by Imari Jade
“What the hell were you thinking by not registering your marriage? How come you doubted your wife?”
“Put yourself in my shoes,” Ichiro argued back. “Men just simply love Shaundra and she’s a free spirit.”
“A free spirit, but not a cheater,” Daichi said. “Everyone knows she loves you and has sacrificed a lot to be with you. And you have taken that love and ripped it apart with your insecurities.”
Ichiro lowered his head in shame. “But she is so beautiful and I still can’t believe that she chose me over Yori.”
“But she did,” Daichi said. “And your life should be better tomorrow since you’re finally going to be one big happy family. Do you know what I would give to be in your shoes? You’re married to one of the loveliest and talented writers in the world and she loves you. You should be dancing on a cloud.”
“Well, not exactly,” Ichiro said. “Something happened.”
Daichi glared at him. “What did you do?”
“I didn’t do anything, but now Shaundra isn’t talking to me because she thinks that I cheated on her.”
Daichi leaned forward. “Why would she think that?”
“Because I accidentally called out another woman’s name while we were making love a couple of months ago.”
Daichi leaned back and shook his head. “Stupid.”
Ichiro lowered his head again.
“What woman’s name?”
“Eri,” Ichiro answered.
“Fire her,” Daichi said angrily. “I knew this was going to happen.”
Ichiro lifted his head quickly. “I can’t do that. She hasn’t done anything.”
“Not yet,” Daichi said. “I am not blind. I see how she looks at you. Or the way you look at her when you’re around her. Don’t blow a good thing for a piece of hot tail.”
He’d never thought he’d hear his brother speaking that way.
“How far have the two of you gone?” Daichi asked.
“We kissed, once.” Ichiro confessed. “And to set the record straight, she kissed me.”
“And you kissed her back, got an erection, and you entertained the idea of getting with her.”
Ichiro nodded. “Her name just accidentally slipped out at the wrong moment.”
“You have to fire her,” Daichi insisted. “Shaundra is never going to believe you.”
“But Eri isn’t a threat to her. And if I fire her, it will just make me look more guilty,” Ichiro said.
Daichi shook his head. “You know the two of them will finally come face to face one of these days and it won’t be pretty.”
“Maybe I can send Eri to work at one of my other restaurants. I can’t just fire her without a good reason.”
Daichi sighed. “Suit yourself. You have always been the kind not to take advice.”
“I didn’t come here to argue,” Ichiro said. “Things are going to work out between Shaundra and me.”
“I still think you should get rid of the temptation. What are you going to do if Eri tries to kiss you again?”
“Not be foolish enough to kiss her back.”
The back door opened and some of the restaurant’s employees arrived. Eri was one of them. She waved and walked over to the table.
“I’m glad to see you,” she said to Ichiro. “Congratulations on the birth of your sons.”
“Thank you,” Ichiro said, trying not to make eye contact.
“Is the tour over?”
“No,” Ichiro said. What had he been thinking? Eri was cute, but his wife was beautiful and she rocked his world in and out of the bedroom.
“Well, nice to see you,” Eri said. She waved and left to get ready for work.
“What’s on your mind?” Daichi asked.
“I’m not even attracted to her,” Ichiro admitted. “I didn’t feel a thing just now.”
“That’s because you know in your heart that Shaundra is the one and only woman for you. You two are destined to be together,” Daichi told him.
“Not if she won’t forgive me,” Ichiro said with a pout.
“Waitresses can be replaced,” Daichi said. “Soul mates can’t.”
Ichiro nodded. Suddenly, everything was clearer. He had to win Shaundra back even if it meant firing Eri.
“We’ll give her a nice severance package,” Daichi said. “We’ll blame it on the recession. She’ll understand.”
Ichiro finally agreed. “You do it. I might get tempted again.”
“Consider it done,” Daichi told him.
Chapter Six
Someone knocked on Shaundra’s hospital room door. She’d just put one of the babies into the incubator and was feeding the other.
