by Kiru Taye
When he didn’t open the door immediately, her boldness fled her body. She turned to return to her room. The door opened. Felix wore only a bath towel low around his waist and water droplets on his body. Nothing else. At the sight of his broad shoulders and rippling flat stomach muscles, her heart started pounding erratically, spreading heat around her veins.
He stared at her with curiosity.
“Can I come in?” she asked, feeling uncertain.
“Sure.” He stepped back and opened the door wider, letting her in.
Walking into the room, she took a deep breath and inhaled the zesty scent of his tea tree shower gel. She noticed his massive bed and her already fast pulse went off on another sprint.
“I wanted to say sorry for earlier. I shouldn’t have lost my temper. I just didn’t like seeing Miss what’s-her-name all over you. It won’t happen again.” She stood in the middle of the room and tried to keep her eyes on his rugged face and not on his beckoning, taut chest muscles.
“No. I should be the one apologising. She was out of order and I shouldn’t have let it happen. Forgive me.”
“That’s good.” She smiled and her courage raised another notch. “We were both wrong and we have both apologised, so matter closed, right?”
“Right.”
“So, are we still friends?”
“Of course we’re still friends.” He smiled with his usual charm.
“Good, because I have a favour to ask.”
“Ask away.”
“I want you to kiss me.” She took a step towards him.
“Sorry, kiss you?” he asked, but his eyes twinkled with awakened interest.
“Yes. Passionately, no holds barred.” She took another step in his direction.
Now his onyx eyes burned with desire.
“Ima-mmi, if I kiss you tonight, I won’t stop at just kissing you.”
His voice beckoned low and husky, sending heat to pool in her core.
“That’s what I’m hoping for because I don’t want you to stop.” She took another step towards him. Now, she stood close enough to feel his breath feather her face.
“Are you sure about this? You don’t have to do this.”
“I want to. I want you. All of you.” She undid the belt of her robe and let it fall on the floor. She had nothing on except the string of coral waist beads sitting on her hips.
Felix groaned and fell on his knees, kissing and licking her belly button just above the line of the beads while he ran his fingers along the coral. The friction against her body sent more lava pooling between her thighs.
He stood up, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her passionately, thoroughly, just as she’d yearned for weeks. She melted into him, savouring his taste and smell as his hands roamed her quivering body, leaving a trail of heat in its path.
Chapter Eleven
“Are you telling me this pregnancy...the child in your womb is mine?”
Felix staggered backwards, his injured leg a dead weight. He had to ask the question, though in his mind, it didn’t make sense that the child could be his. A strange feeling of déjà vu surrounded him. Like he’d been in this situation before and it had all come to nought. He stared at the woman sitting on the bed in their luxurious beach hideaway. The reason he’d brought her here seemed suddenly inconsequential and pushed out of his mind. He found himself left instead with a cold knot in his stomach and alarm bells going off in his head.
Ebony nodded as he watched her closely, her liquid gold eyes flashing with resolve, her chin set in defiance. “This baby is yours...mine...ours.”
They had created a child together? He was going to be a father?
Her words should have cheered him. His heart ached for it to be true. Yet, bile rose in his throat in censure.
“Why should I believe you, Ebony? Why should I accept your word?”
“Because I’m your wife,” she retorted, furious.
Sarcastic laughter erupted from him, slicing through the air. “Yet, in the past few days, you’ve lied and hidden things from me, for your own purposes. And I’m supposed to trust your word now. I don’t think so.”
“I may not have told you the whole story but I’ve had no ulterior motive except taking care of your needs. I was simply waiting for the right time to tell you about my pregnancy. It may be hard for you to comprehend but finding out has been a shock to me, too. Especially in light of everything else going on. I didn’t plan this.” Ebony jabbed her clenched fist into her open palm.
You mean, unlike all the other women who’ve plotted to acquire a piece of me?
Felix bit back the retort stuck in his throat. He wanted to accept her words at face value. To trust that she was telling him the truth. However, the old feelings of mistrust and betrayal that had eaten away at him for most of his adult life were deeply entrenched. He couldn’t simply shake them off. Mostly, he hated that bits of his memory were missing so he couldn’t confirm for himself if her story about the night of the governor’s ball could be true.
“So what’s your plan now?” he asked coolly, though the last thing he felt was cool.
“I have no plans per se. But let’s be clear about one thing. No matter your opinion, I’m keeping my baby,” she said, her hands covering her stomach in a protective manner.
A sickening feeling coiled in his stomach. What was he doing? Did she think he’d do anything to hurt a child, even if it wasn’t his?
“Of course you’re keeping it,” he snapped back. “What do you take me for? If the child is mine, then he or she is an Essien and will be brought up as one. It’s my responsibility to make sure my child is protected and provided for.”
“So now it’s your child? How convenient. I thought it wasn’t yours a minute ago,” she rebuffed. “Anyway, what makes you think I’d want to hang around and bring up my child with a pig-headed man like you?”
