by Angela Blake
Mark whistled, “And?”
Blaire let out a breath, “Well, it was fine at first, we were catching up, but then she started to explain what happened, and I didn’t want to hear it. I honestly thought she would tell me that she found out she was in love with you, and that she never meant to hurt me, but that she just had to be with you, or some other crap, and I just didn’t want to hear it.”
Mark snorted. “So you lashed out and accused her of things.”
Blaire gazed down at the garden below his patio. “Yeah.”
“Look you guys will work it out, you always do. I mean Clarissa and I did.”
“You did?” Blaire sounded surprised. Sienna hadn’t told him that part.
“Yeah after a year of chemotherapy, I decided to stop the treatments because I didn’t want to spend whatever time I had left in pain and agony, a shell of a person, so I asked them to stop.”
“Then what happened?”
“A month later, I went in for a checkup, and the cancer was gone, so life went back to normal. Anyway, I ran into Clarissa a few days ago, and when she saw my bald head and sunken cheekbones, somehow she knew. She yelled at me for thinking I had the right to make the decision for her, then when she was done, she kissed me, and we went out to eat.”
“That’s great, man, really. I’m happy for you.”
“Thanks. You and Sienna will work it out,” he reiterated again. “Look, Sienna and I stayed in touch over the years, I know about Gracie, I helped out a lot when she was growing up, she’s the most amazing kid. She has your eyes, Blaire. It was hard for Sienna to do this on her own without you, but every time she’d get the urge to call you, she’d see a segment about you on TV, or read a magazine article. At first it was because she knew you had a good thing, and she didn’t want you to lose that dream. She didn’t want to jeopardize it in any way, but then she began to pay attention to the kind of lifestyle you led, and she realized she didn’t want her kid around that.”
“She’s my kid too, Mark.”
“I know,” he agreed, “but you have a lot to make up for.”
“I don’t even know where to begin.”
“Listen, I know you and Sienna have a lot of history, and things ended on a sour note, but the best thing you can do right now is meet your little girl, be her dad, and the rest will sort itself out.”
“You always did give great advice, man.”
“Wise, I am young padawan,” Mark said trying to sound sage and wise.
“Modest you are, master Yoda,” Blaire teased right back.
They both laughed together. Before they hung up, they agreed to go out, get some beer and shoot some hoops the next day.
Blaire hung up feeling the ball in his belly become less tight, but as he stared at his phone, he knew what he had to do.
He brought the phone up to his ear and let it ring, once, twice, before his mother picked up. “Hello, dear.”
“Mum, hey.”
“Well, you don’t usually call often, so what’s wrong?”
Blaire felt bad that he hadn’t kept in touch, but he honestly had very little in common with his mother although he loved her dearly, and he knew she loved him right back. He just didn’t want to be stuck in that little town forever, only known as Della’s boy.
“Did you know mum? About Gracie?”
He heard the sound of a TV being lowered in the background, and he heard the sound of the old wicker chair she loved to sit on rocking back and forth before she finally let out a breath she’d been holding.
“Yes,” she said finally, in a simple tone.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” He tried to keep the anger out of his voice.
“Would you have believed me?”
“Well, no, probably not, but mum, she grew up without a father. Didn’t anyone think I had the right to know?”
“You weren’t talking to her, son. You barely spoke to me. Whenever I tried to bring up the subject of babies, you’d crinkle your nose in disgust, and I know the kind of women you associate with, the kind of lifestyle you lead, do you think I want my precious granddaughter around that? No, all of us agreed together that you needed to get your life in order before you were integrated into Gracie’s life.”
“So you all made that decision for me?” His voice came out sounding hoarse because of the barely restrained anger.
“I know it seems cruel to you, and I apologize. But we did what we thought was best. Would you have wanted her to grow up in that kind of world? Around those kinds of people?”
Blaire let her words register before he responded, “No, I would’ve done everything I could to keep her away from that part of my life, but I suppose it might have been hard.”
“Exactly, perhaps our decision was too hasty, and we should’ve included you, but when it comes to your kids, and your kids’ kids’, it isn’t always rational thought that takes control.”
Blaire cocked his head to the side as he toyed with a piece of lint on the railing. He chipped it off, and it broke away. He watched it fly off into the wind. “I want to get to know her mum, but I think I screwed up.”
“What did you tell Sienna?”
“Hey,” Blaire said defensively. “How do you know it wasn’t Sienna who said something horrible?”
“Because Sienna hasn’t called me sounding very guilty,”
“Right, okay well, let’s just say it’s bad.”
“You need to go to her, apologize and get to know your little girl. She really is a wonderful girl.”
Sienna
Sienna squinted as she pursed her lips and put one hand on her hip, the other twirled a loose piece of fabric around.
“How are those pictures looking, Sienna?”
“Fine,” she called out as she bit her bottom lip. She didn’t like the lighting on the second one, so she’d have to wait till she could recapture the picture, but she was sure she could do it. It would just take longer than she had expected.
