Consequences (18 page)

27

Nikki

“Baby! What's taking you so long?” Donovan shouted from the family room.

“Here I come!” I logged off my e-mail and hurried into the kitchen to retrieve the bag of popcorn from the microwave. At least that was one worry off my mind.

Ever since Kenyon had contacted me at the bookstore, he'd been calling me every week just to say hello and let me know how well his therapy was going, like I really cared. If I had my way, that dude would never get out of the hospital. I thought my husband had been acting crazy. Well, Kenyon was clearly a lunatic.

My lawyer had been trying for the last three weeks to get that problem under control. And since Kenyon hadn't contacted me in two days, my lawyer's e-mail was my stamp of reassurance that the problem had finally been eliminated.

Mama was keeping Aiden for the weekend so that Donovan and I could have some much needed quality time together. This would be the first weekend I had allowed my assistant manager Terrence to run the store. It definitely wouldn't be his last.

I dumped the bag of popcorn into a bowl, then hurried into the living room and flopped down on the couch beside my husband.

“Okay, what did I miss?”

“Damn, baby, there really were dragons in them eggs!” His eyes were wide with surprise as he laughed. “Hold up, let me rewind it.”

Game of Thrones
was one of the most popular books in the store. I decided to buy the first season DVD, and we spent the day curled up on the couch together. After the first episode, Donovan and I were hooked. He rewound what I missed, and we ate popcorn and enjoyed our time together. I was so tickled to have this side of Donovan again, yet I was afraid the slightest thing was going to send him back over the deep end and I couldn't have that. At the end of episode 5, he hit the Pause button.

“Why'd you do that?” I asked and sat up on the couch.

Donovan's face got all serious and for a moment I thought we were back to him tripping about Tristan owning half of his barbershop. The lawyer he'd retained confirmed the documents were completely legal, and his only option was to try and buy him out. Of course, Tristan refused.

“I want a moment to talk to you.”

I took a deep breath and started getting all nervous. Six weeks of therapy and it still wasn't enough. “Sure . . . what about?”

“First . . . I wanted to take a moment and tell you how much I love you. Baby, I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't stood by me all these months and helped me get through some things. I know all the drinking and weird behavior was a bit much, and especially me accusing you of messing around while I was deployed. I know you were nothing but faithful to me all those months and want to just apologize.” He brought my hand to his lips.

I felt a surge of relief that he was finally starting to believe that I was committed to our relationship. “Thank you, baby. That means a lot to me.”

“Baby, I'm trying to take it one day at a time and hope that eventually I'll be back to the man you once loved.”

I had tears in my eyes. How long have I been waiting to hear those words? “You are the man I love. There is no past tense about it. I just need you to talk to me and let me know when something is bothering you. We're in this together.” I leaned forward and wrapped my arms tightly around my husband and kissed him with everything that I had. Just as things started to get heated, he eased back and grinned over at me.

“How about we go have dinner at The Cheesecake Factory?”

My eyes lit up. He knew how much I loved that place. “Ooh! That sounds like a wonderful idea!”

“Great. Then go on upstairs and start getting ready. You know how slow y'all women are,” he teased. “I'll be up as soon as I catch the news.”

I sprung from the couch and hurried to the bedroom. We hadn't gone out to dinner in ages. I was in my closet trying to find something to wear that was classy and super sexy at the same time. I wanted my husband to feel proud with me on his arm. The house phone rang. I went over and grabbed the cordless phone.

“Hello?” I was digging in my jewelry box looking for a pair of gold hoop earrings that it took a second before I realized someone was crying. “Hello?” I said again but louder.

“N-Nikki . . . Leon put me out!” Trinette wailed.

I startled. “Put you out? Why?” I didn't even know why I was surprised, but I was.

“Leon put me out of my house. Can you believe that?”

Nope, I couldn't, because when it came to Trinette, Leon was a damn doormat. “What happened?”

“What happened is that he changed the locks. Jrue said he would go with me to get my stuff, but after the two of them going to blows—”

“Okay, ho. Time out.” I just hated when someone started at the middle of the story. “You need to start from the beginning.”

“Okay, but you better not judge me,” she managed between sniffles.

I groaned. “Of course I won't. Your ass might be fucked up in the head, but you're still my best friend. Now quit stalling and tell me what happened.”

“Well, remember I told you my department was going to Virginia Beach for a conference.”

