“You’re right. And I apologize. I can’t believe Gloria had me take care of a kid who was for another man, and she knew it.”
“Mommy, you okay?” Raynell asked.
Normally, she would’ve run to Raynard and jumped in his arms. She stood on the bottom step of the stairway.
“Say hello to your daddy,” I told her.
“Hi, Daddy. Mommy, you okay?”
“Hey, baby. Can I get a hug? Look what I brought you.”
Raynell took a step backward.
“I’m fine, princess. Go back upstairs. I’ll come up when I’m done talking to your dad.”
“Okay,” she said, skipping up the steps.
“Damn, like that? Is she mine?” he asked, staring at me.
“Don’t go there. I’m not Gloria. I don’t know what you allowed her to do to our daughter while you had your dick stuck in your ear and your balls in your eyes, but you are going to have to earn Raynell’s trust again,” I said, picking up the bottle. I poured, but only drops fell into my glass. It wasn’t enough for me to sip. I plopped the bottle down.
“Sorry about that,” he said.
“About what? Drinking up all of the champagne or letting Gloria act a fool?”
“Loretta, I know I messed up. Let me earn back your trust too.”
I laughed. “I’ll let you do that. But we can never be together.”
“Loretta, I want us to be a family.” Leaning in for a kiss, he asked, “Can you let me do that?”
“Raynard, I think I’m a lesbian.”
He reared back. “Dang, prison turned you out like that.”
“No, prison didn’t turn me out. You didn’t turn me off. Granville didn’t make me hate all men. Chicago didn’t break my heart.” Well, actually, he did. “And Chaz didn’t ruin it for the next guy. I’ve struggled with this for a long time and . . . I think it’s the reason why I hate Madison so much. I’m in love with her.”
CHAPTER 40
Madison
Two months to go before my due date:
A lot of situations have changed since Granville’s sentencing. The judge gave him fifty years. Add that to the forty-five he’d lived and Granville would be ninety-five years old before he was released. His brother had liquidated his assets, and his mother was dead. I had mailed anonymous letters to inmates in state pen, hoping they’d believe he was a rapist. From what I’d heard, Granville had been somebody’s bitch every day.
A girl can dream, can’t I?
Being seven months pregnant, I had no empathy for that idiot. Had no love for Loretta. I’d truly forgiven my mother for not sharing our family history of breast cancer. I was healing well; and according to my doctors, I was still cancer free. If my status was the same after I had my baby, I’d refuse chemo and radiation treatment and get my implants right away.
I hadn’t spoken much to Tisha since the hearing, but we were still close through texting. She was dealing with Darryl’s relentless begging for her to take him back. He was a homeless dog with no rich bitch to bone. Tisha wasn’t listening to him relive the past. Good for her.
My cell rang. I checked the ID. I didn’t recognize the number but answered, “Hello.” Sindy would contact me eventually; I refused to miss that call.
“This is Beaux. Granville asked me to call and see how you and his baby are doing?”
“Tell your criminal brother to stay the fuck away from me and my baby, and don’t you ever call me again,” I said, ending the call. Hearing Beaux’s voice, I feared the next call would come from Granville.
Everywhere I went, I expected Granville to show up. I hadn’t seen him since court. Guess I’d gotten comfortable too soon. If that nincompoop started stalking me, he’d ruin all chances I had to reunite with my husband.
I wasn’t a beggar; but for the first time in my life, I was genuinely jealous. Pleading with Roosevelt to take me back wouldn’t be smart. I’d come up with something before it’s too late.
This new woman Roosevelt was seeing, Sindy Singleton, was making and keeping my husband happy. She was two years younger than Roosevelt. I was five years older than her, but her youthfulness made me feel a decade her senior. The fact that I was healthy shouldn’t have made me blue. But it did. Roosevelt didn’t have a reason to feel sorry for me.
My cell rang again. I answered, “Yes, Papa.”
“Good morning, sweetheart. Are you coming to the office to review our financials? This new accounting system Chaz installed is confusing me.”
