Page 44

CHAPTER 44

RICHARD

Tapping my thumbs on the steering wheel in beat with the soft music playing, I glance over at Miriam as she looks out the window.

It’s been almost two months since Gabriel was born, so I’m taking both of them to meet my parents for the first time. I’ve sent tons of baby photos to them, but they respected Miriam wasn’t feeling quite herself and didn’t want to impose by visiting immediately.

“Sooo,” I drag out slowly, trailing off to gain her attention. “About my parents.”

She chuckles and smiles warmly at me. “That doesn’t sound good. Should I be worried?”

“ No! God, no. Not at all. They’re really kind people, just…” I trail off, rocking my head side to side as I consider how to explain. “They’re formal. Not elitists.” Her brow raises like she doesn’t believe me. “Okay, maybe they are a bit, but not from a foundation of thinking that you should be born into good families. They’re more of the mindset that education, good upbringing, hard work, and financial stability is a sign of success.”

Her other brow lifts in tandem with the first. “Boy, they’re really going to love me.”

I know she’s teasing, but I counter her statement anyway. “Miriam, they’re going to adore you. You are furthering your education, and your dad, while misguided, did bring you up right. You’re the hardest worker I know, and fuck if I’ve never been more wrong about you being financially stable.”

“I don’t have money, Richard.”

“That’s not what I mean. Even if you don’t have a lot, it doesn’t mean you don’t handle it well. Fuck, this just went way off tr—” I stop myself and take a breath. “Yes, they’ve got their opinions, but they’re going to love you because I love you. They’re just awkward.”

“You’re Gabriel’s father.”

My eyes bulge out and I’m tempted to slam on the brakes, but I’ve got precious cargo. “Jesus, woman. Now is when you want to tell me? Now, when I can’t, oh I don’t know, kiss the fuck out of you? What is wrong with you? ”

This woman, who’s sitting in the seat next to me totally relaxed, just shrugs while my mind is exploding. “Well, now we can distract your awkward parents with good news.” She smiles brightly, knowing exactly what she’s doing to me right now.

“You’re not my storm.”

That makes her face fall and I should feel bad for her temporary hurt, but two can play at this game. “Excuse me, Mr. Dick? You can’t?—”

“You’re the goddamn eye of the fucking hurricane. All peaceful and sweet, pretty and calm. But it’s a battle just to get close to you and come out unscathed. Fuck, Miriam.” I use the turn signal to pull over the car and park.

Grabbing her, she laughs as she fights her seatbelt as I yank her toward me. I cradle her face and bring her mouth to mine, kissing her hard and doing my best to express how much this means to me.

“Fuck,” I breathe out against her lips. “Thank you for my son.” I keep kissing her for God knows how long, but Gabriel’s snuffling from his car seat jolts me out of being lost under her touch. “Fuck…” I mumble again.

The way she uses her finger to wipe at the corner of her mouth has me groaning and adjusting my cock.

“ La Ni?a .”

“What?” Her finger freezes, then falls into her lap.

I give her a sly smile. “You’re more than just a storm, Miriam. La Ni?a is a whole weather system. The maker of storms.”

Snorting out a laugh, she agrees and gives me an appreciative smile. Her hand finds its way to my arm and we finish the rest of the drive in silence, but it’s filled with perfection. Gabriel is mine . I want to scream it out loud and brag, but I won’t do that to the guys. My heart feels fuller, knowing that they adore him as much as I have.

I eye Miriam, realizing that by waiting and not letting us know right away, it allowed us to grow more of a bond with him, one we could have unintentionally fought against if we felt as though we were stepping on toes.

“What are you thinking about so hard?” she asks, drawing me from my spiraling thoughts.

“Trying to implant the rule to not use the he’s MY son card if any of them piss me off.”

She bursts out laughing, shaking her head at my honesty. “Good rule to have. Damn, is that their house?” Leaning forward in her seat, she watches the house unfold from behind the trees as we move further down the drive. “Is that your mom?”

