TOTAL ECLIPSE: The Evolution (Sin City Heat Series Book 7) (35 page)

“I…” Jerra’s mouth snapped closed as she thought about her answer. “It’s…it’s fine. I don’t have a problem with attending the wedding if you don’t.”

Darrell smiled in approval and gave her a quick kiss. “Of course I don’t.”

“I guess decision made, then.” Jerra shrugged with a nonchalance she was far from feeling, then changed the subject. “How did things go with your mother?”

Darrell’s smile slowly dimmed until it disappeared. “Exactly as I expected. No surprises. Tina’s gon’ be Tina. I think she realizes how serious I was when I told her to stay away this time. I doubt if she tries to pull this crap again.”

Jerra didn’t say anything, but the look she gave Darrell made him sharpen his gaze. “Don’t even think about it, Jerra. I don’t trust her or her motives. I would’ve respected her a hell of a lot more if she’d just come clean about everything. I even gave her a chance to tell me before I went to New York, but got nothin’.”

“You’re right. She shouldn’t have lied, but I think she was just afraid.”

“Jerra–” When Darrell’s cell phone started ringing, he pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the name flashing across the screen. “That’s Marcus. I’ll call him back.”

“No, go on and answer it,” Jerra said, turning to leave. “I’m going to check on D.J., then take a quick shower. We’ll talk later.”

Darrell nodded then connected the call. “Wassup, bruh? Wait…hold on a sec,” he added when Jerra stopped to look at him just before leaving the room. He lifted his brows questioningly. “What is it, baby?”

“I’ve enjoyed being at the condo, but I think I’m ready for us to go ‘home’ home.”

Darrell bit down on his lip before asking, “When you say ‘us’…” He let the rest of the question dangle between them.

Jerra swallowed nervously. “Our family. That’s the three of us, isn’t it?”

His chest tight with emotion, Darrell nodded. “Yeah. It is. I’m ready too.”

Sighing her relief at his answer, Jerra gave him a sweet smile. “Okay.”

“Okay,” Darrell repeated. 

Their eyes held for a moment longer before Jerra left out of the room to check on their son.

Darrell slowly brought the phone back to his ear. “I’m back, man.”

“I’m sure you probably saw the news by now and know that Roni’s back in Vegas.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, I saw it.”

“Everything a’ight? Leesh and I were just a little worried. You know, you and Jerra have been doing so good.”

“Nah, nah. It’s cool.” He glanced back to where Jerra had been standing a few seconds ago and grinned. “Matter of fact, it’s better than cool. It’s perfect.”

Darrell heard the sigh of relief on the other end. They talked for a few minutes more before hanging up so that Marcus could get ready to leave for his shift. Throwing himself down on the couch, Darrell leaned back against the cushions and closed his eyes. He could understand Marcus’ concern. He heart had threatened to pound out of his chest when he’d turned the television off. His greatest fear was that Jerra would decide it wasn’t worth putting up with the deep-rooted weeds of crap that constantly popped up from out of nowhere. It was like no matter how many times he pulled them up and unearthed them, another grew back in its place causing chaos before he could catch his breath. Darrell couldn’t blame Jerra if she’d grown tired of it all and decided to walk away. For a moment, he’d been afraid that was exactly what she would do, withdraw and shut down on him completely, but thankfully that hadn’t happened.

“Darrell?” Jerra called his name softly.

His lashes swept open to find her standing a few feet away. He must have really been deep in his thoughts because he hadn’t heard her come back into the room. He held a hand out to her, smiling when she took it without hesitating.

“D.J. finished with his bath?” he asked.

“Yes, but he begged me to stay in a little while longer, so I gave him ten more minutes.”

Darrell’s smile widened when he heard that, but seeing the way she nervously bit at her lip, he frowned. “Babe, what’s wrong?”

Jerra stared at him without moving. “I…I had planned on waiting to tell you this, but…”

Tense and on alert, Darrell slowly stood up. Now what? “Jerra, what is it?”

