by Skye Turner
That’s right. I knew they were all carless today. I smile at her in thanks and nod.
Liam hollers again, “Hurry up, dude!”
What the hell does she want? Is everything ok? Liam isn’t acting like something is wrong.
Walking into the room, I’m nervous. I don’t like hospitals and I don’t know why Clove wants to see me. She’s grimacing on the bed when I walk in, like she’s in pain. I frown and walk over. Melonie is in the room in scrubs and a white doctor’s coat. She’s monitoring a lot of machines and talking quietly to a nurse. She looks over her shoulder and smiles at me.
Walking to the bed, I take Clove’s hand. “How are you doing, Clove?”
She chuckles and then grimaces. “I’m good, just in labor, which hurts like a bitch.”
“You wanted to see me?” I’m perplexed.
She smiles at me and even with sweat and pain on her face, she’s glowing. “I did. Can you call your mom? She’s always been so sweet to me. I don’t have a female around and, well, I wondered if she could come by if she has time.”
Ah, of course. Clove and Dade’s parents were junkies and left when she was just a baby. Dade raised her and she’s never had a maternal figure. My momma always had a soft spot for her since we went to the same schools and are about the same age. I nod. “Of course. She’ll love it. I’ll go call her now.”
Clove smirks at me. “I guess she’ll get to meet Tifanie too, then.”
Shit, I didn’t think about that. But, yes, she will. Tifanie is here. Am I ok with her meeting my momma? That’s kind of a major thing. But, it’s Tifanie. If ever I was going to let any girl meet my momma, it would be her.
I’m just not sure I’m ready to answer the questions. I’m not certain I know how to answer them…
I realize I never answered Clove. “Yes, I suppose she will.”
She smiles at me with a knowing look in her eyes. “Something is different.”
“What do you mean?”
She points at me. “With you. Something is different. You look… lighter…”
I look lighter? What the hell does that mean? I looked heavy?!
I’m so confused by not only this conversation, but by the feelings and the complexity of the feelings running through me about Tifanie. “Lighter?”
She laughs and it ends in a groan as she grabs the bedpost and screams out. It only lasts a few seconds and then she breathes and cracks her eyes at me. “Sorry, contractions are a real bitch!” She looks over my shoulder and Liam pushes past me and takes her hand. She smiles at him before once again focusing on me. “Yes, lighter. Like you’re not walking around with the weight of the world on your shoulders. What happened? You know you’re going to tell me.”
I chuckle. I better just tell her. She’ll get it out of me anyway. “What do you mean what happened?” I’m stalling.
She glares at me. I’m taken aback. “You stop being coy, Robert Cruz Edwards! What is going on with you and Tifanie? She’s here, you are visibly different. So, what happened? Are you a couple?”
Are we a couple?!
Um, no. No, we’re not a couple. Are we?!
She frowns at the confusion on my face. “What’s wrong? Tell me what that look is about.”
Liam is fascinated by our conversation and just sitting on the edge of Clove’s bed, rubbing her hand and watching us.
I shrug and scratch the back of my neck before massaging the sudden tenseness there. “I don’t think we’re a couple. I mean no. No, we’re not a couple. But, I know we’re not just friends anymore either.”
She’s rubbing her stomach and staring intently at my face. Her eyes are shifting and traveling over the planes before returning to my eyes. I hate when she does that. It makes me think she can see into my soul.
She finally smiles softly. “I see. She’s busted through the gate.”
The gate? What the hell is she talking about? I look at Liam in silent question.
He smirks.
Clove writhes again in pain before she looks at me with glassy eyes. “Sorry, Hun. I know this is uncomfortable for you. They’re a lot closer together now. I meant that your heart is not locked behind the fortress you keep it in. Tifanie has forged through the gate.”
My eyes widen. She chuckles. “I’m not saying you’re in love, calm down. But, I am saying you care about her. And she’s just what you need. You push and she pushes back. She’s not going to walk away, Cruz. Figure it out. Take your time, but leave yourself open to the possibilities with her. Because I have a feeling that she’s not going to allow you to run…And you need that…” She moans again and Liam looks at Melonie who is at the foot of the bed.
