by Anna Black
“Going home, I hope,” Julian said. “Not trying to be in yo’ business, but wife and kids are a good thing to have.”
Ray corrected him quickly. “Naw, man, trust. She is only a client. She works at the hospital across the street from my new location. She had a flat, and I helped, so she offered to buy me a beer.”
“Okay, bro, if you say so. But be careful, because when I asked about Leila, the look on her face said more than just a ‘client.’”
Ray knew this, but he wasn’t going out like that. “Julian, trust me, I’m good.”
Julian nodded and left, and Ray went back to the table. Karen was ready to go. They walked out, and he walked her to her car.
“Thanks again, Ray,” she said. She reached up to give him a tight hug that he didn’t expect.
“You’re welcome,” he said, giving her a little squeeze. Her body felt nice. It was definitely time to make it home.
“I’ll see you . . . what? On Saturday, we have a four o’clock, right?” she asked.
Ray wasn’t sure, but he agreed. “Yeah, get home safely.”
He opened her door, and she got in. She gave him another smile, and he closed her door and smiled back. He shook his head and headed for his truck. He thought about how sweet she was and wondered for a second what would have happened if he had given her a chance. But when he got into the driver’s seat and saw the pictures in his dash of Deja, Li’l Ray, and Rayven, those thoughts vanished.
When he got home, Leila was sleeping, but Rayven was up in her bassinet, looking around and making baby noises.
He picked her up. “Hey, li’l momma,” he whispered. Leila was in a deep sleep, and he didn’t want to wake her. “What are you doing up, baby girl?” he asked. “You look so much like your mommy.”
Her diaper was wet, so he walked down the hall to her nursery to change her. When he was done, he looked in on Deja. She was knocked out and had one leg hanging off the bed. He laughed. He looked in on RJ and found him snoring like a grown-ass man. That tickled Ray, and he realized just how much time he was missing out on because he was rarely home even to put them to bed.
He held little Rayven close and decided he had to truly make some changes in his schedule before he missed everything in his kids’ lives. He went back into the master bedroom and played with her until she fell asleep. After that, he put her back in her bassinet and dropped his sweats and T-shirt on the floor by the bed. Then he climbed in bed and snuggled close to his wife. He felt her grab his hand and lock her fingers into his. He drifted off, and they slept that way for the rest of the night.
Chapter Sixteen
By the time Leila got up, the kids were up and fed. She was surprised that no one had woken her.
“Ray, baby, it’s after twelve. What are you still doing home? And why didn’t you wake me?” She took a seat at the island.
“Because I decided not to go to work today,” he said.
She almost fell off her stool. “Come again?” she said in disbelief.
“Yep. This morning, I got up and called Catrice and told her to reschedule my sessions and if she couldn’t reschedule, to fit them in with someone who could cover for me, because today I want to take care of my family. You don’t have to lift a finger today, Mrs. Johnson, and you can go to the spa, hair salon, shopping, or whatever you want to do because yo’ man is here all day,” he announced.
Leila got up and went over to him. “Aw, baby, thank you.” She hugged him from behind. “As great as all that sounds, I don’t want to go anywhere without you. If you are home today, I just wanna be home with you.”
Ray turned and kissed her. “Listen, it may not come overnight, but I’m going to work on working less. I’m at the gym . . . or gyms, I should say, seven days a week, and I know it’s hard on you, baby, so I am going to restructure my schedule and make sure I have two days off where I don’t have to cut out on you guys.”
Leila smiled. “Baby, that sounds great.”
“Now, have a seat, I have some breakfast coming your way.”
She looked around. “Where are Deja and Ray?”
“Outside in the backyard,” he said.
“Outside? Babe, it’s damn near one hundred degrees.”
“I know. That’s why they have on swimsuits, and they are playing with the water hose. I told them to go crazy.”
She got up to look out the window and saw them having a ball playing in the sprinklers.
“Wow, that looks like fun,” she said and went back to sit.
“Hell yeah. You know how it was as a kid playing in the water. That’s all you lived for,” he said, pouring eggs on the hot griddle.
