Kept Secrets (Secret, Love & Betrayal Novel Book 2)

by Angel de'Amor

  “Are you pregnant?” he whispered, kissing her inner earlobe and gingerly laying his hand on her stomach.

  Taylor froze and she could feel his body stiffen under her. He pulled back and gazed into her eyes.

  “Is it mine?”

  Taylor instantly became mad. “How could you ask me such a thing?”

  Kalon stepped back, but never took his hand off Taylor’s stomach.

  “Damn! How could you not tell me?”

  Taylor heard Toni’s voice in the distance. “Tay, are you out here?”

  “We have unfinished business,” Kalon cautioned her.

  Taylor heard Toni’s voice nearing.

  “That’s my sister, Kalon, I have to answer her. Come over tonight and I’ll tell you everything.”

  Kalon removed his hand from Taylor’s stomach and said, “I’m heading there now.” He spun on his heels, and was gone in a flash.

  “Taylor, you out here?” Taylor moved from the hidden shadow, after she didn’t see Kalon’s back anymore.

  “Yes, Toni, I’m here.”

  Toni arrived and stood on the side of her. “Are you out here with someone? Because I could have sworn I heard a male voice.”

  Taylor, smiled shyly. “Nope.” She hesitated. “I just came out to get some fresh air. It was too stuffy in there.” Toni craned her neck to the side and gave Taylor a ‘yeah right’ stare.

  “If you’ve gotten enough air, we need to get back in there and finish those interviews.” Taylor smiled and said, “Lead the way.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Taylor had to wait for her limo to circle around the cul-de-sac to pick her up in front of the banquet hall. After she departed from Kalon on the balcony, he had disappeared from his table. The lady he arrived with was still sitting at the table, glancing back at the French doors a few times, but Taylor knew he was at her house waiting on her.

  Pulling up to her brick home, she saw Kalon’s car parked in her driveway. The limo driver came around and opened the door. Taylor stepped out at the same time Kalon exited his car. They locked eyes, but she broke the contact and walked up to her door, unlocking it. Taylor strolled into the house, kicking off her pumps and turning on the lights. After closing the door, he took a seat on the couch.

  Taylor sat across from Kalon on the love seat. Rubbing her aching feet, she asked, “Do you want anything to drink?”

  Kalon adjusted himself. “No,” he said in an angry tone. “How far along are you?”

  Taylor sat back on the love seat and focused her attention toward the ceiling. The moment had come sooner than she expected; now Kalon demanded answers, and he had every right to do so.

  “I’m almost seven months,” she answered.

  Kalon briefly looked away before refocusing his attention on Taylor. “You hid this very well.”

  Taylor blew out an aggravated breath. “Yeah, I did. I didn’t think you were ready to be a father, and since I didn’t hear from you the entire time I was in the hospital or recovery, I just figured it was best for us to go our separate ways.”

  Kalon pounded his fist in his hand and sat up straight on the couch. “You just decided? You knew my future and what I wanted? I was at the hospital, but I knew your father would never tell you. I called your phone a few times and you never answered.” Taylor frowned, but Kalon continued, “If you wanted to go our separate ways, why the hell did you keep creeping into my bed at night?”

  Taylor stood up from the chair and pointed her finger at Kalon. “I didn’t know you came by the hospital or that you tried to call me. I lost my phone after the car accident. Also, you were equally responsible for our little sex adventures.”

  Kalon waved his hand in the air. “Where do we go from here, Taylor?”

  Taylor shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know.”

  Suddenly, he stood to his feet so that they were only a few feet apart. “What about your marriage?”

  “I’m working on that,” she responded.

  Kalon took a step forward. “And what exactly are you working on?”

  Taylor couldn’t speak with him so close. “I ... I’m working on getting a divorce.” Kalon took another step forward, and this time Taylor was pressed against the wall. He didn’t touch her, but it felt like he was undressing her with his eyes.

  “I don’t share my women, Taylor,” Kalon said in a mild tone. “I’m selfish when it comes to the things I want, but can’t fully have. I will no doubt take care of my child, that’s something you don’t have to worry about, but if there is a possibility of us being together only you can make that decision.”

