Big Apple Sin

by Simone Evans

  Cherry sat up and whacked my arm.

  “Hey! Don’t you call my babies brats,” she shouted and then grabbed hold of one of the pillows on the bed. She hit me damn near full force, catching me off guard.

  I wasn’t sure if I had really pissed her off or if she was just playing. When she whacked me again with the pillow and then took off running out of the room giggling, I knew then that Cherry and I were going to be just fine.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Cherry

  Levan wrapped his arms around me tighter as he pulled me against his chest on the couch. Once my panic attack had been dealt with, we’d decided to watch a movie. Levan had also insisted on ordering me something to eat.

  “I can’t believe you dipped sweet pickles into sweet and sour sauce,” he chuckled into my ear.

  Lifting my shoulders in a shrug, I sighed happily. My stomach was full and Levan’s presence soothed my frazzled nerves. Even so, I couldn’t focus on the movie. We still had so many outstanding issues.

  Tomorrow, I could call around and find a doctor to see about the possibility of my being pregnant, but tonight, I think Levan and I should clear the air and make our desires known.

  “Did you mean it?” I rasped as my voice caught from being silent for so long and my long cry earlier.

  “Mean what, gorgeous?” Levan mumbled against the top of my head.

  “What you asked me earlier,” I clarified. “The question.”

  Levan sighed and lifted me away from him as he helped me move to face him. He reached for the remote and muted the volume.

  “I don’t want to upset you again, Cherry,” he admitted softly.

  “You know a bit about why I moved here, right?” Levan nodded and I inhaled deeply so I could continue, “Well, I was married for five years. It ended when my ex’s pregnant girlfriend showed up on my doorstep and flaunted her pregnant belly at me.”

  “Oh, Cherry, I’m –”

  “Let me finish, please. I don’t want to have to talk about this again.”

  Levan nodded and motioned as if he was zipping his lips and throwing away the key. I let out a giggle as I relaxed into the cushion beneath me. He always made it easy for me to talk and just be.

  “Well, you see, we had been trying for a baby since the first night we were married. Each month for five years I was made to feel like it was my fault. That I was somehow broken… defective.” Tears burned at my eyes and Levan took hold of my hands and squeezed them to let me know he was there for me.

  “You see,” I sighed as I struggled to find the words. “Fuck it, it’s the past. The point is, Norm called me today to try and get me back. And, it wasn’t his baby and as I was hanging up, he said it wasn’t my fault that it was his. Until that moment, I truly thought I couldn’t get pregnant. We’d never had tests done because Norm didn’t want to discuss it. He didn’t want to be embarrassed and he convinced me that I’d be humiliated. So, we continued until the night she showed up.”

  “Oh–” Levan cut himself off and grinned at me in apology.

  “It’s okay.” I smiled and squeezed his hands. “I called my ex’s mom today. She’s an amazing woman and I learned that Norm has known the entire time that he wouldn’t likely have kids. He made me feel worthless for no reason.”

  Turning to the TV, I fought back the tears that wanted to fall. I wouldn’t allow Norm to cause me any more pain. He wasn’t worth my tears.

  “So, today was a bit stressful and I know what happened to you and the twins… and I just didn’t want you to think I…”

  I turned to face Levan and searched his face.

  “I love you so much and I couldn’t bear to lose you because I was naive and stupid.” Losing the battle with my tears a few slid down my cheeks.

  “Oh, Cherry,” Levan pulled me into his arms and kissed my forehead.

  “GramMa had me buy something on my way over here. Maybe it will help if we can answer one of the questions on our minds tonight.” Levan reached out and snagged the plastic bag he’d brought with him. He handed it to me and waited as I took a moment before I looked inside.

  “A chocolate bar with almonds?” I asked with a laugh.

  “Um, yes, that’s for you, but not what I meant. Under it.” He took the bag from my hands and reached inside to pull out a box. I immediately saw the plus and minus signs on the packaging and my heart raced rapidly.

  Cheryl Jones, calm down. Breathe, I lectured myself as I took the box from his hand.

