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Rafael shakes his head with a devilish smirk. He’s been playful since he arrived, especially with the kids. “By the time the last one leaves for college, you’ll be referring to me as the easy child.”
Earlier, when the girls and I arranged the place cards we made, they argued about who would get to sit next to Rafa. Catarina, the oldest, was the first to fold, deciding that I was cool enough to sit near, and that her sisters could flank Rafael, who knew they were babies anyway. But right before dinner, the baby of the family, Gabe, who proved as wily as the rest of the Huntsman males, switched Anabela’s place card with his. When she discovered what happened, Alma intervened to avert a meltdown. That must have been quite a bribe she offered, because Anabela sat down immediately, looking very much like the cat who got the cream.
“Valentina made me lunch yesterday,” Antonio says, ignoring Rafael’s easy child comment. “She even made a birthday cake.”
“What kind of cake?” Anabela asks, because she needs to know everything.
I was that kid too.
“Chocolate, of course.”
“Why didn’t you bring us any?”
“Did you eat it all by yourself?” Catarina asks with a disapproving tone.
“Every last crumb,” Rafael teases. “He didn’t share it with anyone, not even me, and I was starving.”
The three little girls turn their heads, at once, and glare at their father, who’s enjoying this way too much. Valentina would enjoy it, too. She’d be egging her sisters on like Rafa’s doing.
“Don’t look at me,” Antonio says. “I did him a favor. He’s been eating too much cake, and he’s getting a little chubby around the middle. Soon he won’t be able to button his pants.”
The bulge that stops him from buttoning his pants is more below the middle than around it.
“Papai,” Anabela gasps, her eyes wide. “It’s not polite to talk about how someone looks.”
Vivi pats Rafael’s hand. “Don’t be sad,” she whispers, shaking her head. “You have big muscles, and they pop out of your shirt. You’re not chubby.”
Rafael’s face lights up with a grin that makes me smile with such intensity my cheeks ache. He leans over and presses a kiss to the top of Vivi’s head. “Te amo, cara linda,” he murmurs. “Your father’s just jealous because my muscles are huge.”
“What do you think, Lexie?” Antonio asks, and all eyes turn to me. “Think that paunch around his waist is muscle or too many carbs?”
Rafael smirks, waggling his eyebrows. “Yeah, Lexie. What do you think?”
I feel my cheeks warm.
I think your body is a collection of long, lean muscle with hard planes and ridges that make my mouth water—there’s not an ounce of fat anywhere.
I smile sweetly at him. “Not sure about how the pants fit, although his head might be too big for an ordinary hat.”
Everyone laughs, but no one laughs harder than Rafael, who is completely relaxed around his family. And not just Rafael. Antonio’s relaxed too. It’s always like this when they’re together here. It’s as though the house has some kind of magic.
My mother is normally laid-back, but my father never fully relaxes. Never. We laughed plenty in my house, but I was almost always the only child at the table, and the conversation was usually very adultlike—although I was free to share my opinions. Here the kids are expected to behave during dinner, but the mood and most of the conversation is on their level—or at least geared to include them.
It’s different here in other ways too. My mother was the daughter of an ambassador, and even though she’s kind and generous to the household staff, and even to the guards, she follows protocol. Daniela is more like Lydia.
There’s a seamless blending of staff and family that feels just right. Victor and Alma, who worked for Antonio’s family when he was growing up, and now keep this house humming, are seated at the family table for the party along with Cristiano and Lucas, Antonio’s top men, and their families. If a stranger walked in, they would never know that this group wasn’t all related.
“Not much longer,” Cristiano says, “before the big launch. It’s exciting what you and Valentina have done with Premier, Rafael. We’re very proud to be part of it.”
Antonio glances at Rafa and nods. “Very proud.”
“We didn’t do it alone,” Rafael replies, because even though he’s cocksure and arrogant, he’s also self-effacing and never hesitates to give others credit when it’s due.
It’s one of the things about him that I find irresistible.
“Nothing this big could have been accomplished without all your support,” he adds. “And Valentina deserves a lot of the credit. She took the lead with marketing and promotion. From the beginning, she knew how to sell the idea.” He gazes at me from across the table, pride shining in his face. “It’s quite remarkable what young women can accomplish when given a chance. Even a fool like me can appreciate real talent.”
I stare at my plate, seeing nothing while his gaze warms my skin. As angry as Rafael was about my graphs and charts, there’s always been a measure of admiration and respect for the work I did. He’s mentioned it more than once.
