“Home is just fine,” Tammy answered with a wave of her hand. “Thanks for the offer but we want to get settled in. I’ll run out later to buy a few groceries.”
Pulling up to Tammy’s home, Raegan shifted into park and got out of the car. She pressed the button to push her seat forward in an effort to help Joshua untangle himself and exit the cramped car. She popped the trunk so that Joshua could get their bags and went around to the passenger side and embraced her friend. Tammy whispered in her ear, “We need to talk soon. Take care of yourself.”
Raegan nodded before giving Tammy one final squeeze. Tammy broke the embrace, gave Raegan’s hand a reassuring tug, linked her hands in Joshua’s and led him into the house as quickly as possible to avoid any unwanted attention from her neighbors.
CHAPTER 5
Raegan’s appointment to have the DNA test was in two days and it loomed over her head, especially since she had yet to gather what she needed from Caleb. Because he wasn’t on board with having the test done, she planned to test him without his knowledge. He saw no use for such a test since he agreed to raise the baby as his own and marry her. In his mind, she was only further complicating things by getting the DNA test.
She walked around the kitchen island, tapping her chin with her forefinger in deep thought. The best she could come up with was either a soda can or his toothbrush, neither of which he left hanging around. Her thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of her doorbell.
Gliding across the cold floor with bare feet, she flung open the door, embraced Caleb and invited him. Then she ran to put on her ballet slippers and give herself a pep talk to go through with getting what she needed from him, without his agreement.
“Come right on in,” she said over her shoulder as she rushed into the bedroom, but not before taking a detour to run into the kitchen, putting the paternity test literature away into the top drawer of the island. She was sure that would change the mood between them in the blink of an eye if Caleb saw it.
Calmly walking out of the master suite back into the living room, she grabbed Caleb’s jacket to hang in the closet. “So how has your day been so far?” She tiptoed to kiss him before walking away.
“Not bad. It’s been productive. Why are you running around here like a chicken with its head cut off?” Caleb asked as he sat down on the sofa. He was dressed in a crisp white shirt along with a red tie that exuded power and black slacks. Feeling around the cushions for the remote control, he loosened his tie and patted the seat next to him as Raegan walked back into the room.
“Just needed to get my slippers. See?” She flexed her foot around, showing off her footwear. “I didn’t realize just how cold the floor is until now.” Not to mention, she also needed to hide those documents without looking too suspicious.
“It smells good in here, by the way. What is that? Lemon-pepper chicken?”
“Something like that. You’ll see in about thirty minutes.” She sat next to him on the sofa and handed him the remote. “I think this is what you’re looking for.”
Caleb thanked her by leaning over to greet her with another kiss “I missed you, Cami,” he said, breaking the kiss, his face only about an inch or two away from hers. Relaxing, he put his arms around her and stared intently, trying to figure out what was up with her. He could sense something was going on, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.
“And I missed you. I always do.” Raegan was still preoccupied with thoughts of the paternity test, when suddenly what seemed like the perfect idea came to her. She would cook broccoli instead of green beans as a side dish, in an attempt to get Caleb to brush his teeth before leaving. Excited about her idea, she hopped off the couch, leaving Caleb to the television, and went into the kitchen to finish cooking. Just in case the toothbrush idea didn’t work, her backup plan was the soda can.
After steaming the broccoli in the microwave, their meal was now complete: baked chicken, broccoli, brown rice, and crescent rolls. As Raegan prepared the plates, Caleb eased behind her and planted a kiss on her collarbone. He got a whiff of her perfume. She was wearing a scent called The One; from his perspective, she was definitely that. “May I help you with anything?” he asked and nuzzled his face against her neck once more to revel in her scent.
“Sure, pour me a glass of water and help yourself to a can of soda if you like,” she said, peering over her shoulder at him, hoping that he would go for the soda can. Caleb stepped away from her and did as she asked. “Thanks, babe.” Raegan set the table, took a seat and waited for him to join her.
Caleb prayed, “Heavenly Father, thank you for allowing me to share time and space with this beautiful woman. Please bless her immeasurably and give her peace beyond her understanding. Thank you for this food and for the cook. In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.” Raegan also said “Amen” in agreement.
After prayer, he opened the soda can and took a sip before taking a bite of food. Success! she thought. She wasn’t sure if that was enough for the test, but she was definitely going to use that can.
Raegan now sported a huge smile. She was now able to get her test results and she didn’t have to force the situation. However, she was still planning to get him to use a toothbrush after dinner, as a back-up plan.
Raegan felt like a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She relaxed and enjoyed dinner with Caleb. She almost hated to get the test done because he was so excited about the baby; plans for the baby mostly consumed his conversation during dinner.
“I have a surprise for you,” he said after he ate his last bite of food.
“You know I love surprises–good surprises. What is it?” she asked, her eyes glowing, unable to contain her excitement. She put her fork down, not wanting to eat anything else, because all she could think about was this surprise he had for her.
Without saying a word, he got up from the table and went outside to his car. He returned with a huge Babies “R” Us bag. He had purchased a breast pump, diapers and baby toys.
“So where is my surprise again?” she joked, arms folded, beaming over the baby gifts.
