In short, she had her own little circle of drama lingering over her head.
It must be doing wonders for her, Helena thought bitterly, as she hefted her body from the sofa to help Brandy
“It’s alright, Helena, honestly. I have it.” Brandy dropped her bag near the door before sinking into an armchair in the foyer.
Sighing, Helena knelt next to the woman she considered her sister, taking Brandy’s hands between her own. “Brandy, really. You’re running yourself ragged. You need to rest.”
The blonde woman let her head fall back against the rear of the armchair, exhaling a heavy breath. “How can I relax when my little brother might be convicted for a crime that he didn’t commit? He might…he might be the only family I have left.”
Helena’s heart twisted.
She was partially to blame for this. Brandy had abandoned her family – her husband – all she knew, for her sense of loyalty to Xavier. As much as she attested that she wanted to help them, Helena knew that she must be going through a great deal of pain.
“Brandy, I’m sorry.” Helena whispered, biting her lip. There went those damn tears again. After her mother had been put away, the young woman had promised herself that she wouldn’t waste so much time crying when she had so much to live for. But, she couldn’t help it. She couldn’t stand seeing the people she loved in pain. “I’m so sorry.”
Brandy looked down at her incredulously. “Helena, what are you talking about?”
“If I hadn’t…if Xavier and I had been more informed…if we hadn’t been so callous and moved that money...you wouldn’t be in this situation. You and Hank would still be together and this wouldn’t even be an issue.”
Brandy sat up straight, her expression intense. “Helena, don’t you start. Don’t you dare. None of this is your fault. I chose to come because I love Xavier and I love you. What my parents have done is wrong. I’ve accepted their authority my entire life.” She shook her head slowly. “It had to stop some time.”
Still, Helena felt guilty. Brandy was one of the first real friends she’d ever had, aside from Magda, her college roommate. Though things might not directly be her fault, she still hated the thought of Brandy and Hank being separated because Brandy had sided with them.
“Quite right.” Susan suddenly interjected, drawing both of their attention to her. “None of this is Helena’s fault, nor is any of it your fault, Brandy, from what I’ve heard.” The older woman’s expression became suddenly severe. “I cannot stand when parents try to control the lives of their children, only to their detriment. You were right to escape that situation. Both for yourself…and for your child.”
With that said, she leaned down to place a hand across Brandy’s shoulder before her frown returned. “You, my dear, have a fever. When’s the last time you saw a prenatal doctor?”
Sighing, Brandy waved her away gently. “I haven’t had the time…and my insurance went with everything else my parents took from me.”
“Well, luckily for you, your family has a personal physician.” Before Brandy could protest, Susan had taken her hand to lead her over to couch where Helena had recently reclined. Brandy tried to tell Dr. Forge that she was fine, but Helena smiled as Susan shushed her and began examining her.
The only thing Brandy could do, ultimately, was grumble about how she was going to pay Susan for her services as the doctor resolutely ignored her. Susan went about her business, casting the blonde woman a small smile and apologizing when she took a blood sample. After taking her blood pressure, testing her vision and heart rate as well as the baby’s, and asking her a series of questions, the Doctor pronounced herself displeased.
“It’s just like Helena says. You’ve been running yourself ragged.” Susan sighed. “You need to make sure you eat three square meals a day and get plenty of sleep every night. You can’t forget that your body has another occupant now. If you neglect your health, Brandy, you neglect your baby’s health.”
Brandy opened her mouth as if to protest before closing it. Then, she sat up from the couch to envelop Susan in an unexpected hug. “Thank you.” She whispered softly to the elder woman, and Helena could hear that she was on the edge of tears. Susan shushed her, giving her a bottle of prenatal vitamins with instructions to take two a day. Then, giving both Brandy and Helena a final hug, she took her leave.
Both women were silent for the moment it took for Helena to come and join Brandy on the couch. The younger woman watched over her sleeping son, thinking about how her entire life had changed the moment she’d heard his first cries. She knew how much Brandy must love her unborn child…and how much its safety must mean to her.
“Susan really is a gem.” Brandy finally murmured, rubbing a hand absently over the small swell of her stomach. “She’s amazing.”
“I owe my career, my life, and Isaiah’s life to her.” Helena smiled in gratitude. “I’ll never be able to thank her enough.” She trailed off, looking over Brandy’s long, lean form. She really did look tired – and as far as Helena knew, she’d been working nonstop for the past week or so. “Brandy, how are you? Really?” She added the last part before Brandy could give her the usual ‘I’m fine’ answer.
She knew that was bullshit. Brandy wasn’t fine. And if she heard her say so one more time she was going to blow a gasket. “You can tell me the truth.” She insisted, her gray eyes gleaming with concern. “I want to know. Really.”
Brandy took one look at her before shaking her head slowly. Without a word, she covered her face with her hands, leaning back against the couch. Helena watched her with bated breath, waiting for Brandy to speak. She was horrified, however, when Brandy, instead of speaking, began to sob softly.
