Until My Last Breath

by Tiffany Patterson

  My doctor’s eyes rose to my face, which I certain was turning slightly green. The mention of split pea soup had that effect on me as off late.

  “Certain food aversions, even to foods you typically enjoy, is not uncommon in pregnancy. Is there anything else you can’t keep down?”

  “Chocolate, bananas, and the soup that shall not be named,” Robert quickly answered.

  My doctor looked to me, smirking. “Most husbands I come in contact with are not nearly this attuned to their wife’s symptoms.”

  “Oh, and her ankles swell a little at night,” he added, not even acknowledging what my doctor had just said.

  I swallowed, feeling a little bit silly. Earlier, I had been throwing a pity party for myself because I’d felt like my husband was distancing himself, and here he was, better able to recite my symptoms to my doctor than I was. Not to mention the fact that he’d been enduring a lot of upheaval at work given the source of the leaks had finally been tracked down. While that was a relief to him and Townsend Industries to have finally uncovered the source, it came with increased scrutiny from the media.

  I squeezed Robert’s hand to my side. “He’s one of a kind,” I finally responded to my doctor.

  Twenty minutes later we were walking out of my doctor’s office with the confirmation of what Robert had been saying for some time. There it was, in black and white, on the sonogram pics. I was pregnant with our son.

  Robert’s smile was big and bright enough to light up the entire hallway, as we strolled hand in hand down the hardwood floor. He kept holding up the pics and smiling at it.

  “Carter,” he suddenly stopped and said.

  “What?”

  “That’s his name. If you agree.”

  I mulled the name over in my head, then looked to Robert. “You don’t want to name our oldest after you. Robert the Third?”

  He shook his head. “I want all of my boys to have their own identities. They’ll have my blood running through their veins and my heart beating in their chest. He won’t need my first name to be my son.”

  “Carter,” I said out loud. “I like that. What do you think?” Pressing my free hand to my stomach, I glanced down. I swear I felt the fluttering of butterflies in my belly, but not the usual kind. These were real, not imagined.

  I gasped and brought Robert’s hand to my abdomen. “He kicked! I think he likes the name.”

  Robert kept his hands on my stomach for a few more moments but couldn’t feel anything. He lowered his head. “It’s okay, Carter. You’ll make your presence to the world known soon enough.”

  Another fluttering in my belly.

  “He likes the name.”

  “Of course he does.” Robert stood and pulled the door open for me to pass through.

  As soon as we stepped into the waiting room, we were met by a familiar face.

  “Jesse?” I called, Jason’s wife, my sister-in-law.

  Her eyes rounded. “Deborah. Robert.”

  “Hi, it’s been a while. How are you?” We hadn’t seen Jason or Jesse since they came over for dinner months ago, after Jesse lost the baby.

  “I’m good.” She nodded, noticeably swallowing as she glanced between Robert and I. “I see you’re doing well.” Her eyes drifted down to my belly. “Congratulations!”

  “Thank you.” I looked at Robert, and then back to Jesse. “Are you …” I paused, knowing it was impolite to question someone as to why they were at the doctor’s office.

  But when Jesse’s hand covered her flat stomach, I instantly knew.

  “I’m here for confirmation, really. I haven’t told anyone yet. Not even Jason.” Her eyes flittered between Robert and I.

  “Your secret is safe with us. Would you like us to stay and wait for you?”

  She shook her head. “No, that won’t be necessary,” she insisted. “But thank you.”

  “Okay. Well, good luck. Please give us a call if you need anything.”

  I stared off as Jesse moved around us to head through the door we’d just come out of. I then turned my attention to Robert. “This might mean our baby boy will have a cousin close to his age,” I told Robert, who was frowning.

  “We’ll have to look after her and that child. Jason will be a shit father.”

  “Robert, don’t say that. He could step up and be—”

  “Who he’s always been. We’ll keep an eye on Jesse and this baby. If she’s pregnant.”

