Nick grunted. “Uptight ain’t the word. I’ve never let a woman get as close to me as Summer. Not even Veronica. I started feeling things for her I never felt for any woman.”
Kevin grinned at his friend. “Don’t tell me my man done went and got himself bit by the love bug.”
Kevin cracked up when Nick let out a string of expletives. “I wouldn’t say love, but I do care a lot about her, especially since she’s carrying my baby. Never thought this day would come. Man, that’s why I’m all messed up in the head right now. It really hurts to know if I never found out Summer was pregnant she would’ve kept my kid from me.”
Kevin held his grin. Nick was in denial. He’d never admitted to anyone that a woman had hurt him. Women didn’t hurt the invincible Nick Stiles. It was usually the other way around. Not even Veronica had hurt him. He was more outraged, his ego bruised, than hurt. He had never cared for Veronica the way he had for Summer. Nick himself had just acknowledged as much. Kevin didn’t understand it; he saw it plain as day. Why couldn’t Nick see it? Nick was in love with Summer. How else could she have hurt Nick if he didn’t love her?
“Man what’s up with that goofy grin?”
Shrugging his broad shoulders, Kevin replied, “Oh, nothing man, nothing at all.” Kevin didn’t dare push. Nick eventually would conclude he was in love with Summer. Kevin just hoped it wasn’t too late. A person could only take but so much harshness. As far as he was concerned Nick was tittering on the fine line of being abusive in his behavior toward Summer. He had indirectly told him as much. Whether he meant to treat her that way wasn’t the issue, he had. Kevin kept his faith in his friend, his brother. Once Nick simmered down and was thinking with a rational brain in that stubborn head of his, he’d see the error of his ways and make things right between him and Summer. After all Nick loved the girl, and to Kevin’s surprise embraced the idea of fatherhood.
Kevin made a mental note to restock his condom supply. Rising to his feet, heading to the kitchen, he yelled over his shoulder, “You want a beer, man.”
“No, I’m cool.”
The two men talked for hours. When Nick stepped outside a new day was dawning. He’d been so angry, needing space from Summer that he’d left her alone all night unattended.
“So much for making sure she and the baby was taken care of.”
Chapter 21
Over the next few days, Summer and Nick barely said two words to each other. They only spoke when necessary. His stubbornness and inability to forgive were major character flaws she found unbearable to cope with. If it weren’t for her present physical condition, she would’ve packed her bags and left days ago. Instead, she moved into the guest bedroom and avoided Nick at all cost.
Nick had taken to playing the avoiding game as well, spending more hours at the office leaving Summer in the care of Joan. Summer didn’t mind at all. Joan was good company and she liked the older woman a lot. Though Joan was old enough to be her mother they shared some of the same interests. They both loved romance novels, game shows, soap operas and crossword puzzles. When Summer begged her to watch Jerry Springer with her Joan playfully remarked, “Chile I ain’t watching that silly mess.” Within the first five minutes of the show the two were laughing hysterically at the crazy charades paraded on national television.
Joan was a good listener and a wise woman. With everything weighing so heavy on Summer, she confided in the older woman. Talking to her parents, Ava or Starr wasn’t an option. Joan sat next to her on the bed closely listening as she told her every facet of her relationship with Nick. From how they met, to the week they spent at his cabin, to how she was heartbroken when he ended their relationship, and how surprised she was to learn she was pregnant. Joan was the only soul she had told Nick threatened to get custody of their baby and how she feared he would go through with doing so.
Joan waited patiently until she was done talking. Taking Summer’s small hand in hers, she said, “I’ve worked for Nick, for ten years now −”
“I thought it was seven years.” Summer interjected cutting Joan off with a confused look.
Joan softly chuckled. “Nothing gets by you when it comes to that man.”
Summer sheepishly smiled. It was true, she knew just about everything there was to know about the man. “I’m sorry.”
