Love After War

by Cheris Hodges

  “This is going to be a long nine months if you try to micromanage my pregnancy,” she said.

  “I’m not trying to do that but . . . okay, I am trying to do that.” Adrian shrugged. “I’m not going to lie, I’m scared.”

  “And so am I, but we can’t live in a bubble. And I have to make an appointment with my OB to confirm the pregnancy. Maybe I should ride the motorcycle over there.”

  He narrowed his eyes at her. “I’ll let the air out of your tires.”

  “You would do something like that,” she said with a laugh.

  He nodded and swiped a blueberry from her plate. “But I’m sure you won’t force my hand.”

  “So, when I make this appointment with my OB, are we going to go to the hospital so you can see your fa—Elliot?”

  Adrian stroked the back of his neck. “I thought about that when I was searching for a supermarket. Maybe going back to the hospital isn’t a good idea. If Solomon is still angry, we’re going to fight again and this time, I will hit him back. Then there’s the media.”

  Dana placed her hand on his shoulder. “Stop making excuses. You need to talk to him and at least get whatever you have on your chest off. I’ll go with you and distract your brother so that you can have a fight-free visit with your—”

  “Elliot.”

  “Yeah. Elliot.”

  Adrian placed his hand on Dana’s still-flat belly. “This baby will never have to wonder what to call me or who I am to him.”

  “She is going to be a daddy’s girl because she’s already giving me hell,” Dana quipped.

  “I guess we’ll see.”

  “You know,” she said in between sips of tea, “when a man has a daughter after living a life of . . . uh—”

  “It’s called karma,” he finished. “God punishes players, heartbreakers, and pimps with beautiful little girls and surrounds them with knucklehead little boys.”

  “I wouldn’t be surprised if we have twin girls,” she said.

  “I wasn’t that bad,” Adrian said with a laugh.

  “That’s highly debatable.” Dana picked up her phone and dialed her doctor’s office. Adrian headed to the bathroom and took a quick shower. Dana was right; he did need to visit Elliot and have that final talk with him. He needed to make peace with his family because he didn’t want his child—who he hoped would be a little girl with a smile like her mother’s—to grow up in the middle of his one-man war.

  After his shower, he returned to the bedroom and found Dana snuggled in bed, sound asleep. He dressed quietly, trying not to wake her. He failed.

  “How long have I been sleeping?” she asked with a yawn.

  “Not long. You rest, though. I’m going to the hospital to see Elliot.”

  Dana nodded. “My appointment with the OB is at three. Call me if you can’t make it or if you and Solomon end up acting like MMA fighters again.”

  Adrian put his hands together and bowed at the waist. “I go in peace.”

  She eased up in the bed on her elbows. “Do you want me to go with you? I don’t mind.”

  Smiling, he crossed over to her and kissed her forehead. “I’ll be back before your doctor’s appointment.”

  “Okay.”

  Once she was alone in her brownstone, Dana found herself unable to go back to sleep. She tossed and turned for a few moments before she got out of bed and took a soothing bath. After sinking into the warm water, Dana’s cell phone rang and she groaned.

  Slowly, she pulled herself out of the tub and grabbed her phone from the bedroom. “Yes?” she snapped when she answered without looking at the display.

  “So, you two have come up for air,” Imani quipped.

  “I was going to call you.”

  “When? After two or three kids?”

  Dana broke out laughing. “Are you having me followed?”

  “No, but you two did make the LA Weekly. There is a story about the Crawford family, the call girl, who by the way says your man paid her to get in the car with Richmond.”

  “I know the story about that,” she replied.

  “And that’s who you love?”

  Dana sighed. “You need to give it a rest. I’m sure your godson or goddaughter will want you to get along with his or her father.”

  “What are you . . . Dana! You’re pregnant?”

  “Yes, maybe. I’m going to the doctor later to find out.”

