Most Eligible Single Dad - A Billionaire's Secret Baby Romance (Love Is Priceless Book 2), Page 7

  “I hope you like paella. Rey chose the main dish and helped me to make it.”

  “I’m sure I’ll love it. Especially if the two of you went out of your way to make it just for me.”

  Rey shot out of the bedroom and rushed up to Tanya, arms extended. She flung herself into Tanya’s arms, screeching with glee.

  “You said you had to work.”

  “I did, but my people in New York did it for me instead.”

  “Well, thank them for me. I really wanted you to join us for dinner.”

  “And here I am. Raul, I think your little girl might have a guardian angel. Her wishes seem to come true with alarming regularity.”

  “Oh, I know she has one. Otherwise, why would she be such an angel herself?”

  Tanya gave Rey a hug. “Did you show your father the books we found yesterday?”

  “Not all of them.”

  Tanya looked at me. “I convinced Rey that not all of life is about detective work. You have to leave some room for romance, too.”

  “Truer words were never spoken.” I felt something tighten in my chest. She’d remembered what I’d told her about Eloisa and rather than press her own agenda, she’d opened up Rey’s reading list to include things her mother would have liked.

  “What novels did you choose, hija?”

  “We found a short series that has mystery, history, and romance. And also as many books as we could find by Judy Blume.”

  I lifted an eyebrow.

  “Don’t worry, papi. The books are for girls my age.”

  “If you have questions about what you read, I want you to come to me, or ask Tanya.” I looked over at her. “If that’s all right with you.”

  Something passed through Tanya’s eyes. Something sad and distant. Panic, an emotion I wasn’t used to feeling and didn’t like one bit, swirled up from my gut. Was Tanya planning on not being available to us once she left? Or was her attention to my daughter all part of some act?

  Before I could let those thoughts fester further, the look was gone and Tanya’s bright smile replaced it.

  “You can call me anytime, Rey.”

  My daughter wrapped herself around Tanya’s waist and held on tight. Tanya rocked back on her heels but kept her feet—barely.

  “Hey, kiddo, careful. You’re stronger than you think you are.”

  “Sorry, sorry. Thanks, Tanya. You’re the most awesome person I’ve ever met—aside from my papi, of course.”

  “Of course.”

  “Want to help me set the table?” Rey asked.

  “I’d love to.”

  I watched the two women in my life set the table and realized that no matter what I might think I wanted, what I needed was these two women to be happy. And I didn’t know what to think about that revelation.

  Chapter 19

  Tanya

  I took the plates from Rey and ducked my head. I didn’t want her to see how my heart was breaking. When Raul had asked if Rey could call me if she were confused by something in one of the novels we’d bought, I thought I might burst into tears. He was trusting me with so much when he trusted me with his daughter. I didn’t deserve that trust.

  The more I thought about it, the more my heart hurt. I’d betrayed this man, and he was trusting me with his daughter.

  I took a deep breath and settled my heart into a stable rhythm as I set the plates on the table. Rey followed behind with the cutlery. Raul watched from the stove, giving me a look I couldn’t read.

  We took our seats and Raul dished out the food, which smelled so delicious, my mouth watered before he even put the plate back in front of me.

  “This looks and smells amazing,” I said.

  “I helped,” Rey exclaimed.

  “She did. She washed and peeled the carrots and cleaned the shrimp with me.”

  “That’s wonderful. I can burn water. It must be great to have a dad who’s such a good cook and willing to teach you how to follow in his footsteps.”

  “Papi is the best at everything.”

  “Now, that’s not entirely true, hija.”

  “Tell me one thing you’re not good at,” I said with a teasing grin.

  Raul pretended to think about it before conceding.

  “You’re right, I am the best at everything.”

  Raul winked at Rey and grinned at me. I tasted the paella and moaned softly. It was perfectly seasoned and cooked. I wanted to bathe in the broth and soaked up every drop with the fresh bread Raul brought to the table.

  “This is amazing. The two of you did a great job. Thank you for inviting me to dinner.”

  “The best is still to come,” Rey said.

  “Really, what do you have planned?”

  “Have you ever played Clue?”

  “The detective game? I may have played a time or two.”

  “Good. Papi says we have time to play one game before you guys have to leave.”

  I looked at Raul.

  “Do we have plans I don’t know about?”

  Raul nodded.

  “My daughter was supposed to keep that a secret, but she seems to have loose lips, as the saying goes.”

  “Then maybe we should get started on that game.”

  Raul took the plates to the sink while Rey ran to get the game from the cabinet under the television. I got up and helped to clear the table, handing cutlery to Raul as he loaded the dishwasher.

  “Thank you for dinner. It really was tasty.”

  “You’re welcome. It’s the least I can do after you’ve spent the last two days keeping my daughter entertained while she’s on break.”

  “It was my pleasure,” I said with a genuine smile. “She’s really a great young lady. She wants to know everything right now. I can’t imagine where she got that attitude. Maybe from the father who doesn’t take no for an answer and has to have everything right now.”

