Page 21 of Royal Caleva: Luis

“You and me both, kiddo,” Eve said, brushing a tear-dampened strand of hair away from her daughter’s face. “But we need to try. Tomorrow could be a doozy of a day.”

“Can I sleep in your bed?” Grace asked. “When they call with the DNA results, we can hear them together.”

“Of course you can, sweetheart.” It was like the old days, when Grace had been sick or sad. They would share Eve’s bed, wrapped in the double wedding ring quilt her grandmother had handstitched.

If her daughter was living in a castle, that probably wouldn’t happen ever again. A terrible sorrow jabbed at Eve.

CHAPTER 6

Luis sat alone on the second-story porch of the rented house, the late-night fall sky huge and star-spackled above the flat horizon. A coffee mug threw up a ribbon of steam from the table beside him while his cell phone lay stubbornly silent on his thigh.

He could not sleep, an unusual problem for him. Government matters never disturbed his rest. Only family could do that. The last time he had stayed awake all night had been when Gabriel had been kidnapped.

Luis scooped up his phone and launched himself out of the chair to pace across the porch, the light spilling through the door of his bedroom illuminating his path.

What the hell was taking so long?

Once he had collected Grace’s samples, Mikel had driven to Des Moines, then flown to Chicago on the royal jet. From there, he had traveled to the private DNA lab where a team of experts awaited the DNA samples from both Luis and Grace.

The phone rang, and he nearly dropped it in his haste to answer.

“Su Majestad,” Mikel said, his voice solemn, “I am honored to tell you that Grace Howard is your daughter. The DNA demonstrates a ninety-nine point nine percent match. It also matches the genetic record from her birth.”

An explosion of joy and pain sucked the breath out of Luis’s lungs. He had to grab the porch railing to brace himself against the geyser of emotions Mikel’s words released.

“Gracias, mi amigo,” he managed to gasp.

“The lab personnel and I will swear under oath that the test is accurate and valid.” Mikel’s voice softened. “I congratulate you on gaining a daughter. She will bring you great joy. And also great worry.”

Luis recognized that Mikel spoke from his own experience of being father to a young woman. “Your good wishes are accepted with gratitude, especially given all you’ve done to bring about this happy conclusion so swiftly.”

“Do you wish to share the news with Eve and Grace yourself?” Mikel asked.

Luis wanted to trumpet the news to his daughter, but… “No, it will be easier for them to hear it from you.” They would need time to absorb the impact, and he wanted his first interaction with Grace to be as relaxed and uncomplicated as possible.

The complications would pile on soon enough.

“I will call them as soon as we finish speaking,” Mikel said.

“Please tell them how elated I am to have Grace as my daughter,” Luis said, “and that I cannot wait to meet her.”

“Por supuesto, Señor,” Mikel said.

The call ended, and Luis paced the porch boards once again, but for a different reason. Now he vibrated with the anticipation of meeting his daughter face-to-face.

His brain spun plans for when to call Raul, how to get Grace to Caleva, how to introduce her to their family, how to present her choices about her legal relationship with him, how to handle the media…and then he stopped the scheming.

Right now, this moment was for savoring the wonderful, astonishing fact that he had another child. A precious addition to the family he treasured. A daughter he could embrace in his heart.

He leaned on the railing, letting the delight of that soak into his bones. Pulling out his phone, he scrolled to the photo of Grace so he could trace the family lineage in the slant of her cheekbones, the angle of her jaw, and the ice blue of her eyes. He basked in the beauty and sweetness of her smile.

My daughter. Hija mía.

When he looked up from the phone, the edge of the sun glowed just above the horizon, painting faint pink brushstrokes across the lightening sky.

A new day. Luis stretched his arms out wide to welcome it with exultation.

Eve started when the phone lying on her chest vibrated. She glanced out the window to see a pale rosy glow signaling early dawn. Grabbing the phone, she pushed herself upright in the bed and shook Grace’s shoulder. Her daughter had fallen asleep a few hours before, but Eve had lain on her back, staring at the ceiling as she tried to decide whether she wanted the DNA test to be positive or negative.

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