“Uh-huh.” I glanced at the clock and jumped up from the bed. Donovan was taking me to dinner and I needed to be getting ready. “Keep going. I'm listening,” I said, and wiggled out of the sweatpants.

“Well, I decided that the only way Jrue and I would have any privacy was to go somewhere else.”

I knew Trinette long enough to know she was stalling. “Uh-huh, and where was that?”

“Well . . .” There she goes, stalling again.

“Trinette. What the hell did you do?” I wasn't there, but I could see her sitting on the couch nervously twirling her wedding band around her finger.

“We went to the condo.”

“What?” I screamed. Sometimes I think this girl is stuck on stupid. “Please don't tell me Leon walked in on you.”

“I thought you weren't going to judge?”

“I'm . . .” I drew a calming breath as I walked into my closet and retrieved a burgundy wraparound dress. “What the hell have I told you about shitting where you sleep?” I paused and shook my head. “Netta, you don't bring another man to your husband's bed.”

“Well, actually we didn't make it to the bed. Leon caught us in the living room.” She had the nerve to say it like it was all right.

“It doesn't matter if it had been on the front porch. The condo? Goodness, Netta! That's that man's house. You had no right. No wonder Leon is pissed.”

“I know . . . I know. I don't know what I was thinking except that I wanted to be alone with Jrue. Away from Zakiya sniffing around at him. I just never thought that Leon would find out that I was at the condo and come down. When he walked in, Jrue was in midstroke.”

Goodness, sometimes she can be a little more graphic than I needed.

“You gotta be kidding?” This was better than any Lifetime movie. I put the phone down on the bed, grabbed the dress and slipped it on, then picked up the receiver again.“Okay, and then what happened?”

“Leon and Jrue started throwing punches and breaking shit.”

“Oh, my God! Who won?” I'm sorry, but I just had to ask.

“You are silly.” And she even had to laugh. We'd always been stupid like that, which is why I guess we managed to stay friends all these years. “Actually, Leon may be small, but don't let his size fool you.”

“So Leon tapped that ass, huh?” I reached for a pair of chocolate stretch boots and took a seat on the end of the bed while I slipped my feet inside.

“Are you going to let me finish or not?”

“I'm listening.” As soon as the shoes were on my feet I hurried into the bathroom. “I don't know why you didn't call me on my cell phone. I coulda used my Bluetooth.” Getting ready with one hand was too much damn work.

“I did, but you didn't answer.”

She was probably right. I had left my phone in my purse.

“Anyway, Leon told me I had until Sunday to move out of the house. Of course it was Thursday and there was no way I could get packed and find a moving company over the weekend.” Trinette blew out a heavy sigh. “I went by an hour ago and the locks had already been changed.”

I shook my head. “What about the baby?” I just hated all this was going on while she was pregnant.

There was a long pause. “Oh yeah . . . I forgot to mention something.”

I had to close my eyes and count to three. “What now, Netta?”

“Leon asked me in front of Jrue if I was carrying his baby.”

I felt a wave of uneasiness. “And?”

“And I told him the baby was Jrue's.”

I gasped. What the hell? “No, you didn't.”

“Yes, I did.” She released a long, shaky breath. “I didn't have a choice. My marriage is over with Leon. He will never forgive me for messing around on him. But I love Jrue and he loves me, so at least I have a chance at a future with him.”

I just didn't have a good feeling about any of this. “Maybe Leon will forgive you for the affair.”

“Are you kidding? It's one thing for a man to suspect his wife's having an affair, it's another to have it thrown in his face. You said so yourself with Donovan. He only suspects you had an affair while he was gone. If he found out it was true, it would be a totally different ball game and you know it.”

“You're right. I just hate all this is happening while you're carrying a baby.” I heard the phone click. “Netta? Netta, you still there?”

“Yeah, ho. I'm still here.”

My heart started to pound. I hoped she wouldn't answer. “Because I just heard the phone click like someone just hung up the phone.”

“It wasn't me. I'm sitting on the bed in my hotel room talking to you on my cell. It must be someone at your house.”

I hoped like hell she was wrong.

28

Trinette

I still couldn't believe Leon had put me out of the house. I mean, seriously. How did he know he wasn't the father of my child? Okay, so maybe I
did
tell him he wasn't and got caught sexing another man in our condo, but how'd he know I wasn't lying? As far as I knew, I had no idea who the father of my child was. I just hoped this little girl I was carrying really belonged to Jrue, because if she didn't, I was in for a world of trouble.

