Wives and Champions

by Tina Martin

  “But—”

  “Melanie, based on everything I know about the man, he sounds like a jerk. You said yourself that he left you heartbroken, yet you run into him at the museum and chat with him like you’re old friends.”

  “I wasn’t chatting with him. I told you I was trying to avoid him and—”

  “Well, you failed. You didn’t avoid him. You were talking to him, and for the life of me, I can’t figure that out. I would think you would be angry, furious that the man would have the audacity to approach you.”

  “I was furious, but I wasn’t going to cause a scene in front of my daughter. I—” Melanie scratched her head and blew an agonizing breath.

  “Do you still love him, Melanie?”

  “No,” she said, raising her voice louder than she wanted to. “I love you, Dimitrius.”

  “Then I need you to be honest with me right now.”

  “I am being honest. I don’t love Scott.”

  “Then answer this for me. Have you had any communication with Scott since seeing him at the museum?”

  “Unfortunately, yes,” Melanie answered quickly. She didn’t have anything to hide. “Apparently he still has my phone number, and he texted me.”

  “He texted you?”

  “Yes.”

  “When?”

  “Today, actually.”

  “About what?”

  “It’s not important.”

  “About what?” Dimitrius asked again.

  “He wanted to know about Grace.”

  A frown dented Dimitrius’ forehead. “He’s texting you about my daughter.”

  “He’s an idiot, Dimitrius. He thinks I owe him some explanation about how I was able to have a baby after I told him I couldn’t.”

  “That’s a good question. Did you answer it for him?”

  “Excuse me?” she asked, holding his gaze, certain she heard him incorrectly.

  “Did you answer his question?”

  “No, because I don’t owe him an explanation. Where is all of this stemming from?”

  “From the text messages I read between you two.”

  “What?”

  “You heard me.”

  “Dimitrius, you went through my phone?”

  “I saw that he texted you when I returned home from work. You were sleep, your phone beeped and I saw his message scrolling across the top of your screen. So, I picked it up and read it. Tell me, what exactly does he mean when he says no one will ever have your heart but him?”

  “Unbelievable.”

  Dimitrius’ face reddened in anger. “What’s unbelievable is that you would’ve kept all of this from me. Chatting with a man you used to love, who supposedly broke your heart is unbelievable.”

  “I’m not doing this.”

  “Of course you’re not,” Dimitrius shot back, his eyes as sharp as razors. “Let’s just pretend none of this ever happened.” He wiped his mouth with a black, cloth napkin, then dropped it on his plate.

  Melanie pulled in a breath and didn’t say another word. She knew her husband. Getting through to Dimitrius when he was angry was a nearly insurmountable task. Tonight, she wasn’t up for the challenge, couldn’t believe dinner was ruined and all she wanted to do was go home.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “What do you mean, you’re leaving for Jacksonville early?” Dante asked.

  Emily folded a pair of jeans that she was certain she wouldn’t be able to wear in a few weeks. She lowered them into her suitcase. She had planned on visiting her parents in a few weeks, but with all the stress she’d been under lately, she decided to leave early. Only thing was, she hadn’t discussed it with Dante. After he walked out on her during their early afternoon argument at her boutique, she figured he didn’t want to hear it anyway. He was furious. Told her to stop wasting his time like they weren’t even a married couple. Like she was some girlfriend whom he could easily dismiss. So, she was dismissing herself.

  “Just what I said. I’m leaving early. As you know, I was planning on going to see my parents in a few weeks, but since things are so tense between us, I figured I’d go now.”

  “And you did all this figuring without consulting me, first?”

  She didn’t look up at him when she said, “Yes, Dante. I figured you’d be happy.”

  Dante walked up to her, grasped her wrists and said, “What would make you think that?”

  “The way you left my office today. You pretty much threatened to leave me and left in a rage.”

  Dante grimaced. “I wasn’t threatening to leave you, Emily. I just need you to understand what you’re doing to me. To us.”

