by Tina Martin
“Because I overheard her and my father arguing about my father’s infidelity one night, and recently, it has come to light that I have half brothers and sisters living in Wilmington.”
A look of concern washed over her face. “Dimitrius, what—”
“My father was supposed to be the man, a role model and an upstanding citizen. For the most part, he was. Then I found out what he was doing to mom. I never said anything to Dante and Des about it. I kept it all to myself. Now, this guy–his name is Harding Champion–says he’s our half-brother. We met him at a bar to talk and he looks just like us, Melanie.”
“Wow.”
“I shouldn’t have let it get to me like this. I try to keep so much of this to myself, but now it’s affecting us and I don’t want my issues to destroy us. I do trust you. I don’t trust your ex, but I trust you. I love you and Grace and I’m truly sorry.”
Melanie stood up from her chair. She straddled him, wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her chin on top of his shoulder. “Thank you for telling me this. I had no idea you were keeping this all in. I’m sorry.”
Dimitrius closed his eyes, relished in the warmth of her against him. Comforting him.
“Any time you need to talk, you can talk to me, you know. I know you’re close with your brothers, but I want to be there for you, too.”
“I know, sweetheart.”
Melanie lifted her head to look at him.
Dimitrius continued, “I just want to be a good man for you and I’m not used to being vulnerable. I don’t like being vulnerable. It’s so much easier to be strong and guarded and—”
“And, I love that about you. I do. It’s one of those attributes that makes you an amazing, intelligent man. But even the President of the United States has to vent to someone. I know you’re strong, but trust me when I say that I will not see your vulnerability as a weakness because you’re not weak. You’re a Champion, my champion, and I love you.”
“I love you, too, Melanie.”
Melanie pressed her lips against his, then hugged him tight.
“Thank you for being the best wife a man could ever ask for.”
Melanie smiled.
“Thank you for being the best husband a woman could ever want. Now, do I have to draw up a contract about you tempering your anger, being vulnerable with me, trusting me and not screaming at me?” she asked amused, looking at him.
“Baby, the only screams in this house will be the ones that’ll leave your lips while I’m making love to you. Starting right now,” he said, standing with her holding on to him, her legs wrapped around his waist as he walked slowly towards the bed.
“I missed you,” he said, right before he took her mouth with a hungry urge that made his body shiver.
Moments later, she felt him strong and on top of her tugging at the jeans she’d just slipped into moments ago. Now it was time for her to slip right back out of them because days had gone by since they’d made love and that was a problem, especially for a couple who could hardly keep their hands off of each other.
And they made love uncontrollably, desperate for each other’s affection. Melanie’s heart raced when she became fully aware of his presence filling her over and over again, then moving synonymous as one – husband and wife, making love in the center of their bed.
Melanie opened her eyes to look at him. Something about seeing his face – his determination to please her – made more sensations rip through her. And when the last emotions burned through her veins, her body shuddered beneath him. And he erupted, the weight of him collapsing on top of her.
For a while, they lay quietly catching breaths until Dimitrius said, “I have a suggestion.”
“What’s that?” Melanie said, panting.
“If we’re going to make love like that after an argument, maybe we should fight more often.”
Melanie smiled through heavy panting.
“I’m giving you notice that I’m picking a fight with you at some point tomorrow,” he said.
Melanie laughed. “You better not.”
Dimitrius pulled her into his arms. Still panting, skin clammy, chests rising and falling, they struggled to get their breaths back to normal.
Halfway there, Melanie said, “So what are you going to do about your half-brother?”
“Don’t know yet, baby. Dante is running a background check on him right now. It’s just difficult knowing my father did this to my mother, and because of it, I have siblings I don’t even know.”
“Siblings?” Melanie asked, emphasizing the plurality of the word.
“Yes. According to Harding, there are three more of them. Harding has a brother and two sisters.”
“That’s crazy,” Melanie said. “Do you think you would want to get to know them?”
“I would. I can’t be mad at them for something my father did, now can I?”
“Well, you could, but I’m glad you’re not. Besides, I think that once you get acquainted with them, it’ll help to ease the betrayal you feel as a result of your father’s actions. And who knows…you may even learn to love them.”
“Yeah. Maybe.”
“Anyway, go to sleep. You have work in the morning.”
“So do you,” Dimitrius said. While Melanie didn’t work outside of the home, she did a lot when it came to raising their daughter.
“Yeah. I do.”
“Oh, I almost forgot…I have something for you.” Dimitrius pulled open the top drawer of his nightstand and removed a box. He clicked on his bedside lamp and handed it to her.
Melanie sat up. Smiling, she asked, “What’s this?”
“Open it and find out.”
She opened the box to find a silver necklace with a heart-shaped pendant. The words ‘With My All’ followed by his initials, ‘D.C.’ were inscribed on it.
“This is a necklace you’ll never have to take off. One that has meaning, and every day you see it, touch it, I want you to think about the man who loves you, who’s not perfect, but who’s learning how to love you more and more every day.”