“Come in,” she said.
Satoshi walked in carrying two little stuffed panda bears and box of chocolate.
Shaundra’s eyes lit on the chocolate. Hershey’s. Her favorite and very hard to find in their neck of the woods. “What a pleasant surprised,” she said as he placed the teddy bears in the growing stack on the other side of the room. She balanced the baby in her arm and held the bottle in the other hand.
“You’re not breast feeding?” Satoshi asked, pulling out his cell phone and taking her picture.
“No, Mr. nosey man. But he is drinking breast milk. Breastfeeding is painful and these two guys are constantly hungry. I swear, their appetites are ferocious.”
“Then they’re lucky that their father is a chef.”
Shaundra nodded absently.
“So how are you feeling?”
Satoshi opened a Hershey’s Kiss and put it into her mouth. “Not exactly one hundred percent, but I’m getting there.” Her insides sighed. Real chocolate. “I’m following the doctor’s orders to the letter so I can get out of this place. I can’t wait to get home and sleep in my own bed.”
“Is there anything you need me to do for you at home or bring to you?” Satoshi asked as he sat down in a chair on the right side of her bed.
The baby in the incubator woke crying.
“A second set of hands might be nice.”
“May I?” Satoshi asked.
“Might as well,” Shaundra said.
Satoshi rose, retrieved the baby, and then sat down again. “He’s so handsome,” he said, rocking the half sleeping child and trying to get him to stop crying. “I can see a lot of Ichiro in him.”
Shaundra cursed in Japanese.
“Where did you learn that from?” Satoshi asked.
“Online,” Shaundra confessed. “I’ve been taking a couple of courses.”
“And they teach cursing?”
She shook her head. “No, some of my fans online taught it to me.”
“Oh, I see.”
“I guess Ich is pretty proud of himself now,” she said.
“You mean now that he knows that he’s definitely the father?”
“Yeah, and I guess you can sleep a little easier too at night now that he won’t try to kill you in your sleep.”
Satoshi chuckled. “Yes, you had them all coming and going for awhile. And I couldn’t figure out why they didn’t believe you.”
“And you did?”
He nodded. “I know you would never do something like that.”
“Well thanks for believing in me when everyone else thought I was a big old slut.” She sighed. “I’m just so upset at Ichiro for just going off the deep end. He never once asked me, and when I found out about the paternity test, I nearly went ballistic.”
“You knew?” Satoshi asked.
“Yes. They can’t perform a test like that without the mother knowing. And it takes a while for the results to get back.”
“So, it wasn’t done when the babies were born?”
Shaundra shook her head. “The doctor did it in vitro by taking a sample while the babies were still in my womb.”
“But you never said anything.”
“What could I say? That my husband didn’t trust me enough that he would jeopardize my life and the lives of our babies for an answer
?”
“If it means anything, I think he’s genuinely sorry things turned out the way they did. He broke down and cried when he found out that the babies were his. And the other day I found him sitting in the nursery sipping a cup of tea. I haven’t seen him so happy in a long time.”
“I’m glad for him,” Shaundra said sarcastically. “All the nurses here are in love with him.”
“Would you like to see him?”
“I’m not ready,” Shaundra said, turning the baby across her arm and stroking his upper back tenderly until the baby burped. Then she straightened him up and put him back into the crook of her arm. “I don’t think I can trust him.”
“He told us that he never slept with Eri, and for some reason, I believe him.”
“Do you believe him because he’s never done anything like this before? You know there is always a first time for everything.”
“No, it’s something in his eyes,” Satoshi said. “He said she kissed him, that’s all.”
“I wish I could believe that,” Shaundra said. “I can ignore a kiss, but sex, no. Not after him not trusting me.” She chuckled weakly. “And Amaya was the worst. Harper? Please.”
“Well, if I was a betting man, my money would have been on him too.” He continued to rock the baby gently in his arms.
