It wasn’t simple.
It really, really wasn’t.
But for her sake, for my best friend, my sister, I would put on a brave face and get her through this, just like she’d been there whenever I needed her.
I managed to get the test with no problem, and with it tucked into my sleeve, rushed back to my office. Once I had the door closed behind me, I removed it and held it up, forcing a smile.
“It’s a yes or a no. We’ll handle whatever comes with it,” I reminded Reese as I put it in her hand.
She nodded. “A yes or a no.”
“That’s right. That’s all.”
I helped her up, guiding her to the bathroom attached to the office. I closed the door for her, then went back to my desk, letting out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding as I sat down.
It’s a yes or a no, I reminded myself, glancing toward the bathroom.
Just a negative or a positive.
With another sigh, I grabbed my purse, digging around until I found my cell phone. No matter what, our family would get Reese and Jay through this answer, yes or no. No matter what, we’d be right there. No matter what, they’d be okay.
But just in case… I was calling Toni.
Three
“You gotta be shittin’ me,” I grumbled, looking at my phone to double-check that I saw what I thought I saw. Or rather, that what I saw in front of my eyes made what I saw on my phone a blatant lie.
“Sorry boss lady – I’ve been down with a cold. I’m in bed at my hotel now, resting and working – I’ll have my first draft to you before Christmas, I promise.” – Jemma W.
Okay.
So.
That would’ve been perfectly fine, if I wasn’t currently watching Jemma Wright live her absolute best life, sipping from a margarita in the hotel bar in between the bites of pineapple some – admittedly fine as hell – dude was literally feeding her.
She looked great – her pretty brown skin was glowing, cat eye drawn to a perfect angle, lipstick popping, twist-out glossy and fluffed to perfection. Definitely not like she’d been down with a cold any time recently – which made sense, considering this was the sunny fucking Bahamas.
This girl was playing me.
I liked games though.
I took a seat damn near right beside her – she was too distracted by neat locs and mahogany skin and luscious facial hair to notice – and ordered a drink of my own. Once I had it in hand, I pulled out my phone, typing out a reply to her earlier message.
“Oh no! I’m so sorry to hear you haven’t been well – you’re still at your favorite spot in Sydney, right? I’m going to call the front desk and have them bring you some soup, and some meds.”
It only took a second, but behind me, Jemma asked her suitor to give her a second.
“Awww,” she gushed, presumably reacting to my message.
I rolled my eyes.
A few moments later, I rolled them again, when I got her reply.
“That’s sooo sweet of you Toni, but I have everything I need. A soothing drink for my throat, and something to warm my bed. I’ll be fine!” – Jemma W.
I bet you will.
“Oh wonderful,” I texted back. “But just in case, I’m hopping on a flight. Can’t have you alone, sick in a foreign country. And I can grab Bri an authentic boomerang while I’m there.”
“Shit. Shit, shit, shit,” Jemma hissed, a few seconds later. I’d probably be freaking out too, if I had to figure out how to get my lying ass from the Bahamas to Australia. Especially when my ass didn’t have to lie.
Hell, if I were her, I’d rather be hugged up with a fine-ass fruit-slangin’ Bahamian than working on my book too. But the thing was, she’d already missed one deadline, and wasn’t looking good for the extension.
This was the first and last time I was writing a contract for a family member.
This girl was playing.
“I’m fine Toni, really. And I can ship lil’ bit a boomerang, straight from the store! It’s no trouble at all, I’m sure I’ll be well enough to get out and about tomorrow.” – Jemma W.
I imagined her feeling very pleased with herself for that reply, confident it would convince me. She went right back to her sweet talk with Mr. December, picking up her drink again.
That’s when I tapped her on the shoulder.
“Are you sure you’ll be recovered enough to go shopping? It’s crazy busy in Sydney this time of year,” I said, then sat back with a smirk as she choked, accidentally sending frozen margarita up her nose.
It was so, so satisfying.
“T-TONI!” she sputtered. “What… what are you doing… here? How did you know I was here?”
I shrugged. “I didn’t. I’m here checking in with Soriyah about her book, and this is my favorite hotel… I’m guessing you came to check out the margaritas since I raved about them?”
Her eyes were big as she turned to her beefcake. “You have my number, right?” she asked. When he nodded, she motioned for him to go away. “Okay then, scram.” She looked back to me once he was gone. “Wow… this is quite a coincidence, huh?”
“Only if by coincidence you mean nightmare,” I corrected her, shaking my head. “I know I ruined all your little fun, and I don’t feel bad about it, because you lied.”
“In my defense… okay, I don’t have one. But you saw him, right?”
I laughed. “I did, Jemma, but what I want to see is the book you promised me. Is that so much to ask?”
Jemma groaned. “Yes, actually. Writing a book is haaard,” she whined, picking up her margarita again.
“Yeah, it is,” I agreed. “But nobody is forcing you to do it. You haven’t cashed your advance yet. You can give it back, I can void your contract, and you can get back to being Jemma Bourdain for the ‘Gram. You’re great at it, and it makes you happy.”
“Yeah, but… this book is my dream.”
“Is it?” I countered, wide-eyed, before I turned to take a sip from my drink.
