“Cadence.” Mike stood, gesturing toward the empty chair. “Have a seat.”
She complied, crossing her legs at the ankles and waited for the words that had been made famous on The Apprentice back when at least some people liked the current resident of the White House; you’re fired.
“There’s an opportunity overseas,” he said gazing out of the window overlooking the Chicago River. “Our parent company in Germany wants you there. Full time.”
“Wow,” she said shifting in the seat. “What an honor.”
Cadence cleared her mind of all negative thoughts, realizing what a Godsend this opportunity could be.
“You’ve been on their radar for some time now, but your successful design and presentation sealed it for them,” Mike explained. “It’s an amazing opportunity.”
“I’m surprised they’d still want me after that nonsense last night,” she muttered.
“We’ve all got shit. Some stink more than others. Yours isn’t any different.” He chuckled, and it made Cadence smile. “They were more impressed with how you handled yourself afterward.”
I need to thank mom later.
“I’d have to give it some thought. How soon?”
“Three weeks before you’d have to relocate, but they’ll need your answer by the end of next week.”
“Why so sudden?” she asked. Typically, we’re given three to six months to make these kinds of decisions.
“They’re working on a new project that needs to be completed in six months. They’re confident you’re the right person to execute the engineering, and I agree.”
Twenty-four hours ago, the answer would’ve been a definite no. Jackson was climbing in his career as well. The next school term, he’d start a position in a financially stable district on the north side of town, doubling his salary and removing him from a crime-riddled school district.
Now, she only needed to decide for herself. As angry as Cadence was with him and the fact he’d cheated, she still loved him. Once again, she was presented with choosing something that advanced her career but could sabotage her marriage. But he’d already done an excellent job of that on his own.
What was she going to do now?
Chapter 4
Cadence sipped a mimosa as she prepared lunch and waited for Jackson to arrive. Three days had passed, and she felt she could speak with him without dismembering a certain male body part. Their conversation, depending on the outcome, might sway her decision to stay in Chicago with him or move to Germany on her own. She was leaning toward leaving.
They sat on the patio of their beautiful home in silence, overlooking the flourishing Japanese garden. The maple tree they planted on their fifth wedding anniversary brought Cadence back to that glorious day and everything it represented. Then she thought about Braelyn being there, tainting her home and memory.
“We had something special.”
“We have something special,” Jackson corrected her. “I haven’t talked to Braelyn since she told me she was pregnant.”
“When was that?”
Jackson wandered to the other side of the deck and leaned on the wooden railing. “Our wedding day.”
Cadence choked on her drink.
“The child isn’t mine.”
“How can you be so sure?” she asked, clearing her throat.
“Because I’ve never slept with Braelyn.”
Cadence frowned sitting the flute down on the wrought iron table. “You keep saying that.”
“I never expected to see or hear from that woman again. She claimed she wanted nothing more to do with me once I married you.”
“So, it was okay to fuck you while in a monogamous relationship, but not okay once you officially put a ring on it.” Cadence grimaced, fanning the bees away from her drink. “You were still someone else’s man. So where did that little girl come from?”
“I don’t know … that’s the scary part,” Jackson said facing Cadence. “I didn’t cheat on you. Braelyn and I dated for a brief spell while we were split up, that’s it. I’d broken things off with her when we got back together. She told me I’d live to regret it. I didn’t know what the hell she meant. I hadn’t done anything to hurt her. She wanted more than I was able to give.”
“So, she has the woman scorned syndrome,” Cadence said snidely. “How convenient.”
“Braelyn called and told me she was having my baby. I laughed and hung up the phone. We’d never slept together. I thought she was trying to mess up my mind before I walked down the aisle,” Jackson said, twirling his wedding band. “It wasn’t until she showed up at the church eight months pregnant that I knew she’d lost her mind. Braelyn said she’d raise the baby alone. I didn’t care what she did because that baby wasn’t mine.”
