Another Chance to Love

by Cheris Hodges

  Paige pulled Brian into her arms. “It’s only a month,” she said.

  Brian hugged her back. “I know he needs to spend time with his mother, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

  She looked up at him. “Is there anything I can do?”

  He smiled wistfully. “Can you make her turn around and bring my son back?”

  Paige stroked his arm. “If I could I would. But I can make you dinner tonight.”

  Brian kissed Paige on the forehead. “I appreciate that, but I need to be alone tonight. I won’t be good company for you.”

  She masked her disappointment. “All right,” she said. Brian walked into his house and slammed the door behind him, leaving Paige feeling dazed and confused.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Paige didn’t see Brian for three days after Mickey’s departure. Though she knew he needed time alone to deal with being separated from his son, she felt as if he had shut her out. She’d begun spending her days sitting on the sofa, watching television and eating cookies, waiting for Brian to come home, only to watch him trudge into his house and shut himself off from her and the rest of the world.

  The routine got old. Though there was nothing she could do to ease his pain about Mickey being in Atlanta with Olivia, she could comfort him if would let her.

  The third night Paige could no longer bear sitting around watching TV. She turned it off and cranked up the stereo, blasting her favorite artist, Boney James. Moving to the sensual sound of the sax, she twisted her hips like an exotic dance and waved her arms like flags in the wind. She forgot her blinds were open as she danced and didn’t notice the police officer walking up the front steps as she grabbed her afghan throw and wrapped it around her shoulders like a feather boa as she shimmied. The knock on her window caused her to shriek like a banshee.

  “Brian!” she shouted as she opened the door. “You scared the hell out of me.”

  He smiled slyly as he walked in. “Ma’am, I got a complaint. Someone has been neglecting an extremely sexy woman and acting really stupid.”

  “You won’t get an argument from me on that one,” she replied.

  “I’m sorry about these last few days. It’s just that I’ve never been separated from my son, no matter how temporary this is.”

  Paige wrapped her throw around her waist to cover her boy short styled panties. Brian grinned from ear to ear.

  “Don’t cover up on my account.”

  “Aren’t you on duty, Officer Jackson?”

  Brian pulled Paige into his arms. “Just clocked out ten minutes ago,” he said before brushing his lips against her neck. Paige’s body turned to liquid under his touch.

  “Brian,” she found the voice to say. “We need to talk.”

  He groaned. “That is so not what I want to hear right now.”

  Paige took his hand in hers and led him to the sofa. “I hate it when you shut me out. I know this is a rough time for you. But when I signed on to this relationship, I knew you were going though this. I can handle anything your ex-wife throws at us, but I can’t handle you turning your pain inward and not giving me a chance to be there for you. I love you and if I can’t help you get through the tough times, then I’m not much of a girlfriend.”

  Brian gently rubbed her leg. “This isn’t about you. I’ve just never been one to lay my burdens on someone else.”

  Paige raised her eyebrow. “Talking about your feelings isn’t laying your burdens on me. It’s not like you’re asking me to pay your mortgage or anything. I love you and when you’re hurting, so am I.”

  Brian kissed the bridge of her nose. “I’m sorry I’ve been acting like the hind part of a donkey. Forgive me?”

  Paige held her chin as if she were considering whether or not to forgive him. “Of course,” she said, then wrapped her arms around him. “But you have to make it up to me.”

  Brian stroked her cheek. “And how do you propose that I do that?”

  “Well,” she said as she climbed up on his lap, “we can start with dinner. Then after dinner I want dessert.” She unbuttoned his shirt slowly. “And I want a lot of dessert. Ice cream, strawberries, chocolate.” Paige slid his uniform shirt off his shoulders and then ripped the Velcro straps apart on his Kevlar vest and removed his tee shirt in one motion. She leaned in and brushed her lips against his. “But before any of that, I want you.” She devoured his lips as if she were eating her last meal before going to the electric chair. The afghan fell to the floor in a flourish as Brian’s hands roamed her body, slipping underneath her shirt, running his thumbs across her hard nipples. Paige reached for Brian’s belt buckle. The heavy belt, which held his gun, flashlight and radio, clunked to the floor. Brian gripped her hips as she rocked back and forth across his zipper. Then he pulled back from the kiss and lifted Paige into his arms.