“Well, I guess they’re for the benefit of the little person growing inside of you.” He squatted in front of her and rubbed her stomach. “I already know what you’re thinking and I don’t want to hear it. Forget all of your worries for once and live in the moment, my mommy-to-be. Just enjoy it, okay?” Caleb lavished her with kisses to her cheeks and lips. He was more than thrilled about the baby, not giving an ounce of thought to the fact that he might not be the biological father.
“I will. Thanks,” she muttered. Although she loved gifts, she was hoping that he wasn’t purchasing them under the pretense that the baby was his. She would not be able to bear the disappointment in his eyes if it weren’t so, although she was pretty sure that the baby was his. She just needed to validate her thoughts with the paternity test and then all would be well and she could move on.
“Hey, I need to brush my teeth.” Raegan sucked her teeth. She had to keep her plan in motion. “I have an extra toothbrush if you want to brush yours as well.”
“Okay, thanks.” He thought that was weird but decided to take Raegan up on her offer. How could he turn down an offer to freshen up? It wasn’t like he had a toothbrush lying around in his car. He placed the baby items back into the bag and carried them into Raegan’s bedroom, following her into the bathroom to brush his teeth.
Without saying a word, she reached under the sink and opened a new multi-package of toothbrushes. “Here you go,” she said, handing a toothbrush to him.
When Raegan began brushing her teeth, she had to step out of the bathroom. Standing next to him, watching his unknowing face in the mirror was too much for her. Somehow she felt that he could see right through her and if she stood there any longer, he would figure it all out. But she was so close to putting this all behind her, she had to keep going. She grabbed a small Ziploc bag for his toothbrush from the kitchen. She slid the plastic bag into the front pocket of her linen pants and
went back into the bathroom.
Finishing her routine with mouthwash and floss, she replaced her toothbrush and went back into the living room to wait for him.
“Ahh,” Caleb said, exhaling a long breath, as he walked toward Raegan to kiss her. “You know I can’t resist those beautiful lips now, right?” He leaned over her to plant a kiss on her lips. Immediately Raegan melted in his arms, but that moment was short-lived. She pulled away, not because she wanted to, but she remembered the plastic bag in her pocket. She didn’t want him to hear the rustle of the plastic and question her motives.
“Is everything okay?” Caleb looked concerned. It wasn’t like her to break away from a kiss so soon.
“Yep, couldn’t be better. I’m a little tired though. This baby is wearing me out, so I need to get some rest,” she consoled and then emphasized her exhaustion with a stretch and a rub to her stomach.
“You should get some rest. I’ll give you a call later,” he said, pulling her close and planting a kiss on her cheek before heading for the door. “I’ll let myself out. You just relax.” He walked her over to the recliner and helped her get comfortable, handing her a blanket and the remote control. With one more heart-melting kiss, he was gone, leaving behind the scent of his cologne.
The second Raegan heard his car door close and engine start, she hopped out of the recliner and ran into the kitchen to fish his soda can out of the trash, placing it into a Ziploc bag, and then headed into the bathroom to put his toothbrush in the Ziploc bag she had crumbled in her pocket. She was so engrossed in what she was doing that she didn’t hear Caleb come back into the house to get his jacket.
When she entered the living room, Caleb was standing in the middle of the floor putting his jacket on. Startled, she dropped both Ziploc bags and stifled a scream. “Hey, I didn’t mean to scare you, I just left my jacket in the clo—” he began, stopping mid-sentence when he saw the plastic bags hit the floor.
Walking over to her and picking the items off the floor, he held them up in the air. Confusion clouding his face and hurt evident in his eyes, he asked, “Cami, please tell me you’re not doing what I think you’re doing?”
CHAPTER 6
After vacuuming her home office like a madwoman, Tammy straightened the books on her six-foot contemporary cherry-oak bookshelf, filled with romance novels, devotionals and business leadership titles. Dressed in sweats with a silk hair scarf tied around her head, she frantically cleaned, dusted and wiped down windows. Her home was about to be presented on national television, and there was no way she would allow it to be anything less than perfect.
Instead of flying back to Boston, Tammy and Joshua decided that it would be best that Joshua make his NBA retirement announcement from Texas. Although far from the size of Joshua’s home in Boston, Tammy’s home had extra space that the crew could work with in order to make Joshua comfortable and the room presentable for live television.
“Sweetheart, are you sure you want all the cameras in your home like this? We could have easily done this back in Boston where we wouldn’t have to put you through all of this trouble, you know?” Joshua reminded her, wiping sweat from her brows.
Tammy nodded and flipped over his palm to kiss it. She reminded him that it was now they’re home and less stress on his heart if they kept things simple by having the press conference in Texas, without him needing to travel. She then rearranged the location of her L-shaped desk. “And this is keeping it simple?” he asked, taking both of her hands into his to keep her from moving the heavy furniture.
“Yep,” she stated as a matter of fact, slipping both hands out of his grasp and placing them on her hips. It only seemed like a matter of seconds before the doorbell rang with the camera crew. Although the press conference wasn’t set to begin for another four hours, the crew had already arrived. Joshua was also going to have a teleconference with his team before going live to announce his early retirement from the NBA.
