by Tina Martin
“How do you feel about me?” he asked.
“You know how I feel about you.”
“I want to hear you verbalize it to me.”
“Okay…I like you.”
He frowned. “You like me?”
“Yes.”
He stood up, paced the floor and said, “I don’t want your like. I want your love. I told you that from the jump.”
“But we hardly know each other—”
“Oh, don’t pull that card on me. We’re married, Felicity, and I’ve been inside of you enough times to make a new life.”
“But—”
“And this is precisely what you do for a living—put random people together who get married after only a few dates. The only difference is, which I think is a good thing, I’m not random. You know me. You know my family. You’re not new to me. Yet, you want to claim we don’t know each other.”
“Then let me rephrase. We don’t know each other well enough to live together.”
“Wow!” He shook his head. “Your ex must’ve done a real number on you.”
“I don’t understand why you’re in your feelings right now,” she told him.
“I don’t know—probably because I just made love to the woman of my dreams, my wife, and I ask you to move in with me and all of a sudden your defenses go up. I told you I would do anything for you, Felicity and you said you would trust me. That you would keep an open mind, advice I’m sure you give to your clients but for some reason, you can’t apply to yourself. So—”
He sighed heavily, his heart weighed down at the thought that she couldn’t possess a single ounce of love for him. Here he was working behind the scenes, doing everything to ensure her happiness, accepting her into his heart, something he’d never done before, accepting her daughter as his – something he never thought he’d ever do. He even talked to her mother about fixing their broken relationship – doing all the right things to help her. All of this for a like? What did she think this was? Facebook? He could give two craps about a like. He wanted her love and nothing less would do.
After thinking long and hard, running through his mind the possible consequences of what he’d done by delaying telling her about Rayne, he decided that the time had come. He had a lot to lose, but she had more to gain and her happiness would always come before his. “There’s a reason I wanted you to call your mother. It’s because she has your daughter. And—”
“What?”
He continued, “And she’s had her since the day you gave her up. All you had to do was call her and make an effort to patch things up, but you didn’t bother after I nearly begged you to. Now that you’re aware, I’ll take a step back—give you room to process this. I’ll tell DHHS whatever you want me to tell them. You want to lie and say you live with me to get custody, fine. You want me to say we broke up—whatever—it’s your call, Mrs. Independent. I just hope your life can finally get back on track the way you always wanted it—you and Rayne living happily ever after. I’m out.”
Felicity sat there stunned, tears blurring her vision. Her first thought was to run after him so they could continue the discussion. She didn’t want his departure to feel so final like he was done and wasn’t coming back but that’s exactly how it felt as she tried digesting all he told her.
Chapter 35
The men from both sides – the lawyers and landowners – were sitting at the large conference room table on the tenth floor, as well as Ramsey, Royal and Regal. Romulus wasn’t in attendance since he was with Siderra for an appointment with their obstetrician.
“I’ll open the meeting by stating the issue and our position,” Ramsey said. “We—St. Claire Architects—bought land between the 25th Street light rail station and the Parkwood Avenue station. We signed a contract, and it was a done deal. Then, the landowner, Mr. Christopher Powers, got an offer from Blue Star Builders for a million dollars more than what we agreed to pay. Therefore, Mr. Powers want to withdraw the contract in order to resell the land to Blue Star Builders to get that extra money. Does that about sum it up?”
“It does,” Ramsey’s lawyer said, “And from our perspective, we have a signed, legally binding contract, Mr. Powers. This matter shouldn’t be up for discussion. We, my client, want this land and it rightfully belongs to St. Claire Architects at this point.”
“Says who?” Mr. Powers’ lawyer spoke up to ask.
“Says this contract,” Ramsey said, picking up the documents and dropping it back down on the table.
“Why is this an argument?” Regal asked, heated. “Chris, you came to our office. We negotiated a deal, signed the contract and shook hands. Are you not a man of your word?”
The gray-headed white man coughed. “I’m a man who likes a good deal.”
“No, you’re a wimp of a man with no integrity or ethics,” Regal shot back.
“Now, now, now—no need for name calling here,” Chris said.
Royal glanced over at Ramsey to gauge his reaction. Regal was escalating what had started off as a calm discussion, but Ramsey didn’t seem to be bothered by it. He looked more fed up with the situation.
Regal continued, “I don’t know why we’re entertaining this clown. You want the land back?” Regal snatched the contract and ripped it in half, then tossed it across the table. “Here you go. It’s yours. Meeting adjourned.”
Regal left the conference room, leaving their lawyers stunned.
“What’s happening here?” one of the lawyers whispered in Ramsey’s ear.
“You heard the man,” Ramsey said. “Meeting adjourned. St. Claire Architects will not do business with shady people and once this story gets out to the local media, you’ll be hard pressed to find anyone who wants to work with either of you,” he said speaking directly to the contractors and Christopher.
“We’ll see about that,” Christopher said with a smug grin on his face.
“Man, just get your stuff and get out of here,” Royal told him.
“It would be my pleasure.”
