by Tina Martin
Desmond cracked a half smile, though he didn’t feel like smiling at all. “Do you recall the first dinner we had with Victor?”
“Who can forget that night?” Dante quipped. “You and Sherita were on fire.”
Desmond smirked, remembering how Sherita had whispered in his ear, held his hand and kissed him. It was a kiss he would never forget.
Dimitrius grinned. “Melanie had asked me if she should pry you two away from each other with her salad fork.”
The men chuckled.
“I was really shocked, though,” Dante said. “I know I told you two to pretend you were in love, but I didn’t think you would go all-out like that. If you would’ve kissed any longer, you would’ve set off the sprinklers.”
Dante and Dimitrius laughed.
Desmond covered his face with his hands and sighed heavily before lowering his hands to the countertop again. “That’s the night our relationship changed…the night we became more than just two people working together for the sake of a business deal.”
“It’s been going on for that long?” Dante asked.
Desmond nodded. “She had me doing things I could never see myself doing before…had me wanting things I never wanted before, and I blew it.”
“You didn’t blow it, Des,” Dimitrius said. “Sherita still loves you.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because Melanie once said she didn’t love me, and it nearly killed me. It hurt. It was a lie, obviously, since we’re together now, but at the time, it hurt when she said it. I later found out she had a reason for saying it, and I’m sure Sherita has one, too.”
Desmond shook his head.
“So don’t give up little brother,” Dante said.
“Give up?” Desmond said. “I don’t give up. I told Sherita right out the gate that she was mine, and I meant it.”
“Well, it seems you have a lot of work to do, bro,” Dante told him.
“Looks that way.”
Dante stood up. So did Dimitrius.
“Well, I’m going to get back home,” Dante said. “I’m sure Emily is waiting to talk to me about all of this.” Dante patted Desmond on the shoulder. “Love you, man.”
Dimitrius laid his hand on the opposite shoulder and said, “Love you, bro.”
“Put the alcohol away, take a shower and try to relax,” Dante said.
“Sounds like something Dad would say,” Desmond said.
“It does,” Dante agreed. “Later.”
“Later, Des,” Dimitrius said.
“Hey, Dante,” Desmond called out from the island.
Dante turned around. “What’s up?”
“Do me a favor.”
“What’s that?”
“Get out of the matchmaking business.”
The brothers chuckled, then Dante responded, “Now that my brothers are married to the loves of their lives, I’m already out of business.”
When his brothers exited, Desmond walked down the hallway to the basement door and on into the basement apartment where a lot of Sherita’s things still remained. He assumed she’d be by to collect her items at the same time she came to get the car.
He walked pass the couch, near the bed recalling how they’d made love there. How she experienced her first time there. Revisiting those memories made him realize and remain firm to his resolve to get her back. But nothing could prepare him for what he saw next – an opened pregnancy test box jutting out from underneath the bed. He bent down, picked it up then sat on the bed with it in his hand. The test was missing.
With a racing heart, he searched through the bathroom wastebasket and when that didn’t turn up anything, he checked the kitchen. Nothing. Was she pregnant? A year ago, he couldn’t fathom the thought of having a child. Now, as he sat on the bed again, thinking there could be a real possibility Sherita was pregnant, that’s all he wanted. His child. And her.
CHAPTER 36
Against Emily’s wishes, Sherita spent the night at a hotel. She’d taken a taxi to Desmond’s house late, around 2:00 a.m. or so, then she drove to the hotel where she stayed for the night, and five additional nights, crying her eyes out while avoiding phone calls from everyone. No one knew where she was. As far as they knew, she’d gone back to South Carolina.
Checking out of her hotel, she took the overnight bag and tossed it in the backseat, looking at the few items that remained there. She inhaled a breath. She remembered vividly, two weekends ago, how she had been packing up her things and when Desmond came home and saw her packing, he’d stopped her, scooped her up in his arms and took her upstairs to his bedroom where they made love. Well, she wanted to believe they were making love, but now she knew better. In hindsight, she should not have gotten involved with him. She knew he didn’t want children. He was a bachelor. He drove a motorcycle. He took pride in getting any woman he wanted. His house wasn’t even fit for a child. Only for him.
Sherita shook her head, then pulled out of the hotel parking lot. Today, she would remain focused on accomplishing three things. One, visiting the doctor to have her first ultrasound. Two, talking to her parents about their infatuation with Thane. Three, she needed to get over to Desmond’s house to pick up her things, and since it was Monday, she was sure he’d be at work. She could get in and quickly get out without any interruptions.
* * *
She didn’t want to go to the doctor alone. She was ready for the 3-D ultrasound, ready to see her baby and hear its tiny heartbeat, but she needed some support. She needed a friend with her. It would’ve been nice if she had Desmond there, but why would he come when he didn’t want children. So she called Emily. She explained why she had been avoiding her phone calls and how she had stayed in Asheville for the week trying to determine her next move.
