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Authors: Shana Burton

BOOK: Flaws and All
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“You don't always need all that if you're thirsty. Sometimes, a regular old soda can quench your thirst just as well . . . if not better.” She fumbled the can.
Vaughn caught it. “Why are you so jumpy? Do I make you nervous?”
Sullivan stared him down. “You're too young to make me nervous.”
“I'm not a kid, Mrs. Webb.”
“Compared to me you are,” she mused. “You'll find out what I mean when you get a little older.”
“Are you going to be the one to teach me?” He moved closer to her and set the can on the hood of the car. She didn't know how to respond to him, but it didn't matter. She couldn't have formed a complete thought in her head even if she tried. His lips were mere inches away from her own, close enough to kiss him if she wanted to. He lightly brushed his cheek across hers. Her mouth dropped slightly. He whispered in her ear, “You're way too beautiful to be so wound so tight.”
That said, he backed away from her and walked out of the garage. Sullivan was still standing there, her mouth gaping and her body fully awakened.
Chapter 8
“People can change, but they usually don't.”
—
Angel King
 
It was a typical day at the Guardian Angel Personal Care Center, which Angel owned and operated and where Kina worked as her administrative assistant. Angel had always known that health and healing was her ministry, and she devoted her life and work to offering home-based nursing care as an alternative to nursing homes and hospitals. As usual, it was barely noon, and Angel had already worked herself to the point of exhaustion and was nodding off at her desk.
“Why don't you get out of here?” urged Kina, clearing her own desk as she got ready to break for lunch. “You can't help the patients if you're dozing on them.”
Angel yawned. “I know. Just five more minutes. . .”
“You've got to start getting some rest, Angel. You've been on duty for almost twenty-four hours straight. Aren't you the one always on me about taking care of myself?”
Angel stretched. “You're right, I'm beat. I just need to get through today.”
“If you had a man at home, he'd make you get in that bed and rest,” jeered Kina.
“Shoot, when I did have one at home, resting was the last thing he wanted me to do in bed. Duke used to always—” She bit her lip and started shuffling through her mail.
“Duke used to always what?” prodded Kina. Angel continued busying herself with mundane tasks. “It's okay to talk about him, you know.”
Angel shook her head. “It doesn't matter. The things he was saying to get me into bed were probably the exact same lines he was spitting to his mistress.”
“It is possible that he's a changed man, Angel.”
Angel rolled her eyes. “People can change, but they usually don't.”
Kina looked down at her watch. “Let me get out of here and pick E'Bell up some lunch. Lord knows he'll have a fit if I'm late and he has to eat what's in the cafeteria.”
Angel gave her a quick hug. “I'll see you at one.”
Kina turned around before heading out of the door. “Oh, before I forget, a woman named Theresa McNair called you when you were on the phone earlier.” She reached into her desk and pulled out a small slip of pink paper.
Angel skimmed over the message. “Do I know her?”
“I don't think so. She has cancer. The doctor's given her six months. She wants you to add her to your client roster and says she'll pay you up front, in cash.”
“She must be loaded. I'll have Jess call her in the morning.”
“No, she only wants to work with you. She was real adamant about that.”
“I don't know why. Jess has the same qualifications that I have; I wouldn't have hired her if she didn't.” Angel stuffed the number into her pocket. “I'll call her, but she'll have to wait until tomorrow. I have way too much on my plate right now.”
“She really wants you to stop by today, if possible. It doesn't matter how late.”
Angel rolled her eyes. “She sounds pushy. If I wanted to deal with an attitude or an ego, I'd call Sullivan.”
“She sounded more desperate than pushy. I'll see you in an hour.”
Angel bristled at having to add more weight to her overloaded plate, but she took it in stride. “God, you said that you wouldn't put more on us than we can bear, and I'm holding you to that!” she issued as she dialed the number.
A little girl answered the phone. Children always gave Angel's spirit a lift. “Hey, sweetie, is your mother home?”
“I'm right here,” replied a woman who apparently picked up the phone shortly after her daughter did. “Hi, I'm Theresa. You must be Angel King.”
Angel was surprised. “Yes. How did you know?”
“Credit the wonders of technology and the caller ID box,” replied Theresa.
“How are you, Mrs. McNair?”
