Niki's Challenge (12 page)

“
I don’t know what kind of
guys you’ve been with, but no ‘real man’ who knows of his children
turns his back on them.” He tried to release the tension in his
jaw. “Now, I know you don’t know me, so I’m going to overlook the
tremendous insult you’ve paid me by offering me money and asking me
to ignore
my
children,” he snapped as his voice dropped an octave. “All I
said was we needed to talk, why are you being so
dramatic?”

“
Dramatic? I’m not being
dramatic.” Her voice rose. “I just don’t want to see or talk to
you.” She still had no idea what dangerous ground she
trod.

“
Well, that’s too damn
bad.” He growled before he caught himself. This was not the way to
win her cooperation. Counting to five, he then continued in a
calmer tone. “Listen, I’m coming to your hotel later and we’ll
talk.”

“
No!” she yelled. “I
mean...I think I have plans for dinner.”

“
With that guy from last
night?” he sneered. “Cancel them, or better yet, invite him along.
I have a few questions maybe he can answer.”

“
Wow...That’s got to be a
new low,” she said. “What are you going to say? You plan on telling
him about that night everything went terribly wrong thanks to drugs
and booze.”

“
Nah...I think I’ll keep
that information to myself to remind me of my babies’ mama.” He
clamped his teeth tight to keep from going off on her. He’d be
pleasant if it killed him, and it just might. “So what are we
having? Two boys, two girls or one of each?”

“
Wha..what?
We
are not having
anything!” she snarled.

“
So...are you saying I did
not impregnate you? Be very careful, Nicole. I’m very serious about
this,” he continued into the silence. “Children are too precious to
play around with.”

“
Damn it...” He heard a
stomp and then her cry of pain. “Why me, Lord...why me?” She
moaned. He smiled at her stubbornness.

Tony looked up at the ceiling. “Well,
I’m not Him, but I’d have to ask, why not you?” he replied. “Now,
the hundred dollar question on the table, did you get pregnant from
that night we had sex in Chicago?”

Silence.

“
Answer, me,” he
demanded.

“
Oh, no, you don’t,” Niki
huffed. “I don’t have to tell you shit!” She yelled. “Who placed
you in charge? You got this all wrong...you damn sure don’t call
any shots up in here. You got the wrong one.”

“
No, I’ve finally got the
right one.” His chest expanded, and he settled back in his chair.
Feeling more alive now than he had since the night, he’d first met
her. At least they were talking.”I just want to know if I’m going
to be a father. Is that too much to ask?”

“
No, you aren’t going to be
a father. Case closed. Bye.” She hung up.

The dial tone cancelled his comeback
remark. He punched the redial button. She answered on the first
ring.

“
Nicole,” his voice
lowered, no longer playing her game. “We can have this conversation
this evening or I can make a phone call and get the ball rolling
for a family powwow. What’s it gonna be?” His tone left no room for
discussion. He’d been polite, but she had no respect for that. Now
she’d deal with his hard-core side.

Niki slumped in the chair, hating her
roiling emotions. The least thing set her off. She owed him an
apology, but hated when she lost the upper hand. She had been
trying to figure a way out of this mess when he called the first
time, and hadn’t come up with anything. Brenda, her attorney,
hadn’t been much help. It seems he did have some rights.

“
Listen, this is all new,”
she said, trying to talk reasonably. “Can we talk tomorrow? I’m
wiped right now.”

“
Are you planning to
disappear again?”

Stung, not accustomed to
having
her
integrity questioned, she snapped, “If I say we’ll talk
tomorrow, that’s what I meant. What difference is one day going to
make?”

“
None, I guess. Well, I’ve
been looking for you so long and now to discover I’m going to be a
father. I just…”

“
What?” she asked, baffled
by his response. Right now, she didn’t want to get into his
dilemma. Hers was more than she wanted to handle. But he sounded
so, so unlike before, that the question slipped out before she
thought about it.

