Mad for you in Madrid (Building Love Book 3) Page 16

  “Ah, it was nothing. As the Americans say, a piece of cake,” Daniel said smugly. Yet he knew deep down solving the problem with Lori would inevitably be harder.

  “Don’t you have another text to send?” Elias prompted. “Lori is waiting.”

  “Don’t you have a text to send too?” Daniel retorted. “Mama and Papá are waiting as well.”

  Chapter 26

  Lori entered the airport with a carry-on bag filled with laundry and a stomach filled with knots. The entire trip to Spain had been a bumpy ride. One filled with more turbulence than a plane ride could ever generate. Before entering the airport’s secured area, she decided to wander around the shops to buy anti-nausea pills. Bonus prize if she could find something to calm her mind as well.

  A clock on the terminal’s wall let her know it was barely six o’clock in the morning. No wonder the airport had a light crowd. Flying off-peak was a failsafe plan for avoiding long lines. Today, she arrived extra-early. The sooner she left Spain, the better. Of course, arriving in the U.S. wasn’t going to be much of an improvement.

  The shops in the modern airport were plentiful. Stores sold everything from duty-free sundries to vacuumed sealed travel-safe slices of jamón Ibérico. She chose a small newspaper shop to select her medication, chewing gum, and granola bars. A display of rainbow-colored ponytail holders sat in front of the cash register. She grabbed that too, greeting the cashier in perfect Spanish and paying with the last of her euros. Then she pulled a pink elastic from the pack to tie up her long brown hair. This time, if a wayward toddler pulled her ponytail, Lori would speak up. The parent was going to hear what she had to say, regardless of whether he or she wanted to.

  Armed with travel supplies, she wandered into a restaurant bar to kill time. The restaurant’s façade was similar in appearance to the gastro-pub Daniel took her to in Madrid. Dark wood paneling surrounded big windows. Weary airport travelers could glimpse inside the restaurant to see the comfortable atmosphere.

  Normally, she’d sit as far away from the bar as possible to avoid a crowd. But in the nearly empty restaurant, a small table close to the bar suited her just fine. A waitress greeted her in English and handed her a breakfast menu with American choices. Lori thanked the young lady while admiring her astute observation. Guess I don’t blend in. This whole trip I’ve felt like an outsider. When will I ever belong?

  Lori turned her thoughts to the menu. She debated the virtues of different omelet choices. Mushrooms were a no-brainer. Additional ingredients were causing consternation. Does this place have American cheese? Do any restaurants in Spain have American cheese? A decision to add Swiss cheese won out when her peripheral view noticed a man staring at her. Her eyes flitted over to the bar where he sat. Recognition hit with the force of a hammer. She gasped. “Dad?”

  Her father nodded. “Good to see you, Lori. I was wondering whether I was going to bump into you here. My court date with your mom finished up quicker than anticipated. When she mentioned you were in Madrid, I booked a flight back home. The minute my plane landed, I received her text telling me that you were headed to the airport. I decided to stay here because I wanted to see you. I sent you a text message. Did you get it?” He moved to sit across the table from her, not asking whether he could join. After two years of not speaking to each other, the causal familiarity felt odd.

  “No,” she said quietly. “I came to this bar by chance.”

  “I was hopeful you’d get my message and we’d meet up properly. I’m glad this worked out anyway.”

  Did it? Lori didn’t verbally answer her father. The surprise from seeing him was a sucker-punch. A blunt force to her brain. Emotions whirled inside her. Should she forgive and forget? Talk to him to find out why he had abandoned not only her mother, but her as well? Or simply walk away from him? Treat him exactly the same way he had treated her.

  “I wanted to talk to you for so long. I needed this kick in my ass.” He tugged at the collar of his oxford shirt. “The more days that passed by, the more I felt awkward calling you. Like it was too late.”

  Her eyes took in the sight of a man who looked much older than she remembered. He had more wrinkles, it seemed, than warranted from the passage of two years. The little hair he had left was grayer. Body-wise, he’d thinned out. The clothes he wore, a gray button-down shirt and dark-blue jeans, hung loosely around his frame. His forehead showed a furrowed brow and a paler complexion.

  Lori swallowed hard. “You should have called me. I left dozens of message for you during the first few months.”

  “I know,” he said, frowning.

  “Do you have any idea how hurtful that was?”

  “No. I won’t pretend to know, either. I’m not happy about what I did. If it helps, my actions were wrong and I’m willing to admit it.” Her father straightened up and shifted in his seat. “When your mother and I went into court this time the judge forced us into mediation. The mediator left during the session to speak privately with the lawyers and the judge. Your mother and I were by ourselves. We sat in a cramped space with nowhere to hide. After a while, the strangest thing happened: we found ourselves talking. We hadn’t had a normal conversation in five years.”

  Lori leaned forward, her elbows on the table. “You did?”

  “I told her I was sorry for walking out. It was wrong. I’m legally entitled to the properties I individually own in the U.S., but I told her she could have them.” Her father coughed, a dry, rough sound. “It was never about the other woman,” he admitted. “I was seeking a distraction. I had problems with your mother. I didn’t know how to deal with them. Your mom wasn’t paying any attention to me. She just barked out orders. I thought she wanted me to do her bidding. Rather than cope, I left. I figured the further away I got from her, the better.” He shifted in his seat again. “I was thinking only about myself. Not about what my actions would do to you, or to her.”

