“I’m glad you feel that way,” Bernice said in a dry tone. “Cause you’ll be seeing a lot more of it.”
Alicia tore her gaze from the baby. “What are you talking about?” She frowned as it dawned on her. “You want me to take care of your baby?”
“See? He did say you were pretty damn smart,” Bernice replied with a grin. “Actually, I signed into this joint as you, babycakes. So the kid’s all yours. Free and clear.”
Alicia gasped and opened her mouth to speak, but Bernice gave her a cold, hard glare. “You have a choice, dear sister-in-law. Leave it here and let the State take over, or take it home with you and raise it yourself.” Bernice scampered over to the unmade bed and thrust the last of her items in a duffle bag. “The way I see it, that old-ass tank you married is shooting blanks. You should be happy to have this bundle of joy to round out your perfect little uppity life. And what makes it even better is that it’s your own flesh and blood.” She paused, frowning. “Least I think.” Bernice quickly shook off that thought, then gestured in front of her. “You get a baby. I get my freedom. Everyone is happy.”
“I can’t take care of a baby!” Alicia cried, cradling the infant in her arms.
Bernice’s eyes narrowed to slits. “You know firsthand what happens to kids in the foster care system, right?” Then she winked as though they were conspirators. “So I know you’ll do the right thing.”
“Not every foster home is like that!” Alicia shot back. “My grandparents took good care of us.”
“But what about the places you lived before you got to them?” Bernice’s thin lips lifted at the corners. “James said something about you having to learn to be real handy with a switchblade to live with those people. Almost ended up in juvie at nine years old.” Bernice winked again. “My kind of girl. Trust me, we’re not so different after all.”
Alicia repositioned the baby in her arms, gave a long look at the duffle bag positioned over her sister-in-law’s shoulder. “And just where the hell do you think you’re going?”
“Someplace other than where I live now.”
“Where’s my brother?” Alicia asked.
“On another tour of duty,” Bernice replied with a shrug. “I’m beginning to think he doesn’t care for this whole marriage thing. He stays gone longer than he stays home. That makes this the perfect time to cut my losses.” With that, Bernice grabbed her things and dashed out of the room.
Alicia looked down at the child she held, relishing the tiny gurgling sounds. Then a twinge of panic zapped through her. Her husband would not be pleased. He never cared for anything that took her focus from him. And as for herself, motherhood didn’t seem like it would ever be an option since her husband was so much older. They’d been having fertility issues, but maybe this ... she glanced down at the baby. Maybe this little girl was the answers to every prayer that she had ever prayed.
“Good afternoon,” a blonde nurse said as she entered and came to a halt. “Wow, you look fantastic! Ab-so-lute-ly beautiful.” Her gaze swept over Alicia twice before she added, “Couldn’t see the real you with all of that makeup you had on. You look totally different from when you got here. Glowing even.”
Only then did Alicia understand why Bernice now looked like a hooker on the wrong end of the workday. “Yes, I’m sure I do,” she mumbled.
The nurse focused on what was in her arms. “And you’re holding the baby. That’s a good sign. You had us worried for a moment.” She glanced at the chart in her hand. “I know the doctor released you to go home today, but we have to know … have you made a decision on a name yet?”
Alicia couldn’t tell the woman that she wasn’t the mother; she was too taken by how the child’s little hand had gripped her finger tightly, as if she never wanted to let go. Then there was a gum-filled smile and another sigh that warmed Alicia’s heart. Her husband would have to get over himself. “Victoria. Her name is Victoria Denise Mitchell.”
“Victoria. What a beautiful name,” the nurse said. “Well, let me get all the papers in order and mother and her baby will be able to leave.”
The nurse walked out of the room and Alicia said on the edge of the bed. The baby wiggled in her arms and she held her tighter. “Victoria,” she whispered. “Tori. My little girl, Tori.”
And as she cooed at the baby, Alicia realized that she was already in love.
* * *
“Would you like a refill?”
Alicia snapped back to the present and gestured to her half-full tumbler. “Lady, are you trying to get me drunk?”
The redhead’s eyes were alight with warmth as she answered, “You just seem so sad. Maybe there’s something in that glass that’s going to make you feel better.”
“Trust me, sweetheart, it’ll take more than a drink,” Alicia replied.
The redhead gave her a small, sad nod. As she walked away, Alicia wiggled her pedicured toes so the hotel’s house shoes would stay put. She pulled the black leather coat around her, inhaling the familiar masculine scent that caused her to drift into memories of the man it belonged to. The hot bath that Dallas had drawn did ease the pain in her ankle, but it did not banish the chill within her soul. She’d come downstairs in search of a little liquid heat to put some fire into her.
Reflecting back, she remembered the night she’d met Dallas, and for the millionth time she wondered how she’d allowed a total stranger to make love to her that way? It was still a wonder to her that the three months that followed had been the most pleasurable mistake of her entire life.
She was startled out of her thoughts when a deep voice said, “Why aren’t you in bed?”
Alicia stared up into the handsome face of the man who knew her more intimately than her late husband ever had.
Chapter 7
9:47 p.m.
“I had a lot on my mind,” Alicia answered, lowering her gaze to her glass.