I squint and drop my head and shake it. “Yes. She’s waiting. Guaranteed, the moment our door opens, she’ll be screaming for Harold.”

Chuckling, she unbuckles her belt and waits until the car is off before opening the door. I was wrong . My mother started screaming before we could climb out because all we hear is the tail end of her screech.

“ —OLD! Darling, do you hear me? They’re here! ”

Miriam turns around and dips her head down to peer at me after she exits. “I love her already. Come on. You grab your boy.” Slamming the door shut after a wink, she strides straight over to my mother.

Unlatching Gabriel’s car seat, I lean down when I catch him staring at me with those wide brown eyes. “I think your momma and my momma are going to be just fine.”

“Har- OLD! I swear that man refuses to turn up his hearing aids.” My mom is patting Miriam’s hand as they walk inside.

I can’t help but remind her of facts. “He doesn’t wear them because he doesn’t need them.” Miriam grins at me over her shoulder and I whisper, “He has selective hearing.”

“Hush. That’s complete nonsense. Oh! There you are, my dear. Isn’t she just exquisite?”

Amelia Leigh takes the mother of my child by her hand and spins her in a circle in front of my father’s calculating gaze. And fucking Miriam Delgado laughs.

“Son idiotas, hijo. ”

How the fuck she heard me, I have no idea. The way both my mother and Miriam turn their heads toward me is frightening. Miriam narrows her eyes, but it’s my mother whose mouth falls open.

“My dear, Richard. You’ve learned Spanish?”

“Of course he has,” my father says as he reaches his hand out to Miriam. “Harold Leigh. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Congratulations on the birth of your son.”

“Thank you, sir. I’m sorry we didn’t come to visit earlier. It’s been quite an adjustment.”

“Completely understandable. Having babies is tough work.” He smiles and holds his hand out so we can head inside. As soon as we make it to the living room, my mother is already hovering over Miriam’s shoulder as she unclips Gabriel from his car seat, her hands clenched to her chest while she does her best not to snatch him away.

Miriam holds him to her shoulder and adjusts his clothing. “Amelia and Harold, this is Gabriel.” She turns her body so they can see his face and my mother bursts into tears.

“Oh, Gabriel! He’s perfect, just like an angel.” She looks at Miriam with watery eyes. “May I hold him? Only if you’re comfortable, though. It’s been a while, but I would love it so much.”

Miriam and I both laugh as she nods her head. “Of course!”

“Harold! I need my reading chair cleaned off!” My mother shouts, then hurries to her seat and perches on the very edge with her arms out.

My father rolls his eyes, but he’s indulgent in her excitement. “Yes, dear.”

As soon as Gabriel is placed in her arms, she folds in on herself and hugs him close. “Oh, what a sweet, sweet boy. Just absolutely perfect! Richard, I know I wasn’t supposed to discuss the paternity, but I swear, this perfect angel is the spitting image of you!”

I glance at Miriam and find her eyeing me sweetly. She nods her head in my mother’s direction, silently giving me permission. My father catches the exchange, raising his brow, then a slow smile builds across his face.

Clearing my throat, I tell her, “I think it’s safe to assume that he is biologically mine, but that won’t change the dynamic we’ve established at home. I hope you can respect that.”

“Of course. I’m not out of touch with the new ways people do things nowadays. Oh, I love him so much,” she breathes out. My mother then proceeds to ignore all of us as we sit and my father gets to know Miriam for the first time.

As time passes, Gabriel begins to fuss, and my mother brings him to Miriam. “I think our boy is getting hungry.” She flicks a look at my father, then asks, “Are you strictly breast feeding, or does he take the bottle?”

Before we can answer, the doorbell rings and my father jerks his head to leave the sitting area. “That’ll be the rest of them. I invited them to come for dinner.”

Confused, I stand and follow him out of the room as Miriam tells my mother that he hasn’t taken to a bottle very well, so I shut the door to give them privacy while she feeds Gabriel.