Her phone began to vibrate in her pocket, and she smiled as she pressed the phone to her ear.
“Hi, mummy,” her daughter’s sweet voice came wafting in through the speakers.
“Hey, baby girl, what are you up to?”
“Guess what mummy? Grandma and I made chocolate chip cookies,” she could practically hear the sugar rush from her end, and she shook her head knowing that she had a long night ahead of her.
“Really? I used to make those with grandma when I was little too,” she smiled wistfully, remembering how she’d sneak bits of the cookie dough into her mouth and grin unapologetically when her grandma caught her doing it.
“Grandma has the best recipe ever,” Gracie announced, and Sienna could hear her happily munching on a cookie.
“I know, sweetie, listen I’m going to be home in an hour, what do you want to do tonight?”
Gracie said, “Hmmm,” really loudly and Sienna could picture her getting that far off look on her face while she thought of things to do. “Can we watch home alone and make two different types of popcorn and mix them together?”
“Sure, bud. Like salt and caramel?”
“Nooo!” She dragged her out O’s when she was trying to make a point.
“Nope, I want salt and cheese,” she declared.
Sienna wrinkled her nose then shrugged. “Okay, Gracie bear, I’ll see you soon then.”
She pressed end and checked her watch, realizing that she had time for a quick bite before she had to hit the road.
She was walking towards her dressing room and texting someone when she walked right into another person. She looked up at the person, an apology already formed on her lips, “Oh.”
Blaire looked as handsome as ever, with his black hair flipped to the side, a form fitting sweatshirt and baggy jeans. He had his thumbs hooked on his pockets, and his blue eyes shone apologetically.
“What do you want?” Sienna crossed her arms over her chest and starred at him in mild annoyance as she tapp
ed one foot impatiently.
“Okay, I deserve that, but just hear me out, I called Mark, and I apologized, and I called my mum, and she told me about the decision you all made to keep me out of Gracie’s life until she was older, a decision by the way, that you should have consulted me about.”
Sienna opened her mouth to protest, but Blaire cut her off by bringing his finger to her lips, “Let me finish, please.”
Sienna nodded and he removed his finger. “But I understand why you did it. I’m not crazy about the idea, but I know why.”
Sienna stared at him for a beat. “So you want to get to know Gracie?” She let the question hang in the air between them, knowing that his answer could make or break a lot of things.
“Very much so,” he said quietly.
Sienna smiled at him gratefully. “This means a lot to her, really.”
“I hope it does, but Sienna there’s one more thing,” Blaire shoved his hands in his pockets and fidgeted for a minute before his blue eyes met her hazel ones. They were shining with hope and fear.
“I want a second chance with you. My desire to have a relationship with Gracie has nothing to do with it, I’ll be her father no matter what, but I really want to try again with you, you’re the only woman I’ve ever loved.”
Sienna studied him carefully, “We’ll see,” she said finally.
She uncrossed her arms and took out her keys, “I’m going to go pick up some things to make some dinner at home, would you like to join us?”
Blaire looked surprised but delighted, “I’d love to.”
They made their way to the grocery store and picked up a few things, then drove home. Sienna almost laughed at how nervous he looked. She knew Gracie would love him the second she saw him, bless her.
They stood outside the door for a moment while Sienna fished out her keys.
“Are you ready to meet our little girl?”
“More than ever.”
Sienna swung the door open, and a little voice immediately yelled out ‘mummy’ before a tiny little body came barreling into her from the living room.
“Mummy you’re back, you’re back!”
“Yes, my darling!” She hoisted her up and gave her a big sloppy kiss.
“I missed you,” she threw her arms around her mum, and they both stood there, mother and daughter locked in a beautiful embrace.
“Mummy,” she pulled back, her bright blue eyes gazed at Blaire with curiosity. “Who’s that?”
“Well, Santa told me all about your wish, and look who I found outside the door.”
Gracie looked confused for a second before her face broke out into a huge grin. “Daddy?”
“Hi, Gracie,” Blaire said almost shyly. Gracie had no such qualms; she squealed and reached out for him. She held onto both her parents and gazed from one to the next adoringly.
“Look, we’re standing under a mistletoe,” Gracie gestured upwards. “Merry Christmas,” she yelled as she hugged them both tighter and gave them each a big wet kiss on their cheeks. Out of the corner of her eye Sienna could see the look of pure adoration written all over Blaire’s face, and she was glad she had decided to seek him out. After all, there was something magical about Christmas, and it was a time for miracles.
The sound of their laughter echoed inside the house as they went in to make the first of many family dinners together.
THE END
LACES
Chapter 1
Keith Roger smiled as he watched his parents interact over dinner.
At twenty-five, Keith Roger, NBA star knew that he didn’t have the most typical upbringing what with all the back forth between two continents. His mother was a typical English woman, pale, blonde and very proper. His dad was an American with coffee black skin, an easy going smile and a very loud and rambunctious personality.
It’s not like they still lived in a time where it was illegal for interracial marriages to happen, but it still shocked both sets of parents when Bridget and Roger fell in love and got married.