“Nothing’s wrong. I…Darrell, I’m pregnant,” she whispered.

Darrell went deadly still. His nostrils flared and his eyes darkened. “What did you say?”

“I…I said I’m pregnant.” Jerra placed her hand over her still flat stomach. “You’re going to be a daddy again.”

Darrell’s eyes dropped to the hand that covered her stomach. “You’re pregnant?” Like a dimmer switch slowly illuminating a room.
“You’re pregnant?”

Jerra nodded and grinned as Darrell swept her up in his arms. Screaming, she laughed and held on tight as he swung her around. “Darrell!”

He let her slide down until her feet made contact with the floor again. The look on his face was…priceless. The smile he sported brightened his face and eased the lines of strain.

Darrell framed her face with his hands then rested his forehead against hers. “We’re pregnant?” he whispered. “We’re gonna have a baby?”

“Yes. I went to the doctor this morning to confirm it.” Jerra peered into his eyes and smiled tenderly. She knew this was something he’d wanted for a while now. “D.J.’s going to have a little brother or sister.”

Darrell placed a hand on her stomach. “It’s gonna be a girl. A little princess who looks exactly like her mama.” His voice cracked with emotion. “When? How far along?”

“Eight weeks.”

“Eight weeks…” Darrell repeated before smiling. “That first night you came to see me at the condo.”

“Yes. It seems as if ‘Eclipse’ gave me just a little bit more than I asked for.”

Darrell laughed. “I’m not surprised. You have no idea how badly I wanted you that night. You haven’t been sick or anything, have you?”

“No, but remember, I didn’t suffer from morning sickness very much with D.J. either.”

Darrell shook his head slowly. “I can’t believe this.” Uneasiness seeped into his eyes as another thought occurred to him. “You
are
happy, aren’t you? About this pregnancy, I mean.”

Jerra’s frown came quick. “Of course I’m happy. Why would you ask me that? Are…are
you
upset because we’re going to have a baby?”

“What? No! Hell no!”

“Then…”

“J., you’ve made me the happiest man in the world. Believe me, I’m in awe of this gift you’ve given me, but…”

“But what?” Jerra whispered, suddenly afraid of what he was going to say.

“I don’t want you to feel like you’ve been forced to give up your career again. I know how important that is to you. This…us having a baby…it wasn’t planned.”

“Well, neither was D.J.,” Jerra laughed, placing her hand over his where it rested on her stomach. “That doesn’t matter, Darrell. I’ve never resented staying home with D.J. I enjoyed it. You know that, and if it came down to me having to do it again, I would in a heartbeat, but I don’t see why I have to stop working. We have an excellent company daycare in the same building where I work.”

Darrell’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. “Really?”

“Mmhm.”

“So…you would be able to bring the baby to work with you?” Darrell sounded a little skeptical.

“Yes. Parents can check on their babies at any time, spend lunch breaks with them, you know. However they choose to work it out. I’d basically get to see our baby whenever I chose. So…what do you think?” Jerra licked her lips nervously as she waited on his answer.

“What do I think? I’m upset I didn’t think about doing that at my own company. I could’ve had my secretary back a long time ago,” he grinned. “But that’s something I’ll be rectifying very soon.”

She smiled in agreement. “It really is a great idea.”

“It’s perfect.” He said, rubbing her stomach. “Only the best for daddy’s little princess.”

Jerra smiled indulgently. “You’re already convinced it’s going to be a girl, huh?”

“Of course. Men know these things. Nah, really!” He added when Jerra rolled her eyes.

“Okay, baby, if you say so.”

“Most definitely. When do you go to see the doctor?” His body suddenly tensed up. “We need to make sure everything is okay with both of you. I know the last couple of months have been stressful.”

“I’m fine. Honestly. But I’ve set up an appointment with the same obstetrician who delivered Aleesha’s baby. I see her in two weeks.”

“
We
see her in two weeks. I plan on being at every appointment you have, the same as I was with D.J.”

Jerra’s face lit up. “I stand corrected.
We
see her in two weeks.”