Rage coursed through his veins. This woman certainly pushed his buttons today.
“Since you’ve been quite vocal about your intentions, let me be clear about mine. No Essien child has ever been brought up outside our family. I’m not about to change a family tradition. The Essiens take care of their own. You are now an Essien, and so is the child in your womb. Unless you wish to tell me otherwise.”
He waited for her to speak. Her mouth opened but no words came out, her face in shock presumably caused by his words. He smiled with derision and continued. “Good. Now get dressed. We are going back to the city.”
The silent air in the car on the drive back to the city felt frozen. Ebony got lost in her thoughts and so it seemed Felix, too. Her emotions were all over the place.
Guilt. Fear. Desperation. Anger. Determination. All warred for supremacy in her torn mind.
When Felix had first found out about the pregnancy, his expression had filled her with guilt at her deception for not telling him sooner, for letting him find out by chance. Then he’d walked out of the hut and she’d been scared she’d lost him. That he wouldn’t be coming back for her.
However, whilst he’d been out, she’d tapped into her inner strength and her resolve not to give up the child regardless of the outcome. Until he’d turned up and implied the child wasn’t his. She’d been infuriated. How could he think she’d be trying to pass off someone else child as his? She wasn’t that kind of person. Yes, she’d hidden things from him purely to preserve and make the most of their budding relationship. But she wasn’t cruel or manipulative. She didn’t even know how to be those things.
Seeing the disbelief in Felix’s eyes when she’d told him about their night in Calabar had made her desperate. Right then, she’d frantically wanted him to remember it, too, to believe her words. His distrust of her worried her. How could they possibly move forward if he didn’t trust her?
Yet, the biggest shock had been hearing him say, “The Essiens take care of their own. You are now an Essien, and so is the child in your womb.”
Whilst his words had brought some relief, it had also left
her with more questions. Did he now believe the child to be his? Or was he simply stating that, because they were married, the child would be brought up as an Essien though he didn’t believe he was the biological father?
She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She hadn’t cried back at the hut. She wasn’t about to start now.
The car drove through the wrought iron electric gates, down the drive, and stopped under the portico. Felix stepped out and held the door for her. She noted his courteousness and thanked him. When they got indoors, he turned to her, his expression unreadable.
“I have a few phone calls to make. I’ll see you later.” He turned and walked towards his office.
“Felix, I....” She trailed away, not sure exactly what she wished to say. She didn’t want him to walk away. She couldn’t help the feeling this spelled the beginning of the end for their marriage.
He stopped and turned back to face her, his expression back to being cool and unruffled. There lingered no trace of his earlier anger or shock.
“Did you want to say something, Ebony?” He glanced impatiently at his watch.
Overwhelmed by a sudden need to cry, she shook her head and choked out the word, “No,” before running up the stairs into the bedroom.
She had been strong all day even when Felix was denying their child. Yet, all it had taken for her to break down had been for him to look with irritation at this watch. She felt so small, so insignificant. She had gone from being a much-cherished wife to an object not to be tolerated. All in the space of a few hours. How did it all go wrong? It hurt her more than anything Felix had done before. The pain of his abandonment on their wedding night returned, cracking her fragile heart.
In the bedroom, she sat on the bed as her body racked with sobs, and ended up coiled in a foetal position as she held her shaking midriff with crossed arms. Her phone rang and she ignored it. When it started to ring a second time, she picked it up, swiping her blurry eyes with the back of her hand so she could see the caller ID. Faith. She pressed the call answer button.
“Hi.” She went for a cheery tone but failed miserably as Faith noticed right away.
“Hi. What’s happened? You sound awful,” Faith replied, concerned.
Ebony bit back another sob and coughed to clear her throat. “Nothing. I’m okay.”
“You’re not okay.... It’s the baby. You’ve told Felix. I’ll kill that man if he’s upset you. What did he do?”
Ebony smiled forlornly. Her Amazon warrior princess friend was about to kick some male butt. Shame it had to be Felix’s.
“I’m okay. It’s just been a stressful morning. That’s all....Yes, Felix’s found out about the baby and he’s not overjoyed. But he’s doing the right thing, I think.”
“Which is what, exactly?” Faith’s question came back quick fire, indicating her growing annoyance.
“He said he’ll take care of the baby and me. Although he doesn’t think the child is his.” Ebony choked again.
“What an idiot. Of course it’s his. Who does he think it belongs to, for goodness’ sake?”
“He thinks it’s Dele’s. He thinks I’ve slept with Dele. Can you imagine?” Ebony still couldn’t believe it herself.
Faith’s laughter sounded acerbic. “Men. They have no clue. You told him you wouldn’t touch Dele with a barge pole, right?”
Ebony frowned as her friend’s words prickled her conscience. “Maybe not that strongly, but something to that effect. To be fair to him, at least he is not kicking me out yet. That’s something.”
“That’s nothing. You are his wife. He should believe you when you tell him you are carrying his child.”