  “I don’t think we need to put on a show for the neighborhood,” he said as he carried her into the bedroom.

  Once inside Paige’s mauve and lilac bedroom, Brian took charge. Gently he laid her on the bed and removed what was left of his uniform. Paige looked up at him. His body was as gorgeous as ever. His milk chocolate skin glowed in the waning sunlight. When he dropped his boxers, Paige saw that he was more than ready to make love to her. Brian crawled into the bed like a hungry tiger. She didn’t mind being his prey. He spread her legs apart, kissing her inner thighs. Paige shivered as his tongue outlined the crotch of her panties. Her body throbbed, anticipating the bliss of feeling him deep inside her. Brian used his teeth to pull her lacy panties down. With one hand, he stroked her middle, touching her g-spot, causing her legs to quiver uncontrollably. He lifted her legs and placed them on his shoulders, positioning him- self between them. She closed her eyes, pressing her head into the pillow as the heat from his body caused her throbbing bud to swell. Brian pressed his cock against her, moving his body up and down. She writhed her body underneath his. Chills ran up and down her spine as her lower lips kissed Brian’s hardness. He groaned as Paige pressed her hips into his, drawing him into her hot valley. She rolled her body, so that he ended up on his back and she was on top. She grabbed his shoulders as she moved her body over his like a warm ocean wave. When he pulled her tank top off, nearly ripping it apart, Paige’s brown breasts spilled forward. Brian grabbed them, kissing and sucking her nipples, and she moaned in ecstasy. He thrust into her, still kissing her sensitive nipples. Paige felt as if she had electricity running through her veins. Then he grabbed her hips, rolling over so that he was now on top. “I love you so much,” he said as he stared into her eyes. He stroked her cheek as she bit down on her bottom lip. She dug her nails into his shoulder as she exploded from pleasure.

  “Brian.” She shivered from the aftershocks of her orgasm.

  He pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly. “I’m sorry I shut you out. It will never happen again.”

  Paige frowned. “It better not happen again. This is a difficult time for you, but I am here for you, anytime you need me.”

  Brian ran his fingers though her hair, twirling a kinky lock around his finger. “I know that and believe me, I appreciate it.” Brian glanced at the clock on Paige’s nightstand. It was five after six. “Why don’t we get dressed and have some dinner. We can head out of town and try something new tonight,” he said.

  “Sounds good to me. And after dinner, I want more dessert.” She stroked his flaccid penis and Brian was ready for round two.

  “Why wait? I’ve always believed in dessert first.”

  After making love again, Brian and Paige finally pulled themselves out of bed, showered and dressed, then made the thirty-minute drive to have dinner at Mama Jo’s Kitchen. The restaurant had the feel of a country kitchen. Bright and warm, it was filled with the aroma of fried chicken and apple pie. Red and white checkered table- cloths covered the ten tables in the center of the restaurant and booths lined both sides of the restaurant. Each table and booth had fresh flowers, daisies and carnations, as the centerpiece.

 
; “This place is nice,” Paige said. “Smells like the food is excellent.”

  Brian shrugged. “We’ll see.”

  As they took a seat at the table, Paige grabbed his hand. “Why don’t we go to Nashville before we go back to work and before Mickey comes home?”

  “Sounds tempting, but I don’t have many vacation days left. Besides, you might have an ex-boyfriend stashed away that will jump out and try to beat me into submission so that he can take you back.”

  Paige stuck her tongue out at him while she shook her head. “Only one person at this table has a crazy ex and it isn’t me.”

  Before Brian could respond, a waitress walked over to them. “How y’all doin’ this evening? Our special tonight is smothered pork chops, fried okra, and peach cobbler for dessert. Do you want to look over the menu or go with the special?” She smiled at Brian.

  “Uh, give us a few minutes,” Paige said, giving the waitress a look that said, ‘Yes, he’s my man and no, you can’t have him.’