“I'm fine. What's a little cancer when there's a beautiful day outside like today?”
“I'm glad to hear you say that, especially under the circumstances. A lot of people in your condition would've lost faith by now.”
“I won't, as long as there's life in this body—however long or short that may be.”
“Well, my job is to extend that time as much as possible. I don't want you to miss a second more of that little girl's life than you have to. Do you have any questions about your illness or my role in your treatment?”
“After more than a year of doctor's appointments and chemo and needles, I think I know just about all there is to know about cancer, but I would like to know more about exactly what it is you do.”
“Basically, we make sure you have the best medical care possible without ever having to leave your house,” explained Angel. “I work with your doctor to make sure all of your medical needs are taken care of, while making sure your emotional and psychological needs are met as well. I do it all, from administering medicine to helping out with the laundry if I have to. I work on a contract basis of three times a week for three months at a time. Sometimes insurance covers this service; sometimes it doesn't. Just depends on the kind of coverage you have.”
“I would like to contract you for the next six months, all cash, all up front.”
“Are you sure?” asked Angel. “I haven't even quoted you my prices.”
“The cost isn't an issue for me. I'm just ready for us to get started. I don't have time to waste.”
“Okay, we can set up a time for a home visit and go from there. My secretary said that you wanted me to stop by today, but I'm booked for the remainder of the afternoon. Can we shoot for another day this week?”
“Sure,” Theresa said and gave Angel directions to her house.
“By the way, how did you find out about us?” asked Angel before hanging up.
“Oh, I don't know. I think I came across your Web site or something.” Theresa told her good-bye and quickly hung up the phone.
Theresa's rushed good-bye unnerved Angel, especially when she remembered that Guardian Angel's Web site wasn't up and running yet.
 
 
Theresa looked down at a family portrait, rubbing her hand over the picture of her husband. “God, this has to work,” she prayed. Theresa thought Angel King seemed nice enough on the phone, but there was no telling how she'd react if she knew that the woman she'd just agreed to help had spent the last eight years living the life Angel was supposed to have.
Chapter 9
“The less he remembers about that night, the better.”
—
Lawson Kerry
 
“This so-called emergency better be good,” warned Sullivan, barging into Lawson's living room. Reginell and Kina were seated next to Lawson on the sofa.
“Do you think she would've called you if it wasn't important?” snapped Reginell.
Sullivan smacked her lips. “What's your problem?”
“I'm just not in the mood for your mouth today.”
“Did I miss anything?” asked Angel as she breathlessly entered the room. “I would've been here sooner, but I got tied up with work.”
“You're fine. Have a seat,” instructed Lawson.
Sullivan looked around the room. “All right, the gang's all here, so what's up?”
Lawson closed her eyes briefly to collect her thoughts. “Something happened today, and I want you all to tell me what you think I should do.”
“Garrett dumped you, didn't he?” guessed Sullivan. “How many times have I told you that he wasn't going to let you lead him on forever, Lawson?”
Lawson shook her head. “We had a little tiff, but that's not what—”
“What did you guys fight about?” questioned Kina.
“I don't want to talk about it. Garrett isn't the reason I wanted to see you.”
Reginell replied, “Well, it's out there now, so you might as well confess.”
Lawson relented. “He asked me to marry him after Reggie's party, but that's not why I called you over—”
Angel's mouth dropped. “Garrett proposed, and you kept this from us for three whole days?”
“You didn't even tell me. I'm your sister!” complained Reginell.
Sullivan inspected Lawson's hand. “Where is the ring? Or is the diamond too small to be seen with the naked eye?”
“I can't believe you didn't say a word about it while we were out Saturday,” said Kina.
“Ladies,
please
!” cut in Lawson. “I'll fill you in on all the details later. Right now, there's a more pressing matter at hand.”
“What could be more pressing than you getting married?” asked Angel.
Lawson took a deep breath. “Seeing Namon's father today.”
A hush fell over the room. Sullivan's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. “You saw Mark? Are you sure it wasn't just someone who looked like him?”
Lawson nodded. “It was him. I'm positive.”
“Did he track you down?” quizzed Kina. “Did someone tell him about Namon?”