I pushed that ridiculous thought aside. Who else's baby could it be but Jrue's? I mean, come on. During our ten-year marriage, I'd forgotten to take my birth control pills on several occasions, and not once had my period been late. But the moment I started screwing around with Jrue, I'd had two false alarms and then
BAM!
I'm knocked up. That's why I was eighty-five percent certain this baby belonged to him.

Jrue was generous enough to have hired a moving company to remove all my stuff from the house; then he leased me a beautiful three-bedroom condo in Short Pump that was only a few miles from the 5,000-square-foot home he shared with Charlotte. Despite the outcome, things had actually worked out better than I could have ever planned. I now had my man coming to see me every single evening after work.

Soon our baby will be born, but I was tired of waiting for Jrue to talk to Charlotte. I figured I owed it to our daughter to give him just a little nudge.

I slipped into a pink and white running suit that I had spotted on display at a maternity store in the mall. It was the perfect little thing to wear to the grocery store or just to run about in the neighborhood.

I managed to get down on all fours and scramble around boxes of shoes until I found a pair of brand-new pink cross-trainer shoes. I think I may have worn them once. Not that I planned to do any running this evening. Instead, I was on a mission. As soon as the laces were tied, I took one look in the mirror and one word came to mind.

Perfect.

Grinning, I grabbed my keys and headed out to my car. It was shortly after six when I pulled into the parking lot at American Family Fitness. I've had a membership since I moved to Richmond and had barely used the location near my home. But tonight would be my first time at the Short Pump location.

And for good reason.

I rode around the entire parking lot until I spotted the red Porsche with CJ on the personalized plates. Grinning, I parked my car at the other end of the lot, then climbed out and wobbled my big ass inside.

“Welcome to AFF.” The girl behind the counter was way too cheerful.

I handed her my key chain; she swiped and handed it back to me. Leon had signed us up for a three-year family contract so I was still good to go.

“When's your baby due?” she asked, staring down at my stomach. What was with all these women envying pregnancy? If anything, I wanted that perfectly flat belly that she had. I guarantee there wasn't a stretch mark in sight.

“In six weeks.” And not a moment too soon as far as I was concerned.

I walked to the women's locker room, put my purse and keys away in the locker, then went in search of Charlotte Jarmon. I was making my third trip around the gym when I spotted her on the treadmill. The machines on either side of her were occupied, so I made sure she wasn't able to see me standing near the track, eyeballing her. She had her iPod on her arm and headphones in her ears. She was running and sweating like a malnutritioned hog on an August morning.

As soon as one of the machines was free, I hurried over to the treadmill and jumped in front of a short pudgy chick.

“Hey! I was waiting for that machine!” she protested.

I rolled my eyes. She clearly needed the equipment more than I did, but that was beside the point. “Are you really going to fight about a machine with a pregnant woman?” I said in a sickly sweet voice, then gave her a look like she was clearly being ridiculous. She glared down at my stomach and turned away.

I stepped onto the machine and pushed the Quick Start button.

“Hello, Trinette.”

I looked to my left and acted surprised to see Charlotte. “Hey, girl! I didn't even see you over there. How's it going?” I smiled and started walking.

“I can't complain.” She gave me a curious look. “I haven't seen you in here before.”

“My doctor told me I needed to start getting a little exercise. This baby has me gaining way too much weight.” I rubbed my stomach and watched her eyes travel down to my hands. There was that pang of envy again. What's with these women? “How're the fertility treatments going?”

Charlotte turned red and looked embarrassed. I gave her a look like she had nothing to be ashamed of. “They've been running tests but haven't started the fun stuff yet.”

“Fun for whom? Your husband?” I asked all innocently, then gave a soft chuckle. “I don't know about Jrue, but if it were Leon . . . jacking off to a porn magazine in a private room would not be considered fun.”

Oh, Charlotte looked ready to have a hissy fit. “Speaking of husbands . . . I bet yours can't wait to get his hands on that baby,” she said, smoothly changing the subject.

I turned away long enough to conjure up a few fake tears, then drew her attention. “Leon left me,” I replied, lip quivering.

“What?” She seemed clearly surprised and almost pleased to hear that my life wasn't as perfect as she originally thought. “What man leaves his pregnant wife?”

“One who discovers the baby she's carrying doesn't belong to him.”

“What?” She was beginning to sound like a parrot.