“
Nothing, can I call you
later?”

“
Later, as in tonight?” she
asked still unsure what was going on.

“
Yeah, just to touch bases
with you. Make sure you’re all right.”

“
You don’t have to, I’ll be
fine.”

“
Oh. Okay, well then. I
guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“
Okay, Bye.” She hung up
and looked at the phone. “That was weird.” She replaced the phone
in its cradle. The whole situation was weird.

Chapter 9

Niki lay on the sofa, going over her
conversations with Tony, her attorney and her conscience. She
didn’t have the energy to hate Tony and his intrusion in her life.
She just wanted to be left alone. Brenda had informed her that he
did have some rights and it would be in her best interests to try
to work something out with him, rather than take it through the
courts.

“
Damn it.” Her fist hit the
small throw pillow, wishing it were his face. “Leave us alone, just
leave us alone,” she yelled before crying in earnest. Utterly
exhausted, she dialed room service and ordered dinner.

Looking at the time, she decided to
take a quick shower. Hearing a knock, she froze and grabbed the
edge of the sofa, paralyzed by fear. She hated the terror that
enveloped her when she was alone in hotel rooms. Constantly, she
checked the bars and locks on the doors. She never forgot how
different the situation could’ve been in Chicago. Getting pregnant
seemed a blessing compared to some other deadly scenarios. Within
moments, a door opened and closed. Bowing her head, she released
her breath, as well as the sofa. It was time for a reckoning or she
would lose her mind. And that was not an option.

The next morning came too quickly for
Niki. No decisions made, no plans devised, and no place to hide.
She was up the proverbial creek. Hearing a shrill ring, she blindly
reached for her cell, only to discover it was the hotel phone,
which had stopped ringing. Rolling over, she glanced at the clock,
and winced at her full bladder. Room service would be delivering
her breakfast within ten minutes. Relinquishing her warm haven, she
trudged to the bathroom.

Feeling slightly refreshed, she heard
the knock on the door. Seeing room service, she opened the door,
turned to get the tip and looked up at Tony. Shaking her head to
clear what had to be a mirage, she looked again as he gave the
waiter a tip and closed the door.

“
Morning,
Nicole.”

“
Uh...why are you here this
early in the morning?” She pulled down the hem of her gown, knowing
her belly lifted it higher in the front. The growl from her stomach
demanded food. With an eye on him and another on the food, she
fixed a plate.

“
I just thought we could
start early.” He watched her. She knew she looked a hot mess with
her hair piled haphazardly on her head in a messy ponytail, a big
shirt and shorts. He watched as she sat and ate with
relish.

“
I know so little about
you—” he stopped when she held up her finger.

“
Since I got pregnant,
eating is serious business. Please don’t talk to me while I eat.”
Having delivered her message, she turned away and ate all the
platters of bacon, eggs, pancakes, sausage, hash brown, a glass of
orange juice and then water.

“
Excuse me.” She left the
room. After closing the door, her hand went to her hair. She
snatched off her clothes and walked into the shower. “What’s wrong
with him?” she murmured under the warm spray. “It’s too early to
have a serious discussion.” She chuckled at her hypocrisy. Before
her pregnancy, all her meetings were in the mornings. After
dressing comfortably and running the comb through her hair, she
prepared herself to tackle her greatest challenge; convincing Tony
to leave her babies alone.

“
Are you pregnant from that
night in Chicago, Nicole?” he asked as soon as she sat down. She
took a deep breath.

“
Yeah, I’m uh...having
twins.”

“
Do you know the sexes
yet?”

“
Yeah, a girl and a boy.”
She moved slightly to the right.

“
What’s wrong?”

“
They’re doing gymnastics.”
Niki pressed her stomach to move a leg or arm backward.