  Kalon leaned in further and traced her lips with his index finger. “The ball is in your court.” He gave her a soft peck on the lips. “I want to be involved in the birth, Taylor. It seems you have some thinking to do, and when you make your decision, I’ll be waiting.”

  Taylor closed her eyes and responded, “I already know what I want to do?”

  Kalon half smiled. “You think you know who you want, but the only reason you kicked Ari out was because he cheated on you. Deep down you know I’m the rebound guy, and you still love Ari. Pain can force us to make irrational decisions, but make no mistake about it ... I want you, Taylor, but I need to know that I have your heart completely. I won’t come second to another man, and I don’t do drama.”

  Kalon stroked the side of her face. “Be well,” he murmured and walked toward the door, closing it behind him.

  Taylor’s head fell back against the wall and she exhaled. Kalon had put his cards all out on the table. He brought up things that she hadn’t considered, and he was even right on a few things. He was the rebound guy, and she needed to make sure what she felt for him was love and not lust.

  Secondly, Ari was her first love, and if she’d never found out about his infidelity they would still be happily married. She sighed.

  “How did I get in this mess?” she blurted out to her empty room.

  Kalon was making her second guess everything now, and she hated that. Taylor realized she was in need of some desperate soul searching, but first she picked up her cordless phone and dialed a few numbers. The person answered on the third ring.

  “Ari, we need to talk.”

  ***

  Ari had rented a condo on the Northside of Chicago. He had enrolled Adrianne into a private pre-school and started doing part-time flight assignment; he never took a job if he couldn’t catch another flight headed back to Chicago in the same day. On the days he got back late, Jay would pick Adrianne up from school and keep her at his house. He hadn’t heard from Maci or seen her since that fateful day she ran out of the house in Detroit.

  Ari had hired a lawyer to get full custody back since Maci had been an absentee parent for thirty days now. Moving to the refrigerator, he grabbed the ham and turkey slices, along with a Capri Sun juice pouch for Adrianne’s lunch. He made the sandwich and placed it in a plastic bag, along with the juice. He loaded the two items into her lunch box with an apple.

  Today he was going to meet with Taylor; she had called a few weeks ago saying that they needed to talk. Ari was going through so much with Maci’s disappearance and trying to explain to Adrianne that her mother loved her and would come back soon, so he had told Taylor that the timing wasn’t right, but when he got a chance he would meet her to talk about their future.

  The move from Detroit, and trying to find an apartment and a school for Adrianne, was a lot to deal with. He could only tackle his obstacles one at a time, so his issues with Taylor had to take a back seat. Ari grabbed Adrianne’s pink Dora jacket out the closet; the weather in Chicago was unpredictable and it never stayed true to the seasons. Although it should be nice and sunny out, it was known to drop to cold temperatures in a flash.

  “Adrianne,” Ari called from the bottom of the stair case. “Hurry up! You’re going to be late for school.”

  Adrianne came bouncing down the steps, her two pigtails flopping in the air. She made it down to the last step and hop
ped down on one leg. Her Dora the Explorer gym shoes flashed wildly as she hopped over to Ari and said, “Catch me, Daddy.”

  She leapt into his open arms and started giggling.

  “Okay, enough of the games, sweetie. Put your jacket on and let’s go.”

  Adrianne pushed her tiny arms into the sleeve of her jacket and ran toward the door. After twisting the doorknob, she ran outside. Ari opened the car door and buckled her into her booster seat as she started singing nursery rhyme songs. “Old MacDonald had a farm.” She positioned her mouth in a tight smile to say, “E-I-E-I-O.” Ari smiled at her in his rearview mirror as he pulled out of the driveway.

  Listening to Adrianne singing, his mind wandered back to his mother-in-law. He still had unfinished business with the Briggs family, and he wasn’t too sure how Taylor would take the news of what her mother had done. How she even knew about Maci and Adrianne was still a mystery to him.