  “It only takes a few minutes and we’ll know,” Levan insisted. “You know… if you want to know.”

  Hopping up from the couch I ran to the bathroom. I was in the process of opening the package when I stopped and poked my head out of the door.

  Levan was leaning against the opposite wall wearing a huge smile.

  “You promise that regardless of what this test shows, we’ll still be… well, what will we be?” I asked as confusion settled into me.

  Levan stepped forward and bracketed my face between his large hands. His work-roughened skin rasped against my face and I practically swooned at the feel. I loved knowing that he worked with his hands. That he worked hard.

  “Cherry Jones, I love you. And, tonight you said you love me, too. I know your life has had a lot of change, and we’ve only known each other for a few months, but I don’t see any other woman completing me the way you do. I don’t see any other woman who would make as amazing a mother to my children as the one standing in front of me. For the past few weeks, actually, I’ve been planning how I would ask you the biggest question of my life…” He chuckled and pressed a kiss to my lips.

  “Well,” I smacked his arm.

  “I sort of blurted it out earlier and ruined all of those ideas I had.” He grinned at me and I growled at him in aggravation. His laughter warmed my heart, even as his playful attitude made me impatient for him to finish.

  “Will you marry me?” He finally breathed against my lips. “Whether you say yes now or say yes in ten years, Cherry Jones, you’re the only woman I will ever want to make my wife.”

  My heart swooned and I leaned into him as I pressed our lips together. The kiss quickly heated as it always seemed to do when we came together. My core turned hot and needy and my fingers began to inch down to make their way under his shirt.

  “Nope,” Levan grabbed my hands and pulled them up to his chest between us. “Test first.”

  “No…” I shook my head and Levan tilted his head in confusion. “My answer first,” I replied with a smirk.

  “Oh,” Levan gasped.

  “Yeah… but maybe I shouldn’t answer until you have something to give me,” I joked.

  “Something like…” Levan reached into his pocket and pulled out a velvet box. “I told you I’ve been making plans for the past few weeks,” he chuckled and reached out to push my jaw closed.

  “Can I see it before I answer,” I asked as I looked at the box skeptically while I fought off my smile from teasing him.

  Levan popped open the box and went down to one knee. He presented the ring and looked up at me with a smile.

  “For the third time tonight... Cherry, will you make me the happiest man in the world?”

  “Yes,” I gasped in a barely audible breath. The diamond ring sparkled against the black velvet. “It’s the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen.”

  Levan jumped to his feet and picked me up in a swooping motion that spun me around in as he whooped in joy. As quickly as he’d picked me up, he set me down and looked at me with a worried expression.

  “Are you okay?” He pressed his hand to my stomach.

  “Levan, it could just as easily be a flu bug,” I laughed.

  “Right, the test. In you go,” he turned me around and pushed me toward the bathroom.

  “Not without my ring,” I demanded as I stopped my forward motion.

  He was grinning when I turned around and held out my hand.

  “This is embarrassing enough. I might as well
take some of the pressure off by wearing something pretty while I pee on the damn stick,” I grumbled.

  Levan laughed and slid the ring onto my finger. I held it up to the light as I turned and closed the bathroom door with Levan on the other side.

  “Cherry, can’t I come in?” Levan asked through the door.

  “No. Now go away,” I yelled back. His laughter echoed back to me as he walked toward the living room.

  I sighed and got busy while my mind raced with the possibilities. After I washed my hands, I held my new ring up to the light. It was gorgeous. Perfect, just like the man who gave it to me. Who would have thought my life would change for the better in such a short time. My move to the Big Apple may have been fueled by sin, but it was turning into heaven. I hoped Levan didn’t want a long engagement because I was ready to start our eternity together.

  Epilogue

  Levan

  “See,” I said, kissing Cherry on top of her head. “You did great.”

  “Easy for you to say,” she muttered, making me laugh. Her forehead was covered in beads of sweat. Her cheeks were flushed and she looked exhausted. The past few hours had been hell for her.

  “I’m sorry, Cherry.” I brought her hand up to my lips and kissed it softly. She squeezed my hand gently and smiled up at me.

