Chapter 7
Javier paced the foyer of Castillo Astrana, waiting for his father to come downstairs for breakfast. He hadn’t forewarned his father that he was coming home, wanting to see his father’s reaction to the news. He needed honesty now. And he needed to understand why. Why would his father have lied all those years ago? Why would his father have done something so heinous as to banish Natalie when she was pregnant?
Even as he waited impatiently, Javier knew that he couldn’t put all the blame on his father. Javier should have gone after Natalie, he should have demanded answers. His only defense four years ago was that he had been overwhelmed by his feelings for Natalie. Never before, or since, had he so completely lost himself in a woman. Natalie’s touch was different from other women. He’d been imprisoned by the need he had for her. Not just the sex, although that had been amazing. But he’d been leaving work early just to be with her, to see her smile, to revel in her presence. Having her in his home had been the most amazing sensation.
So, when she’d walked out of his life, he’d convinced himself that he was better off. He’d told himself that she’d faked her feelings towards him and it was good to be free of her.
But he’d been miserable. For the past four years, he’d pushed himself harder, made his staff miserable, and had been only half living. He’d realized that the moment he’d stepped into the barn that morning, that moment he’d seen Natalie lecturing her horse. Every cell in his body had sparked back to life. In that moment, he’d known that he had to have her back. She was his other half, and he was determined to live the rest of his days, and nights, with her.
Being here, back at home without Natalie…without Alejandro…it felt wrong. His life was wrong. He needed to get back to them. He’d heard the anguish in Natalie’s voice last night and read between the lines. She’d said that he’d followed through on his promise last night. But what she hadn’t said was that she didn’t believe he would come back to her.
What she didn’t understand was that there was no way in hell he was going to abandon her now. Not after finding her again. Not after remembering what life in her arms, in her presence, was like again. And his son! Maldito! He needed to be back with Alejandro. He couldn’t wait to see the light in his son’s eyes when the boy walked into the room. Javier was furious that he’d missed his son’s first day with his new tutor, all because he had to return here to discuss the previous four years with his father.
Where was the man?! Why wasn’t he down here already?
“Beunas dias!” his father called as he came down the stairs. “I wasn’t expecting you back so soon!”
Javier swung around, taking in his father as he descended the grand staircase. He knew that he and his father were strikingly similar in appearance, but the way they approached life and their outlook on their responsibilities was dramatically different.
“Buenos dias,” Javier replied stiffly.
“Breakfast! I’m famished!”
Javier followed his father into the dining room and poured himself some coffee. He didn’t bother with breakfast, having eaten at his apartment earlier.
“So, what is the news on this new horse of yours? Is he as fabulous as the rumors say?”
“Charlie is a magnificent stallion, yes. He is everything the rumors say, and more.”
“Excellent! Did you arrange for him to be transferred to our stables? I can’t wait to see him and experience him myself.”
“I didn’t buy him.”
Juan Pablo’s eyes widened and his cup of coffee froze. “You didn’t? Why not?”
“Because I couldn’t take him away from Alejandro.”
His father put his cup of coffee carefully down onto the china saucer. “Alejandro,” the older man muttered almost to himself. “That’s the boy.”
Javier stared at his father, stunned. The fact that his father knew of Alejandro was proof that his father was complicit in the banishment and knew of Natalie’s pregnancy. He’d never let on!
With a controlled voice, he faced his father, the anger seething inside of him. Anger and fury, resentment and…disgust! “You knew that I had a son?”
Juan Pablo sneered. “A child was produced by that woman,” he practically spit out. “She wasn’t fit to clean our toilets, Javier. You are to be the next Duque d’Astrana! You can’t have a woman of no consequence as your Duquessa! She would sully the Vasquez name.” He lifted his cup again, prepared to take a sip but the motion froze when he heard the fury in his son’s voice.
“That woman,” he hissed, trying to control his temper, “is my future wife and the mother of my child. You will speak about her with a respectful tone, or not at all!”
Juan Pablo snapped his coffee cup against the ancient surface of the dining room table, his dark eyes glaring at equally dark and determined ones. “That woman is a witch! She had you completely bewitched. How do you even know that the boy is your child? She could have been sleeping with anyone while she was here. She roamed the house, looking pathetic. I’m sure she was screwing the gardener and who knows how many other men!”
Javier stood up. “You only have to look at me and you to know that we are father and son. The same is true of Alejandro. He is the spitting image of me.” Javier couldn’t believe his father! “And yet, you pushed my fiancée out of my life, lied to me, your only son, simply because you don’t approve of who I chose to spend my life with. And worse! I let you!” He shook his head, lifting his hand to stop his father from speaking further. “No! You don’t get to speak! You’ve said enough! You took four years of my son’s life away from me and I won’t allow you to take anything more.”
His father started to stand up but Javier stepped away. “I came back here to talk to you, confident that there was a reasonable explanation. I told Natalie that there was no way you could have simply banished her. A misunderstanding or some reason. But now I find that the only reason you pushed her out of my life is because of your elitist, archaic beliefs. And I’m ashamed to call you my father.”
Javier turned away when his father’s face suffused with angry color. “I have taken steps to protect my family,” he announced before his father could start with the lies or half-truths. “I will also formally renounce my title as Marquess d’Astrana. As I have allowed you to manipulate me, I am no longer worthy of the title.”
“You can’t do that! You are my son! You will inherit the Duque title soon!”
“It is done!” Javier snapped back, gripping his temper tightly. “All assets relating to the title are yours. I will renounce all claims to the title. But you must step up and manage those assets once again, as I will have nothing to do with them.”
