by M. Skye
Whitney completely understood where she was coming from. The resentment she had for her family had led her to do some ridiculous things that changed the state of her future. “I was wrong about you too. I’m sorry. I know I said it before, but I mean it this time. I had no reason to jump all over you, and I shouldn’t have judged you.”
“My life wasn’t always like this. I had someone, family. My sister, Delilah, she was the best. We were never rich or anything, but she never let me feel like we didn’t have things. She worked hard to take care of us.”
“What happened to her?” Whitney saw the look wash over her face and drew in a deep breath. She wasn’t sure she was ready for the answer.
“Delilah always took care of us, but she wasn’t always legal in her methods. She took on these crazy jobs and met crazy people. I don’t know much about her life, but she got mixed up in some stuff that got her killed. She always wanted better for me, but she never saw that she needed better too. Our mom was always no account and our dad, well, no one knows what happened to him, so we were it for each other.”
Whitney saw the tears slipping down her cheeks, and she grabbed her hand. “I’m sure she loved you, and that’s the only reason she was in that life.”
“I wish I could believe that. The truth is, she just didn’t know how to be normal. She couldn’t accept living average. She was always looking for the next big thing. Her appetite was greedy.” Chloe paused for a second before going on. “Look, I’m not downing her. She took care of me. I just wish she could have appreciated the person she was instead of letting that world she was in change her.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, how did she die?”
“I was off at school when she disappeared. She sent me money, and I got calls, but one day they stopped. When I got back to where we were from, three years ago, I found out she was dead. My mom had her buried and didn’t even call me. I had to find out from one of her old associates.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah. After that, he promised to help me, to look after me. I should have known he was up to something, but before I could get my head straight, I was already in too deep. By the time I knew what he was, who he was, I was already pregnant, and he had control over my life. I had never been a person to be controlled that way, but I couldn’t fight him. He was just too strong.”
“How did you break away?” Whitney was actually anticipating the answer. After having had her own experiences with men like that, she was anxious to hear how she got out.
“I met someone.” A smile graced Whitney’s lips, and Chloe quickly threw her hands up in protest. “No, not like that. Not a man, just a really good friend. She pulled me out of it all and gave me a fresh start, here.”
Now Whitney was confused. She thought her family was the only people Chloe knew in town. “How?”
“She bought me a plane ticket to here and set me up with an apartment. The job I have, she told me to apply for it. She said the owner was nice.”
Whitney realized whoever this person she was might be someone she knew. She had a job at Gina’s, and Gina’s had been a place all of her family frequented for as long as she could remember. Gina’s was small and most of the people in their business circle probably never heard of it, but her dad discovered it when she was a child. She remembered it fondly, one of the few memories she had of being home. “Chloe, this woman who helped you, who is she?”
“I really shouldn’t . . . Well, it’s just that she seemed to be outrunning her own demons when she reached out to me. I’m not sure if I should be talking about her business.”
Finding it a bit odd, Whitney just decided to drop it. She had gotten more out of the girl than she ever thought she would, and she now understood why her aunt cared. The honesty she gave about her life before meeting them was refreshing.
As they pulled up to her complex, Chloe rolled herself out of the passenger side and looked down, offering Whitney a gentle smile. “Thanks for the ride”—she looked toward her building and turned back—“and the talk. It made me feel better to be able to share that with someone.”
Whitney smiled, and when her phone rang, both girls looked down to see the screen. When Whitney looked up, the smile on Chloe’s face had disappeared, and she was backing away from the car. Whitney opened the door and called out to Chloe, and she froze her steps without turning around.
“Hey, what just happened there?”
“I just remembered I have to go. Thanks again.” She still didn’t turn around, and Whitney was puzzled.
“Hey, Chloe, what’s your child’s father’s name?”
Chloe had started walking again, and when she heard the question, she stopped suddenly. “Why?”
“Just curious. I don’t know, it kind of seemed like we were bonding and I just wanted to know. It’s not a big deal, and if you don’t want to tell me, I understand.”
“Will. His name is Will, but I have to go. Thanks for the ride. I’ll see you soon.” Chloe hurried through the archway that led to her steps, and Whitney sat back in her car with questions swimming around in her head. She felt like she knew more about this girl than she first thought. It was almost as if they were the same person, minus the baby, of course. Something about her story drew her in and she wasn’t sure how. Putting her car in drive, she looked back over to the phone she had previously ignored, and she sighed. Why her life had to be so complicated, she would never understand. She picked up the phone and dialed the number back. Something clicked in her head, and she gasped, not thinking it could be a coincidence.
“We need to talk,” she said into the phone.
“That we do. Get over here now,” the voice responded before the phone clicked off.
Driving her car in the direction of her parents’ house, she felt sweat beads arise on her face. She knew this wasn’t going to be pleasant. She knew because she had so many questions that needed answers. She had so many theories running through her mind, and none of them made sense.
* * *
“Seriously, you gotta be kidding me. Nothing?”
“Nothing.” Terence shook his head as Miguel poured himself another drink.
“I swear I expected something. At least a charge for disturbing the peace for as annoying as his ass is. So you’re telling me there is nothing on Jake’s record? Not even a parking ticket?”
