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

by Angel de'Amor

  ***

  Kalon strolled through the halls of Angel Kids. He had a newfound outlook on life; all that drinking he was doing was over and Renee had truly been a good friend. He never thought he could be friends with a woman and not be sexually involved, but he had realized that he had changed. All his player days were behind him, he was about to be a father and that required him to shape up and fly straight.

  His company had taken little to no hit with the media release about his and Taylor’s relationship. The companies that wanted to do business with him were still interested in merging a joint venture.

  “Good morning,” Kalon announced to his secretary. “Please place a call to Ephraim’s department and tell him I want to see him right away.” Emily nodded and picked up the phone.

  Kalon strode into his office and opened up the vertical blinds to let the sun filter into the dim room. He sat down behind his desk, and within seconds Ephraim came through the door.

  “Hey, bro.” They dapped fist.

  Ephraim took a seat in one of the two chairs in front of Kalon’s desk and crossed his legs. “I heard you’ve been spending a lot of nights at Renee’s house.”

  Kalon grinned. “Naw, man, it’s not like that. We just friends, that’s all.”

  Ephraim hollered. “Yeah, okay, the great Kalon Knight, friends with a woman.” He chuckled again. “Man, you can tell me! I won’t tell Sherry that you’re banging her cousin.”

  Kalon chuckled. “Dude, get your mind out of the gutter. Believe me when I say we’re just friends.”

  “Aight, bro, if you say so. What’s up?” Kalon sat forward in his chair and braced his elbows on the edge of the desk, running his hand through his neatly trimmed Mohawk.

  “I went to Taylor’s house that night I left you guys at the conference.”

  “I know,” Ephraim replied. “And what happened?”

  Kalon continued, “We talked and she’s definitely pregnant with my child. And I gave her an ultimatum.”

  Ephraim narrowed his eyes to a slit. “What do you mean you gave her an ultimatum?”

  Kalon blew out a breath and walked over to his floor to ceiling windows. “I told her basically that I want her for myself. I’m not in the sharing business, and she needs to take care of her relationship if she wants to be with me.”

  Ephraim shook his head. “Wait, I thought she was in to you the way you were into her. She snuck into your house and sexed you down. I’m lost.”

  Kalon turned to face Ephraim. “I believe she loves me, but she’s still in love with her husband. When I mentioned his name, I could tell she’s not fully over him. She knows where I am if she wants me.”

  Kalon dropped his head toward the floor, and Ephraim tried to embrace him in a hug.

  “Ah … bro, it’s going to be all right.”

  Kalon stepped away and playfully punched Ephraim in the arm. “Get off me, man.”

  Ephraim tried to place Kalon in a choke hold, but he wiggled away and threw his hands in the air. “I surrender,” Kalon announced.

  With Ephraim being heavier than Kalon, he used to always get the best of him in their play fights. He knew Ephraim was just trying to cheer him up. They both smoothed the wrinkles out of their shirts and broke into laughter.

  “Hey, Kalon, I don’t mean to throw this up in your face, but what did I tell you about love?”

  Kalon straightened out his pants leg and creased his eyebrows. “Oh! Don’t rub it in.”

  Ephraim smiled. “I’m waiting.”

  Kalon sat back down at his desk and started to wobble his head from side to side. “Love is out there and it’s on the hunt. You can try to hide from it, but it will find you,” he sing-songed.

  Ephraim started to clap his hands. “I’m so proud of my student, love has finally caught you.”

  “Ha!” Kalon blurted. “Get back to work.”

  Kalon motioned Ephraim toward the door, and he saluted Kalon and said, “Yes, sir.” As he continued to laugh, he closed the door behind him.

  Kalon let out a few chuckles after Ephraim had departed. His best friend was right; the most eligible bachelor in Chicago had been tamed.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Independence Day weekend had arrived. Taylor jumped at the sudden boom that sounded from outside her window. The firecrackers sounded like gun shots being aimed right toward her house. Her bare feet glided over to her closet. Clack, clack, boom.

  She ducked into her walk-in closet. “These damn firecrackers going to give me a heart attack.” She spoke out loud, trying to calm her racing heart.

