Delaney Diamond Fight for Love

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you. California is a community property state, and he probably expects to
have to pay in this divorce.”
His mercenary pronouncements made Rebekah uncomfortable. “Thank
you for that information,” she said in a stiff voice. “I have an appointment
with an attorney tomorrow, and I’m sure he’ll give me good advice about
what I should do.”
“How do you feel about him?”
The forthright question threw her off balance, but she couldn’t fault
Carlton for asking it. In truth, she had to acknowledge she was still attracted
to Rafael. He was probably wondering where they stood now that her
husband had resurfaced in her life.
“I want him to have a good relationship with Ricky.” Like a politician,
she deftly avoided answering the question. Her next words were more
difficult. “I…think you and I should put the brakes on dating for awhile. I’d
feel better once I’m officially divorced.”
She and Carlton had been dating for a few months, and while she
thought he could be husband material, she was hesitant to make their
relationship an exclusive one. Carlton had assured her he was not interested
in anyone else and wanted a commitment, but he’d eventually stopped
pushing.
He threw a look of displeasure in her direction. “This is a crazy situation,
but you’re right. It would be best if we halted our relationship for awhile. I
wouldn’t want anyone at church to know I would knowingly date a married
woman. How long will this be necessary?”
“It shouldn’t take long. A couple of months or so should do it.”
Carlton muttered something about Jesus and then his face broke into a
tight smile. “I’ll pray the attorneys move quickly.”
“Dinner is ready.”
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Fight for Love
Delaney Diamond
They both swung their heads toward Rafael. He stood there, big and
brawny, his glacial stare trained on Carlton. He’d obviously heard Carlton’s
comment. Without another word, the three made their way down the hallway
into the dining room.
An oval table that seated six sat in the middle of the room. Rebekah’s
mother had outdone herself again. Serving dishes were filled with braised
oxtails, spicy curry chicken, peas and rice, rice cooked in coconut milk, fried
plantains, and coleslaw. The pleasing aromas stimulated Rebekah’s appetite
and temporarily distracted her from the undercurrent of tension in the room.
She hadn’t eaten since she and Ricardo had lunch during their trip to the zoo.
Rebekah watched as Ricardo stood idly until he saw where his father
would sit and plunked down in the chair next to him. If she wanted
indisputable proof that she shouldn’t have kept them apart, tonight she
received it. Her heart constricted as she watched her son even mimic his
father’s movements.
Both of Rebekah’s parents sat at each end of the table. Carlton sat to her
right, and across from him sat Rafael with Ricardo next to him.
The meal progressed with a fair amount of conversation, mostly
dominated by Carlton and her father as they discussed activities at church.
Ricardo shared what he had seen at the zoo earlier. Every now and again,
Rebekah would look up to find Rafael watching her. Other times, he would
have his eyes on Carlton. He stared at the other man with such undisguised
hostility, she half-expected him to start a brawl in the middle of dinner.
She was relieved when each person at the table had a slice of her
mother’s mango cake with buttercream icing in front of them, indicating the
evening would soon come to a close.
“When are you leaving to go back to California?” Carlton asked.
Rafael pushed his empty dessert plate aside and leaned forward on
crossed forearms. “Just as soon as Ricardo and Rebekah can get packed up
and ready to go.”
A morsel of cake lodged in Rebekah’s throat as Carlton slid his
questioning gaze toward her. After a little cough, she picked up her glass and
swallowed some punch.
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Fight for Love
Delaney Diamond
“What does he mean by that?” Carlton asked.
“You’re going to California?” Her mother’s voice sounded almost
panicked.
Rebekah cleared her throat and proceeded to answer the questions right
after she shot a dirty look diagonally across the table at Rafael. His stone-
faced visage gave nothing away.
“I planned to tell you,” she said, glancing around the table. “Ricky and I
are going to California for the rest of the summer so he and Rafe can spend
time together.”
“We’re going to build sandcastles at the beach!” her son interjected with
a grin. He pushed aside his dessert plate and then leaned his forearms on the
table like his father.
“Is that really wise?” Dr. Jamison asked.
“Why wouldn’t it be?” With a dart of her eyes, Rebekah indicated
Ricardo seated across the table from her.
“I hope you know what you’re doing,” Carlton said tightly. He slammed
his napkin onto the table. “I don’t understand why you have to spend the
next couple of months over there.”
A knot of unease manifested itself in Rebekah’s midsection. She watched
as Rafael narrowed his gaze on Carlton.
“You have a problem with my wife and my son joining me in
California?”
Carlton swallowed, realizing too late he’d made a mistake. The dangerous
glint in Rafael’s eyes signaled his displeasure. “Obviously, it’s none of my
business—”
“Obviously.”
Carlton’s back straightened, and Rebekah speculated he was about to say
something that would so infuriate Rafael he just might reach across the table
and tear him limb from limb. Carlton had no idea what he was doing if he
thought challenging Rafael was a good idea.
She didn’t think Rafael would initiate a fight in the middle of her parents’
dining room in front of their son, but she couldn’t be certain. He had a
temper, and he outweighed Carlton by at least seventy-five pounds, most of
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Fight for Love
Delaney Diamond
which were muscle. On other turf, he may very well have backed Carlton
against a wall to make sure he understood in no uncertain terms that he’d
overstepped his bounds.
“This isn’t the time or place for this conversation,” she said. She pushed
her chair back without rising. “It’s getting late. We should leave.”
After her pronouncement, a chorus of voices erupted across the table.
Carlton muttered his agreement, looking away from Rafael as if he finally
realized he ran the risk of getting squashed underfoot like an ant as soon as
Rafael had the opportunity. Her mother mumbled something about packing
up leftovers to take home. Her father mentioned he was looking forward to
next week’s dinner.
All the while, Rebekah kept her eyes on Rafael, and his remained on her.
A tremor of awareness shimmied down her spine. She knew what she saw in
those cool gray depths. Through the use of the word “my,” he had staked his
claim. He hadn’t just claimed Ricky. He had claimed her too.
For some peculiar reason, a small part of her liked it.
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Fight for Love
Delaney Diamond
Chapter Seven
The drive back to Stone Mountain was a quiet one. Ricardo fell asleep, so
when they pulled up in the driveway of the house, Rafael went around to the
back to lift him into his arms.
From the back seat, Rebekah grabbed the canvas tote with leftovers her
mother had packed.
“I’ll take him upstairs,” Rafael said once they’d entered the house.
In his son’s bedroom, he removed Ricardo’s shoes and socks before [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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