by A. C. Arthur
“I never said anything about being in love,” Maurice countered, but his temples throbbed as if to reject the words. He stood from his chair and started to pace, something he never did.
Major shook his head. “Did you think you had to? You haven’t been like this with a woman since India.”
RJ slipped both hands into the front pockets of his pants, his brows lifting. Chaz was still in the corner of the office with his back turned to them while he talked on the phone.
“If you’re not in love with her, why risk sleeping with someone so close to all of us with the intent of walking away from her like you do every other woman? What’s going to happen when this is over? How are the two of you going to continue to work here?” RJ asked way too many questions.
“Des isn’t every other woman, and how we deal with our relationship is our business.” After this, he prayed they’d still have a relationship. Hadn’t he been trying his best to show her he wasn’t like her ex? He’d told himself a million times that he’d never hurt her, not the way he knew that guy Gordon had. Now, because of him and his reputation, she was part of a paternity-suit scandal gone viral.
“It is your business, but you’re our brother,” Major told him. “What happens to you happens to us. That’s why we’re all sitting here now.”
“Got it!” Chaz yelled, clapping his phone in the palm of his hand. “IP address is out of Virginia and belongs to a Travis Milhouse. I called the detective who helped us out with that ex-employee who helped steal designs, and he’s doing a search on the name right now.”
“See, we’re going to get to the bottom of this,” Major said.
Maurice walked back behind his desk. He didn’t sit in the chair but placed his hands on the back of it, squeezing as he continued trying to hold in his rage.
RJ moved from where he was standing close to the door and stopped beside the chair Major sat in. “Good. Now, it’s time for damage control.”
“I’ll make a statement.” Maurice nodded. “A written one for now, and we’ll get it out to all outlets. A presser can come later.”
“I think we should probably do the presser sooner, Maurice,” RJ said. “We have to get ahead of this. Think about our stocks. The customers. The overseas buyers. Riley’s wedding.”
Maurice pushed his chair back and stood, rubbing his hands down the back of his head as impatience rushed through his body.
“I’ve already got my team working on getting the video taken down from all social-media venues. It might take a few hours, but they’re good, and they can get onto the Dark Web, too, if need be. It’ll be gone by tomorrow,” Chaz said. “And as far as a press conference, what if you make the written statement now, and tomorrow morning we do one without you.” When nobody spoke immediately, Chaz looked around the room. “A united front, remember. What better look of unity is there than the brothers standing in for him, even the brother that’s coming from the outside.”
Maurice was liking Chaz more and more every day. “It’s a good angle.”
“Yeah, it is,” RJ said.
“Then, we’ll make it happen. Your assistant knows how to get the press conference rolling. I’ll go out and talk to her.”
When Chaz was gone, Major clapped a hand on Maurice’s shoulder. “It’s going to work out, man. Just go home, talk to Desta, and chill for tonight. We’ll handle this.”
Hearing Major say her name again had him glancing at his watch. Cursing because it was almost six, he pulled his chair back and sat down. “I gotta type this statement up.”
“Good. We’ll get out of here so you can take care of that,” his twin said. Maurice was already pulling up a blank document on his computer, preparing to compose a statement to the world about how he’d been a reckless playboy who’d set himself up for this type of false paternity claim and how he’d regret his decisions forever because of the pain and embarrassment he was sure this video had caused his family.
Desta.
Had she seen it?
He cursed again, slamming his hands down on his desk. It was RJ who came to stand beside him this time. “Look at me,” he said. When Maurice didn’t, his brother clasped his shoulder and gripped it until he did.
“You’re better than this. I know it, and you do, too. Don’t you ever think I was saying you weren’t. You’re my brother, and I’ve got your back no matter what. You understand?”
Staring into RJ’s intent dark brown eyes was something Maurice had been doing all his life. He’d looked up to both his brothers and his father, and he’d never wanted to disappoint any of them. Tonight, he was afraid he had, again.
“Now, handle your business here, and then go home like Major said. We’ll do the rest.”
“I’d never walk away from my child, RJ. No matter what other mistakes I’ve made in my life, I’d never do something like that.”
“I know, man. You didn’t have to tell me that.”
Maurice shook his head. “I had to say it.”
And he needed to say it to Desta, too. So the moment RJ left his office, Maurice typed his statement. He read it over three times before emailing it to his assistant, who Chaz was discussing next steps with. From there he went straight to the elevator and down to his car. He was running really late now, and he needed to get home to see Desta.
Forty minutes later Maurice was still sitting in his car, stuck in traffic. He’d started calling Desta immediately after leaving the office, but she hadn’t answered. It was ten minutes to seven now, and he’d sent her four text messages as well, but still no response. Slamming his hands on the steering wheel he cursed. To say he was having a bad day was an understatement.
Finally he was a block away from his house. He was just about to turn the corner when he saw flashing lights from police cars and fire trucks.