Melanie smiled. “It’s beautiful. Thank you, Dimitrius.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Can you put it on for me?”
“Sure,” he said, taking the necklace and securing it around her neck. Then he pulled her into his arms, closing his eyes, satisfied.
Melanie smiled, fiddled with the heart of her new necklace – a token of Dimitrius’ love for her.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Dante settled into the presidential suite of a hotel in downtown Jacksonville, Florida a few hours ago. After taking a two-hour nap, he checked his phone, saw a missed call from Tennyson and another from Dimitrius.
He stretched tall, rubbed his eyes and stood up, walking over to the windows, squinting while his eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight. And when he could open them all the way, he took in the beauty of the St. John’s River below, seeing boats going to and fro, leaving white trails of disrupted water. To say the city was beautiful was an understatement. It was an amazing location with a nice city vibe and he looked forward to experiencing it with his wife during the week. But first he had some arrangements to make.
Looking at his cell, he found his mother-in-law’s number in his contacts and sent her a text:
Dante: if you get this, call me. Don’t tell Emily.
He smiled, waited and a few minutes later, he saw Antoinette’s name flash on the display of his cell.
“Hi, Antoinette.”
“Hi, Dante. How are you?”
“I’m doing well. How are you?”
“Good. I have to tell you, it’s been wonderful spending time with my grandson. He’s just adorable.”
Dante smirked. “I know he’s a handful.”
“He is. Emily tells me he gets that from you.”
Dante chuckled. “Unfortunately, she’s right? Where is Emily, by the way?”
“She took Ezra out to let him burn off some energy.”
“Pe
rfect. Listen, I need a favor from you?”
“Okay.”
“First, had you planned on cooking dinner tonight?” Dante asked.
“No. We usually go out on Tuesday nights. Why?”
“Well, I’m here.”
“Here in Jacksonville?”
“Yes, but don’t mention it to Emily. I want it to be a surprise.”
“Oh. Okay. That’ll be nice. I know she’ll be glad to see you.”
Dante rubbed his mustache. I hope so. “I don’t know if Emily told you about—”
“The baby? Yes! Congratulations. I’m so happy. Ezra’s finally getting a playmate.”
“Yes, but Emily wasn’t too thrilled about it.”
“Don’t worry, Dante. She’ll come around.”
“You seem sure about that.”
“I am. Mothers know best. And Emily’s struggling with what every career woman struggles with. All she needs to know is that you understand what she’s going through.”
“I do—”
“And I’m not talking about understanding by throwing money her way. Hiring this person and that person. She needs you, Dante.”
“You’re right,” Dante told her. “Listen, how about we do this. There’s a nice steakhouse right on the river—”
“You’re not talking about Jack City Steakhouse are you?”
“Yes. That’s the one.”
“Oh, then start looking for someplace else to eat. Trying to get a reservation at a place like Jack City is like pulling teeth. George has been trying for weeks.”
“Antoinette, no worries. I got the reservation already.”
“You did?”
“I did. Need you to get everybody there by 6:30 p.m. The reservation is under your husband’s name.”
“Okay. I can get them there, but what do I tell Emily when she asks why we’re going to a fancy restaurant. She’ll know something’s up.”
“I doubt if she will. Just tell her you wanted to take her someplace nice since she’s been under so much stress.”
“Okay. I’ll give it a try.”
“And sound convincing. I want this to be special for her.”
“Okay, Dante. I’ll do my best. Thank you for being my favorite son-in-law.”
Dante smiled. “You’re welcome.”
* * *
Next on the agenda, returning Dimitrius’ call. He dialed and waited.
“What’s up, Dante?”
“Hey, Dimitrius. I saw that you called.”
“Yep. How was your flight?”
“It was cool. First class wasn’t so bad, but I’d much rather taken the private jet.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“Because it was all last minute. How are things there?”
“So far, so good. I’m working with I.T., still testing those changes we talked about for the GHC booking website.”
“Good.”
“Oh, and you saw that email from Tennyson, right?”
“No, but I’m calling him next.”
“Well, there won’t be much to discuss. Harding and his mother’s background checks came back clean.”
“I suppose that’s good news.”
“It is.” Dimitrius grew quiet for a moment then he asked, “Hey, why do you think Dad cheated on Mom?”
Dante shook his head. “I have no idea. I thought they were in love. They hardly ever argued.”
“That’s true, but I witnessed one argument between them. Apparently she had found out about the affair and confronted him, and that same day, in tears, she told me to never trust anyone and—”
“Are you telling me you knew Dad was cheating?”
“I did, and I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to taint your view of him. I knew you held him in high regard and I didn’t want to tarnish that for you. I didn’t know anything about Harding and the others though.”
Dante sat down, scrubbed his right hand across his face. “The damage has been done.”
“Tell me about it,” Dimitrius said.
“But we owe them, Dimitrius. Harding, Zoya, Amira, Mordecai and even Florence. And it’s not only for them. It’s for us, too. We need answers.”
