Perfect Match

by Dara Girard

  * * *

  The Walkers started a smear campaign. Going to the press and telling the heartbreaking story of their dead daughter and how Amal was trying to steal all they had left of her. They targeted high-brow papers to the most obscure.

  “She’s burying you,” Hector said, looking at an online article that showed Amal dancing with three scantily clad women. “You’ve got to say something. You’re being painted as a heartless playboy who only cares about wine and women.”

  “I used to, but I don’t anymore.”

  “Then you need to say that. Public opinion matters.”

  “I have the law on my side.”

  “Judges can be swayed.”

  “I’m going to win this.”

  “Are you sure you want to?”

  Amal stared at him. “What do you mean by that?”

  “What do you know about being a father? You’re getting your business back on track and you’ve got a great woman in your life. Do you think you can keep all that with a kid?”

  “I don’t have a choice.”

  “Yes, you do.”

  “No, I don’t. I know what it’s like to grow up without a father. I won’t do that to my son.”

  * * *

  But the custody case proved to be a nastier fight than Amal expected, one so stressful his mother decided not to appear in court with him. Hannah stayed by his side. The Walkers came into family court and presented the life he’d been leading during and after Jade’s death, and it wasn’t a pretty picture. And the judge, a conservative from Georgia who loved Southern gospel and donating to children’s charities, was not pleased with the picture in front of her. She sent looks of disgust in Amal’s direction as if she didn’t know what the word impartial meant. Yet she admitted that she had to go with the fact that he was the biological father and Jade giving the boy the Harper surname had specified her wishes. A friend of Natasha’s, who also practiced family law, was his legal representative.

  “However,” the judge continued, “I’m going to put my own clause down because I’m concerned for this child’s welfare. You have six months to get your life into shape. You will not be seen out gallivanting with many women or anything of that nature. You’ll agree to a high standard for this child, or you’ll be in this court again and I’ll give the Walkers full custody.” She then addressed the Walkers. “I want you to know that keeping this man’s child hidden was a despicable act, even though I understand your reason. Court’s dismissed.”

  The caseworker came in with the baby in a stroller and Martha rushed over and picked him up. “No, you can’t have him.”

  “The courts gave him the right,” her husband said, standing close by.

  “I don’t care what the courts say.”

  “You can visit him,” Amal said.

  She held the baby tighter, tears springing to her eyes. “Don’t do this to me.”

  “Ma’am, you have to let the baby go now,” the caseworker said.

  Martha shut her eyes, handed him the baby and then walked away.

  Her husband looked at Amal. “You will tell us how he is, won’t you? And give us updates every once in a while?”

  Amal could only nod, not trusting himself to speak. He was holding his son. He felt both fear and joy. He tentatively looked down and saw a pair of big brown eyes staring back at him. He marveled at his tiny nose and mouth and fell instantly in love. Jade had named him James Romare Harper, his middle name referring to Jade’s favorite African American artist, Romare Bearden. Amal’s throat tightened and he fought back tears. He and Jade had created something beautiful.

  Hannah touched his shoulder. “Come on. Let’s go home.”

  * * *

  “What’s the matter?” Hannah asked him on their ride home. “You haven’t said a word. You should be celebrating. You won. He’s yours. Instead, you look worried.”

  “I’m just thinking about what the lawyers and judge said about me in the courtroom.”

  “The lawyer had to. He wanted to win.”

  “And the judge?”

  “Has her own opinions.”

  “But she’s right. I didn’t get my son based on my character but rather on the fact that I’m his biological father and the assumption that Jade wanted me to raise him. And if I mess up, I know that the Walkers will immediately swoop in and try to take him from me.”

  She patted his leg and glanced at James, renamed J.R., in the rearview mirror. “You’re being too hard on yourself.”

  He shook his head. “No, I haven’t been hard enough. My reputation was well earned, and I didn’t care what anybody thought or said. I was careless and sometimes tactless, but that has to change. I can’t give them a reason to take my son away. I can’t fail him like I did his mother.”

  “You won’t.”

  “I want you to help me.”

  “Me? How?”

  “I want to change. When you see me going off track, I want you to put me in line. I want to be a good father.”

  “It’s not like there’s a manual to being a parent. Most of it is instinctual.”

  “My father left when I was young. Yours is still around. You’ll know more about this than I do. Please, if not for me then for J.R.”

  “Okay.” Hannah took his hand. “I’ll do it for you both.”

  * * *

  Doreen’s face beamed when Amal entered with the baby.

  “Is he really ours?” she said as Amal handed him to her.

  “Yes.”

  She gazed down at the baby. “Oh, he’s beautiful. My beautiful J.R.”

  “Well, I’ll leave you two,” Hannah said, turning to the door.

  “But you can’t leave,” Amal said, blocking her.

  “This is a special time for you and your mother.”

  “Remember you said you wanted to have dinner with her. Well, now’s a good time.”

  “No, it’s not. It’s a very important family moment.”

