by Rachel Woods
It wasn’t going to happen if he didn’t get his shit together.
Sione sat forward, frowning at the screen, thinking maybe he should print the document.
A few minutes later, the draft was spread across the desk in front of him. He had to make notes about any questions he had or any modifications he wanted to the contract.
A knock on the door startled him. Sione called out, “Come in.”
The door to his office opened, and Marie rushed in, her face tense with worry. “Mr. Tuiali’i, I don’t mean to bother you, but…”
“Marie, what’s the matter?”
Frowning, his assistant said, “I think we might need to call the police.”
“Why?” Sione stood, trying to stay calm. “What’s happened?”
“Well, I was getting ready to pay your credit card bills,” Marie said, “and I noticed some very suspicious charges on this one card, a platinum Visa, and I think somebody hacked into the account or stole your identity.”
Frowning, Sione asked, “What kind of charges? Maybe I gave that card to my mom to use.”
Marie pursed her lips and then said, “I don’t think so. Somebody charged stuff at Babies “R” Us, BuyBuy Baby, and South Avenue Pharmacy. I called the credit card company, and they told me it was baby clothes, diapers, and prenatal vitamins.”
Staring at Marie, Sione felt a strange sensation like something hard dropping into his stomach.
“Probably some little thieving heifer went and got herself pregnant out of wedlock,” Marie said, her voice quivering with indignation and judgment. “She can’t afford the baby so she steals a credit card to finance her little bundle of joy. That’s a damn shame. Whoever she is, she doesn’t deserve to raise that baby. I’m so tired of people being so unethical and immoral.”
Confused and irritated by Marie’s condemning tone, Sione asked, “Do you know who the pregnant girl is?”
Marie looked up at him, as though insulted by his question. “How would I know who she is? According to the statement, you made these charges, but that’s not true because you’re not pregnant. Unless there’s something you haven’t told me. The pregnant girl is a thief, that’s who she is.”
“I want you to find out about these fraudulent charges, okay,” Sione said, rubbing his chin. “I want to know about the prenatal vitamins. Find out where that pharmacy is located and—”
“Why do you want me to do that?” Marie asked, frowning at him.
“Marie, just—” Sione exhaled, his heart pounding as strange thoughts began to form in his head, forcing him toward conclusions that didn’t make sense, and yet he couldn’t dismiss the thoughts or the bizarre excitement racing through his veins. “Just find out about the charges, okay? And do it as soon as possible, please. Make it your top priority.”
20
Houston, Texas
Babies “R” Us Parking Lot
Settling back in the plush leather bucket seat, Spencer crossed her ankles as Rae got behind the wheel, slammed the door of the BMW, and let out a string of frustrated curses.
Spencer marveled at how easy it was to buckle the seatbelt—now. She was only eleven weeks and barely showing, but what would happen when she was eight months? Would she be able to buckle the seatbelt when she was as big as a whale?
“Can you believe that bullshit?” Rae started the car, grabbed the gear stick, and yanked it into reverse. “Damn card was declined.”
“Well.” Spencer sighed, not sure what to say. “When we get home, you can call the credit card company and find out what’s going on.”
Moments ago, she and Rae had been in Babies “R” Us, strolling leisurely up and down the aisles, pushing a basket filled to the brim with things for the little one. It was their normal Wednesday afternoon routine, which they’d started a few weeks after the night John had kicked her out of the house in The Woodlands.
“I don’t need to call,” Rae said, speeding through the parking lot. “I know what happened. We got cut off because we got caught.”
“What?” Spencer asked, confused. “We got caught? What do you mean? Wait, please don’t tell me you were using Mr. Cephas’ credit card to—”
“No, I wasn’t using Mr. Cephas’ credit card,” Rae said, turning out into the traffic on the main thoroughfare. “He did offer the use of his black card, but I turned him down.”