  “And what might that be?”

  “You’re stressing yourself out, causing unnecessary ripples in our marriage. Baby, you don’t even have to work. I don’t know how many times I have to tell you that. Yet, you’re stressing out over having another baby – a baby we are supposed to love. I want you to be happy that we’re adding a new addition to our family, but you’re not.”

  Emily shook her head. “You don’t understand, and you probably never will.”

  “So does that mean you pack up and leave me? Look at me, Emily.”

  Emily looked up at him with sad, tear-filled eyes.

  “Does that mean you leave me?”

  “I’m not leaving you, Dante. I’m just going to see my parents.”

  “For how long?” he asked, throaty.

  She shrugged. “A week or so. They’ve been dying to see Ezra again anyway, so—” She pulled her wrists from his grasp, folded more clothes and put them inside her suitcase.

  “You haven’t traveled alone with Ezra. Have you even taken a flight with him?”

  “No, but I’ll manage. I think a little space might do us some good.” She turned to him, pressed her head against his chest and wrapped her arms around him while her body trembled. She sniffled. “I’m not running away, Dante. I just need some time to figure things out.”

  Dante cupped the back of her head with this hand, holding her against him. “Okay, baby. Don’t cry, Emily. It’ll be okay. We’ll get through it. You hear me?”

  “Yes. I hear you.”

  “I know you’re not ready for another baby, but I’m happy about it, Emily, and I wish, somehow, I could give you a dose of what I’m feeling. So maybe this trip will be good for you. I definitely don’t want you to be stressed out while you’re carrying our baby. Okay?”

  She nodded.

  “But just to clarify something you said—no—I wasn’t threatening to leave you. I wasn’t myself at the boutique today and I apologize for that.” He cupped her face in his hands. “I love you, sweetheart.”

  “I love you, too, Dante.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  -Two Days Later-

  “Turns out, you’re not the youngest after all, Des,” Dimitrius said as they walked into the bar.

  “What does that suppose to mean?” Desmond inquired.

  Dimitrius looked at Dante. “You didn’t tell him?”

  “Didn’t have a chance to,” Dante said.

  The men pulled out a chair, took a seat.

  “Besides,” Dante said looking at Desmond, “I know you were busy taking care of Sherita, and I didn’t want to disturb you.”

  “I appreciate that,” Desmond told him. “But I’m here now, so enlighten me. What’s going on?”

  Dante sighed. “Well, a couple of days ago, I got a visit from a guy named Harding Champion. He says he’s our half-brother.”

  Desmond’s forehead creased. “Half-brother?”

  “Yes,” Dante said, “And he’s meeting us here tonight.”

  Desmond grinned uncomfortably. “Why don’t you two stop with the antics.”

  “I’m serious this time, Des,” Dante said.

  Desmond looked at Dimitrius then back at Dante. They weren’t playing games. The look on their faces told him so.

  “So you’re actually going to entertain this nonsense, Dante?”

  “We ha
ve to,” Dante said.

  “No, we don’t. Are you kidding me? We don’t have any other siblings. It’s only us. The three of us,” Desmond said.

  “That’s what I wanted to think, too, but—”

  “I don’t have time for this,” Desmond said, standing.

  “Des, calm down man,” Dimitrius said.

  “I could be home with my family who needs me above everything else, but I’m here because you think we may have a half-brother?”

  “Yes,” Dante answered.

  “Meaning what, exactly? That our father cheated on our mother?”

  “I don’t know what it means just yet. I do know we have to figure it out and quick,” Dante said. “And we’ll do that with or without you.”

  “Fine. I’m out.”

  “Come on Des, man,” Dimitrius said.

  “No, I’m out.” He turned around and said, “And the next time you want to set up meetings with people who claim they’re related to us, let me know in advance so I can decline.” Desmond kept on to the exit.

  “And here I was thinking you’d be the closed-minded, hotheaded one,” Dante said to Dimitrius.