  I leaned my head against his shoulder, drawn into the protectiveness I heard in his voice. Being truthful, I also didn’t trust Jason enough to care for his own child, but I believed Robert when he said he would look out for Jesse and the baby. My husband may have been a hard ass but he always looked out for those who couldn’t look out for themselves, especially if he had a connection to them.

  “That baby will be a Townsend, and he or she is going to need looking after.”

  “I love you,” I sighed. I moved my free hand over my mouth, stifling a yawn.

  “Let’s get you home and fed.”

  He pressed a kiss to the top of my head and I willingly let him direct me toward the elevators.

  ****

  Present

  Robert

  “You had to go around grandfather to become CEO?” Joshua questioned as we all sat around the dining room table. The entire family had convened at Townsend Manor for our usual Sunday evening dinner.

  “Your father went through your grandfather to become CEO,” Deborah told the table.

  Facing her, I gave her a nonchalant look. “Whatever it takes.” I covered her hand with my own.

  “Aaron didn’t have to do all that to take the lead at Townsend,” Tyler noted.

  “That is because your brother earned the role. He worked his as—” I glanced at my wife who was giving me a deadly glare. Clearing my throat, I sat up straighter. “Butt off to become CEO.”

  “He was born for that role,” Carter added, looking across the table at Aaron.

  Aaron remained silent but gave Carter a nod.

  “He’s also stubborn as a goddamned mule,” Carter added.

  “Amen to that,” Patience, who sat next to Aaron, stated, causing the entire table, except for Aaron to laugh.

  I chuckled, but saw that Patience didn’t even look in her husband’s direction. The couple had been unusually quiet, at least toward one another throughout the evening. There was something going on there. Whatever it was, I was certain my bonehead, headstrong son was mainly responsible for it.

  “Leave your brother alone,” Deborah insisted. “Besides, he’s not the only willful, rigid, and dogged Townsend in this room.”

  “Amen.”

  “Don’t I know it.”

  “You can say that again.”

  All of the women in the room said at once.

  I leaned over to whisper in Deborah’s ear, “I’ll show you exactly how dogged I can be as soon as we’re alone.” I didn’t miss her body shiver.

  “So was Grandfather making an idle threat or was there more to his words as he was being taken out by security?” Joshua asked, ever the one hungry for more information.

  I pulled back from Deborah. Her eyes met mine and she gave me a look with a raised eyebrow. I debated for a moment on where to go with this line of questioning, before turning back to the table.

  “It wasn’t an idle threat.”

  ****

  Then

  Robert

  “Mr. Townsend, your two o’clock appointment is here.”

  “Send him in,” I told my secretary. I had a meeting with yet another one of my father’s associates. I’d been having meeting after meeting over the last two months, getting settled into my new position. We’d had to hire a public relations team to combat the negative publicity Townsend had been receiving, and to manage the fallout from John Lassiter’s betrayal. Then my father stepping down as CEO citing health concerns and wanting to spend more time with his loving wife after thirty years of service to Townsend Industries. All of
this left me in a position to become inundated with calls, interviews with the press, and meetings with staff who all wanted to know where we went from here.

  My meeting that day was with a man named Lewis Greene. He had apparently been one of my father’s private bankers. I’d confirmed this by comparing his name to the list of names that kept coming up over and over again on the more private files linked to the real estate my father owned that was under Townsend Industries’ real estate division.

  A few moments later a knock sounded at my door and my secretary opened it, a tall figure behind her.

  “Mr. Townsend, this is Mr. Lewis Greene,” she stated, stepping to the side as the man moved fully into my office.

  An eerie feeling overcame me as I stared at the man who was the same height as I was. He was also younger than I would’ve imagined. Closer to my age than my father’s.

  “Thank you, Cindy.” I nodded, letting her know she could leave. Coming out from behind my desk, I stuck out my hand. “Mr. Greene.”