Keith had always admired his parents and the way their relationship just seemed so effortless, but he often wondered why he was nothing like them.
He had inherited his father’s dark skin and his mother’s hazel eyes, but beyond that he got nothing else. Not their old fashioned romantic notions on love, nor their love for the ordinary. Keith knew from a young age then he didn’t want a quiet life raising a family. He wanted to be front and center, he wanted the glory and the fame that came with being in the spotlight. He wanted girls to scream his name, and he didn’t want to stick to just one woman.
While his father tried to teach him about romance, Keith was too busy trying to figure out how to make it big. He knew that he had a tough time ahead of him because of his skin color, because although black people had come a long way in the States, he knew they still had a long way to go.
White privilege was still very much alive.
Growing up with two different cultures as his environment meant that Keith had a talent that very few people possessed. He had the charm of the English, and the tenacity of the Americans, paired with his winning smile, and his confidence, he knew that if he played his cards just right, he’d make it big.
And he was right.
He managed to graduate top of his class with a degree in the media arts, but he soon began pursuing a different passion, something he had a knack for since he got his first basketball at the age of five.
The second he opened the present and held the ball in his hand, he understood why Michael Jordan wanted to get where he was, and from that point on, he did everything he could to make sure he got there too.
When he graduated from college, he moved to the States full time to pursue a career in basketball. At first, he worked odd jobs here and there. Three days a week he did some free-lance work for a marketing firm, and the rest of the week, he trained with a coach who let him play in a small scale basketball team. It wasn’t much, but it was a start.
Two years later, a talent scout happened to be walking by when he spotted Keith play, and the rest fell into place. His parents had just flown out to celebrate, and they took him out to dinner at a nice restaurant. They began prepping him with questions about the sport, his team mates, particularly Blake Hamilton and Mark Hummel. They were legends in the NBA, and even though he played alongside them in some of the games, they only knew him from afar, so he hardly ever interacted with them.
But he knew all about their lifestyles, they were considered royalty on and off the court. Women flocked to their side; or at least they used to until they both discovered that they were fathers.
Keith inwardly snorted at their bad luck, knowing that he’d never make that mistake. He knew that he wanted to be at the top of the food chain in the team, and once he got there, no one would take that away from him.
Not a woman nor a child.
He knew that having one or the other or both would be distracting and would make him unable to stay ahead of the game, so he avoided it as much as he could.
He half listened to his parents chatter on about how proud they were, and how they were thinking about moving to the states, so they could be close to him.
“Wait, what?” Keith had only been half listening, so he wasn’t sure he’d heard them right.
“Move back here?” He repeatedly looked from his father’s shy smile to his mother’s beaming face.
“Well, honey, why not? Your father and I have lived in Britain for quite some time now, and I know your father misses America, so I figured we could move back here for a while.”
Keith loved his parents, he did, but he was twenty-five, and just getting started on his big plans to live large, so he didn’t want to have to worry about disappointing his parents.
“Don’t worry, son. We’re still talking about it, we wouldn’t want to ‘cramp your style’ or whatever the kids call it these days.”
Keith was surprised to find himself
chuckling. “Okay, Dad.”
Cramp my style he thought to himself with an amused grin, he shook his head as his parents continued to tell him a story about his grandparents.
He absent-mindedly scratched his back, wondering how long the tattoo would itch. The tattoo artist had said that it was normal for it to feel itchy and uncomfortable for the first few days, but that after a week of using cream, he wouldn’t be able to feel a thing.
He had gotten two tattoos, one on his shoulder of a Game of Thrones quote ‘Valar Morghulis’, and the other on his back that was a picture of Rocky Balboa.
He hadn’t been quite sure of the second one, but his team mates had assured him that women not only loved tattoos, but that they loved manly tattoos, what could be more manly than a boxer?
He took a bite out of his dessert, and absent mindedly watched a petite waitress with short black hair and a nose piercing clear the table next to them.
She was bent over the table as she cleared away the dishes, and Keith found himself fantasizing about a different kind of bending.
He shifted uncomfortably as he felt himself begin to grow aroused. He hated that his parents were sitting right across the table from him because he didn’t feel comfortable doing his own thing with them around, but he’d figure out a way around that.
He continued to watch the waitress out of the corner of his eye, and once she caught him staring, she smirked at him and gave her hips an extra shake.
One eyebrow went up in surprise as she gave him a saucy wink before sauntering off, knowing full well that he was staring at her backside and wondering how to get her over.
Keith made a comment at something his parents said as he continued to think of the black haired mix who just walked off.
He noticed that she emerged a while later, and she made eye contact with him as she gave him a small seductive smile. He signaled her over, and as he watched her strut to the table, he wondered how he could make his move with his parents sitting across the table.
Just as she was approaching the table, she tripped and fell and landed directly at his feet. The water she was carrying spilled all over the front of his pants, and he gazed at his parents in dismay wondering what had just happened. He glanced down fully intending to help her up before he noticed that she was gesturing for him to be quiet.