  “All right, take your time,” she said, then walked away.

  “You dismissed her, didn’t you?” Brian asked with a laugh.

  “She was eyeing you like you were on the menu. I don’t share my dessert with anyone,” she said as she leaned across the table and kissed him on the tip of his nose.

  After a few moments, the waitress came back. Paige ordered the fried chicken with fresh green beans, cornbread, and sweet tea. Brian decided to go with the special, though he substituted cabbage for the okra. When they finished dinner, Brian and Paige couldn’t get home fast enough to make love again.

  The shrill ringing of his cell phone woke him about three A.M. Brian reached over Paige’s naked body to pick up the phone. She stirred, but didn’t wake up. “Yeah?” he said sleepily.

  “Brian, there’s been an accident,” Olivia said. He could tell that she was crying. “Mickey, he-he’s in the hospital.”

  Brian sat up in the bed. “What happened?”

  “A fire,” she said through her sobs. “I don’t know how this happened.”

  “I’m coming down there. What hospital is he in?” Brian climbed out of the bed and grabbed clothes from the closet.

  “He’s at Grady Memorial Hospital in the burn unit,” Olivia sobbed.

  Brian was pulling his pants as Paige got out of bed. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  He held up one finger, telling her to wait. “Olivia,” Brian said. “What happened? And tell me from the beginning.”

  She blew into the phone. “I was only gone for a few minutes. When I came back, the fire was-was—I don’t know what happened. I know Mickey doesn’t play with matches...”

  “You left him home alone? What the hell were you thinking? I swear to God, if something happens to my boy, I can’t be responsible for what I do.” Brian ended the call and continued to get dressed.

  Paige grabbed his shoulder. “What’s going on?”

  Brian released a painful sigh. “Mickey’s in the hospital. There was a fire and he was burned. I don’t know what the hell Olivia was thinking. She said she left him home alone.”

  “What?” Paige exclaimed. “I can’t believe she would do something like that.”

  “I’ve got to get down there.”

  “Let’s get moving, then.”

  Brian grabbed her hand and squeezed it, thankful that she was there for him. He knew that he needed her because he was too shaky to drive, too angry to face Olivia alone and too afraid to see his son without someone beside him.

  “I have to call Gabrielle and let her know what’s going on,” Brian said. He looked at his clock. It was three-fifteen. “I’m sure she’s not home from the club yet.”

  “Then we’ll call her from the road. Do you want me to drive?” She pulled a cotton dress over her head and stuffed her feet into a pair of sneakers.

  Brian nodded. This was one time when he hoped she did speed. He wished there was some way they could fly to Atlanta. When he got there, there was going to be hell to pay.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Brian sat in the passenger seat of Paige’s Mustang, not caring about how fast she drove down Interstate 20. His thoughts were on his son and making sure that Mickey knew his daddy was there for him. Brian couldn’t believe Olivia had left their son alone. It was different when she was leaving him with Davina, although that was almost the same as leaving him alone, in Brian’s opinion. What could have been more important than Mickey? Brian gritted his teeth. Anger didn’t begin to describe what he felt. A fire was building in the pit of his stomach and the closer they got to Atlanta, the hotter it burned. Paige reached mid-town Atlanta in record time, less than five hours. Her silence told him that she was just as worried about Mickey as he was.

  “Why don’t I drop you off here and then I’ll figure out where to park,” she said when she stopped in front of the hospital. Brian nodded and jumped out of the car, nearly forgetting to unsnap his seat belt. He rushed into the massive hospital and looked for a directory. After finding the listing for the pediatric burn unit, he headed for the elevators. When the doors opened on the fifth floor, he stalked to the nurses’ desk.

  “I’m looking for my son, Brian Jackson, Jr.”

  The nurse began typing into the computer. “He’s in PICU. It’s down the hall and to the left,” she said. Brian mumbled his thanks before he took off. He stopped at the entrance of the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, running his hand over the door. This couldn’t be right. This was where kids near death were treated. His son—vibrant and playful—couldn’t be facing death at such a young age, could he?