Calling Emily to go to the doctor with her had proven to be a good decision, especially when the doctor told her he heard two heartbeats. Sherita was so shocked, she felt like fainting. The ultrasound confirmed there was not one, but two babies – fraternal twins. After the shock of it all, the women were so overjoyed, it brought them to tears.
* * *
At her parent’s house now, she rang the doorbell. She decided she wouldn’t tell them about the babies just yet. She was there for something totally unrelated.
Her mother opened the door and said, “Sherita, where on earth have you been? Come on in this house. Do you know how worried I was? I couldn’t call you on the phone? What happened to your phone? And when did you move?”
“I changed my number. I told you I was changing it.”
“Why didn’t you give me your new number?”
Frustrated, Sherita shook her head. “Where’s Dad?”
“He ran out, Sherita. Are you going to tell me what’s going on? Where are you living now?”
“I’m moving to Myrtle Beach.”
“Why on earth would you do a thing like that?”
“I’m moving for work, Mom. Dad hasn’t found steady work yet and your mortgage won’t pay itself, now will it?” Sherita handed her mother an envelope that contained three-thousand dollars. “Tell Dad this is the payment for the next two months.”
She watched her mother frown.
“For the mortgage?” Sherita said, testily.
“Sherita, the mortgage is paid off.”
“It is?”
“Yeah. It is.”
“How’s that possible? You still owed fifteen grand on it.”
“Not anymore. A Mr. Champion came by with a check for the balance and told us he was doing it as a favor to you.”
“Mr. Champion?” Sherita asked. This had Dante’s name written all over it.
“Yes. Now, I don’t know why in the world the man would come pay off the mortgage, but I do know I saw a wedding band on his hand and—” Her mother lost her words when she glanced at Sherita’s hand and saw the huge rock there, sparkling underneath the lights. “Sherita, what is that on your finger?”
Sherita glanced at the ring. How did she
forget to take it off? Was it because the man she loved told her to never take it off? Even if that was the case, after she came to the realization she didn’t want to be with him anymore, why was she still wearing the man’s ring?
“It’s nothing, Mom. Listen…I’m going to give you my number, but I do not want you to give it to Thane, okay. Thane and I are not a couple, and we will never be a couple. I don’t love him, and I would appreciate it if you and Dad would stop telling him what’s going on in my life.”
“All right, dear. You’ve made your point loud and clear.”
“Well please make it loud and clear to Dad.” Sherita took an old receipt from her purse then scribbled her cell phone number on the back. She handed it to her mother. “I have to go.”
“Where are you going? We need to discuss this move.”
“We’ll discuss it later. I’m going to get the rest of my things so I can go. I’ll call you later.”
CHAPTER 37
On the drive to Desmond’s place, Sherita pulled up Dante’s work number in her phone then dialed it.
“Dante Champion,” he answered.
“Hi, Dante. It’s Sherita.”
Dante glanced up at his brothers sitting across from his desk. Emily had already told him that Sherita was pregnant, but he’d been shocked when she called him this morning to tell him that Sherita was having twins. “Good morning, Sherita.”
Knowing his brother was talking to Sherita took Desmond’s attention away from his laptop, and now he was staring at Dante with fierce, inquisitive eyes.
“Hey, I just wanted to thank you for paying off my parent’s mortgage,” Sherita said. “I told you I didn’t want any repayment, but I really do appreciate this. You are too kind.”
Dante looked at Desmond when he said, “I’m afraid I can’t take credit for that, Sherita.”
“Well if you didn’t do it then—” She stopped talking when she realized the answer. Desmond had paid off her parent’s mortgage.
“Umm, Dante, I have to go.”
“Wait, Sherita.”
“Yes?”
“When are you heading back to Myrtle Beach?”
“Sometime today,” she said, not wanting to give him an exact timeframe.
“Okay. Be safe.”
“I will. Bye.”
“Bye, Sherita.”
Dante placed the phone back on the receiver and buried his face in his hands for a brief moment.
“What did she say?” Desmond said, feeling a dose of envy that Sherita called his brother instead of calling him.
“Have you spoken to her since last Friday?” Dante asked.
“No.”
Eyebrows raised, Dante asked, “You haven’t spoken to her in a week and a half?”
“No. I tried calling her a few times, but she didn’t answer. I thought it would be best if I gave her a little space.”
Dante scratched his jaw. “You’re making a mistake, Des.”
“How’s that?”
“Did you pay off her parent’s mortgage?”
“Yes, I did. Why?”
“That was the reason for her call. She was calling to thank me. She thought I’d done it, which means she doesn’t think you’re generous enough to do something like that. What does that tell you, Des?”
Desmond didn’t say a word.
“Let me show you something,” Dante said, removing a photo book from his briefcase. He handed it to Desmond and said, “Sherita made it from the pictures she took of Grace and Ezra at the park.”
“She did a good job with it, too,” Dimitrius said, staring at his laptop. “Melanie loved it.”
“You were with her that day, right, Des?” Dante asked.
“Of course.” Desmond kept flipping through the pages until he saw the picture of himself with Sherita while they were holding Ezra and Grace. There was a picture of the four of them together and then, there was the picture Desmond remembered vividly – of him touching his face to Sherita’s face. He didn’t realize she’d been smiling when he leaned in close to her. He assumed she’d be frowning since he was doing nothing other than trying to get under her skin, but she was smiling.
