bite of my chicken, I scraped through my memories. “I don’t remember Papa working for another firm.”
“You were probably too young. Anyway, my proposal would give him the opportunity to work for himself, and then, after seven years, I would sign over the entire corporation to him. Of course, as you know, Benjamin’s business flourished, and he did very well for himself.”
I smiled across the table at him. “So you gave Papa autonomy, but you were still able to help out financially without making him feel like he was taking a handout.” Paul was a damn smart man.
“All I did was give him the opportunity. He’s the one who did all the work and turned Estrada Investigations into a booming business.”
I knew he was just being modest. Paul had been the catalyst behind Papa’s success while still allowing him to maintain his pride. Something twisted in my stomach, but it wasn’t unpleasant at all. It took me a minute to realize what it was.
Love for Paul.
The man who’d seen someone struggling and helped in the best way he could. The man who’d sacrificed his own wants and happiness to do what he thought was best for his child.
Benjamin Estrada loved and raised me, and I absolutely loved him with all my heart. He was my papa. But that didn’t mean that I couldn’t make room for someone else inside my heart.
My chest felt like it was expanding, forming a new and open space, and for the first time, I truly saw Paul Bouvier for what he was.
My dad.