by Tina Martin
But then those attributes were strong contributors to his success as a powerful well-known businessman with a track record of excellence. He’d proven himself in the industry and he was a Champion – of course he wanted it all. Babies included. But he loved Melanie. So when he found out about her inability to have children, he went to her, consoled her, professed his love and made it work. Unlike Scott, Dimitrius wasn’t a quitter. A man wasn’t supposed to quit on a woman he was in love with, come what may.
Imagine their surprise when they found out the doctor was wrong. Melanie did become pregnant and though she had to be watched closely, had more doctor appointments than the average pregnant woman and even had to give birth to Grace a couple months early, Grace had arrived safely – a precious little girl with hazel eyes like her daddy.
“I wonder if it’s going to be crowded,” Dimitrius said, flicking on the right turn signal.
“It’s Saturday. The big kids are out of school. Yeah, it’ll be crowded, but we’ll squeeze in there.”
After driving a few more minutes, Dimitrius pulled up to the museum, wading through the crowded lot for a parking stall.
“There’s one, Dimitrius,” Melanie said, but you have to circle around.
He quickly drove around a line of parked cars then came back around, backing into the parking stall.
“Nice driving, babe.”
“Thanks, sweetie. Now, give me some lips.”
Melanie leaned close to him, feeling his lips latch on to and pull hers. They both pulled back at precisely the same time and smiled at each other.
“All right. Let’s go before we’re extra late.”
“Let’s,” Dimitrius said, opening his door. He opened the back door, took Grace from her car seat while Melanie grabbed the diaper bag.
“Mel, do you think we’ll need the stroller?”
“Umm…nah. We can leave it. Grace can run wild in here.”
Ten minutes late, they rushed to the entrance, registered, then proceeded to the auditorium to view the presentation.
Dimitrius, still holding Grace, took Melanie’s hand, leading her to the empty chairs in the back row.
Melanie breathed a sigh of relief as soon as they sat down. “We made it.”
Dimitrius let Grace stand up in his lap so she could see the stage. And while she stood up, eyes bright, she danced and wiggled her already wobbly legs to the music. Dimitrius looked at Melanie and said, “Look at her go.”
Melanie smiled.
Dimitrius grinned. “She must get that friskiness from you.”
Melanie laughed. “Whatever, Dimitrius.” She whipped out her phone and recorded Grace dancing.
“I think we have a future ballerina on our hands.”
“Me, too.”
* * *
When the presentation was over, they dispersed with the crowd into the kiddie area of the museum. Dimitrius lowered Grace to her feet so she could walk to whatever play area that caught her attention. Her little legs stumbled towards a red baby slide. She fell before she got there, but instead of crying, she pulled herself up and continued. All smiles.
“Good job, Grace,” Melanie said.
Dimitrius took his cell phone from his pocket when he heard it vibrating. He looked at the display and said to Melanie, “Sweetheart, I’m going to step outside and take this. You got her?”
“Yes. Go ahead. We’ll be here when you get back. You know how much she loves the slide.”
“Okay. Be right back.” Dimitrius headed for the exit, answering his phone at the same time. “Just a sec, Dante.”
Once he exited the noisy building, he placed the phone against his left ear and said, “All right…had to get out of the building.”
“What are you up to this morning?”
“At the children’s museum.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah. You should see her, man. Now that she’s a bit older, she enjoys it more.”
“I bet. Ezra was the same way. Hey, I was thinking about going to get a beer or something later. You game?”
“Ah, probably. I need to check with Melanie though…make sure we don’t have any plans later. I’m sure it won’t be a problem. I don’t think we have anything else on the agenda.”
“Okay. I’ll check with Desmond, too,” Dante said.
“All right. Well, I’ll see you later.”
“All right, Dimitrius. Later.”
Dimitrius slid the phone back inside of his pocket, then turned to go back inside. That’s when he saw Melanie talking to a man – a man he recognized, but couldn’t quite remember where he knew him from. He was about to find out.