  “You can’t leave me now,” he said with a hint of anxiety. She’d heard it before when they’d gone shopping for baby items in preparation for J.R.’s arrival. Amal analyzed and weighed the pros and cons of each item, from diaper pails to bedding to the crib itself.

  “It’s going to be fine,” Hannah said as Amal circled the crib and thoroughly checked every screw and groove.

  “I’ve heard that some of these cribs can kill.”

  “This one won’t. It’s a trusted brand.”

  Amal shook the railing. “He deserves the best.”

  Hannah looped her arm through his and gave him a quick, reassuring squeeze. “And you’ll give it to him,” she said, making him smile.

  Hannah remembered that time as she looked at him now, knowing he had to be strong and face his fears.

  “You’ll be fine,” she said. “You have everything you need.”

  “What if he starts crying?”

  “Your mother will help you.”

  “Why not you?”

  “I don’t know anything about babies.”

  He grabbed her arms. “Please don’t leave me yet.”

  “Amal, you’re his father.” She wiggled out of his grasp. “You’ll be fine. If he cries, he’s either hungry or wet. It’s not that complicated.” She opened the door.

  “You said I should celebrate. Why won’t you help me celebrate? I’ll call in whatever you want. Please.”

  She kissed him on the cheek. “No, you can do this. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  * * *

  It was hard to leave him. Every step she took away from his door, she fought not to turn back, but she knew this was for the best. Amal had to believe in himself. He had to realize that he could do this. He could be a good father. Being frightened was okay.

>   Hannah didn’t sleep that night, thinking about him and J.R. Was he really okay? Did J.R. sleep through the night? Would Amal know what to do? Would Doreen remember?

  Hannah sat up in bed and slapped herself. She was worrying for no reason. This was just what they needed. Doreen would now have a purpose. She wouldn’t need to do outrageous things to get attention, and now Amal had something to always remind him of Jade.

  Jade. Hannah couldn’t seem to escape her memory. She was the only reason Hannah was even in his life. He’d loved her. He only wanted Hannah as a convenient companion and to train him to be a father. He had a new focus now, and maybe she needed a new focus, too. She’d fallen for him too fast and too easily. She needed to gain some perspective. She doubted he thought of her the way she did him. She knew he didn’t really need her to show him how to change his ways. Over the past several months they’d been together, he had changed on his own. He hadn’t been to any wild parties or gone out with women. He’d devoted his time to going grocery shopping, sitting on the couch and watching sitcoms. He’d been amazingly ordinary.

  He doesn’t need me anymore, Hannah realized. That’s why she couldn’t sleep. His son had taken her place, and he deserved to. And she needed to find the strength to tell Amal goodbye.

  * * *

  “She hasn’t called,” Amal said the next morning. “Why hasn’t she called?”

  “Amal,” Doreen said, exasperated. “You have to stop pacing like that. You’re making J.R. nervous.”

  He glanced down at his son, who lay on the couch, happily trying to chew on his fist. Last night had been easier and harder than he’d expected. He’d fed J.R. and changed his diaper. He had woken up twice during the night to his cries before rocking him back to sleep. He’d bathed him and fed him this morning, at each moment thinking he wanted Hannah with him. He’d wanted her by his side when he’d returned to bed, wanted to know if she’d have known of any lullabies to calm J.R. off to sleep. Yes, he did want to be a father, but to his surprise he didn’t want to do it without her. But he knew he was being unfair. It wasn’t something she was ready for. He could see it on her face as she left him yesterday. This was the life he’d chosen, not her. He knew his true fear wasn’t about one missed phone call but that he might never hear from her again.

  “Why don’t you call her?” Doreen asked.

  Because he knew the signs when someone was pulling away. He’d done it many times. He knew how to dump someone. He’d just never had it happen to him. But she said she was going to help him, and she wouldn’t lie about that. Would she?

  “Let’s take J.R. out for a stroll,” Doreen said, picking the baby up.

  His mother already looked radiant. She fell into the role of grandmother easily. He was glad to see her happy. He remembered how annoyed she’d been when he’d offered to interview nannies.

  “A nanny? You don’t need one. You have me.”

  “But, Mom, you have your own life.”

  “No, now my life is his. I’ll take care of him.”

  “You’ll need assistance.”

  “Don’t you trust me?”

  Not completely yet. “It will just be for a couple of months.”

  She finally relented. He had a nanny service scheduled to come next week and hoped Hannah would be there to help him select. She would be. He wouldn’t let her walk out on him, even if she wanted to.

  Chapter 14

  “Tell me about this man you’re seeing,” Hannah’s mother said as they ate dinner. She’d been invited to dinner and knew better than to refuse, especially since she didn’t have a work-related excuse to give them. She still felt guilty for not calling Amal as she’d promised, but she couldn’t talk to him yet.

  Hannah shot a glance at her sister, who feigned an innocent expression. “The house looks great.”

  “Don’t change the subject,” her mother said. She was an imposing woman who’d given Abigail her striking height and Hannah her bold gaze. “Tell us about this man.”