“
May I?” His palm hovered
above her belly, ready to touch. Looking at his eagerness, she took
his hand and placed it on the hard bump that was a body part and
had him push. He laughed as he felt the kick and another sharp
bump. They moved the bump repeatedly until she sighed in
comfort.

“
Thank you. That was—I
can’t explain it. Awesome is the best word that comes to mind right
now.” He rubbed his hands together while gazing at her
stomach.

“
No problem.” Eyes closed,
she felt a peace. She’d never admit it, but it felt good having his
hands on her stomach.

“
Nicole, what do you
suggest we do?” he asked interrupting her moment. She peeled her
eyes open and looked over at him.

“
About what?” She frowned,
not understanding.

“
About the babies.” His
tone was so matter of fact; it took her a moment to understand his
question.

“
Nothing. I mean
I’m
having twins in a few
months. There’s no reason for you to be involved.” She waved her
hand. In her mind she’d done him a favor, let him off easy. He
gazed at his clasped palms, the bass in his voice sliced through
the silence.

“
Let me ask you this. Have
you noticed how much Gale and I favor my dad?”

Nodding, she watched his large clasped
hands. “Yeah, there’s no question you guys are his kids.” Not quite
following his line of questioning, she answered cautiously. It
wasn’t until the party that she noticed their strong
traits.

“
The men in my family have
strong, dominant genes,” he continued. “How long do you think it
will take for Gale to notice that her niece and nephew look like
her?” Leaning forward to make his point, he stared at her. “What do
you think it will do to Rissa’s relationship when they discover you
knew I was the father and you kept that from her, from
them?”

They both knew Rissa would be pissed
and Gale would be hurt. Aunt Sharita would have a fit. As his words
attacked her shield of selfishness, her mind balked at
compromising. She refused to acknowledge his point and stared at
the wall.

“
You know Gale isn’t going
to have any children, right?” He moved closer, taking her hand,
drawing her attention.

Tony was no fool. He knew if he fought
for himself, she’d tell him to get lost. Yesterday, he picked up
Nicole was big on family. He hoped she would be willing to let him
in just a little for the sake of others.

“
Why are you bringing Gale
and Rissa into this?” She lashed out, while trying to retrieve her
hand with no success. “This has nothing to do with
them.”

“
Family, Nicole,” he said,
praying she’d listen. He didn’t want to go to court, he didn’t want
her to hate him or for their children to suffer through their
problems. The least they could do was be friends. “Gale told me
weeks ago that she and Rissa were going to spend time with you when
the baby was born. You know it won’t take long for the truth to
come out.”

He sighed and looked at the floor.
“And what about my parents? How will they feel that we kept this
from them because you hate me?”

“
I don’t hate you,” Niki
said defensively. “I don’t even know you.” Moving further away from
him on the sofa, she watched him through narrowed eyes. “What
happened was a mistake, an accident. You know that. Why do you want
to be a part of this now?” He appreciated her taking him head on,
without running away.

“
Of all the men in the
world, why did you have to be Gale’s brother?” she moaned. “I
should’ve stayed in Michigan and bypassed the party.”

“
I’m glad you came.” He
smiled humorlessly. “As far as being a part of this scenario, I was
always a part. If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t be sitting here
swollen with life.” She frowned.

“
Look, I’m not trying to
take anything from you.” He plowed ahead. “But, we should come
clean with our families. I plan to be a part of my children’s
lives. If possible, I’d like for us to be friends.” His stomach
dropped as tears fell unchecked down her face. “I’m not a bad
person, Nicole; take some time to get to know me. I’m not asking
for a lot, I just want to be more involved.”

“
I don’t want this...I
don’t.” She sniffed trying to rise. He stood and got the box of
tissues from the counter, feeling like the biggest heel. She looked
so lost, so hurt.

“
I know you don’t. But
these are my children. I simply wouldn’t be me if I just walked
away, turned my back on my kids...I just can’t. Not for anybody.”
Sitting on the edge of the sofa, they both sat in
silence.