* * *
“It’s good to see you again,” Scott said.
Bastard had some nerve…
Melanie tried her best to avoid Scott, her spineless ex-boyfriend, but when he spotted her, he called out her name like she owed him money or something, hollering across the museum, startling innocent children.
Why was he trying to get her attention anyway? Just the sound of him saying her name made her want to pick up one of the building blocks in this particular play area and hurl it at his face.
Don’t let him get to you, Melanie. He’s a jerk. He knows that. You know that. Deal with him accordingly.
She hissed displeasure under her breath. She looked up at him, seeing that same cheap look on his face – the same look he donned whenever they ran into each other nowadays. He was the one who did her wrong and now he wanted to go out of his way to speak like they were besties. Why was it the very people who wronged you the ones who took the initiative to speak first? Almost like they were gloating for hurting you and getting away with it, or speaking just to see if you’d speak back – using your reaction as a gauge to determine if you were still pissed. If you spoke, maybe you were over it. If you didn’t speak, then you were the one with the problem.
Ugh. Should’ve just kept walking.
At any rate, Scott was standing there in front of her, staring. She didn’t have to say anything, but to be respectful (not for him, but for herself) she said, “Hi.” And that’s all she said. It definitely wasn’t good to see him. Not good at all.
“How have you been?” he asked when really he wanted to know why she was at a children’s museum when she had no children. Maybe she could’ve been there with her friends. He knew she was an only child, so she had no nieces or nephews. So…
Melanie couldn’t stop the small frown that flashed in her forehead. “I’m great,” she forced herself to say, feeling pressure build up and settle at the frontal lobes of her brain. Returning her attention to Grace, she lowered her arm to help her daughter climb up on the steps. “Be careful, sweetie.”
After much trial and error, Grace climbed up on the three-step ladder.
Scott looked at the little girl then quickly looked at Melanie before he was back looking at Grace again. He looked dumbfounded. Befuddled. The little girl looked like Melanie. He frowned. “Is…is she y-your daughter?”
“She’s our daughter,” Dimitrius said before Melanie could answer. Now he knew who the man was staring at his wife like he could jump her bones then and there. Scott. Her ex-boyfriend. “Scott, was it?” Dimitrius asked.
Confusion reddened Scott’s face. His mouth opened, closed, then opened again, but he couldn’t form words.
Anger turned Dimitrius’ face a shade darker. Why was Scott talking to his wife? When did such a cowardly man suddenly get balls? And why was Melanie entertaining this nonsense? She should’ve dismissed him right where he stood, the same way Scott dismissed her when he broke up with her.
And now, they were all standing there, motionless, like time had stilled and they were in the middle of a standoff. At a children’s museum…
Melanie turned her attention to Grace.
Scott, still standing there, couldn’t speak. He broke up with Melanie because she told him she couldn’t have children, and here she stands with her husband and a beautiful little girl. What was this?
Had she lied to him? Was it all a test? A game? For some reason, he felt like she owed him an explanation.
“There you are,” a woman whom Melanie recognized from the last time she was unfortunate enough to run into Scott. She was Scott’s wife, approaching him while holding their son’s hand.
Dimitrius eyes narrowed. Why was this man staring at Melanie like he had some unfinished business with her? Scott’s wife and child were standing right behind him and he didn’t even care. He kept his focus on Melanie.
Dimitrius finally had enough. “We’re going to get back to our daughter,” he told them. “Enjoy yourselves.”
“Y-you do the same,” Scott replied, seemingly coming out of a trance and recognizing that his wife was behind him. Joining her and his son, he took a few steps away from where Dimitrius and Melanie were standing.
Dimitrius looked at Melanie with a bit of skepticism and asked, “What was that about?”
“What do you mean?” Melanie asked, paying more attention to Grace going down the slide than she was to Dimitrius.
A frown flashed in his forehead. “You didn’t see the way he was staring at you?”
