She pulls back from me and brushes my hair back from my face. “I’m going to miss you too. Are you sure you’ll be okay with the boys?”
“Yes, Mom,” I resist the urge to roll my eyes. “We’re all going to be fine. Besides Magda and Jacob are here too.”
“I know. I’ve just never been away from you all for so long before.”
“You have a whole week with Papi in London ahead of you,” I remind her.
She blushes and I can’t help but smile. My parents still act like love-struck teenagers around each other and it is both embarrassing and wonderful. “Not to mention a fabulous wedding to attend.”
“Yes, there is that,” she replies with a smile. “And I’m looking forward to meeting your father’s cousin, Lauren.”
“There’s my two favorite girls,” my father’s voice booms across the kitchen as he walks into the room with Jax close behind him.
“Where are the boys?” I ask.
“Hugo is teaching them the fine art of wrestling,” he replies.
“Alex!” my mom admonishes him. Hugo is another pseudo family member. He is my mom’s and the twins’ bodyguard and my little brothers adore him. He also teaches my mom and me some Krav Maga and self-defense once a week, and he practically lives in my parents’ pool house.
“What?” My father shrugs as he slips an arm around her waist. “You are never too young to learn how to pin an opponent.”
She shakes her head in exasperation but then she stares up at him adoringly until he kisses her. I look across at Jax who rolls his eyes at me.
“Lucia,” my father says when they finally remember that there are other people in the room. “Did you have something you wanted to discuss?”
I swallow hard. I was at least going to wait until after dinner until everyone was too full of food and maybe a few glasses of wine to argue, but I suppose the sooner I do this, the sooner my mom can come to terms with it.
“Yes, I do.” I sit on one of the stools at the kitchen island.
“What is it, sweetheart?” my mom asks.
My father winks at me and it is all the encouragement I need. “I want to work with Papi.”
“What?” she looks between him and me, blinking in shock.
“I appreciate you offering me a position in the charity and I love you for it, Mom, but I want to work for Montoya Inc.”
She licks her lips and we all wait with bated breath for her to speak. “You mean like managing the hotel or something?”
I look at my father and then at Jax, but neither of them are meeting my eyes.
“No. Like with Papi and Jax,” I reply.
“No,” she shakes her head before I’ve even finished speaking. “You can’t.”
“It’s what I want, Mom.”
“But, Lucia, you just finished college. You have your degree. You’re so smart. You don’t have to work with me in the charity, you can do anything you want to.”
“I know that. That’s why I want to work with Papi.”
“Alejandro.” She glares at him and he knows he’s in trouble because she only gives him his full name when he is. “Did you know about this?”
“Yes, but Lucia only told me earlier today,” he replies.
“Surely you told her that it is out of the question?” she snaps.
He sighs deeply as he wraps her in his arms. She tries to pull away but he holds her in place. “She is a grown woman, Alana. As her parents we have to let her make her own decisions. Just because we don’t agree with them, it doesn’t make them wrong.”