It was as if upon seeing Trey for the first time she had automatically decided he would be her friend. From the expression on Trey’s face it was apparent that he was surprised by Haywood’s action. Surprised yet accepting. At least he hadn’t snatched his hand back.
Randolph cleared his throat, breaking the silence that had engulfed the room and everyone glanced up at him. “How about if we have lunch on the boat?” He knew how much Trey loved to go boating. But in the past it had always been just the two of them.
“I think that’s a wonderful idea,” Jenna said softly. “What do you think, Trey? Is that okay with you?”
Instead of meeting her gaze he looked over at his father then back at her. It was evident that he was dealing with his feelings. “It’s okay with me,” he said quietly.
Jenna let out a silent sigh of relief. “Good. I’ll get started making lunch.”
Randolph placed his arms around his son’s shoulder. “And you can go back out to the car with me to get our things.”
“Can I come, too?” Haywood asked, still holding onto Trey’s hand.
Randolph chuckled. “Yes, you can come and help but you’re going to need both hands,” he said, thinking Trey probably could only take so much of the little girl’s adoring attention.
“Okay,” she said enthusiastically, finally letting go of Trey’s hand.
Randolph inwardly smiled. The look of relief on Trey’s face was priceless. “Let’s go then.” Opening the door the three of them walked outside, momentarily leaving Jenna alone in the house.
Later that evening, Jenna stood on the porch. She had put Haywood to bed earlier and now Randolph and Trey were putting away the checker game they’d been playing for the last hour or so.
They had had dinner at the big house with Gramma Mattie. She had been elated to see her great-grandson and from the way Trey had hugged the older woman, it was apparent he’d been elated seeing her as well.
Stretching, Jenna thought about their sleeping arrangements for the night. Normally, when Randolph came to Atlanta to visit, he would make up the couch, however once Haywood had drifted off to sleep, he would find his way to her bed and stay until morning, right before it was time for Haywood to wake. Jenna knew Trey wouldn’t be that gullible to think they hadn’t slept together. Therefore, tonight when Randolph made up the sofa, he would actually have to sleep on it.
She turned at the sound of the screen door opening. Randolph stood in the doorway with a blanket in his hand. “Do you want to take a walk?” he asked in a deep husky voice.
Jenna nodded. Since the time he had arrived, they hadn’t kissed and actually hadn’t even touched in consideration of Trey’s feelings regarding their relationship. “Where’s Trey?”
“In bed. I think Haywood wore him out today.”
Jenna chuckled knowing that was an understatement. Haywood had not let Trey out of her sight and had been able to talk him into playing a number of games with her. “I think so, too.” She smiled. “Yes, I’ll take a walk with you, but what’s the blanket for?” she asked, but already knowing. She had met his gaze a number of times across the dinner table and had read the strong desire in his eyes.
Randolph chuckled. “You’ll find out soon enough.”
And she did. Hours later she lay in his arms on the blanket before the pond, satiated. He had made love to her thoroughly and completely, giving her a sense of how much she was desired and loved. “I don’t think I’ll be able to move,” she murmured as she snuggled closer to Randolph’s body.
“Then don’t, at least not for a while,” he said, placing a kiss on her lips. “There’s something I need to talk to you about anyway. Something I need to confess.”
“What?”
Randolph didn’t say anything for a few moments, wanting to choose his words carefully. “I’ve kept up with you for the past thirteen years. I had hired an investigative firm to provide me with an annual report of what you were doing and how you were doing.”
Jenna felt slightly dazed at his admission. “But, why?”
“Because as much as I tried to, I couldn’t let you go. I knew why you’d left but I still wanted that connection. The day I found out you were getting married was hard on me. I left home and stayed away for a few days. I spent most of that time getting drunk in a hotel room. And that was the one and only time that I committed adultery during my marriage. I couldn’t handle the hurt and the pain at the thought of you belonging to someone else.”
