by Ancelli
She’d re-decorated her room and it was now pink and white. Though she’d kept the baby furniture, she got rid of all the beach items. She backed out and glanced down the hall. The light in the master bedroom was on.
Kanielle smiled when she walked in. Cece was laying on her daddy’s bare chest. Papers were scattered across his bed. Brandon slept much better whenever Coral was around. Though it might help, he still didn’t want to take medication.
She sat on the edge of the bed, slipping her shoes off, and massaged her feet. She felt him move, he was a light sleeper.
“You didn’t have to come here tonight,” Brandon placed Cece in the middle of the mattress.
Kanielle twisted around facing him, her eyes hooded from lack of sleep. She felt hurt. She wanted to talk about things, and didn’t want Nana’s death to be an issue between them. “Do you want me to leave?”
“Do what you want,” Brandon got out of the bed, and stomped out of the bedroom.
She was tired, and he was acting like a jackass. She kissed her baby, and strolled out of the bedroom after him. “What’s your problem?”
“I don’t have a problem,” his lips thinned.
“Brandon, it was Nana’s funeral,” she raised her voice.
“You think this is about a funeral?” He swung around and glared at her. “My deepest condolences go out to her family. My problem is Robert.”
“Robert?”
“You’re selling that house,” Brandon demanded.
“You can’t tell me to sell my house.” Kanielle placed her hand on her hip.
“I am, and I will,” he commanded as he twisted around and stalked to the kitchen. “You’re selling your house, and I’m getting rid of this one.”
“And then what?” She was so tired of having controlling men in her life. Kanielle could handle Robert, and after today he wouldn’t bother her again.
“Were buying a house together,” Brandon sat on the stool at the counter. “He will never tell you that’s his house again.”
Now she understood what he meant. He wanted something that was theirs. “Is this how you ask me to move in with you?” Kanielle chuckled to counteract the tension building in the room.
“We should be receiving the settlement check from the clinic next week,” He stared at her.
She walked up to him. Kanielle stood in between his legs, circling her arms around his neck. “Robert is non-existent in my life,” she kissed his lips. He wrapped his arms around her waist and rested them on her ass. “What makes you happy?”
“You do,” he replied, picking her up.
Thank goodness she had on pants. “Sorry, Daddy, I’m on my period.”
“Damn,” he chuckled. The tightness in his shoulders ebbed. “We can do it in the shower.”
Kanielle laughed, “You can’t wait a couple of days?”
“I’ve waited all my life for you, so what’s a few days?” he pinched her ass.
“Bran…” Kanielle giggled.
“You like that?” He pinched her again.
“Oh… yes I love that.” She moaned. Getting more serious she asked, “So, when do we start looking for a house?” Kanielle was getting excited, another chapter closed and this new one was just getting started.
“We can start tomorrow,” he set her down.
“I love shopping,” Kanielle walked over to the refrigerator, it was packed full with food and drinks. She grabbed a bottle of water. “When did you go grocery shopping?”
“I needed to blow off some steam,” he turned looking at her. “Cece needed some diapers.”
Kanielle cocked her eyebrow. “Punching Robert didn’t help.”
“Nope,” he placed his elbows on the counter, looking at her. “I followed some good advice.”
“And what was that?” Kanielle was excited that he was opening up to her.
“Not to suppress my anger.”
Kanielle shook her head. “I don’t think that’s what they meant.” She leaned against the counter. “How was the group session?”
“It was good,” he cracked his knuckles. “Hearing other veterans telling their stories is helping me, sharing our experiences, knowing that I’m not alone is helping.”
“You are not alone,” she gazed at him. “You healed my broken heart, re-building it from scratch.”
“I’m supposed to be mad at you,” Brandon rubbed the back of his neck.
“You can’t stay mad at me for long,” Kanielle giggled. “Did Greg call you?”
“Yes, he personally wanted to hand us the checks. He’ll be over next week.”
She took a sip of her water. “She’s not a mistake.”
“Huh?”
“Cece wasn’t a mistake. Taking that check seems so wrong after everything that’s happened between us. She brought us together.”
“Sweets, I understand, but they did make a mistake. If it had happened to someone else, the outcome might not be in our favor. Imagine if the baby was Robert and Maggie’s.”
“I would be devastated, where would we be?” She watched him.
He got off the stool, “We would be right here, trying to conceive another baby.”
She grinned. “You think?”
“I know,” he kissed her. “No more what ifs.” he took her hand in his. “Let’s go to bed.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Brandon sat in the chair waiting for his new therapist to show up. He studied her desk, gazing at the family picture. The little boy was smiling at his dad, as the lady beamed staring at them. Brandon smiled at himself, wondering how his son would look. Would he resemble Kanielle, the way Cece did? Or would he resemble him? Moving his thoughts away from more children, he had to admit to himself that he was doing much better. The group sessions were extremely helpful. Hearing other people share their experiences eased him more than he thought they would.