Dallas hesitated, then slid into a chair across from her and swept a look across her body that sent the ripple of warmth through her that the drink had failed to provide.
“One question,” he said softly.
Her eyes locked on his.
“Why did you leave me that way?” he asked.
Once again, she found an interest in the glass she held. “You wanted more than I could give you.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“Dallas, it was a fantasy,” she said. “You wanted marriage. You wanted children. I can’t give you that.”
“Can’t or won’t,” he gently said.
“I’m almost twice your age,” she shot back, crossing one leg over the other. She quickly wished she hadn’t. His leather coat inched open, exposing her thighs. She draped the bottom of the coat over them and sat her hands on her knees to keep it in place. “I knew what you wanted. I know my limitations.”
Dallas signaled for the barmaid. “So you just left. Didn’t think about talking to me about it or—”
“What purpose would that have served?” she asked, taking a long sip. He adjusted his long legs for comfort and her gaze lingered on his powerful thighs. “It was only supposed to be dinner, Dallas. Then you made it something more. What we had was wonderful, but it couldn’t be more than that. Marriage? To me?” She shook her head.
The barmaid stepped into the space between them. Dallas took a quick look at her nametag. “Jane, I’ll have whatever she’s having.” Then he frowned at the dark amber liquid in Alicia’s glass. “By the way, what is she having?
Jane gave him a toothy grin. “Three wise men and their bastard cousin.”
Dallas slowly shifted his gaze to Alicia, who answered, “Jack, Jim, Johnnie, and José.”
He gave a low, throaty chuckle and leaned back in the seat. “You were just waiting for me to come down so I could carry you back to your room.”
Alicia ignored Jane’s grin and Dallas’ comment by lifting her glass in mock salute and taking another sip. Her husband used to make a similar reference to her choice of liquor
. Patrick always said that after one glass, he could have his way with her. That was never the case, though. Not that her much older husband hadn’t wanted to, he just couldn’t. Unfortunate for him. Even more unfortunate for her.
“I’ll be back with your drink in a sec,” Jane said.
When the leggy woman walked away, Alicia stared out at the courtyard of snow-covered trees and glistening stone walkways that twinkled under the bright outdoor lighting.
He mumbled, “Never thought I’d be spending Thanksgiving in a place like this.”
She heard the sadness in his tone, and it certainly matched what she felt at the moment. Facing him, she said, “That makes two of us.” She raised her glass and it was almost to her lips when she asked, “Where’s Tori?”
“It’s over,” he said simply. “We ended it tonight.”
“Oh, God, no!”
Dallas took the glass from her trembling fingers and placed it on the mirrored table between them.
“You couldn’t work it out?” she asked, locking a steely gaze on him as he accepted the glass Jane held out to him. Jane looked at Alicia with one penciled eyebrow raised. Alicia nodded that she was all right and Jane sauntered away, but looked over her shoulder one last time for good measure.
Dallas cupped his hand over hers. “There are too many issues between us. And would you marry a man if his heart belonged to someone else?”
She hesitated. “Who has your heart?” she asked.
His left eyebrow quirked. “One guess.”
Alicia inched her hand from under his and retrieved her drink. “You didn’t tell her that, right? You wouldn’t be that cruel?”
“I wasn’t trying to be cruel. I promised to tell her the truth,” he answered in a tone that showed his irritation, probably more with himself than with her, since in the three months they were together, he rarely got upset. His eyes swept across her face, then traveled down the smooth lines of her body. “I didn’t give her a blow by blow, I just told her that I wanted you. Bottom line. I wasn’t trying to hurt Tori,” he said, “but seeing you . . . feeling you, proved a point that I was coming here to make anyway.”
“And what point was that?”
“That she is not the one.” He stared as if he was looking through to her soul.
Alicia closed her eyes, and then opened them, studying his features as though for the first time. She had fallen for tall, dark and handsome when everyone else was into short, suntanned, and sensational. And Dallas was definitely tall, milk chocolate—and a rugged kind of handsome. And he was built like a stallion, primed and ready to ride.
She pressed her thighs together trying to quell her desire for him, while at the same time she thanked God that they had come to their senses before something actually happened tonight. She couldn’t afford to fall for him all over again. Leaving him had been the hardest thing she’d ever had to do and she couldn’t imagine going through that again.
“I’m not the one for you,” she said, knowing her words were inadequate, but hoping they would be enough to send him back to her niece.
He looked at her as if he couldn’t believe what she’d just said. “Really? You must’ve forgotten how we were together. You must’ve forgotten our connection.”
She spoke before she thought. “I’m not likely to forget the man who gave me my first orgasm.”
Dallas nearly choked on his drink and Alicia smiled as she leaned across to give his back a hearty pat. He gained his composure, but his eyes were still filled with shock.
She gave him a small nod, then explained, “My husband, God rest his soul, was a little short in that area. He was a lot older than me. Twenty-five years, to be exact.”
“Wow. You didn’t tell me that part, you only said you were married for a long time.”
“Twenty-three years.”
“And you stayed with him all that time? Even though he didn’t satisfy you?”
