by Tina Martin
Carter smirked. “Of course I talked to her baby.”
“Oh,” Shayla said, analyzing him. “What did you talk about?”
“I just called her to see if she wanted to join us for dinner. That’s all. Why?”
Shayla shook her head in disappointment. “Nothing.”
“Plus, I’ve noticed that since you visited her last week, you seemed to be a little upset, so—”
“What do you mean?”
“You were upset the day you came home from her house. I noticed it, but didn’t say any thing at the time. And we haven’t made love not once this week. Under normal circumstances, you’re all over me, but last week, every time I came on to you, you gave me the cold shoulder. So…what happened?”
“Nothing.”
“You know you’re not a good liar, Shayla.”
“Carter, it’s nothing,” she said, kissing his lips. “I just want to enjoy dinner with my dad and have a really good time, tonight.”
“Okay. I still feel like I should not have invited her.”
“Sweetheart…it’s cool. Jack is going to be here any minute, so let me go ahead and get the rest of the food together, babe.”
“All right,” Carter replied, taking a shrimp from the pan with his fingers.
Shayla slapped his butt. “Get outta here,” she said then laughed.
Just as he was leaving the kitchen, the door bell chimed. “Looks like he’s here, Shay.”
Shayla rushed to the sink, washed her hands and dried them with a paper towel. Then she rushed to the door to find Jack, standing there with a small duffle bag.
“Hi, Jack,” she said cheerfully, embracing him. “Hey, Shayla.”
Carter stood nearby, watching them hug. He had so many questions for Jack, he didn’t know where to begin.
“Come on in,” Shayla told Jack.
He stepped in, looked around and immediately saw Carter standing near a sofa in the living room his arms crossed over his chest.
Uncrossing his arms and trying hard to supportive for Shayla, he extended his right hand and said, “Hi, I’m Carter. Shayla’s husband.”
“Nice to meet you, Carter.”
Wish I could say the same, was his initial thought and if Shayla wasn’t there, he would’ve said it out loud.
“Jack, I just finished cooking. Follow me this way to the dining room. Carter will take your bag up to the guest bedroom.”
Once Shayla showed Jack where to sit, she gave him a glass of ice water and told him she’d be back. Then jogging upstairs, she met Carter in the hallway as he was leaving the guest bedroom where Jack would be sleeping.
“Sweetie,” she said, staring into her man’s eyes. “Please be on your best behavior.”
“I will be, but I’m going to ask the man hard questions, Shayla.”
“Carter…”
“I’m not going to let him waltz in here and think he can walk back into your life so easily like you didn’t need him all those years he wasn’t there. I won’t do it.”
Shayla knew he meant business when she saw the look of determination on his face. She kissed his lips and flashed a half smile. “Just remember he’s my father.”
He gave her a wicked smile then followed her downstairs.
Slamming his hands together to a clap, he asked, “So, Jack, how was your flight?”
Shayla felt a nervous twinge in her gut.
“It was good. Today was the perfect day for flying.”
Carter pulled out his chair and sat down at the table. “I thought you were going to be in town yesterday.”
“Oh, yeah. Initially I was, but something came up.”
“Oh,” Carter said, then mumbling some unpleasantries under his breath. But skip mumbling…this was his house, his woman and he was free to speak his mind. So looking up at Jack, he said, “Haven’t been in her life for the last twenty-six years…what’s one more day?”
“What’s that?” Jack asked.
Carter looked up at him, then rolled his eyes over to Shayla.
“Carter, please stop,” Shayla mouthed.
He shrugged in response.
Shayla was pleased to hear the doorbell again. It gave Jack time to breathe when Carter excused himself to answer the door.
Moments later, he stepped back in, Jacqueline in tow.
“Hi Jackie,” Shayla said dryly with no enthusiasm.
“Hi.”
“Um…Jack, this Carter’s…aunt, Jacqueline.”