  “It’s not your fault, Levan,” she whispered. “Well, you are half to blame.” The amusement in her voice made me grin ear to ear.

  Two nurses walked from the corner of the room over to us with their hands swaddling the precious arrivals. Carefully, they helped lay the babies across Cherry’s bare chest. They called the technique skin-to-skin.

  When Cherry had pushed the first baby out, the nurse had tried to put the baby on Cherry’s chest, but she begged for them to clean up the baby first. After they cleaned up the baby, they tried to do skin-to-skin again; however, baby number two decided to make an appearance. So, skin-to-skin was put on hold so that Cherry could push.

  “They’re so beautiful,” Cherry sobbed quietly. Her gaze was torn back and forth between two beautiful little faces.

  “They truly are. Just like their mom,” I smiled and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

  “I can’t believe I’m a mom,” Cherry whispered and then kissed each baby on the top of their head. “I’m a mom,” she repeated.

  The day I proposed to Cherry and she said yes had been one of the best days of my life. However, it only got better a few minutes later, when she came out of the bathroom and tracked me down in the living room. She threw herself onto my lap, wrapped her arms around my neck, and declared that we were going to be having a baby.

  When she went to the doctors and they confirmed her pregnancy, the look in her eyes had been the best part. They were full of life, hope, and happiness. She had cried countless tears of happiness. She had called nearly everyone in the world to tell them the great news. She had sat down with Branch and Lily and shared the news with them. I still wasn’t sure who was happier, Cherry or the twins.

  The ultrasound had been a game-changer for us. There were more tears of happiness, but there were also ‘GramMa is going to kill me’ tears coming from me when the doctor announced there were two babies. What the hell were the odds of another set of twins? Outside of Branch and Lily, there weren’t any twins for generations on my side. Cherry’s family didn’t have any documented twins, so ours were a first for her family tree.

  “See how daddy is playing with his goatee and staring off in la-la land?” I heard Cherry giggle. “That’s how you know he isn’t listening to mommy.”

  I looked down to find her smiling down at the twins. She glanced up at me, shook her head slightly, and went back to staring at the babies.

  “Sorry, gorgeous,” I sighed. “I was just thinking about how unreal all of this is.”

  “I know, right?” she smiled up at me. “Two babies.” She beamed proudly.

  “Two more terrible twos,” I said between a sigh and chuckle.

  “We have to video call the twins, babe,” Cherry gasped. “They were so sad they couldn’t come with us to the hospital.”

  “Trust me. When they get older, they’ll thank us for not letting them watch… that.”

  “Levan Clarke, you better be lucky my arms are full or I’d whack you,” she scorned, making me grin.

  “Lucky for me then,” I kissed her lips swiftly, and then pulled out my phone. I video called GramMa.

  “About time you call me, boy,” GramMa answered on the third ring. Her screen was dark and I doubted she was sitting in the house with all the lights out.

  “GramMa, I’m video calling you. You have to pull the phone away from your ear,” I said, making Cherry giggle.

  “I know you called me. I’m old, not stupid,” GramMa huffed.

  “No. GramMa,” I sighed. “I’m video calling so you can see the babies.”

  “Babies?” she gasped.

  “Babies?” I heard Auntie shout in the background.

  “That’s what da boy said. He said babies. More than one,” GramMa said with her words muffled. “What do you mean babies?” she asked with her words no longer muffled.

  I had been too scared to tell GramMa that there were two babies. I didn’t want to give the poor woman a heart attack. She nearly had one when she learned about Branch and Lily. I didn’t want to risk something happening to her… Or truthfully to me. Cause I had a feeling she would kill me if I told her and I couldn’t use the babies’ cuteness to wiggle my way free of her clutches. However, they were here now, so there was no more need to hide.

  “Pull the phone away from your ear, GramMa. I’ll show you,” I smiled at Cherry, who was busy loving on the babies.

  GramMa’s black screen soon came into focus. It was of her forehead, but at least we were getting somewhere.

  “Hold it an arm’s length away, GramMa,” I sighed and she did as I instructed. “Perfect!” I waved into the phone. GramMa laughed and waved back with her free hand.