Darrell nodded before kissing her and pulling her close. “Good. I love you.”

“I love you too,” Jerra replied snuggling in his embrace. “I think I’m finally beginning to realize that everything is going to be okay.”

He kissed the top of her head and gently caressed her back. “Everything is goin’ to be perfect.” Darrell’s arms tightened around her, meaning that with everything in him. “I promise.”

CHAPTER 41

“Hi, Mr. Monroe. It’s good to see you.”

Darrell smiled as he slowed down in front of the desk of Jerra’s secretary. “Hey, Heather. How are you today?”

“I’m great, thank you. Mr. Sullivan’s in with Mrs. Monroe, but you can go right in. I’ve placed the order to the restaurant so the food should be here in about ten minutes.”

Scratching his head, Darrell gave Heather a rueful grin. “Let me guess. Renaldo’s, right?” he asked, naming Jerra’s favorite restaurant.

The two of them were having lunch together before she went to a meeting she was scheduled to attend later. If he’d been on a mission to make sure she ate properly before, he was even more determined now that Jerra was pregnant. At four months along, she didn’t have very many cravings, but the double chocolate crème cake they served was her obsession for the moment so it wasn’t hard to guess she’d chosen that restaurant. 

“Did she order an extra dessert again?” Darrell smiled.

“Yep,” Heather laughed then lowered her voice to a conspiratorial level. “But you didn’t hear that from me.”

“Gotcha,” Darrell winked before continuing to Jerra’s office. “Thanks.”

As soon as he walked through the door, the smile that lingered on his face stretched a mile wide when he saw his wife. His eyes went to her stomach. Jerra was just starting to show and looked adorable. Up until recently, she’d still been able to wear some of her regular clothes, but let her tell it, her flat, little stomach seemed to have blossomed overnight. She still kept it stylish and chic, though. The red blouse she’d chosen this morning clung tastefully to her softly rounded belly bump while the black skirt fell a couple inches above her knees. The high-heeled black pumps emphasized her long, shapely legs, while the gold accessories she wore completed the outfit and pulled everything together.

Darrell thought back to this morning. He hadn’t been able to take his eyes off of her while she’d gotten dressed. Even though they’d made love in the shower only moments before, he’d been aroused and ready again as he watched her. She had pretended to be unaware of his smoldering gaze following her around the room, but the flirtatious glances she sent him over her shoulder gave her away and told him she’d intentionally been putting on a little show just for him. Kissing her goodbye, he’d whispered in her ear that she would pay later on that night for teasing him, chuckling when she’d beamed with pleasure and told him she was looking forward to it.

His expression turned thoughtful. Maybe if they finished lunch in time, they’d be able to sneak in a quickie on top of her desk before…

Darrell never got a chance to complete the thought. At that moment, he saw something flicker in her eyes that instantly gave him cause for concern. “What is it?” he asked. “What’s wrong?”

Jerra licked her lips nervously before the corners of her mouth turned upwards into a smile that seemed totally forced. “Hi, sweetheart. Nothing’s wrong.”

Darrell’s face grew still and his grey eyes cooled significantly. He immediately detected the lie. Now he
knew
something wasn’t right. Perfectly in tune with each other, their connection was strong. If it had something to do with privileged information she couldn’t divulge, Darrell knew Jerra would’ve just said that but she didn’t.

His eyes slid to Justin, who stood several feet away half-turned towards the window watching them. Darrell caught the way he grimaced before his expression cleared, but Darrell wasn’t fooled. The tension in the room was almost suffocating.

“What’s up, Justin?” They both knew the question was more than just a greeting. Darrell wanted to know what the fuck was going on.

Recently, he’d gotten to know Justin a little better, especially after he, Marcus, and Dom had run into him at
O’Riley’s
a couple of months ago. When Darrell had seen him walk into the sports bar, he’d gestured him over to their table and invited him to sit with them. It hadn’t taken long for him to join in on their good-natured teasing while, delivering a few well-placed verbal jabs that had the guys laughing and nodding in approval.