  He looked at me, and I saw the kiss coming before he knew for sure he was going to go for it. His eyes glowed with warmth, and I realized that I truly wished I were who he believed me to be. I could see my future in the look he gave me as his hands came up to cup my face and his lips came down to claim mine. A future with Rey as my daughter, Raul as my husband.

  I pulled back gently as reality slammed into me. Raul gave me a searching look, but didn’t try to stop me from backing away to lean against the kitchen counter.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  I couldn’t do anything but shake my head.

  “Have I done something wrong? Something to hurt you?”

  “No, not at all. But we have to be realistic, Raul. I’m leaving in five days unless the airport workers’ strike lasts longer than that. What will we do when we’re on separate continents?”

  “Wouldn’t you want to stay with me if I could offer you something worth staying for?”

  Tears burned in my eyes and a knot twisted in my throat.

  “I wish I could, but I can’t. Please don’t ask me to explain because I really can’t. I wish I could. I wish I could stay. I’d love to stay with you and Rey, but I can’t.”

  Our conversation was cut short when Rey returned, the game tucked under her arm.

  “Get ready, because we have a mystery to solve!” she said as she set the board on the table and began putting pieces on it.

  “And what is the mystery, hija?” Raul said as he shot me one last look—this one hardened on the edges—and took his seat at the table.

  “Someone has been killed, and we must determine who did it, in which room, and with what object.”

  “A deep mystery to solve. Shall we begin?”

  I joined them at the table as Rey explained to her father how to play. I felt an icy barrier rise between Raul and me and had no idea how to breach it, or even if I should attempt to do so. Maybe it was better this way. I could make a clean break and go home without leaving broken hearts behind me.

  I took one look at Rey’s beaming smile and knew it was far too late for any kind of clean break. I lo
ved that little girl, and I knew walking away from her was going to be the hardest thing I’d ever done.

  Raul loosened up a bit as we played the game. By the time Rey announced the winning combination of Miss Scarlett in the Conservatory with the Wrench, he had reached out to take my hand under the table.

  “Well done, Rey,” I said. “I think you have the right kind of mind for detective work. Have you thought about going into law enforcement when you’re older?”

  “Papi says it’s too dangerous, but I’ve thought about it.”

  “He’s right,” I said. “It can be a very dangerous vocation, but there are other ways you can use that brain of yours to solve mysteries. Maybe you’ll become a writer and write mysteries instead of solving them in law enforcement.”

  “Maybe,” she said, considering the new option I’d given her.

  Rey gathered up the game pieces, and I helped her put them in the box. Raul looked at his watch and then smiled at me.

  “We need to leave soon. There’s a box for you on the bed. Will you go now and change so we can be ready when Marco arrives to drive us?”

  “Where are we going?”

  “It’s a surprise,” he said.

  “You’ll like it,” Rey said. She reached for my hand and then pulled me into the bedroom.

  “What do you know about this surprise?” I asked.

  Rey shook her head.

  “I promised papi I wouldn’t tell, but I will tell you it was so much fun to pick out the gift he bought for you.”

  She pointed to a large box that lay centered on the bedspread. I lifted the lid on the box to reveal a stunning designer gown in a glowing red satin that made my mouth water.

  “It’s gorgeous.” I hardly knew what to say.

  “Isn’t it? I thought the red would look lovely against your skin,” Rey said. “I picked it out, but papi said he’d have chosen it if I hadn’t.”

  “Thank you. It’s perfect. For what, I still don’t know, but I will be honored to wear it.”

  Rey’s eyes lit up. “I did good?”

  “You did great. Thank you.”

  I lifted the gown from the tissue paper and laid it out on the bed. The undergarments meant for the gown were under it in the box, for which I was eternally grateful since I was not wearing the kind of undergarments that would have looked good with this kind of gown.

  Seeing where my gaze had landed, Rey blushed scarlet.

  “Papi said you might need different underthings to wear with the dress…”

  “Your papi is a very thoughtful man. You make sure, when you’re old enough, to choose a man like him for yourself.”

  “Papi says something like that to me all the time.”

  “Thoughtful and smart. Add that to your list for when you meet your first boyfriend.”

  “I will,” she said with solemn concentration. “Are they qualities you look for in a man?”

  “They are. Your father is very special, and I feel very lucky to know him.”

  Rey perked up suddenly and waved a hand toward the clothing on the bed.

  “Hurry, hurry, you’re going to be late. Do you need help getting into the dress?”

  “I think I can handle it.”

  “There are shoes, too. In the bottom of the box. I’ll let you get dressed. I think there might be some makeup in the bathroom if you want it. Not that you need it.”

  “Flattery will get you everything,” I joked.

  I hugged Rey and ushered her toward the door before closing it behind her. When I was certain she had gone, I sat on the edge of the bed and put my head in my hands. I took many deep breaths to stave off the wave of hysterical sobs that choked my throat.

  I was going to go to hell for this. For the first time in my life, I was convinced not only of the existence of hell, but also the need for me to spend time there after I died. That little girl deserved so much more than what she was going to be left with when I went back to the States.

  Once I was finally calm enough to move without sobbing, I stripped off the clothes I’d arrived in and pulled on the beautiful undergarments and gown Raul had bought me.