Jenna stared up at him as tears began forming in her eyes. “In my heart, I never really belonged to anyone else, Randolph, and the sad thing about it is that Steven knew it and accepted it. I tried to be a good wife to him to make up for my inability to fully let myself go in the bedroom.”
Randolph pulled her closer into his arms. “Don’t you see then, Jen, that we’re meant to be together? God has given us another chance and we should thank him every day for doing so. I know you’re concerned about Trey’s feelings and I can appreciate that. But we can’t let that stop us from being together. He’ll eventually come around. And I feel confident that the time he spends around you and Haywood will help. Because of the garbage Angela has fed to him it’s hard for him, but he’s trying to accept things.”
Jenna nodded. Although around her Trey had remained quiet for the most part, Haywood had been able to draw him out to do some things with her and he had genuinely seemed to enjoy doing so. “I know, I just don’t want to see him get hurt.”
“You’re more concerned about his emotional well-being than Angela. She wouldn’t hesitate to use him to get what she wants.”
Jenna sighed. “And that’s what worries me, Randolph. How far will she go to keep us apart? What if she tries to keep you and Trey apart?”
“She can’t do that. I’ll take her to court if she tries.”
Jenna hoped it wouldn’t come down to that but she knew Randolph was dead serious.
“What the two of us need to do is to plan our future, Jenna. We need to build that life together we’ve always wanted and dreamed of having,” Randolph continued. “Will you marry me and let me be a husband to you and a father to Haywood?” He sat up and looked down at her. “I love you, Jenna. I always have and I always will.”
He reached out and took her hand in his. In a voice filled with emotion, he asked. “Will you marry me?”
Tears filled Jenna eyes as she gazed into his. What he’d said earlier had been true. It was meant for them to be together and God had given them another chance of doing just that. Complete love filled her heart and soul and she didn’t think it was possible to be any happier than she was at that very moment.
“Yes,” she replied in a voice filled with as much emotion as his had been. “Yes, Randolph, I’ll marry you.”
Twenty-seven
May 1981
Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer weren’t the only ones planning a June wedding. Randolph and Jenna decided not to wait any longer and set a date to marry. It would be a wedding at Glendale Shores, outside near the pond where they had first made love and where they had bound their lives together so many years ago; a private affair with only close friends and family attending. Jenna had already given notice to her employer since she would be moving permanently to Virginia. They would live in Randolph’s condo until the house they were building was completed.
Angela became enraged upon hearing about Randolph’s upcoming marriage. But nothing could have prepared Randolph for the bombshell she dropped on him two weeks before his wedding.
“You aren’t the only one getting married, Randolph,” she said looking smug. “I’ve decided to marry Harry.”
Randolph wondered if she thought the news she’d just delivered would be devastating to him. It was the best he’d heard all year. “I’m happy for you.”
Cold dark eyes met Randolph’s. “I never doubted for a minute that you wouldn’t be. But there’s something I think you should know.”
“What?”
“Harr
y has accepted a position with another banking firm which means we’ll be moving to California a month from now.”
Randolph’s gaze narrowed considerably. “You can move anywhere you want, but Trey stays here.”
“No, Randolph, he will not stay here. He goes wherever I go. It will be up to you to maintain a long-distance relationship with him.”
Angela’s eyes narrowed in anger as she continued. “But we know that won’t happen since you’ll be too busy playing daddy to Jenna’s brat. And while you’re doing so, think about what it’s costing you.”
Randolph’s eyes darkened with the fury he felt. “I won’t let you do it,” he responded sharply.
Angela chuckled. “You can’t stop me. I’ve already checked with my attorney and there is nothing you can do.” She smiled sweetly as her eyes glowed with malicious intent. “However, if you were to call off your wedding to Jenna, I’ll consider calling off mine to Harry. That way you’ll be able to spend time with Trey whenever you want.”