“And you were okay with abandoning your child?” Cadence asked in total disbelief of the man she married.
“That’s not my kid,” Jackson reiterated, moving closer to her. “I’ve never lied to you about anything, and I’m not going to start now. Baby, I promise you, the most Braelyn and I ever did was have oral sex.”
Cadence brushed past him, stepped off the patio, and strolled to the maple tree. “What a joke.”
“I love you,” Jackson proclaimed as he wound his way past the rose bushes and the grasshoppers leaping in the foliage. “I’m all in. I have been since day one. Please don’t let the actions of this delusional woman ruin our life.” He stepped in front of her. “I haven’t broken a vow. I’m committed to you and this marriage.”
She glanced up at him, fighting to hold back the tears. Not tears of sadness, but hot angry tears at the lengths which in Jackson would go to keep his secret, even though he’d been caught.
Cadence locked a steady gaze on him. “How old is she?”
“Six.”
“Damn, Jackson.” She tried to move away.
“I don’t want to lose you, Cadence,” Jackson whispered, gripping her arm. “I love you.”
“Yet, you cheated. That child had to be conceived about the time you proposed to me.” She shook her head and snatched away. “Have you seen Braelyn in the past three days?”
Jackson lowered his gaze to the perfectly manicured grass. Cadence turned to walk away, but Jackson grabbed her hand, and this time she shuddered at his touch and pulled away.
“I checked Jackie’s file and had her teacher schedule a parent meeting after school.”
“You’re telling me you haven’t seen Braelyn at Whistler dropping off or picking up Jackie? She’s never been in your office?”
“Never. Remember, I’m the Dean of Students. I only see the kids when there’s a behavioral problem in the classroom or when they’re sent to my office for counseling,” he added sliding his shoes across the lawn. “Jackie’s not a problem child. Yes, I’ve seen her around the school, but I didn’t know she was Braelyn’s daughter.”
“You mean, your daughter,” Cadence corrected, backing away from him. “What did she have to say?”
“That it was time for me to step up and be Jackie’s dad. I told her not before we take a paternity test. There’s no way possible that I’m that little girl’s father. I thought that would make her back down, but it didn’t,” Jackson admitted, with a sigh. “This is such a waste of time and money, but if this will prove to you that I hadn’t fathered this child, then it’s well worth it.”
Cadence didn’t know what to believe. Deep down she knew something about the situation wasn’t right.
“We had the paternity test done two days ago. I paid for the test to be expedited, so the results will be in tomorrow,” Jackson informed her. “We’re meeting at the ice cream shop to open them.”
Cadence glanced at him. “The what?”
“Cold Stone Creamery,” he said. “The more public the place, the better because I don’t trust her. Please come with me. I don’t have anything to hide.”
She hadn’t told Jackson about the job offer yet. Cadence wanted to make the decision based on what’s best for her
, not as a retreat from the current mess of Jackson’s lies of omission and possible infidelity. They both weighed heavy on her mind and heart. The easiest solution would be to take the job in Germany and let him deal with his own plight, but something was telling her to wait. Jackson never lied before then, not even to save his own skin. Why now? Sometimes, Cadence hated her conscious.
“What makes you think I’m ready to play mommy to someone else’s kid when I’m not ready to have one of my own?” she asked, gazing off into the distance, remembering the therapy session with Dr. McNabb, focusing around the word compromise, yet, again.
“I can imagine how this looks from your point of view,” Jackson acknowledged. “But you know my heart, baby,” he pleaded, searching her eyes. “I could never do anything like this to you. Please reconsider and come with me?”
“You want me to go along with this sugarcoated deception for the sake of your illegitimate child and her scandalous mother? No thank you.” She stormed off. “You can see yourself out.”
Chapter 5
“I’m not comfortable with this,” Cadence disclosed to Jackson scanning the parking lot and lobby area as they entered Cold Stone Creamery.
