Page 17 of Royal Caleva: Luis

Of course, Grace would notice.

“Let me clear off the table, and then we’ll go in the living room to talk,” Eve said, standing.

“Now you’re scaring me.” Grace’s brows lowered in a frown of concern. “Did you get bad news from a doctor? Just tell me before I freak out.”

“I’m fine, but I have something…significant to tell you.” Eve rinsed the plates and stuck them in the dishwasher. Then she poured herself more wine.

“Maybe I’ll have a glass after all,” Grace said. “It feels like I might need it.”

Eve filled another goblet and handed it to her daughter before leading the way across the creaky wooden floor to the living room. She gestured Grace toward the blanket-covered sofa, figuring she might need room to join her if the conversation grew emotional. As soon as her daughter sat, Army jumped up beside her and curled up against her thigh.

Grace stroked the dog’s head absently. “Okay, tell me,” she said. “I can’t handle the suspense.”

Eve sat in one of the roll-armed chairs, also covered by a blanket to protect it from pet stains. She watched Grace closely as she said, “Sweetheart, your biological father wants to meet you.”

Grace opened her mouth, closed it, and finally said, “I have so many questions I don’t know where to start.” She twisted the wineglass in her hands. “Is his name really Luis Dragón, like it says on my birth certificate? What about my birth mother? Are they not together anymore?”

Eve set her glass on the occasional table beside her chair and leaned forward. “Yes, his name is really Luis Dragón. In fact, I met him today.”

“Why did he show up now?” And the unspoken question in her daughter’s eyes: Why did he not want me for all these years?

“He didn’t know you existed until very recently,” Eve said. “Then he needed time to find out where you were. He came here as soon as he could track you down.”

“That means he’s not with my biological mother.” A little of the sadness left Grace’s gaze at hearing that her birth father hadn’t deliberately abandoned her. “What’s he like?”

Eve recalled the room-filling power that Luis Dragón projected and the intensity of his desire to connect with his daughter.

“He’s—” Regal. Imposing. Charismatic. Crazy attractive. Eve shoved that last thought away. “Right. Here’s the thing that’s going to be hard to wrap your mind around.” She paused. “Luis Dragón is the King of Caleva.”

Grace stared at her, ignoring Army when he headbutted her hand because she had stopped petting him. “What?”

“He’s the King of Caleva. We saw him on television during their big music festival, remember? He introduced Kyran Redda at the main concert because Kyran was staying at the palace. Everyone thought that was kind of funny. That’s how I recognized the king.”

“I know you wouldn’t joke about this, but…” Grace shook her head in bewilderment. “I don’t understand. Caleva is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Spain. We’re in the middle of Iowa.”

“I’m in shock, too, but here’s what…Luis told me.” She felt awkward calling a king by his first name. “His wife died in a car accident soon after their son, Prince Raul, was born. We saw the prince on television too.” The prince who might be Grace’s half brother. “The king, Luis, was, er, upset and lonely. He had an affair with your biological mother but broke it off before either of them knew she was pregnant. Evidently, she was angry at being dumped and punished him by not telling him about you.”

“Holy crap,” Grace muttered, massaging her temples as though she had a headache. “This can’t be real.”

Eve thought of the emptied-out law office, the bodyguard masquerading as a receptionist, the slightly sinister Mikel Silva, and the compelling presence of Luis Dragón. “What I’ve told you is real, but because Luis is a king, the proof of your relationship has to be undeniable before you meet him. They need to do a DNA test to make sure you are really his daughter. The only evidence they have right now is DNA taken when you were a baby, and they need to confirm you are the same person as that infant.”

“Then it’s possible that I’m not the King of Caleva’s child?” Grace said slowly.

“Possible, but I would say unlikely. He has gone to a lot of trouble to find you and come here.”

“Then let’s get it done, because there’s no point in getting worked up about it if I’m not related to him,” Grace said. “How soon can I take the test?” That was so typical of her daughter—cut right to the heart of the matter.

Eve wanted to slow things down, because once Luis’s paternity was confirmed, he would turn their world upside down just by being who he was.

“Are you sure you don’t want to take more time to absorb such overwhelming news?” Eve asked.

“I feel like I’m in limbo right now.” Grace swirled her wine in her glass. “I need to know the truth.”

“I can call the king’s…assistant, Mikel, and ask him about the test,” Eve said.

Grace glanced at her watch. “Isn’t it kind of late?”

Eve could picture Luis pacing his room, wherever it was, trying to will the phone to ring. He would be accustomed to getting things done when he wanted them done. “He said to call anytime, day or night.”

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