After the men filed out, Ramsey’s lawyer asked, “Was this the plan all along? We could at least have sued for breach of contract.”
“This wasn’t the plan, but Regal made a call and I decided to go with it. As for taking this matter to court—I considered it, but after an intense conversation with my team—my brothers—I decided not to pursue that option. There’s more land out here to be had. We can’t get distracted from our ultimate goal of helping this community with affordable housing options.”
The lawyers were still heated though they understood his position.
“I’ll catch Romulus up to speed,” Royal said.
Ramsey thanked the lawyers for coming, then after walking them out, he went to Regal’s office. Regal was sitting at his desk, laid back in the chair with his hands behind his head staring at the ceiling.
“You good, man?” Ramsey asked. “At one point, I thought you were going to grab Chris by the throat and hem him up.”
“Trust me—I wanted to. I knew something was off with that guy.”
Ramsey crossed his arms. “What’s got you all bent out of shape?”
“Nothing. I’m good.”
“Who do you think you’re talking to, Regal? I know you’re not good because you never fly off the handle in a meeting like that. In fact, you never lose your head about anything, so tell me what’s really going on.”
“Man—” Regal sighed. “She’s so stubborn.”
“Felicity?”
“Yep.”
Ramsey chuckled. “I could’ve told you that. Actually, didn’t I tell you that?”
“I don’t know. Probably.”
“What happened? Did she find out about her daughter?”
“Yeah, only because I told her. I was trying to get her to figure it out on her own. I told her to call her mother. She just wouldn’t do it. And then I asked her how she felt about me and I didn’t get anything. Well, I did get something. She said she liked me. Liked me. She’s so hung up on bei
ng independent and getting her daughter back that nothing or no one else matters.”
“I wouldn’t say that was the case. It’s her child after all, man. Me personally, I would do anything for my daughter, but I guess you would actually have to have a child to know how deep a parent’s love runs for their children.”
“Yes, but it doesn’t mean you turn your back on everyone.” A slow breath escaped his lips. “Looking back, I see how stupid this plan was. Maybe we weren’t meant to be after all. Maybe I was fine like I was.”
“The plan wasn’t stupid just because it didn’t turn out the way you expected it, Regal. Hey, we didn’t expect a breach of contract, but look what happened. Surely you don’t think SCA is going to let a bump in the road deter us from our ultimate goal. So ask yourself—with Felicity, what’s your ultimate goal?”
That was an easy answer. He wanted her as his—his woman. His wife. He wanted her to be the mother of his children. He wanted to build a life with her. Make memories. How could he do that when she didn’t share similar feelings?
“You’re right. I’ll think about it. In the meantime, what do we do about this land situation?”
“You let me, Romulus and Royal handle that. We’ll come up with something. You go handle your personal business.”
“Thanks, Ram.”
“Oh and continue with that second drawing. It may come in handy after all.”
“A’ight, man.”
Chapter 36
Felicity pulled up to her mother’s last known address in the Highland Creek neighborhood of Charlotte. She wasn’t sure if she still lived there. Her heart drummed as she walked toward the door. Her palms grew sweaty when she pressed the doorbell and waited.
Standing there made her realize how insignificant the beef was between her and her mother when the important things were passing them by. Their relationship. Time.
She heard a noise at the door and forced herself to breathe thinking how unnatural it was for anyone to be so tense and afraid to see their own mother.
The door opened and her mother brought her hands to her mouth in shock. “You came. I got the flowers you sent but I didn’t think you would show up. I can’t believe you’re here!”
“I’m here,” Felicity said as her mother opened the door wider and greeted her with a hug, happy that she accepted.
Upon stepping into the living room, she found the place neat and airy. She didn’t see any toys—no indication that a little girl lived here. But her mother was always tidy. She could’ve owned five dogs and her house would be spic and span.
“It’s been too long, Felicity.”
“Yes, it has.”
“It’s been so long, I’m not really sure why we ever stopped speaking to each other.”
“I am,” Felicity said. “It started with your hate for dad and it rolled over to me. I had to listen to you go on and on about how men were no good and I think that’s why I wanted to prove you wrong when it came to Demontae, but that didn’t work out. Then I started the company, and you weren’t too thrilled with that either.”
“No, and I’m still not, but to be honest, that’s the past, Felicity. We have to move forward now, and while we’re on the subject of moving forward, I have something I need to tell you.”
“You have her, don’t you?” Felicity asked.
Dahlia nodded. “I do.”
Her eyes glossed over with tears.
“To this day, I can’t believe you gave her up, Felicity.”
Felicity’s hands were shaking when she asked, “Where is she?”
“She’s in school. She goes to preschool, you know, to help prepare her for kindergarten in the fall.”
Felicity nodded. She blinked her tears away. Her daughter was already in school. She’d missed that part of her life, too.
“When I found out you were thinking about giving her up, I couldn’t stand by and do nothing.”
“You could’ve helped me, mom. You could’ve done what a mother was supposed to do and talked me out of it,” she said, sounding juvenile. She couldn’t blame her mother for decisions she’d made.
“You were so adamant about not keeping her, Felicity.”
