No, it had just gotten even better seeing as how his mom, his dad, and his little sister were here now, too.
Oh, and just to add to that awkward – they were here because the Captain with the burned ass and big mouth had told them that I had a stalker. One who’d punched me – not that you could miss the fading bruising, but still – after I’d helped his abused girlfriend. And now they were meeting my parents. It was a whole new level of embarrassing.
“We came as soon as Garrett told us what was happening,” Raoul’s mom said to mine, pulling her in for a hug immediately.
Our dads were discussing something in the corner, their arms moving around manically. To be honest, it just looked like they were trying to fit a big fish in a little box to me, and maybe that was it? Then, it all changed to what looked like a version of whack-a-mole, both of them doing the gesture at the same time.
“Rose?” A soft voice asked beside me, pulling my attention away from them to see Raoul’s mom standing beside me.
I’d seen photos when I’d broken into his house, but she looked completely different in real life. I knew I was short because everything in the world was too high for me. Seriously, I couldn’t just move into a house knowing that everything was ok. Without a doubt the cupboards in the kitchen were too high, and the little holder for the shower would also be too high, too. In fact, in the first apartment I’d lived in, I couldn’t even hang my clothes on the rail without standing on something, because a giant had installed it. So, yeah, I was short. But Raoul’s mom was at least two inches shorter than me - meaning that I was finally taller than someone - and it threw me for a second because all the photos had made her seem taller than that. That said, I instantly felt at ease with her, regardless of how awkward the reason for meeting her right now was. She just had that look about her that was gentle and calming.
Giving her a bright smile, and hoping that she didn’t pick up on how nervous I was, I replied, “Yes, how lovely to meet you, Mrs. Evans.”
Reaching up (yes, up), she gently held my face in her hands, her eyes focused on what was left of the bruising on my face. “Call me Luisa, honey,” she murmured, her thumb sweeping gently over the bruising. Within the space of one blink – one tiny blink – her expression changed. “Raoul, Garrett, what are you doing about the man who did this?”
Both brothers looked at each other first and then back at their mom. “We have people looking for him, Mom,” Raoul reassured her. “She won’t be alone at any point because Garrett’s going to be with her during the day, and I’ll be with her at night.”
A choked growl came from my dad at the comment, but he managed to stop it when everyone looked over at him. Smiling tightly at Luisa, he gritted out, “I’m just so relieved about that.”
Lying ass! And from the expressions on everyone else’s faces, they were thinking the same thing.
Nodding at her sons like she was in agreement with their plan, she looked back at me. “Some people aren’t like the rest of the world. To hit and abuse women… that takes an evil mind and heart,” she shook her head sadly. “But I know I can trust in my boys to keep you safe, so at least he’ll never be able to hurt you again.”
“I’m worried about the woman who was in a relationship with him,” I admitted, wringing my hands together. “He beat her badly for a long time.”
Wise eyes skimmed my face. “She reminds you of your brother’s fiancée, yes?”
I wasn’t upset or surprised that Raoul had shared about Jose, and I knew that she wouldn’t be either. She was very open about what she went through after she had to face Ellis’s ex at the diner one night, and her exact words only weeks ago were, “Knowledge spreads awareness, and awareness is key to prevention.” Truer words never spoken.
“Yeah, she did.”
“We haven’t been introduced yet,” a deep voice belonging to Raoul’s dad said behind me. Turning around, I got a closer look at the man who was almost identical to his sons. The only difference was that he didn’t have the coloring they’d inherited from Luisa and he still had an English accent, regardless of the fact that he’d lived here for over thirty years. “I’m Harry.”
I was about to introduce myself back to him, but their daughter appeared beside us, holding her hand out and smiling brightly at me. “Catalina, but you can call me Cat. I’ve heard a lot about you.”