“Oh, it’s all right sweetie. I worked for him the first three years cleaning his office building at night. He was looking for a housekeeper, so when he asked if I wanted the position I jumped at it. Anyway, back to you, sweetie. I know he can be hard, but he’s a fair man. I know you heard about that stankin’, low-life huzzy Veronica?”
Summer wanted to laugh at Joan’s description of the other woman, however, her pain wouldn’t allow her. Nick had said she was a conniving whore just like Veronica. A hurt expression flashed across Summer’s face that wasn’t missed by the older woman.
“What’s wrong sweetie?” Joan asked as she patted Summer’s hand.
“Nothing, I was just thinking about something. Go ahead, I’m sorry.”
Joan gently squeezed her hand. Poor child is hurting so bad. I hope that boy get his act together. Can’t he see that this chile loves him? I swear sometimes he’s as stubborn as a mule. “After that gal, Nick never trusted women the same. He never settled down with anyone more than a month, if that long, until you came along. Summer you’re special to him. Just give him time. He’s a good man, he’ll come around.”
“I don’t know Joan; he’s hardly said anything to me since the other night.”
“Just give him time sweetie.” Joan encouraged as she stood up. “Well, I’m gonna leave you to your afternoon nap. I need to get dinner started.”
Summer also stood from her seated position and opened her arms to hug the older woman. Joan stepped into the embrace and held Summer closely to her large bosom as she gently rubbed her back. Summer could’ve stayed there all day.
What Summer said next to the older woman brought tears to her eyes. “Thank you so much for listening to me and not judging me. I know I’ve messed up big time by getting myself pregnant. But you’ve been so kind to me, helping me and taking care of me just how my mother would do if she was here.”
Breaking the embrace, Joan held Summer away from her, “Oh, ain’t you ‘bout the sweetest little thing. I’m glad I can be here to help you sweetie. Now come on and get some rest.” Joan waited until Summer comfortably settled herself back onto the bed before she left the room.
After Joan left Summer focused on the ceiling as Joan’s words tumbled around in her head. “Give him time.” Time for what? She was tired of giving Nick time and everything else. Tired of taking a backseat to him. Tired of always putting what he wanted first. Tired of being afraid of him and what he might do to her. Most of all she was tired of loving a man who didn’t love her the way she deserved to be loved. Or for that matter loved her at all. A man who refused to find it within his heart—that is if the scoundrel had one—to understand everything she’d been dealing with for the past several months. He hadn’t even considered how all alone she’d felt when she found out she was pregnant knowing he didn’t want her or a baby. How miserable she was for the first four months of pregnancy with morning sickness every single day, several times a day. How she had disappointed her parents by getting pregnant by a man who simply walked out of her life. Even in this day and age she was embarrassed when her co-workers found out she was pregnant without the father in the picture. Thank goodness for Starr and Ava. When the tongues went a flapping they’d come to her defense putting anyone in check.
If all that wasn’t bad enough, he continued to hang the threat of taking her baby away from her over her head. Sometimes she felt her fears were unjustified because the ultimate decision to grant custody of the child to either parent was that of a judge. Summer knew she was a good person, didn’t have a criminal record, was educated and had a good job. Anyone who knew her knew she was capable of being an excellent mother. But Nick had money and could buy whatever he
wanted. Including her baby.
Pondering all these things, Summer came to a decision to release her love for Nick. Holding onto it was too painful, too destructive. As much as it hurt, she came to the realization that he would never love her. She held onto the hope and even fantasized that in time Nick would come to love her. No longer disillusioned, Summer accepted Nick was incapable of loving her. It was evident in his behavior, how he treated her. Summer still could not believe Nick, had sunk to the level of calling her out of her name.
For the first time in days Summer slept peaceful. Her decision to purge Nick from her heart and her soul was finally freeing her.
After waking up from her nap Summer called her mother. Four days had gone by since she’d spoken to her. If she had called any sooner, her mother would’ve sensed something was amiss. Nita had an internal honing device, which alerted her when the tiniest thing was out of sync with her daughter. The last thing Summer wanted was for her mother to notice her troubled spirit.
