Page 35 of Searching for Love

“Why?” he asked, concerned.

His mother shrugged. “I just don’t think I can be my best self with him. I’m not sure I’m meant for happiness.”

“Mom.” He reached across the table and took her hand. “Everyone deserves happiness.”

She nodded in agreement and just as Lucas reached for his drink, a voice cut through the air like a knife, freezing him in place. “Well, well, well. Look what we have here.”

Lucas’s heart plummeted as he turned to see his father standing in the doorway, his presence casting a dark shadow over their table.

His mother gasped and flung her arm out, as if shielding herself from an invisible blow, knocking over one of the drinks on the table. Then her expression hardened with anger and disbelief. “What are you doing here?” she demanded, her voice trembling.

His father ignored her question, his gaze fixed on Lucas with a predatory gleam in his eyes. “Isn’t this picture perfect? The whole family is here having dinner,” he said, his voice dripping with venom.

“Who is that?” Sophia whispered behind Lucas.

Lucas instantly tried to shield his sister from the man’s view.

“I thought I’d drop by and see how my dear family is doing,” Diego sneered. His eyes moved past Lucas to land finally on Sophia. “To see my baby daughter,” he added loudly.

Sophia gasped behind him, and Lucas clenched his jaw while his hands curled into fists beneath the table.

Sophia’s voice was barely a whisper. “Dad?”

His father’s lip curled into a sneer as he turned all of his attention towards Sophia, his gaze cold and calculating. “That’s right, my little princess,” he said, his tone soft yet still sounding mocking somehow. “You’ve grown up since I last saw you.”

His statement and tone caused Lucas to jump out of the booth and head towards the man. He had a firm grip on Diego’s coat and was about to haul him outside when a waiter stepped over towards them.

The man was easily double Lucas’s size and full of impressive muscles covered with faded tattoos. The guy was roughly Lucas’s age and had even more Latin blood in him than Lucas did. The way he stood, the guy looked more like a bouncer than a waiter.

“Whatever this is, you’ll need to take it outside. This is a family restaurant,” the man said, clearly.

“He’s not part of our family.” Lucas jerked towards Diego. “If you call the police, I’m sure they can haul him away. There’s no doubt he has at least one warrant out…” He dropped off when his father jerked free of his hold.

“I’m in no rush.” Diego smiled. “Nice to see you again, Emily.” He said his mother’s name like it was a curse word. Then his smile turned bigger. “Sophia, I’ll see you around.” His eyes dipped to his sister’s shirt and back up. “You sure have grown up,” he said just before Lucas punched the man square in the jaw.

His father’s body jerked back a step, knocking over a tray full of empty glasses.

“You son of a…” his father said, but then the waiter shoved between them.

“We’ve called the police,” the man warned.

Suddenly, his father laughed, a harsh sound that echoed through the restaurant like a death knell. “You think you can keep me away?” he scoffed, his eyes flashing with malice. “I’ll always be a part of this family, whether you like it or not.” With a final glare, his father turned on his heel and stormed out of the restaurant.

“Sorry,” Lucas said to the waiter with a sigh.

The man shook his head. “Assault is no joke. When the police get here…”

Lucas lowered his voice and quickly relayed why he had hit his father. The man’s face paled and his gaze turned to where Sophia and his mother were huddled together in the booth. His mother was crying as Sophia held onto her with confusion written all over her face.

He understood that his sister had no clue why they were upset at the sight of the man. Nor did he or his mother have any plans to tell her anytime soon.

The waiter sighed and nodded after a moment of silence. “I’ll send the police away and bring you some fresh breadsticks.”

“Thanks…” He touched the man’s arm.

“Rico,” the man offered and disappeared.

Lucas sat across from his mother and sister as they held onto one another.