by Leila Lacey
Jay stood next to him, rubbing his back and just let him sob while other officers blocked off the hallway to prevent anyone from passing through.
After five minutes, Seth pulled himself together asking as he stood up and wiped his face, “What’s up Jay?” His voice cracking.
Jay took a deep breath while spinning his signature cowboy hat in his hands. “First, I am so sorry for your loss. I know you would want to know this as soon as possible. I hate being the one to have to tell you.”
“What?” Seth said. He wasn’t in the mood for cryptic conversations.
“It’s Maddox.”
“What’s Maddox?”
“It was Maddox who shot your brother,” Jay said quickly.
“What? How? I thought Maddox was in jail?” Seth said not believing what he’d just heard.
“He was! He got out earlier this year for good behavior and because the jails are already overcrowded. He hooked up with Shawn a couple of months ago and they have been doing it ever since,” Jay said as he looked down the hall to make sure the other cops and hospital personnel who were there could not hear them.
“RESTARTED WHAT JAY?” Seth yelled at him. He was getting a sick feeling in his stomach like he was about to hear that his brother had been killed as a revenge for him clearing his conscious.
“Seth, Shawn was being watched by IA for the last six months. He was dirty man, he was stealing guns, money and drugs from the evidence locker and giving it to Maddox to sell. They split the profits down the middle.
Before Jay knew it, Seth tackled him against the wall and was holding him so high off the floor, his feet were dangling. Jay was six five two-hundred and sixty pound of long tall Texan and Seth was holding him like a stuffed bear. “Are you saying my dead brother is a dirty cop?”
“I am sorry man, but he was,” Jay said pushing Seth away from him. “I thought you would want to hear it from someone who cared about you and your family, so you can talk to your parents first, rather than them hearing it on the news.” He kept rubbing his neck.
“My brother was a good cop!” This had to be a lie, Shawn was the most upstanding cop Seth ever knew, besides his father including himself, he would never work with or for a scum bag like Maddox. “I need to talk to him! I need to talk to Shawn and find out what the hell is going on!” Seth walked back toward the hospital room doors. But stopped mid-stride, it hit him all of a sudden he couldn’t talk to his brother and hear his side. His brother was—dead.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
It was the day of Shawn’s funeral and Seth couldn’t seem to get his tie tied. He’d been tying his own tie since he was nine year’s old and today, he couldn’t think of step one.
Alena stood in his bedroom door watching for a minute before walking in turning him toward her and tying his tie. “There you go. Very handsome” Alena said smiling up at him.
He stared into her eyes feeling lost and couldn’t help but smile. She’d been amazing since Shawn died, from helping his mother with the arrangements. To helping him make sure, his parent’s ate every day.
His dad was taking Shawn’s’ death a lot harder than he’d thought he would. He didn’t know why he thought his father would just be okay with losing a child. Maybe because his dad had always been the backbone of his family.
After getting permission from him first, Alena went to his parents’ house every day this week and made them lunch and dinner.
Steven was spending all of his time in his den, looking at videos of the boys when they were kids.
She’d pulled up a chair and watched with him. Sharing laughs and tears together, she’d helped him grieve in a way no one else could.
“Thank you,” Seth said wrapping his arms around her.
“For what?” Alena said confused.
“For being you.”
“Oh! Sure. No problem…That’s the easy part. It’s when I try and be Beyoncé, then things get tricky,” she joked.
“Oh no, Beyoncé would have a hard time being you!” He kissed her tenderly.
After he pulled his lips away, she spoke, “Now, I know you’re not a man who discusses his emotions, but I need to know where you are. Are you jumping on the casket as its being lowered into the ground distraught? Or, I may cry at the grave site but not for long upset?” She smiled. “I just need to know if I should put my Nike’s in my purse”
“Your Nike’s?” Seth said confused but quite amused by her analogy.
“Well, you jump your butt in a hole, who do you think is going to have to jump in after you?”
Seth laughed out loud for the first time in a long time. “You’d do that for me?” he said squeezing Alena even tighter.
“Of course, seeing dirt shoveled on one man I care about is enough to last me a life time thank you very much,” Alena said
A wall instantly came down over his face and he turned away from her while putting his jacket on.
Clearing her throat, she stepped up behind Seth again, wrapping her arms around him. “Honey, can I ask you a question?”
Seth nodded his head.
“I noticed anytime I mention Marcus, you get very quiet. Does it make you uncomfortable when I talk about him?”
Dropping his head in shame, he turned to embrace her, looking into her beautiful brown eyes. “No baby. I know you suffered a great loss when you lost him. I know he was taken from you so unfairly,” he said running his finger up and down her cheek. “I just—I guess I’m not ever sure what’s okay for me to say when you mention him, considering…” Seth hated himself right now for lying to her. Again. He really had no choice at this point, not if he wanted to keep her in his life for as long as he could. He knew he was being the worst kind of selfish prick there was, but he needed her right now, she was his lifeline to sanity.
Today was his brother’s funeral, he didn’t think he would make it through the day if she left him now. I will tell her soon he promised himself.