  “Why didn’t you simply talk to her about how you felt?” Lori asked, despite knowing the answer deep down.

  “I didn’t feel confident in either myself or my marriage to speak up. My therapist calls it ditching instead of dealing.”

  Lori’s eyes widened. “You’re seeing a therapist?”

  “Yeah. Should have done it ages ago. Someone introduced me to an English-speaking therapist here in Spain and I started going. I learned to properly address my issues. After numerous sessions, I figured out my actions were counter-productive to having a happy life. Your mother has her issues but at least she cared about me. Not my money. Me.” He visibly cringed. “I traded her for a gold digger. I should have seen disaster coming. What twenty-one-year-old would want to be with a man old enough to be her father?” Her father’s gaze intensified. “Your father, in fact. Yet I wasn’t acting like a father to you. I was too busy acting the fool.”

  Lori clasped and unclasped her fingers together, not knowing what reaction to have to this news.

  “One more thing,” her father added, “your mom told me about the story posted on the Internet. The one about you and Daniel Vega.”

  Heat rushed to Lori’s cheeks. Her face undoubtedly matched the pub menu’s crimson cover. “Oh, that.”

  Her father reached out his hand and placed it on top of hers.

  Fighting the urge to flinch from his long forgotten touch, she closed her eyes and focused instead on its warmth. My father is trying to reach out to me. I need to let him.

  “I’m not judging you,” he said. “I’m not in any position to judge. I’ve made my own mistakes. Besides, you’re not a little girl anymore. You are a full grown woman.” He swallowed. “A daughter I am very proud of.”

  Lori’s mouth dropped. “You are?”

  “Of course. Your mother is proud of you too.” Lori started to speak but her father cut her off. “We spoke about you. Being open with each other did us both a great
deal of good. She listened to what I had to say. I told her she needed to accept you as you are. Stop pushing people to be what she wants them to be. Quit taking people’s actions as personal attacks on her, and her business. Your life should be spent making you happy. A parent should applaud that.”

  Dumbstruck, Lori was only vaguely aware that her mouth continued to hang open.

  “I admit I lost your mom because I was uncommunicative. I convinced myself that I was the victim. I told her not to lose you for the same reason.”

  Lori watched her father’s eyes glisten with moisture. “Bad enough I had to suffer losing both of you. I didn’t want your mother to feel a double blow. One blow is hard enough. Trust me, two blows is worse.”

  Lori placed her free hand on top of her father’s. “I’m sorry for all of this, Dad,” she whispered.

  “Me too, baby girl. Me too.”

  “What do we do now?”

  “We face our demons.”

  “Demons?” she repeated.

  “Self-inflicted demons, yes. Leaving us living in the past, too angry to care about our future.”

  “You’re right.”

  “How did you and Daniel make the news?”

  “A reporter was at a party with us. At the party, I was announced as Elias Vega’s fiancée. Elias asked me to fake an engagement with him to help him out of a bind with his parents. I agreed, stupidly.”

  Her father’s eyes threatened to pop out of his head. “A fake engagement? And with a Vega brother? While you were actually involved with the other Vega brother?”

  Lori tensed. Would she ever be ready to face her demons?

  Chapter 27

  Lori’s father stared at her, his jaw agape. “My God, Lori. All I can say about that is . . . wow!”

  Despite her tension, she almost laughed at his exclamation. Now I know where I get the expression. Our father-daughter bond must be alive and well. “You can say that again.”

  “Did you speak with the reporter during the party?”

  “Yes, briefly. Afterward, Daniel told me the two of them had an affair a while ago. He decided to cut ties with her. When she saw him at the party, she propositioned him. He blew her off. I guess his interest in me was obvious. She tracked him down at his house to see if her instinct was right. When she found out it was, she snapped the picture.”

  “I can only imagine what was spinning in her mind. Thinking Daniel picked his brother’s fiancée over her. Ouch. Two dumpings in a short time span.”

  “I was never Elias’s fiancée. Not really.”

  “She didn’t know that.”

  Lori’s head swam. Sympathy was hard to embrace.

  “She probably has low self-esteem.”

  Lori almost choked. “What?”

  Her father shrugged. “Low self-esteem can drive people to make poor decisions.”

  “That’s hardly a good justification. The woman turned my life upside down. I’m really pissed.”

  “I’m not justifying her behavior. I’m only explaining it so you’re not as bothered. You and I handle low self-esteem one way—we beat ourselves up. Some people take it out on others instead. I am able to put things in perspective since I met my therapist.”

  “I’m glad the therapy is working.” Lori sighed. “Your therapist does have a point. I don’t want to be mad anymore. Understanding other perspectives makes it easier, I guess.”

  He nodded. “Good. Anger never helps. What does help is problem solving. To do that, we’ve both got to have confidence. Stand up for ourselves. Fight our demons.”