Shaundra watched the tender scene. Satoshi was going to make a wonderful father and if she was going to do any cheating, it would probably be with him. “Why would your money be on Harper?”
“Ah, come on. Everyone knows how the man feels about you. And he buys you lingerie.”
“And you think I’d sleep with him because of that?”
Satoshi smirked.
“Please. Harper isn’t my type. I’ve known the man for years and I could have been his woman a long time ago, but no.”
“What about me?” Satoshi asked.
“No comment.”
“You’re truly evil,” Satoshi said. “And this child is sleeping so peacefully in my arms. I think I love him.”
“Hope you feel the same way when he wakes up screaming at the top of his lungs at three in the morning and he’s colicky.”
“I would say I’d come into your bedroom and take him off your hands, but Ich won’t let me near him. I have a feeling you’re not going to be able to get these kids from him either.”
Someone else knocked on the door.
“Come in,” Shaundra said.
The door opened and Yori walked in carrying flowers and two stuffed penguins. “I never expected to see you here,” Yori said to Satoshi. He put the penguins on the growing stack of stuffed animals. Harper had bought out the entire gift shop and there was probably a thousand others waiting for her back at the farmhouse, along with her post maternity wardrobe and underwear.
“Now, why would you say that? I came to see my godsons.”
Yori walked over to the bed and kissed Shaundra on the lips. “You taste like chocolate.”
“Hey, dude, she’s still Ichiro’s wife.”
Yori walked over and peeked at the baby in Satoshi’s arms. “He does bear a remarkable resemblance to Ichiro.”
“And he smells so good,” Satoshi said. “I think I want one.”
Shaundra chuckled. “That’s why you shouldn’t sniff them.”
Yori walked back over to Shaundra. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m still sore in the stomach area, but otherwise, I’m fine.”
He peered down at the baby in her arms. “He’s a big one, but still the spitting image of his father.”
“But let’s hope they take after their mother in regards to temperament,” Satoshi said. “Can you imagine two more six foot tall lethal weapons in Shaundra’s house?”
“Ichiro was quite innocent in the beginning,” Shaundra said. She sighed. “They grow up so soon.” The baby in her arms moved and opened his eyes. “Say hello to Uncle Yori.”
The baby yawned, making a perfect “O” with his lips. And then he threw up. Shaundra wiped the baby’s mouth while Satoshi chuckled.
“I guess he doesn’t like Uncle Yori. He takes that after his father.”
“Nonsense,” Yori said. “Ichiro loves me and looks up to me. We used to be close when we were teens.”
“Used to be,” Satoshi teased. The baby moved in his arms. “Ooh, he’s opened his eyes. Hello, little fellow. I’m uncle Satoshi.”
The baby gurgled and stretched. Satoshi tickled the baby under his chin.
Shaundra laid the baby in the incubator and turned her attention to Yori. Talk about a surprise. He was the last person she expected to see. “Are those for me?”
“Oh, yes,” Yori said, handing her the flowers. “I remember that you liked roses.”
“Thank you,” she said. “They’re beautiful.” How did he remember she liked roses, and Baby Romantica no less?
“Just like you,” he said, looking into her eyes.
No matter what she told Amaya, Yori still had it bad for her. She could see it in his eyes and felt it in his kiss. “How’s Amaya?”
Yori raised an eyebrow at her and rewarded her with a wicked smile. “She’s fine and told me to tell you hello.” He paused. “She told me about your little visit.”
“What?” Satoshi asked. “You went to see Amaya?”
Shaundra nodded. “Yes. I was worried about her being all alone.”
“And the two of you had a normal conversation?” Satoshi asked.
“Yes,” Shaundra chuckled. “We even had tea.”
“Wow,” Satoshi said like a teen. “I never saw that coming.”
“Well, I’m very proud of both of them,” Yori said. “Amaya wants to come see the babies later after she visits with her parents.”
“Thanks for the warning,” Shaundra replied. “I’ll get prepared for the fat jokes.”