“Not even a parking ticket.”
“Damn, so dude really is on the up-and-up? I wanted to hate him and to be able to convince Tyree to keep Mia away from him. Guess I need to just let it go, huh?”
“Seems to be that way. Look I don’t like him being around any more than you do, but maybe we just need to learn to deal with it. I mean, they all seem to be getting along fine, and he hasn’t tried anything crazy since that day at the office, and I think that was only because he was out of it about his brother.”
Miguel was silent before nodding. “Yeah, I guess I’m just trying to make up for last time. I had no idea things were getting as bad as they were until I found her passed out in the bed. It still freaks me out that I let her lie there so long before I did anything. They said any longer and she wouldn’t have made it.”
“I don’t think any of us knew. Asha blamed herself for the longest time because she said she should have seen it coming. After the abortion and the . . . the rape, Mia just went into this isolation. Asha tried, but she wouldn’t let her in. I guess with Jake’s loss, they just bonded.”
“I still feel like it should have been us she confided in. We’re family.”
“You know, she didn’t tell Tyree what happened until recently, and I guess after he knew, it was okay for the rest of us. Asha only found out because she found her in the shower the night it happened. She wouldn’t talk to her about it, she only opened up to her when she made the appointment for the abortion. Asha thought she was getting rid of Tyree’s baby and confronted her, and she had no choice but to come clean. To this day, Asha never told a soul what she knew, not even me.”
&nbs
p; “That’s a hell of a secret for little sis to keep.”
“You know her. She’s loyal to a fault. It’s what we all love about her. She’s always been that to all of us.”
“Yeah.” Miguel smiled. “I guess I understand. They weren’t her secrets to tell. At least Mia finally told Ty. I swear, keeping the little I did know from him felt dishonest. Me and my bro don’t have secrets like that, and I was starting to feel bad.”
“Me too. I mean, I didn’t know much, but I could see him struggling with everything, and I had to keep my mouth shut.”
“Well, at least that’s over, and I guess I have to get over this Jake stuff.”
“Yeah. So, what’s up with you? Anything new?”
Miguel laughed and shook his head. “No, after Mia came over and ran the last chick off, I’ve been lying low. It’s too much work learning new names every night.”
“What’d you say to that girl? I got half the story, but Mia wasn’t sure what all you said.”
“Man,” Miguel huffed, “don’t make me go through this again. It wasn’t my finest moment. I went off, and I’m sure she didn’t really deserve it, or maybe she did. Hell, I really don’t know.”
“Well, she pissed Mia off, so whatever you said to her was probably warranted.”
Miguel stood with his signature smirk and sighed. “Fine. I heard when she told Mia I didn’t want to see her, and I hit the roof. I mean, who the hell was she to be speaking to my family like that?”
“So you said what?” Terence was smiling like a mindless idiot, and Miguel rolled his eyes.
“Look, I threw three hundred dollars at her and told her to get her shit and leave because her services were no longer needed. She started crying, and I told her to stop acting like she was anything more than an average piece of ass.”
“Damn, now that’s cold. Bro, do you seriously practice being an asshole or does it come naturally?”
“It’s all natural over here,” he chuckled. “But seriously, after I got over my hangover, I did feel bad. I wanted to apologize, but I didn’t even know her name.” He shrugged. “Oh, well.”
“Dude, how do you sleep with a girl and not know her name?”
“Easy,” he chuckled. “You know we never had problems in the ‘getting ass’ department. You and Ty got all settled on me and left me to handle all these women by myself.”
“Well, you can’t play forever. Have to grow up sometime.”
“Yeah.” He looked off sadly. “You know I see her sometimes.”
“Who?”
“Janelle. Sometimes, when I’m doing something I know is stupid, I see her face. When I do, I feel like maybe she would be ashamed of who I’ve become. I just feel like every day I keep going like this, I’m letting her down.”
Terence poured himself a drink and took a seat next to Miguel. “She knew who you were and she still loved you. We could apologize for every little thing we do, but then where would that get us? We have to own up to our shit, but we also have to take them as learning experiences.”
“I don’t know, maybe if I were”—he paused with a serious look on his face—“nicer, maybe I would have a wife and kids.” They both stared at each other before breaking into a fit of laughter.
“Bro, the woman who comes along and tames you is going to have to be a hell of a woman.”
“Yeah, she has big shoes to fill. My baby had skills.”
“That she did.” He nodded, knowing no woman handled Miguel like Janelle did.
Chapter Twenty-three
“Thanks again for coming with me.” Chloe smiled back at Mia as she stared at the monitor. They were at one of Chloe’s appointments, and Mia was just as excited as Chloe was. They had been there for twenty minutes waiting for her doctor to arrive in the room. Today would be the first time Mia got to see Chloe’s son up close.
“It’s no problem. I’m ready to see him.”
Mia felt a wave of sadness wash over her, and then she looked to see Chloe grab her hand. “I know this has to be hard, you having trouble getting pregnant, I mean. Well, at least you will have your godchild to keep you busy.”