“Hi mommy, how are you?”
“Hi baby, I’m doing fine, how ‘bout you? Have you had any more contractions?”
“I’m doing well, mommy.” Summer lied. “And no, I haven’t had any more contractions.”
“You call me the minute you go into labor so your daddy and I can get to you as fast as we can.” Her mother wanted to tell her she didn’t know why she hadn’t let her come take care of her instead of staying with that despicable man. Nita didn’t want to upset Summer, so she held her peace…this time.
“You know I will mommy,” Summer assured her mother.
“Mmm, I sure hope my first grandbaby wait until next week sometime. The weatherman said we’re going to get a heavy snowstorm in the next day or two like the one y’all had last month.”
Talking with her mother lifted Summer’s spirits. She’d felt better than she had in days. Lately her mother expressed so much excitement about the prospect of becoming a grandmother. Summer felt horrible in the beginning of her pregnancy. She had let her parents down; she heard it in their voices every time she talked to them.
After four months of being pregnant, she finally got up the courage to tell her parents. They didn’t hide the fact she had disappointed them. Her mother flat out told her that nothing good ever came from a younger woman dating an older man. “The only thing the old fool would want with a girl twelve years younger than him is to manipulate and use her.” Her father said he had expected better from his daughter. “I raised you to know better than to come home unmarried and in family way. Princess, what were you thinking? If you were gonna mess around you should’ve been more careful.”
Summer was devastated to say the least by her parents’ reaction. It was as if she hadn’t done anything right her entire life. The one time she screwed up they hadn’t been shy about letting her know it.
However, as the months went by her parents came around and were thrilled they were going to be first time grandparents.
“Oh, really? Well, I hope this little bumpkin holds out too. But I don’t know mommy, at my appointment last week the baby had dropped into the birthing position.”
“Chile that means you can go anytime. Just try to hold out for mommy, okay?”
Summer laughed. “Mommy, you are a trip. When this baby decides to come I won’t be able to do anything to stop it.”
“You’re right about that baby. My water broke with you while I was in the meat department at the supermarket. You should’ve seen your daddy fussing at me. Talkin’ ‘bout, ‘I told you Nita to keep your hardheaded behind home. If you have my baby in this supermarket …’ Baby your daddy made me so mad at me. But you know I wasn’t having him talk to me like that. I said, ‘What James? What are you going to do? Nothing! Now shut up and get me to the hospital!’ We argued the whole time on the way to the hospital.” Summer’s mother chuckled as she remembered that afternoon some twenty-six years ago.
Summer laughed at her mother. They’ve always fussed, even before I was born. It’s a wonder they haven’t killed each other yet. “Well, thank goodness that won’t be happening to me.”
Mother and daughter talked several more minutes enjoying each other before the call was ended.
“Mommy, I’m gonna go now. I just wanted to check in with you. Tell daddy I asked for him and that I love him. And I love you, too.”
“I love you too, baby.”
♥♥♥
Summer called out, “Come in,” to the knock at the door.
Joan peeked her head in the door. “I was just coming to see if you want to venture out into the dining room for dinner tonight?” “Yes! I’m tired of lying in this bed.”
“Come on precious let me help you get up.” Assisting Summer to a sitting position, Joan took Summer by the hand. Hand in hand, they walked to the dining room.
For a split second Joan envied Summer’s mother. This is how she imagined it would’ve been if she had a daughter. Summer touched her heart earlier in the day when she referred to her as a mother figure. For so many years Joan loathed herself for having that botched abortion when she was barley twenty years old leaving her barren.
Joan admired Summer for keeping her baby in spite of being young, single and alone. She wished many a days she had done the same. Joan wished she hadn’t listened to that good for nothing Sam Waters. He promised to marry her if she had the abortion telling her, “Joanie, we’re too young to have a baby. Let’s wait until I finish my pharmacy training then we’ll get married and start a family.” That was until he found out she was “damaged goods” as he put it. Joan was devastated when Sam ran off and married her best friend Alice.