  She could hear Imani sighing and imagined her friend struggling to find the right words to say with her lips twisted. “I can’t believe this. At least our babies will grow up together. Wait, are you going to leave New York?”

  “I don’t know,” she said. “We haven’t talked about it. But Adrian’s business is on the West Coast and—”

  “But you are so New York. You’re like Jay-Z. And I’d miss you too much if you left.”

  “So, this is about you?” Dana laughed.

  “Partly. But what else is new? Seriously, if you’re in LA and he turns out to be an asshole, how will me and my Brooklyn hoods get to put our paws on him?” Imani burst out laughing. “I’m sorry, I’ve been watching too much reality TV and reading this script too much. So, are you thinking of moving? Has he stepped up to do the right thing and marry you?”

  “Adrian and I have talked about marriage. And you know what, I’m going to marry him. You’re going to stand up for me as my matron of honor with a smile on your face.”

  “If this is what you want, then I have no choice but to support you.”

  “That’s a ringing endorsement.”

  “Okay, I need to get to know this guy, all right?”

  “I get that, but what you need to know is I love him and I want you to be happy for me.”

  “I am happy for you and I’m serious—I’ll support this union but I’m keeping my eye on this guy.”

  “Yes, you and your imaginary Brooklyn gangsters will come after him and beat him down.”

  “Keep thinking they’re imaginary,” Imani laughed. “As long as Mr. Slick doesn’t hurt you again, you guys will never meet them.”

  “How’s the filming going?”

  “Eh, it’s a lot better since the recast.”

  “Ooh, who go fired?”

  “Whiny old Heather. I don’t know what your future brother-in-law did to her but since they were in the papers, that is all she could talk about. It got so bad that she called a character Solomon. The producers and the director tried to work with her, but she was more annoying than ever. I say good riddance. You know, she had the nerve to call me fat.”

  “What?”

  “Yes, evil cow. I’m not even showing yet, but somehow she made a big fuss about me calling her out for the fact that she was still holding on to ten of the fifteen pounds she gained for that Oscar-nominated role.”

  “Mani! That was mean.”

  “Well, I’m pregnant. She has no excuse and I’m not sorry I hurt her feelings. Heather is a grade A bitch. If she was smart, she’d check into rehab like Demi Lovato and get some help.”

  “You know it doesn’t work that way for us in Hollywood. If she goes to get help, Heather will forever be the crazy girl who studios won’t work with. So you know what this means for you.”

  “What?”

  “You’d better keep your crazy under wraps.”

  “Anyway!” Imani said. “Speaking of under wraps, you’re going to have to keep that horrible motorcycle in storage now. That’s a silver lining when it comes to Adrian.”

  “I see that both of you have the same idiotic thoughts about my Fat Bob.”

  “Oh, you think tooling around New York on a motorcycle while carrying my godchild is a good idea?”

  “I’m sure my godchild is loving jumping off fake buildings on a soundstage,” Dana shot back.

  “I have great stunt doubles. One chick looks so much like me, I think I need to ask my father if he has something he needs to share with the rest of the class.”

  Dana wanted to laugh, but thinking of the situation w
ith Adrian and the Crawfords, she couldn’t. Imani recognized her joke was in poor taste as well and offered her friend an apology.

  “I can’t imagine what Adrian is going through right now. Between the media, his fight with Solomon and now about to lose his father.”

  “He never calls him his father. It’s just sad.” Dana touched her stomach. “But when he found out about the baby, he was so excited.”

  “I bet he wants to give your baby the life he never had. Are you sure he asked you to marry him because he loves you and not because he’s trying to make up for the life he didn’t have?”

  Dana was glad Imani tapped into what she’d been thinking. She sighed and said, “I don’t know. I hope that it’s not a sense of obligation. You know what, I know it’s not that.”

  “I’m sure it isn’t. People don’t really do the shotgun-wedding thing anymore,” Imani said in an attempt to reassure her friend. “After all, he asked you to marry him. You didn’t make it a condition of having the baby.”