“Sorry I’m late,” a Hispanic woman entered the office, limping. She extended her hand, and shook his. “I’m Sandra Valle.” She grabbed a notepad and pen off her desk, and sat in the chair in front of him. “Before I start I would like to go over a few things,” she opened a pamphlet from Make a Connection, it was an organization that helped veterans share their experiences and provided them with support. “Do you feel on edge?”
“No.”
“Do nightmares keep coming back, sudden noises make you jump, or are you staying at home more and more? Do you avoid being home?” she continued reading. “Sometimes these symptoms don’t surface for months or years after the event, or returning from deployment. They may also come and go.”
“I know I have PTSD,” he needed to say it out loud. Shawn was right, he wouldn’t get well without getting help.
“Are you married?” She looked at him as she wrote on her pad.
“Divorced.” He never thought the words divorce would come out of his mouth.
“Do you have kids?”
“Yes, a beautiful daughter,” he beamed. Cece was the love of his life.
“What’s her name?”
“Coral.”
“Beautiful name,” she scribbled. “Okay, Brandon, let’s talk about you.”
The one thing he didn’t want to do was talk about himself, but that’s what he was there for.
“Tell me what do you feel?”
“I suppress my anger, keeping it in until I can’t any longer,” Brandon cracked his knuckles. “The other day I tried suppressing it, but it didn’t work. I lost it.”
“That’s not good, we’ll work on that.”
“I have nightmares, flashbacks of the time I served on deployment. Sometimes when I fall asleep, I feel like it’s happening all over again.” Brandon closed his eyes, and then opened them. “I’ve become a workaholic, I don’t have time to think about anything else, so the memories won’t surface, at least not until I sleep. And then I found out I might be a father and all my energy went toward her mother.”
“You didn’t know if she was yours?” The therapist raised
her eyebrow.
“Long story, it has nothing to do with why I’m here.” Brandon was a private person and the story behind Kanielle and Cece was his to know.
“Okay,” she wrote on that damn notepad again. “What are your triggers?”
“Sleeping,” he combed his fingers through his hair. “Thunder, lighting, fireworks, it’s like the sound of incoming fire.” He wasn’t going to tell her about his other trigger, rain. Every time it rained it reminded him of his parents’ death. “I still back up my truck, no matter where I am. I have to face the door when I’m out in public. I silently watch my back. I’m overprotective of my child.”
“What was your job in the Army?”
“Public Affairs Officer, I was the one taking pictures of wounded soldiers, debris, body parts, live fire above our heads. We were in the middle of everything. I loved serving my country, and if it wasn’t for my ex-wife I would probably still be in.”
“Do you regret getting out?”
“I used to, not any longer,” he smiled thinking of his family.
“Do you sleep better now?”
“Sometimes.” Brandon responded. “Especially when my daughter and girlfriend are next to me, they are my comfort.”
“That’s great, at least you have an outlet,” Sandra pointed out.
Brandon never thought of them that way, but he was the happiest when they were around him.
“Are you on medication?”
“No, I haven’t taken them in years.” Brandon didn’t want to depend on pills to sleep.
He watched as she wrote again. “What are you writing?”
“I’m getting to know you,” Sandra looked up from the pad. “I know what you’re going through.”
“Really?” He replied sarcastically.
Sandra grabbed the hem of her pants leg and slowly pulled them up, exposing her prosthetic legs. “I lost my legs in battle, if it wasn’t for a friend I would be dead right now. So, yes, Brandon, I know how you feel,” she smoothed her pants back down. “It took me years of therapy to be here. I took my life back when I realized my legs didn’t define me.”
Brandon was in awe of this woman. He was feeling bad, and this woman lost her legs and still wore a smile. “But now you’re helping others.”
“Yes,” she smiled. “I have bad and good days too. It gets better, that’s a promise, brother. Look at me,” she kicked her foot up and chuckled.
“But it’s been over ten years. I should’ve been better by now,” Brandon mentioned. He didn’t want the past to keep haunting him.
“In that ten years weren’t you happy at some point?”
“Yes,” Kanielle and Cece brought him happiness from the moment he heard he might be a father. After meeting Kanielle the episodes were less frequent than before. “I’ve learned to cope with sleeping a few hours. I’m used to it now.”
“I’m going prescribe you some sleeping aides.”
“I don’t want to get hooked on pills.”
“They are sleeping aides, all natural,” she wrote in her pad. “You’ll thank me, next week.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” Brandon chuckled. He liked Sandra, and thought to himself that this could work. If not for him, then for Kanielle and Cece. “I want to keep the war away from my family, hopefully coming here will help me.”
“I know we shouldn’t talk about faith, but it was God that got me through the worst time in my life. I blamed him for months, and asked him, why me?” She sighed. “But then I asked myself, why not me? What made me better than anyone else? I couldn’t believe that I was wishing my situation on someone else. That wasn’t me, I was always a strong woman, and I needed to get that Sandra back. I met a wonderful man,” she looked at the picture on the desk, “That showed me what living was really about. The love of a great partner or spouse, and a child can make you see things differently. So, I understand what you mean when you say they give you comfort.”
“They do.” Brandon couldn’t see his life without Kanielle and Coral. He wanted to keep this part of his life away from his family, and if coming here every week would help, then so be it.