“What the hell?” His speed had slowed because traffic was backed up here due to the accident up ahead.
While he waited, he tried calling Desta again. Still no answer. His phone was loaded with text messages and missed calls, but none of them were from her. Another ten minutes passed before he was able to edge his car closer to the street he needed to turn down, but before he could do so he glanced over at the three cars involved in the accident. His breath caught at the sight of the gray Volvo. Desta drove a gray Volvo, and she was supposed to meet him at his house at six.
The next few minutes passed by in a blur as he jumped out of his car toward the crash. He pushed past bystanders and was finally stopped by an officer when he tried to get close enough to the car to see if it was hers.
“My... She’s my—” He tried to speak but his chest was full of white-hot pain. “I think this is my—” His head throbbed, their conversation this morning replaying over and over again in his mind.
I want to cook for you tonight... Just wanted to stop in and see you before I got started with my day.
That’s what he’d said to her this morning. She’d looked so beautiful sitting behind her desk. He’d told her to come to his house and she’d agreed, just like India had agreed to go for a ride with him that night.
“Sir, we need you to get back in your car and move along,” the officer yelled.
Now it hurt to breathe. The sound of the police sirens echoed so loud his ears began to clog. “No, you don’t understand,” he said, each word laced with the sting of guilt circling back to him once again. “I think this is...my...my girlfriend. This is her car.” It was Desta’s car. He knew it without having to get closer, and he sank to the ground with the weight of guilt and grief.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“HEY, MAN! WHERE’VE you been?” Maurice turned at the sound of Major’s voice as he was walking toward the elevators on the first floor of the hospital.
“I had a few things to take care of.” He didn’t want to talk to Major right now. He only wanted to see Desta.
“It’s been
three hours since you called to tell me about the accident. I expected to find you here pacing or yelling at the staff when I got here.” By the sound of his voice, Major was irritated about that.
Maurice was doing a good job of pissing people off today. He took a deep breath and released it. “I came here straight from the scene, but they wouldn’t let me see her.” He’d been tempted to run through the doors separating him from where she was, damn the consequences. But at the last minute he’d thought better of that idea. “She was being evaluated, so I knew that would take a while. I figured if you and Nina came, at least she’d have a friendly face if I wasn’t here.” Because he might also be the last person she wanted to see right now.
“A friendly face? Not the face of the man she’s in love with?” His twin sounded agitated, but before Maurice could reply, Major continued. “Mom, Dad and Riley are up there in the waiting room now. They’ve called her mother and grandmother, and Dad sent the jet to pick them up. So, you’re welcome for having us take care of your girlfriend.”
Desta was his girlfriend. He’d told the police that at the scene of the accident.
A muscle twitched in Major’s jaw, and Maurice knew he was angry. He had that same telltale sign when he was upset. His twin was probably thinking Maurice had screwed up again today. Not long after they’d found the idiots trying to blackmail him, he’d caused Desta to be in an accident and then left her at the hospital alone. He could definitely see how that would piss off Major and probably the rest of his family. Being the Gold family screwup wasn’t fun.
“I called every thirty minutes for a report,” he told Major. “I knew she wasn’t awake yet. Or is she? What happened?” Fresh fear coursed through him.
“Why the hell wouldn’t you just stay here with her, Moe? Is this about India? Are you still guilt-tripping over that at a time like this?” Major shook his head with exasperation. “You’re acting like such a jerk about everything lately. I don’t even know what’s going on with you.”
His brother’s nickname for him, coupled with those harsh but true words almost sent him reeling. But he knew now was not the time to fall apart. Major was right: he’d been messing things up lately, and he didn’t fully understand why. All he knew now was that making sure Des was all right was his first priority.
“I know what you’re thinking and where you probably thought I was.” He locked gazes with his brother. “I did go back to the house, to my room.” Where he’d locked himself for days after India’s accident. “But I know what happened to India wasn’t my fault. I know, Major. So, I left there and went straight to Desta’s place. I had to show the landlord a billion forms of ID, then prove that she worked at our company, convince him that she was in an accident, and then, finally, I thought to call Nessa who had a key to her place so I didn’t need to deal with the landlord anymore. I wanted to make sure she had things she was familiar with when she woke up.”
Major looked down at the duffel bag and the pillow he had stuffed under his arm as if just seeing those things for the first time. “You went to her house to get her things?”
“Yeah. Because India and the guilt from my past aside, I still hate that Desta was in an accident on her way to see me.” She was hurt and while there was nothing he could do about that physically, he would do whatever possible to make sure she had everything she needed and was comfortable. “So I’m gonna go up and see her now. Is that all right with you?”
Major gave him a half smile before shaking his head.
“What’s so funny?”
“You, man. You’re funny.” Major continued to stare at him.
“That’s a wonderful thing to say to your brother after the day I’ve had.”
Major put his arm around Maurice’s shoulder and walked him onto the elevator when it opened. “If you think this was a day, wait until you let yourself realize you’re in love.”
