He hands me a stack of documents, a shaky smile on his face. Luca’s hand wraps around my shoulder as I stare at the papers, my eyes widening. “You’re giving me shares to Garcia LtdandReInsure?”
Hugo nods. “You’re a Garcia. Your father’s shares have been redistributed between you and your brother, as they rightfully should have been. Even if you want absolutely nothing to do with us, this is the least we can do for you. Of course, I hope you’ll take this as a token of goodwill and give us a chance. We’ve missed out on so much already, and I’m not getting any younger. I may never be able to take your father’s place, but if you let me, I’d like to be part of your life.”
I stare at the documents and look up at him. “Clever,” I murmur. “The Garcia shares are a true gift, I’ll admit that much, but ReInsure? Giving me that means I’ll have to salvage and rebuild it, or it’ll be my loss.”
Hugo grins at me. “Truthfully, I’m not to blame for that. Your husband told me the only way I’m allowed to so much as speak to you is if I give you everything your father gained by walking away from you, right down to the land that ReInsure’s headquarters were built on. Of course I hope you’ll rebuild it, but it truly is up to you. The Garcia family isn’t so weak that we can’t sustain the loss of one single company amongst everything we own. If you want to blow the whole thing up, I’ll make that happen for you. Since you’re a Garcia, I have no doubt you’re every bit as temperamental as your little brother is. Perhaps that would appease you a little.”
I lean back in my seat and shake my head. “If I damage the company any further, it’ll affect the employees, and they’ve never wronged me.” I look up at my uncle and smile coldly. “I’ll turn it into Windsor Insurance.”
I expected him to be offended, but he merely smiles at me and nods. “Whatever you want, Valentina. It’s yours.”
Mateo nudges our father with his foot, and I stare at him, surprised to find this prideful man on his knees. “I apologize,” he says, sounding pained. His apology sounds empty, as though he’s merely sorry he got caught but doesn’t regret the pain he caused. I always thought it was the entire Garcia family that rejected me. It never even occurred to me that it was just my father and his parents, and I’m not sure what to think about.
Hugo smiles at me. “I’d really like it if you’d come home sometime, Valentina. You have so many cousins that would love to meet you. My wife, your tía Liliana, would really like to have you over for dinner. Will you please think about it?”
I nod, my heart wavering. The thought of having a family of my own, of being wanted and loved by them… I thought I’d given up on it, but I’d be lying to myself if I said that his words don’t give me hope. “I… I’ll think about it…Tío.”
He grins at me so widely that it’s hard to believe that the man standing in front of me could easily rival Grandma Anne.
“I’ll be waiting,” he tells me, and I can’t help but smile back. I glance up at my husband to find him looking at me with pride. He orchestrated all of this, simply because he wanted justice for me.
I’m going to make sure he feels as loved as I do, every second of every day, for the rest of our lives. And with a bit of luck, I’ll do it all over again if we ever meet again in another life — because one lifetime with this man could never be enough for me.
Epilogue: 10 Years Later
Luca
“What did you do at school today?” I ask my son, Evan. He grins up at me and wraps his little arms around my leg, hugging me tightly. My heart can barely take it. He’s so fucking adorable, and he looks so much like his mother.
“I played with my friends,” he tells me. “And I saw Bella at recess.”
“Yeah?” I murmur as we wait for Isabella at the school gate. “Was she scared? It was only her first day, so you looked after your baby sister, right?”
Evan bursts out laughing and shakes his head. “Bella? Come on, Dad. She’s never scared.”
I bite back a smile and shake my head. He’s right, of course. My daughter is only four, but she truly is fearless. She has Valentina’s temperament and intelligence, and it’s amazing, because watching my wife deal with her mini-me is the highlight of my life.
“Daddy!”
My heart nearly bursts every single time I hear her call me that. I bend down and catch her as she jumps into my arms, and her tiny arms wrap around my neck. So fucking cute. Todayshe’s yet again dressed completely in pink, right down to her little hairband. It’s hilarious to me, because it feels like payback for the pink frenzy Valentina made me suffer through. Isabella refuses to wear anything that isn’t pink, and it’s driving my wife insane, while Raven is loving it.
I hold Evan’s hand while my daughter hangs onto me like a little monkey. “Are we going to see mommy?” Evan asks, his tone eager. “I made her a present today.”
I chuckle and nod. “Yep,” I tell him as I buckle both kids in. “But why is it that only mommy ever gets presents?” I ask as I sit down opposite them. Our driver closes the door just as I click my own seatbelt into place.
Evan straight-up ignores me, and I bite back a smile. Both of our kids are as obsessed with Valentina as I am, and I can’t even fault them for it.
“Daddy,” Isabella says. “Did I show you what Tío Mateo gave me because I started school?”
She holds out her arm, and my eyes widen when I see her little bracelet, a small pendant hanging off it. Did my dumbass brother-in-law seriously give my daughter a bracelet with diamonds in it? Is he insane? “It’s a Milagro heart charm! He says it’s for good luck!”
Evan nods and pulls out a necklace from underneath his little shirt. “I got one too, but mine looks like a hand, not a heart.”
I briefly bury my face in my hands when I notice that Evan’s pendant also has diamonds in it. My family has been banned from buying them ridiculous gifts, but there’s no stopping my in-laws. Just a few days ago, two miniature cars showed up in front of our house, one in pink, and one in black — purely because Hugo had bought a new supercar and he wanted the kids to have matching ones they could drive to their uncles’ houses with on the Windsor estate. They’re going to drive me insane.
Isabella gasps. “We’re here!” She always looks up at the office with such reverence, and it’s truly adorable.
“Mr. Windsor,” I hear all around me as we walk to the elevator, each staff member pausing for a moment to greet the kids and me.