Free The Love of a Latino by A. B. Ewing

be harder than she’d thought. If Rafe knew what she was up to, he
would be livid. Finding Dahlia’s number on his phone was a stroke of pure luck,
and that is the only reason she had decided to go through with this. After all
this time, he still kept her number. Could that mean he still harbored
some hope?
    If there was a small chance
that he could find his way back to this girl, Lauralyn wanted to be the one to
give it to him. Even if it meant traipsing halfway across the world in this
horrible sun to find that person, then she would do it. He would have to thank
her with lots of grandbabies.
    She had hoped that calling
the girl and explaining would solve the problem, but calls to the number
revealed that the phone no longer belonged to Dahlia. The man on the other end
said she didn’t work at the Papaya Hut anymore but he was more than
helpful. At the end of their conversation, Lauralyn had a full name and
address.
    She’d promised herself she
wouldn’t get involved in Rafe’s life but seeing her son so distraught was too
much for any mother to bear. She had been horrified when Luann had called her
all those months ago to notify her that something was wrong with Rafe. When she
had arrived at his office she had been terrified at what she’d found. Her son
was sprawled out on the sofa in a drunken sleep, his office in a scattered
mess. He wouldn’t talk about what had led to his behavior that day, instead he
had become silent, refusing to even mention Dahlia’s name. But her son had
changed more than she expected. He had lost weight, drinking himself into a
drunken stupor most nights. He had become distant and bitter, a stranger even
to her. Something had triggered him that day and if he didn’t want to tell her
what it was, she would find out for herself. She did not like what her son had
become; his love for Dahlia was deeper than she had brought herself to believe.
    The relationship between
father and son had become strained, neither of them saying more than a few
words to each other at any given time. Even though Alejandro had admitted to
her he was wrong, it would be a long time before Rafe would hear those words
from him. This was not how the Cavos family treated each other. She would
rather die, than see her family destroyed.
    There was only one person who
could answer her questions and put an end to Rafe’s miseries. Lauralyn hoped
she could find her.
    ****
     
    Dahlia relaxed in the
hammock, a copy of What to Expect When You’re Expecting lay open on her
lap, a gift from Roger. The book made for good reading but it was a no romance
novel. It had been a while since she’d read one of those; instead, she thought
she was living it. Not the part where the hero would sweep the heroine off her
feet and declare his undying love. Her life was the sad part where she got her
heart broken. Sarafina was living the part of the heroine. She grimaced as she
tried to put a face to the voice. She had no doubt she would be beautiful.
People like Raphael Cavos only married that type.
    The hand that rested gently
on the small swell of her stomach moved back and forth, something she found
herself doing automatically when she drifted away in thought. Morning sickness
was now a thing of the past, instead, she battled with a ferocious appetite.
    She was now in her second
trimester at nineteen weeks, still getting used to the idea of being pregnant.
Her belly was visible now that she was lying down, but when she stood up it was
barely noticeable, something she was happy about. She would be able to keep the
nosy neighbors from talking just for a little while longer.
    Natasha had been wonderful,
accompanying her to her prenatal visits, giving her the support she desperately
needed. She would forever be thankful that her sister was also her best friend.
    Raphael was never far from
her thoughts. When she lay on her bed at night, memories of him would emerge as
if he was branded into her brain. How could it be that one night could be