  He needed to know why she would help Maci disappear and what the terms of their agreement were. Pushing those reservations to the side—because he had arrived at Adrianne’s school—he opened the door for her to exit. Bending slightly, he kissed her on the forehead.

  “Have a good day, baby.” She smiled brightly and ran toward the entrance where her teacher was standing.

  Ari got back in the car and dialed Taylor’s number through the car phone.

  “Hello,” she answered.

  “Yeah, I’m on my way.”

  ***

  Ari sat at the bar stool in the kitchen, sipping on a bottle of apple juice. He watched as Taylor paced back and forth before him. He hadn’t seen her since the almost fight he had with her boy toy, and he could tell she had definitely gained weight in the oversized black T-shirt she was wearing. He craned his neck sideways to get a better view of her mid-section as she finally said, “Ari.”

  He listened intently. She started back pacing the tile floor and halted again, facing him. “Ari,” she repeated.

  “Say what you have to say, Taylor.”

  She started to chew on her fingernails. Ari knew the only time Taylor chewed on her manicure nails was when she was nervous about something. Taking a seat, she folded her hands on the granite countertop.

  “I have something to tell you. I realize where our relationship went off track, and it was communication. I learned over this past year that communication is the key to a successful relationship. I’m part to blame for that and you are, too.”

  Ari took another swallow of his juice and Taylor continued, “I also realize that when I received the letter from Maci about you two having a child, I should have confronted you in the beginning. There’s a possibility that the things that have transpired since then would probably have never happened.”

  Ari cleared his throat. “What are you talking about, Taylor?”

  She let out a sigh. “The guy you saw here a few months ago, his name is Kalon. I started seeing him a few weeks after … I found out about Maci.” Taylor took a sip of her water. “I was mad as hell you had lied to me and didn’t talk to me about your infidelity and your daughter. So I lashed out and had an affair.”

  Ari let out a grunt.

  He stood and walked over to the garbage can, tossing the empty juice bottle inside and headed over to the mini bar. He used to keep it stocked with all the top shelf liquor. Pouring a shot of Remy Martin, he gulped it down straight. He needed something a little stronger than juice. The things Taylor was telling him sent his flesh crawling. The thought of her being with another man was his undoing. This time, he poured himself a shot of Patron and walked back to the island and took a seat.

  He took a sip of his alcohol and motioned for Taylor to continue with a wave of his hand. He could see the tears she was trying so hard to hold back as she watched him closely.

  “I never met for this to happen Ari, but ...” She paused and glanced around the room. “I’m pregnant.”

  Ari lifted the shot glass, tilted his head back, and swallowed the drink in its entirety. He let out a hissing sound, glaring at Taylor and trying to give his brain time to process the words she had just spoken.

  “You’re pregnant,” he mumbled.

  Taylor nodded as a tear escaped from her eyelids. Ari rubbed the side of his face to wipe away some of the perspiration that was forming from his rapidly beating heart rate. Walking over to the end table by the door, he grabbed the 8x11 manila envelope he had placed there when he first arrived. He slid the envelope to Taylor with the tip of his fingers.

  “What’s this?” she asked with a confused expression on her face.

  “Just open it.”

  Taylor pulled out the white papers and started to read. Suddenly, her hand flew to her bosom and she let out a gasp.

  “You signed the divorce papers.”

  Ari took a pen out of the bowl, which was sitting on the table, and handed it to Taylor. However, she didn’t accept it.

  “Taylor, I don’t know what else to do. We don’t trust each other enough to move forward, and we have made so many mistakes. We can go to counseling and rebuild our relationship, or we can just let it go now.”

  He sat the pen on top of the papers. “Whatever you decide, I understand. I love you and I can accept your child as long as you can accept my daughter. I ask for your forgiveness, and I admit I was wrong. I do have an issue with sex, and I’m willing to get help. I’ve done so much wrong, but no one is perfect. If you can accept my faults and find it deep down in your heart to forgive me, I will be eternally grateful.”