  “I’m not really seeing anyone.” Anymore.

  “Your sister told us you’re seeing a man. That he’s not a man of good character.”

  “That’s not true.”

  “Then why haven’t you told us anything about him yet? When did you expect to introduce us?”

  Not anytime soon. “Mom, I—”

  “What’s his name?”

  “Amal Harper,” Abigail said.

  “Harper? Why does his name sound familiar?”

  “Because she helped him win a case. She’s his lawyer.”

  “I wasn’t his lawyer,” Hannah corrected.

  “Where was he born?”

  “Rhode Island.”

  “He’s black American?”

  Hannah sighed. “Yes.”

  “Is that why you didn’t want to introduce us?”

  “No.”

  “He has a reputation,” Abigail said with a superior grin. “With the ladies.”

  “Is that right?” her father asked.

  “He’s a good man,” Hannah said.

  “Is that what he’s gotten you to believe?” Abigail said, doubtful. “Mom, you should have read the papers and seen the pictures of him—”

  “He has a very successful business,” Hannah cut in defensively. “And a great relationship with his family. Especially his mother.”

  “He’s good to her?” her mother asked with interest.

  “Yes.”

  “And he has a child,” Abigail added in a singsongy voice.

  “Will you shut up!”

  Her mother slapped Hannah’s arm. “Don’t talk to your sister like that.”

  “Why not?” Hannah asked, rubbing her arm. “She’s just stirring up trouble.”

  “Is he a married man?”

  “Of course not.”

  “How old is the child?”

  “Several months.”

  “And where is the mother?”

  “Deceased.”

  “He didn’t even know he had a child,” Abigail said.

  Hannah shook her head. “It’s not that simple.”

  Her mother nodded. “Oh, I now see. This man wants you to look after his child.”

  “That’s not—”

  “That’s the way I see it,” her mother cut in. “Why would he suddenly change his ways for you?” She shook her head. “I can’t believe you’d leave nice and wonderful Jacob to be snatched up by another woman so you can fool around with someone like this. You’re just trying to hurt me.”

  “It’s not like that.”

  “I don’t like this Harper fellow. Break up with him immediately.”

  “Mom, you haven’t even met him.”

  “And I don’t plan to.”

  “You’re judging someone you don’t understand.”

  “Tell me what I don’t understand about a man who doesn’t know about his own child? Who goes through women, but only decides to settle down when he needs someone to look after his offspring. He’s not good for you. You will have to put your career aside for his needs, and you didn’t work hard so that you can be a nursemaid to someone else’s baby.”

  “Fine,” Hannah said, pushing jollof rice around on her plate. She wasn’t going to introduce them anyway, and her mother was right. She had her career to think about.

  “I want to meet him,” her dad said. He was a big, good-looking man of few words.

  Her head shot up and she stared at him. “I’m not planning to marry him.”

  He shook his gray head. “I don’t care. I still want to meet him. Unless you’re ashamed of us.”

  Hannah hung her head. “It’s not that. We’ve broken up.”

  “He broke up with you?”

  “No, I brok
e up with him. Mom’s right. I’m not ready for that kind of pressure in my life.”

  “So he is trying to turn you into a nursemaid?”

  “Dad, they don’t use terms like that. The word is nanny.”

  “He wants to make you that?”

  “No, but—”

  “You just said he’s a good man with a fine business who takes care of his family. Why did you break up with him?”

  “Because he’s no good,” his wife said.

  “No,” her father said, his gaze never leaving Hannah’s face. “Because she’s scared. He means a lot to her.” He slammed his hand on the table. “It’s settled. He’ll come for dinner this Friday.” He held up his hand. “And that’s final.”

  Hannah bit her lip, knowing that it was.

  * * *

  But she didn’t tell Amal about her parents’ invitation. She went to work instead and hoped that his schedule would fill up so fast that by the time she called him he’d have to refuse. She had begun to get new clients, small cases, but she would focus on work and forget all about him. She rested her legs on her desk and smiled. Her smile fell when the door swung open and Amal walked in holding a car seat with J.R. cozily inside. “Why didn’t you call me?”

  She let her feet crash to the ground. “What?”

  “You promised you’d call me. Did you forget?”

  Hannah closed the door, even though Bonnie was the only person in the reception area. She didn’t want her to hear. “You don’t have to shout.”

  “Why?”

  “I just thought you needed time to get your new life in order.”

  “You’re part of my life.”

  “Is that a new look for you? The business suit and the carrier?”

  “Mom’s getting her nails done, so I’m looking after him.”

  “You look great. Is he sleeping through the night?”

  “You haven’t answered my question.”

  “Yes, I did.”

  “Truthfully. It’s been a week.”

  “Has it?” Hannah said with feigned surprise. “Wow, how time flies.”

  “You said you’d help me—”

  “You don’t need me to help you. You’ll be a great father. I realized we’re going in different directions and you need to focus on your family and I need to focus on my work and—”