Melonie says, “Let’s check and see how close you are because those contractions are on top of each other now.”
Liam looks at me in fear and excitement. “We’re about to have a baby! I’m about to be a daddy, man!”
I smile and get choked up at the emotion on everyone’s face as I head to the door. “We’ll talk more later, Clove. Right now, you need to concentrate on having that baby. Good luck y’all.”
Melonie is saying, “It’s go time. Are you ready to push, Clove? With the next one, push when I say go, ok…”
I walk out. Clove’s scream follows me into the hall and everyone stares at me. “She’s pushing.”
Dade jumps up and Mr. George grips his arm. “Calm down, son. Women have been having babies for thousands of years. Besides, Melonie is in there with her. No better hands for our girl to be in.”
Dade’s phone goes off and he answers, “Hello. Hey, Paw. She’s pushing now… Yes… Ok, Cruz is going to come down to meet y’all and bring you up… Yes, sir… Ok, he’s on the way down now.”
He hangs up and I’m already on it. “Got it. Are they at the front entrance?”
Dade nods and stares at the door to the hospital room as it rattles with the sound of Clove’s screams. We can also hear Liam talking to her through the door, but we can’t hear what he’s saying.
I turn toward the hall and Tifanie is standing there. She smiles at me and says, “I’ll come with you, if that’s ok.”
I nod and gesture for her to go in front of me to the elevators. She smiles and steps around me, brushing against my arm as she does. I feel the charge all the way to my toes.
She pushes the button and we head down to the first floor. It’s quiet in the elevator and we don’t speak as the doors close. We stop a few floors down, but the hallway is empty, so we’re still alone on the elevator. Finally, she turns to me and speaks. “You ok, Cruz?”
My gaze meets hers and we stare at each other in the elevator. I nod. “I’m good. Just a lot on my mind.”
She clicks her tongue and bites the pink tip. “Like what?”
I shrug. “Just a lot of stuff.”
She hums and stares at me. “Are you ok today about last night? Not that anything happened, but are you ok today?”
She thinks I’m freaked out about her?
Well, you are. Sort of. Yes, there’s all kinds of shit going on in my head, but yes, some of it is her.
Leaning back against the wall, I cross my long legs and stare at her. “I’m good.”
“You sure?”
I nod and stand up. She watches me. I take a step and am standing in front of her. Reaching down, I gently pull her and she comes forward. Her hands grip my forearms. Her head angles back and she looks up at me as I look down at her. Her hair is in a ponytail, and it’s swishing from side to side, tickling my hands as they cup her sides. “Yes, I’m good,” I say and then lean down to kiss her.
I wasn’t even sure I was going to do that, but once she was staring at me and meeting my gaze with her wide hazel eyes, my head shut off and I stopped thinking so much. I just acted.
Her head angles as I hold onto her ponytail and deepen the kiss. She’s pressed against the back wall of the elevator with my thigh between hers. The sexy moans escaping her throat are driving me on. I attack her mouth as if I’m consumed
and the only thing keeping me sane is her lips on mine… her tongue dancing with mine. I can taste the lingering flavor of sweet caramel in her mouth.
We forget that we’re in the hospital. I forget the enraging phone call and the fact that I’m meeting my friend’s grandfather down here. I forget everything but the woman in my arms and the kiss that is rocking my world.
The ding of the doors doesn’t even alert us to the fact that we’ve stopped.
An uncomfortable clearing of a throat is the only thing that breaks through the haze. Stepping back, I drop my hands and turn. A disapproving gaze is directed at me and a condescending glance is thrown my way. I stand taller and in front of Tifanie in a protective stance. I’m used to people looking at me like that, but I don’t want it directed at her.
I open my mouth to apologize. “I’m sorr…”
But, the woman’s shocked gasp and then, “Tifanie?!” cuts me short.
Looking at her, I can see the shock on her face as she looks around me at Tifanie. Then her disgusted gaze travels the length of my body before her accusing eyes center once again on Tifanie.
“Honestly, Tifanie. You can’t bother to show up at events or even answer your phone, yet, here you are… consorting… with this gentleman in a hospital elevator. A public elevator?!”
