Brian shifted uncomfortably, looking around at everyone. “Should I be here?”
“Yes, Brian,” David said with a warm smile. “Your family has been a part of mine for generations.”
“Oh!” Brian visibly relaxed. Then his brow furrowed again. “Do you mean like a blood relation?”
“No.” David shook his head. “Like extended family.”
“Phew,” Brian said, his relief clear. He smiled at Lila. “That’s a relief.”
His eyes met David’s, and Eve saw David’s expression shift. His eyes narrowed slightly, his gaze sharpening as he looked at the teenage boy sitting close to his granddaughter.
Brian noticed. He moved a little away from Lila.
“So are you my grandfather?” Lila blurted out.
“Lila,” Eve admonished her gently. “Sweetheart, that’s rude.”
“What’s rude is knowing that you have a grandchild and daughter right here and not acknowledging them,” Lila seethed, glaring at David. “That’s not cool, David. Not cool at all.”
“I didn’t know, Lila,” David told her, his voice patient. Eve saw his eyes darken with emotion. “When I first saw you that first day...” He paused, his gaze moving to Mia. “It was a shock, Lila. You reminded me so much of my daughter that I had to let go twenty-eight years ago.”
“And you didn’t find it strange that there was this teenage look-alike that William had invited here?” Lila’s sharp mind was trying to make sense of his reasoning. “You seem like a clever guy. Yet you couldn’t figure that one out?”
“Lila!” It was Mia’s turn to admonish her daughter.
“I’m sorry, Mom,” Lila said, but anger flashed in her green eyes. Eyes that Eve could now see were just like David’s. “But I’m not buying it.”
“It’s true, Lila,” Nolan spoke up, defending David. “David didn’t know who you were. William told him that you were good friends of his from Los Angeles.”
“It’s true, Lila,” Mia told her daughter, giving her a soft smile. “Nolan also only found out tonight who I was.”
“How did you find out?” David asked, looking at Nolan. “Why did you break protocol?”
“Because a guest handed this in at the reception desk of the Christmas Inn and wanted to know who came looking for it,” Nolan pulled the photo from his pocket and handed it to David.
David’s eyes flew to Brian. “This is a picture of your father and Mia when they were kids.”
“Paul!” Mia’s eyes flew to Brian. “Your father was Paul?”
Brian nodded. “That’s my photo.” He pointed to it. “I dropped it at breakfast this morning.”
His eyes widened with horror. “Oh no.” His head snapped toward Nolan. “Did I put Mia in danger?”
“No, Brian,” Eve told him, reaching over to pat his hand. “This is not your fault.”
“Nolan, you were right to bring Mor...” David stopped and looked at Mia. “Sorry, Mia.”
Eve’s heart squeezed for him. For both of them. This was so confusing and heartbreaking.
“Maybe you should start at the beginning and tell us what is going on?” Eve suggested gently.
David took a deep breath. His hands rested on the table, and Eve noticed they were shaking slightly.
“I worked for the government,” David began. “Intelligence. I was a cryptographer and signals analyst. My specialty was intercepting and decoding encrypted communications.”
He paused, collecting his thoughts.
“About twenty-eight years ago, I was testing new encryption protocols for the Navy when I intercepted transmissions on a frequency that shouldn’t have existed. Someone was using military-grade encryption for unauthorized communications.”