“You know Scott is my ex,” Melanie said casually, hoping Dimitrius would drop it.
His frown deepened. Ripened. “Yes. Your ex. I remember. What does that have to do with him staring you down like that?”
Melanie shrugged it off. She didn’t want to spend her morning discussing Scott or anything related to Scott. Scott was dead to her. And now, she wished she would’ve kept on walking when she heard Scott yell her name.
“Well?”
“Well, what, Dimitrius?”
“What did he want? You were talking to him as I approached.”
“He…” Melanie blew a frustrated breath. “Can we just forget about it?”
She picked up Grace and headed over to water-play.
“Forget about it?” Dimitrius asked, trailing Melanie. “I’m trying to have a conversation with you and you’re dismissing me, Melanie?”
She stopped walking and turned around to look at him. “I’m not dismissing you, Dimitrius. You’re my husband. I don’t dismiss you.”
“Then talk to me.”
“About Scott?”
“Yes. What was that back there?”
Grace wiggled and squirmed to get out of Melanie’s arms, ready to play in the water. Melanie lowered her, took a little apron and tied it around her daughter.
Standing upright again, but still keeping a motherly eye on Grace, she said to Dimitrius, “I tried to avoid him, but he saw me…came over to talk. Don’t know why, but he did.”
Dimitrius listened, soaked it in, processed her words, then added, “You should’ve ended it then and there. What does he have to talk to you about anyway?”
“Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I—” She took a moment to gather her thoughts. Dimitrius was making her feel guilty like she’d done something unethical. Something to slight him as a husband by speaking to her ex. “I would’ve ended it but I was trying not to be rude. I’m sorry.”
Dimitrius’ frown softened. He trusted his wife, trusted what she had to say. What he didn’t trust was the look in Scott’s eyes – the man looked like he had an agenda. “Okay, baby. Forget about it.”
Melanie smiled. “Forgotten.”
Dimitrius leaned forward to leave a kiss on her lips. When they separated, Melanie happened to catch Scott’s gaze from across the room. Why was he staring at her now? Back then, he didn’t want her. Kicked her to the curb like expired goods. Now, he couldn’t keep his eyes off of her.
Chapter Three
“Sherita, sweetheart, it’s time to get up,” Desmond said, stretched across the bed, face-to-face with his sleeping beauty. She looked worn out, completely exhausted, and she probably was. Lately, she was always fatigued. Anxious. Jittery. Always taking care of the babies, pushing her own needs, worries and concerns off to the side. Named after Desmond’s parents, Celeste and Nolan was everything to her, so much so that she dedicated all of her available time to her six-month-old twins. There was no time left to allocate to Desmond. Only the twins.
Desmond could complain, but what would be the point of that? It would only cause more stress for her, and that’s something he didn’t want to do. He wanted to be a tower for Sherita, a good husband to her. Not a cause for worry and stress.
He leaned close to her again, pressed his lips against her forehead. “Princess.”
A frown disturbed her face. She stretched. Yawned. “Yes?”
“It’s time to get up.”
“Nooo,” she drawled out.
“Yes, baby. Do you know what time it is?”
“No,” she said, lazily, and she didn’t care what time it was, especially after getting up countless times throughout the night with the twins. First, Nolan was crying because he was hungry. The boy had the appetite of his father. Then Celeste whimpered because she needed a diaper change.
After taking care of their needs at 1:30 a.m., Sherita climbed back in the bed and forced her eyes closed, only it wasn’t easy to fall asleep after she’d been up singing nursery rhymes to Celeste. Her body was exhausted. Mind, active.
When she finally did fall asleep, she was up shortly thereafter, startled by the sound of a crying Celeste. She could distinguish between their cries now and even knew what certain cries meant. Celeste was hungry. So she changed her diaper and fed her. Then, since she was already up, she changed Nolan’s diaper and rocked him back into a slumber.
