by Shelby Clark
“I just want to know what’s going on and the truth if it’s possible, because I saw her leave here with no shoes on. She looked like she could have just left your bed. I’m just trying to get to the bottom of some things.”
“No! No, August! Her feet were hurting and I told her to take her shoes off. I view Tess as my own daughter. I try hard to make sure she has everything she needs to survive in life. I also made that promise to her father.”
“Hm, I saw you, how you were almost all over her at your party!”
“Well I’m going to put it to you like this, son! I was cock-blocking all those other men there that wanted a piece of her. I saw the lust in their eyes.”
I can’t believe he just said that to me. He’s just raw, but damn, then again I would kill if someone else touched her. I guess it’s good to hear that he hasn’t touched her either. I was wrong. I really messed up with Tess!
“What! Why would you say that?”
“Because, she was gorgeous that night. And I also saw something else.”
“And what was that, Father?”
“You! I saw how you too were looking at her when we came down the steps. I could see everything from that view. That’s when I knew, and your speech confirmed it for me.”
Augustus let his arms fall to his side with one hand entering into his pocket. “It confirmed what to you?"
“That, not only were you attracted, but that you had feelings for her as well!”
“This is true and we were seeing each other for a minute, but....”
“But what man! Are you together or what? I would like to see you together. I think she’d be good for you. I want nothing but the best for my sons anyway.”
“Thanks, Father, and my sincere apologies! I was wrong. Yes, she is the best thing for me! But I fucked things up! I was on the verge of making things right but Angela got in the way and made matters worse!”
Julius walked around from behind his desk and leaned on the front of it.
“Angela, what the hell has she to do with anything?”
“That gold digging skank followed Tess and told her that she was pregnant with my baby. So Tess left. I can only imagine the thoughts running through her mind.”
“Damn, that woman is scandalous! I believe you. I fucked her the night of my party. You know I don’t turn down a piece of ass at my age. It keeps me going.”
“Yes, we do know how you are father. That’s why you can’t blame me for wondering about you and Tess.”
“No, I guess I really can’t blame you. But then I guess Angela had a motive for sleeping with me. She came here claiming that she’s pregnant. I told her to get the hell out with that shit!”
They both burst into laughter thinking about Angela.
“Well, I’m going to find Tess one way or another. I will make her listen to me and get my woman back.”
“August, do what you have to do and let me know that she’s OK. Keep me informed.”
“I will, but first I’m going to go past her house. I know where she keeps her spare key, inside a flower pot. I’ll call you if I hear something.”
“Good.”
****
As soon as August entered Tess’s house, the scent of her perfume took his breath away. It was so strong and prevalent that he thought for a second that she might be there. Just to make sure, he ran through and covered every room in her three bedroom house. He longed for her touch. Every piece of furniture and the style of each room reminded him of her personality—strong, but soft and feminine.
He knew he had to find her, even if it wouldn’t be easy. August was going to cover every part of the globe if that’s what it took. He looked through her mail, and searched her room for clues. When he pulled out one of her drawers to glance in, several pairs of lacey thongs fell to the floor. The sight caused him to harden in his pants. Images of Tess’s body flooded his contemplations. He quickly replaced them in their proper place.
August paced back and forth in her bedroom before he returned back downstairs. Not finding a thing angered him to the point that he hit the door to her bathroom.
Damn, I can’t believe I found nothing! Where are you, Tess!? Let me use the restroom before I leave.
While unzipping his pants to relieve himself, he began to observe her décor. The butterflies of black and orange looked as if they were really about to fly off the wall. Towels, flowers, and the toiletries were all in the colors of cream and terra carter. The bathroom made him feel very comfortable. It wasn’t until he looked down that he discovered a clue.
“What the hell is this!?”
August rushed to fix his clothes before he instantaneously grabbed the trashcan. He emptied it hastily onto the floor. He couldn’t believe what he saw. His mind started replaying all that his secretary said to him earlier about Tess not seeming herself, and what she wrote in her letter.
“Goddamn! Damn you, Angela! Tess probably was going to tell me she was having my baby and Angela’s lying ass told her she was pregnant instead. Babe, hold on. I’m coming to get my family! I will not leave you again. I fuckin’ promise you that!”
Ayana! She has to know where she is. I’m going to need Atticus for this just in case she tries to give me a hard time. Maybe Atticus could get the answers I need from her differently. I’ll give him a call.
“Yeah, August! What can I do for you?”
“Bro! I need your help. Tess is missing and I have to find her. It’s a long story, but I have to find her now. Do you know anything?”
“No, but you and I both know who does! Let’s go see Ayana. She’s at work today.”
“I’ll meet you there.”
Augustus secured Tess’s house before he left and headed for her company.
****
Augustus and Atticus both arrived at McDaniel and Associates. They headed in and requested to speak with Ayana Simmons.
“Please wait one moment,” the secretary requested of them. “Yes, Señorita Simmons, Señor Atticus Escobar is here to see you.”
