Love in Purgatory (De La Fuente Family 2)

“You’re remarkable.” Dante caressed her face before he smoothed down from her shoulder to take her hand tightly in his.

With a tug, he got her moving. They walked into the kitchen and joined her mom at the kitchen table. Emelia raised a brow when she saw that her mom had placed two mugs of coffee on the table for them.

Emelia followed Dante into her chair, and said, “Thank you.”

“Don’t think that I’ve softened because I’ve poured you both a drink. I love you both but, this,” she waved her hand between the two of them, “I can’t. You’re brother and sister?

??”

“But we’re not, Mom. Growing up, I only saw Dante about once a year, over the Christmas holidays and sometimes, not even then. Other than those short visits, he was never around. He wasn’t here like the others.” She glanced at Dante, who cradled the warm cup of coffee in his hands, his eyes on her. “When I fell in love with him,” she turned to her mom, “I knew that he wasn’t my brother because I’d heard you and Dad talking. Regardless of age, I’ve been in love with him for years, like he has me, except where I knew that we had no blood between us, Dante didn’t, so he left.”

“I love Emelia, Lucia. I have for as long as I can remember. I tried to fight it, and I thought I was doing okay with that, until recently. I can’t fight my feelings for her anymore, which is why,” he gripped her hand tightly, “I’m leaving the priesthood.”

After a few minutes of silence, her mother nodded, and said, “When I saw you both at the door. It hit me why Emelia insisted on the others being told the truth about Emelia and Diego’s births. It was because she wanted you to know the truth from us. Wasn’t it?”

“Yes…I couldn’t handle what I felt for Emelia when I thought she was my sister, so I joined the seminary and was eventually ordained. I can’t change my religious upbringing and I wouldn’t want to, but I can’t stay in the church when I want a life with Emelia by my side.”

Her mom wiped at the tears on her face, and shook her head when Emelia tried to go to her. “I’m fine. I honestly don’t know how I feel about you both being a couple. It came out of the blue. No warning. But I can’t ignore the love that I saw before or what you’ve said. I just don’t see this going very well once Emiliano finds out. He raised you both.”

Dante scrubbed a hand over his face and his shoulders slumped forward. They knew that their family wouldn’t just accept them as a couple, and Emelia knew that their father would have a lot to say, and more so to Dante.

When would this be over with…the telling?

She slipped her hand into Dante’s and offered what comfort she could. She knew that it would be needed once their father and Aiden returned.

“Do you want me to tell your father?” her mom offered.

“Thanks Lucia, but no. I’ll tell him. I don’t want his wrath on you.”

“Mom, can’t you be happy for us?”

“I’m happy that you’ve found someone who loves you, but…”

“You wish it wasn’t me?” Dante finished.

“Please don’t put words in my mouth, Dante,” she snapped, and then sighed. “I’m sorry. This is going to upset Emiliano, so yes, I wish his upset could be avoided…At the end of the day, I love you both, you must know that. I know we haven’t been close, Dante. But I’d like to think that we became friends of sorts. I just don’t know how I feel about you both being together like this. I wish I did.”

It hurt Emelia that they didn’t have the support of her mother, but she should have expected it. She knew it was a difficult situation, and had hoped for support. All she could do now was hope that it would come in the end.

But first, she needed to call Diego. She needed to be the one to tell him before one of the others told him, or their mother told him for that matter.

Chapter Thirty

“Diego wasn’t happy, but he listened to what I said, and then told me he was going to get a flight out so we had someone in our corner.” Emelia sighed, and sagged into Dante’s embrace.

After the scene in the kitchen, they’d gone upstairs to Dante’s room so that he could dump his bags that he’d brought with him.

He’d cleared out the cabin of his personal belongings before he’d left for Denver and felt drained. He hadn’t just had to face Colin, who had made it a lot easier than he should have done for Dante to walk away, but he’d had to face Barbara before he’d left.

She’d cried, but hadn’t been surprised, so at least he left her on a good note as well, and only because he promised to keep in touch with her via email. He could do that for her.

“I’m afraid,” Emelia whispered against his chest. “Everyone is going to be so angry with us.”

He clasped her tightly against him. “Em, please don’t be afraid. At the end of the day, they’re our family, and will eventually get used to us being together.”

“I know. I guess I was hoping for sunshine and roses, you know?”

“I know.” He kissed the top of her head, and felt comfortable with her in his arms, even if they were in his father’s house.