  “You are right,” Lori said slowly. “I am going to stick up for myself, starting today.”

  “I know you can do this. If you need me, I’m here for you. I’ll help any way I can.” He smiled. His warm expression, filled with pride and love, struck her as viscerally as when she was a small child.

  ~ ~ ~

  Daniel locked the front door to his home from the inside. Elias’s departure was a relief. His brother was always welcomed in his house but that didn’t mean he wanted Elias with him right now. His brother had plenty of issues to work out with their parents. The family drama was getting out of hand. For that, Daniel had to eat part of the blame.

  Daniel headed back into the kitchen when the doorbell rang. He spun around to open it. “Didn’t I just say good-bye to you . . .” The rest of the words died on his lips.

  “Hola,” his mother said. It was the iciest greeting he’d ever had from her.

  “Mama,” Daniel said, holding the door open wide. “Please, come inside.” He brushed his mother’s cheek with a light kiss when she passed the entranceway. “This is a surprise.”

  “I’m sure it is,” his mother answered tightly.

  Daniel grimaced but didn’t slow his stride. He led her to the kitchen, this time sitting at a small oak table instead of the counter. Sunlight streamed in from the curtain-less window. The day outside was turning out to be beautiful. The day inside, not so much. He peered at his mother, a storm cloud circling over her head. “I know what you are going to say.”

  “Good. Then my visit is not a surprise after all.”

  “I guess not.”

  “I’ll save us time. Elias spoke to me. I can’t believe my own child would disrespect me. You had better not tell me off too. Both of you have acted abysmally. It is my right to speak my mind.” His mother narrowed her eyes. “It is also my right to cut both of you out of my will.”

  “Stop right there, Mama. I love you. But you can’t lord money over me. I am not your puppet. Your estate is not my string.”

  “Daniel,” his mother said in a warning tone.

  “Mama, don’t. You cannot keep controlling Elias and me. We try to please you because we love you. There are limits, though, and you must respect our boundaries. Elias will settle down when he is ready.”

  “He is immature! Announcing a fake engagement proves my point. His immaturity is why your father and I have been pushing for his marriage in the first place.”

  “When do you ever let him act mature? Both of you treat him like a child. You never let him prove his capabilities.”

  His mother crossed her arms. “You don’t encourage him to be a man either.”

  “I am his brother. Not his parent. He works for you. You should have cut the apron strings a long time ago. Let him learn to stand on his own. Instead, you and Papá always knock him down. The only way Elias knows how to be independent is by acting passive-aggressively. It doesn’t matter whether the situation is personal or professional. It’s not his fault he can’t articulate what he’s feeling. There are no calm discussions with you. Every time he’s tried to voice his frustration, you threaten to take the money away.”

  “Your father and I know what’s best for him. If we need to force him to listen to us, so be it.”

  “No. You and Papá are hamstringing him. If you keep cutting him at the knees, he’s never going to stand like a man.”

  “How can you say this to me?” she said, her voice growing louder.

  “Because you and Papá have behaved this way toward me too.” Daniel paused a moment to fully absorb the impact of his epiphany. “I’m also passive-aggressive. I can’t believe I didn’t realize this before. I started my own company to avoid telling you how I felt.” He watched her face redden. Soon, smoke would rise from her head. “Mama, this is not a personal attack. It is simply a discussion. I love you and Papá. Elias loves you as well. We are simply asking you to take off the choke-chain. If you do, we promise to not run away.”

  To his relief, his mother’s eyes crinkled in amusement. “My sons are not dogs.”

  Daniel laughed. “According to the latest press, I am a dog. I’m sleeping with my brother’s fiancée.”

  His mother’s faced blanch
ed. “You will need to fix this situation. Immediately. The Vega name has been hurt by this scandal. How can Papá and I give either of you more freedom when you do things like this?”

  “Elias and I already fixed the situation.” He pulled his phone from his pocket and scrolled. The link he was searching for appeared. He passed the phone to his mother. “See for yourself. The whole article has been retracted.”

  A myriad of expressions flashed across his mother’s face. Surprise. Confusion. And finally, a smile. “Well done, Son.”

  “Sons,” Daniel corrected, stressing the last S.

  “You should have told me about the fake engagement though,” his mother chided.

  “You should have been willing to listen.”

  His mother bowed her head. “I hear you. Maybe you are right. I need to think about everything you’ve said. I will talk to your Papá. He is very angry at both of you. What am I to say to him?”

  “The truth—that we love him.”

  His mother got up from her chair to give him a hug. “I will be on my way. Talk to you later?”

  “Yes, Mama. It’s good we can finally learn to talk.”

  Halfway to the door, his mother turned around. “By the way, the next time I hear engagement news about one of my sons it had better be true.”

  Daniel grinned at her. “No problem.”

  “I hope the news will still involve a lovely American woman named Lori.”

  Daniel’s ribcage constricted. He looked his mother, saying nothing.

  She placed a warm hand against his cool cheek. “Papá and I noticed how you kept staring at Lori. It was the same way your papá used to look at me. We couldn’t help but wonder if she was marrying the wrong son. Elias clearly liked her. But you were the one who truly desired her.”