  “No, I didn’t.”

  “But your doctor is going to make you stop riding that bike. I can’t tell you how excited that makes me.”

  “Well, if I have to stop riding, at least I know a doctor in Harlem who would love to purchase my Harley.”

  “And if you’re talking about my husband, I’m going to hurt you.”

  “I am talking about your husband and you’ll just deal with it. Speaking of dealing with things, how are you handling morning sickness?”

  “Oh, I don’t have morning sickness. I have wake-you-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night sickness. Then when morning comes, I’m too tired to get up and throw up.”

  “Well, I knew something was wrong when I threw up while eating a hot dog from Gray’s.”

  “Stop it! Is that an alien baby in there? I wish I could get to Gray’s right now.”

  “When does filming wrap on this movie?” Dana asked. “And I thought you were coming to New York to do a Broadway show?”

  “Raymond told me that I could do the movie or the show but not both because a pregnant woman needs rest. Since he’s a doctor and my baby daddy, I had to listen. Actually, I’m glad I did because I’ve learned something.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I can play Superwoman on screen, but I am really human. This baby is sapping my energy.”

  “Wow. The most interesting part of this conversation is the fact that you thought you were a superhero.”

  “Oh, please. You ride a motorcycle because you think you’re Batgirl, so hush. I have to go. They need me on set.”

  “All right, I will give you a call later. After Raymond and I agree on a price for the bike.”

  “Don’t you dare,” she laughed.

  When Dana hung up with Imani, she really felt as if she had her friend’s support. Now she prayed that Adrian would find some peace and acceptance with his family.

  Chapter 21

  Adrian looked over his shoulder, hoping that he’d lost the photographer who’d been tailing him all morning. The man, dressed in a faded black T-shirt and a pair of cargo shorts, was still a few feet away from him. “Damn it,” he muttered. Adrian stopped and waited for the man to catch up with him. “What do you want?”

  “I’m just trying to do my job. A picture of you and the Crawfords would pay my rent for a year.”

  Adrian clenched his fists and fought the urge to punch the man in the face and smash his camera on the concrete. “You know what, you slimy piece of—”

  “Listen, you went to the media first and now you want to act as if you want privacy? Get over yourself,” the photographer spat.

  Adrian was about to deck him when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

  “It’s not even worth it,” Solomon said. Adrian turned and looked at his brother. “This guy has been following the family since we came back to New York.”

  “Why don’t you let me get this picture and then I’ll leave you alone.”

  “You’re going to leave us alone anyway,” Adrian snapped. “Now get the hell away from here.”

  “That’s right!” Solomon said. “And don’t even think about snapping a picture.”

  “Come on,” the photographer pleaded, holding his camera up. Solomon, who had made avoiding the tabloids and paparazzi a sport, held up a copy of the New York Times and spread it wide so that his face wasn’t visible. He passed another section of the paper to Adrian so that he could follow suit.

  “Nice trick,” Adrian said as they walked into the hospital.

  “What are you doing here?” Solomon snapped. “It’s your fault that they know Dad’s here.”

  “And how’s that? Because you sent me out in the street with a bloody nose?”

  “I hope you aren’t expecting an apology, because I’m not giving you one.”

  Adrian shook his head. “Have I ever asked you people for anything?”

  “No, you just wanted to seek and destroy.”

  “I had every right to be angry and I’d like you to deny that you wouldn’t have done the same thing.”

  Solomon stopped and turned to Adrian. “Okay, you’re right. I probably would’ve done something similar, but it would have been directed at the right person.”

  “At the time,” he said, “I painted all of you with the same brush.”

  “Listen, I don’t know how we’re supposed to do this thing here, being brothers or whatever. I already have a brother I don’t care for.”

  Adrian shrugged and glanced at his brother as they entered the wing where Elliot was being housed. “I guess this is the part where we promise to keep in touch and keep our hands to ourselves.”