I shrugged like it was no big deal. “I guess the truth would have come out eventually anyway. As soon as she's born anyone will be able to take one look and know who her father is.” I gave her a coy smile, then increased the speed on my treadmill and stared at the TV monitor overhead. I could hear the wheels in Charlotte's head turning.

“Is it anyone I know?”

“Maybe. All I'm going to say is that he's married and until he leaves his wife, I can't reveal his identity. Trust me, once things are different, I plan to announce it to the entire world.”

Charlotte stopped suddenly. Only the treadmill was still going and she almost fell on her pancake ass before she managed to catch herself. If she had fallen, that would have been some funny shit.

I chuckled to myself, then faked a sharp pain and brought a hand to the side of my stomach. “Oh my, maybe I need to take this workout thing one day at a time.” I stopped the treadmill, then gave a two-finger wave. “See you around.” Charlotte was standing there speechless like a freaking scarecrow. Damn, I'm good. I whistled all the way back to the locker room. It was time to get back home and wait for Jrue to arrive.

 

It was almost eight when I heard the key turn in the lock. I flicked on the television and pretended I was engrossed in a movie when Jrue stepped into the room.

I smiled over at him. “Good evening, baby,” I cooed and waited. I didn't have to wait long.

“Charlotte said she ran into you at the gym this evening.” His comment sounded more like a question, as if he thought his skinny-ass wife might possibly have been lying.

I acted like I had to think about his comment a moment. “Yeah, sure. I saw her while I was out walking on the track.”

He walked farther into the room. “Really? Since when do you go to the gym?” Okay, so now we were getting to the real issue.

I didn't dare look at him because he was sure to see my ass was lying. I decided to flick television channels. “I've gained five pounds since my last OB visit. I decided if I didn't get my big ass up off the couch, I was going to be fifty pounds heavier by the time this baby is born. Sorry . . . not having that.”

Jrue was silent as he walked around the coffee table and took a seat on the couch beside me. I pretended to be watching the
King of Queens
. Don't get me wrong, I loved that sitcom, but my mind was more on what he had to say. I wish I had been a fly on the wall at his house, because I'm sure the second Charlotte had stormed home from the gym she had torn into his ass.

“Charlotte asked me if you were carrying my child.”

It took everything I had not to grin. I had to count backward slowly, three . . . two . . . one . . . My eyes turned to him all wide and round. “What? Are you serious? W-What did you say?” Did I have talent or what?

“I told her the truth.”

“What?” Okay, I wasn't acting now because what he had just confessed was music to my ears. “You finally told her the truth?”

He nodded and looked at me. “Yes, I told her you were carrying my child.” Jrue pressed his palm to my stomach. The look in his eyes was crystal clear. This little girl meant more to him than all the money he had in the bank. And that was all I could ask for. “I told her I was sorry for hurting her, but I loved you and wanted to be with my family.”

Tears were streaming down my face. I couldn't believe that this day had finally come. Jrue had told Charlotte about us. He was all mine. “What did she say?” I know it was wrong, but I had to know every little detail. Like I said, I wish I had been a fly on the wall. I could just see her bottom lip dropping when Jrue confessed to her his love for me and our unborn child.

“First, she was hurt, and then she started throwing shit. I decided that it was time to go.”

Yes, absolutely. The best thing to do was come home to your family. “Sweetheart, I'm sorry that things had to go down this way.” It took everything I had to try and sound sympathetic.

Jrue shook his head. “No, as a man, I'm the one who owes you an apology. The day you told me you were pregnant, I should have made a decision to either be with you or divorce Charlotte instead of straddling the fence.”

“If Charlotte hadn't confronted you, which would you have decided?” I already knew the answer, yet I still needed to hear it.

Jrue shifted sideways on the cushion and made sure he was looking directly in my eyes when he answered, “You. It's always been about your crazy ass.” He gave a short laugh. “The day you walked into my office and interviewed for the job, I knew then I was in trouble.”

I grinned. I would never forget that day. I had on a black Vera Wang dress and charcoal heels. It had been a panel of three, yet the only person I focused on was Jrue. I dominated that interview and his attention. Two hours later, he had called to give me a tentative offer pending the completion of a background check.

The rest is history.

Jrue took my hand in his. “What I'm trying to say is that I love you and it's time for me to step up to the plate and do right by you.”

I can't even begin to tell you how long I had been waiting to hear those words coming from Jrue's mouth. Finally, after months of praying and hoping, I finally had my man all to myself. Yet why didn't it feel as triumphant as I had imagined?