Spencer looked at Rae. “Why?” Usually, Rae wouldn’t hesitate to take advantage of Mr. Cephas’ generosity. Maybe, hopefully, her sister had decided to rethink her relationship with her fence, a man old enough to be her father, and who sometimes did treat Rae like a daughter. Sometimes, however, Mr. Cephas treated Rae like an ex-girlfriend he was still interested in, so their situation wasn’t clearly defined.
“Because you’re not having Mr. Cephas’ baby,” Rae said, her tone curt, defensive. “If you were, then yeah, we’d be using his black card. But you’re having Sione’s baby, so I figured he should pay for his child.”
“Rae, what are you talking about?” Spencer asked, feeling her blood pressure spike. “How can John pay for a baby that he doesn’t know exists? Oh my God, please tell me you didn’t go behind my back and tell him that—”
“Calm down, girl,” Rae admonished. “Don’t stress the baby out. I didn’t call Sione and tell him you’re pregnant.”
“You think Shady did it?”
“No, Shady didn’t tell him,” Rae said and then sighed. “Okay, I gotta tell you something.”
Worried, Spencer asked, “Do I need to sit down?”
“Girl, you are sitting down,” Rae said, shaking her head as she steered the BMW onto the interstate entrance ramp.
“Okay, well, do you need to pull the car over so I can get out and stand up?”
Exhaling, Rae said, “Remember when Sione had your stuff delivered to my place?”
Nodding, her apprehension increasing, Spencer said, “Yeah.”
“Well, I unpacked your stuff, remember,” Rae said, increasing her speed, steering around slower cars. “And so, in one of your wallets, I found a platinum Visa card with Sione’s name on it. But, because it was in your wallet, I figured you must have been an—”
“Authorized user,” Spencer whispered, hoping she wouldn’t start to hyperventilate. “Oh my God, I remember that card. John gave it to me to use. Rae, please tell me that you have not—”
“Can’t tell you that because I have,” Rae said. “Or I did. I was using that card to pay for your prenatal vitamins and to buy all the stuff you need for the baby.”
Spencer took several deep breaths, but it didn’t help. “Why the hell did you do that?”
“I did it because Sione should provide for his child,” Rae said.
“He doesn’t know I’m pregnant,” Spencer practically screamed, struggling to manage her emotions.
“So what?” Rae said. “That doesn’t absolve him of his responsibility.”
Again, Spencer took several deep breaths. And again, it didn’t help to lower her blood pressure or temper her ire. “Desarae, do you know what you’ve done by using John’s credit card?”
“Yes, I have made sure that your baby will have enough diapers and clothes and toys and baby furniture and—”
“No, you have committed fraud,” Spencer said through gritted teeth. “I’m sure the first thing John did was remove me as an authorized user from all his cards. By using his card without his permission, you’ve broken the law. And even worse than that, you went against my wishes. I told you that John couldn’t know about the baby. That card didn’t go through because he’s found out about the charges and had it cancelled. If he saw the diapers and baby clothes, what the hell do you think he’s going to think?”
“You don’t know that he’s gonna think you’re pregnant,” Rae said.
“But what if he does?” Spencer asked. “And what if he comes to Houston and—”
“Don’t get the cart before the horse,” Rae said. “He’s probably got some accountant who pays his bi
lls, right? That person is probably responsible for resolving any discrepancies or credit issues. Sione ain’t got time for that. And, let’s just say that he does pay the bills himself. So what? I really don’t think he’s going to jump to the conclusion that you’re pregnant.”
21
San Ignacio, Belize
Belizean Banyan Resort – Owner’s Office
“You wanted to see me?” Marie poked her head around the corner of the door to Sione’s office.
“Come in here.” Impatient, Sione beckoned for her. “What have you found out about those fraudulent charges on that platinum Visa?”
Marie blinked, eyes wide, apprehensive. “Well, um…”
“Well, what?” he asked, not in the mood for any pretense. “What did you find out?”