  “Trust me…I’m struggling with this, too. And, on top of it all, I have a situation with Melanie.”

  “About the ex?”

  “Yeah, man. Found out he texted her, saying some crazy stuff like, no one would have her heart like he had it.”

  Dante snickered. “He’s just trying to get under your skin. Do you really think Melanie wants anything to do with him?”

  “I’m not so sure. Found out, too, that she’d been wearing a necklace he’d given her. Why would she still be wearing the man’s necklace if she despised him?”

  Dante’s eyebrows rose. “That, I don’t know. What I do know is, Melanie is a good woman, and there’s a side to every story. You just need to take the time to understand hers, just like I’m trying to understand Emily’s. Hey, nobody said marriage would be easy, man.”

  “You’re right about that.” Dimitrius tapped on the table and looked around the bar. “Emily’s still in Jacksonville?”

  “She is…for a week or so, she said. I’m trying not to crowd her. She needs time to sort some things out and quite frankly, so do I.”

  Dimitrius nodded.

  Dante’s eyes shot open when he saw Desmond walking back towards their table with Harding. “Looks like Desmond didn’t leave after all,” he said to Dimitrius.”

  Dimitrius turned around to see Desmond walking back towards their table with a tall, gentleman who looked almost identical to him. He frowned, then looked back at Dante. “Is that—”

  “It is. Harding Champion.”

  Dante stood, glanced at Desmond before turning his attention to Harding. He extended his hand. “So, we meet again.”

  Harding grinned. “Looks that way.”

  “I see you’ve already met my brother, Desmond.”

  “Yep.”

  “And I’m Dimitrius.” Dimitrius stood up, shook Harding’s hand and returned to his seat.

  “So, have a seat,” Dante said, trying to be as cordial as he possibly could. After all, if Harding was his half-brother, there was no need to take out any frustration on him.

  Desmond returned to his seat next to Dimitrius while Harding took the seat next to Dante.

  “So, the other day when we talked, I was a bit out of line,” Dante said. “I first would like to apologize to you if I came across as rude.”

  “Thank you, but an apology isn’t necessary. I probably would’ve had a similar reaction if some guy walked into my place of business and claimed to be my brother,” Harding said.

  When the waiter came by, Dimitrius ordered a round of beers.

  “So, ah, I don’t know where to begin,” Dante said.

  “I’ll begin with this,” Harding said, taking a folded piece of paper from his pocket. “It’s my birth certificate.” He handed it to Dante and, sure enough, Nolan Champion was listed as Harding’s father.

  Dante passed the document to Dimitrius who, in turn, passed it to Desmond.

  “I named my son Nolan,” Desmond said, looking up at Harding. “How old are you?”

  “Thirty-eight.”

  Desmond placed the birth certificate on the table in front of Harding. “Well, we’re obviously related. Anyone can see that you have a striking resemblance to each of us, so my question for you is, why did you wait so long to say something?”

  Harding smirked. “I wanted to say something earlier. You don’t know how many times I’ve talked myself out of contacting you all. I didn’t know how you would react and I didn’t want to start any family drama, so I thought it might be best not to say anything.”

  “What changed?” Desmond asked.

  “Interesting story,” Harding said. “I got a call from Garrison Blackstone.”

  “Who?” Dante asked.

  “Garrison Blackstone,” Harding repeated.

  “He’s one of the executives over at Blackstone Financial Services Group,” Desmond said. “Must’ve been calling you about my recent proposal with them. Maybe he thought you knew us…wanted to get some information.”

  Harding nodded. “He asked if I knew the three of you. Of course I gave him a yes-no answer. While I knew you existed, I didn’t know you personally.”

  “Do you live in Wilmington?” Desmond asked.

  “Yes, and so does my brother and—”

  With raised eyebrows, Desmond asked, “There’s another one of you?”

  The men chuckled at his question. “Yes. I have a brother. Mordecai. And then I have two sisters – Zoya and Amira.”