  The gown slid down my body and settled perfectly on my hips. I had no idea how he’d done it, but the dress fit me better than anything I’d ever owned before.

  “Dios mío.”

  My head snapped up to find Raul standing in the doorway. His eyes were wide, and he seemed more than a little stunned.

  I patted the gown and frantically looked for something that was wrong.

  “Did I tear it or put it on wrong?”

  Raul crossed to me and took me in his arms. He spun us so he stood behind me in front of the full-length mirror that hung on the back of the door. In the mirror, there was a stunning woman in a red gown and a devilishly handsome rake. That can’t be me, I thought. I’ve never been that beautiful.

  Chapter 20

  Raul

  “The gown is perfect, as are you,” I said.

  I gave in to an impulse and nibbled along the line of Tanya’s neck and delighted in the rush of color rising from the low-cut neckline of the gown.

  “We’re cutting this close,” I murmured, “but I wanted to show you the last piece of your ensemble.”

  I crossed to the jewel case I’d left on top of the dresser and turned back to show Tanya what I’d brought.

  “Now, this is just a loan for the evening. I hope you understand.”

  I opened the box to reveal the diamond and ruby wreath necklace I’d brought from the country house for Tanya to wear with the gown. The gown was the exact color of the rubies, and when I laid them against her neck, they glowed against her porcelain skin.

  “Perfection.”

  Tanya’s eyes looked ready to pop out of her head.

  “I can’t. I can’t wear this. It looks like it’s part of the Crown Jewels.”

  “Technically, I suppose they are. They’ve been in my family for three generations now.”

  “Is it all right that I wear them? I know I shouldn’t, but…well, I really want to. I’ll never wear something so beautiful again.”

  “Of course it’s fine for you to wear them. They are mine, and I offered them to you for the evening.”

  As Tanya stared at her reflection, her hand lifted to the necklace. I took that hand and pulled her to the elevator.

  “Marco is downstairs, waiting to take us to our destination. Is there anything you need to take with you?”

  She shook her head.

  “I don’t think so, unless you think I need more than my identification.”

  “You won’t even need identification.”

  Tanya’s eyebrow shot up. I had to chuckle. She looked both excited and terrified.

  “Trust me, we’ll have a wonderful evening.”

  We took the elevator to the lobby where Marco waited by the limo. We ducked into the car and were off on the adventure I’d planned for us.

  Marco stopped in front of the red carpet spread in front of El Real and opened the door for us. I escorted Tanya up the carpeted walkway to the entrance where an usher escorted us to my box.

  We took our seats, and I watched Tanya ogle the decorations and whatnot of the opera house.

  “What are we here to see?

  “Agrippina. Have you seen it before?”

  “I’ve never been to the opera before.”

  I gave her a hard look.

  “How is that possible?”

  The abashed look she shot me, broke my heart a little.

  “My father wasn’t much for culture.”

  “Well, tonight you will have an amazing experience. Do you know the story of Agrippina?”

  “I don’t believe I do.”

  “It is the story of Nero, his mother, and her plot to install her son as the emperor of Rome in place of Claudius.”

  The lights flashed, signaling five minutes until curtain. I summoned an usher, who came and accepted my order of two glasses of champagne.

  I settl
ed into the chair and took Tanya’s hand from where it lay in her lap. The usher returned with our champagne just as the curtain drew back to reveal the opening scene.

  For the next few hours, I watched Tanya watching the opera. And I was spell-bound. She leaned toward the stage, grasping her hand at her heart when the action on stage became intense.

  She clutched at my hand, working her thumb restlessly in my palm until I lifted her hand to my lips and kissed her knuckles. She shot me a slightly dazed smile and turned her attention back to the opera.

  When the final crescendo came to a close, I caught the glint of a tear on her cheek. Agrippina isn’t really a crying kind of opera, but I appreciated that she felt emotional enough to cry anyway.

  I waited for most of the patrons to filter out of the hall before I stood and held my hand out to Tanya. She looked at my hand for a moment before accepting it. I raised her up, lifting her hand to my lips and bowed.

  “I have one more adventure for tonight. Will you indulge me?”

  “Of course,” she said, ducking her head to hide the last of her tears from me.

  I led her out of the box and down to the stage entrance. Once there, I knocked on the door, and we were admitted by one of my oldest friends.

  “Gracias, José,” I said.

  He smiled and held the door wide for us to pass. I led Tanya onto the stage and nodded to the conductor who had remained behind with the pianist and first violin. The rest of the orchestra had exited the pit sometime earlier.

  I took Tanya’s hand and spun her out to the center of the stage to the strains of Tchaikovsky’s “Valse Sentimentale.”

  Tanya’s eyes lit up.

  “How did you know?”

  “Know what?” I asked as we danced, swaying together in time to the music.

  “This is my absolute favorite piece of classical music. I’ve loved this song all my life.”

  Tears shone in her eyes under the dimming lights of the stage and opera house. I could feel her love for the music in how she moved to it, and I was pleased to have chosen this piece.

  “It is a favorite of mine, as well.”

  “Thank you so very much for everything you’ve shared with me since I arrived,” she said.