Chapter Eight
Tifanie
I’m so involved in Cruz, in his toe-curling kiss, that I forget where we are. All I want to do is straddle him. I want him so badly my blood is like fire in my veins. He’s occupied my thoughts, my fantasies¸ for months and I’ve wondered about his kiss. Now, I’ve experienced it and it’s like nothing I could have ever imagined. It’s far superior to anything I even dreamed of.
I can’t help but wonder why he’s such a fantastic kisser. How many women have tasted these perfect lips?
Actually, I don’t want to know that. It’s not my business, yet I know damn well I don’t want anyone else to ever taste them again.
Nope, I want them. I want exclusivity and I want it now. I want to mark him, to brand him. I’m scaring myself with the depth of my feelings. Dear lord, it’s just a kiss. But holy shit, what a kiss it is.
Cruz occupies every atom of my being. The feelings he invokes in me have me unaware and uncaring of our surroundings. He breaks the kiss and I feel him stiffen. It frustrates me. How dare anyone or anything disturb my euphoria? But then… I comprehend the tone of the disturbance.
Standing tall, I straighten my shirt where it’s ridden up from Cruz’s hands on my sides. Looking around him, I gasp. I take in the perfectly pressed, expensive Alexander McQueen suit, pointy-toed Christian Louboutin heels, pearls, and not a hair out of place coiffed blonde updo. I take in the wrinkled nose as if something foul smelling is in the elevator, before settling on the frosty hazel eyes of… my sister.
My back instantly straightens as I match her frosty gaze with one of my own.
The next words out of her mouth infuriate me. “Honestly, Tifanie. You can’t bother to show up at events or even answer your phone, yet, here you are… consorting… with this gentleman in a hospital elevator. A public elevator?!”
She speaks with disdain and it pisses me off. How dare she talk down to Cruz like that! She doesn’t even know him.
Cruz is looking from me to AnnaBeth in confusion. He opens his mouth to say something again, but I throw my hand out and stop him from talking. “Excuse me, AnnaBeth. I’d say it’s lovely to see you, but we both know I’d be lying and you know I pride myself on not doing that.” Cruz stares at me with a frown on his face. “Yes, I got your calls. But since I didn’t answer, one would deem that I wasn’t interested in a conversation. At least most people would… after the first ten unanswered calls and unreturned messages.”
She gasps as her eyes widen and she touches her pearls in feigned shock.
I roll my eyes and link my arm with Cruz’s. “Yet, you continue to call me. And, I continue to ignore you. As far as not showing up at events, I am busy. I have a life and a career and I’m not a puppet on a string, again, unlike some people. Furthermore, this gentleman you are so rudely labeling is a friend of mine. A very good friend and you’ll do well to keep your judgments to yourself.” I step up to her and drag Cruz with me. She steps back as we approach. “Now, excuse us. We have things to do.” We step off the elevator.
She calls out just before the doors close. “Well, I’m sorry you’re so ashamed of all of us puppets, but perhaps you can put that aside and at least show up to your grandmother’s eighty-fifth birthday! It’s this Saturday at Chateau du Bellaforte. That’s why I’ve been calling you.” The doors close behind her.
I lean back against the brick walls of the hospital and take a deep breath. My family gets my hackles up.
Opening my eyes, Cruz is staring at me with his arms crossed over his chest. His arms are bulging in his long sleeved t-shirt. They’re so defined I’m mesmerized. Finally, I focus on his face and realize his eyes are narrowed on me and his lips are tight. He asks flatly, “Care to share what that was about and who exactly that was?”
I sigh and straighten from the wall. Here we go. “Not really, but I will. That was my sister… AnnaBeth… Bellaforte.”
His mouth goes slack and his arms fall limply at his sides. “Bellaforte? Did you just say Bellaforte?!”
“I did. I’m a Bellaforte.”
He takes a step back and when I try to walk toward him, he holds his hands out to ward me off. “Bellaforte? Like the political family Bellaforte? One of the richest families in the South?!”
