Page 41 of When Love And Destiny Collide

"You're welcome," Lisa smiles, her eyes flicking briefly to my handsome, blue-eyed father. "Hi, Mr. Cruz. It's nice to see you again."

Dad extends his hand to Lisa, flashing that perfectly straight, white smile. "Likewise," he says, his charm as disarming as ever. I notice the way his gaze lingers on her, clearly admiring her beauty.

"How long will you be in town?" Lisa asks, her tone light and friendly.

"For a couple of weeks," he replies, "I'm here to spend time with my pride and joy."

Heeding my warning, Lisa grabs her purse from the console table and slings the strap over her shoulder. "I'm sorry, but I have to run," she says. "I’ve got a meeting with a prospective client in twenty minutes."

"Of course," I reply. "Thanks again for watching Davey. I'll see you on Sunday."

"Yep, see you then," Lisa says as she heads out the door and quickly walks to her car.

"What’s Sunday?" Dad asks.

"Dinner with the Linders," I explain. "Don't worry, Dad, you're invited."

Dad starts unpacking his things in the spare bedroom while Davey helps me set the table. This morning, I put a pot roast in the slow cooker, and Lisa roasted some asparagus and made a simple green salad with cucumbers and cherry tomatoes.

"It smells amazing in here," Dad says, stepping into the kitchen. The delicious aroma signals that our cozy dinner is nearly ready.

"Are you Lily's daddy?" Davey asks, looking up at Dad. "Your eyes look like hers."

"Yes, I'm her papá," Dad replies.

"Papá." Davey repeats, "That means Dad in Spanish."

"You speak Spanish, young man?" Dad asks, intrigued.

"I speak English, Spanish, and Japanese," Davey says with a bright smile.

"Show me," Dad says, smiling.

I expect Davey to shy away from the request, but without missing a beat, he happily complies. "Yo hablo español," he adds in perfect Spanish, and then, in what must be flawless Japanese, he says, "Watashi wa nihongo o hanashimasu."

"I'm impressed," Dad says, raising an eyebrow. "How do you say Dad in Japanese?"

"Otosan," Davey replies.

"Good job, Davey!" I say. "You're such a smart little boy. Your mom and dad must be so proud of you."

After dinner, Dad and Davey settle in for a game of Chutes and Ladders while I clean the kitchen and load the dishwasher. I can hear their conversation, mostly in Spanish. Dad asks Davey about his life in Japan, school, the culture, and the food, and Davey responds eagerly. Davey’s laughter fills the room, loud and contagious, as he tries to teach Dad a few phrases in Japanese.

"I'll pick you up in the morning," I tell Dad before leaving. "Say around ten? We can head to the daycare for the tour and then grab lunch afterward."

"That sounds great," he replies. "I was planning to go for a hike in the morning, so ten is perfect."

I kiss him on the cheek, and Davey shakes his hand before we walk out the door.

"At some point," Dad says, making eye contact with me, "I would like to meet your Romeo. The sooner, the better."

"Who's Romeo?" Davey asks as I buckle him into his car seat.

"Romeo is your daddy, Baby."

"My daddy’s name is Noah," Davey corrects me.

I smile and kiss him on the forehead before driving us both home to Noah—my Romeo.

---