“I know that’s real,” she said. She grabbed the juice container and was about to pour herself some juice when Deja burst through the door, screaming.
“Daddy Ray, RJ slipped and fell on his arm, and he’s hurt,” she said.
Ray and Leila raced out to the backyard. Ray picked RJ up, and when he touched his arm, he yelled in pain.
“Leila, get the baby. I think it’s broken,” he said. He tried to examine it, but RJ was crying and yelling and wouldn’t let him touch it.
“DJ, run and get you and Ray a towel,” she said and ran up the stairs to her room to dress. She grabbed her sundress that was on her chaise, her phone, and her purse. Rayven was sleeping, so she gently picked her up and then hurried back down. She was in such a panic she didn’t bother to take her scarf off or worry about her appearance.
Ray was in the truck with a towel on RJ, and Deja had a towel wrapped around her.
Leila was strapping the baby in when Ray remembered the grill being plugged in with the eggs, so he raced back inside to unplug it.
Once he slammed his door, they headed to the hospital. When they got there, Ray took RJ into the emergency room, and Leila went to park the truck. They admitted him, and as soon as Ray saw Karen, his eyes bulged, but he didn’t care. He just wanted someone to examine his son.
* * *
“Hey, Ray, what happened?” Karen asked.
“I’m not sure. The kids were out back, and my son fell. I think he broke his arm.” He watched Karen try to take his vitals, but RJ was crying and scared. “Come on, RJ,” he said, “the nurse is gonna take a look and see if your arm is broken.”
“No, no, no. I want my mommy,” he cried.
“Come on, son. Mommy is coming, but Karen, I mean the nurse, has to take a look.”
“Listen, RJ, I know you want your mommy. We can go get her, but I have to take a look, okay?” Karen said softly. “How about you hold this.” She gave him her stethoscope. “I’ll let you help me, okay? I’ll let you listen to your heart first, and then I’ll listen, and then I can take a look at your arm, all right?”
RJ was still crying but not screaming like he was. He let Ray put him on the table, but he didn’t let go of his hand.
“No, Daddy,” he cried, “stay right here.”
“I will, son. I’m not going to leave you,” Ray said.
“Now, this is going to be a little cold,” Karen told RJ. He nodded, and she listened to his heart and took his temperature. Then she convinced him to let her touch his arm. It was definitely broken. “Okay, Ray, it’s broken. The doctor is going to want an x-ray to confirm that it is, and then I’ll cast him up. I’m going to go and talk to the doctor about giving him something for the pain. You’ll have to talk to him because it will be a s-h-o-t.” she said.
“I have to get a shot?” RJ asked, sniffling.
“Yes, baby, but it won’t hurt,” Karen said tenderly.
“I’m a big boy. I’m not afraid of a shot,” he said, sitting up tall. Ray was so proud of him.
“Well, okay, RJ. I’ll be back in several minutes, and the doctor will be in.” She turned to walk away, but the sound of Rayshon’s sexy voice made her stop in her tracks.
“Karen, thanks. And can you please get my wife?”
“Sure,” she said. Her stomach pained from the word wife. She went to sp
eak with the doctor and then went out to find Leila. She smiled when she saw how awful Leila looked in her oversized sundress and headscarf. Oh, this is gonna be too easy, she said to herself with a smile.
Leila’s breasts were hanging because she had no time to put on a bra, and the oversized dress she had on was from her pregnancy. Even though she wasn’t as big as she appeared, she looked a hot mess, Karen thought.
“Mrs. Johnson,” she said.
“Yes?” Leila said nervously. “My son, is he okay?”
“Yes, his arm is broken. The doctor is going to send him up for x-rays, and then he’s going to get a cast.”
“Can I see him?”
“Yes, but I recommend you to continue to wait out here. You may not want to take your baby back there,” Karen said.
“Okay, I’ll just wait here, but can you please tell him that I love him, and I’m sorry he got hurt. Ooh and tell my husband the same for me, please.” Karen nodded, and Leila frowned, looking at her. “Hey, wait. Do I know you? Have we met?”
