Page 22 of Naked Truth

Chapter Thirteen

Valentina

Dinner that nightis only family, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Grandfather Dom sits at the head of the small table out on the back porch, which I’ve come to realize is his favorite place in the house. From there he can see the beautiful flowers and trees his wife planted and appreciate the quiet serenity of nature, no matter how chaotic his life is beyond this walled garden. Raoul and I sit next to each other to Grandfather’s left, which also lets us gaze out over the garden. Raoul still holds my hand in his—he hasn’t stopped holding on to me, in fact, since he strode into the sitting room and detonated like a one-man bomb.

Once Raoul pulled me free from the nest of lawyers that still remained coherent after he’d finished with them, and then had me tell my grandfather the news, he’d practically carried me back to my room, making sure I was completely unharmed and that I felt completely safe. He didn’t need to worry on that score, of course. Since the moment I met him, Raoul has never stopped protecting me. I understand that now more than ever.

“What are you thinking, Valentina?” My grandfather’s gravelly voice pulls me from my thoughts, and I feel Raoul’s soft squeeze on my hand. I look up to see both men watching me with such obvious affection it takes me a moment to speak.

“I’m thinking I’m the luckiest woman in the world. I’ve found my family. My whole family.” I squeeze Raoul’s hand back, struggling not to shed the tears welling up in my eyes. “And I’m so, so grateful.”

“Nothing is more important than family—true family,” Grandfather Dom agrees, his own eyes suspiciously bright as he lifts a weathered hand to tap his chest. “The family that you know in your heart is yours.”

Raoul scoots his chair back, still holding my hand tight. “Speaking of family,” he begins, his voice deep and resonant. “Dom Hernandez, you have been like a father to me, giving me a place and a purpose in this world, giving me everything, really.”

“And I would do it again,” the old man says.

“Then I would ask for one more gift. A favor, if you will.”

My eyes widen as Raoul rises and draws me to my feet as well, both of us now standing before my grandfather. I know what he is going to ask, know it in my heart, and I can no longer stop the tears that crest over and slide down my cheeks as Raoul keeps talking.

“Your granddaughter is returned to you this week, and it’s been my honor to protect her from the start, the second she arrived at your door. I want to continue to protect her for the rest of her life—protect her, love her, and honor her as her husband. I would ask your permission to propose marriage to her right now, this moment, if you will allow it.”

The smile that began forming across Dom Hernandez’s face when Raoul first started talking now stretches wide. “You will love and honor her, keeping her safe, her and any children the good lord grants you?”

Raoul nods, and when he speaks again, I can barely hear him over the thudding of my heart. “I’ll pledge my life to her service—and to yours. And to our family’s.”

“Because there is nothing more important than family,” my grandfather says again, positively beaming now. “Raoul Santiago, you have my blessing.”

Raoul turns to me and drops down to one knee with the grace and fluidity I’ve come to expect from him. I expect only more beautiful words, but to my shock he reaches into his shirt pocket and pulls out a thick band of gold, set with a stunning ruby surrounded by diamonds. My mouth drops open, and I can’t keep my left hand from trembling as he reaches for it to slide the ring upon the fourth finger.

“Louisa Rosa Valentina Hernandez,” he says, his voice rough with emotion. “All these years, I have been waiting for you without realizing it. All these years, I have held you in my heart without knowing you would one day make your way to me. This week Dom Hernandez gained a granddaughter, but I have gained a reason for living—for living and for creating a life full of beauty and safety and strength for you and for our future children. Would you do me the honor of making me your husband?”

“Oh, Raoul,” I manage through my tears, and I nod my head vigorously. “Yes, a thousand times yes.”

He practically shouts my name as he stands again, then sweeps me into an embrace that has me laughing and crying all at once. Now Grandfather Dom is on his feet too, shouting for music, for wine, and for everyone in the house—no matter their station—to come and join in the celebration. Today and forever, we are all family. As we spill out into the gorgeous gardens planted by his beloved wife, I once again can’t believe my good fortune.

“You are happy, little bird?” Raoul asks, twirling me around to the sound of joyful, buoyant music.

“I’m beyond happy,” I manage, wiping away my tears. “I would love nothing more than to fill this house with children who will know both their father and grandfather with the same unending love that’s overflowing my heart right now. You’ve given me this, Raoul. You and Grandfather. And I will adore you for it forever.”

“A toast to love!” Grandfather Dom’s voice rings out over the crowd, and we turn to see him holding a glass filled with ruby-red wine. “To my beloved Camila and Rosa, who lit up my life with joy; to Valentina’s brave tía, who found her and kept her safe when we thought all was lost; and to the love of a man and a woman about to start a new life of their own. We are blessed, my family. Truly blessed. To love!”

And our answering cry floats high above the flowers and the trees, reaching almost to the stars, where surely all those who helped make this day possible—my mother, my grandmother, and my extraordinary tía—can hear…

“To love!”

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