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“I like my option better.”
“And I like mine.”
Raphael chuckled while stroking the hair on his face. “It really is you.”
“In the flesh.” I smiled sweetly.
The server appeared with our waters and appetizer, quieting the conversation for a bit. We enjoyed it in silence. Well, I was quiet. He was raving about how good the dip was. I swear food was like sex to this man, or rather the way he described how things tasted sounded like it.
Dinner went smoothly. We laughed and joked, sampled one another’s food, and even talked. This was what I missed. The easy way we just went back and forth, finishing one another’s thoughts, and just enjoying the fundamentals of us. I’d almost forgotten about his finance until his phone rang, interrupting our conversation. Surprise. Surprise.
“Hey, you!” Raphael greeted the caller.
That’s when the fidgeting began. Jealousy reared its head, making me frustrated and downright antsy. I wanted to leave, but pride made me stay. I wouldn’t let her run me off again. This time, I’d leave with a more dignified approach. No, I didn’t mean by throwing wine in his face. It was time to get the closure that I came for. Then, I could go.
“I’ll see you tomorrow morning. Good night.” Raphael hung up the phone and leaned forward. “Where were we?”
“Actually, I need to get going. But before I do, there were a few things that I wanted to clear up.”
“Anything.” His expression was serious and ready for whatever I threw at him.
“You have a child?”
“Child? No. Where did you…?” His words trailed off just before his head dropped. He exhaled but didn’t look back up at me. “You saw it, didn’t you? That’s why you left?” His eyes met mine again, but something I’d never seen from him before shined clearly. Pain.
Squaring my shoulders, I put on my big girl panties and answered. “Yes.”
“I wish that you would have talked to me. I could have explained. All this time you thought…” Raphael exhaled before answering the question finally. “Ruthgina and I were together for about four years before I found out who she really was. I started financial analytics a year before we got together, but my career didn’t really take off until about six months into the relationship. We didn't get to see each other often because I was traveling so much. I proposed to her on our third year anniversary.”
Raphael raised his half-filled wineglass and drained it empty. He refilled it but sat it in front of him while he toyed with the stem.
“I found out that she was pregnant a few months later. She’d hid it from me, but I’d found the test results while getting rid of some paperwork she’d had lying around. I was excited. Changed up my schedule so that I could spend more time at home. It wasn’t as much time as she wanted, but it was much more than I had before.”
Raphael sipped more wine. He looked at me and smiled, but it didn’t meet his eyes. “She’d been messing around with my best friend the entire time I was gone. She’d gotten pregnant with his child and aborted it before I found out. When I found the papers, it was too late. The chances of the child being mine were slim. But I’d spent most of my home time preparing for a child that was never coming. She’d tried to get pregnant without me knowing what she was up to, but it hadn’t worked. I’d just signed a contract to stay in London for two years. Figured it would give us time to get settled before I was bouncing all over the place again. I broke off the engagement, put her out of the house, and had the maids pack up everything so that we could get rid of all things, baby. Ruth asked if I would keep it for her to retrieve. Said she’d become fond of it and it gave her memories of the baby that she’d given up. Personally, I think she thought we could patch things up and move on. Would not happen. Then…” He stopped speaking.
“Then?” I pushed.
“A few months later, I met you.”
“But you were still in London after the two years were up.”
“I was, but my contract didn’t hold me to one city anymore. I traveled to other places and came back to London. It’d become my home. I still had one in Paris but, I’d put down roots there too.”
I followed his gaze to see the server approach. “Dessert?” She asked.
“No, thank you,” I responded.
“We’ll take the check, please.” Raphael flashed that charming smile of his until the server walked away, blushing.
“And your fiance?” I asked.
“Ruth? She’s no longer my fiance. Hasn’t been since about six months before I met you.”
“Then you have a new one?” I inquired.
“Hell no, there’s only one woman that’s gotten that close to me. Well, two if you count my assistant Sylvia.”
I didn’t want to ask, but I had to know. “Who is that one woman?”
