Page 54 of Seeking Fiona
“No buts. This is the man Fiona loves. We must give him a chance.” She shooed him away before turning toVince, who was staring at Maria with eyes the size of saucers. Fiona wasn’t surprised. The one timeVincehad seen her, she had been sweet and kind. “Let me look at you.” Maria handed her spoon to Fiona and reached up forVince’s face.Vincelooked to her for guidance, and she nodded. Her mother did this with all her future sons-in-law. She claimed she could look in their eyes, straight into their soul, and see if they were a good person or not. Fiona didn’t know if she believed it or not, but it was tradition at this point, so she decided to go with it.
Vincebent almost in half so Maria could touch his face and move it side to side before looking in his eyes.Vincestared straight back at her without flinching. Fiona waited with bated breath to see what her mother would say. If her mother deemed him not good enough, she would be cast out from her family. No one went against her mother. It was her mother’s approval she needed most.
Maria finally released him and looked up at Fiona with a twinkle in her eyes. “Mama?” Fiona hated the suspense her mother was causing. “Let him meet the rest of the family first.” Her mother took her spoon back and whirled around and headed toward the kitchen.
“What was that about?”Vincewhispered in her ear.
“My mother has a flair for dramatics.” Fiona shrugged helplessly. It was hard to describe her mother.
“Does this mean I passed the test?”
“Not yet. You still have to meet my sisters.” Fiona watchedVinceshudder. “It won’t be that bad.” She hoped. She honestly didn’t know. She had never brought a boy home before. There had been David, but her family knew she held no romantic feelings toward him, so they didn’t mind.
Fiona took his hand, surprised her own palms were sweating. She didn’t know why she was so nervous. She would be withVinceregardless; she just really wanted her family’s approval.
She could hear her family talking as they walked closer to the kitchen. It wasn’t a large house, even though there were so many of them growing up. There was a kitchen and dining room combo and a living room in the front. On the other side of the house were three bedrooms, two of which were used for her siblings to share growing up.Joaquínhad started sleeping on the couch when he got older, until that became uncomfortable and he built himself a shed out back. Now one room was hers and the other was for grandchildren that stayed over. The best part of the house was the large backyard they all played in growing up. It was the only space they could spread out in.
As soon as they entered the kitchen, Fiona saw all her sisters gathered around the island. It was odd seeing them without their spouses and children. At least her aunts weren’t all here too. That would have made the house ever more crowded. She didn’t know if this was a good sign or not. Her father sat at the long dining table across the room, watching them all. As one, her sisters stopped speaking and turned to look at her andVince.Vincegave her hand a gentle squeeze. “Hello, sisters. This isVince, my boyfriend.”
The roar that came after was deafening as the women descended upon him. Fiona got pushed out of the way as her sisters touched him and pulled him, talking over each other. One would think her sisters had never seen a man before. Her father harrumphed as he stared at them from his usual spot at the head of the table.
Fiona sat down in a seat close to him. “Papa?”
Her father glanced over at her.
“What’s wrong?” She didn’t like this standoffish behavior of his. She had never seen him like this before and hoped to never see it again.
A tear glistened in the corner of his eye. “I failed you,” he whispered softly.
All sound ceased in the room.
“How could you ever think that, Papa?”
“I should have protected you better. I should have known the kind of man David was. I failed you as a father, to keep you safe.” He lowered his head in shame.
Fiona moved out of her seat, kneeling next to her father’s chair. She took his hand in hers. “No, Papa. He deceived us all. No one could have known. I don’t blame anyone.”
“I do, but your man, he protected you.”
“He did.” Fiona smiled. She only knew from secondhand stories what had happened after David knocked her out with the needle. A part of her knew when she was fighting David thatVincewould save her. That he would always be there to protect her.
“I would give my life for her, sir,”Vincesaid, finally able to pull himself away from her sisters.
All her sisters starting crying and cooing him, making Fiona want to roll her eyes.
“Then I only have one thing to say to you,” her father said, standing up.Vincestood tall, never backing down, standing a few inches taller than her father. “Welcome to the family.” Her father held out his hand, whichVincetook with a smile.
“Thank you, sir.”
“Enoughsir,” Maria said, placing a platter of food on the table. “You are family, mijo. You may call me Mama and him Papa.”
Fiona watchedVince’s chest swell with pride. She knew how much their acceptance meant to him.Vincehad thought for so long he wasn’t good enough for her, when he was always more than enough. His saving her life had gone a long way in winning over their acceptance, but she didn’t care how it came about. Her family acceptedVinceinto their family and into their lives. It had been easier than she thought it would be. Her sisters had to go through a lot more obstacles than she did.
“Where’sJoaquín?”
“He is with Hector,” her mother said excitedly.
Ah, so he’d finally met the family. How she wished she could have been there for that. She’d have to get details later.
“Who’s Hector?”Vinceasked.
Fiona was trying to figure out how to answer whenJoaquínwalked into the room with a young boy and a woman Fiona knew very well. Everyone smiled and welcomed them with open arms.
“Vince, this is Hector and his mother, Mia.” Fiona introduced, trying and failing miserably to hide her smirk.
Vincedidn’t say anything. He kept staring at the little boy who was half ofJoaquín’s size. Despite only being six. He looked like a mirror image ofJoaquín.Vince’s eyes darted between adult and child. Fiona could see the wheels turning in his head. Waiting anxiously.
“Holy shit,”Vincewhispered. “He’s your son.”