“Wow, shade,” Jemma laughed. “You know how I feel about this.”
I nodded. “You’ve told me many times, but what you haven’t done is showed me a manuscript. The proof is in the pudding, sweetheart.”
Again, she groaned. “Do you think it’s easy to squeeze six years of food, flights, and foreign flings into 300 pages?!”
“I think food, flights, and foreign flings is an excellent tagline,” I told her, taking out my phone to make a note of it. “But no, I don’t think it’s easy. I do think you can do it though. You’re more than capable, Jemma. And I’ve offered to bring in a co-writer—”
“No,” she interrupted me to fuss. “I don’t need a co-writer, I need… inspiration.”
I smirked. “Is that what ol’ boy was?”
“Maybe. It’s been a while.”
“Well if dick is all you need to get that manuscript in my hands before Christmas, get him back over here now.”
Jemma cringed. “Yeah, about that…”
“Oh girl I already know I won’t see anything from you before Spring,” I told her, shaking my head. “But seriously… don’t cash that advance check unless you plan to give me something. I don’t want to sue a family member but…”
“Scouts’ honor,” Jemma swore. “Spring. First draft.”
“Uh huh.” I finished my drink, then stood up. “Will you be in the city for Christmas with the family this year?”
“Mama threatened to kill me if I’m not. I actually fly out from here Friday, then I’m home til after New Year’s.”
I nodded. “Okay. I fly out tomorrow, but I’ll see you at home next week. I won’t intervene on your trip anymore since I know you’re trying to get ‘inspired’,” I teased, then kissed her cheek. “See you later cousin.”
“Bye Toni,” she called after me, as I headed out of the bar.
I was stepping onto the elevator when my cell rang. As soon as I saw the name on the screen, I answered.
“You didn’t go into la
bor, did you?” I asked, as soon as the call was connected, not even bothering with “hello”.
Devyn laughed. “No, your anxious ass. I’m not due until next month, remember?”
“Killjoy,” I accused. “What the hell do you want then?”
“Wow!”
“I’m playing,” I chuckled, using my keycard to get into my room. “But seriously – everything okay?”
She hesitated long enough for me to know it wasn’t, even before I heard the words. “That… depends on how you define “okay”. Reese is taking a pregnancy test right now.”
My breath caught in my chest. “Oh. Oh,” I said, taking a seat at the edge of my bed. “Is she okay? Well… God, I know she’s not okay, but… I don’t even know what to say.”
“Yeah,” Devyn agreed. “She literally just walked in the bathroom, but I knew she’d appreciate having you on the line… no matter what the result is. I’m not interrupting anything important am I?”
“No! No, not at all, I’m glad you called.”
“Oh, I’m putting it on speaker. She’s coming out now,” Devyn said, prompting me to tighten my grip on the phone. “I’ve got Toni on the line.”
“Hey Toni!” Reese called, her voice too high to accurately convey the cheeriness she was trying to fake.
“Hey Reesie,” I replied. “You doing okay?”
“No.”
I heard the break in her tone, but knew it didn’t tell me anything. Positive or negative… either answer was probably going to break her heart.
“Reesie,” Devyn said, her voice soothing. “What is it?”
Over the line, I distinctly heard Reese sniffle, knew she was crying. It took a second for her to calm herself, but then she cleared her throat to give us the answer we were waiting on.
“I’m pregnant.”
Four
Aiight lil nigga… don’t make me come out of character on you…
That was the problem with some of these younger guys – they took a face value inventory of a person and applied their opinion as if it were fact – not that I’d never been guilty of the same thing, but still.
I grew the fuck up.
I learned better.
And if this dude didn’t back off me… I was about to teach some lessons too.
“Ay,” he jeered, following me off the basketball court instead of taking his ass in the other direction to cool off. It was just a game – a pickup game at that, not even some shit that meant anything. And yet… “What happened to you nigga, you got that shit Big Mama had or something, losing legs and shit? Wack ass old head, balling in a damn wheelchair, what the fuck is this shit, bruh?” he kept on, following me all the way to the locker room.
I didn’t say shit the whole way.
He kept running his mouth.
And once I reached my destination, out of sight of anybody who might feel the need to run up and help his punk ass, I locked the wheels of the chair, unclipped the belt, and pushed myself up onto one leg – my prosthetic was still locked away, but fuck it.
You choked motherfuckers with your hands, not your legs.
Anyway, ol’ boy’s mouth dropped open when he saw me stand, getting the full effect of the several inches of height and many pounds of weight I had on him. I put my back against the lockers, and before he could further react, I snatched him up by the front of his tee shirt, soaked with sweat from all the running around he’d had to do to keep up.
“Listen ya lil colorful ass up,” I growled, dragging him right up to my face. His eyes were wide and scared, partially obscured by his hair, braided into six purple plaits. “It was a pickup game. You lost. Get the fuck over it and get the fuck outta my face before I –”
“Whoa, whoa, what the hell is this?”
That familiar voice took my attention long enough for the little punk to try to snatch away, but I quickly tightened my grip, enough to make his shirt pull tight around his neck. Instead of leaving me to what I was doing, Kadan – my partner from the two-on-two game we’d just played – peeled my fingers from around the kid’s shirt, shoving him on his way.
