by SK
She burrowed closer to Darrell. For the first time in her life, Jerra truly felt safe and protected.
Vegas (Eight months later)
Darrell and Marcus were in the “man room” of Darrell’s new home. They were watching the playoffs and on the edge of their seat as the game went into overtime. Darrell’s lawyer was going over some last minute details that had finally been ironed out. The papers would need to be faxed no later than tomorrow.
Darrell had decided to sell his half of the Vegas club to his partner. He’d outgrown that scene and was ready to move on to bigger and better things. With smart investments he’d made and the large profit he would receive from selling his stake in the club, he’d be able to start his own commercial real estate business and grasp an even larger slice of the American dream. He wasn’t worried. His motivation to succeed came from the commitments and responsibilities he now had where failure was not an option.
His lawyer walked into the room to get Darrell‘s signature on the final draft which would seal the deal, but frowned at the noise from the television and the screaming from the two men. The documents were placed on the table in front of Darrell. Without taking his attention away from the ridiculously large plasma screen, Darrell held his hand out for a pen. Rolling her eyes, she thrust it in front of him. While continuing to watch the game, he briefly glanced down to scribble his signature on the dotted line she’d indicated.
“Don’t you think you should at least read over them first?”
“Nah. It’s all good.” Darrell handed the papers back to her as he directed his full attention to the television once again.
After hesitating, the lawyer snatched the contract out of his hand. She curled her lip up while giving him a glare which conveyed her frustration. How he ever became a successful businessman was beyond her realm of thinking if this was the way he conducted his affairs.
Marcus noticed her expression and nudged Darrell’s leg before he nodded in her direction. Darrell frowned and peeked over his shoulder, taking note of the tense set of her retreating back. He reluctantly got up, casting a look full of resentment at Marcus who continued to watch the game uninterrupted.
“Excuse me,” Darrell called out to her.
Clearly irritated, she stopped in her tracks. “Yes…” Annoyance practically dripped from that one word.
Darrell walked up behind her and slipped his arms around her waist, covering her protruding belly that held their son. “I’m sorry baby. I didn’t mean to ignore you.”
Jerra sighed and turned around. Looking into his gray eyes and handsome face, a reluctant smile tugged at her lips. She could never stay mad at him for long and he knew it. However, the closer she got to her due date, the moodier she became. She hoped he realized he was treading on thin ice.
Darrell leaned down to kiss her. “You forgive me?”
Jerra moved as close as her eight months pregnant belly would let her. “Of course.”
Grinning, he kissed her again. “I love you, Mrs. Monroe.”
“I love you too, Mr. Monroe - and that’s St. James-Monroe.” The correction was done to intentionally needle him. She knew he hated the hyphenated last name she’d insisted on.
The grin fell from Darrell’s face as he gave her a mock glare of disapproval before breaking out into a smile. Kissing her nose and tapping her on the butt, he turned and joined Marcus on the couch. He immediately pissed Marcus off when he rewound the DVR in order to watch the parts he’d missed.
“Man! Come on! He was just getting ready to make the winning shot!!” Marcus shouted at Darrell in disbelief.
Darrell calmly met his gaze. “My house. My rules.”
Without further explanation, he gave his full attention to the game. Jerra stood and watched them for a moment, all the while shaking her head as they continued the bickering. I swear, she thought before she closed the door behind her. Boys and their toys.
As she walked to the family room to join Keisha and Aleesha, Jerra unconsciously smiled and rubbed her swollen stomach. Her joy briefly dimmed when her mind took her back to what seemed like another lifetime. Twelve years ago, she’d gone through the experience of carrying and nurturing a life inside of her, but that period had been one of the darkest times she’d ever experienced.
Almost as traumatic as the night the baby’s father violently and brutally raped her…
The decision to give the child up for adoption had been the only one she could’ve made. She could barely take care of herself, let alone a baby; she was little more than a child herself. But she still thought about it every single day and prayed it was living a safe and blessed life.
Jerra briefly closed her eyes and pressed her lips tightly together. She didn’t even know the gender. Had she given birth to a son? A daughter? At the time, she hadn’t wanted to know. But still…she wondered.
Hearing Keisha call her name, she determinedly came out of the painful revelry of her past. Feeling the baby kick, a smile crossed her face and brought her a sense of serenity. She would be meeting her son soon. She already loved him more than her own life.
Inhaling deeply, she continued to the family room. Keisha and Aleesha were here through the weekend and had been fussing over a very pregnant Jerra the entire time. Although she protested, she secretly enjoyed the attention. They and Marcus, along with her husband, were her family now. In less than a month, she and Darrell would be increasing their little brood to three.
Jerra reflected on everything she’d gone through. She knew things happened for a reason, and was no longer bitter or sad about her past because it was just that - her past. Her future loomed so much brighter. She eagerly looked forward to what was still to come, for her own personal eclipse had passed and all she saw were bright skies ahead.
Eclipse: [e-klips] : the concealing of the light of the sun by the intervention of the moon between it and a point on the earth; to cause the obscuration of; to darken or hide.