Back in bed at 2:30 a.m., she fell asleep, exhausted only to get up again around 3:15 a.m. Celeste was crying again. With barely opened eyes, Sherita stumbled down the hallway to Celeste’s room, stubbing her toe as she opened the door to the nursery.
Motherhood was proving to be quite the challenge…
She could’ve summoned Desmond for help, but why? Babies wanted milk, and while Desmond had a pair of delicious, rocklike pecs, he wasn’t supplying any milk. She was the milk distributor. Sometimes, she even had to do double duty with a baby on each boob, feeding.
“Sherita, it’s two in the afternoon. Let’s do something. It’s nice out. Warm. Come on, sweetie.”
Sherita cracked her eyes just to get a glimpse of Desmond’s face. His eyes were bright, wide-open and richly hazel. Breathtaking. Maybe if he’d worked as hard as she worked with the kids, he’d have bags underneath his eyes, too, but he looked fine. Well-rested. Ready to seize the day. “Desmond, I’m really sorry, but I do not have any energy. I was up and down all night again with the kids and all I want to do is sleep.”
Sherita closed her eyes.
“Okay, then I tell you what…I’ll take the children with me so you can sleep for a while without them waking you up. How does that sound?”
“Mmm, hmm,” she mumbled as she drifted off to sleep.
Desmond doubted if she heard a word he said. He sighed. Sherita hadn’t been the same since giving birth to the babies six months ago. He could understand she was tired. She was working at her photography studio four days a week, Tuesday through Friday, and when she wasn’t working at the studio, she was working at home. And it was all about the kids when she was there. She would pump and store breast milk, read to them, play with them, wash clothes and by the end of the day, she’d be so exhausted, she wouldn’t make it to the bed. She’d just pass out on the couch, or in the rocking chair in one of the kid’s rooms.
On many occasions, Desmond would come home from work to find her passed out sleep on the sofa with one baby on her chest while the other was asleep in the bassinette. To say she was exhausted was highly understated.
That’s why, a few weeks ago, he’d arranged for them, just him and Sherita, to spend a few days at their vacation home in Myrtle Beach. Still, she didn’t seem like herself. She looked tired as she struggled to keep up with him. And even while on vacation, she called Melanie constantly to check on Celeste and Nolan. Being with the twins gave her anxiety and being away from them gave her more anxiety.<
br />
Desmond leaned forward, left a kiss at her temple. “Okay, sweetheart. I’ll let you sleep.”
He stood up, adjusted the covers over her then walked out of the room. He’d already dressed the children and fed them from the supply of milk Sherita had pumped earlier in the day. Now it was time for him to get out, get some fresh air, feel the sun on his face and what better way to do that than to take the kids to the park.
So, taking them to the car while they were already strapped snuggly in their car seats, he secured them in the back seat of his Mercedes Jeep SUV then headed for the park.
When he arrived, he took the double stroller from the back, adjusted it open, then opened the back door to get Celeste out.
He looked over at Nolan, watching him kick and turn a shade of red, anxious to get out of his seat. “Sorry, man. Ladies first.” He unbuckled Celeste. “All right, lil’ mama. We have to hurry up and get you settled before your brother goes completely nuts over there,” he said looking at his bright-eyed daughter who had eyes just like him, but her mother’s everything else. After he fastened her in the stroller, he wheeled it around the opposite side of the car to get Nolan.
Now, they were off.
Desmond smiled. He recalled being at this same park with Sherita before they were married. Then, they were here with Ezra and Grace, his niece and nephew. Sherita had wanted to photograph them as a gift for Emily and Melanie. Now, he was here with his own children. Their children. He only wished Sherita made an effort to be here, too.
Desmond dug around in his pocket for the phone when he felt it vibrating. He glanced at the display quickly then answered, “Hey, Dante. What’s up?”
“Nothing much…just got home a lil’ while ago. Went to grab some lunch with Em and Ez. What’s up with you?”