  His hazel eyes narrowed. He was assessing me. “Mr. Townsend,” he finally replied while taking my hand. His handshake was firm. He was signaling that he wasn’t intimidated to step into the spacious corner office of the CEO of Townsend Industries. Why he felt the need to signal such a thing remained to be seen.

  “Please, have a seat.” I gestured with my hand to the chair across from my desk, as I moved back around to take my own seat.

  Carefully, Lewis sat down, his gaze still intent on me.

  “Mr. Greene, I requested you come here today to discuss a few matters with you.”

  “Really?” He lifted a dark blond eyebrow.

  “You seem to have ties to my father’s affairs. Namely his real estate investments and assets, some of which are co-owned by Townsend Industries.”

  To my surprise, Greene began chuckling.

  “Did I make a joke I’m not yet aware of, Mr. Greene?”

  Shaking his head, he sobered up before answering. “I was wondering when you were going to get to this. It’s been two months since you took over as CEO, Robert.”

  I glared at him across my desk and leaned in. “Mr. Greene, I don’t know what kind of relationship you had with my father, but you and I are nowhere near being on a first name basis. In this office, and any other time you see me from here on out, it’s Mr. Townsend.”

  He tilted his head, giving me a look. “Is that so?”

  “I didn’t stutter the first time I said it.”

  “You are precisely how I’d pictured you to be.”

  “And how is that?”

  “Like him.”

  I didn’t have to ask who the him was he was referring to. I knew he meant my father.

  “But smarter, savvier, more attuned to what’s going on around you. It’ll make you a better CEO. If you’re careful. However, it could get you into trouble if you go poking around into things that aren’t your concern.”

  I stared at him, noting his slightly southern accent. He wasn’t from Williamsport.

  “Everything that goes on in the Townsend name is my concern.”

  He sat back, appearing unbothered, as he cross his legs, clasped his hands, and sat them on his lap. “Are you sure about that?”

  “Definitely.”

  He nodded. “Well then, let me explain who I am to Robert Senior. I’m his dirty little secret. The one person he never wanted anyone to know about. I run the dirtiest, ugliest, stench-filled parts of Townsend Industries. The parts that don’t make the news. I run the division of Townsend that even the CEO doesn’t know is there. That was how Robert Senior wanted it.”

  I didn’t say anything for a long while; I simply stared at the man across from me. I was a good reader of when someone was bullshitting me. Staring into the face of Lewis Greene, I knew he wasn’t lying.

  I held out my hands. “It seems like I’ve inherited more than I know.”

  Slowly, his head nodded.

  “Why don’t you finish filling me in, Mr. Greene? That way, I know whether to keep you on staff in your unofficial capacity, or …” I leaned in, lowering my voice and staring Greene in the eye, “kill you before you can ruin this company with those secrets.”

  A deep chuckle emanated from his throat. “You don’t even know the half of it.” For his part, he leaned in closer, lowering his voice as well. “What would be the fun in murdering your own brother before we got a chance to know one another?”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Present

  Deborah

  “Oh my God!”

  “His what?”

  “What did you just say?”

  “Holy shit!”

  All four of my daughters-in-law sounded off at the same time, shock written all over their faces. I looked around the staff meeting room of the shelter as they took in what I’d just shared with them and nodded.

  “Yes, Lewis Greene actually turned out to be Robert Senior’s illegitimate son. But …” I waved my hands in the air, dismissively, “that’s not my part of the story to tell. Besides, we all have work to do, ladies.”

  “Wait, what happened to this brother?” Destiny questioned.

  “Yeah. Is he still around? How come we’ve never heard of him?” Michelle asked.

  I shook my head adamantly. “Sorry, ladies, I cannot reveal parts of the story that are not mine to tell.”

  “We won’t tell anyone,” Patience added.

  “Right? If there’s anyone you can trust with a secret, it’s us. Right, ladies?” Kayla insisted.

  I giggled at all of the other women nodding and agreeing with Kayla.

  “I trust you ladies with the most precious things I’ve ever gifted the planet with. My boys’ hearts.” I looked around the room at the women I loved like daughters. “But I’m not telling that part of the story!” I giggled.