* * * *
“I’m so sorry sweetie. I guess I never thought about how hard a conversation about a dead man can be for one or both people. I will try to do better,” she said.
Seth leaned toward her. The jolt of electrical activity that passed through them was something Alena had never felt. Its sweet romantic, fiery, deliciously carnal and Alena loved it.
The doorbell chimed alerting them that Seth parents arrived right on time. Seth nibbled on her bottom lip slowly ending the kiss.
Alena stayed in the same position as if he was still kissing her and she savored the soft yet firmness of his lips against hers.
“I’ll get it and you may want to check your lipstick,” he whispered as he walked past her toward his bedroom door. “Oh and Lena?” he said stopping to look back at her
Alena gazed up at him.
“About the date, I’m really sorry—I walked out—”
“I know, and it’s over. It never has to be talked about again.”
Seth smiled and went to let his parents in as she went into the bathroom to check her make up. Unfortunately, they’d completely smudged her makeup and she needed to reapply it all. Alena was looking around his bathroom for a face towel. She first opened a couple of drawers and then went to search the linen closet. When she opened the French doors, she was moved to tears by the first thing she saw.
A stack of new towels, a gorgeous black silk nightie with a matching robe, a pair of slippers and a note that simply read
For Alena
The items were on a completely empty shelf, so Alena immediately knew he’d made space in his closet, in his home for her and her things.
“Lena are you ready?” he said coming around the corner but stopped short when he saw her standing there with tears in her eyes. “What’s wrong?” he asked her with concern.
“You made room in your bathroom for me?” she asked him with a small smile on her face. Alena was blown away. She’d been spending a lot of time at his house lately, being his ‘shoulder to lean on’, she’d mentioned one day
she was going to have to at least keep a toothbrush there for when they had one of there all night talking sessions.
But she’d never expected space in his closet.
Smiling and shaking his head, he took her hand and guided her to his walk-in closet. When he turned on the light, she saw one whole side of his closet was emptied out. He then directed her to an armoire. “I bought it just for you to keep your things in.”
“Oh, My God! Seth, this is amazing!” Alena jumped into his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck.
“Well, I didn’t think it would be this big a deal” he said smiling down at her.
“It is a big deal Thank you for letting me in,” she said as she kissed him slowly.
“You’re going to be the thing that sends me back into confession aren’t you?” he said in a high pitched voice before clearing his throat
“I might!” she said winking at him and going back into the bathroom.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Alena felt so stressed out today she was on the verge of letting out one of her bathroom shout and praise moments. Since she’d been a young girl when things had gotten bad she’d gone into a private place and done a full on shout and praise for all the things in her life that were good.
The worse the day, the longer she praised. She’d always come out with a new look on every situation afterward. She’d forgotten about her ritual when Marcus died. She hadn’t been able to see the good in anything.
Today wasn’t nearly one of those days, but she definitely had the headache from hell. The boutique seemed to be hopping today which was great, but she was short two girls.
Her manufacturer needed to push back delivery of some of her newest designs by two weeks, but Alena already started advertising and she’d been forced to turn people away for those pieces, at least ten times today. Luckily, her sister was able to come in and help her out.
“Did someone order sushi?” Seth said walking in the door.
Earlier today, Alena mentioned to him she hadn’t even had time to go out and get lunch.
“How’d you know I was craving sushi?” she asked him in total surprise.
It’d been weeks since Shawn’s funeral, which also happened to be the day she found out he’d made room in his room for her and set up a bedroom for Ajani
“It’s Wednesday,” he said smiling.
“Huh?”
“You eat sushi on Wednesday and Salads on Fridays, without fail,” Nessa said joining them.
Alena stopped working while looking back and forth between the two of them. “I do not!”
“Yeah, you do. You’re the most reliable, predictable woman I have ever met!” Her sister grinned
“Dear God! I am boring!” she said slapping her hand against her forehead.
“You are not! You’re beautiful, smart, reliable and predictable and I love all of those things about you,” Seth said smiling at her.
“God! I’m going to go help a customer before I vomit from the level of cute you two are!” Vanessa rolled her eyes as she walked away.
“Was it something I said?” Seth asked in mock innocence.
“Yes, and God bless you,” she said chuckling with him.
“How is your—?” Alena started to say but her phone started ringing. “I’m sorry honey, one second,” she said.
“Hello?” Alena said, listening to the caller on the other end. “Oh, my god my poor baby! Is he okay? She paused and listened. “Alright, I’m—I’m on my way!” Alena hung up.
“What’s wrong?” Seth asked
“A bully has been picking on Ajani at school and today, he pushed him off the swing while he was swinging and he fell on his face!” she said while pacing. She couldn’t leave the store. Nessa couldn’t use the register, but she needed to get to her baby.
“Call them back and tell them I will be there in ten minutes,” Seth said without hesitation, already heading for the door.
“What? Seth—no! I couldn’t ask you to do that!”
“You didn’t ask, I offered. I will call you on FaceTime, so you can see him when I get there,” he said walking out the door.
“THANK YOU!” she yelled after him.