Chapter Thirty
He opened the door to Leslie’s condo. He hadn’t called her in over two weeks. He had been busy since his family had been trying to overturn his grandma’s will, but it didn’t work. Her lawyer said it was legit. Robert was pissed to say the least. The reading of his grandmother’s will didn’t go as planned. He already missed Nana. She had the biggest heart, but he didn’t understand why she did what she did. How could she leave all her money to someone that wasn’t family?
“Where have you been?” Leslie glared at him as he entered her home.
“Taking care of family business,” Robert rolled his suitcase over the threshold. “And burying my grandmother.”
“You buried her two weeks ago,” she crossed her arms over her breasts. “Was she there?”
Robert rolled his suitcase into the bedroom, and returned to the living room. “Yes Kanielle came to pay her respect.”
“How did she get to go, and I had to stay here?” Leslie stared at him. “I’m sick and tired of putting up with that bitch,” she snapped. “I hate everything about her, and I don’t understand what you see in her. She’s fucking fat.”
“Stop talking about my wife,” Robert spat. “Especially now.”
“She’s not your wife!”
“Leslie,” he huffed, sitting down. “I’m not in the mood for your shit. I had an awful week.” Robert sat down and leaned back, closing his eyes. He didn’t want to come to Leslie’s, but he had nowhere else to go at the moment, and he didn’t want to go to a hotel, spending money when he didn’t have to.
“How did the reading of the will go?” She sat next to him. “How much did we get?”
We, he thought. “Nothing,” he covered his face with his hands, shaking his head. “She left me nothing.”
“What?” Leslie jumped off the couch. “You promised I wouldn’t have to work anymore. You said when your grandmother died you were getting a large inheritance.”
Robert looked angrily at her. “She left some property to my father.”
“She left everything to your dad?” Leslie’s voice settled. “I bet he wouldn’t mind sharing with you.” She said excitedly.
“She didn’t leave him any money, Leslie.” Why did he get involved with this nut case? She was a good lay, but nothing else. He couldn’t believe she really thought there was a future with them. “Nana left my father her house and the beach house in Miami with one condition.”
“What was it?”
“He can’t sell either of them,” Robert stood. “So, basically he can’t bank on the properties.” Why did his grandmother do that? She did everything for a reason, but he couldn’t figure out why she did this?
“Who did she leave her money to?” Leslie only cared about one thing and that was his family’s money. His mother cried when the will was read, until the lawyer read the final piece, and then his mother screamed that it was impossible!
“Coral.” he whispered.
“Who the fuck is Coral?” Leslie yelled.
“Kanielle’s daughter,” he paced back and forth. “We didn’t tell Nana that she wasn’t my daughter. She died assuming Coral was her great-granddaughter.” Robert regretted the way he treated Kanielle, and realized that she was right. The baby was hers, and he could’ve loved her too. “Nana never saw the baby. Every time I visited I found an excuse for not brining the baby. I told her she was too weak.”
“And she believed you for six months?”
“Nana was fragile, old” Robert motioned with his hand. “I showed her fake photos.”
“Why not tell her the truth?” she shook her head.
“I didn’t want to break her heart, her spirit was already broken,” he spoke sincerely. “I loved her.”
“Because of you, we lost all that money!”
“We?” Robert strode closer to Leslie. “That money belongs to
my family, not you, remember that.” He needed to call Sasha and see if she would let him stay with her for a couple of days, until he received his settlement check. He didn’t mention that fact to Leslie.
“I’m sorry.” She walked up to him and hugged him.
“I have to find a way to get my family’s money back,” Robert pulled away. “I have to get Kanielle back.”
Leslie’s eyebrows met, “What do you mean get her back?”
“Leslie, I love you,” he lied. Robert only loved one woman, and that was Kanielle. All the other women were purely for physical satisfaction, no emotion was involved, and Leslie wasn’t any different. “You just said you no longer want to work. I need to be in the baby’s life, and then I can become her guardian regarding her inheritance, but that can only happen if I’m involved with Kanielle.”
“Where does that leave me?”
“What we are now,” Robert pulled her close, and kissed her. “Sorry it has to come to this.”
“I’m remaining your little secret,” she mouthed.
“For now,” he gave her a peck on her lips. “And then the world will be ours.”
She placed her arms around his neck. “I’m tired of smiling in her face, she irks me.”
“Just a little longer, all I have to do is get her to sign some papers.”
“Does she know about the inheritance?”
“No, and she never will,” he rubbed her ass. “I need your help.”
“Keep your eyes and ears open,” Robert smacked her ass. “Like you’ve been doing.”
“I’m done being your bitch,” she pushed him away. “Get your shit and get out.”
He stared at her, what just happened? Leslie was fucking bipolar.
“When you get your shit together, then and only then can you walk back into my life,” she walked over to the door, and opened it. “Get out!”
Robert crept forward, slamming the door. In a swift move he grabbed Leslie, and devoured her mouth. Angry sex was the best sex to Robert. Tomorrow he would move out, but for now he needed her to do his dirty work. Leslie would eventually do what he asked. He carried her to her bedroom, and closed the door.