Read Online Caught Up (Indigo Vibe) by Deatri King-Bey - Free Book Online Page B

believe. I’m scared. Scared of what else he’s hiding, scared that I can actually believe there may be more that I don’t know. Scared.
    Reluctant to delve deeper, she closed the journal, then set it and her pen on the nightstand. She surrounded herself with fluffy pillows and fell into a fretful sleep. Eventually she relaxed, and a version of her favorite dream visited her. Instead of images, she heard children laughing and felt the warm, loving embrace of a man. These weren’t just any children and any man, but her children and her husband.
    Banging at the door startled Rosa to full alertness. She hopped out of bed, grabbed her robe and wrapped herself with it. “I’m coming.” She slipped on her house shoes and rushed across the room. “I’m coming.” She peeked through the suite’s peephole. “Daddy?” She flipped on the light and opened the door. “What are you doing here this time of night?” She closed the door as he blew by her into the living area.
    “What am I doing here?” he roared. “You’re supposed to be on a flight to Italy.”
    Readying for the storm, she battened down her emotional hatches, stood tall, squared off her shoulders, held her chin high and kept her face stern. Appearing grown in rainbow print pajamas and fuzzy, blue bunny slippers wasn’t easy to pull off, but she thought she could swing it. “After I finish my business in Miami, I’m returning to Chicago.”
    Ernesto trained his light stare on her. She thought she would buckle under his scrutiny, but she maintained her stance. This was a battle of wills. He would have to recognize her as an adult who made her own decisions. She didn’t expect him to agree with all of them, but she did expect him to accept that she would be making them. This was also a battle to save her family. The secrets were killing them. He and Harriet were unable to deal with the past, so she’d have to step up and do what needed to be done.
    “You’re disobeying me?” he raged.
    “I’m being the strong, independent woman you raised me to be. I have a thriving business that I can’t and don’t want to walk away from. I’m building a life in Chicago.” She paused to reorganize her thoughts. “My own life.” She softened. “I love you, but try to understand that I need time to live somewhere besides in your shadow. In Chicago, I’m Rosa Bolívar; anywhere else, I’m Ernesto Bolívar’s daughter.”
    The fight slowly dissipated from his face. She remembered the last time that they had an argument. Then, too, she’d wanted to have a life outside of his shadow. She sighed. Six years and not much had changed—he was still her commander-in-chief.
    He sat on the couch, leaning back as he ran his hands through his hair. “Then return to Chicago tonight. Do not return to Florida until I’m sure you’re safe. I can’t lose you, Rosa.”
    She knelt before him, knowing he wanted her to leave Florida before she met David. He was afraid of losing her love. Her gaze tenderly caressed his worried face. He appeared to be aging, right before her eyes. “Love is thicker than blood, Daddy.” Telling him her plans to see David would only upset him more. Though she hated to admit it, he was acting so irrationally she thought he’d try to physically stop her from seeing David. “I have more business here. I’m not leaving for Chicago until I’m done.”
    “Business, my foot. You’re here to see David. You’re not even doing estimates. I spoke to your new client earlier today. He said you finished the estimate before you came to my office.”
    “First off, I didn’t even know David was my biological father until you told me this afternoon. I came here to spend time with my real father, Ernesto Bolívar. Secondly, we received another request for an estimate. I thought I’d check it out while I’m down here.” Glad she’d been able to tell the truth, she crossed her arms over her chest. “And let’s be honest. I can’t hide anywhere.