Joshua left her to the cleaning and went to answer the door and welcome the crew. They walked in ready with their own set of props and screens to make things presentable the way they wanted. Joshua stepped to the side to allow the team inside the house. They entered the house with cameras, lights, chairs, tripods, and the works. One would think that they were about to shoot a movie and not a five- to ten-minute press conference.
Tammy entered the living room and watched in amazement as the slew of people entered the house with all of their equipment. “Maybe I underestimated this event a little bit?” she asked looking up at Joshua. “Does it really take all of this?” she whispered, standing on her tiptoes to get closer to his ears.
“Of course it does. Do you know who I am?” he joked. “Let’s head to your office. We’ve got work to do.”
These people really are professionals, Tammy thought. They were already halfway set up, adjusting the lighting and making sure everything would be just right for the next few hours. Do they really all have to wear black as well? she thought to herself in observation. This is interesting. She figured she would sit in a director’s chair or something and watch the conference like any other observer, but Joshua had a different idea.
“You should wear something else for the camera, sweetheart,” he leaned over and whispered into her ear as she stood watching the camera crew work their magic.
“What?” She glanced down at her T-shirt and sweatpants. She thought she looked fine for sitting behind the cameras. She did plan to take off the head scarf and slip into a pair of jeans but that was about it.
“Yeah. There is no way you’re not going to be by my side in all of this. I want you by my side in every way possible, as you have been the last couple of months, and this is definitely not the time for exceptions. Plus, I could really use your support,” he urged, squeezing her hand.
Trying to mask her excitement, Tammy left the room to find something appropriate to wear for national television. She didn’t think that she would be on camera but welcomed the opportunity to stand by Joshua. But now she was nervous. She wasn’t prepared for this.
As if he knew her thoughts, Joshua stepped out of the room and called out to her, “You don’t have to be nervous.” She briefly turned and smiled before walking into the bedroom to rummage through her closet.
When Tammy was just out of earshot, his phone rang. It was his coach. News reporters and journalists were already on the scene ready to cover his story. One of them was Kensi, a good friend to Tammy and Raegan’s best friend. Her covering his story meant a great deal to her career and she jumped at the opportunity. Her relationship to Tammy would help make her story better than anyone else’s since she was able to talk personally with him from time to time. Now, she only needed to ask a few more questions to complete her story.
The coach handed the phone to Kensi and she began asking questions and clarifying facts. She took a couple of minutes to run direct quotes by him before they would be printed. She was one of the best journalists in New York and she planned to make this story one that would open up more opportunities for her, not just in New York, but all over the country. He had been one of the most valuable players within the last ten years and it would be a huge milestone in her career to be able to cover his story. She was pretty sure her promotion was riding on this one piece.
Joshua kept watching the clock. He had never known time to move as fast as it did within the last hour. Nearly three hours had passed since the camera crew arrived, and it was now time for him to start the teleconference with his team. After getting pinned with his microphone and positioning himself as instructed by the camera crew, he slightly bowed his head in silent prayer for strength to get through the rest of the day. As he lifted his head, Tammy walked into the room dressed in an elegant hunter green sheath dress and a pair of black pumps. She had pinned her hair into a bun with a pearl-laced pin sticking out of it. Her necklace and earrings were also adorned with pearls. She moved to his side and helped him adjust his lapel mic and tie before the cameras turned on. She too
k a seat next to him, gave him a loving smile, took a deep breath and turned to face the world.
Joshua nodded to the director to signal that he was ready. Immediately, they were able to see the basketball team on the screen. A smile spread across his face as he watched his teammates cheer and toss signs in the air that screamed, “Good Luck,” “Get Well,” “Boston will miss you,” and “Stay strong.”
“Josh! How are you feeling? How is Texas treating you?” the coach asked.
Shifting slightly in his seat, he answered, “I’m doing well, Coach, feeling much better these days.” He glanced over at Tammy and smiled.
“We’re all glad to hear that.” His tone became more serious as he said, “We want you to take care of yourself and not worry about the game. You had a great career and were truly an asset to our team. Come visit us whenever you’re ready. Remember that your health is more important than your career.” He paused. “Take a look at this.”
Now flashing across the screen were Joshua’s career highlights over the length of his career. Tammy was amazed at how much she’d missed and just how great of a player he really was. She glanced away from the screen to look at him. Noticing that his eyes were glistening, she took a handkerchief and dabbed at his eyes and mouthed, “It’s okay.”
After the screening finished, the coach and team appeared on the screen again. “Those were some great times. That is our tribute to you. Whatever is next for you, I’m certain that you’ll do well,” the coach said.
Other teammates chimed in with encouraging words when the coach finished. Joshua was touched by the amount of love and support he was receiving from both Tammy and the team. He was now becoming more excited about the next chapter of his life, especially with Tammy by his side. The screen went off and the makeup crew wiped the perspiration from his forehead, touched up Tammy’s make-up, and prepped them for the next phase of the airing—the press conference. It was now time for Joshua to make his official statement.
Through Thick & Thin Page 3