  “And you’re telling us that our father is not only your father but their father, too?” Dimitrius asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Are they all living in Wilmington?” Dante asked.

  “They are.”

  “And your mother?” Dimitrius inquired.

  “She’s there, too.”

  “She is.”

  “What’s her name?”

  “Florence Ludwick.”

  When the beer arrived, seemed all the brothers took a sip precisely at the same time. All four of them. After a round of questioning, Harding could use a break.

  “What do you do in Wilmington?” Dante asked, looking at Harding.

  “Freelance tech work.”

  “Such as?” Dimitrius inquired. Since he was also tech savvy, Harding’s work caught his attention.

  “I design websites, apps, help businesses with search engine optimization…that sort of thing.”

  “Sounds similar to what I do at TCC,” Desmond said, “Although I don’t dabble with apps. I leave that up to Dimitrius.”

  Harding nodded.

  “So, where do we go from here?” Dimitrius asked.

  Harding shrugged. “I don’t know, but listen, fellas…the last thing I want to do is cause problems within your inner circle. My desire to reach out to you was from a place of loss. You all had our father full-time before he died. My family only had him part-time whenever he was in town on business. Now, none of us have him. And to answer your question in more detail, Desmond, about why I waited so long, my mother, from day one, told me that you all wouldn’t want to know my family. Said you wouldn’t claim us, and honestly, you don’t have to. My expectations weren’t to be received with open arms, so this – your agreeing to meet with me at a bar to discuss this – is a lot more than I anticipated.”

  “How long are you in town, Harding?” Dante asked.

  “I’m leaving first thing tomorrow morning.” Harding leaned to his right side to reach for his wallet in the back left pocket of his jeans.

  “I got the check,” Dante told him.

  “No, I got it,” Harding said, pulling out a few bills, placing them on the table. “Again, thank you. It was nice to meet you, but I have to go prepare for my departure in the morning. Besides, I know I’ve given you a lot to think about and discuss.” He took his birth certificate from the table and fo
lded it.

  “All right, man. Thanks for coming by,” Dante told him.

  “Yep. Have a good one.” Harding walked away.

  For a moment, the brothers didn’t say a word until Dimitrius finally broke the silence by saying, “I’m having a hard time processing this.”

  “I am, too. I can’t fathom our father being unfaithful to mom,” Desmond said. “Do you think Harding’s telling the truth, Dante?”

  “He stated his case as plain as day. He even furnished his birth certificate. What more proof do we need?”

  Dimitrius sighed heavily.

  “Okay, so if he’s family, and the evidence is pointing in that direction, I think we need to reach out to him,” Desmond said. “Family is everything, even if you have some you didn’t know about, right?”

  “I’d say so,” Dimitrius said, “But it’s not so easy to accept someone who’s the result of our father’s infidelity, now is it?”

  “No, it’s not,” Dante said. “But—” Dante shook his head. This was troubling for him, too, probably more than it was to his brothers, but being the oldest, they looked up to him. So, forcing his feelings to the side, he said, “What kind of men would we be if we got up from this table with the mindset that we were never going to contact Harding or attempt to get to know his family? We can’t do that. We can’t do that to them or ourselves.”

  Desmond nodded.

  “Agreed, Dimitrius?” Dante asked, looking at him.

  “Fine.”

  “All right,” Dante said. “I’ll contact Harding to discuss a plan of action. In the meantime, I have to go call my wife, fellas.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  “I can’t help but notice you’ve been different,” Antoinette said, as she stirred chicken and dumpling soup. She placed the lid on the pot and turned the stove down a notch.

  “Different how, mom?” Emily asked.

  Antoinette shrugged. “I can’t put my finger on it,” she said, sitting next to Emily at the kitchen table. “I get a sense that something’s wrong. You know you can talk to me, don’t you?”

  Emily nodded. Deciding to take her mother up on her offer, she said, “I didn’t think it would be so frustrating.”