“Nice to meet you, Jack,” Jacqueline said.
“You as well.”
“Where do you want to me to sit, Shayla?”
Shayla walked around the dinner table and pulled out a chair directly across from Jack.”
“I got that, baby,” Carter said, walking around the table to stand behind Jacqueline’s chair like a gentleman, sliding it under as she sat.
Having already placed the food in the center of the table, Shayla sat next to Jack.
Carter took his seat, directly across from Shayla.
Shayla picked up the rolls, then passed them.
“So, Jack, what do you do in Virginia?”
Jack cleared his throat. “I own a construction company.
Carter nodded.
Shayla saw Carter’s nostrils flaring.
“What do you do?” Jack inquired, trying to be conversational.
“I’m in banking.”
“Looks like you’ve done well for yourself,” he said looking around. “Shayla’s met a good one.”
Carter glared at him and said, “You do know we’re married, right?”
“Yes. Shayla’s told me a little about you already, and I have to say I’m so grateful she’s met a man who can provide and take car of her.”
“Yeah, because that is what a man’s supposed to do…take care of his family.”
Shayla felt her appetite leave her body. Carter was not holding back on the Jack. She thought he’d have some pity on him because after all, he was her father, but Carter wasn’t having it.
And Jacqueline was quiet, glancing up at Shayla every now and then, but hadn’t said a thing. But out of nowhere, she looked up at Jack and asked, “So where in Virginia do you live, Jack?”
“Virginia Beach?”
“Oh, okay. I’ve never been there? Heard it was nice, though.”
“It is. Some people don’t like living in tourist cities, but I don’t mind it.”
“Well, I wouldn’t mind getting away for a while. I might be headed your way soon.”
Shayla’s eyes focused sharply on Jacqueline. If she thought she was going to run from telling Carter the truth, she had another thought coming.
“Shayla, you and Jack look alike,” Jacqueline said. “I see the similarity.”
“I don’t,” Carter said definitively.
Shayla was staring at Jacqueline with so much contempt, she hadn’t even heard Carter’s response. How dare Jacqueline point of how she favored her father when her son, her own flesh and blood sat next to her and had the slightest clue he was sitting next to his own mother. And looking at them side-by-side now, Shayla could see that they had the same skin complexion, the same smile, honey brown eyes and the same nose.
“Must have strong genes in your family, huh?” Jacqueline asked Jack.
“You do too, Jackie. You and Carter look a lot alike,” Shayla pointed out.
Jackie grimaced a bit, blinked quickly to collect herself.
Carter gave Shayla an inquisitive stare then diverted his attention back to Jack. “So why didn’t Shayla’s half brothers come?”
“Oh…they went with their mom to Maryland this weekend.”
“That was more important than getting to know their long, lost, forgotten sister?”
Jack laid his fork in his plate and said, “Look, Carter. I’ve made some mistakes but I love Shayla.”
“No. I love Shayla,” he said enraged. “Think about how much you think you love Shayla and multiply that times a trillion. That’s how
much I love her, Jack, and as the man, who actually loves her, I cannot fathom walking out of her life and leaving her to fend for herself.”
“Carter…” Shayla said, but his name from her lips fell on deaf ears because he was furious.
“Do you know how much Shayla had to go through? Do you know she almost died? And who was there when she was in the hospital? I don’t recall seeing you. When she had blood running out of her mouth…when she’d stopped breathing, had bronchitis and pneumonia at the same time…where were you, Jack?”
“I didn’t know any of that,” Jack replied dolefully.
“That’s my point.”
Jack sighed. “Carter, I know I wasn’t there for her, but I’m trying to change that.”
“Why? Why now?”
“Because I have to start somewhere, and I respect you and your house and I know your position as a man. But I made a mistake and I’m trying to make it right. All I can ask of you is for the chance to be there for Shayla now.”
“Yeah,” Carter grumbled. “Just don’t know if I trust a person who can so freely abandon their child.”
