Haywood Millionaire Series: Box Set Books 1-5

by Zi'ere

  “Good morning Maria. I will be having breakfast in my room this morning. Also can you please bring me some aspirin and a coke with ice in addition to my food please?”

  After Maria confirmed my menu, we hung up. A few minutes later there were three taps on the door.

  I know she isn’t that fast!

  “Come in”

  The knob turned, the door slowly swung open, but instead of Maria walking into the room- D crawled in. I could only cry laughing heartily at my big bro completing our universal sign we were too hung-over to reach normal altitudes. Darrell had on a black Jordan t-shirt and black & red basketball shorts, with black footie socks and Gucci shades on his eyes. Laughing was using too much energy and my stomach started to turn so I abruptly shut my mouth and resumed my position back on the ten pillows behind me.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever been this hung-over, man I have been on my knees ever since we got here.“

  “Ohhh, don’t even bring that talk in here” I moaned.

  D made his way over to the bed picked up the remote and grabbed a few pillows, settling down on the floor beside me.

  “Do you need anything? I just called Maria about breakfast.”

  “No, I called her before I left my room.” D settled on Sports Center and our stomachs began to make music together.

  The door inched open a little more and John crawled into the room. D and I began to laugh again. John was dressed like D except he was in all white and he had on his Cartier transition glasses which turned into shades as he entered my sunny room.

  “Damn Baby, how can you stand all that sun right now?” John asked.

  “I know right, that’s why I came prepared” D countered.

  “Mmmmm, leave me be! Ya’ll coulda stayed in your own rooms instead of coming in here complaining!”

  There was no way I could raise my voice so my words came out in an even monotone. It was all I could muster. John settled on the chaise lounge in front of the bay window, covered himself with a throw blanket and focused on the tv without another word. I could hear Maria rolling the food cart down the hall so I began to sit up in anticipation of accepting my food. She stopped just outside the door and crossed the white carpeted floor with two covered plates. Maria completed three different trips to the cart before she acknowledged John covered up on the chaise.

  “Oh there you are Senor John, what would you like for breakfast?”

  We all waited for what seemed like several minutes for John to answer Maria, but it never came.

  “Maria he’s asleep.”

  She and I exchanged knowing glances; John was going to be pissed when he realized he slept through breakfast. Carlos walked into the room and plopped down onto the bed beside me. I refused to speak to him, after massive partying he was always the only one not suffering the next day. Carlos’ profession was everything food and the elements that made it art. I knew without asking that Carlos had already eaten and it was nothing like the big breakfast everyone else would have. Everyone, except Terrell was present and accounted for in my bedroom chilling, sleeping, or watching tv. Terrell was mean as a rattlesnake when he didn’t feel one hundred percent. There was no way we could pull him out of his own bed covered in darkness to join us in the sunshine even if we wanted to be bothered with his mood. The ending result was to always let Terrell resurface in his own time.

  “Maria, could you fix John cheese grits, scrambled eggs, sausage links, plain toast, and a sprite please? You can bring it back in here when it’s ready. I will get him up while you do that.”

  “Si Senora Stephanie.”

  “Thank you.”

  After I downed my pancake themed breakfast I absentmindedly crouched down under the covers. When I woke up it was a little after noon. My guests were still in the same spot they had been hours prior. John’s empty plate sat on the end table closest to him but he remained wrapped up snugly in the blanket. I got out of bed to grab the remote and turned to a tv music station, settling on smooth jazz. Making my way into the bathroom I gently nudged all of my sleeping hunks, bringing them out of their slumber. When I returned to the room Terrell had joined the others.

  “Mom and dad want us over to have lunch. Be ready in thirty minutes.”

  “Ok.”

  20

  All of the boys left my room closing the door behind them. I made my way into my closet to pick out something suitable for a lunch date with my parents and a shopping trip with John. I picked out a sweat suit and Nike Shox to match. There was no telling what kind of shopping spree John would have us on today, so I decided to dress for comfort. By the time I had finished bumping my hair with the flat iron I could hear that the guys had all gathered waiting on me. While I changed purses from the small clutch to a big tote, I got another glance at my stunning engagement rings. My thoughts immediately landed upon Ced. I closed my eyes savoring the feel of the passion we shared the night before.

  After a few moments, I regained the composure needed to make it out the door and I hopped into Darrell’s Cadillac Escalade XLT truck with the assistance of John. Thirty minutes later we pulled into the circular driveway at our parent’s mini-mansion. My mother was standing at the side door to greet us as we piled out of the truck one by one. The wait staff at the house had lunch piping hot and ready for us to eat as soon as we arrived. After grace was said by my dad, we ate heartily on a delicious spread prepared by Chef.

  “What do you guys have planned for today?” Daddy asked.

  “We are heading out to the Arizona Mills mall in Tempe so we can do a little damage at Saks” John offered.

  “Would you guys like to go with us?” I added. “Mom, maybe we can find gowns for the Black & White Ball?”

  My mom, sat back in her seat to ponder my suggestion. “Greg do you mind going with us?” Knowing full well my dad wanted to be anywhere my mother wanted to be, we all knew his answer.