“I wasn’t adamant. I was confused, ashamed and embarrassed. You told me Demontae was no good. I didn’t listen. I thought I could prove you wrong and make you see that not all men were like dad as you claimed, but instead, I made your point.”
“Well, dear, I shouldn’t have been feeding you that nonsense, anyway. I was angry about how me and your father ended. All men aren’t like your dad and Demontae. Every now and then, you run into someone incredible who would go to the ends of the earth for you. You know like the man you’re seeing now.”
Felicity’s confusion was apparent. “Regal?”
“Yes,” her mother said, smiling. “Regal.”
“How do you know Regal?”
“He came by here—said he wanted to confirm Rayne was here.”
“He did?”
“Yeah. And Rayne came out of her room and looked at him and asked, are you my daddy and before I could tell her he wasn’t, Regal told her that he was.”
“He did?” she asked, sounding like a broken record.
“He did—told me he loved you very much.”
“Yeah, well I messed that up.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s a long story.”
Dahlia heard some noise outside and said, “I think the bus is here.” She walked to the door, then stepped out on the porch. Felicity slowly walked out behind her and broke down when she saw the little girl with the same brown complexion as her run toward Dahlia with a pink backpack. She froze, could hardly catch her breath. Her daughter looked so much like her, it was like watching herself running from the bus.
“Rayne, I want you to meet someone,” Dahlia said. They were still in the front yard. “This is Felicity.”
Rayne walked closer to Felicity and with her bright eyes, she said, “Hi, Ms. ‘Licity. I’m Rayne.”
Felicity brushed away tears. “It’s—it’s so nice to meet you, Rayne.”
“Why are you so sad?” the little girl asked, tilting her head to the side seeking understanding.
“I’m not sad, sweetie. I’m happy.”
“Then why are you crying, Ms. ‘Licity?”
“Sometimes, when people are happy, they cry, too.”
“Oh,” she said.
Felicity sniffled and wiped tears from her face. “You’re a beautiful little girl, Rayne.”
“You’re pretty, too.”
Felicity wrapped her arms around her daughter and squeezed her tight. Tears filled Dahlia’s eyes as she witnessed their reunion – mother and daughter back together again.
“Let’s go inside and get some dinner,” Dahlia said.
“Can Ms. ‘Licity stay for dinner, Grandma?”
“She can. I’m sure she wants to talk to you.”
“Yes. Very much,” Felicity said.
* * *
Before dinner, Felicity took a call from Tucker on the front porch.
“Hi, Tucker. I was trying to get a hold of you yesterday to see if you found out more about my daughter’s whereabouts but I know where she is now.”
“Thank goodness. Mr. St. Claire finally told you, huh?”
“So you knew, too?” she inquired.
“Yes. When I found out, I relayed it to him, but he wanted to be the one to tell you about Rayne, your mother and all that.”
“I see,” Felicity said. “Can I ask you something about this whole situation?”
“Sure.”
“Did Donald really contact you to turn over my file as a show of good faith?”
“Uh…”
“You can tell me the truth, Tucker. It’s all over now.”
“Well, ah…no. That’s not exactly what happened.”
“What did happen?”
“Regal is the one who hired me, not Donald.”
“Then how did you get my file?
”
“Regal scanned it to me. As I understand, he went to confront Donald concerning the file and got him to turn it over. Then he called me, gave me the overview of what happened and hired me to take over your case.”
“Okay. I see. Well, thank you for everything. I appreciate all of your hard work.”
“Before you go, I take it you’ve heard from DHHS as well.”
“Yes. I’m still waiting on the final decision but I think I have a good chance at gaining custody the legal way.”
“Good. That’s the way to do it. If there’s anything I can do to help you further, don’t hesitate to call.”
“Thanks again.”
After dinner, Dahlia gave Felicity some time alone with Rayne. Rayne took pleasure in showing off her bedroom that was decorated as nicely as the room that Primrose had put together at Regal’s house.
“How do you like living here with your grandma?”
“I like it. She buys me toys and she lets me push the buggy around when we go shopping. And, you know what else, Ms. ‘Licity?”
“What else?”
“She taught me how to make biscuits. I can make them all by myself. Grandma says I’m a bit messy, though.”
Felicity smiled. “Sometimes it gets messy in the kitchen when we cook.”
“Yah. Grandma said that, too.”
“Does Grandma ever talk to you about your mommy?”
“Yah. She said my mommy will come and get me one day.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Mmm hmm,” Rayne said, playing with her doll’s curly hair.
“And what else does Grandma say about your mommy?”
“She said my mommy was smart and pretty. She said she looks like me.” She looked at Felicity with her big, baby doll eyes and said. “You look like me, Ms. ‘Licity.”
“I do, and there’s a reason for that.”
Rayne looked confused.
“Rayne, I’m your mommy.”
Her eyes lit up. “You are?”
“Yes, sweetheart. I’m your mother.”
The little girl pondered those words for a moment, then asked, “If you’re my mommy and Mr. Regal is my daddy, why do I live with Grandma?”