“But you’re no longer pregnant,” Satoshi said.
“Doesn’t matter,” Shaundra replied. “I think it’s just Amaya’s way of expressing herself. And besides, I have plans on dropping this baby weight just as soon as I get the okay from my doctor.”
The door opened and two young nurses entered smiling. They bowed, giggled at the two handsome performers in the room, and started collecting the babies.
“Time for their baths,” one of them said, taking the baby from Satoshi.
“I feel a little dirty,” Satoshi told the nurse. He gave her a sexy smile.
“You’re too big for baby bath,” she said with a smile. “But I have a big tub at home and I’ll even powder your bottom.”
Shaundra nearly choked.
“Ooh,” Satoshi said with a grin. “I like a woman who can scrub my back.”
“Stop flirting with the nurses,” Shaundra told him.
Satoshi smirked. “Don’t be such a spoilsport, Mrs. Yoshida. You can wash my back when you get out of the hospital.”
“Dream on,” Shaundra told him.
Yori chuckled.
“Ah, come on. I’m just having a little fun,” Satoshi said.
“I’ll remember that after Cristal punches you in the gut for flirting.”
That wiped the smile from his face. “Please don’t tell her. I’ll be good.”
“You guys are horrible,” Shaundra said.
The nurses left the room.
“So how is the tour coming along?”
“The tour’s fine,” Yori said. “Every event has been a sell out.”
“No problems?” Shaundra asked. “Have you guys been behaving yourselves?”
“Define behave?” Yori asked.
Shaundra gazed over at Satoshi.
“What?” Satoshi asked. “Why does everyone assume I’m involved in trouble?”
Shaundra raised an eyebrow at him.
“Okay, we were arrested just before we flew here,” Satoshi confessed.
“For what?” Shaundra asked. “And who is we?”
“Me, Yori, Takumijo, Ichiro, and Cristal.”
“What? Cristal? What did you guys
do now?”
“They were gambling in a club in Paris and the place got raided,” Yori explained.
“Which they?”
“Satoshi and Cristal,” Yori told her.
Getting answers out of Yori sometimes was like pulling teeth. “So how did the rest of you get dragged into it? And what were the rest of you doing while the two of them were gambling?”
“The rest of us were innocently taking in a show in the front of the club,” Yori said.
Shaundra glared at him. “What type of show?”
Yori raised his hand to his mouth. “Erotic dancing.”
“You losers were in a strip joint?” Shaundra asked excitedly. “And you dragged poor Cristal with you?”
“It was her idea,” Satoshi said in their defense. “She likes to gamble.”
Shaundra gazed over at Yori again. “Please tell me you guys aren’t overseas screwing some lousy strippers?”
Yori shook his head. “I can honestly say I haven’t been, but I can’t vouch for the rest of them.”
“You are such a coward,” Satoshi told him. “No one slept with any strippers. The dealer was cheating and I called him on it. The next thing I knew, we were fighting and the police arrived and carted us off to jail.”
“Cristal must have been so scared,” Shaundra said. “Poor thing.”
Yori chuckled. “Poor thing started wailing on some guy with her purse. I literally had to drag her off him.”
Shaundra folded her arms. “I swear. You guys are incorrigible. And I’m surprised at Cristal. I thought she’d be shopping or visiting tourist attractions with her free time.”
“Why would you think that?” Satoshi asked. “Cristal is one of us. Don’t let that beautiful face fool you.”
“I don’t know if you realize it or not, but she is a girl. You should be wining and dining her in Paris instead of dragging her to strip joints.” Shaundra shook her head. “No wonder she left your ass for Yi-jun.”
“Ouch,” Satoshi said, putting his hand over his heart and faking hurt. “You wound me, lovely lady.”
“Don’t try to con me, player. When are you going to wise up and marry Cristal? You two are perfect for each other.”
A strange look crossed Satoshi’s handsome face. “I have learned from other people’s experience not to rush into a marriage before getting to know my future mate.”