“No, I saw him at work. He teaches at North Central. Get this, not only does he teach at the school, but he's also been assigned as my mentor.”
“Girl, stop!” shrieked Sullivan.
Angel winced. “Dang, small world, huh?”
“
Too
small!” seconded Lawson. “I almost passed out when I saw him. It was completely surreal, like one of those out-of-body experiences. What am I going to do?”
“You need to pray about this and ask God for direction,” suggested Kina. “The Bible says He'll give you wisdom if you ask for it.”
Reginell lowered her voice. “Does Garrett know?”
“No. I called and asked him to come over when he gets off work. I plan on telling him everything then.”
“Lawson, exactly what happened between you and this Mark person?” inquired Angel. “I didn't meet you guys until Sully and I were roommates in college, and Mark was already out of the picture by then. I'm out of the loop here.”
Sullivan bolted up. “I want to make it clear that it was not my fault! I just introduced them. They got into the baby-making business all on their own.”
Lawson spoke up. “I was a virgin. Mark is the one who took it there, not me.”
“You tagged along for the ride—literally and figuratively,” quipped Sullivan.
“Okay, so what happened?” Angel asked again. “All I know is that Mark got you pregnant, moved to Virginia to play football, and that you never heard from him again. There's got to be more to the story.”
Lawson sighed. “That really about sums it up.”
“No, it doesn't,” cut in Sullivan. “Don't you remember, Lawson? We were at Manny's graduation party. I was gorgeous as usual, and you were . . . you.”
Angel huffed. “Can we skip the
Sullivan-is-fabulous
parts and get to the point?”
Sullivan cut her eyes at Angel. “Without that, there really isn't much of a story.”
Lawson closed her eyes and leaned back. “I can still hear K-Ci from Jodeci wailing, ‘So you're havin' my baby, and it means so much to me' during Mark's and my first dance at that basement party. That's really where Namon's conception began.”
“You did it at the party?” asked Reginell.
Lawson chuckled. “No, we did it at his house. Sully and I had just turned sixteen, school had dismissed for the summer, and we were ready to party. Sullivan always made it a practice to keep two boyfriends—one at our neighborhood school, and one from one of the swanky private schools across town.”
Sullivan threw in, “Every teenage girl needs her
good
boy and her
hood
boy.”
Angel deadpanned, “I'll be sure to write that down.”
Lawson continued. “Anyway, her private school boyfriend, Manny, had just graduated and was throwing a party at his house. Sullivan insisted on dragging me along with her, claim-ing that Manny had this cute friend that I just
had
to meet. Then she introduced me to the finest boy I'd ever laid eyes on.”
“Sullivan has nothing if not good taste in men,” admitted Reginell.
“His name was Mark, and he'd just graduated too. We settled into a corner of the room to talk. He told me about his full athletic scholarship to Virginia Tech and his plans to leave in two weeks for football camp, and I told him all about me. When Jodeci came on, he asked me to dance.”
“Bump and grind is more like it,” amended Sullivan.
Lawson remembered how Mark cupped her body close to his as they swayed to the music. By the time Jodeci reached the bridge of “Forever My Lady,” she was convinced that she was in love. “A little later,” narrated Lawson, “Sully busted in on us in a frenzy because her other boyfriend, Anwar, was on his way over. Mark didn't want me to leave, so he offered to take me home so Sullivan could escape.”
“See, if you had left with me, none of this would be happening,” Sullivan crowed.
“Will you stop butting in? I want to hear the story,” said Reginell. “Now, go on.”
“Well, after a few more songs, Mark was ready to go. It was still early and his parents were out for the night, so he invited me over to talk and watch music videos.”
Angel looked on in disbelief. “And you believed that was all he wanted to do?”
“I was sixteen and naïve,” admitted Lawson.
Sullivan murmured, “Try stupid and gullible.”
“Things started out innocently enough. At first, we really did just watch TV. Then he put his arm around me. An arm on the shoulder led to a hand on the thigh, which led to a kiss, which led to his other hand sliding underneath my shirt, which led to us conceiving Namon on the couch in his rec room.
“After that, Mark and I exchanged numbers, but neither of us called the other. The party was the first and last time we saw each other until today. I tried reaching out to him once I realized I was pregnant, but he'd already left for college by then. Manny cut Sullivan off after he found out about Anwar, and he was my only real connection to Mark.”
