The reporters Omar spoke to asked tough but informed questions while at the same time giving him the opportunity to share the restaurant’s mission in a clear and coherent way. All the diners praised the food and promised to return after the grand opening.
Athena and his family stayed until the end of the night, including Cole, whom he wished would go away. No such luck, and he watched with concern as his brother broodingly drank mixed drinks most of the night.
At the end of the evening, Omar went into the kitchen and thanked everyone for their hard work. “I really appreciate everything you did tonight. You should be proud of yourselves. We did it!” He said a few more words and then led the team in a round of applause.
Then he exited the kitchen and went back into the dining room. A few of the remaining servers were cleaning up. His parents and Athena were on their feet chatting with Dana, but Cole remained seated as if he expected another course to come from the kitchen.
His eyes followed Omar as he approached.
“Proud of you, son,” Senior said, patting Omar on the shoulder.
On a natural high, Omar rubbed his hands together. “Thanks everybody. I appreciate you coming tonight and offering your moral support—”
Cole belched loudly.
Dorothy briefly closed her eyes, and Senior shook his head.
Cole slow-clapped. “Awesome job.” He staggered to his feet and moved closer. “Once again, you have exceeded everyone’s expectations. I kept waiting for something terrible to happen, but nothing did. Food came out on time, drinks were great, by the way. The bartender deserves a raise. I really have no complaints.”
Fortunately, the mishaps in the kitchen stayed hidden from the front of the house, but Cole’s sneering tone made the night’s success sound like a failure.
“You know what, I’m in a good mood. You can’t spoil my night.”
“I would never dream of spoiling your night the way you spoiled my life the day you were born.”
“Cole, please!” Dorothy said.
He laughed in the face of her dismay and leaned sideways to capture Dana’s attention. “As soon as I saw the two of you together, I knew. You may not want to admit he’s the reason you stopped seeing me, but I have experience on my side.”
“Enough.” Omar stepped halfway between them, partially shielding Dana from his brother’s open hostility.
“All my life, Omar has been the chosen one.”
“Stop it, Cole,” Omar said through gritted teeth, hard pressed to resist charging at his brother.
Cole continued as if he hadn’t spoken. “He’s been the one to get all the preferential treatment. Started as soon as he was born. The family—the world—let him know right away he was special. Gifted. As soon as he came out of the womb, my mother stopped paying attention to me. Probably because she hated my father since he cheated on her and broke her heart. Don’t get me wrong, I believe my mother loves me, but I’m pretty sure when she sees me, she sees his face.
“With Omar it’s a completely different story. He’s her baby boy, the star athlete. And look at the way he takes care of her.” He flung his arms wide. “Bought her a house and gave her a job doing what she loves—helping people. He’s a good son, right? Who wouldn’t love him?”
Dana remained quiet.
“You know what’s upsetting, though? No one ever wants to tell the truth. No one ever wants to admit he’s the chosen one. Including you, Dana. I thought we understood each other because we both enjoyed history and literature and hell, the same movies. Those deep conversations, you’ll never have those with him. But you know that, don’t you, because you’re friends.”
“Time to go.” Senior placed a restraining hand on Cole’s arm, but he roughly shoved him off.
“Take your damn hands off me. You’re not my father.” He cut his eyes at Senior.
“I’m the man who raised you,” Senior said.
“Barely,” Cole spat.
Omar’s fingers curled into a fist. “Either you leave now, or I carry you out,” he said in a low, menacing voice.
“I’m not afraid of you, Omar. Mr. Casanova. Mr. Ladies’ Man,” Cole taunted with a laugh. “Mr. Casanova, when you can’t even satisfy your own woman.”
“If you’re talking about Athena—”
“Yeah, I’m talking about Athena.”
“What happened between her and me is none of your business.”
“You think so?” Cole smirked. “Did you ever figure out whose boxers were in your bed?”
“Cole, no,” Athena said in a low voice, a stricken expression crossing her face.
Omar’s eyes swung between them, and his heart dropped. “I want all staff out of the dining room, now!” he barked.
The startled servers looked around in confusion.
“Go home. We’ll finish cleaning up later.”
They hustled out of the dining room, two going through the kitchen to exit out the back, leaving behind the family, Dana, and Athena.
Omar stared at his brother. His chest hurt, as if someone stomped him with steel-toed boots. “It was you?”
Cole’s response was a smug, remorseless smile.
Dorothy clutched her hand to her chest. “Cole, how could you?”
He jabbed a finger at her. “You should have nothing to say to me. You always put him first. Always. Everything I wanted was set aside because Omar needed to go to camp. Omar needed a new uniform. Omar had an away game. What about me, huh? None of you ever thought about me.” He slapped his chest. “From the day he was born, you treated me different, but once you realized he could run and throw a football, it was over. You only had one son from then on.”
“Don’t talk to your mother that way,” Senior said.
Dorothy shook her head. “You’re wrong. We loved you equally, but—”
“A damn lie and you know it. I’m not Senior’s son, so I never expected him to love me the way he loved Omar, but you—you acted as if I barely existed. I’m your firstborn! But you know what, I’m good. I got my revenge, and I’ve been laughing my ass off for the past four years.”