  “Brian,” Olivia called from behind him. He turned around and looked at her, ready to release his full fury on her. But one look at her tear-stained cheeks and bloodshot eyes and he knew this wasn’t the time for it.

  “How is Mickey?” he asked.

  Olivia dropped her head into her hands and started sobbing again, her shoulders shaking. “The doctor said he has first and second degree burns on forty percent of his body. The police and fire marshal want to talk to me, but I haven’t been able to tear myself away from Mickey’s side.”

  “You should’ve been by his side when you left him alone in your house,” Brian snapped.

  Olivia looked up at him. “Don’t you think I regret that? Don’t you think I would change that if could? Haven’t you ever made a mistake, done something you wish you could change?”

  “What was so important, Olivia?” Brian hissed, unable to contain his anger. He grabbed her arm. “You wanted Mickey here so bad you took me to court, and as soon as you got him, you left him alone and he wound up in a fire.”

  “Brian, you’re hurting me,” she cried. Her face was contorted with her brows forming one line. Sorrow was etched on her forehead and showed in her eyes. He pushed her back and glowered at her.

  “Again, what was so fucking important?”

  “I had a chance to talk to Monica Kaufman, she’s a TV legend here. She’s going to an award show and I was going to design her dress. It was only supposed to last thirty minutes. We met just ten minutes from my house. I thought-thought Mickey would be okay.”

  Brian closed his eyes and counted to ten. The things he wanted to do to Olivia would’ve landed him behind bars and that wouldn’t have helped him or Mickey. “So, this Monica woman was more important than our son? You’re a piece of shit, you know that? You sued me, claimed my work would get in the way of raising my son! But you let the hope of making a dress for some stranger allow you to leave my son alone in your house. When Mickey gets out of this hospital, you will never—and I mean never—see him again.”

  Olivia shrank in a corner, sobbing, as Brian walked down the hall to Mickey’s cubicle.

  He found Mickey’s bed, but wasn’t prepared to see his son in such a state. Plastic sheeting draped the bed so that he wouldn’t get an infection. Bandages covered his arms and legs and he had an IV drip. Brian wanted to reach in and kiss his son, so that the little boy would know he wasn’
t alone, that his daddy was there for him.

  “Hello,” a nurse said as she walked over to Mickey to check his vital signs. “Are you Mr. Jackson?”

  Brian nodded as he took a step back. “How-how is he?”

  “Brian Jr. is in shock. We sedated him and are giving him fluids because he has second degree burns on his legs, which are the more serious of his injuries,” she said. “I’ll get the doctor and he can explain everything to you.”

  Brian folded his arms and looked at Mickey. His son looked so small in the bed. “Daddy’s right here, everything is going to be okay. The doctors are going to take care of you and I’m going to take you home,” he whispered.

  The doctor walked over to Brian. “Mr. Jackson,” he said, extending his hand to Brian. “I’m Dr. Niles Timbutu. I’ve been treating your son.”

  “How is he?” Brian asked. His normally strong voice was barely audible.

  Dr. Timbutu motioned for Brian to step out into the hallway. “Your son’s seriously injured,” the man said solemnly. “Brian has burns on 40 percent of his body. The most serious burns are second degree and we may need to do skin grafts, especially on his leg. He’s lost a lot of fluid because of the burns and that’s why we have him on the IV. We’re also giving him an antibiotic so that the burns don’t get infected. He’s sedated right now, that’s why he’s not responding. But his vitals are strong.”

  Brian listened intently, his heart beating a mile a minute. Was there something the doctor wasn’t telling him? “When is my son going to wake up?” he asked.

  “That I don’t know,” Dr. Timbutu replied. “But what I need to know is what happened. Your wife—”

  “Ex-wife,” Brian corrected.

  “Your ex-wife was too distraught to talk. The police, child services and the fire marshal are investigating the fire. Does Brian play with matches or lighters?” the doctor asked.

  He shook his head. “Mickey knew better than that. I don’t know how this happened.” Brian ran his hand over his face. “It’s a nightmare.”