“Who’d you invite?”

“Kevin, Ezra, and Tatum, of course. I can’t say I fully understand, but I think it’s time we’re all introduced since we’re grandparents now. Wouldn’t you agree?” he asks just as he swings the door open.

Tatum is leaning against the door jamb and winks at me as soon as he sees me. “Surprise, Dick!”

Surprisingly, my dad barks out a laugh. “Come on in. The women are taking care of baby things, so let’s grab a drink to celebrate.”

Ezra is already slinking down the hallway to find Miriam, but Kevin calls out to him. “Leave them be for a minute.”

He sulks, but rejoins the group as we head into my father’s study. Handing out glasses, he pours, then clears his throat. “So, I may have wanted a few minutes of your time alone, but I felt it important to have a frank discussion with all of you.”

I don’t like his tone, and I’m worried he’s more disapproving than he let on. “Father, I?—”

He cuts me off. “Trust me, please?”

Nodding, I glance at Kevin who seems just as clueless.

“I’m aware of the unique dynamic you’ve all found yourselves in, and as I told my son, while I don’t fully understand, it doesn’t mean I’m against it. You’re all adults and may choose to live life the way you see fit. That being said…” He trails off and picks up five folders, handing out one to each of us. Then, holding up the last one, he says, “This is for Miss Delgado.”

“What is this?” Tatum asks, peeking inside, then his mouth falls open. “What the hell is this?”

My father looks hard at all of us. “This is a plan to combine assets and create security for that little boy out there. It’s similar to a marriage arrangement on the legal side of things, but it protects all of you in the event of something life altering occurring. It’s the power of attorneys, both medical and financial, as well as life insurance policies which would work similar to a trust fund for Gabriel once he hits eighteen.”

Pointing at one of the pages Ezra is reading, he adds, “There are breakdowns as he grows older, and any other additions that may be added to the family as well. Obviously, this is all up to you, but I felt it was necessary for you all to have security and rights moving forward.”

I look up at my father, completely stunned. He and I had talked briefly about me doing something like this, but it was nowhere near as involved as what he’s put together. “Father.” Paging through the stack of papers, I notice some of them are the same I had taken to Miriam’s father the day I confronted him. But now, it’s so much more.

I don’t know what to say and neither does anyone else. Finally, Kevin shuts the folder and stands up. “Thank you, Mr. Leigh. Obviously, we’ll have to go over everything with Miriam and adjust anything that doesn’t quite fit for us, but this is incredibly thoughtful.”

Harold Leigh shrugs as if he didn’t just accept my entire family with one not so simple, but meaningful action. “This is my family. It’s what I know how to do.” He tosses back his drink and sets it down. “Now, before your mother gets too carried away, I would like to steal an opportunity to hold the boy before we eat dinner.”

He leaves the room and all of us behind. None of us speak until we hear his booming voice from down the hall, demanding a moment with my son.

“Dick, your dad is a badass.”

Tatum’s joke has all of us laughing, broken free from the shock. “He is,” I laugh out. “I think we should wait until tomorrow to tell Miriam. She’s going to put up a fight.”

“No she won’t. Mi pétalo is going to be relieved. Now we just have to ask her to marry us!” Ezra jumps up after dropping that bomb and hurries out of the room.

We follow, only to find my mother sitting as close to my father as possible while he holds his grandson for the first time. There’s nothing but pride written all over his face and I’m, once again, absolutely floored.

My mother holds a glass of wine up, waving it at us with her finger stuck out. “You bunch make quite the interesting family.” She looks down at my sleeping Gabriel tucked in her husband’s arms and coos. “This poor baby boy is never going to get away with a thing.”

Ezra’s grin turns sly, and he flashes his teeth at my mother. “Oh, I’ve definitely got plans to teach him how to break the rules without being caught.” Then he taps the side of his head and whispers, “We’re going to be sneaky.”