Page 19 of His to Love
“I see,” Mrs. De La Cruz nodded as a smile began to curve her lips. “What do you think, Papi?” she asked her husband, who stood on the other side of her.
Mr. De La Cruz eyed me then laughed and clapped his hands. “I think this is great news. There is no better man for our daughter than this one right here!”
Joy spread through me that things had gone even better than I’d thought they would. Hugging Alexa, I whispered in her ear, “At least they’re happy about us. Only one more hurdle to make.”
She kissed my cheek and it surprised me, as it made a small jolt of electricity zap through me. “Finally, the secret is out, mi amor.” She hugged her mother and father. “I’m so glad you approve.”
“How could we not approve of our darling Patton?” her mother asked. “He’s such a wonderful man.”
Another shot of guilt burst through me as her mother sang my praises and grinned at me. I tried to ignore the feeling—I was only doing it for the sake of her health. “And your daughter is a wonderful woman.”
Throwing her arms around me again, Mrs. De La Cruz hugged me tightly. “You have made me so happy, Patton.”
After a wonderful dinner, Luci, his father, and I retired to the den for a drink. Luci nudged me as we followed behind his father. “I think this will be the perfect time to ask him.”
“You don’t think this will seem too fast to him?” I was worried that we were rushing things.
Luci cocked one brow at me as he gave me a funny look. “Time is of the essence here.”
He was right about that. Every day we waited to get married would make it more obvious that Alexa had been pregnant before we wed. “Good point.”
His father poured us all a glass of Scotch, and when they sat down, I stayed standing. His father eyed me. “You seem to have something on your mind, Patton.”
“I do, sir.” Putting the glass down on the side table, I tried to get ready to ask a question I had never seen myself asking before. “Mr. De La Cruz, you know that I have the utmost respect for you.”
“I do.” He took a drink, watching me over the rim.
“Since your daughter and I have been dating, I have treated her with the respect that I know you demand. I’ve never stepped over the line with her, sir.” I’d rehearsed the speech in the shower that very morning, but the words were lodging in my throat, as it felt as if it were closing up on me.
Is this the right thing to do?
Lying to Alexa’s father felt wrong. So wrong that my body seemed to be trying desperately to stop me from doing it. But I looked at my best friend and found his eyes begging me to continue.
Mr. De La Cruz put his glass down. “That is welcome news, Patton. I thank you for letting me know that.”
Gulping, I had to go on. “I’ve fallen in love with your daughter, sir.”
“I can see that.” He smiled. “The way you act with her told me as much. You’re very delicate with her.”
I had tried to be, and apparently the limited amount of touching we’d done throughout the visit had worked to make her parents believe that we were in love. “I adore Alexa. And I know that there is no other woman for me, sir.”
Nodding, he smiled. “She is a rare gem, isn’t she?”
“The rarest, sir.” I pulled the small box out of my pocket and opened it to show him what was inside. “I bought this for her recently. Before I give it to her, before I ask her the question, I want to ask you if you approve of me marrying your daughter?”
For a long moment, he sat there, staring up at the ceiling, then he looked at me with shining eyes. “I wholeheartedly approve of a union between you and my daughter, Patton Nash. Nothing would make me happier.” He held up one finger. “That’s not entirely true. One thing might. I would like to witness this proposal so I can see my daughter’s eyes when you ask her this important question.”
I hadn’t seen that coming, but seeing Luci nodding out of the corner of my eye told me I should go with it. “How about I ask her right now?”
Standing up, Mr. De La Cruz was all for it. “Then let’s go see what the women are doing in the living room.”
When all three of us walked into the living room, both Alexa and her mother stopped talking. Her eyes were on me. “Are you gentlemen through with your drinks already?”
“We are,” her father said as he took his usual seat in his recliner.
Luciano took a seat on the sofa as I walked to where Alexa sat in a chair. “Honey, I’ve got something important to ask you.” I got down on one knee, clutching the box in my hand as guilt flowed through me like a river gone wild.
I wasn’t an actor, so none of this came natural to me. But one look at Mrs. De La Cruz, holding her hands over her mouth as tears ran down her cheeks, turned me into an Academy Award-caliber leading man. “Alejandra Consuela Christina De La Cruz, will you do me the great honor of becoming my wife?” I popped the lid open on the box, showing her the ring she’d already seen and had even tried on when we bought it before setting off to see her family.