“I’ll come by tomorrow. I’ve got business of my own to handle today.”
“All right. See you then,” he said. “Bye.”
Roosevelt’s generosity should’ve made my dad happy. Papa’s pride was dwindling. His frats knew he wasn’t “the man” of Tyler Construction. Papa was the face of the company, but that wasn’t enough. He was old. He didn’t understand new technology. He didn’t want to learn. He simply preferred things go back to the way they were.
Getting out of bed, I removed my pink lace nightie, then stood in front of the mirror. Tears streamed down my cheeks. From my neck down to my stomach, I really did resemble my mom. How did she deal without having her twins in place most of her life? I fell to my knees, crying.
It’s temporary, Madison. I gave myself a pep talk. After you have the baby, you’ll get your implants, and you can have boobs the size of Wendy Williams’s, if you want, girl.
Chuckling at the thought of having football-size breasts, while my baby was learning how to walk without falling down, I’d have to learn too. I got up. Looked at my stomach in the mirror and said aloud, “Madison, you’re a complete woman.”
My belly resembled a basketball. Daily workouts kept my weight gain under control. Being pregnant was no excuse to overeat. I was determined to return to my original size soon after I gave birth.
Men will fall at my feet once more. There was no need to shed tears about the truth. I was beautiful. More men had hit on me since I was showing than before.
I showered, put on my red yoga pants and an off-the-shoulder sweatshirt. Sitting behind the wheel of my Bentley, I cried again. It was easy to detest someone who treated you like shit. Roosevelt got me a new car and he’d gotten my house back. Why was he so damn nice? He let me keep the keys to his house; but the two times I went there, he was on the road. After the trial he didn’t want to be near me.
Entering the gym at Roosevelt’s condo building, I headed for the treadmill and walked briskly for five miles. Then I did three miles on the bike. Ten laps in the pool, then relaxed in the Jacuzzi. Lounging on a chair, I rubbed tanning oil all over my body. Soon I wouldn’t be able to reach my toes.
This was my daily routine at my gym, but for some reason I came here today. Part of me wanted to run into Sindy. I decided to head up to Roosevelt’s place and freshen up. Standing outside his door, I thought, What if she’s in there?
I quietly slid my key in the lock, entered, and then closed the door. My heart started pounding hard. I softly said, “Roosevelt, sweetheart.”
This was crazy, like the day Granville had trespassed on my property and I found him naked in my Jacuzzi. I should leave.
Opening the refrigerator, I reached for the orange juice. It was Simply Apple juice. We never drank apple juice. I put it back and went to his bedroom. One bottle of Clive Christian perfume was there, next to a framed photo of Sindy.
I flashed back to when the cameras showed her in the background, parading inside Roosevelt’s suite on game days. He’d revoked my reserved parking pass at the stadium and had denied my access into his suite for the entire season. My husband didn’t want to see me, but he never told me to stop coming to his condo.
A woman cocking her leg up and pissing to mark her territory was desperate. I flushed the toilet. Roosevelt’s mother, Helen, despised me the most. The DuBois men—Martin, Chaz, and Wally—weren’t fond of me either. They were all waiting at a distance for me to have this baby. I was ready too. Turning sideways, I rubbed my stoma
ch.
The bathroom vanity had a Clarisonic skin-cleansing brush. For a moment I thought about putting something on it that would peel the flesh from her flawless face the second she used it. See how much Roosevelt liked her then. Then I remembered the check Roosevelt had given my father to bail out our family’s business. I recalled Loretta being handcuffed.
I decided to shower. That way, Sindy would know that I was the wife with a key. The few pieces of clothing I’d left had been removed from the closet and placed in a bottom drawer. I slipped on a dress, got a pair of low heels. How dare she touch my belongings! I went to the kitchen, got a thirteen-gallon plastic bag, and tossed her stuff from the vanity and top of the dresser inside. Marching to the trash, I dumped it in his can, then left.
Make someone happy, I told myself, choosing Papa. I was getting hungry. I started to call and invite him to lunch, but I decided to surprise my dad, instead. We could go over the financials after we’d finished eating.