  Her mother had sent her an invitation for their annual Independence Day barbeque. Her father, Mayor John Briggs, followed tradition of the past mayors of Chicago. It was expected for him to invite his politician friends to his elaborate party.

  Taylor had been skeptical on attending the event. Her parent’s still didn’t know about her baby, but on the other hand, she couldn’t be too sure. She hadn’t spoken to them in months, and Taylor preferred it that way. The longer she could put off the inevitable the better. Fingering through her dresses, she picked a knee-length, one strap purple maxi dress. Today was the day she would reveal to everyone that she was pregnant. She was exhausted from carrying the secret.

  The chime of the doorbell drew her from her musings. She opened the door to Libby, Pam, and Tyler. Tyler kissed her on the cheek and headed for the refrigerator. Libby and Pam both embraced her in a hug.

  “You’re not ready yet?” Pam asked in astonishment.

  “No, I’m getting ready. Chill out, girl.”

  Pam rolled her eyes and started flipping through the TV channels. With a mouth full of chips, Tyler asked, “Are you sure about this, Tay?”

  She already knew what she was referring to. For weeks, she had contemplated how to tell her parents, and decided it would be today. It was best to get it all out in the open at once. Therefore, her father’s politician friends could hear the news first hand and not through some media website.

  “Yes, I’m sure.” Tyler nodded in agreement and kept eating.

  Taylor clapped her hands together. “Let me finish getting dressed.”

  She jogged back to her room and hopped into the shower. Stepping out, she tackled her now fallen ring curls; pulling her hair back into a ponytail and leaving out her Chinese bangs. She grabbed the curling iron and put three ring curls into her shoulder-length ponytail. Popping her diamond hoop earrings into her ears, she placed her five encrusted diamond bangles onto her arm.

  She put on her Tiffany sweet heart rope necklace, slipped on her dress, and then her three-inch heels to complete her ensemble. Taylor walked over to her wall mirror and swayed back and forth. She added a hint of pink lip gloss to her lips and decided that was all of the primping for tonight. Strutting into the living area, she did a twirl for everyone.

  “Well the cat is out the bag,” Libby snickered.

  “Exactly,” Taylor replied. “I’m tired of all the secrets, and whether or not my parents ever talk to me again after tonight, at least they will know they are about to be grandparents.”

  Libby walked over and straightened Tyler’s bowtie.

  “Let’s roll,” he said, rubbing his stomach.

  Taylor shook her head at his greediness. “I thought you were going to eat at the party?” Taylor asked.

  Tyler smiled. “Yep, I’m going to eat there, too.”

  Taylor laughed. “I’m going to make sure I pick you up when I go grocery shopping.”

  “Ha!” he replied.

  They all piled into Tyler’s Hummer; Taylor sat in the backseat staring out into the midnight sky. In a blink, she saw a shooting star, so Taylor quickly closed her eyes and made a wish. She wished that her parent’s would take her news well and that the right man would reveal himself to her. Opening up her eyes, she exhaled.

  Pulling up to her parents’ Naperville home, Tyler threw a peace sign to the security guard at the gate. He opened up the steel gates and Tyler drove
up to the mansion, which was lit up like the White House. The driveway was packed, but the valet parkers ushered Tyler to the front of the line, and a lanky, freckle-faced man walked up to the driver’s window.

  “Hey, Ty, drive around to the back and park in the private lot.”

  Tyler nodded and gave the man a fist bump. Taylor pulled the compact mirror out of her purse, re-touched her lip gloss, and patted her face dry with her foundation sponge.

  Exiting the car on to the grassy lawn, Taylor became nervous. Libby and Pam came on both sides of her and gripped her hand, causing Taylor to smile. Knowing that her two best friends had her back was encouraging. She walked up to the double doors with confidence, and Toni opened them, sending Taylor a smile.

  Toni interlocked arms with Tyler as they all stared at her for confirmation to proceed into the house. Taylor took a deep breath and nodded her head. With Tyler and Toni in front, and Libby and Pam by her side, she felt untouchable ... as if she could take on the world. Her legs felt like feathers as she strutted into the massive grand ball room, which was only used for extravagant parties.