“I found out that all the charges were made in, um…” Marie sighed. “They were made in Houston. The pharmacy was in Houston, too. I wrote down the address. I can get it for you. I guess when you were living there, somebody must have stolen your credit card and—”
“No, that’s not what happened.” Sione sat, all the nervous energy draining from his body, leaving behind an emptiness filled with disappointment. He was shocked, confused, and heartbroken. When Marie had told him about the charges to the Visa account, he’d had a strange, sinking suspicion an identity thief hadn’t been the culprit. He’d hoped he was wrong. He’d hoped he was just jumping to unfounded, unprovable conclusions, because if he was right, then…
Sione hadn’t allowed himself to think about what being right would mean.
Somebody charged stuff at Babies “R” Us, BuyBuy Baby, and South Avenue Pharmacy. I called the credit card company and they told me it was baby clothes, diapers, and prenatal vitamins.
“What do you mean that’s not what happened?”
Slightly startled, Sione looked up; he didn’t realize Marie was still in his office.
“That particular Visa card was one that had an authorized user.” Sione pressed a thumb against the center of his forehead, trying to rub out the numbing ache throbbing beneath his skull, an ache spurred by the anger and sadness growing inside him, emotions he wasn’t sure how to process.
“So, you authorized somebody to use that card?”
Slowly sinking into his chair, Sione nodded, his mind in turmoil, thoughts and questions swirling and tumbling.
“Who?”
“Marie, I want you to book me the next flight to Houston,” Sione said, his heart slamming, barely able to catch his breath as he pulled out one of his desk drawers, looking for some aspirin.
Marie protested. “Why would you want to go back there?”
Sione stared at her. “Because the authorized user on that Visa card was Spencer.”
Marie frowned. “Spencer? Ms. Edwards? You think she charged all that baby stuff? Why would she do that?”
“Why the hell do you think, Marie?” Sione jumped up, glaring at his assistant. “Spencer is pregnant. She’s having my baby.”
22
Somewhere over the Gulf of Mexico
Forty-five minutes into his two-hour flight to Houston, Sione was antsy, fidgety, and anxious to get the hell off the plane. He couldn’t figure out if his decision to return to Houston was a good idea or a disaster waiting to blow up in his face.
What would he do when he was face to face with Spencer again after all this time? He couldn’t wait, but he wasn’t ready. He didn’t know what he was going to say to her. What could he say? How could he explain? How could he make her understand? How could he do anything except just beg her to give him a chance to tell her how sorry he was for how stupid and selfish he’d been?
Sitting in first class, Sione took a deep breath. It was impossible to know what he would say to Spencer when he saw her again. He would have to trust his heart to be his guide and hope his sentiment was sincere and would convince her that he loved her and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. Somehow, he had to make her believe he loved the baby, too, and wanted to be a father to their child.
Smiling to himself, Sione thought of the little elephants in his luggage in the overhead cabin bin. The stuffed toys had been an impromptu purchase. Initially, he’d grabbed the pale pink pachyderm, because he loved the idea of a little girl who would grow up to be just as beautiful as her mother. Secretly, the thought of a son stole his heart, and he picked up a baby blue elephant, as well.
Sione stared at the glass of scotch he’d asked the stewardess for but still hadn’t touched. The stuffed elephants had almost given his mother a hissing fit. Yesterday, while he packed for the trip back to Texas, Carmen showed up at the casita with her two cents. Marie had given his mother and his Aunt Perla the news, and of course, Carmen thought flying back to Houston to reunite with Spencer was a dangerous idea. One moment, his mother pleaded and shrieked, begging him not to go, and the next she was eerily calm and methodical, using logic to explain why he shouldn’t go.
Carmen didn’t think Spencer was pregnant. If she was, then his mother doubted the baby was Sione’s. After all, Spencer was a bitchy slut who had probably found some other wealthy businessman to scam after Sione had wised up and kicked her scheming ass to the curb.
“The baby is mine,” Sione had said, adamant, pissed his mother would even suggest Spencer could possibly be carrying another man’s child.