  “Yes, let’s make a family day out of it. Baby Steph call Angel to see if she & the kids would like to get out the house today.”

  “Dad, I would really like it if we could have this day as a family. It’s been a while since we’ve been on the road just us Haywood’s.” Darrell countered quite forcefully.

  “Darrell, you know that Angel is a Haywood as well. Not by blood of course but in every other way that matters.”

  I took new interest into eating my salad, having nothing valuable to add to the conversation. I knew Angel would rather set her hair on fire than to be out with me right now. Just then a call came through on my phone. I excused myself from the table and walked into the sitting room to take Ced’s call:

  Ced: “Good morning, beautiful”

  Steph: “Morning? Try afternoon-”

  Ced: “You’re right, you’re right. Can I see my fiance’ today?”

  Steph: “Sorry, we are all getting ready to head to Tempe to go shopping. Even the parentals are going.”

  Ced: “That’s what’s up. I dig that about your family. I want that same bond with my kids when they are all grown up.”

  Steph: “Outsiders usually find us overwhelming, you know.”

  Ced: “Yea, there are a lot of you Haywood’s. Ya’ll are something like a basketball team.”

  Steph: “Hey, watch it!”

  Ced: “I’m trying to get my contract straight so I can be on the team too. What’s four more added to the team’s gonna hurt?”

  Steph: “My mom would love to have you guys. She’s been begging for grandkids.”

  Ced: “I can take care of that for her, no problem straight out the gate. She’s going to have to settle for those until the official one is done baking in the oven.”

  Steph: “I bet you can take care of that for her.”

  I heard footsteps getting closer to me.

  Steph: “Can we finish this lovely conversation another time? I got up from the table to answer your call.”

  Ced: “Oh, okay just shut me down with the quickness huh? You get all my loving last night and act like you d
on’t love me when the sun comes up.”

  Steph: “It’s not like that at all, don’t be like that.”

  We said our sweet goodbyes and I returned to the table. I felt as if my oxygen had been cut off. The walls were definitely closing in on me. I had accepted Ced’s proposal and I knew I no longer had any excuse to leave him in the shadows. I had to come clean before someone else backed me into a corner. Since everyone was present at the table, should I tell them now? No. An announcement of this magnitude would definitely ruin the whole weekend. Or, everyone would be totally fine and it turns out to be the best weekend ever. Yea, right. So much for that idea, heads were going to roll in the big house and Ced wasn’t here to stand beside me to endure it.

  “Baby, why are you looking like that? Is everything okay? Is there something going on at the office?” Terrell drilled me.

  “Can I answer the first question before you ask another?” I snapped.

  “What’s wrong baby?” Darrell added.

  “Nothing is wrong! Why must ya’ll do that to me at every turn?” I screamed way louder than I intended to.

  Before I knew it a single tear fell from my left eye. I bolted from the table making a bee line for the nearest bathroom. Ced had my head messed up. No matter when I talked to him or saw him, where we were, who was around- he always made it a point to let me know that I would be his wife. To make matters worse, I could very well see myself happy with him as my husband. I accepted his proposal because I really did accept him for everything he was and wasn’t. Only thing is, I would be a widow if I married him because my dad’s would kill him. A street life, already has 3 kids, baby mama on deck, no college degree- the Haywood men wouldn’t stand for that.

  As I splashed water on my face I could hear my dad verbally lashing my brothers for making me cry. I couldn’t help but look into the mirror at the smile on my lips hearing a chorus of “no sir” and “yes sir”. My victory would be short lived and I could feel it. My mother tapped on the door lightly.

  “Baby, let me in” her voice was so angelic.

  “Ma I will be out in one second. I’m okay, I promise.”

  “Baby Steph, that tear was not one of joy. I just need to look into your eyes, open the door please.”

  I had no choice but to unlock the door, open it, & walk into my mother’s open arms. She held me close as she guided me into her bedroom. We sat on the settee at the foot of her bed.

  “Baby, what’s his name?”

  “Huh mama what are you talking about?” I tried my best to fake ignorance.

  “Honey, only a woman in love can have a change of mood like you did at my dining room table. You were fine until you got that message on your phone. Now tell me who he is.”

  “Mama, I fell for the wrong man. Now, the more I push him away the more he pulls closer to me. My dad’s would kill him if they found out he had even asked for my number. I do not want to disappoint them but I’m in love.”

  “Love is blind Stephanie. We don’t pick and choose who we want to love. Your heart is not going to follow directions from your brain. The heart wants what it wants and your heart wants this man.”

  “But,-”

  “Don’t but me Stephanie Anna Marie Haywood! If it’s meant to be the devil in hell couldn’t pry him from your heart. Your dad’s mean the best but one thing is for sure- if he runs from them, he isn’t the one. If he stands his ground and professes true feelings for you- he’s the one and your daddies will have to respect that.”

  “Ma, he’s already asked me to marry him and I said yes. Every last one of those men in there are going to go to jail!”

  My mother covered her mouth to stifle a giggle. “One of my babies is about to get married! I could have a grandbaby this time next year! God is good!”