Before the secretary got off the phone Ayana was coming down the hall from her office. Her face was filled with smiles until she saw Augustus. She stopped walking and paused mid-way. Augustus and Atticus stood up when they saw her. Her smile disappeared from her face. She waved for them to follow her. Augustus knew she knew something. He also noticed everyone coming to her for instructions.
OK, yeah, I see that Tess left you in charge of everything. You’re going to tell me where she is before I leave here. Atticus, get control over your woman.
They all finally reached her office. Augustus started talking first. Ayana was quiet for a minute as she listened.
“Ayana, I’m looking for Tess can you help me out? I know that she’s pregnant and I need to talk to her.”
She went to her desk and looked at Atticus, then back again at Augustus. “I’m sorry, Atticus, if I offend you, but August you’re living foul! So not only did you get her pregnant, but you were whoring around and got someone else pregnant too! Yeah, I heard about your rep!”
Augustus held his hand up to gesture for her to stop and listen.
“No! Hold on, here me out!”
“Hell no! Save your lies for the other woman you got knocked up. I’m not buying it and you will no longer hurt my cousin. Now if you will, please leave, I have a company here to run! I’m trying to still be polite. Atticus, take your brother out of my office.”
Atticus held his hand up for Augustus to back off. He then took the floor.
With a stern voice Atticus grabbed Ayana’s attention. “Babe! This is a family matter, not just on your behalf, but this is my family too. We all are related now. I need you to tell us now.”
“Atticus, I swore to her!”
“I understand, but the other woman lied. It’s all a mix up. You and I have our own issues to work out. So let’s step out of the way and allow them to work out theirs. It’s his baby.”
Augustus was feeling more and more frustrated. All he could
think of was Tess and the baby. He didn’t know anything, where she was, whether she was safe, or how far she was in her pregnancy. He needed and wanted answers and the only way to get them was to talk to Tess herself, the woman he loved.
With a growl, Augustus yelled, “Dammit, please! Where the hell is she! I need to see her now! I can’t take this waiting and wondering any longer. Shit you two, come on!”
Ayana jumped as she yelled out Tess’s location. “Cancun! She’s in Cancun, Mexico at the Occidental Hotel & Resorts in Playa del Camen. It’s only a little over two hours away by plane.”
“Good! I’m going to need you two to come with me. Ayana, you may need to take the next couple of days off or work from the hotel. We’ll also need to make a quick stop at the jewelers’. And I need to make a call to father. I’ll call in the car.”
Atticus interrupted, “Why do we need to go, August?”
He turned to his brother and winked as he sped out the building. “Moral support!”
Still dressed in his shirt and tie, Augustus jumped into his jaguar and headed to the Benito Juarez International Airport. While making a call to his father, he looked in his rearview mirror and saw that Atticus and Ayana were right behind him in Atticus’ Porsche.
“Father! I’ve located Tess! She’s in Cancun. We’re on our way to the airport now. Atticus and Ayana are with me. It should take me about two or three hours to get there.”
“Good! I’m glad you found her.”
“I also found something else out. She’s pregnant with my baby! That may be why she also left.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I am. Ayana confirmed it for me.”
“No, August. There’s something else you don’t know about.”
“Damn! What else is there?”
“Your inheritance, well, your firstborn child’s. If it’s a female she stands to inherit four point three billion. Tess knows this.”
“What? Shut the fu…”
“She probably figured that she compromised her loyalty to her practice and to me, her client. But go, August, and assure her that I don’t see it that way. Make this right, son!”
“I’m way ahead of you. You don’t have to tell me, that was my intention already! I’m going to go get my family and bring them home! I’ll see you when I get back. I would take the private jet, but I don’t want to wait for it to be prepped.”
Augustus, Atticus, and Ayana all arrived at the airport and checked in for their flights.
****
After checking into the hotel where Tess was staying, Augustus changed his clothes and went on the prowl to locate Tess. He looked high and low, but she was nowhere to found. He stood by the pool to contemplate his next move when he noticed a woman lying on a pool chair. His heart started pounding hard and his breathing became deep and shallow.
He walked a little closer to get a better view. The woman appeared to be asleep. Her chair was near a palm tree to take advantage of the shade from the sun. She had her hair in braids, pinned up and dressed in a florescent pink bikini. It revealed her small, thin stature and sensualized all her sexy curves. His mouth watered for just a taste of her moisture.
His eyes became fixated on her image. When she lifted her arm to place it over her head, he recognized her birthmark and her small baby bump. It was a validation of who she was. He knew he finally found his love, and was more determined not to let her slip away from him again. Augustus decided that he had to go in and address the situation head on, and force her listen to what he had to say. He put his shades on and finally walked over to her with his arms folded across his chest.
He deepened his voice. “So is this how we’re going to handle our problems now?”
Tess jumped up to focus on the voice she heard. Her eyes widened. She was apparently lost for words.
“What? August? But how…Ayana?”
He placed his hand over her mouth to keep her quiet. “Shh! Just listen. I have a lot to say.”
Oh my god, Tess! You look so good. I want you right here and now. I miss you so much. I don’t ever want to be without you again.
Still looking shocked she tried to listened, but was very much still hurt and angry. Her eyes filled with water.