  Taylor folded her paper towel into fours and patted at her fallen tears. “I also have some disturbing news that you should know about.”

  Taylor looked on with gloomy eyes.

  “What?” she asked.

  He told her all about his trip to Detroit and the games Maci played with him. Finally, he dropped the news. “Your mother gave Maci money to move and take my daughter with her.”

  Taylor gasped for a second time that day. “Are you serious, Ari?”

  “I would never lie about something like that.” Taylor shook her head back and forth, and Ari could only assume it was in disbelief.

  “When you’re ready to talk to your parents and make your decision,” he pointed toward the papers, “call me.”

  Ari stood and gave Taylor a kiss on the forehead, exiting the house without a backward glance.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Kalon stroked the side of her face as he placed butterfly kisses around the center of her neck. He tried to kiss the smug smile off her radiant skin by moving down to his chocolate treats and taking a lick. She moaned in satisfaction. He took a mouthful of the throbbing nub, and she arched her back up off the bed to give him full access. He massaged her sex in a slow, circular motion as he watched the facial expressions on her face.

  Oh how he loved to watch the different changes on her face as he was bringing her to her an ultimate orgasm.

  “Don’t stop,” she begged in a breathless voice.

  Kalon smashed his lips back down to hers as he rapidly moved his fingers in and out of her core.

  “Kalon,” she murmured, gripping his neck.

  He buried his face in the side pillows as he positioned himself on top of her and went all the way to the hilt. Glancing at the picture of their beautiful daughter sitting on the nightstand, he froze. His body started to tremble fiercely.

  “Kalon! Wake up.”

  He moaned in fulfillment and felt the tremble again.

  “Kalon! Wake up.”

  He awoke with a start. Renee stood over him with a skittish look on her face, so he rubbed his eyes a few times to focus and yawned. In a groggy tone, he asked, “I’m sorry, was my snoring bothering you?”

  He had slept at Renee’s house a few times after he had almost drank himself into a coma at Ephraim’s brother’s club. Each time, he called Renee to pick him up. It seemed drinking numbed the pain he was feeling in his hollow heart.

  “No, you were calling out Taylor’s name in your
sleep.”

  “Shit, I’m sorry.”

  Renee waved her hand in the air. “No need to apologize, you love her.”

  Kalon sat up from the sofa. “I never told you that.”

  Renee laughed as she took a coffee mug from the cabinet. “Do you want cream and sugar?” Kalon lifted his head and nodded.

  “You don’t have to tell me that you love her, I can tell by the way you drink yourself senseless in that bar.”

  Kalon stood, stretching his arms and legs. “I wish I didn’t love her, but she’s having my baby. Plus, there is a possibility that she is going back to her husband.”

  Renee poured the hot coffee into the mug and added a spoonful of sugar and cream. Handing Kalon the mug, she started to fix herself a cup.

  “Kalon, we can’t make the heart do what the mind tells it. It loves who it wants, and as much as we want to, we can’t make them love us back.” She took a sip of her coffee. “Believe me, I know.” She got a faraway look in her eyes.

  “Is it something you want to talk about?” Kalon asked.

  Renee waved him off. “It was a long time ago, I’ve moved on and you have to do the same. If she doesn’t choose you, just take care of your child. At least you will still have a piece of her.”

  Kalon frowned. “I don’t want a piece of her, I want all of her.”

  Renee walked over to her recliner and took a seat. “Well, Kalon, it’s not up to you, it’s a mutual agreement.”

  Kalon trudged over to the kitchen and topped off his coffee. “I’m so sorry about that night at the conference.”

  Renee held her hand in the air. “Please, stop apologizing, Kalon. I understand. I was just hoping you wouldn’t walk your ass up on that stage and embarrass yourself.” Renee started to laugh and spilled a drop of her coffee on the white carpet, so she placed the mug on the coaster sitting on the table.

  “Ha, ha, very funny,” Kalon exclaimed. He glanced at his watch. “I have to get into the office, can I take a shower?”

  Renee flipped through her cable channels, never taking her eyes off the television. “You know where it is.”