The office was quiet. Monica, the receptionist, wasn’t at her desk. Opening the door to the office that was once mine, but now my dad’s, I gasped.
“If you don’t get my daddy’s dick out of your mouth . . . !” Thank God, it wasn’t Monica. I had never seen this girl before. “Get out!”
The girl sprang from her knees, then wiped her face. She put on her clothes.
Papa pulled up his pants. “Madison, you should’ve called first, sweetheart.”
“I said, ‘Get out’!”
Pausing between steps, she took her time leaving. “I’m not on your payroll,” she said, standing in the doorway. “Call me later, Big Willy.” She blew me a kiss.
That lil girl had no idea who she was playing with; and if my dad was paying her, she was on my payroll, but not any longer. “You’re lucky I’m pregnant or I’d hurry your ass up out of here. And don’t come back!”
I pushed her, slammed the door, and then stared at my father. All my life I thought my dad was so in love with my mother and faithful to her. “How long have you been cheating?”
“Please don’t tell your mother,” Papa begged, buckling his belt. “It won’t happen again.”
“I don’t have to tell her. Now I see where I get my indiscretions.”
Children could grow up either to be exactly like their parents or the complete opposite. Women who stayed with unfaithful husbands usually already knew. Wish I’d valued the man I had and never sexed Granville. I left the office, got back into my car, and drove to the stadium. I owed Roosevelt a real apology.
I parked in the general lot, closest to his office, and took the elevator to the second floor. The receptionist buzzed me into the secured area. His secretary wasn’t at her desk. Although I hadn’t seen my husband face-to-face since Granville’s release, I was certain I wouldn’t see a repeat of what my dad had done. I opened the door to Roosevelt’s office.
He was seated behind his desk. The photo he had of me had been replaced on his credenza with one of Sindy.
“What brings you here?” he asked, walking toward me.
He stood in front of me as though I was an unwelcome guest. I stepped back. A guy I didn’t know was seated at Roosevelt’s conference table. He stepped in front of my husband.
“It’s okay,” Roosevelt told him. “Look out the window. Scan the lot for suspicious cars and Granville.”
“Roosevelt, it’s not like that, and you know it. I apologize.” Tears flowed. “Please stop distancing yourself from me. He’s not going to hurt you again.”
Chaz appeared from the adjoining office, shook his head, and fanned his hand at me. “Put her ass out, Chicago. We have no idea where that crazy guy is. He probably followed her here.” Chaz disappeared back where he’d come from.
“Apology accepted. He almost killed me because of you, Madison. That man is more in love with you than I’m willing to compete with. Now he’s a free man. Listen, this isn’t a good time to talk. You have no idea what it feels like to look over your shoulder everywhere you go or to have a twenty-four-hour bodyguard. Don’t come here again. I’ll call you later,” Roosevelt said, escorting me to the door.
The guy who was staring out the window stepped between us.
I wanted to sit, stay, scream, cry, and explain my side, until my husband understood I was truly sorry for the pain I’d caused him. “Regardless of what you think about me, I’m still legally your wife.”
Chaz stuck his head out of his office. He said, “Not for long,” then disappeared.
Speaking to the guy’s back, Roosevelt said, “Madison, don’t go there. You have nothing to gain. Please leave.”
Sitting in my car, I let the tears flow. My chest tightened. How did I get here?
A white Bentley parked next to my car. I dried my eyes and saw why this was bad timing.
I got out of my car as she got out of hers. “Excuse me, Sindy. I need to have a word with you,” I said, sniffling as I approached her. “Roosevelt is a married man. You need to stay away from my husband.”
A security guard in a jeep slowly drove by. She waved. “Hey, Terrence. Good job!”
His lips curved so high, they damn near touched his eyes. “Yes, ma’am. Thank you, Miss Singleton.”
Okay, so if we got into a physical confrontation, it was obvious whose side he’d be on. I glanced up at Roosevelt’s window, expecting to see that bodyguard. He wasn’t there.
Sindy stood inches from me. “Your husband won’t be yours much longer, and you have no one to blame but yourself.”