  “There’s more ma, you will inherit three grandchildren automatically. He’s already a father. I don’t know what I’m going to do. I’m not a widow if my husband to be is killed before the wedding takes place.” I confessed looking into my mother’s eyes.

  My mother still looked good in her age especially having birth 5 kids to a giant like my dad. There was no wiping this knowing smile off her face. There was no way to get rid of the twinkle in her hazel eyes. She was getting her son-in-law and her grandbabies! Nobody was going to mess that up for her, not even her husband and certainly not her sons!

  “I can’t believe you’ve accepted a marriage proposal and I have never laid eyes on this man! If I wasn’t so excited, I might be mad about this!”

  “He’s not a complete stranger Mama. You have seen him before. You might not know his name, but you’ve definitely seen him.” I decided to let the conversation die on that note.

  I was already engaged, I could see the wheels turning in my mom’s mind already. The meet and greet was officially out of my control.

  “Oh, I’m so happy! There is so much that has to be done. You know we really don’t have time for a shopping trip today, we’ve got things to do if I’m going to have you married this year!”

  “This year? Whoa, whoa, whoa- we don’t want to put the horsy before the buggy. I have to first attend his funeral before we can get married, Mama there may very well be no wedding.”

  “Stephanie Anna Marie Haywood, I’m going to give you the weekend and let’s be clear, I’m speaking of this weekend to tell your daddies about your engagement before I handle it my way.”

  “But, ma-“

  My mama placed her pointer finger on my top lip, silencing me then kissed me on the forehead and told me she loved me. She then slipped into her massive closet without another word. The judge and the jury had come to a conclusion about my fate. There was no turning back. As my mother began to get dressed for the shopping trip so I decided to walk outside.

  21

  I bumped into the men fiddling around in the truck. My daddy halted assisting the boys secure another row of seats in the Escalade and rushed to me. He kissed me on the top of my head and apologized for my tears. All I could do was smile & express my love for him. I assured them all that I really was okay. As if on cue my mom appeared, stating we should get on the road, calling shotgun in a high pitched squeal. Carlos helped my mom into the front seat while Darrell assisted me in getting to the 3rd row where he sat with me. Terrell started the truck, immediately switching cd’s in the disc changer to jazz. My dad, Carlos, & John got comfortable on the 2nd row.

  Normal familial chatter filled the truck comfortably on top of the music playing softly in the background. Besides my brothers being overly protective & possessive towards me, we all really did get along. Five minutes into the drive I noticed Darrell in a texting conversation on his cell phone that was just as consuming as the conversation I was having on mine.

  “D, what’s her name?” I couldn’t stand it another second.

  If there was someone special in his life I wanted to know.

  “Baby, this is not a social conversation. I wanted to check on the sale going on in Phoenix” he let out nonchalantly.

  Little did he know it was impossible for him to lie to me. I gave him a sideways stare, faking believing the lie.

  “How’s it going so far? It’s still pretty early in the day.”

  “Everything is going good so far. You know I like to stay as involved as I can.”

  “Yea.”

  The man was lying to me with a straight face! I decided to drop the topic for now, contemplating my next move to figure out who he was texting. Before long we were pulling up to the Arizona Mills mall entrance. After my mother was helped down out of the truck my daddy offered a black Amex card to both me & my mom. Instead of accepting mine, I rammed my fists into my jacket.

  “Daddy, I don’t need money for anything. I’m not even really shopping. I’m going to browse gowns and that’s basically it.”

  “Dad, Baby just got her allowance the day before yesterday and I know good and well she is not hurting for cash right now!” Terrell stated.

  “Son, I don’t remember asking
you when Baby received what. It’s this same attitude of yours that made her cry at my table earlier. I don’t know how many times I have to tell you- Baby is my baby! I don’t need to be coached nor ask permission for anything! What you give her has no bearing on what I want her to have! No man can change what I do for my little girl!” Daddy was at his limit with Terrell.

  Not one of us connected eyes in the direction of Daddy standing toe-to-toe with his eldest son.

  “Yes sir, I understand” Terrell managed.

  “Now as I was saying, Baby Steph this is your card I’m giving you. I did not ask you if you needed anything or what you were planning on purchasing today. This is not up for discussion or the debate, take the card.”

  “Yes sir” I accepted the card and secured it in my wallet.

  “Now let’s go spend some money!” My daddy wasn’t a typical man at all.

  Whereas some men complained about the amount of money his wife spent or about the kids being spoiled- not my dad. He complained that we weren’t spending enough. He had to have everything name brand, exclusive labels only. For instance, the card he just handed me brought my total number of black cards to 3- all with no credit limits. I didn’t have any children, my home was paid for, I had no debt…I couldn’t understand why I needed all that. Maybe I was afraid I would end up like Angel? I couldn’t help but whence at the pain of no longer having a best friend. Once inside the mall, I secretly wanted to go out on my own exploring so I could think. No such luck with men who had nothing better to do than to be at the women’s beck and call.

  Ugh, these grown men needed other women in their lives!