But Darrell wasn’t joking right now. Jerra was upset and one of them was going to tell him why.

Justin met Darrell’s direct gaze with one of his own, but before he could say anything, Jerra came over to Darrell and gave him a quick kiss. Darrell knew it was partly a distraction tactic, but it wasn’t going to work.

“I said nothing’s wrong,” Jerra said in an overly cheerful voice, smoothing nonexistent wrinkles from the front of his shirt. “Just…work. We can talk about it later.”

Darrell’s eyes narrowed. She couldn’t even look at him. “I know, baby, I heard you.” He slipped an arm around her waist…then directed his attention to Justin again and waited.

Jerra scowled. “Darrell–”

Cutting her off, Justin got right to the point. “The firm received emails last week directed at Jerra and Melissa, threatening them both with harm if they succeeded in getting our client out of the murder charges against him.”

“What?”
Darrell’s eyes flew back to Jerra’s face, his expression angry yet terrified at the same time.

“Justin!” Jerra sent him a look of disapproval that he promptly ignored.

“I’m sorry, Jerra, I’d rather deal with your anger than your husband’s if something happened to you and he discovered I’d known and kept the information from him,” Justin shrugged. “Plus, as I told you, he has a right to know.”

“And I was going to tell him. It wasn’t your call. If I were a man it wouldn’t be as big a deal, but–”

“But you’re not, you’re my wife.” Darrell turned Jerra back around, forcing her to focus on him and not argue with Justin. “Don’t get upset with Justin, because quite frankly, he’s the least of your worries right now.”

Jerra’s throat worked up and down as she swallowed. “It’s really not that serious.”

Darrell’s brows slashed together in disbelief. “It’s not that
what
?”

“Wait, that’s not what I meant.” Jerra hurried to stall the forthcoming storm brewing in his grey eyes and clarified her statement. “Of course it’s serious, but they caught the man who sent the threats. This is an emotional case. Tensions are running high, but–”

“But nothing, Jerra. You’re excusing yourself from this case, right?” When she rolled her eyes in exasperation, Darrell repeated himself with emphasis.
“Right?”

“Darrell–”

“Were you seriously gon’ keep this from me?”

“Of course not, but I knew you would react this way.”

Darrell grunted then cleared his throat. His jaw ticked steadily as he stared at her. The anger he felt came more out of concern than anything else. Yes, this was Jerra’s career and he respected that, but when it came to her safety, that’s where he drew the line. He was stepping in whether she liked it or not.

Justin slipped his hands in his pockets. “Darrell, the authorities take threats like this very seriously. The local police immediately notified the FBI. That’s how they were able to apprehend the guy so quickly.”

It took several moments for Darrell to release Jerra from the visual lock he had on her and look at Justin. “When was he caught?”

“This morning. I was just giving Jerra an update. The dumb bastard was sloppy, sent the email from his home computer. The case has been receiving a lot of national exposure. There are a lot of quacks out there, people seeking attention just for the hell of it, and it appears as if he’s one of them. Trust me when I say every precaution is being taking to insure Jerra’s safety.”

“I appreciate that, Justin, but excuse the hell outta me if I’m not willing to take any unnecessary chances when it comes to my wife. The next ‘quack’ might not be so harmless. She’s off the case.”

“No, I’m not.” Jerra folded her arms and glared at him.

Darrell’s teeth clamped down hard on his bottom lip when he saw the stubborn tilt of her head. “If you won’t do it for yourself, do it for your children. You’re pregnant, for Christ’s sakes. Are you willing to risk something happening to the baby? Leaving Gisselle and D.J. without their mother? Is this case worth that to you?”

Jerra drew in a quick breath and held it for moment. Darrell knew he’d hit her below the belt, but dammit, he needed her to see reason. Obviously wounded from the shot, she turned to Justin. “Would you excuse us, please?”

Justin nodded, the look he gave her apologetic. “Of course.”