Juan Pablo’s mouth fell open in horror. “You can’t do that! The assets have more than doubled since you have taken control! And they are intertwined with your business dealings.”
“I will extricate all of my businesses from yours immediately.” He turned to look at his father. “Regardless of the financial repercussions.” He paused to let that statement sink in. “My wife and my son are the most important things in my life. Since you saw it as your responsibility to extricate them from my life four years ago, I will be just as merciless in extricating you from my life now.”
With that, he turned and walked out of the house that had been in his family for centuries. This was no longer home and he didn’t even care. There was no sadness as he walked out and slipped into his car. There was only an eagerness to return to Natalie and Alejandro.
He still had some business to deal with, plans to set in motion that would remove all of the Vasquez holdings from his own, and he would have to visit several families, explain to them that there was no heir to the Duque title. Yes, there was regret in that. He’d been raised to know that he would be responsible for the title and everything that came with it. A part of his identity was wrapped up in that title, in what it meant and all that would be required of him. But he knew he would relish his new identity as father and husband far more.
Javier knew that he wasn’t going to fight his feelings for Natalie this time. The last remnants of his anger over her disappearance four years ago were gone, dissipated with the knowledge that she hadn’t just left him. He was free, free to acknowledge that he needed her. End of story. And he needed to see his son. Not holding him, not feeling his energy or seeing his adorable grin when he woke up or before he went to sleep, was making him ache everywhere.
Javier stepped out into the bright sunshine, determined to leave this place and never come back. His hand was already on the door to his car when he heard his father call out, “Wait!”
Only years of good manners stopped him this time. “What is it, Father?” he asked impatiently. He needed to get to his office and put things in motion so that he could get back to his family. The Vasquez holdings were only a fraction of his wealth so he had no worries about caring for his family and ensuring their safety.
Looking across the hood of his car, he glared at his father, realizing that pride was about all that was holding up his father at this point.
Juan Pablo’s shoulders straightened in that age-old gesture of fury mixed with defeat. “If she means that much to you, then I will accept her into the family.”
Javier laughed, shaking his head. “You don’t understand, Father,” he explained with as much patience as he could muster. “I’m not asking you to accept her. I brought her home four years ago, entrusted you with her care while I was gone during the day. Now I know that you hurt her, insulted her, banished her, and then lied to me.” He watched his father’s lips compress with the accusation. But his father didn’t deny the statements either. “So, I’m not asking you to accept her. She won’t accept you. She’s stated very clearly that she will not allow YOU into HER world. You banished her four years ago and she rose with dignity and strength, raised my son, your grandson, by herself. It doesn’t matter if you accept her or reject her because YOU have been banished.”
Juan Pablo’s features twisted with hatred. “And you’re going to accept a woman’s position on this? You’re going to marry her knowing that she treats me with such disrespect?!” he demanded with scorn.
“She treated you with respect four years ago. Natalie went out of her way to be accepted by you. And you slapped her down. No, Father,” he said with a sigh because Javier suspected his father would never understand. “You’re too wrapped up in your false dignity, in the belief that your title and your ancestry give you the right to treat people in that manner. But the truth is, the world has changed and the title of Duque doesn’t mean a whole lot to the rest of the world. Natalie is a great teacher, who loves her job.” He shrugged slightly, shaking his head as the truth hit him. “I think her title of ‘teacher’ is a far more respectable title than yours.”
His father huffed, interrupting with disgust. “A woman’s place is in the home, caring for her children! And your Marquessa even more so! She has obligations! She must present you to the world!”
Javier stared at his father, astounded and horrified by his archaic thinking. “My business interests are not my future wife’s responsibility. And a woman’s place is wherever she feels her talents are most valuable! The same is true for a man, father.”
“If you think so, then you are a fool!”
A thin chuckle was Javier’s only reaction. “If you don’t agree, then you are the fool. A fool who will never know his grandson.” Finished with the conversation, he opened his car door and stepped inside.
As he pulled the door closed, he heard his father yell, “Don’t you leave! Don’t you dare leave! This conversation is not over!”
Javier was astounded by his father’s stubbornness. The man truly believed all the drivel that he spouted. Javier didn’t care. His mind turned away from his father and focused on the future, his future with Natalie and Alejandro. He and his father had always endured a contentious relationship so their battles were nothing new. But Javier hadn’t realized how deep the divide was between their beliefs.
He should have known. If he’d fully grasped the extent of his father’s misogynistic and antiquated views on women, he wouldn’t have lost Natalie the last time and he would have experienced the joy of his son’s birth, his first steps, all of his first discoveries.
Driving away, he felt cleansed. Free. He drove to his office and called his management team together, explaining what needed to happen. Those on the Vasquez side of things were horrified at the changes and several begged him to reconsider. But Javier was firm. This separation needed to happen. Natalie’s voice over the phone last night reminded him that he had to prove to her, not simply through words, but with actions, that he wasn’t going to abandon her or Alejandro.
He met with his bankers that morning, ensuring that Natalie had sufficient funds and set up monthly transfers so that she would never have to worry about money again. He checked on the trust fund for Alejandro to cover education expenses. And then he met with his lawyers to change his will, telling them that everything would go to Natalie and his son if anything were to happen to him.
The next three days were busy and long, but he took time out every afternoon to call and read to Alejandro at his bedtime. He didn’t bother trying to speak with Natalie, other than to ask her how her day was or if Alejandro had behaved, how she was feeling. He understood her reticence and tried to respect her for her caution. But it was hard to hear her voice when he wanted to hold her in his arms.
Soon, he thought as he hung up with them on the fourth day. Very soon now, he would be back with her and would show her that things would be different.