He was in love. As he’d sat in his childhood room thinking back to that night he’d come home from the hospital—while India had been going in for her first surgery—he knew what he felt for Des was totally different. He’d been so young when he was with India, and the trauma from that night had blemished his soul from that point on. But the moment he’d begun that anonymous email exchange with Des, everything changed. The way he thought about his life, all the women he was dating, how his behavior affected his family, the more he’d realized he had to change. Des had been that change, the second he saw her at the ski resort.
“And to top that wonderful news off, we found out that guy, Travis Milhouse, is a freelance reporter looking for his big break. He tried to sell the paternity story to the New York Post, but his girlfriend was the one who came up with the blackmail idea.”
Maurice didn’t know who Travis Milhouse was, and right now he didn’t care. He just wanted to see Des. He needed to see the woman he loved and to tell her how sorry he was, for everything.
* * *
Desta had a terrible headache. That was her first thought when she opened her eyes. Her second thought was to quickly close her eyes again because opening them hurt far too much.
“Just take it slow, sweetheart.” A woman’s voice and a hand over hers soothed some of the edges around the blinding pain, but not all. “Did they give her something for the pain? It seems like she should have some type of medication?”
“Relax, Mom. They will. They wanted to wait for her to wake up first so they can check all her vital signs again.”
She knew that voice and took a chance on cracking her eyes open slowly once more.
“Hey, there,” Riley said, waving a hand.
The action made Desta moan as memories floated back into her mind, and she saw Kelli with her goofy grin.
“Maurice.” It hadn’t hurt to say his name, but damn, the light in the room was causing all kinds of tingles to shoot from her temples down to the rest of her body. “Turn out the light. Where’s Maurice?”
Riley looked to someone, but Desta wasn’t going to risk turning her head because she had a sinking suspicion that would only cause more pain.
“He’s on his way, dear. Do you need something to drink? Do you want to sit up?” She knew now the voice belonged to Marva, and Desta sighed slowly, accepting her motherly presence.
“No,” she finally managed. “Where am I?”
“In the hospital. There was a three-car pileup about a block away from Maurice’s house. You were car number one so you got the least amount of the damage.” Riley shrugged. “Even though that still landed you here with a concussion.”
“A concussion.” She moaned because saying the word triggered more spikes of pain.
“Yes, dear. The doctor said you’ll need to stay here at least for tonight. So Ron and I thought it was best that your mother and your grandmother be here with you. They should be arriving soon.”
Oh joy, Edna and Sheryl were on their way to New York to see her lying in a hospital bed. That was going to be a treat.
“My car?”
“The good news is you’re awake and talking and your prognosis is good,” Riley said and waited a beat. “The bad news is your car’s totaled.”
She groaned, fully expecting the pain that followed. The doctor and a nurse came in soon after that, poking and probing, and asking her all sorts of questions. They said she was going to be fine, before finally giving her something for the ferocious headache and leaving the room.
There were a few minutes of silence, when nobody was in that room with her, that Desta simply lay there thinking about all that had happened. The accident had occurred so fast. She’d been waiting for Maurice to arrive one moment and then the next she’d been thinking that maybe he’d stood her up.
Recalling those moments made her irritated, and she frowned when she looked up to see him walking through the door.
“You hung up on me.” That’s the first thing she thought to say, even thou
gh the warmth rolling over her skin indicated she should probably say something else.
He came closer. “I’m sorry.”
“I had to tell you something really important.”
Dropping the bag he was holding on the floor, he came closer to the bed. “I’m sorry.”
How was it possible that he looked worse than she felt? His eyes seemed a little puffy, like maybe he’d been crying, and his shoulders were slumped, like he was carrying a heavy weight. “I waited for you, and you didn’t come.”
He shook his head. “I was late, and I’m so, so sorry.” Leaning over her when she thought he would’ve kissed her, he eased the pillow he’d been carrying beneath her head instead.
Then he went to the duffel bag and took out her phone charger and the unicorn figurine that sat on her nightstand. “You went to my house?”
“Nessa let me in.” When he set her favorite tumbler with the bright blue straw on the table beside the unicorn, she wanted to cry.
“I have to apologize now.”
“No, baby. There’s nothing you need to apologize for. I was late. If I’d been there when I said I would, you wouldn’t have been in the accident. And Des, I need you to know I’d never do anything to hurt you. I’d never be careless with you in any way. I didn’t father a child and walk away, and I’m not interested in dating multiple women anymore.” He’d taken her hand and was holding it tightly. She could feel his fingers trembling in hers.
“I thought I had to be that way after the accident with India so many years ago. I felt so bad about what happened to her that I didn’t believe I deserved to be happy or in love again. I messed up back then, and I messed up again today. But I want to do better, I want to be better.” He kissed her fingers before looking up to her again. “I’m better when I’m with you.”
