Chapter 41
Chapter
Forty-One
Alejandro
Awarm breeze drifts through the open window of my home office, ruffling the papers on my desk.
It’s Saturday, and I told Alana I’d stay home today, pretending it was for her benefit when the truth is I hate being away from her.
She doesn’t work in the shelter on weekends, and I can’t stand the thought of her being in this house all day without me.
Some shipping logs have stolen my attention for now, but I intend to rejoin her as soon as possible. The door to my study opens, and I look up, expecting to see her because nobody else would come in here without knocking. My father walks in.
My father never seeks permission to do anything.
“Papá.” I stand to greet him, and he pulls me into a hug before kissing me on each cheek.
“You look good, mi hijo,” he says, clapping me on the back. “Marriage must suit you.”
“I think it does, Papá.” I pull out a chair for him. “What brings you here? I didn’t know you were coming to LA.”
He shrugs. “Had a catch-up with an old friend of mine.”
“Anything I need to know about?”
“Nothing business. He’s dying, and I wanted to pay my respects. However, I do think it’s about time you had a meeting with your influential father-in-law. Some associates of ours are having trouble with permits in New York, and we need them handled.”
I perch on the edge of my desk. “I’ll arrange a meeting with him next week.”
My father and uncles are still very much involved in our family business, even though they’ve taken a back seat here in LA and prefer to focus on our projects further afield.
We carved our entire empire via illegitimate means, but my father, eager to clean up the family name and add some semblance of legitimacy to the Montoya brand, decided I should become the face of it.
He’s the son of immigrant parents who came to the US from Spain in the 1960s, and despite all his success, he’s never satisfied. Always wanting more.
Hence his grand plan for me, his only son and heir, to marry into a powerful political family and ensure that we become undisputed US royalty.
So for now, I handle our business here in LA, and he and my uncle dabble in various enterprises all over the country. In a few years, I’ll take over the whole nationwide corporation while my father eases into retirement. Not that you can ever truly retire from our family business.
“Is that all you needed to see me about, Papá?”
“Of course not. I couldn’t stop by LA without visiting my favorite son.”
“I’m your only son,” I remind him.
“Semantics.” He waves his hand. “How is that wife of yours working out? Have you managed to tame the spoiled little rich girl yet?”
“Actually, I’m not sure she needs taming.”
He hums, regarding me with curiosity. “What do you mean?”
“She’s nothing like what her father described. And more importantly, she’s nothing like him at all. She’s … She reminds me of Mamá in some ways.”
His eyes narrow. “Oh, Alejandro,” he says, sounding disappointed in me, something I’m unused to from him.
“What is it?”
“You have fallen in love with this girl, yes?”
My jaw works, and I don’t answer.
“Idiota,” he mumbles.
“I never said I’ve fallen in love with her.”
“No.” He sighs. “You don’t have to. I can see it all over your face. I warned you about this, hijo.” He pinches the spot between his brows, a habit I picked up from him. “I thought you were smarter than this.”
“You can’t force me to marry someone, Papá, and then berate me if I start to care about her.” I’m not prepared to admit to him that I’m in love. I’m not even prepared to admit that to myself.
“But you chose her because you did not want to fall in love. Because you are a smart boy. At least you were. You were supposed to be above all of this feelings nonsense. Love is messy. It complicates things. Makes you weak.”
“Weak? You really think that your love for Mamá makes you weak?”
His voice goes deadly quiet. “We are not talking about me and your mamá.”
All my life he has told me that my mother and I are his greatest weaknesses, and I understand why now. Every time he looks at us, he’s reminded that he’s only a man, and men can be hurt. Men can have the things they love taken away from them.
“You chose her for me, Papá. Perhaps you should have chosen better.”
“You agreed to this, Alejandro. You could have said no and I would have found another.”
It’s laughable that he thinks that’s true. He’s the man I respect most in this world, and I have never told him no in my life. “I’m not in love with her.”
Cursing under his breath, he stands and grabs my cheeks. “You are lying to yourself, mi hijo. And while love will be your greatest weakness, it will also bring your greatest blessings.” He kisses my forehead. “Maybe you will understand when you have a child of your own.”
I think I already do understand.
“Now, how about you properly introduce me to this woman who has stolen my son’s heart?” He slaps me on the back and jerks his head toward the door.
I won’t refuse any excuse to spend time with her. “Sure. She’s around here somewhere.”
I show him out of my study, and as we head to find my wife, I can’t stop my father’s words from running through my head. Love will be your greatest weakness, but it will also bring your greatest blessings.
Alana is most definitely both.