Omar’s shoulders stiffened as the words jolted him. “Four years?”
“Yeah. Four years,” Cole said meaningfully.
Their mother gasped and covered her mouth. Quiet descended on the dining room. From the corner of his eyes, Omar saw Dana’s hands cover her mouth.
“Oh, god,” Athena muttered, burying her face in her hands. Her shoulders hunched over as if she wanted to curl into a ball and disappear.
“What the hell are you saying, Cole?” Omar snarled, his right hand tightening into a harder fist.
“You know exactly what I’m saying.”
Omar looked at Athena again, and the answer was in her eyes. Tears ran like streams down her cheeks.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered brokenly.
Omar’s mouth fell open and blood rushed in his ears, blocking out all sound.
The one good thing he thought came out of the relationship was a lie.
Prince wasn’t his son.
Prince was Cole’s son.
24
Omar slammed his fist into his brother’s face.
Dorothy hollered, and Athena screamed.
“Ohmigod!” Dana yelled.
Omar hit Cole so hard he fell backward over one of the long tables, knocking a tub of plates and glasses to the floor. The dishes smashed and broke apart with the sound of crashing cymbals.
Omar hopped over the table and jumped on top of his brother, holding him down and punching him over and over again with his right fist.
“Stop it! Stop!” Athena screamed.
Dana rushed around the table, and as Omar lifted his fist to land another blow, she grabbed his forearm. His fist swung forward with so much power, she stumbled as he almost tossed her to the floor, but she held on and kept him from landing another blow.
“Stop. You don’t want to do this.”
Breathing hard, fiery rage filled Omar�
��s eyes, and he kept his brother pinned to the floor with a hand around his throat. She’d never seen him like this, and for the first few moments he clearly didn’t see her. He’d snapped, and as she continued to hold his arm, his heavy breathing receded. He blinked rapidly to clear his vision and bring back reality.
She released his arm, and he looked down at his brother’s bloodied face.
“Everything is fine. Give us a few minutes,” Dana heard Omar Senior say behind her. He spoke in a calm voice as several of the staff tried to enter the dining room after they heard the commotion.
Omar came slowly to his feet as if coming out of a trance, and Cole rolled onto his side, groaning in agony. He gingerly touched his beaten face. His nose was definitely broken and his eye started to swell.
Dana led Omar over to the bar and rinsed the blood off his hand. His knuckles were red and the skin broken in multiple places. She glanced over at his mother and Athena helping Cole to his feet.
Dana retrieved the first aid kit and quietly tended to Omar’s cuts. When she finished, she placed a bag of ice on his damaged hand.
Omar stared at the ice, an unreadable expression on his face. Cole had stolen the night’s joy and hurt him deeply, and she didn’t know what to say. She didn’t know how to make him feel better.
Dorothy came over and placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking him out of his trancelike state. “We’re going to take Cole to the hospital. Pumpkin, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. I…” At a loss for words, she shook her head and blinked back tears.
“You have nothing to be sorry for,” Omar told her.
“From what Cole said, maybe I do. The reason you two haven’t been close is clearly my fault.”
“He’s an asshole, excuse my language. Nothing he said excuses what he did.”
She nodded but continued to look distressed.
“Go, Ma. Take him to the hospital.”
“Are you going to be okay?”
“Yes. Dana’s here.”
Dorothy smiled briefly and then she and Athena guided Cole to the front door. On the way out, Athena looked over her shoulder at Omar, her brow wrinkled and the shame of what she’d done clear on her face.
Senior approached. “Son, I hate to leave, but—”
“It’s okay, Pop. Ma needs you.”
“You need me too. I’m in shock, so I know you must be.” He ran a weary hand across his brow.
“I’ll be fine. I need to stay and help clean up this mess and then lock up. I’ll call you guys tomorrow.”
“All right, well…” He hesitated, waving his hands in the air as if he didn’t know what to do with them. “Dana, take care of him.”
“I will,” she promised.
After they left, Dana cupped his jaw. “I know it’s hard right now, but you’re going to be okay. You’re Omar Motherfucking Bradford.” She smiled at him, hoping the teasing and the memories would temporarily ease the pain.
“That’s me,” he said dully, and her heart broke. She couldn’t begin to imagine the crushing sense of betrayal or hurt he must be suffering under, learning he’d been the victim of years of lies. His bond with Prince, whom he thought was his son—his mini-me—was now tainted.
Omar straightened his shoulders and rotated his neck. “I need to clean up this mess.”
He walked out from behind the bar to survey the broken dishes on the floor.
“I’ll get the broom and dustpan,” Dana said.
“No, you’ll sit down and rest. You’ve done enough tonight.”
Dana rested her hands on her hips. “Last week you told me we were partners. Are we partners or not?”
He laughed, but the sound was broken and pained. “I know better than to argue with you. We’re partners.”
“Okay then. So as long as you’re here, I’ll be here. Let’s get to work.”