Angel was enthralled by the story. “What did your mom say?”
“She wanted to know who the punk was that knocked up her sixteen-year-old daughter! I didn't tell her, though, until Namon was around six or seven. By then, I was well into my twenties and involved with Garrett. I resolved a long time ago to raise Namon the best I could without his father, and that's what I did.”
“Do you regret not trying harder to find Mark?” asked Angel.
“I do now!” retorted Lawson. “I wouldn't change anything, though. Namon has been the joy of my life. Who knows what would have happened if Mark had known about him? His parents had money. They probably would've tried to take him away from me or made us bounce Namon back and forth between the two of us. I have to believe that things turned out the way they were meant to.”
“Well, now that Mark is back on the scene, I think you need to tell him,” said Kina. “He has a right to know that he has a child out there.”
“No, he doesn't!” disputed Sullivan. “Lawson doesn't know anything about this guy. He could be crazy or God knows what else. Why would she expose her son to him?”
Angel agreed. “Sully's got a point, and who's to say he won't go after custody?”
Lawson grimaced. “You think Mark would do that?”
“Would you blame him?” asked Reginell. “If it were me, I'd do everything in my power to get my kid back.”
“Me too,” admitted Kina.
Lawson panicked. “I hadn't considered that. If this thing winds up in court, any lawyer could argue that Mark is the victim here. What if I'm forced to hand over my son? I can't risk that. Losing Namon would kill me.”
“Yeah, but think about what Namon is missing out on,” countered Reginell. “All he knows about Mark is that he took off before Namon was born, and nobody has heard from Mark from that day to this one. Whether or not Namon admits it, you know he's curious about his real dad. Do you really want to deprive him of knowing the truth?”
Angel interposed. “You must think about Garrett in all of this, too, Lawson. He's been Namon's dad since Namon was three years old. Where does this leave him?”
“Bringing Mark into the picture would be a slap in the face to Garrett,” said Sullivan. “After everything Garrett's done for both of you, he deserves better than that.”
“He deserves better than what?” asked Garrett as he rushed into the living room. “It looks like you all are having a major estrogen session going on in here.” To ease the tension, they all made a halfhearted attempt to laugh at his joke.
“Garrett, I think you need to sit down. We have to talk,” said Lawson.
“Baby, if this is about Saturday night, it's cool. You were right. We don't need to rush into anything. We love each other, and you, me, and Namon are a family. That's all that matters.” The women exchanged ominous glances that Garrett picked up on immediately. “You're acting strange. What's going on here?”
Angel was the first to rise. “I think we better get out of here so they can talk.”
Reginell followed suit. “Yeah. See you later, sis.”
Sullivan leaned down and gave Lawson a quick hug. “Call me when you get everything figured out.”
Kina squeezed Lawson's hand. “Think about what I said. He has a right to know.” They all filed out quietly, leaving Lawson alone with Garrett.
Garrett took a seat next to Lawson. “Okay, what's wrong? This seems serious.”
“It is,” she confessed. “I ran into Mark today.”
“Mark who?”
“Mark Vinson.” She paused. “Namon's biological father.”
“Are you serious?”
Lawson nodded.
Garrett slumped down into the sofa, blown away. “Was it just a coincidence, or has he been looking for you?”
“Coincidence. He works at North Central.”
“Did he say anything to you?”
“We spoke for a minute, but I don't think he had any idea who I was.”
“How do you feel about that?”
She sighed. “I'm relieved. The less he remembers about that night, the better.”
“Why? I mean, you are gonna tell him about Namon, aren't you?”
“I wasn't planning on it, not unless it becomes absolutely necessary.”
“Lawson, the man
is
Namon's father.”
“So what? What contribution has Mark made to Namon's life that I couldn't have gotten from the local sperm bank?”
“That doesn't matter. He still has a right to know—they both do.”
“Who cares about Mark's rights?”
“A judge might, for one.”
“What about
my
rights? I've been raising Namon by myself since I was in high school. Don't I have the
right
to protect him and make sure he's well adjusted? Don't I have the right to decide who should and shouldn't be a part of his life? It's not only my right, Garrett; it's my duty as his mother.”

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