As much as Cadence despised the idea of this blended family that was forced upon her and putting on a front as if everything were cool, she thought about Jackie and what she deserved.
Cadence wasn’t much older than Jackie when her father had been taken away from her. Though she cherished the time they had together, it wasn’t nearly enough. As a result, she was raised by a fiercely independent mother who had never remarried. But if given a chance to have her father, Cadence would love to work with him again, be a daddy’s girl, and enjoy being spoiled by him. She didn’t want Jackie to have the questions of what if? She was still young. Whatever damage had been caused could be minimalized, if Jackson was her father.
Five minutes later, a blue minivan pulled into the lot. The hairs on the back of Cadence’s neck stood straighter than a soldier. She elbowed Jackson. “I’ve seen that van before.”
Jackie hopped out before Braelyn opened her door. Braelyn got out, tossing her hair over her bare shoulders and rushed forward to grab Jackie’s hand.
Cadence’s gaze was glued to Braelyn. She walked in, and the staff greeted her by name.
“Hi, Mr. Goldsmith.” Jackie ran up to him and waved. “My mom’s buying me ice cream. I like Birthday Cake Remix.”
“I like that one, too,” he admitted with a smile. “Can I tell you a secret?”
Jackie nodded, her neon pink shirt with sequin letters glimmered under the lights.
“My favorite’s Banana Caramel Crunch.”
“That’s my mommy’s favorite, too,” Jackie squealed, clasping a baby doll to her chest.
“Isn’t that lovely,” Cadence remarked with a smirk aimed at Braelyn who mimicked her facial expression.
“Your usual?” a woman in a black polo and khaki apron asked.
“You know it.” Braelyn gave a thumbs up.
Jackie ran to the counter, her eyes focused on the place where they made the ice cream.
“This is my wife, Cadence,” Jackson introduced.”
“No need for formalities,” Cadence interjected. “She knows who I am.”
“Unfortunately, I do,” Braelyn remarked in a snide tone that made Cadence want to backhand Braelyn in her smart mouth.
Jackson paid for everything, then the four of them shared a table.
“I saw you at that place where all these people took my picture,” Jackie said, pointing at Cadence. “You had on red.”
Cadence cringed at the memory, hoping the discomfort didn’t show in her expression. “Yes, you did. My name is Cadence.”
“My name is Jacqueline Nevels, but everybody calls me Jackie,” she boasted shoveling a spoonful of ice cream in her mouth. “My mommy says she named me after my daddy.”
Cadence gasped, glancing at Jackson then Braelyn.
“What’s your daddy’s name?” Cadence asked, wanting to see how far the woman had taken her plan.
“Really?” Braelyn snapped, glowering at Cadence, then turned her attention to Jackson. “You better get your wife.”
Jackson sighed and threw a cautionary glance Cadence’s way, which she ignored.
“I don’t know,” Jackie answered innocently. “My mommy said I’d meet him before I make seven.”
“Do you remember when I told you, you’ll meet your daddy at your new school?” Braelyn asked Jackie, sliding a white envelope across the table to Jackson.
“Mmmm hmmm.” She nodded while stuffing her mouth with sweet treats. “I’ve been waiting for him to pick me up like the other dads, but he never comes.”
Cadence’s heart shattered. She felt small for acting so juvenile when this meant the world to the little girl.
Braelyn put an arm around her daughter. “That’s because he works at the school.”
“Uh-un, mommy.” Jackie giggled. “You’re trying to trick me.”
“I promise I’m not.” Braelyn stroked her arm. “Remember that pretty yellow shirt we decorated with Mr. Goldsmith’s picture on it?”
“It was sparkly,” Jackie shouted.
Yes, I remember it too. Cadence’s breath caught. She closed her eyes and gripped the edge of the table until the rapid sensations jabbing needles into her heart ceased. The worst day of her life was on repeat. Jackson rested a hand on her thigh, but it did nothing to calm her nerves. It had the opposite effect.
