Page 35 of Rounds
“Mom, what did you cook?” Delaney asked.
“I made blackened fish, broccoli rice casserole, a garden salad, and garlic bread.”
“That sounds delicious.”
She smiled and left the dining area with Denver right behind her, heading to the kitchen. The table was set beautifully already, and there were glasses of water by every plate. There was also a pitcher of what looked to be tea on the buffet. I was so damn uncomfortable. Charleigh hadn’t said anything, so I was trying to be cool, but my gut was saying to keep my guard up. That was probably what my nervous feelings were about before we got here. It was like my spirit was picking up on some foul shit that would happen.
She was talking to her boyfriend, but I knew she was watching me. I could see her from my peripheral. I chose to keep my attention on Delaney’s beautiful ass. When her mother and Denver came from the kitchen, they were both holding two big dishes. Denver held the platter with the fish and the one with the broccoli rice casserole. I could imagine that those two were the heaviest. As they set the platters and bowls on the long table, Ms. Boutté said, “There’s tea on the buffet, and I made a cheesecake for dessert.”
“I can’t wait to get a piece of that,” Delaney’s dad said as her mother rolled her eyes.
That must have been his favorite, along with Denver’s, because he said, “You and me both.”
Everyone chuckled, then Denver had us all grab hands to bless the food. I glanced over at Delaney as she watched me reach out to grab Charleigh’s hand. I wanted to jerk my hand away, especially when she started caressing my shit with her thumb. I could feel my anger climbing to higher heights. Her dad needed to end this damn blessing so I could let her hand go. He just kept rambling about family and us all being together.
I released her hand and brought my hand under the table to rub it on my pants. Delaney lightly squeezed my hand, so I turned to her. The anger in her facial expression told me thattoday, she wouldn’t give a damn about making a scene. She’d seen what Charleigh was doing. This nigga was here for show. He wasn’t her damn boyfriend. She was putting on a front for her dad.
I took a deep breath as he ended the prayer. Once he did, everyone dug in, while soft jazz played in the background. It almost sounded like the same music Delaney was listening to in that hotel room that night. Just as I was about to reach for the bowl of salad, she said, “I got it, babe.”
I nodded as she grabbed the salad bowl and put some on both our plates, then grabbed two pieces of garlic toast for us. When the platter of fish made it to us, I forgot about everything. It smelled amazing. “What type of fish is this, Miss Boutté?” I asked.
“Trout.”
I smiled and nodded, ready to kill it, until I felt feet against mine. I frowned hard because I knew they weren’t Delaney’s. Charleigh wanted me to blast her ass. The only thing that was keeping me from doing so was the fact that Delaney didn’t like making a scene. She put a scoop of broccoli rice on my plate. “You okay?” she asked softly.
“I’m trying to hold my tongue, baby. I don’t want to embarrass you, but it’s becoming increasingly difficult to keep my cool,” I said in a low voice near her ear.
Delaney’s gaze went right to Charleigh. When her eyes met Delaney’s, she looked the other way. My baby wasn’t finna play with her ass. Delaney’s frown was as deep as mine.
“Delaney, is something wrong?”
She glanced over to Denver then looked back at Charleigh. “Naw. We’re good . . . for now.”
I slid my hand over her leg and lightly rubbed it, trying to calm her down. She was looking like she wanted to go across this table to get at Charleigh. I didn’t know why she was fucking withme. It wasn’t like I led her on in any way. I told her what was real. I didn’t play games with her. I picked up some fish with my fork and said, “Here, baby.”
Delaney opened her mouth and accepted the fish from me. She released a huff as she chewed. Once she swallowed, she said, “It’s really good, Mom.”
“Thank you, baby. You mind helping me with something in the kitchen?”
Delaney glanced at her mom, then looked back at Charleigh. Before she could get up, she said, “Try something if you want to. You gon’ regret every step that led you here today.”
Shit.Charleigh frowned like she didn’t know why Delaney was coming at her like that. “I’ll be right back,” Delaney said to me.
She walked away, and I focused my attention on my food. As I ate, I heard someone clear their throat, so I looked up to see Denver and Mister Boutté staring at me. I glanced at Charleigh and her date to see they were in conversation with each other.
Finally, Denver said, “I take it that you and my daughter have history.”
“We do. The unfortunate part is that she’s trying to force us to have a present. She’s being extremely disrespectful to everyone in this house, especially Malcolm and Delaney. Although our history is recent, it’s still just that . . . history. My intentions were vocalized from the beginning and at every turn of events.”
All eyes were on Charleigh. Her face was red with embarrassment. She didn’t say a word. I could tell Malcolm was somewhat bothered. Maybe he was indeed trying to pursue something with her. He kept glancing at her as she fidgeted. She finally stood and asked to be directed to the bathroom. Denver walked out of the dining area with her just as Delaney wasreturning with her mother. When she sat next to me, she asked, “What happened?”
“Denver asked if we had history. I told him we did and that she was trying to bring it into the present, being disrespectful to both you and Malcolm.”
“Hmph. My mama could see I was about to unravel on her ass. That wouldn’t have been a good thing. I’m just hoping that this shit will be over with when they come back to the table.”
We resumed eating as did everyone else until Charleigh and Denver came back, both adorning frowns. When he sat, he said, “I hate to ruin dinner, but my daughter is extremely important to me, and I’m going to believe her before I believe a stranger. She said you were still pursuing her.”
I frowned extremely hard, and before I could filter my words, I said, “Why would I when I have a gorgeous queen like Delaney on my arm? Charleigh and I never had a relationship. I never promised her a thing. She’s selling you a wolf ticket to save face. Why didn’t she say all that here in my face?”