Mia’s head snapped up, and she saw the incredible grin spreading across Chloe’s face. “What? Really?”
“Yeah. I want you and Ty to be his godparents. I hope that’s okay.”
“Of course it is, sweetie.” Mia touched her face. “Ty is going to be thrilled, and I’m so honored. Why us?”
“You’re the only people looking out for us, and I thank you so much.”
Mia felt tears slipping down her cheeks and went to brush them away. “This is amazing.” Just as she went to hug Chloe, her doctor walked in, giving them both a huge grin.
“Well, hello. I don’t think we’ve met.” She extended her hand to Mia.
“Hi, I’m Mia. I was just coming to check up on these two.”
“Well, I think that’s great. Chloe was telling me she didn’t have family in town.”
“She does now.” Mia watched as the tears swelled in Chloe’s eyes. She grabbed the young girl’s hand. She couldn’t imagine going through this alone. Even though she was young when she got pregnant with Kyan, at least she had Tyree. She had Tyree, and she had her family. Everyone was great during that time, everyone except Richmond.
Richmond loved Tyree before he knew they were dating. He seemed to like him more than his own children, but when he found out they were together, his whole attitude changed. After discovering Tyree and Mia’s relationship, Richmond tried everything in his power to end it, including trying to blackmail Tyree. Mia had only recently heard everything her father had said to Tyree, and it made her hate him even more than she already did. She knew they were young, but she also knew, even back then, that he was the one. For her father to stand in the way of that was unforgivable. She never got past it. She never would.
Looking down at Chloe, she saw the anticipation in her eyes and grinned. When the doctor spread the cool gel on her stomach, Chloe gripped Mia’s hand tighter. “I never like this part,” she chuckled nervously.
“It’s okay. Squeeze as hard as you need to,” Mia reassured her. They both watched quietly as the doctor slid the probe over Chloe’s stomach and sighed. Mia didn’t like the sounds she made as she looked at the monitor. “Is something wrong?”
“Hmmh, he seems to be a stubborn one today. I can’t get him to turn around.” She pressed a little harder and looked up at Chloe. “That doesn’t hurt, does it?”
“No. Is the baby okay?” Chloe asked nervously.
She moved the probe over and lit up with a huge smile. “Well, I don’t believe this.”
“What?” both Chloe and Mia asked quickly.
“We commented on your weight gain, and I was concerned until now.”
“Why? You said I gained too much weight.”
“You did, for just one baby. Good thing you’re having twins.”
“Twins?”
“Yes, a girl and a boy, see?” She pointed at the screen. “We couldn’t see her because she was always hiding behind him, but now she’s where we can see her.” She turned it around for Mia to get a good look.
“Twins?” Chloe asked frantically. “How could we not have seen her? Is she going to be okay? I mean, how did we go eight months without knowing I was having two?”
“We heard two heartbeats, and I always assumed it was yours and your son’s. It’s not common, but it’s happened before. Based on your labs and from what I can see here, I think she will be just fine. There is no need to worry.”
Tears streaked Chloe’s cheeks. “I can’t do this. I can’t take care of two kids. It was going to be hard enough with just him, but now . . . I can’t.”
Placing a hand to her cheek, Mia wiped the tears away and bent down to give the fragile girl a kiss on the forehead. “You can do this.”
“I can’t.” She shook her head, and Mia’s smile deepened.
“You can. You can do this, and you will be great. Do you know why?”
“Why?”
“Because I got you. We got you. Do you think me and Ty did it alone?” Chloe shrugged. “Hell no. We had our families. I was scared of Kyan when he was first born. He was so little, and I was just a kid myself. I was only twenty-one when I had him, and I didn’t know a thing about babies. Karen taught me how to hold him and helped me so much. So you see, none of us are perfect, but as long as you have help, you can do it. You have help. Never think you don’t.”
“I can’t ask you to do that.”
“Then don’t, but I’m not going anywhere.”
“You’re such a good person. I don’t know how I ever got so lucky. You know, you remind me of someone I met before I moved here.”
Mia let her laughter fill the room while the doctor concluded the exam and gave Chloe more instructions. When Chloe was getting dressed, Mia stepped outside and fished out her phone to call Tyree to tell him the news. Before she could do so, her mind began to wander back to what Chloe said about meeting someone like her before. She was curious because Chloe rarely talked about who or what she was before they met.
She was standing outside the room, in her thoughts, when she heard the door creak open. She saw Chloe step out and smiled. “Ready to go?”
“Yeah.” They walked to the car, and both were quiet until they strapped in. Before she put her car in reverse, Mia turned to Chloe and asked a question that was floating around in her head. “When you said I reminded you of someone, who was she? I was just sitting here, and I realized I don’t know much about your life. I know it’s selfish that I never asked, but I just assumed it wasn’t a pleasant subject for you.” She looked up to see the horror on Chloe’s face and put her hands up in protest. “I know I’m rambling, but I’m here if you ever want to talk about it.”
“I know you are, and I appreciate you respecting my privacy, but I didn’t say much because I didn’t want you guys to think less of me because of where I came from. My life isn’t as glamorous as yours.”