My stomach drops. Great. I knew this would happen. I glare at him. “Yes, that one. My name is Tifanie Jeffries-Bellaforte. I don’t use Bellaforte for obvious reasons.”
He takes a few steps back and turns his back to me. What is he thinking? This is why I don’t use my family name! I don’t want the shit that comes with it. I’m not like them. I don’t give a shit about money or titles. I only care about hard work and earning what you deserve. He keeps his back turned to me and I can see him taking deep breaths.
I walk over to him and touch his back. The muscles are so tight. He’s as stiff as a board. “Cruz? Hey, I’m not like them. I don’t use the name because I’m not like them. I’m still me. I’m just me.”
He turns to me and his eyes are once again bleak. Whatever ground we’d gained, we just lost. His walls are back up.
He steps forward and my hand falls. He says, “We need to get Liam’s grandfather. It’s why we’re here. We need to get them up there to see the baby.”
I nod as my chest hurts. I hold it in and push it down. This is not the time to hash it out about who I am. Or who he thinks I am. I’m me. I’m the girl he knows. The girl he’s spent time with over the past few months. He knows me. I just need to remind him of that. Who I am is not my name. Who I am is who I choose to be!
I look at the parking lot and see an older couple slowly making their way to the entrance. I ask Cruz, “Is that them?”
He looks at me briefly and in his eyes I see a hint of something I can’t explain, but he masks it before he looks to the parking lot. He nods “It is.” And he jogs to meet them. I don’t know what else to do, so I head into the parking lot too and meet them all.
Cruz introduces me. “This is Tifanie. She’s a paramedic and a friend to everyone.”
Wow, ok then. I’m a friend to everyone. Nothing personal at all there. Son of a bitch. I could kill AnnaBeth. She’s such a fucking snob. I can’t stand to be around them. It’s why I’m NOT around them all. My grandmother is the only one I can stomach. I do feel bad that I might have missed the party but why couldn’t AnnaBeth just send a damn invite like a normal person?
Oh, that’s right, she’s not a normal person. She’s a fucking Bellaforte!
La-Di-Fucking-Da!
I shake myself out of my mood. These are Liam’s grandparents and this is a happy occasion. I put it aside for now, but Cruz and I are talking about this. He’s not going to just push me away because o
f something like this. It has no bearing on me and no bearing whatsoever on what’s happening with us! He’s not getting away over something I can’t control.
Nope, not happening. You might be stubborn, Cruz Edwards, but I have you beat!
I’m the queen of stubborn!
Chapter Nine
Cruz
What the fuck?! Tifanie is from the richest and most influential family in Louisiana?! Are you shitting me right now?
I can’t even deal with that. I can’t deal with that on top of the bullshit with my felon sperm donor and the upcoming tour. Not to mention that we’re at the hospital and two of my best friends, my family, are having their first baby. I’m not dealing with this shit.
I can’t be involved with her. She’s a Bellaforte. I’m the child of a black woman and a white rapist. No, any illusion about Tifanie and me was just firmly shattered. People like her don’t get involved with people like me. It doesn’t happen. It can’t happen.
It’s not happening.
Thankfully, Paw and Ms. Verna showing up allow me to leave the conversation with Tifanie. I run across the parking lot to meet them and leave her in the entrance to the hospital. Maybe it was shitty, but I can’t handle all this right now.
I see her face when I introduce her to Paw and Ms. Verna. It falls and the hurt is visible before she hides it and smiles at the older couple. “Hi. I’m Tifanie. It’s nice to meet you. We just came down and things are progressing rapidly up there. I think Baby John will be here very soon.”
Paw looks at Tifanie and as he takes in her appearance, he smiles. “Hello, Miss Tifanie. Aren’t you a pretty thing?! Did you know that John was Liam’s brother’s name?”
I can see the wheels in her head spinning, but she smiles and says, “Thank you, sir. I did not know that. But, that’s awesome.”
Paw looks at me and then at Tifanie. “It is. John is here with us today and that baby has one hell of a Guardian Angel.”
I can see the confusion on Tifanie’s face. I decide to enlighten her. “John was a soldier. He was killed in action in Afghanistan years ago.”