“No, I don’t think so,” Karen said, lying. She and Leila had met at the door the day she had shown up at Ray’s loft unannounced.
“Okay, I’m sorry. You just look so familiar,” Leila said and returned to her seat.
Karen watched Leila sitting with her arm around Deja and holding her baby. She envied the fact that not only did she have Ray, but she had his children. But she wouldn’t let that stop her. She knew what she wanted, and Leila looked strong. She would be all right when Ray left her, Karen thought as she made her way back to the ER.
She got back to the exam room with the painkiller just as the doctor was finishing up.
“Go ahead and give this young man something to ease the pain and get him up to x-ray,” the doctor said. “Once I see what it looks like in there, we’ll get a cast on. After a few weeks, this arm will be good as new.”
“All right, RJ, are you ready?” Karen asked.
“Yes,” he said. He squeezed his dad’s hand tighter while she gave him his shot.
“All done,” she announced. “Wait, one more thing,” she said. She told RJ to open wide, and she swabbed the inside of his jaw. “Now, we are all done, and we can head up to x-ray to get a look at this arm.”
“Thanks, Karen. Did you see my wife?”
“Yeah. She’s going to wait in the waiting room ’til we’re done.”
“She didn’t want to come back here?” he asked. He looked confused.
“She did, but the baby. Bringing the baby back here isn’t a good idea. People are sick back here.”
Ray agreed. “Well, if she wants to trade places, let her know we can because I know my wife, and our kids are her everything.”
“She’s fine, Ray. I assured her that RJ was fine and in good hands. I’ll let her know that we are going up to x-ray, and I suggest you come up too,” she said, wanting to be close to him. She was happy that she could be in his presence without the hovering of his wife. No way could she gaze into his eyes the way she wanted to if Leila were in the room.
“Okay,” he nodded.
After they got RJ in a cast, he was set to go. Karen gave him a sucker.
“Can I please have one for my sister too?” RJ asked.
“Sure,” Karen said and reached into her pocket for another one.
“What do you say?” Ray reminded him.
“Thank you, Nurse Karen,” he said with his cute doe eyes.
Karen smiled. “You’re welcome, li’l man. You are a brave boy.”
“I’m gonna be just like my dad,” he said. Ray smiled.
“I bet you are, handsome,” Karen said.
“Thanks, Karen, so much. You were great. I appreciate you taking care of my son.”
Karen gazed into his eyes. She wanted to reach up, grab his neck, and give him a passionate kiss.
“It was my pleasure, Ray. I’d do anything for you,” she said.
“I know, Karen, and thanks again. You ready to go, li’l man?” he asked, turning his attention to his son.
“Yep. I wanna see my mommy,” he said.
Karen frowned at his words.
“Yes, I’m sure your mom is anxious to see us. Come on,” Ray said. He lifted his son from the examining table and turned to leave.
“Oh, Ray, I almost forgot. Here’s his prescription. If you have any questions, feel free to call me, okay?” Karen said, giving him another smile.
“I will. Bye now,” he said and rushed out to the waiting room.
“RJ, oh my goodness. My baby has a cast,” Leila cried.
Ray put him down and took the baby, and Leila pulled RJ to her and held him so close to her chest.
“Wow, RJ, you gotta cast. That’s so cool. Mommy, can I sign it?” Deja asked.
“Yes, baby,” Leila said, not letting RJ go.
Chapter Seventeen
“Happy birthday to you . . . Happy birthday to you . . . Happy birthday, dear Christa. Happy birthday to you,” everyone sang.
Devon had thrown a surprise birthday party for Christa.
“I need everyone’s attention, please,” he said, tapping his glass with a butter knife. “I have something to say.” The room quieted down and gave him their attention. He saw Rayshon put his arm around Leila. “First, I want to thank everyone for coming out this evening to help celebrate with us. I also want to thank Julian and Kennedy for doing such an amazing job and for dealing with my annoying ass because I wanted everything to be perfect.” Several people laughed.
“Don’t worry, Mr. Vampelt, you’re getting the bill,” Kennedy yelled, and everyone laughed again.