“At the time, I bet you didn’t know this picture would foreshadow your life, that is, if you choose to see it. If you take the time to see it.”
“What are you talking about, Dante?”
Dante stared at his brother for a few seconds. It was on the tip of his tongue to tell Desmond what he knew – that Sherita was pregnant with twins, but he wouldn’t. “You claim you love Sherita and that she’s yours. Well, I think it’s time for you to show her that. She told me she was leaving today…heading for Myrtle Beach, and if you do not talk to her before she leaves, it’ll probably, no, it will be the biggest mistake of your life.”
“Did she say where she was?” Desmond asked.
“No, but I assume she’s going by your place to get the rest of her items since she knows you’re here.”
Desmond got up quickly, walked to his office snatching his suit jacket from the back of his chair and his keys from the top drawer of his desk. Then he jumped in his jeep and sped home, thinking about what Dante had said…that the picture of himself, Sherita and his niece and nephew had foreshadowed his life. Then he thought about the pregnancy test box he found under Sherita’s bed, the Ginger Ale and crackers she’d left in his jeep. He remembered when Emily was pregnant, she lived off of Ginger Ale and crackers and when he had spoken to Sherita a few times while she was working at the beach, she told him she didn’t feel well. Now he knew why. Sherita was pregnant.
CHAPTER 38
Sherita grabbed a handful of panties and dropped them in a bag. As she opened another drawer to check if she’d emptied it, she heard Desmond’s firmly planted footsteps, on the level above, as his expensive, leather shoes made contact with the hardwood floor. Even before she heard him, she felt his overpowering presence descend upon her like a blanket of light mist.
The sound of his steps slowed as he approached the stairs. With each step down, she felt her heart rate quicken.
“Hi,” he said.
Sherita turned to look at him. Studied him. He was dressed in a business black suit, looking as handsome as he always did.
“I was hoping we could talk.”
“About what?” Sherita asked, continuing on stuffing a bag with her things – shaving cream, a hair dryer and socks. “There’s really not much left to say.”
“Maybe for you it’s not.”
Sherita sighed heavily. Pushing the empty drawer closed, she said testily, “Desmond, I’m not going to do this back and forth thing with you, so—”
“Do you actually think that’s what I want, Sherita?” he asked, forcing a frown away from his face. “We need to talk like mature adults. No arguing. No fighting. We just need to talk.”
Sherita dropped the bag. “Then let’s talk.”
“Upstairs,” Desmond said. “Meet me in the living room.” Desmond turned around to walk away, heading up the stairs.
Sherita reluctantly followed. How had he known she would be here? Did he have some remote camera set up at his place? If only she’d moved a little faster...
If she did, she’d be gone by now and all of this would’ve been avoided. Now she had to meet Desmond. In the living room.
It was torture to love someone so much, yet hate them at the same time. She loved Desmond. His mere presence was enough to rattle her. Make her feel things. Still, she was frustrated with the circumstances she found herself in with him. She would have to find the willpower to resist the incredible hold he had on her – easier said than done, especially with his babies growing inside of her stomach.
In the living room now, five minutes later, she watched Desmond sit on the sofa, so she followed suit, sitting on the opposite end of it, leaving much needed space between them. He stared at her for a few seconds, not to make her uncomfortable but to get his thoughts in line.
Sherita pulled in a breath, interlocked her
fingers, then stared down towards the floor.
“Can we have some eye contact, please? I need you to look at me, Sherita.”
“Why?”
“Because I need to see your eyes when I ask you this question.”
Sherita looked up at him, locking eyes with him, instantly feeling her heart thump harder in her chest. She wondered if her babies would have his enchanting, golden eyes. His darling dimple. His so-so demeanor. “If you have a question, can you please ask it so I can—”
“Are you pregnant?”
She froze and, for a moment, she lost her breath. He knew.
“Well? Are you?” he asked impatiently.
“Why are you asking?”
“Why am I—?” Desmond began, irritation claiming the tone of his voice. “We did sleep together, Sherita, so it’s not like this question is coming out of left field.”
“It is coming out of left field,” Sherita said. “You never bothered to ask me before.”
“Well, I’m asking now.”
“Why?”
“Because I want to know if my baby is growing inside of you, Sherita.”
Sherita dropped her face in her hands, exasperated before looking at him again and saying, “What does it matter anyway, Desmond? It’s not like you want children, and I’m not—” she trailed off into tears. “I’m not getting rid of my babies just because you don’t want children.”
Babies? Desmond scooted closer to her and lowered his tone to a caring, nurturing one when he asked, “Why do you think so little of me, Sherita? Do you think I would ask you to do that?”
Sherita looked away from him, staring back down towards the floor, batting tears away from her eyes.
Desmond lowered himself to his knees in front of her, then reached to tilt her chin up with a touch of his index finger. “Do you?”
“You said you didn’t want children, Desmond.”