Shayla glanced over at Jacqueline, watching her hang her head.
For a moment, a few awkward moments, there was nothing but silence in the room.
Carter took the bottle of wine from the center of the table and refilled his glass, guzzling it down quickly. Then he leaned back in his chair, his eyes on Shayla. He saw the look of embarrassment on her face, tears in her eyes, but she didn’t cry. Underneath the table, he rubbed his foot against her leg, then looked at her and mouthed, “I’m sorry.”
She shot him a half smile. Unbeknownst to him, his back-and-forth with Jack wasn’t the cause of her sadness. It was Jacqueline and the life-changing secret she carried around with her.
“I’m going to get some more wine.” Shayla stood up, walked to the kitchen and took a chilled bottle from fridge. From where she stood, she was still able to see Carter, Jacqueline and Jack sitting at the dining table and she almost lost it when she saw Jacqueline standing up because she knew she’d be heading her way.
Shayla sighed, closed her eyes tight and braced herself.
“Shayla,” she heard Jacqueline say. “I know I’m supposed to tell him.”
“Knowing and doing are two different things, Jackie.” She popped the cork from the wine bottle, then turned to face Jacqueline. “When are you going to tell him?”
“In a few days.”
“I gave you a week and you haven’t done it yet.”
“I will. I promise you, I will.” Shayla looked at Jacqueline, noticed her eyes watering up.
“Look, Jackie…sorry if you think I’m coming down hard on you, but this is my husband we’re talking about. Do you know how much this will change his life? He thinks his parents are dead.” Shayla looked towards the dining room and saw Carter looking her way and gave him a lackluster smile. Then returning her attention to Jackie she said in a low tone, “Tell him. Please.”
Jacqueline nodded, then turned away to head back for the dining room.
Chapter 23
Shayla laid in the center of the bed after a quick shower. She’d come up to the bedroom after Jacqueline had left, about an hour or so ago, leaving Carter downstairs with Jack. And after her shower, she rubbed her body down with Vaseline moisturizing lotion, slipped on a silk nightie and laid in bed, thinking – mostly about Carter. How would he react once Jacqueline finally told him that she was his mother?
“Shay…you sleep, baby?” Carter said softly, just in case she was sleeping.
“No.”
He pulled his shirt over his head, unzipped his pants and took those off too. Then he took his position behind her, spooning her while finding her hand and threading their fingers together. “Hope you’re not mad at me.” He kissed a few places on her neck.
“No. I’m not mad.”
“Look at me and say that.”
Shayla rolled over and repositioned herself so that she was staring in Carter’s adorable, brown eyes. “I’m not mad at you.” She couldn’t help but take a kiss from his enticing lips.
“Really, because you looked like you could kill me during dinner.”
“Yeah, that’s because you were giving Jack such a hard time.”
“That was intentional. My job is to protect you. I have no loyalty to him.”
Good point, Shayla thought. And she had no loyalty to Jacqueline so why hadn’t she told Carter who his mother really was?
“Just to put your mind at ease,” he said, “I did talk to him man-to-man after you came upstairs. I think we’ve come to an understanding.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. Remember when we were talking the other day about our kids?”
Shayla smiled. “Our future kids? Yes.”
“Like I said...at least our kids will have one grandparent, right, if Jack stays true to his word and actually be there for you. And from our talk, I can tell he really wants to be a part of our lives.”
And then, Shayla couldn’t take it anymore. She burst in tears, trembling as she cried.
“What’s wrong, Shayla? I thought that’s what you wanted?”
“That is what I want.”
Carter rolled on top of her, watching tears run out the corners of her eyes and down her face. “Baby,” he said, kissing away the wetness. “What’s wrong?”
“I love you, Carter. I don’t want to hurt you,” she cried.
“And you think seeing you cry doesn’t hurt me already? Talk to me, Shayla.”