“He should. But remember, he can’t recall anything before a few days ago. It can’t be easy for him just accepting he has a child on the way when he can’t remember making the child in the first place.” Ebony defended Felix. He wasn’t being nasty, just distrustful. From his history, she understood his unwillingness to take her word for it. It still hurt, regardless.
“Yes, but still. Do you want me to talk to him?” Faith asked.
“No.” Ebony spoke firmly. The last thing she wanted was another person getting involved directly in her problems. “I’m sure with time, he will come around.”
“I hope so. The last thing you need right now is to be stressed out. Try and get some rest and call me if you need me. You know I’ll be there, no problem.”
“Sure thing. Thanks a lot, girl. You are always a great help.”
The bedroom door opened and the click of Felix's cane against the floor alerted of his presence. Ebony stiffened, keeping her face averted from him. She didn’t want him to see her blotchy face or that she’d been crying.
“Bye,” Faith said on the other end, to which she replied and switched off the phone.
Still refusing to look at Felix, she got off the bed and walked towards the bathroom. Her body registered his presence, regardless.
“I called the doctor.”
His voice came out low and gravelly. It rumbled through her, stopping her in her tracks and she struggled not to turn, not to look at his face. She could feel his body heat, smell his aftershave. She folded her arms under her chest to quell her quivering body.
“Why?” She aimed for nonchalant and hoped she hit it. But her voice sounded strained.
“You are pregnant. You need to be checked out to make sure you and the baby are okay.”
What I need is for you to hold me and tell me you believe me—that the child is yours. What I need is for you to love me.
Her thoughts screamed in her head but she kept them to herself and stiffened her stance instead. She wouldn’t break down in front of him. She had dealt with more devastating incidents. She would deal with this one, too.
“Fine. I’ll freshen up.” She walked into the bathroom.
“I’ll send him up when he gets here.” His words before she closed the door.
Felix watched as his wife shut the bathroom door. He should go to her, take her in his arms and tell her everything would be all right. He also wanted to shake her in frustration and wring the truth out of her. She had been crying. He’d known as soon as he walked into the room and saw the way she sat on the bed. The way her head hung forward as she spoke into her mobile phone. It gnawed at him that he could be the cause of her distress.
God help him.
What was he supposed to do? Why did things have to be so complicated? A day ago, he’d been having the best time of his life. Suddenly, everything seemed to be falling apart. Nearly insane with frustration, he balled his hands, needing to pound out his fury on a punching bag. He needed his memory back. He needed to know if Ebony was telling the truth. He had to be sure. Had to protect himself if it turned out all a lie.
Gritting his teeth, he turned and walked out of the room.
Ebony spent the rest of the afternoon upstairs while she waited for the doctor to arrive. She’d had lunch with Felix mostly in silence and had made her escape from the stifling cold atmosphere as soon as she could.
Before Felix’s return home, she’d been spending Sunday lunchtime with the senior Essiens or at her mum’s house.
Listless, she contemplated calling her mum to tell her about the baby but decided it would be probably better to wait until things were settled between Felix and her.
She spent the day surfing the internet, searching out information on pregnancy and mums-to-be. The pregnancy was still at a too early stage for her to just sit and do nothing. She had to get busy again.
While Felix had been in hospital, her main goal had been to be by his side. Now he’d come home and spent most of his time in his office, she needed to find a new goal. She could always go back to her job. Her mother had kept the position open for her so she could come back anytime she wished.
She called her mother, after all, who said it would be okay for her to resume work whenever she was ready. No time like the present. So she switched the phone off and went to find Felix.
He was
in his office, standing by the window overlooking the back garden, and turned when she walked in. For a brief moment, she noticed his face twisted, as if in pain, then he put his mask of aloofness back on before it fully registered it.
“I need to speak to you.” She stood in front of his desk as he walked back and sat down. When he didn’t invite her to sit on his lap as he’d done the previous two days, she decided to sit on one of the chairs in front of his desk.
“I’m listening,” he said when she got seated.
“I want to go back to work,” she blurted out quickly.
“Why?”
“Well, when you had the accident, I took time off work to be with you, but now, you are home and well. I can go back to work. The position is still open. I’m still needed.”
He shook his head. “No, you can’t.”
“Just like that? Why the hell not? You’re working. Why shouldn’t I?” Close to losing her temper, she glared at him.
“From what you told me, that job involved a lot of travelling, spending most of your time in Abuja. You are pregnant, for heaven’s sake. You want to traipse all over the country when you should be taking it easy and resting? I won’t allow it.”
“I am pregnant. Not an invalid. And it is my life, my body. I won’t let you dictate what I can or cannot do.” She stood up as her body vibrated with her anger.
Felix watched her intensely for a strained moment before scrubbing his head with his hand and heaving a sigh.
“How about this? The doctor will be here soon. Let’s see what he says first. If he thinks it’s okay for you to go back to work, then it's fine by me,” he said in resignation, his face suddenly looking very tired and strained.