Randolph’s face turned to stone. “No, Angela. I won’t let you use Trey to try and keep me under your thumb.”
Angela smiled, looking smug. “No matter what you say, you love Trey and wouldn’t want to lose him, Randolph. So, what will it be? Your son or Jenna?”
Without giving her an answer, Randolph walked out of the house.
“Calm down, son. I’m sure there’s something we can do. I’ll contact Sherman Price and feel confident he’ll give us advice as to what our next step should be.”
Julia Fuller sat across the room, clearly distressed. The thought that her only great-grandchild would be living three thousand miles away did not sit well with her. “Surely Angela wouldn’t go to those extremes,” she said, but no longer as certain about what Angela would do. She thought she was acting irrationally, to say the least. Randolph had just finished telling them the whole story, which included Kathy Taylor’s claim that he’d been drugged at the time he had slept with Angela, as well as coming home unexpectedly from a business trip one day and finding Angela in bed with another man. But what had clearly thrown her back, and made her feel she’d been had, was the fact that Angela had not been the prim and proper debutante she’d been led to believe. The report Randolph had all but shoved in her face provided proof that Angela had had an abortion at nineteen, as well as accounts of her promiscuous behavior. It had almost been too much.
“Think of what a custody fight will do,” Julia said to her husband and grandson. “Especially if you plan to attack Angela’s reputation, which I admit I’m appalled at. She really did a good job of pulling the wool over my eyes, which I am not proud of. And to think I wanted a union between her and Ross. But nevertheless, if we go public with anything about Angela, the person who’ll be hurt the most is Trey.” She shook her head sadly. “I know you may not want to hear this, Randolph, but it might save you and Trey a lot of grief if you give Angela what she wants and don’t marry Jenna.”
Randolph turned narrowed eyes on his grandmother. But before he could open his mouth to speak, his grandfather did so. “How can you even suggest such a thing, Julia? Haven’t Randolph and Jenna suffered at the hands of Angela long enough? I’d be damned if I’ll stand by and watch him give Angela the satisfaction of thinking that she can use Trey like that. If Randolph even thinks twice about calling off his marriage to Jenna, I’ll take a stick to him myself,” the older man bellowed.
Randolph tried putting his best smile forward, truly appreciating his grandfather’s support. “Thanks, Granddad, but a stick won’t be necessary because I have every intention of marrying Jenna. Angela came between us once, and I refuse to let her do so again.” With those final words, he turned and walked out of his grandparents’ home.
Sherman Price’s words weren’t encouraging. “Other than going to court and fighting for joint custody, where you’ll have Trey half of the year and Angela will have him the other half, there’s nothing else we can do. However, I would think twice before I considered doing that. Most of the time it’s the child who suffers by being tossed from one parent to the other, never having any real stability in their life. What I suggest you do is go to court and ask for full summers each year. Getting every single holiday will be somewhat of a challenge, but I would request them, too.”
The man then took a huge swallow of iced tea before continuing. “Then there’s the other option. You can take Angela to court for full custody rights by declaring her unfit. And trust me, son, you better have solid proof of that claim. Her parents are well thought of and highly respected people. They won’t take too kindly to you muddying their daughter’s good name. You’ll have to call in witnesses to convince the jury that morally, you are a better parent than she is. And it has to be something she is presently doing. You won’t be able to bring up anything she may have done in the past. The court will feel that if you knew she did something morally wrong and didn’t fight for custody of your son during the divorce proceedings, then you don’t have anything to say about it now.”
Randolph stood up from behind his desk and walked across the room to stand before the window. Sherman watched him thoughtfully. He had known Randolph from the time he’d been in diapers, since he and Randolph’s father had been roommates while at Howard Law School. He could feel the younger man’s pain. The worst thing a parent could experience was losing a child. And Sherman was fairly certain Randolph knew there was a possibility that he could lose his son. From all accounts it seemed Angela wouldn’t hesitate to poison Trey’s mind against Randolph, especially if Randolph didn’t give in to her demands. And with Angela marrying Harry Connors, Randolph would run the risk of having his role in Trey’s life diminished by a stepfather.