“I’m sure I will.” Devon smiled. “Well, this is the highlight of the night. Servers are coming around with champagne, so everybody who is legal to drink . . .” he said joking. “Please make sure you get a glass.” He paused until everyone had a drink in hand. “Christa, happy birthday, darling,” he said, taking her hand. “Now, I must admit when I met this woman, it was not love at first sight.” Some of the men booed.
“I know, I know, guys. She is absolutely gorgeous, but I was a little scared to date my ex-wife’s best friend, but after the first two dates, I couldn’t help it. I wanted to see her again and again and again.” he said. “After some time, I grew to love this woman. And tonight is special enough for me to do this.” He pulled out a ring. “Christa Ann Montgomery, will you marry me?”
* * *
Leila went numb and dropped her glass. Ray looked at her, and she tried to play it cool.
“Shit,” she said, looking around for someone to help her with her mess.
“Lei, what’s wrong with you?” Ray asked.
“I’m fine,” she said and hurried to the bathroom. Just as she opened the door and went in, she heard Christa’s loud yes answer. “Breathe, Leila, breathe,” she said out loud. “What’s wrong with you?” She grabbed a few tissues from the box on the counter and rushed inside a stall. She didn’t understand why she was crying. “Breathe. It’s okay. You don’t care about Devon. Y’all have been done for years, and you’re madly and deeply in love with Rayshon, so stop this bullshit.” She took several more deep breaths and fixed her face, then exited the bathroom, looking around for Ray. Before she could spot him, Christa ran up to her.
“I’m getting married,” she screamed. She held out her hand to show Leila the sparkling diamond ring she’d just gotten.
“I know, Christa. That is so wonderful. I’m so happy for you two,” Leila said. She sounded fake even to herself. She hoped Christa was too excited to notice.
“You have to be my matron of honor,” Christa demanded. “You have to be.”
Leila shook her head. “Christa, I don’t know about that.”
“Come on, Lei. Who else can I ask?” she asked with her eyes teary. She squealed and hugged Leila when she said yes. “Thank you, Leila. You are truly my friend. I’m getting married,” she yelled again before running off to show off her ring.
Leila continued to search the room
for Ray, and her eyes landed on Devon. Their eyes met, and she couldn’t stop tears from forming. Devon looked away first. Leila turned and nearly ran into Ray. He looked at her and shook his head, then walked off.
“Shit shit shit.” She found a table in the corner by herself and sat down. How was she going to explain this to Ray? She couldn’t comprehend the emotions that she was feeling, so how would she explain them to him? After a few minutes, she went looking for him. He was gone.
She went back in and asked the bartender to call her a cab.
“Leila, are you okay?” Cherae asked.
Leila hadn’t seen her approach. “Yeah . . . Yeah, I’m fine.” She struggled to keep a straight face.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. I just need a cab so that I can get home.”
“A cab? Where’s Rayshon?”
“He’s gone.” The tears Leila had been holding back fell.
“Come on, Leila,” Cherae said, taking her by the arm. She found her husband, Cortez, and told him that she needed to get Leila home. He said he’d be fine until she got back. “You wanna talk about it?” she asked when they were on the freeway.
“No,” Leila whispered.
“Are you sure?”
“Cherae, I don’t know, all right. I don’t know why the fuck I’m jealous or even concerned with what’s going on in Devon’s life. I just didn’t see this coming.”
“Are you over him, Leila?”
“Of course, I am. I’m in love with Rayshon. He’s my husband now, and I love him, okay?”
“Hey, hey, Leila. Relax, honey. I am not Rayshon, and you don’t have to convince me, but something is unresolved between you and Devon for you to be feeling this way.”
“Nothing is unresolved, Cherae. Devon and I were married, and our marriage went to shit because he mentally abused me and cheated on me. He left me pregnant, and then I met Rayshon. He came in and erased my past with Devon.”
“See, that’s where you’re wrong, Leila. Rayshon didn’t erase anything, and if you loved Devon at any point in your life, as much as you want to block those feelings, you still have a love for him inside of you.”