“I agree.”
Dante’s forehead creased. “Say what?”
“I said, I agree.”
“That’s not what I expected to hear from you,” Dante said.
“I know, but through all of this, my wonderful wife made me realize that there are some things I need to change within myself. Granted, it’s not going to be easy, but it’ll be worth it.”
“All right. You think Des will be on board?” Dimitrius asked.
“Judging by our meeting at the bar with Harding, yes, I’d say so.”
“Then I’ll set it up.”
“Okay. I’ll let you get back to Emily now.”
Dante snickered. “She doesn’t know I’m here yet…arranging dinner at a five-star restaurant…reserved the back room for the family. I just hope she’s happy to see me.”
“I’m sure she will be.”
“All right, man. I’ll check in with you later.”
“Yep.”
While he was on a roll, Dante called Tennyson as soon as he hung up with Dimitrius.
“Hey. Did you see my email?” Tennyson asked.
“No, but Dimitrius told me about it. So nothing, huh?”
“Nope. Not even a speeding ticket. Harding graduated from N.C. State with a Bachelor’s in computer science.”
“What about Florence? Any background info on her?”
“Um…she lived in San Francisco for a while before moving to Wilmington. Hey, didn’t you live in San Francisco?”
“Yeah. I did. Ah…before I forget, I need you to look into the legal requirements for changing the business name for one of our companies.”
“Which one might that be?”
“Grieving Hearts Connect. We’re looking to rebrand to include a variety of customers instead of catering to a specific niche.”
“Got it. I’ll get right on that.”
“Thanks, Tennyson.”
Dante placed his phone on the nightstand, stretched his hands up in the air and pulled the white T-shirt he had on above his head while walking towards the bathroom, preparing to take a shower.
* * *
“So why are we having dinner at this fancy restaurant this evening, Mom? Dad?” Emily asked.
“Wanted to do something nice for you, dear,” George said.
“But Dad, you really didn’t have to do this.”
“Oh, nonsense. You just look at that menu and see what you’re going to feed my grandbabies.”
Emily glanced at her mother then back at her father. “Mom told you, huh?”
“Yes, she did, and I am so happy.”
A small smile touched Emily’s lips.
“What about Dante? Is he happy about it?” George asked, knowing Dante was due to show up any minute now.
“He is. He wants a big family, you know, since losing his parents.”
George nodded.
And then Ezra began bouncing in his chair, moving erratically, smiling and looking towards the door.
“What’s gotten into you, Ezra?” Emily asked. Since her back was towards the door, she couldn’t see Dante standing there with a dozen healthy red roses.
Ezra could.
Her parents could, but they managed to keep a straight face.
“Da-da,” Ezra said, over and over again.
“Da-da? Your father isn’t here, Ez,” Emily said right before she turned around to see her tall, well-dressed, handsome husband standing at the door with a bouquet of flowers.
“Dante?” she said standing, walking towards him. “Wha—what are you doing here?” she asked, embracing him before he could answer, burying her face in the black shirt he had on with a black suit. Her eyes swam with tears of happiness.
“Glad to see you too, sweetheart,” Dante told her.
She released him then standing on
her tiptoes, she placed a kiss on his lips. “I love you.”
“I love you too, Emily.”
She smiled, embraced him again and said, “Oh, I’m so happy to see you.”
“And I’m happy to see you, my love.”
Emily relaxed her arms to her side, still looking at Dante like she was in awe of him.
“These are for you,” he said, handing her a dozen roses.
“Thank you. They’re beautiful. Now, what are you doing here?”
Dante grinned. “Well, I missed you, I was worried about you and I didn’t like my family separated…wanted us together.”
She turned to look at her parents. “So I take it you two helped arrange all of this?”
“Guilty,” George said.
“Come on, dear. Let’s have a seat,” Dante told Emily. He pulled out her chair and when she sat comfortably, he unbuckled Ezra from his high chair and took his son in his arms.
Ezra latched on to his father, stretching his arms around his neck as far as he could.
“Look at that,” Antoinette said. “He missed his father, didn’t he?”
“I’ll say,” George said.
Dante took the seat next to Emily, still holding Ezra.
“So you’re ready for another one of those, huh?” George asked.
Dante looked at Emily. “I am. Em and I still need to work through some things before our little one’s arrival, but I’m ready.”
Antoinette’s bright smile challenged the flicker of the candles in the center of the table.
“This is a nice place, huh?” Dante said, looking around the elegantly decorated restaurant. This fancy place wasn’t a restaurant where you would typically bring a child, but he paid for a private room for his family to dine separate from other guests, and he wanted his son there with them.
“Dante, you wouldn’t believe it if I told you I’ve been trying to get inside of this place for years,” George said.
“I believe it,” Dante told him.
“How’d you do it?”
“You’d be surprised how people will bend when they know you own a multi-million dollar corporation. But honestly, I would’ve done anything to get this time alone with my family.”
