CHAPTER 150. CLAIRE

CHAPTER 150. CLAIRE
I expected a flood of messages from Anthonio the next morning, but I didn’t. My phone was completely silent all day. I only received notifications from my bank and from the hospital reminding me of Aiden’s scheduled medical checkup in three days.
I considered calling Anthonio, but I was afraid he was still mad at me. It was the first time we'd had a fight that I considered so fatal. I had no idea what to say to him because everything that came out of my mouth sounded like bullshit. Anything I said to explain my relationship with Raviel would only make him angrier. So, silence was the best thing I could do. I'd wait for Anthonio to take the initiative to talk to me.
When I got home, I immediately took a shower and got ready to cook dinner. Aiden was playing on the playmat as usual. I was grateful that he was so calm today. I guess he knew about my condition and didn't want to make it worse with his crying or fussing.
As I was seasoning the shrimp and lobster, my apartment doorbell rang.
I ran to the door with my apron around my waist and opened it.
"Hi."
Raviel stood in front of me in a fitted black t-shirt and black jeans. His aura was both dangerous and masculine. I was a bit surprised that he hadn't barged into my apartment after a week of our regular dinners. Even though he knew my password, he still maintained his manners.
“Hi. I brought champagne. It’ll be perfect with the shrimp and lobster.”
“Great. I knew you had good taste.”
“Where’s Aiden?”
“On his playmat.”
I placed the champagne on the dining table, then returned to the kitchen to continue cooking the grilled lobster and grilled shrimp. I put the baguette with garlic butter in the oven. I’d made soup to go with the baguette. I also made a salad with fresh lemon juice. I wasn’t letting my problems with Anthonio ruin my dinner with Raviel because I didn’t know how long we’d be able to stay like that. I wanted to spend as much time with him as possible while we could.
“It smells so good. It’s wafting all over the apartment.”
“But I don’t know what it tastes like. I hope it’s good.”
“I’m sure your cooking is delicious. Do you need any help?”
I checked my soup while I grilled the shrimp and lobster.
“Would you mind bringing this to the table?”
“Not at all. I’ll put Aiden on his playmatt first.”
I took my baguette out of the oven. The aroma of butter and garlic wafted throughout the kitchen. I couldn't wait to eat it with Raviel.
"Are we celebrating something? You cooked a lot tonight."
"I don't know. I just wanted to cook them all."
I arranged the baguette on a plate while Raviel placed the soup on the table.
"Are you okay?"
"Why shouldn't I be okay?"
I patted my hands, which were covered in baguette crumbs.
"Anthonio didn't seem fine last night."
"Oh. He's just tired from the long trip from Washington."
"But it doesn't look like he's just tired from the trip."
"He's really just tired. Don't worry."
Raviel took a baguette and took a bite. I could hear his groan as he chewed. I couldn't believe he still had such a strong influence on me.
"This is delicious. Try it."
“I’ll try it later.”
My right hand holds a spatula to flip the lobster and shrimp before they burn.
“Open your mouth.”
I took a bite and chewed. It tasted goddamn good. I groaned like Raviel, and we burst out laughing.
"I told you your cooking never fails."
"You've been complimenting me too much lately. I'm about to explode with happiness."
"All women like compliments."
"You mean you compliment all the women you've been with."
"I only compliment women who deserve them."
"I bet there are hundreds."
Aiden pushed the baguette to my mouth again, and I took a bite without hesitation.
"Actually, I'm not the type to give compliments. If you hear me complimenting you, it means you're a lucky woman."
I threw lettuce at him, and he dodged it just in time.
"Cheesy. I don't believe you."
"Then there's nothing I can do."
Raviel took a bite of his baguette and then handed me the last piece.
As I opened my mouth, the corner of my eye caught movement in the corner of my kitchen. Anthonio appeared in his work suit, which looked wrinkled in places. His expression was flat. His gaze focused on Raviel and me.
“Hey, you’re just in time for dinner.”
I hurried over and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek, but Anthonio wasn’t impressed at all. His gaze fell on Raviel.
“Why is he here? I thought we were going to talk about our wedding next week. And that guy shouldn’t be here.”
I bit my lower lip hard, frustrated with what I was facing.
“I promised to cook him dinner yesterday. We can talk about our wedding after dinner.”
“Why did you bother cooking him dinner? I’m sure he can afford the best chef to cook it for him.”
“He just stopped by to see Aiden.”
I shot him a pleading look, begging him to stop attacking Raviel with his sarcasm.
“Why is he only showing up now? Why did he neglect you and Aiden when he should have been taking care of you?”
“Because I didn’t have enough balls at the time,” Raviel replied sarcastically.
The situation was getting tense. I stood between two angry men who were about to turn my kitchen into a battleground.
"It's good you admitted it, because you're a sissy. You neglected a woman who was pregnant with your child."
"You know full well, I always made sure she was okay, even when I wasn't around. Why didn't you tell her I was at the hospital when she gave birth?" His voice rose an octave.
I knew Raviel all too well. He wasn’t the calm man he’d been portraying himself to be for the past week. If he was, he must have worked really hard for it. And Anthonio had just destroyed all his attempts at calm. Raviel exploded like dynamite.
“Why should I? She wasn’t looking for you. I didn’t need to tell her you were there.”
“So, who’s the fucking sissy here, huh? You clearly didn’t dare tell Claire I was there because you knew she’d run to me and leave you alone and missable.”
I saw Anthonio’s clenched fist on the kitchen island. That wasn't a good sign. Not that I doubted Anthonio's martial arts skills, but we all knew who would ultimately win if Anthonio dared attack Raviel.
"Rave, could you go check on Aiden? He's been left alone on his playmatt for too long."
Raviel just glanced at me before walking out of the kitchen.
Luckily, he didn't try to confront me, since I'd clearly just kicked him out.