That wasn’t true. She didn’t know me or my situation.
“Make this your last time confronting me. Do it again and that baby inside you will be mine too. That is, if it’s Roosevelt’s.”
My legs and hands trembled. She called him by his first name. I thought I was the only one who’d done that. Even Roosevelt’s mother called him “Chicago.”
“Roosevelt doesn’t know it, but I’ve had my attention on him the second he became GM. I’m not in love with that billionaire guy my dad wants me to marry.” She waved her hand in front of her vagina like it was a magic wand. “I’m saving myself for my honeymoon with your soon-to-be ex.”
“Please, it ain’t hardly pure,” I said.
“How would a tramp know what’s pure, when she can’t recognize what’s sacred? You did me a favor. Well, let’s just say, Loretta did me a favor.”
What? Loretta? Okay, Madison. Chill out. You’ve done it enough to know how females play the mind game when they want your man.
Frowning, I was convinced that Loretta would forever haunt me. My chest rose and fell rapidly. I had trouble breathing. I couldn’t risk subjecting myself to a fight. I was Roosevelt’s wife and had to make sure it stayed that way.
“What type of woman are you?” I asked her.
The bodyguard was quickly approaching us.
“Just be thankful I’m not the woman I used to be,” she said, flinging her long cinnamon hair over her shoulder.
Getting into my car, I started the engine, pulled out of the parking lot, and turned left onto Kirby. Entering the freeway, I closed my eyes, then plunged my accelerator. I didn’t want to kill anyone; but if God ended it all for me right now, He’d make someone happy.
Opening my eyes, I slammed on my brakes. I stopped inches from the car in front of me. I couldn’t let Sindy get into my head.
CHAPTER 41
Chicago
Soon as Madison got out of her car and confronted Sindy, my bodyguard said, “Let me see what’s happening to Sindy. Stay away from the window. In fact, go into Chaz’s office.”
Staring up at my monitor, I watched Madison. She recklessly sped out of the lot. I didn’t care about the Bentley. It could be replaced with the swipe of a card Madison didn’t know I owned, a black card.
Chaz called out, “See how unstable she is!”
What he’d done to get rid of Loretta was dehumanizing. Why did women let men misuse them? I’d never dogged a woman out. Maybe I was too nice. I ignored him.
I never tried to buy a woman’s affection. My grandfather was wealthy. He told us, “Men who spend to impress, work for others, ain’t used to having anything, and they end up broke. Men who let their money work for them, labor because they want to, not because they have to.” My mother never had a nine-to-five. Growing up, my brother and I were privileged to choose any career. I loved managing our football team. This year was Houston’s turn to win the championship.
I prayed, God, please keep her safe.
How does a man reason with his heart? That was the woman I’d fallen in love with. The woman I was falling for was waiting for me in my reception area. Was I wrong for trying to move forward?
I couldn’t lie. I was scared. But knowing another man loved my wife enough to kill me, I had to let Madison go. I wasn’t hard to find. Granville could try again.
God had sent someone new, but Sindy was not a replacement. There was only one Madison Tyler.
I walked into Chaz’s office.
“She finally got the balls to come here. Get a protective order against her,” Chaz said, staring at the flat screen. He was reviewing footage for our upcoming game.
Shaking my head, I answered, “She’s pregnant. She’s sick. She’s still my wife. And she might be carrying my baby. I won’t do that to her.”
“Changing the subject—Mom is having the family lawyer prepare your divorce papers.”
“But she can’t make me sign them. Mom has too much idle time. First she wants to run the company, now this. Why can’t you guys stay out of it? I’m the one who married Madison. I’ll take care of it when I’m ready!” I snatched the screen from the wall, then slammed it to the floor.
“You keep doing things like this and Blue Waters will have your job. We can’t keep playing Humpty Dumpty, man,” my brother said, hugging me. “Pretty soon I’m not going to be able to cover you. We’re going to the championship.”
I leaned on my brother’s shoulder and cried.
I'd Rather Be With You Page 20