“Man I thought you’d left already,” I grumbled, annoyed, as I dropped onto the bench in front of the locker I’d chosen for the day. “That lil’ motherfucker was out of line.”
Kadan chuckled, keying in the temporary combination of a locker nearby. “He was out of line the whole damn game, so that doesn’t surprise me. He probably thinks the chair gave you an unfair advantage.” The furthest shit from the truth… “And nah, I hadn’t left, I just… saw something I needed to address real quick.”
“More like saw some ass you needed to chase,” I chuckled, removing my prosthetic from the confines of the locker to strap it on. My body was already fatigued, and screaming from the exertion of physical therapy and then an hour of basketball, even though I’d been in the chair for it. I couldn’t let that hinder me though.
I pulled myself into a standing position again, putting some of my weight on the prosthetic this time. My hip complained, but it would be fine. I had to hit the shower, and then I’d be off my feet for the day.
Kadan grinned over my assessment of his actions, not bothering to deny it. “We can’t all be married to a fine ass professor like you, Sergeant Wright.”
I shook my head. Like me, Kadan Davenport was a veteran, but he’d managed to get out before he lost any limbs in service.
“How is she, by the way? You know… with… everything.”
Yeah.
Of course I knew.
I thought about the first few months, how she’d barely said a word – just utter silence, or sobs that cut to the bone, no real in between. But then the job offer from the university had arrived – one of her long-time dreams fulfilled. That had brought some of the life back into her. From there, she’d been slowly, steadily coming back to the Reese I knew.
Or at least… pretending to.
She put on a brave face, keeping her pain to herself, which was definitely in line with the girl I knew. Especially after my accident a few months back, the hellish hip strain that wouldn’t let me go. She’d been Little Miss Perky, always helpful and ready to cheer me up, as if I weren’t concerned as hell about her.
Now that she was done with school until the new year… it was time to have the conversation we’d been avoiding.
“She’s good,” I told Kadan, hoping that speaking the words aloud would make them true. “Just… taking it a day at a time, you know?”
He nodded, his expression sober. “And you? I mean, not to get all sappy and shit, but I know that’s a tough—”
“I’m good, bruh,” I chuckled. “Thanks for asking.”
“Never a problem. Hey – you still thinking about that gift you mentioned, for your old lady?”
“The puppy?” I asked, and he nodded. “Eh… still feeling it out. I think it could maybe be good for her, but on the other hand… I don’t know. I’ll run it by her mother today, see what she says. Imara might send me to the jewelry store though.”
Kadan grinned. “I mean… you can’t really go wrong with diamonds, but if you need me to get some paperwork started for you, say the word. The shelter has a constantly revolving door, so there’s always something available.”
“Appreciate you man.” I told him, extending my fist in his direction. He tapped it with his, and we parted ways, with me heading to the showers to get cleaned up before I made my way to my father’s house to look in on him and Imara.
Not that they needed it.
I called and texted before I left the community center and when I arrived at the house, quadruple checking to make sure I didn’t walk in on any X-rated shit, since they were good for it. Today they were too occupied for any of that, with Bri – Justin’s daughter – at their house, helping decorate yet another Christmas tree, and Jaden – Joey’s son – trying his best to eat the glittery garland he’d gotten himself tangled in while Imara attempted to snap a good picture.
It was cute.
&
nbsp; And… painful.
“Jay!” Imara called, when she looked up to see me standing in the doorway to the living room. “Come here baby, hold him still for me, would you?”
I laughed at that shit, but did as she asked, lumbering to the floor to grab Jaden’s little busy ass by the torso. He immediately went wild, ready to play and “wrestle”, exactly as expected. Instead of fighting it, I laid out on the floor, letting him crawl over my chest with his signature growls.
“I win!” he declared – his very favorite words – as he smacked me across the face.
Laughing, I caught his hands and shook my head. “Nah, man, you can’t be smacking up on people just cause you won – I like your energy though,” I told him, earning a confused head tilt, then a grin.
He smacked me again as soon as I let his hands go.
“I got a perfect shot,” Imara declared, laughing. “You can free yourself from Jaden’s assault tactics now.”
I sat up, playfully dumping Jaden upside down on his head as Imara brought the camera screen to me, showing a picture of me on my back with him on my chest, his attention rapt on my face. Pops and Bri were in the background, testing Christmas lights, which gave the whole thing a warm glow.
“Niiice,” I told her, dodging another blow from Jaden. “You’re getting good with that camera.”
“Thanks baby,” she told me, planting kisses on Jaden and me before she got up from the floor to go show my father the picture she’d taken.
“Ewwww, guys!” Bri exclaimed, when my father pulled Imara into his lap. I didn’t want to see that shit either, but I was old enough – married enough – to appreciate their playfulness and attraction as the good thing it was. As rough as this year had been for Reese and me, we’d still managed to find moments of light just like this, and I couldn’t be anything but grateful.
Christmas With the Wrights: A Wright Family Holiday Short (Wright Brothers Book 4) Page 2