  The waiters and waitresses floated around the room in their black and white serving attire. There was a jazz band playing in the center of the room, and round tables filled the massive area. She was sure the Italian theme of the room was all her mother’s doing. A Stella Chandelier hung from the center of the ceiling. Artwork from a few famous Italian artists hung on the walls throughout the room. Tyler switched partners and gripped Libby’s hand, strolling away to intermingle with the guests.

  Taylor stood in the corner with Pam and Toni, who were admiring some of the artwork on the wall. Pam pointed at the picture of Mona Lisa.

  “I always wanted to know the name of the artist who painted this picture.”

  Toni and Taylor gave Pam a sideways glance.

  “Are you serious?” Toni asked.

  Pam looked at the two women. “I’m sorry, but I couldn’t afford to fly around the world like you two.”

  Taylor interjected, “Girl, it has nothing to do with traveling, you should’ve paid attention in History class when Mr. Long was teaching.”

  “His name is Leonardo da Vinci,” Toni answered, laughing.

  “Whatever,” Pam retorted with a roll of her neck.

  “Let’s make our way to the buffet table,” Toni announced.

  Taylor nodded as she glanced around the room to see if she spotted her parents. Pam and Toni loaded their plates with ribs, baked beans, coleslaw, and spaghetti. However, Taylor had lost her appetite the moment she stepped foot in the room.

  “Do you want me to fix you a plate?” Toni asked, pinching a piece of meat off her rib. “Hmmm,” she moaned.

  “No,” Taylor answered.

  They made their way over to an empty table and sat, but Taylor kept scoping the room. Suddenly, a thick lump formed in her throat. Her eyes landed on her mother, who was dressed in a fiery-red, beaded dress with diamond–cutout sequined fringes. Their eyes locked as her mother scanned her up and down. She slanted her head toward the man standing to her right. Her father was engaged in conversation with some of the Illinois senators, but when she whispered in his ear, he focused his attention on Taylor.

  Taylor sat motionless, watching her parents from across the room as they gave her a snobbish stare. They quickly refocused their attention back to their group. Taylor stood and wobbled over to a waiter standing in the corner.

  “Can I get a glass of water?”

  The man nodded and went over to the bar. When he returned and handed her the clear liquid, Taylor took two large gulps of the water and wiped her mouth. This was more nerve wracking than she’d anticipated. Suddenly, the thermostat in the room seemed to be turned up an extra 100 degrees when she spotted Ari walking into the room.

  His gazed landed on her and he walked through the party-goers dancing to the music being played by the band.

  “Can we talk?” Ari steered Taylor by the small of her back to a secluded corner.

  “What are you doing here?” Taylor asked, once they were out of earshot from everyone.

  Ari pulled a silver embroidered invitation from his suit jacket, flipped the card over, and handed it to Taylor.

  “They sent you an invitation?” Taylor asked, reading over the italic imprint on the letter.

  “Yes,” Ari replied.

  “But why?” Taylor wondered out loud.

  Ari shrugged his shoulders while Taylor massaged her forehead. Nothing made sense right now. Neither her parents’ actions nor the subtle looks they sent her way. Taylor was sure they had seen her belly by now, but instead of her mother coming over to give her the third degree, she stayed on the other side of the room and mingled with the guests.

  “Do you want to confront your parents tonight?” Taylor heard Ari ask.

  She gazed in their direction again. “Yes, I need to get to the bottom of this.”

  Ari agreed with a nod, so Taylor led the way as she bypassed the dancers.

  “Hey, Taylor.”

  Taylor spun around to find Senator Thomas at her side. He took her hand and twirled her around the dance floor. “I didn’t know you were pregnant, darling,” he drawled.

  Taylor half smiled. “You lucky fellow,” Senator Thomas said to Ari when the dance was over, patting him on the shoulder. Taylor had met Senator Thomas five years ago at a town hall meeting; that was before she started Dynasty magazine and married Ari. He gave her a flirty leer, just as he had five years ago. Taylor slithered her hand away.