“No! You’re an asshole, Augustus! I don’t want to hear anymore lies.”
Augustus humbled himself hoping she would see the change in him.
“You’re right. I’ve been a complete asshole. I took you and our friendship for granted.”
“You really made a mess of things and hurt me, even though I warned you not to.”
“This is true too. I did make a mess of things out of jealousy, accusing you of being involved with my father. I was wrong for not trusting you, the most important element in a relationship. And I hurt you. I’m very sorry for doing so.”
He pushed his shades on top of his head and sat down beside her. She rolled her eyes and turned her head to prevent looking into his eyes.
“And you cheated and got someone pregnant.”
He caressed her chin and repositioned her face to gaze into his eyes.
“No! And yes! No, I didn’t cheat on you! Angela lied. I’ve never slept with her. She wanted me, but I already knew that she’d been around. Yes, I did get someone pregnant.”
Tess’s jaw dropped.
“You!”
“How did you find out?”
“We can discuss that later, but I just wish you could have come to me. I know we didn’t plan this, but I couldn’t be happier than I am right now.”
“But, August, your father, Julius! I…”
He covered her mouth once more. “Stop right there. It doesn’t matter what anyone thinks or says. But if it eases your mind, he knows everything. He sends his regards and says welcome to the family.”
“What…what does that mean?”
Augustus reached in his pocket and pulled out a black velvet box and got down on one knee. He opened it and presented a diamond ring to her.
He reached for her hand. “Tess, ¿me harías el honor de ser mi esposa, mi vida y mi familia?”
Tess gave August a life-and-death hug around his neck and whispered in his ear.
“Si! Yes! Yes! Yes! I’ll be your wife, your life and your family! I felt so alone, babe. I thought I was going to have to do this alone.”
“Never, babe. So tell me how far are we?”
“We just turned three months and I feel it moving already.”
“When can we determine the sex?”
“In a couple of months, why?”
“Because I also know about the inheritance. Come, let’s go, we have to prepare for our wedding. We need to move fast. Atticus and Anaya are waiting for us. They’re our witnesses and two other people we asked on the grounds of the resort.”
“Are you serious?”
“I don’t play games, Tess. Ayana called your secretary, Nina, to go to your house to get your documents and to get mine from my father. We’re flying her down here on the private jet.”
“Wow! You thought of everything.”
“Yes, I did!”
Tess followed Augustus’s lead, very excited and surprised. He knew he was blowing her mind by her reaction to everything. He was seizing the moment and wasn’t going to chance for anything else to go wrong. His goal was to bring her back as his wife.
After four days of preparation they were ready for the ceremony. The ceremony was simple but very romantic. Augustus, wearing all white with a large diamond in his right ear, and his two groomsmen waited for Tess in the middle of the resort on a platform in the middle of a large pool with floating candles. The sun was just setting so the ambiance was perfect. Tess wore a white and cream gown. Her hair was pinned up with baby breath on each side. Her groomsmen and bridesmaids wore cream and peach. Her favorite colors.
Slow, classical music was playing as she and her brides made walked across a bridge to get to the platform. Tess didn’t mind that her guests were the guests of the resort. Many of them bro
ught gifts for them too. When she arrived at the alter, they exchanged their own vows they wrote for each other.
The minister recited their duties to one another and reminded them of the commitment they were make before God, their witnesses, and their guests. He then asked them to recite their vows.
Augustus went first.
“Tess, I didn’t really know what love was all about until I fell in love with you. It wasn’t until I thought I lost you that I realize the value of friendship, companionship, and most of the love I have for you. I never ever want to experience life without you. I love you and our baby. I’m fully committed to you and our new family forever.”
Tess went next.
“August, my love, I promise to allow you to be the head of our family. For a long time I had to fend for myself and that kind of made me a little too independent. I know that when we were young I use to challenge your position. I know my position now, and that is to be your wife, not your opponent. I love you too, and I’m ready to commit to you.”
The Minister blessed their rings and commanded for them to put them on each other.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife. Ladies and gentlemen! I pronounce to you and introduce to others, Señor and Señora Augustus Escobar.”
The Escobar family flew down to Cancun for August’s wedding and filled up all the vacancies the hotel had left. Tess met family she never knew Augustus had. He introduced her to everyone he possibly could, holding her on his arm like a crown on his head. They later flew to Hawaii for their honeymoon for two weeks.
****
Two months had passed. The day had finally come. Tess had been anxiously waiting to find out the sex of her baby. It wasn’t just a big deal to her, but to the whole family. She knew the outcome would determine their baby’s future. No one in the family was able to touch Alectra Escobar’s fortune. For generations, males were born first and females later. It was an estate that just sat through two generations.
Every time she thought about it butterflies filled her stomach. Especially since she wasn’t working as much as she use too. Julius found another lawyer to run around for him and to do his biting for him. Augustus suggested that it would be unethical for Julius’s only daughter in-law to represent him. Tess was in agreement with her husband, after all, she knew they were a team now. She and Augustus waited for the doctor to come into the examination room.