Immediately, she put her arms around her friend, holding her close as Brandy poured out her grief against Helena’s shoulder. She closed her eyes, blinking back her own tears. Just now, she needed to be strong for Brandy. Brandy, who had been so strong for everyone else.
Helena held her for a while, allowing the blonde to let go of the front she put up and simply be a woman. Brandy clung to her, but her tears only lasted for precious few minutes. She took some tissues Helena offered her and wiped at her eyes, taking several deep breaths to regain her composure.
“I’m…I’m sorry, Helena.” She finally professed, rubbing at her face. “I didn’t mean to fall apart like that. I just…I’m just scared.” She sniffled. “These are the highest stakes I’ve ever played for. If I don’t do this right…if I forget some important detail…Xavier could go to jail for a long time. I don’t think I’d ever forgive myself if I let that happen.”
Helena said nothing, knowing that, for once, Brandy needed to be the one to put voice to her fears. “I…got a letter from Hank the other day. God knows how he got it out, but he did. He told me that he’s sorry for going through with the divorce. That he loves me, but his hands are tied where his parents are concerned. My parents are threatening to buy out their business and leave them destitute.”
Helena’s stomach turned at the news. Were there any lengths the Thompsons wouldn’t go through to get their way? It was insanity how they had manipulated their daughter and her now ex-husband. Brandy had only ever done everything they’d asked and still they tormented her just because she wanted to stand with her younger brother.
“He told me to wait for him. That he’s coming…and that he’ll never stop loving me.” The blonde woman inhaled a shuddering breath. “I believe him, Helena, but it’s just so hard. So hard. Everything would be better if I had him by my side.”
“You will.” Helena reassured her, holding Brandy’s hand tightly. “Brandy, I could never in a million years believe Hank really wanted to divorce you. He loves you, and he loves your child. He’ll be here.”
“You know, they even got Emily to call me. I answer the phone and she’s crying and going on about how much she misses me…damn.” Brandy shook her head in incredulity. “I never realized how much they corrupted her, you know?” She wiped away a single tear
at the thought, and Helena remembered the young woman she’d met briefly earlier that year. Emily was sweet enough, but she stood very firmly with their parents, and they often used their youngest daughter in an attempt to manipulate their other two children. She was, perhaps, the only Thompson “success story.”
“She’s only doing what she thinks is right.” It was the only reply that Helena could think of, herself having been the victim of Emily’s lies.
“I know.” Brandy sighed, wiping the last of her tears away. With a soft laugh, she glanced down at the bottle of vitamins in her hand. “I guess I should take these, right? Can’t have my little monster going hungry.”
Helena managed a small smile, vowing that she would never forgive the Thompsons for the way they treated their children. “Of course not.”
Chapter Six: Betrayal
Another week passed in uneasy peace with all of them working to prepare for the court date they knew was in their future. At Susan’s suggestion, however, Brandy slowed her pace quite a bit, making sure that she got to sleep by ten o’clock every night and had breakfast, lunch and dinner. Despite how upset Helena knew she was to be separated from her husband, Brandy had also revealed to her that Hank’s letter had strengthened her resolve. She wanted Xavier to be acquitted so that she could put all her strength into her pregnancy and seeing her husband again.
Helena thought that what her friend cited as a breakdown had actually been good for her. Brandy didn’t have to keep attesting to other people that she was strong. Everyone knew that she had to be strong to have been under her parents thumbs for as long as she had and come out relatively unscathed. Helena was just glad she had the pleasure of calling the talented attorney her friend.
She kept herself busy with caring for Isaiah, who had developed a slight cold. It took Xavier’s reassuring her that everything was going to be alright for her not to work herself up into a frenzy, so worried was she about her mother going free. Eventually, however, Isaiah’s forehead cooled and Helena allowed herself to sleep easy.
At least until the morning Xavier was summoned before the board members of XTech.
Helena had fallen asleep next to Isaiah in the bed, exhausted after a long interview the previous evening. It pained her that her body seemed to be healing so slowly. Though Susan had told her that she would soon be ready for intimacy, she wondered how she was going to be able to finish her MD when just walking around the house for half the day tired her. Susan assured her that her strength would come with time.
She was stirred back into consciousness by Xavier’s low voice speaking on the phone. “I understand. Of course. I’ll be in later on this afternoon.” Half awake, the young woman squinted through the lowly lit room to see her lover sitting on the edge of the bed, his phone clutched in his hand. Xavier’s posture was unusually stiff for someone who had just woken up.
Yawning, she straightened to reach out and touch his shoulder. “Xavier, are you alright?”
The man looked over a sculpted shoulder at her with dark, worried eyes. “I’ve been called into the office. The board members want to see me.”
Helena was immediately awake. She turned on the bedside table light, moving carefully as not to wake Isaiah. She slid across the expanse of bed to wrap her arms around her lover. She felt her heart pounding in her chest and was sure her knees would be weak if she tried to stand. But for Xavier, she had to be strong. She had to believe, as Brandy did, that he would come out on top. He was innocent. Everyone who knew him closely knew the truth of that statement – and soon, the rest of the world would too.
“Xavier, it will be alright.” She murmured softly, pressing a soft kiss to his neck. “We can handle this. They just want to talk to you.”