“Randolph, have you mentioned Angela’s threats to your fiancée?”
Randolph turned around. “No, and I don’t intend to. Jenna wouldn’t hesitate to call off the wedding if she thought there was a chance I’d lose Trey.”
“She’s going to find out eventually.”
“Yes, but by that time we’ll be married.”
Sherman nodded, agreeing with Randolph’s decision. “You’re determined not to let her get away a second time, aren’t you?”
“Not ever again.”
Randolph’s eyes were hard as steel as he gazed at Angela. “I’m in no mood for games.”
“I’m not playing games,” she said, spitting the words. “Trey doesn’t want to go to Glendale Shores for your wedding.”
“When I talked to him last week he wanted to go.”
“That was last week. A lot has happened since then. I told him about our move to California.”
“And I’m sure that’s not all you told him.” Randolph glanced around the room. “Where is he?”
“He went camping with my parents.”
Randolph glared at her with stormy eyes.
“You had no right to let him go. This was my weekend to have him.”
Angela snorted. “Trey is not a little kid anymore, Randolph. He’s old enough to speak his own mind and make his own decisions about what he wants, and he didn’t want to be there when you got married. I merely honored his wishes. If you don’t like what I did then sue me.”
Randolph put his hands into his pockets. A part of him was aching to place them around Angela’s neck instead. He wondered what Angela could have possibly said to Trey to make him change his mind. Over the last three months Trey had warmed to Jenna and Haywood considerably, and Randolph knew that for him to suddenly have a change of attitude, Angela must have said something to him. “I’ll never forgive you for what you’ve done.”
“Do you think I care when you have the nerve to marry that woman and bring her here to live, in this town among our friends? How dare you expect me to take it!”
“I thought you’d have enough pride and not cling to a man who doesn’t want you; a man who never wanted you. One day all of this will blow up in your face, Angela. Trey will find out the truth. He’ll know everything you’ve done, and when tha
t day comes, he’ll regret ever having you for his mother.”
For a brief moment Randolph saw the look of fear in her eyes at the thought that she may one day lose her son. She quickly recovered and lifted her chin. “I’ll never lose my son, Randolph. You’ll be the one who will lose him. Now got out.”
When Randolph turned to walk out the door, she added sneeringly, “Oh, and congratulations. I hope what you’re getting is worth what you’re losing.”
Jenna glanced up at Randolph with brows that puckered in confusion. “What do you mean Trey didn’t come with you to the wedding?”
Randolph didn’t want to go into a lot of details so he quietly said, “Something came up and he couldn’t make it.”
Jenna gazed at Randolph, considering. “What aren’t you telling me, Randolph? The last time we talked you said Trey wanted to come and that he would be here. What happened?”
She noted the strain around Randolph’s eyes, and when he didn’t say anything, a light flashed through Jenna’s mind. “Angela! What has she done now, Randolph?” she asked angrily. “I guess it was too much to hope that she would finally leave us alone and let us be happy.”
Randolph pulled Jenna into his arms. “We will be happy, sweetheart, trust me. We’ll spend the rest of our life together happy. We’ve gone through too much not to be.”
“But what about Trey?”
Randolph forced a smile. “Trey will be fine. When we return from our honeymoon, I’ll have a long talk with him.” He took Jenna’s hand in his. “Angela is trying to use him against us and we won’t let that happen, Jenna.” He leaned down and placed a kiss on her lips. “Whatever problems there are concerning Trey, you and I will deal with them together, after we’re married. We won’t let Angela come between us ever again, no matter what. Agreed?”
Jenna looked up at him, knowing at this moment how much she loved him. In less than twenty-four hours, they would be committing their lives to each other.
Ties That Bind Page 27