“Girl…if you don’t give that fine ass man some ass!” Nessa exclaimed from across the shop near the two customers she’d been helping.
“NESSA!” Alena yelled looking at her sister and then the customer to remind her she was at her place of business.
“Oh, don’t worry about us we were thinking the same thing!” one of the customers said while laughing.
“SEE!” Vanessa yelled. “Get back on the horse and ride him like your name is Wyatt Earp!” Nessa said.
“Don’t make me put your nasty behind outta my shop!” Alena retorted with laughter.
Seth called Alena ten minutes later, when he got to Ajani, like he told her he would. Then he put him on video chat.
“OH, MY GOD!” Alena yelled when she saw her baby’ face.
Ajani’s left eye was swollen. His face was covered in scrapes, scratches and bruises. “Hi Momma!” he said waving, then dropped the ice pack he was holding.
Alena could hear a man yelling in the background she couldn’t remember the last time, she’d heard so many cuss words in the same sentence.
“Ajani, who’s that?” she asked him
“It’s Seph, Momma” he said smiling big this time. “Him is yelling as my asshole teacher!”
“Ajani! Watch your mouth, don’t say words like that!” Alena scolded her son
“I sorry momma.”
“Ajani give the phone to Seth please baby?” she said shaking her head.
“Seph, Seph, momma wants to talk to you,” he said handing him the phone.
Seth took the phone
“Seth why are you screaming at everyone?” Alena asked him
“Did you see his face? I want to know how the hell the supposed adults in the damn place let this happen to him!” Seth yelled while glaring at the teacher who was standing there looking like she’s on the verge of pissing her pants.
“Sir, I understand you are very upset about your son—”
Ajani cut her off while jumping up and down screaming, “Seph is my daddy! Seph are you my daddy?”
“I—Uh…” Seth stammered looking at Alena for help.
“No, Ajani baby,” Alena said when he turned the phone toward Ajani. “Seth is our friend remember? He cares a lot about us.”
Ajani stopped jumping up and down, his little lips started to quiver indicating the tears were on the way. “But I want him to be my daddy!” he exclaimed bursting into tears.
Seth looked around the office at all of the school staff, who were looking at him with disdain and fear on their faces. He knelt down and hugged Ajani to calm him down. Seth whispered soothing words to him, when he was calm enough to hear what he wanted to tell him, “Ajani, I would be so honored and proud to be your daddy. So, if you want to call me daddy, I think that’s a wonderful idea.”
Ajani instantly became healed and happy, jumping up and down, he looked at the phone saying, “See mommy? Seph wants me to call him daddy. I can call him daddy Seph, Daddy Seph,” he sang to his own little melody.
“Sir, I apologize for Ajani getting hurt and I can assure you, we are taking swift action on the other child’s behavior,” the teacher said.
“Alright…this better not happen again,” Seth said.
Seth told Alena they were going to stop and get ice cream and would be to her shop after.
“Come on buddy, lets go and get some ice cream,” he said grabbing Ajani’s backpack.
Alena leaned against the counter so touched by his gesture to Ajani. He didn’t have to show her son the love he did, she knew that Ajani was getting to the age where he would be looking for a father figure to fill the hole of his missing father. She felt so blessed. God had brought a man like Seth into their lives.
Alena felt more blessed than she could possibly imagine. God had given her two wonderful men in
her life she knew she could trust with her life.
It’s shout and praise time she decided, going to her office.
By the time Seth and Ajani got back to the boutique, things had calmed down. Alena’s manager was ready to take over and close.
Grabbing her purse as fast as she could, she left with her two favorite men.
“We are all taking my car,” Seth instructed as they headed toward the parking lot.
“But if I don’t take my car, I won’t have a way of getting here in the morning and I am opening tomorrow.” She rolled her head around, rubbing the back of her neck.
Seth grabbed Alena and Ajani’s hand and strode toward his car. “I will bring you to work in the morning and drop Ajani off at school,” he explained helping her into the car.
Ajani jumped into the car seat Seth had bought to keep in his car for when they were hanging out. “YEAH, DADDY SEPH IS TAKING ME TO SCHOOL!”
Laughing and shaking her head Aleena said, “Well, I guess that settles it”
Once they were on the road and headed in the direction of wherever they were going. Alena turned around, so she could see Ajani as she talked to him. “How are you feeling baby?”
“I fine momma. Doctor says I have just bumps and bruises and it will be okay” he said happily playing with his new action figure. “Daddy Seph bought this for me I was so good at the urgant care.”
Alena shook her head with a smile.
“I have all the paperwork for you. The doctor said the bruising looks worse than it is. He doesn’t have any broken bones or a concussion,” Seth explained.
Leaning in, Alena kissed his cheek and whispered, “Thank You. It’s such a load off my mind knowing he was with you because I knew he was safe.” She turned back to Ajani asking him, the question that had been on her mind she heard the exchange over the phone, “Ajani honey. Why did you decide you want Seth to be your daddy?”
Ajani glanced up at Alena and answered without hesitation, “Because him loves me. I know him does and Papa said when a man love his kids, they know it.”