“We put his picture on it because … he’s your father.”
Cadence opened her eyes to gauge Jackson’s reaction.
“How did you do this?” Jackson questioned, staring at the paper he removed from the envelope. “This isn’t biologically possible.”
“DNA doesn’t lie,” Braelyn countered with a wink.
“Let me see that,” Cadence said, prying the document from his hands.
Jackie remained silent for several minutes, then asked, “Can I call you daddy instead of Mr. Goldsmith and how come you not married to my mommy?”
“I don’t believe you,” Cadence mumbled under her breath, pissed that Jackson had convinced her that he was telling the truth about Jackie’s paternity. “How many times must you make a fool of me?”
“Can I call you daddy when you pick me up?” Jackie asked, her glacier blue eyes glowing like the moon reflecting over the ocean.
“Cadence–––” Jackson called out.
“I’m not the one talking to you,” Cadence sneered. “Answer your daughter,” she remarked, shoving the test results in his chest.
“That’ll be okay,” Jackson replied with uncertainty in his tone.
Cadence examined the three of them closely. The paternity test confirmed what was right before her eyes. The resemblance was there, but she could see how Jackson wouldn’t recognize Jackie as his child. She had an exotic look. Her skin was cinnamon like his, blue almond shaped eyes like her mom, and thick unapologetic wavy blonde hair that framed her face like a lion’s mane. She was beautiful.
“Can I throw this away?” Jackie asked her mom, holding the empty bowl in the air.
Soon as Jackie danced away, Cadence asked Braelyn, “If you intended to tell Jackie who Jackson was, then why pull that stunt at the convention center? You’re at the school every day. You’ve had plenty of opportunities.”
Jackie skipped back over to the table.
Braelyn narrowed her eyes at Cadence before standing. “We’re leaving.”
“Already, mommy,” Jackie whined. She ran over to Jackson and hugged him. “Bye, daddy.”
He returned her embrace, keeping an eye on Cadence.
“C’mon, Jackie,” Braelyn called out sauntering toward the exit. “Tell Dr. McNabb I said hello.”
An even more disturbing reality slammed into Cadence. This heifer’s been stalking me all this time?
Chapter 6
“What was I thinking,” Cadence whispered, sitting on the park bench the follow
ing day, sipping coffee in a yellow maxi sundress with bright flowers as the early morning sun dazzled off of Lake Michigan.
She had asked Jackson for Braelyn’s number. Though hesitant, he complied. Cadence could get anything she wanted from him at this stage. He was willing to do whatever it took to get back in her favor, but Cadence’s focus was on Braelyn who was the real threat to her marriage. Jackson was still asserting that he never slept with Braelyn and she needed to speak to this woman face to face without any distractions.
“Hi,” Braelyn greeted in a lackluster tone, walking up from behind.
“Hey,” she responded with more confidence than she felt.
Cadence took in everything from the woman’s messy high bun, fake Versace sunglasses, pink lip gloss, down to the short denim skirt and sparkling green painted toes. She was pretty enough, although her clothes smelled like they’d been washed in stale cigarette smoke.
Something was off about Braelyn. Cadence couldn’t put her finger on it. Jackson kept declaring that the timing of the girl’s conception was long after they’d ended things. But DNA didn’t lie. Humans did.
“Why am I here?” Braelyn asked, and had the nerve to sound irritated. “We said everything that needed to be said at Cold Stone.”
“Not quite.” Cadence did her best to hold her tongue. “That was about confirming your daughter’s paternity––– the right way. This is about me understanding how you came into my husband’s life in the first place.”
“I don’t owe you anything,” Braelyn said in a snippy tone.
“You owe it to your daughter,” Cadence countered. “It’s not lost on me that you deliberately set out to embarrass me. You could’ve accosted me at any time, but you chose my job. Why?” Cadence asked, facing her dead on. “Do you need money?”
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