“You don’t know that for sure,” his mother said, the calm demeanor fading. “At least get a DNA test first!”
“I don’t need a DNA test,” Sione said. “The baby is mine. Spencer hasn’t been with anybody else since we broke up.”
“How do you know that for sure?” Carmen demanded. “Are you having her followed or something? You got somebody in Houston keeping tabs on her for you?”
“I just know, okay,” Sione said, though he wasn’t sure how. “It’s my baby.”
“Sione Dwayne,” Carmen said in that passive tone that warned of an impending explosion. “Spencer is a very beautiful girl. Lots of men, I’m sure, are attracted to her. I find it hard to believe that after you dumped her, she sat around crying over you. Do you really think she kept her legs closed in honor of what the two of you supposedly had, which turned out to be nothing.”
“What we had was everything,” Sione told her. “But I was too stupid to realize that, and now I want it all back.”
“Is that right? You want it all back?” Carmen asked, a derisive curiousness in her voice. “Everything? Even the lies? And the scams? Your cousins told me all about her and how she used to drug men and steal from them. That’s what you want back? A woman you can’t even trust to pour you a drink?”
Sighing, Sione said, “Is she perfect? No. She’s made mistakes.”
“She’s done a lot more than just made a few mistakes,” his mother had pointed out, scowling at him. “She’s a thief. She’s broken the law.”
“Mom, please.”
“What about Ben Chang?” his mother asked, a challenge in her steely gaze.
“What?”
“You really want to be with another woman who was involved with his crooked ass?” Carmen asked. “You know what happened with that bitch Moana!”
A piercing jolt had passed through him, not surprisingly. Moana’s name would probably always paralyze him for a few moments, considering what he’d done to her, even though he wasn’t sure if he’d killed her or not. But, he’d meant to, and he’d tried his best to choke her to death.
“What if the baby is Ben’s?” Carmen suggested, obviously hoping he might entertain suspicions of Spencer, but Sione hadn’t taken the bait. The idea almost brought him to his knees, though. If the baby was Ben’s, Sione knew he would be devastated.
“Or what if she plans to use the baby to take you for every dime you have!”
“Mom, listen to me,” Sione said, trying to combat his mother’s burgeoning hysteria. “I love Spencer. I want to be with her and raise our baby together. And I’m going back to Houston to make my intentions clear. I know that’s not what y
ou want to hear, but that’s what’s going to happen. And there is nothing you can do or say to stop me.”
As the plane glided through the clouds, Sione thought about his mother’s disappointment. He hadn’t wanted to upset Carmen, but if he had listened to her, he would have punished himself by staying away from Spencer. What was the point of trying to prove he could move on without Spencer? He was sick of pretending he didn’t want to be with her. He was sick of being miserable without her. He’d tried to resign himself to misery and find some way to live with it, but he’d failed. The constant struggling and wrestling and fighting with his feelings were exhausting.
He didn’t want to be with any other woman but her.
He’d finally admitted that to himself. Now it was time to let Spencer know he couldn’t live without her. Or their baby.
It was time to let Spencer know he wouldn’t live without them.
23
Houston, Texas
Torrey Chase Subdivision
Rae Bedard’s gray eyes widened as shock, disbelief, and confusion flashed across her face, but seconds later, the eyes narrowed, darkening to smoky brimstone.
Appropriate, Sione thought, since he was absolutely sure Spencer’s sultry, abrasive sister was about to give him hell.
Bracing himself for an onslaught of fury, Sione took a breath and prepared to stand his ground, feet planted firmly on the welcome mat at the front door entry of Shady’s modest home, where he’d found out Spencer was staying.
As he’d suspected, Rae’s unleashed fury was hellish, but he resolved to endure her caustic insults, judgments, and opinions about the shitty way he’d treated Spencer for no damn good reason; he forced himself to withstand her verbal brutality. He would put up with it, as long as when it was over, she stepped aside and let him in the house so he could see Spencer.
