Mr. Suarez nodded and opened the gate at the top of the stairs. “I understand that. So much of my life was built around never wanting to disappoint my father. But doesn’t Elie know he could never be a disappointment to me?”
“I think that would be a wonderful thing to tell him. Even if you’ve told him before, make sure he really hears you this time.”
As I latched the bottom gate behind us, Lucky came into the foyer. He seemed startled when his father grabbed him in a backslapping embrace and said, “I love you, chico, and it’s impossible for you to disappoint me.” Then Mr. Suarez let go of him and said, “Now, I hope you have some dinner ordered, because I’m starving. What time is it in Miami? I’m pretty sure I should have eaten by now. Also, the ice better not be melting in those margaritas and watering down our beautiful tequila. That would be a crime.”
His father hurried off in the direction of the kitchen, but Lucky detained me with a light touch on my arm and whispered, “What were you two talking about?”
“All sorts of things. Make sure you pull him aside for a long talk after dinner. I think you’ll find he’s willing to listen to your ideas.”
“It’s amazing to me that you two bonded so quickly.”
“Of course we did, because we have one very important thing in common. We both adore his son.” That brought out a big smile. Then Lucky kissed me, which went on for a while.
By the time we finally got to the kitchen, salsa music was playing, and Yolanda and JoJo were dancing together under Mr. Suarez’s direction. He had one hand on his stomach and the other raised while he demonstrated some fancy footwork, and Lucky laughed and said, “You’ve still got it, Dad.”
I hadn’t realized Lark and Dylan had gotten home, and I asked, “Did everyone meet Lucky’s father?”
Dylan nodded as he slid a bunch of sliced peppers and onions into a large skillet. “We introduced ourselves while you two were making out in the entryway. Also, we’re making fajitas for dinner, but somebody needs to take over the margaritas. The mamba queens were doing it before they spontaneously broke out into dance, like they were starring in a musical.”
JoJo said, “Who am I to resist a Latin beat?” Then she laughed as Yolanda spun her.
Lucky went to work on the margaritas, and I started to help, but then my phone rang. I must have looked scared when I pulled it from my pocket and saw the number on my screen, because everyone stopped moving, and Lark shut off the music.
“It’s the doctor’s office, the one we went to for the paternity test,” I whispered, as I answered the call.
It was a short conversation. The nurse told me they’d put a rush order on the test, and that the results had come back already. After she told me what they were, I thanked her and disconnected the call. Then I looked around the room. Everyone seemed to be holding their breath, and Lark whispered, “What did they say?”
“Owen is my son!” I yelled it as tears of happiness streamed down my cheeks, and Lucky whooped with joy and lifted me off my feet.
“I told you! I knew he was yours,” he said, while everyone laughed and cried and gathered around us, including Federico Suarez.
“It’s going to be okay,” I said. “There’s no way the Wilsons can take him from me now. I’m sure of it.”
* * *
Later that night, after a wonderful meal and many margaritas, Lucky and his dad sat out on the patio and had a long talk. Then Mr. Suarez left to spend the night at the house on Nob Hill. We’d offered to give him our bed, but he said it was easier to sleep there. He also told us he’d be back first thing in the morning, and that we’d better have some good coffee waiting for him.
“I can’t live in a city with bad coffee,” he said, on his way out the door. “You say it’s excellent here, Elie, so prove it.” He grinned at his son before heading to the waiting taxi.
After I shut the door, I turned to Lucky and asked, “Did he agree to move here?”
“He said he’s going to give it six months to see how he likes it, while he helps me set up our west coast office. But that’s a yes. He’s already getting attached to Owen, and there’s no way he’d move away from him.”
“So, he agreed to let you run the business from San Francisco! That’s fantastic.”
As we both took a seat on the couch, he said, “Not exactly. Whoever we end up hiring as president will run the company from Miami, since that’s where the entire executive staff is located. We’re thinking my cousin Enrique might be a good fit, if he’s interested. But we still need an office for my dad and me. He’ll continue to act as an advisor even after he retires, and I’ll be the company spokesperson, more or less—a figurehead, really, the face behind the Suarez Global name. We’re still working out the details, but that’s the general idea.”
“Oh my god, Lucky, does that mean you’re off the hook?”
“It looks like it. I have no idea what you said to my dad earlier tonight, but thank you.”
“I actually didn’t say much. All I did was get the ball rolling, and you did the rest. So, are you happy with this new role at the company?”
“It’s perfect,” he said. “I’m glad I can continue to work with my dad, but this way, it’ll just be a few hours a week and not my entire life.”
“I’m so glad things are falling into place.”
Now we just had one more thing to worry about—and we’d be doing a lot of that over the next month and a half.