Johnson Family 1: Unforgettable by Delaney Diamond

Author:Delaney Diamond [Diamond, Delaney]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: African-American romance, Romance, Multicultural, Contemporary, Fiction, United States, Multicultural & Interracial, multicultural romance, African American, Contemporary Romance, Literature & Fiction
ISBN: 1940636078
Amazon: B00JU8WGHS
Publisher: Delaney Diamond
Published: 2014-04-25T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

Lucas had the distinct impression Cyrus didn’t like him. The guy looked at him as if he thought he’d run off with the silverware, and his distrust irked Lucas. He resigned himself to the thought that it was probably just brotherly protectiveness and focused on his surroundings.

Sunday dinner at the Johnsons was quite the affair. The servants served the meal in the formal dining room at a table that seated ten and had two chandeliers hanging overhead.

Constance sat at the head of the table. Lucas, Katie, and Ivy sat to her left, and Cyrus and Trenton across from them. The delicious feast started with a first course of white bean soup with wild mushrooms, followed by a mixed green salad with apples and what tasted like homemade buttermilk dressing. The main entrée, a slow-roasted prime rib accompanied by roasted fingerling potatoes and candied carrots, practically melted in Lucas’s mouth.

“Adelina’s an excellent cook,” he said halfway through the meal. Since he hadn’t received the grilling he’d expected, he’d relaxed considerably.

“I don’t know what I’d do without her,” Constance said.

“Anybody home?” A male voice boomed from near the front of the house, and everyone looked up from their plates.

“Uncle Xavier!” Katie said in an excited whisper. She rushed out of the room, followed by the rest of the family. Lucas pulled up the rear in time to see his daughter leap into her uncle’s arms.

Lucas remembered Ivy talking about her older brother, the one right behind Cyrus, but Xavier Johnson was not what he expected. The more he learned about this family, the more he recognized the uniqueness of each member. The way he was dressed, no one would ever guess Xavier was worth billions. A red, gold, and green dashiki covered the upper half of his tall frame, and a pair of worn jeans encased his legs. He had a head full of dreadlocks pulled back from his face and secured with a leather strap. He’d dropped an olive-green army duffel bag to the floor when Katie ran to him.

“You’ve gotten big,” he said. “I can barely lift you.”

Katie giggled. “What did you bring me?”

“Nothing. Except this.” Xavier pulled out a small figurine, ash gray in color.

Katie took it from him. “What is it?”

“It’s called the ‘Thinking Man.’ I thought it would be perfect for my very smart niece. It’s made of Kisii stone.”

Katie ran her fingers lightly over the abstract design. “Kisii stone,” she repeated.

“That’s right. It’s named after the Kisii tribe in Kenya. They hand carve all kinds of objects, but I thought this one would be perfect for you. Take good care of it, okay?”

“I will,” Katie said solemnly. Lucas knew she would by the way she clutched the object to her chest.

Xavier let her slide down and his eyes swept over his family. They rested briefly on Lucas, a question in them before he embraced Trenton, Adelina, Ivy, and then his mother. The hugs he gave the women lasted much longer, and they clearly enjoyed them, laying their heads against his chest with smiles of contentment on their faces.

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