  “I must be getting soft,” Solomon remarked as he looked at Adrian’s nose. “The bridge is still intact, not much of a bruise either.”

  “Come on, pretty boy, you know you’re not much of a bruiser.”

  Solomon laughed. “Not these days. I have a wife who frowns on that kind of behavior.”

  Adrian’s smile revealed a lot and Solomon pounced. “That woman who was with you, you’re serious about her?”

  “I’m going to marry her,” Adrian said. “And her name is Dana.”

  “Dana Singleton? The photographer?”

  “Yeah, how do you know her?” Dread crept up his neck. Knowing Solomon’s reputation with women, he couldn’t help but wonder if there was something . . .

  “Dad wanted her to take the pictures for the book, but she had another assignment.”

  Adrian rolled his eyes. Luckily, that assignment brought her to Los Angeles and thank God she wasn’t able to work with the Crawfords on that book.

  “So, were you behind that as well?” Solomon asked.

  “No. She was working with Sony and Universal for the new movie that your . . . that Heather Williams and Imani Thomas were in.”

  Solomon rolled his eyes. “I almost want to punch you again.”

  “What happened with you and Heather? If you don’t mind me asking.”

  Solomon shrugged. “She wasn’t the one. Plain and simple. At the time, I had some ideas about screenwriting, leaving the family business, and doing what I really loved. I dated her and she took it more seriously than she should have. I never told her I was in love with her. She just assumed that I would give her a chance because she was supposed to introduce me to some of the same producers I already knew.”

  “So, you used to use women?”

  “I wouldn’t say I was using her, but I wasn’t trying to be her man either. If I really wanted a movie deal, I could’ve purchased one or a studio. But that was a different time in my life and other things were important to me back then.”

  “Whoa,” Adrian replied. “I would’ve never expected you to be that guy.”

  Solomon furrowed his eyebrows. “That guy? What do you mean?”

  “Someone who would want to go into show business.”

  “Believe it or not, I wanted to get as far away from the Crawford name and everything it stood for. Then I got my hea
rt broken and decided to get some payback and break some hearts.”

  “That’s a story I’d like to hear one day,” Adrian said with a laugh.

  “Nah, I believe in leaving the past in the past, especially when I have a bright future like I do now.”

  Adrian glanced at Solomon and nodded. He had a future and he couldn’t wait until he was able to call Dana his wife. “Listen, I have to genuinely apologize for trying to come between you and your wife.”

  “That was low and I was tempted to do something more than punching you in the face.”

  “Yeah, it was. I’ve come to realize that love is a beautiful thing and it should be cherished.”

  “She has you wide open, huh?” Solomon chuckled softly. “It’s amazing that any man with Elliot’s DNA understands what it means to love someone else.”

  Adrian glanced at Elliot, who looked to be sleeping. “I got the results back from the blood test.”

  “What’s the result?” Solomon asked, peering at his father.

  “I wasn’t a match. The nurse said something about continuing to search for a donor on the national registry.”

  “Yeah, at least Richmond will be here in the morning. Hopefully it won’t be too late. I can’t believe he kept this from me.”

  “What was it like, growing up with him? I know what you said in LA about him, but there has to be something there.”

  “He’s my father and I can’t say that he was Bill Cosby, but he was there. Distance at times, especially when I was around seven and started writing stories and wanted to share them with him. I wonder, now, if he was simply longing to see what his other son was doing. Dad and I didn’t become close until I showed a real interest in the business. Once he saw that I inherited his desire to make money and had ideas that didn’t mirror everything my mother had drilled into Richmond’s head, I became his favorite son.”

  “Umm,” Adrian replied. “But here you are . . .”

  “Here we are. No matter what, he gave us life and I don’t want to see him suffer if I could’ve helped him.”

  Adrian didn’t say a word; he just watched Solomon’s face fall as he continued to look at his father. “I need to talk to him, in private,” Adrian said. He held up his hand as Solomon started to protest. “Look, I’m not going to pull the plug.”