After he was gone, Darrell made an effort to head off the argument he was sure Jerra already had prepared. “Save it. I don’t wanna hear it. I can’t believe we’re even discussing this.”

“I know you’re worried. You have a right to be. It’s sad to say, but this isn’t the first time in my career that I, or my colleagues, have received threats. But you’re right, that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t take them seriously,” she said quickly when Darrell tried to interrupt. “Security has been tightened up. An armed guard will walk me from the building to the parking garage and watch me get in my car every day, and the same will be done upon my arrival in the mornings.”

“If that’s supposed to make me feel better, it doesn’t.”

“Darrell, this is my job. I refuse to let anyone use intimidation as a way of keeping me from doing it.”

“Jerra…” Darrell closed his eyes and called her name out in a hushed tone before looking at her. “You don’t understand. If anything happened to you…” He couldn’t even bring himself to finish the rest of the sentence. The very thought was beyond his realm of thinking.

“Baby, I need to do this,” Jerra said, her eyes over-bright with emotion. “But I can’t do it alone. I need your support.”

Darrell tensed. He didn’t like this. Not one bit. Every bone in his body screamed out for him to remain firm on his stance, not to go against his instincts. He didn’t care that this wasn’t the first time something like this had happened, she hadn’t been with him back then, got dammit.

“What if I say no? What if I say I can’t give you that support? Then what?”

Jerra’s shoulders drooped a bit but she maintained eye contact. “Then I’ll do as you ask. I’ll excuse myself from the case. I realize this affects more than just me.”

“But you’ll resent me for it.” The statement was uttered as if he were completing her unspoken thought.

Jerra shook her head emphatically. “No, I won’t resent you. I’d be disappointed that I wouldn’t be arguing this case, but I’d understand. You’re only doing what you think is best to protect me and our family. I…I should’ve discussed this with you when it happened, not have you blindsided with it out of nowhere.”

“Yeah, you should have.” Darrell didn’t glare at her the way he had moments ago, but his gaze still got his point across.

They locked eyes in silence until a soft knock on the door and Heather’s voice penetrated the invisible barrier that insulated them from everything else.

“That’s probably our lunch.” Clearing her throat, Jerra called out for Heather to enter.

“Sorry it took so long,” Heather chirped, oblivious to the tension in the room. “They must have been busier than usual.”

Grinning at them, she continued chattering nonstop while heading to the small conference table with the huge bag. After taking out the cartons of food, plates and utensils, she sent a perfunctory glance over the table to make sure everything was perfect. When she turned back to Jerra, her mindless jabbering screeched to a halt.

Realizing something was wrong, her eyes bounced to Darrell for a second before returning to Jerra. “Is there anything…um, do you need me to do anything else?”

Jerra shook her head, her smile strained. “No. Thank you, Heather.”

Nodding, the young woman quickly left the room. Neither Darrell nor Jerra made a move to the table to begin eating. Instead, Darrell ambled over towards the window and stood with his back to her, arms folded. Jerra waited, giving him time to process everything.

Finally, as if coming to a decision, he turned around, his gaze focused on her face. Darrell lowered his head slightly in order to grab her eyes with his. Jerra fidgeted nervously under the attention. When he finally spoke, he did so steadily and clearly with deliberate intention.

“One of the things we agreed on when we got back together was the importance of being open and honest about everything, no matter how upset the other person might end up getting, right?”

The corners of Jerra’s lips turned down slightly as her eyes faltered away, but she nodded and took responsibility for her lapse. “Yes. I promise I was going to tell you, though.”

“You should’ve told me the moment it happened. Something as important as this should’ve been discussed between us. I need you to trust me enough to come to me with
anything
, and like I’ve promised, I’ll do the same with you.”

“You’re right,” Jerra nodded. “I
am
sorry.”

He sighed and held a hand out to her. “I know. Come here, baby.”

Relieved, Jerra hurried towards him and latched on to his hand as if it were a lifeline.

“I know how important this is to you,” Darrell said slowly. “But…”

Jerra squeezed his hand, bracing herself for what was to come.