“There’s more to marriage than sex,” she replied. “He was my grandparents’ attorney, and we fell in love. He was a decent provider, and he really cared for me.”
Dallas nodded, though his confused expression said he clearly didn’t understand.
Alicia shrugged, though she kept the rest of her memories about her husband to herself. There was no need to share the other side of Patrick, a miserable man who wavered between insecurities about his inability to perform in bed and asserting himself as a man. Because of his stubbornness and desire to control every situation, she’d lost any chance of having the child she desired when he told her that he wasn’t going to go through with any of the fertility treatments that he’d promised—all because she’d come home with Tori.
When Dallas looked at her over the rim of his tumbler and gave her a smile that was filled with a world of mystery, Alicia forgot about all thoughts of her dead husband. Dallas put the glass to his lips, and in that instant she remembered feeling his lips when he’d given her breasts his expert attention. Fire spread through her body, and she had to close her eyes, trying to bring herself back on point.
“So the first time when we made love … that was really your first orgasm?”
“Careful, your ego is showing,” she teased.
The smile slowly faded from his face. “I thought I missed you before, but seeing you again, what I feel right now is stronger than it was a few years ago.” He stood, pulled out his wallet and placed sixty dollars on the table. “I’m going to the front desk; will the weekend be long enough for you?” he asked, his brow creased with worry. “If you need to extend your stay, I’ll—”
She waved off his concern with a dismissive hand. “No need. I’ll work on finding another place by Monday. Maybe an apartment until I can get another house since I don’t have the strength to fight my brother and his psychotic wife.”
Dallas removed the drink from her hand and placed it on the table. “You’ve had enough for tonight,” he whispered, holding her gaze for a long moment.
“I needed something that could numb the parts of me that hurt,” she answered.
Dallas reached into his wallet and held out his business card. When she grasped it, he placed his hand over hers, sending a jolt right through her.
“I know the timing may be off, but this isn’t over. I’m not letting you get away again. I’ll let you rest tonight, but here’s my new cell. If you need anything before morning,” Dallas whispered, tightening his hold on her hand.
Alicia parted her lips to speak, but was interrupted.
“Well, it seems that you two get along real well,” Tori said dryly, eyeing their clasped hands. “I guess this is where people come to drown their sorrows or to relive pleasant memories.” She scanned the area, then settled on the seat Dallas had vacated across from Alicia. “You don’t mind if I join you, right?”
Chapter 8
10:07 p.m.
Alicia stiffened at the sound of Tori’s voice, but she was too shocked by Tori’s disheveled appearance to say much of anything. Her niece’s hair was all over her head, her eyes were bloodshot. Her pain was evident and it hurt Alicia’s heart.
Dallas slowly removed his hand from Alicia’s. “I was just leaving.”
“No, stay,” Tori commanded, gesturing to an empty seat next to Alicia. “You owe me at least that.”
Tori turned her cell phone to face him. “The next time you want to have a heart to heart with my aunt, make sure your phone is locked.”
His number was displayed on her screen, along with a clock timing the call that he’d accidentally placed to her twenty-seven minutes ago.
Dallas frowned, pulled out his own phone and disconnected the call.
“Don’t hang up now,” she said. “I already heard everything. Enough. Too much.”
Dallas settled back into the seat. He and Alicia shared guilty glances.
Tori reached for the half-filled glass sitting on the table and took a long swallow. The liquid came spraying out seconds later as she screeched, “What the hell is this?”
Dallas’ lips twitched in an effort to hold back a smile. He removed the glass from her hand and slid it back in front of Alicia, who was trying not to laugh.
For that one moment, Tori took in their humored expressions and actually grinned. The tension between the three of them lightened, but only for a second.
“What are we going to do?” Tori finally asked, looking at both of them.
Alicia searched Tori’s face. “What do you mean ‘we’?”
“How can the three of us make the best of a bad situation?” she asked pointedly.
Dallas shifted to the edge of his leather seat and peered at Tori. “I thought we decided to go our separate ways.”
“You decided that,” she shot back. “You didn’t let me say much of anything.” She looked to Dallas, then Alicia. “So this is what true love looks like? A woman who didn’t love you enough to stick around,” she taunted. “And a man who falls for a woman who’s old enough to be his mother. That’s a match made in romantic heaven.”
Alicia gave Dallas a knowing glance, then leaned back in her seat as though he should be the one to handle that barb.
“Tori, you’re pushing it,” he warned. “Throwing shade isn’t going to get you good results.”
Tori slid her hand forward, resting it on his thigh. “I don’t want to lose you,” she said in a voice so filled with emotion it caused a slash of pain across Alicia’s heart. The fact that her niece couldn’t walk away from Dallas spoke to the fact that Bernice had trampled out nearly every ounce of Tori’s self-esteem. The fact that Dallas was still in love with “an older woman” must have smothered the rest.
Alicia stood, unable to listen to anymore. “Well, that’s my cue.”
“Sit down,” Tori said in a tone that made Alicia whip toward her. “This concerns you, too.”
Alicia looked at Dallas, who gave her a slight, almost imperceptible nod. Only then did she lower into the chair.
Open Door Marriage Page 5
