Page 19 of The Perfect Wife
Davian broke my focus when his voice chimed in. “Father, I believe you remember Reyna McCall from her father’s fundraiser.”
“Why, yes. I always remember a pretty face.”
I held out my hand. “It’s so nice to see you again, Mr. Cross.”
Instead of shaking it, he brought it to his lip and kissed the back of my hand just as he had at the fundraiser. “Please call me Lorenzo.”
As I nodded my head, he finally released my hand and walked to the other side of the table. Davian and Lorenzo waited for me to sit, like I was royalty, before they sat down.
Mika was soon in the dining room, placing different dishes onto the table. The first dish she presented was glazed chicken garnished with baked pineapple and mango. As we began dishing out the food to our plates, she came back with two more dishes, steamed asparagus layered in breadcrumbs and small red potatoes sautéed in what appeared to be tomatoes, peppers, and onions. Everything looked amazing. When she returned with three individual bowls of tossed salad, I wondered where I would put all this food. Just then, I knew what was meant by ‘A meal fit for a king’ but this case, it would be a queen.
By the time dinner ended, I couldn’t eat another bite. Mika suggested we relax in the living room while she cleared the table. I offered to help, but once again she shooed away. Taking my remaining wine with me, I followed Lorenzo and Davian into the living room. I took a seat on the couch and watched Lorenzo walked over to a sideboard against the wall separating the dining room and living room. Lifting a crystal decanter, he looked to Davian. “Cognac?”
Lorenzo directed the question toward Davian. Davian nodded his head before taking a seat next to me. After filling two tumblers about a quarter full, Lorenzo handed one to Davian before taking a seat on the couch opposite of where Davian and I sat.
I shouldn’t have felt uncomfortable with Davian at my side, but sitting across from Lorenzo made me very uncomfortable. Taking a sip of my wine, Lorenzo set his glass on the coffee table and looked directly at me. “So, Ms. McCall…”
“Reyna, please,” I interrupted nervously.
“Yes, of course, Reyna.” He corrected himself as he leaned back against the couch and crossed his leg at the ankle on the opposite leg. “As you know, we are concerned about your safety. Do you have any idea why your father would be so interested in you after twenty years?”
“If you are referring to my age, I will be twenty-one in less than two weeks, but answering your question… just like I told Davian, I never met my father. So no, I have no idea what he wants or why he is showing up now.”
I wasn’t sure how much I liked Davian’s father. He was more intimidating than his son. Taking another sip of wine, if only to calm my nerves, I corrected my posture by pulling my shoulders back. Neither one of these men would ever know just how uncomfortable they were making me feel.
There was one question that was looming in the back of my mind, and since Davian wouldn’t answer it, maybe Lorenzo would. “Tell me, Lorenzo, why do I need to be kept safe from my father? I can’t imagine that my mother would have fallen in love with a man she couldn’t trust.”
“What gave you the impression that your mother loved your father? From what I understand, Louise was terrified of him, and when she found out she was pregnant, she found a way to escape.”
What Davian’s father just confessed made little sense.Why would she leave?“That can’t be true. She loved my father. He was the one who left us.”
“Excuse my confusion, Reyna, but you were only four years old when your mother died, how could you possibly know that she loved your father?” Lorenzo's expression became stone cold as he uncrossed his leg and leaned forward.
“From the letter they found in the safe deposit box my mother kept at the bank. Mrs. Brown read it to me when I was thirteen. It was the same day she gave me this locket.” I reached beneath the neckline of my dress and pulled the locket free. The anger that had built inside me presented the need to show Lorenzo that he was wrong.
“Do you still have the letter?” Davian questioned.
“Yes, but it is back at my apartment in a box I kept under my bed.” I twisted my head and looked at Davian.
Lorenzo stood, downing the rest of his drink. “Call Patton. We need to find that letter.”
~14~
Reyna
As I sat in the living room, I blocked out everything around me as I tried to remember, word for word, what I read after Mrs. Brown read it to me. I had read that letter at least a hundred times since. I wasn’t sure what they thought they would find inside the letter, but there was nothing in my mother’s letter that would make me believe that she was afraid of my father. The letter was for my dad, but evidently, she never sent it, probably because she didn’t know where he was. Despite my efforts, I couldn’t remember it word for word, but there was no doubt that she confessed her love for him.
It was getting late. Shortly after our discussion in the living room ended, Lorenzo left. Davian promised his father that he would be in touch once he had the letter and could analyze it. I argued that he wouldn’t find anything, but it didn’t seem to matter.
As I sat on the couch, listening to their conversation, none of which I commented on, I had some questions of my own that needed answers. Questions that I didn't want to ask in the presence of Lorenzo Cross. I was afraid that with him here, I wouldn’t get the answers I needed. I had a funny feeling that Lorenzo would shun my questions and I would be no closer to finding out the truth about my father.
When Davian came back to the living room after showing his father out, I didn’t allow him to speak. “I want to know everything about my father and why he is so adamant about finding me? No more secrets.”
I could tell that his father also left him on edge when he sat next to me. Taking my hand, he rubbed his thumb along the back side. “Reyna, you need to trust me. There’s a reason I haven’t told you everything about your father.”
I had enough. Pulling my hand away from his grasp, I stood and rounded the coffee table, putting distance between us. I clenched my hand into a fist, and I could feel my anger reaching the boiling point. “Trust, Davian? Are you kidding me? All I’ve done is trust you. Maybe you need to start trusting me. TELL ME ABOUT MY FATHER!”
Davian quickly stood from the couch and came over to where I was standing. I thought he was angry, but then, he took me in my arms and kissed my forehead. “Reyna, I do trust you, but this goes way beyond trust. It is about keeping you safe.”