Omar sat in Dana’s living room with his head resting against the back of the sofa. He stared up at the ceiling, mind running a hundred miles a minute. He thought about his brother and Athena and wondered if they were still screwing around. He thought about Prince, and his heart ached.
He saw his little face when he tucked him into bed at night, his excitement when they played football together, and the way he repeated words Omar said, including dirty ones he shouldn’t say at all. He’d always considered their bond unbreakable, despite his reservations when Athena first told him she was pregnant.
When he learned he was going to be a father, he’d been upset and disappointed in himself. He never envisioned himself as a father but acknowledged he had not done what was necessary to prevent getting his fiancée pregnant.
Despite his reservations, the night Prince was born, Omar took a last minute flight into New York. He arrived at the hospital minutes before he entered the world and was able to cut the umbilical cord. Once he held Prince in his arms, he was all in. Until Dana, he never believed he could love another person so much. The unveiling of tonight’s secrets dealt a devastating blow to his soul.
Dana approached and handed him a cup of hot tea.
“You don’t have anything stronger?” he asked.
“You don’t need anything stronger,” she said quietly.
“You’re wrong. I would kill for a strong drink right now. A lot of strong drinks.” He sipped the tea and then set the cup and saucer on the table. He didn’t want it.
“Are you going to be okay?” Dana asked.
“Yeah.” Then he laughed. “No, not for a very long time.”
There was a moment of silence as he reflected on his relationship with Athena.
“You know what the crazy part of this whole messy situation is? I didn’t want kids. When she told me she was pregnant, I was furious at myself for being so careless. I told her straight up I was getting a vasectomy because I didn’t want any more kids, but I wanted a life with her. She assured me she was okay with marriage if we didn’t have any more children. Then I found out she was cheating on me, but little did I know she cheated on me long before the incident around Prince’s birthday.”
“When you told me you and Cole didn’t have the best relationship, I didn’t know it was this bad. He’s so angry and bitter.”
“He’s been angry and bitter for a long time.” He brushed her bottom lip with his finger. “I’m sorry you were exposed to so much ugliness tonight. I knew he didn’t like me, but I didn’t have a clue how much. He doesn’t just dislike me. He hates me.”
Knowing how much his brother despised him hurt in a way he never expected, like a cork screw being plunged into his stomach and then twisted for good measure.
Dana took one of his hands in hers. She seemed at a loss for words, but she didn’t have to talk. Her presence provided the comfort he needed. Having her by his side the entire night softened the blow of the revelation in the restaurant.
Omar pulled her under his arm, and she hugged his torso.
“At some point Athena and I need to talk,” Omar said, wrapping his forefinger in one of her locs.
“Because you have to figure out what to do about Prince,” Dana said.
“Yeah, and I have a million questions. The main one being, Why? I don’t care so much about why she cheated with my brother, but I need to understand why she let me believe Prince was mine. For four years. Damn.”
“You don’t have to rush. You can take your time and figure out how you want to proceed.”
He stayed quiet for a spell.
“I’m so glad you were there tonight. I don’t know what would have happened if you didn’t show up.”
“I’ll always have your back, Omar.” She gazed up at him. “Like I know you’ll always have mine.”
“Thanks, sweetheart.”
He gave her a soft kiss.
25
Omar and Athena sat across from each other at a table outside Alon’s Bakery north of Atlanta. All around them, people ate lunch and a few pedestrians strolled the sidewalk to visit the stores in the shopping center.
Since th
e night of Kitchen Love’s soft opening, they hadn’t communicated except for a text she sent letting him know she and Prince were leaving the condo. His mother called later and told him she and his father allowed Athena and Prince to stay at the house with them until she flew back to New York.
“Thanks for meeting me,” Athena said.
Omar didn’t respond to the comment because he didn’t agree to meet her out of the goodness of his heart. He needed an explanation for everything he’d learned a week ago, the night his life went to hell. Knowing she cheated on him three years ago had been hurtful, but finding out the man she cheated on him with was his own brother and the father of the child he thought was his, was the deepest of betrayals.
“I chose the wrong brother to have a child with.”
“If you came here to sweet talk me, you’re wasting your time. You slept with my brother and pretended his son was mine. The only reason I’m here is because I want to know why. Did I mistreat you in some way for you to betray me with my own brother? Were you ever going to tell me Prince wasn’t mine?”
She swallowed hard and stared into her cup of coffee. Neither of them had ordered food to eat, and the coffees were more like props to give their hands something to do.
When she looked at him again, her woebegone expression almost made him feel sorry for her.
“You never did me wrong. You were a good boyfriend, and to be honest, I never really decided if I was going to tell you the truth or not. Part of me wanted to tell you, and another part of me wanted to go to my grave with the secret.” She took a break to sip her coffee. “I never meant to hurt you or for any of this to happen. This is no excuse, but you and I never saw each other much when we were together. I was alone in New York, and he—Cole—was around. He helped me out with little things around the apartment every now and again. Once or twice he took me to the store and kept me company when I was missing you. Then one day he was at the apartment and… it just happened.”
“Cheating is one thing, but you let me believe Prince was mine, Athena.”
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