  “Glad to see you again, Senator Thomas. Can you please excuse us?”

  She heard a slight grunt come from the senator, but she had other pressing issues to deal with at the moment. Taylor strolled toward the top of the stairs where her parents were standing and the crowd disbursed as they got closer.

  “Hello, Mother,” Taylor greeted, blowing air kisses on each side of her cheeks. Tammy Briggs narrowed her eyes to slits and embraced Ari in a hug.

  “Glad to see my son-in-law,” she said as she blew an air kiss to Ari.

  Taylor stood speechless as her mother ignored her introduction and gave Ari her full attention.

  I can’t believe this.

  Mayor Briggs extended his hand to Ari and gave a solid hand shake. “Good to see you, son,” Mayor Briggs bellowed in his deep baritone voice.

  Taylor regained her composure and asked, “Can I speak to you two alone?”

  Taylor noticed her mother watching the front door, and she followed her line of sight. Her palms became sweaty and her lips were suddenly chapped. She inhaled a few times, but no oxygen seemed to find her nostrils and she felt herself losing balance … suddenly, she tilted backwards. Ari caught her with the fast reaction of one arm.

  “Are you okay, Taylor?” he asked, gazing down at her.

  Taylor couldn’t speak. All she could do was crane her neck, staring at the man walking with purpose, self-confidence, and with an air of arrogance: Kalon.

  Taylor stood up straight and rubbed her eyes a few times to make sure they weren’t playing tricks on her; the black eyeliner she wore rubbed off onto her hands. Ari handed her a glass of water. “Drink this.”

  Taylor drank the glass of water as Kalon stood before them all. She could feel the stiffness of Ari’s body as Kalon gleamed at them. He gave Taylor a once over and directed his attention toward the mayor.

  “Thanks for the invitation,” Kalon said.

  Taylor tilted her head to the side.

  What the hell is going on here?

  It seemed the joke was on her; her parents had plans of their own. Mayor Briggs pointed toward his office. “I think we all should talk in here.”

  Taylor was the first to enter the room while multiple questions bounced around in her head. As soon as her father closed the door, she spoke.

  “Why did you invite Kalon? What the hell is going on here?” she ranted.

  Tammy went to stand by her husband. “Taylor, we are your parents and we didn�
�t get to this point in our lives without paying attention.”

  Taylor narrowed her eyes at her mother. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “Watch your mouth, young lady,” Mayor Briggs warned Taylor.

  Tammy rested her hand on her husband chest; Taylor assumed to let him know she had it under control. Her mother walked over to where Taylor stood. Ari and Kalon stood on opposite sides of the room watching the show.

  “I knew about Ari having a daughter before you two graduated.” Taylor gasped. “I also sat back to see if you would do the right thing for the family, and you did.”

  She stroked Taylor’s hair and she flinched, but Tammy continued, “When you went along with the wedding I was happy, but then I saw Ari couldn’t handle his business with Maci.” She gave Ari a glare from across the room. “So, I intruded and took care of his situation … or so I thought.”

  “You had no right to interfere in my business,” Ari announced from his corner; his arms folded across his chest.

  “Oh, Ari, I had every right to. You married a family with status, and that means your business is our business.” She pointed to John, who was sitting behind his desk now.

  “Taylor, you couldn’t just live your life and let me handle Ari. You had to go and get involved with him,” she snapped, pointing her chin in Kalon’s direction.

  “Your father tried to warn him, but you two couldn’t stay away from each other.”

  Taylor finally found her voice and asked, “Why?”

  “I worked too hard to get this family where it is today, to let you ruin it with your antics.” Taylor took a step back from the mother she didn’t know.

  “Dad, you let her do this to me?”

  John came away from around his desk. “Your mother doesn’t do anything unless I consent to it.” Taylor couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Her father was the driving force behind her affairs.

  Tammy touched Taylor’s stomach, and she knocked her hand away.

  “Don’t touch me,” Taylor spat.

  “Do you know who your baby’s father is?” Tammy asked with a sneer.

  Kalon stepped forward. “I’m the baby’s father and I think you’re making Taylor uncomfortable.”