No, she would not judge Summer. She would support and give Summer guidance as if she were her own daughter. No one was there to do that for her when she was a young woman facing a life altering decision. A decision that came with years of pain and loneliness because she had listened to a man whom obviously never loved her.
Joan and Summer enjoyed each other’s company as they ate their dinner. The food was so delicious Summer ignored the faint twinges in the lower part of her abdomen. The faint twinges felt nowhere as painful as the other contractions that sent her running to the hospital almost two and a half weeks ago. The rest of the evening slight discomfort poked and prodded in intervals every hour or so. Summer ignored them thinking they would pass if she retired early to bed. “I must’ve been on my feet too long after dinner,” she told herself as she gingerly stepped out of the tub toweling off. “I’ll go lie down, that should stop them before they get too bad.”
♥♥♥
Somewhere around midnight she heard Nick come into the room.
“Summer, are you awake?”
Summer pretended to be asleep. She didn’t want to deal with Nick or his mess. He didn’t want to hear what she had to say anyway, so why was he bothering her? He believed what he wanted; nothing she said to him would change that.
Not getting a response he left the room. He was sure she was awake; he’d just heard her turn off the television not more than ten minutes before he walked into the room. Since the night of their confrontation Summer kept to herself. She spent her time mostly in the guestroom reading and watching television or talking on the phone. If she was in the den relaxing when he came home, the second she heard him go into his bedroom to change she’d retreat to the guestroom. Every time he looked into her eyes she’d shift her gaze as if trying to hide something. Summer’s efforts were futile; Nick saw the pain each and every time. He had hurt her, wounded her. Even in his anger that night he witnessed how her face contorted in pain when he called her a whore. His anger consumed him to the point he had resorted to being downright cruel. Nick wanted so badly to go back in the room and make Summer acknowledge his presence. He wanted to tell her how sorry he was for hurting her.
Yeah, that’s what he would do. Heading back to Summer, Nick was stilled by a tiny voice. She doesn’t want to be bothered with you. His arrogance ignored the voice as he took another step and then s
topped. You went too far this time.
Summer had never outright ignored him. She had always been accommodating, at his beck and call. Nick had taken it for granted, expected it; not recognizing she had only done those things because she loved him. All of that was changing. Summer was letting go and he could feel it.
Chapter 22
Between the hours of five and five-thirty the next morning Summer was awaken by a contraction a bit more intense than the previous night. She groaned, “Not now baby,” to the tiny life within her as if it would obey.
As anxious as she was to have her baby, she was in no way prepared for its arrival. Mulling over in her mind all the things she had for the baby, she came to the conclusion she wasn’t quite ready yet. Seven undershirts, three gowns in yellow, pastel green and white, five bibs and a box of newborn pampers. That was it. Her brain was preoccupied with so much drama she’d put off shopping. Always telling herself, I’ll get to it.
“Trifling, just trifling.” Summer mumbled to herself letting out a disgusted sigh. Once again the magnificent Nicholas had turned her world upside down.
Pushing herself up, swinging her legs over the side of the bed, and standing up slowly to keep the blood from rushing to her head, Summer made her way to the bathroom. “I’ll go online and order some things this morning.” With overnight express mail she would have just about everything she needed by tomorrow this time.
Within two steps of entering the bathroom, she encountered Nick coming out of his office. He was already dressed in a business suit that was tailored made to fit his very masculine physique. Summer was angry with herself as she admired how good he looked. She had to get out of his environment as soon as possible if she was serious about letting him go.
When their eyes locked Summer was the first to avert her line of vision. Not ready to face him head on she quickened her pace nearly slamming the bathroom door before locking it. Once
A Special Summer (Love Conquers All) Page 14