She sniffled, placed her hands on his face, staring up into his worried eyes and said, “You’re so good to me.”
“Tell me what’s wrong, sweetie.”
“Um,” she said nervously. “Have you...have you ever seen a copy of your birth certificate?”
Carter frowned, wondering why she was asking him that. A while back, Terrance had insinuated that he needed to get a copy of his birth certificate after Carter told him about Jacob’s notes. And he had even requested a copy of Jacob’s birth certificate but not his own. “I don’t recall,” he finally responded. “Why?”
Shayla had requested a copy of Carter’s birth certificate last week, a couple of days after Jacqueline made the confession to her. It was one thing for someone to tell you who they are, but once you had the proof, verified by a notarized seal, that meant it was official and true.
“You need to look at it as soon as possible.”
“Why, Shayla?”
Tears blurred her vision. “Because you need to,” she cried.
“Baby, we said no secrets, remember?”
“Yes.”
“Then tell me what’s wrong. Why do I need to see my birth certificate?”
She sniffled again. “Because…um…”
“Shay, why do I need to see my birth certificate?”
With trembling lips, she said, “Because your mother is still alive.”
Carter frowned, rolled off of her then sat on the edge of bed with one leg folded underneath him. “Why would you say something like that, Shayla? You know my mother passed.”
“No.”
“Yes. I can show you her obituary. I made her funeral arrangements.”
“I know you did, but...um...Lenora wasn’t your mother. She raised you, but she wasn’t your mother, Carter. She was Jacob’s mother.”
Immediately, Carter recollected Jacob’s notes:
Most of my life, my Mother compared me to my big brother, if you can even call him that. To be considered siblings, we would have to have either the same mother, or the same father. We have neither and, Carter, as smart as everyone claims he is, is too dense to realize that our “family” isn’t really a family at all…
Now those words were beginning to make sense. If what Shayla was saying was true, their family wasn’t really a family.
“So what’s on the birth certificate? Who’s my mother?”
Trembling as if struck by a sudden chill, she replied, “I don’t want
to hurt you, Carter.”
“Shayla, what’s on the birth certificate?”
Shayla pulled in a long, deep breath and said, “Ja...Jackie is your mother, Carter.”
“No,” he shook his head in defiance.
“I wanted to tell you but—”
“No.”
“She begged me not to tell—”
“No.”
“Said she wanted to tell you on her own time.”
“That can’t be right. I buried my Mother. I buried her. I saw her lying in the casket,” he said with glossy eyes.
“That wasn’t your mother. Lenora was your aunt. I’m so sorry, Carter.”
Carter looked at her as if she was a stranger. His mouth fell open, but he couldn’t speak. He rubbed his hands across his head in anguish and remembered more of Jacob’s words:
At some point, a man, whether screwed up or not, has to take responsibility for his own actions. I cannot blame my Mother for my current state of affairs and I cannot blame Carter. Even though we are first cousins, we were raised like brothers and I love him, as much as I hate to admit that.
“Say something, Carter.”
“So you took Jackie at her word?”
“Yes, at first I did. When I saw how upset she was, I knew she was telling the truth. But just for proof, I decided to request a copy of your birth certificate to confirm what she’d told me.”
“And?”
“And it’s true, Carter.”
Was he happy or angry? He didn’t know. There was a stew of emotions tearing up his insides and he wasn’t sure what to do about them.
“Where is it?” he asked her.
“The birth certificate?”
“Yes. Where is it?”
Shayla stood up, walked over to where her purse sat on the dresser and took out a folded piece of paper. Turning to him, slowly walking in his direction, she said, “Um...there’s something else I should tell you before you see this.”
Carter sat expressionless and emotionless. Had he even heard her? He was so shocked, he couldn’t move. Couldn’t feel.
“Um…your father—”
“Let me guess…he’s alive, too.”
“Yes. He is. Um…his name is Christopher.”
Carter frowned and immediately looked up at her. “Christopher who?”