  “This phone can do all kinds of tings,” she shook her head. “Now show me dese babies.”

  “Where are the twins?” I asked. GramMa frowned then rolled her eyes.

  “Trinika, call the twins,” GramMa said to Auntie, who was looking over GramMa’s shoulder and into the phone.

  “Branch! Lily!” Auntie yelled, startling everyone within earshot, including Cherry, GramMa, myself, and the babies.

  “What da hell matta’ wit’ you? Screamin’ in me ear like you lost you damn mind,” GramMa scolded. Her Jamaican accent was in full swing.

  “You told me to call de children. What mo’ you want from me?” Auntie mumbled.

  There was the sound of two little somebodies running shortly before Lily and Branch came into view.

  “Daddy!” Lily and Branch smiled. “Where’s Cherry and the baby?”

  “Don’t want to see me?” I shook my head and chuckled.

  “Daddy, we want to see Cherry and the baby,” Lily said, waving her hand as though she was trying to move me off the screen.

  “Fine. Fine,” I huffed, and then pressed the button to turn the camera to the backside of the phone. Then I stood up and put the camera on Cherry and the babies.

  “There’s two!” Branch shouted excitedly.

  “Two babies! I love them!” Lily exclaimed.

  “Why there be two babies?” GramMa asked, making Cherry and I both laugh. “Levan Clarke?” The way she said my name made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

  “GramMa?” I asked softly with my face still off-camera.

  “Chicken,” Cherry whispered and then smirked at me.

  “There been two babies dis whole time and you just now tellin’ me?” GramMa gasped. “You be afraid to tell me or somet’ing?”

  “He was GramMa,” Cherry ratted me out with a smile as big as the sun.

  “Dat boy,” GramMa grumbled. “How are you doing, Cherry? You okay?”

  “I’m great, GramMa,” Cherry smiled. “Aren’t they beautiful?”
>
  “They truly are. I’m glad they took after you and not their big-headed fadder.”

  “Hey,” I flipped the phone around so GramMa could see me. “What’s wrong with my looks?”

  “Boy, get outta the way. No one wants to see you. Show me my new great-grandbabies,” she frowned and waved me away with her hand.

  “Gee, I can’t figure out where Lily gets it from,” I muttered and turned the phone back to Cherry.

  “What are their names?” Branch asked.

  “Can I pick their names?” Lily questioned.

  “No, Lily,” Branch groaned. “You’ll name them something stupid.”

  “Hey! No, I won’t.”

  The twins began to bicker back and forth.

  “Branch. Lily,” Cherry said softly. The twins' bickering stopped almost instantly. Cherry smiled into the phone. “You have to be a good big brother and big sister for your baby sisters. Right?”

  “Right,” the twins said in unison.

  “Good,” Cherry smiled. “Claire. Mary. I’d like you to meet your big brother Branch and your big sister Lily.”

  “Hi, Claire! Hi, Mary!” The twins giggled.

  “Welcome to da family, Claire and Mary,” GramMa whispered.

  “You be well loved, Claire and Mary,” Auntie chimed in.

  “We love you!” the twins shouted into the phone.

  “They love you, too,” Cherry smiled.

  “We love you, too, silly!” Lily laughed.

  “Aww. I love you guys.” Cherry looked at the screen. “We’ll be back before you know it and then you guys will help me, right?”

  “Yes. I’m a big helper,” Lily declared.

  “I’m a bigger helper. I’m going to help mom more!” Branch boasted.

  “No! I’m mom’s big helper!

  Mom? My eyes widened and my mouth gaped. Had I heard them correctly? When I looked at Cherry and she had the same look, except her eyes were filled with tears, I knew I hadn’t been hearing things. The twins had called her mom.

  “Tell him, mom! I’m your big helper!” Lily demanded.

  “No! Mom knows I’m her big helper. Not you!” Branch countered.

  “Both of you leave your madder and fadder be,” GramMa complained. “Take care of Cherry and the babies. And be sure to call me, tonight, Levan.”