Xavier exhaled a long breath, turning to face her as he took her hands in his. “I think we both know that it’s going to be a little more than that.”
Of course they did. All the questions that had been unanswered for the past few months were probably going to be made clear – and almost certainly not in the way they wanted. They had spent the last few weeks preparing for something that they really had no definite details on. They had been expecting a court date – and when one hadn’t been handed down that they had relaxed a bit…probably too much. Now, when the meeting was requested before the actual trial, they were caught unawares.
Helena glanced at the clock. It was barely seven in the morning. They hadn’t heard anything from the company in weeks and now, out of the blue, they were contacted at an ungodly hour. She was studying physical medicine, not mental medicine, but Helena knew a mind-fuck when she was faced with one.
“Just stick to your guns, Xavier. We’ve been ready for this. You just need to speak to them. You know they’re going to try to get you to rise, and you just need to keep your cool. Let them do all the talking.” She placed her hands on Xavier’s broad shoulders, massaging them gently. “Brandy is working on the case and Horace has the evidence. We’ll be alright.”
He nodded slowly, laying back against the coverlet to place his cheek against his sleeping son’s. He stroked the soft down of Isaiah’s head before kissing his forehead lightly. Helena lie down next to him and for a few precious minutes, she pushed everything from her mind. In this moment, they were a family, and she had to believe that everything would be alright.
Eventually, however, Xavier had to rise and prepare for his eight thirty meeting. While he showered, Helena called Brandy to explain to her what was going on. Thankfully, Xavier’s sister was a lot calmer than she herself had been, and reassured her that she’d prepared her brother for this moment.
After that, there wasn’t much Helena could do besides nurse Isaiah and hold him close. Though she’d come to realize that she would love her child before he was born, having him with her was like an instant calming agent. She knew that she had to be there for him, and so, when she held him, it was almost impossible for her to lose her cool.
When Xavier emerged from the bathroom, he was clad in a tailored suit that hugged his long form, his hair slicked back, his stubble trimmed, and his blue eyes determined. He looked every bit a CEO, which reminded Helena that even if they did manage to take the company away from him, it wouldn’t last long. Her lover was the heart and soul of the organization, and without him, they couldn’t possibly maintain XTech’s high customer service and technology standards.
“Wish me luck, honey.” Xavier kissed her, long and lingering, and Helena fought the urge to yank him back down in bed and beg him to ravish her – to lose herself in him. Instead, she merely touched the back of his neck lightly, offering up Isaiah for him to kiss as well.
“We both wish you luck, Xavier.”
With a small smile, her lover pecked Isaiah’s cheek before grabbing his briefcase and heading out the door. Swallowing her apprehension, Helena followed him as far as the threshold, before waving goodbye as he slid into his car, off to his office for the first time in weeks.
If the young woman had a free hand to cross her fingers, she would have. Perhaps, if this went well, they might not have to fight as hard as they thought.
**
Xavier tried to clear his mind.
For the first time in almost two months, he was allowed past the police guard at the front entrance of his office building – admitted to a place that had become strange and hostile to him. While he recognized some of the staff from the lobby, they all refused to look at him. It was quite obvious that the tide had been turned against him, and his lips pulled together in a tight line as he approached the turnstile that led to the elevator bay.
To his dismay – but not surprise – he found that his access had been revoked and his card was useless. He was signed in as a visitor to his own corporation. Still, Xavier refused to be cowed, even as he was escorted by a security official into the elevator.
The glass walled enclosure allowed him to look over the plethora of media waiting anxiously outside to snap up any information. He took a deep breath, reminding himself th
at none of this mattered. He had done nothing wrong. What mattered was bringing the real criminal to justice.
When he exited the elevator on the top floor, he could feel all eyes on him. He also felt the conspicuous absence of those he had trusted the most. Friends, programmers and techs…so many people had been replaced. Of course, Margaret was gone, as was Daniel. His head held high, Xavier ignored the accusing stares and proceeded straight to the board room.
Taking a deep breath, he pushed the door open.
The board members stared at him with familiar faces he’d once thought he could trust. Six men who had once given him the funding and support to make his dreams reality. Now, they were obstacles – and he could tell that whatever camaraderie they’d once had was gone. His gaze passed from cold expression to cold expression and he swallowed thickly. Only one person was absent – Leonard Harvey, the lead board member and his one-time close friend. Was it possible that he hadn’t the heart to do this to Xavier? The notion was a comforting thought.
Especially when apprehension was beginning to make him feel like the monster everyone made him out to be.
But, he had to do this. Both for his family and the career he had spent so long building. He would not roll over and go quietly.
“Xavier,” A tall man with steel gray hair and piercing green eyes spoke first. “Thank you for coming.” There was, of course, no gratitude at all in the man’s voice. “Please, sit down.” He gestured to an empty chair directly across from Leonard’s vacant seat. Xavier said nothing, but merely took the position he was offered, looking coolly at each and every board member.
A Kiss of Color: A BWWM Interracial Romance (Book 3) Page 8