  “Maybe Robert’s shared it with the guys. I’ll get it out of my husband tonight, if he has,” Michelle mumbled.

  I shook my head. We were all just finishing up a lunch meeting on a Saturday afternoon. The women had come by, dropped all of the kiddos off at the seven-day-a-week daycare we offered at the shelter, and brought cartons of delicious Chinese food from a local restaurant for us to eat while we strategized.

  So far, the soft opening of the shelter had garnered wonderful results. We already had three families staying in our full-time apartments, a number of mothers enrolled in our parenting classes, daycare, and back-to-work programs. There’d been two glowing articles written about us in the newspaper and on the websites of the local press. We were rolling along, and I couldn’t be happier.

  “Fine. I’m going to teach my intro to personal finance class to a group of teens today. I’m so excited,” Destiny began. “I think I’ll bring Annalise to class with me so she can learn, too.”

  I lifted an eyebrow. “She’s barely nine months.”

  Destiny shrugged. “Never too young to start. If Tyler can have Travis and Tristan drooling over those damn Nerf balls, I can have my baby girl understanding the importance of index funds before she begins the first grade.”

  The other women in the room laughed as we went about cleaning up and heading in different directions to our respective offices.

  However, just before she exited, I caught Patience at the door.

  “I wanted to talk to you,” I stated, closing the door, so it was just she and I.

  She lifted an eyebrow. “Is this about the grant application? Was it returned?”

  I quickly shook my head to wipe the worried expression from her face.

  “This is about a personal matter.” I moved to the loveseat that sat against the far wall of the room, patting the empty space next to me for Patience to sit.

  Once she did, I began, “Robert and I both noticed some tension between you and Aaron the other night. For the last few weeks, really.” I held up my hand to stop whatever she was about to say. “I know, I know. No one wants a meddling mother-in-law. And for the most part, I know well enough to
stay out of my boys’ relationships. You all will work it out, how you see fit. I just thought I might be able to offer some perspective.”

  Patience sighed. “He’s being so damned stubborn.”

  I laughed. “He’s a Townsend, what else is new?”

  She shook her head. “I know but this is different.”

  I lowered my gaze to see her hand pressed against her stomach. A mother’s natural instinct to protect her child.

  “Your pregnant,” I said lightly, taking her hands into mine.

  She nodded.

  “And he’s freaking out about it.”

  “Pretty much.” She sighed.

  “Given what happened after Andreas and Thiers’ births, I can understand it.”

  “Deborah, I understand it, too. Heck, I was the one laying there on the bed bleeding out. I get it. But he’s being so adamant about insisting I get rid of this baby.”

  I swallowed, hating to even hear those words coming from her mouth. “That’s his fear talking.”

  “I know.”

  “Aaron’s always been protective of you. Over you.”

  Patience’s shoulders rose and fell as she inhaled and exhaled deeply. “I’m aware of that. Even the first time I ever met him when I was only fourteen, he protected me.”

  I looked at my daughter-in-law in her big, innocent, brown eyes. With my left hand, I pushed back one of her stray sisterlocks behind her ear. “Sweetie, that was not the first time you two met.”

  She frowned, giving me a confused look. “Trust me, Deborah, I would’ve remembered meeting Aaron before that night.”

  I shook my head. “Maybe not. You were so young the first time.”

  ****

  Then

  Deborah

  I could feel Robert’s presence behind me as I stared at eight-year-old Aaron, half-laying, half-sitting on the couch.

  “He still isn’t eating?” Robert’s low voice questioned.

  I shook my head, still staring ahead. “He’s barely eating, he won’t say a word in school, refuses to even acknowledge Carter’s presence.” I turned to Robert with tears in my eyes. “They were so close before the accident. Now it’s like Aaron hates him. He’ll barely acknowledge Joshua and Tyler, but he doesn’t hold the same disdain for them. Carter came to me the other day so upset about it. What are we going to do?”