by Ancelli
“A brother?” John placed the documents on his desk. He grabbed his leather chair, sat, and seized his gun, staring at Shane. “You have my father’s eyes just like Diana and Vickie, I can see the resemblance. Why didn’t you reach out to us? How did you find me?”
Shane swallowed, and sat, placing his elbows on his legs. “He never told us about his other family, after Granny told me I found pictures, and other documents digging into his personal things. James whooped my ass when I asked him about you and the girls. I kept a picture hidden under my pillow, wishing that one day I would meet you.” He cracked his neck, “If it wasn’t for you I would’ve never gotten out of that hell hole.”
John entwined his fingers, and leaned forward. “How? Because of me?” He cocked his eyebrow.
“Those monthly checks you sent James, he never cashed them I did,” Shane looked out of the window, not knowing what his brother’s reaction would be, and then he looked back at him. “I was fourteen when I found a pile of checks. A friend of mine’s brother who worked at the local bank told me some of the checks weren’t any good after six months, so, I forged his signature and cashed all the ones I could, and saved the cash. And then I realized you sent one every month. I started going out to the mailbox every first of the month. Because of those checks I could afford to walk out of that fucking hell hole.”
He continued staring at Shane, “A brother,” John said under his breath. “How do you know about my wife?”
“I was part of the team that hid Sophia,” Shane leaned back in his chair. “When we received the call that someone was shot at your house, my heart skipped a beat thinking that I had lost my chance in meeting my brother. I walked into the house, and you were covered in blood, but you were okay,” he tilted his head. “I got to hold my niece, she’s beautiful.” He wondered if he had a baby with Larissa would she resemble Amber? “We made sure everyone thought Sophia was dead. We couldn’t chance Marcus’s goons retaliating against her or you. You were the one that pulled the trigger that caused Marcus to die.”
“I almost killed you, thinking you were working with them,” John placed his gun back into his top drawer. “I can’t believe I have a brother,” he tapped his fingers on the surface. “You took care of my family that day.”
“Yes, and I need your help,” Shane stared at John.
John inclined back, “Where is your son now?”
“Grayson’s with my cousin.”
“Cousin?”
“She’s my aunt’s daughter on my mother’s side,” Shane laughed. “She helped me out a few times when they would kick me out. Her husband didn’t want me in his house either, however she always looked out for me.”
“And you left my nephew with her?”
“She’s divorced, and she has three kids. Deborah would never let anyone hurt Grayson.” Shane pulled his cell out of his pocket, looking at his missed calls from Larissa and Liza. “She’s the closet thing I had to family. I can’t imagine living in a house filled with women.”
“It was awful, but they were always there for me.” John grabbed a note pad and pen off his desk. “Start from the beginning. What happened?”
Shane told his brother everything that happened from the night Liza’s brothers showed up to his home, to him dropping off his son at his cousin’s home. “Look what that bitch did to him,” he handed his cell to John, so he could see for himself why he did what he did. John looked at the pictures, and shook his head, clenching his jaw. “Are you going to help me get custody of my son?”
John passed him back the phone. “I don’t know much about family court, but I know one of the best lawyers in the state,” he pushed the speaker button on his desk phone, and it rang. “Yes, I will help you.”
“John, it’s after working hours. I’m off,” she chuckled. “How can I assist you?”
“Janice,” he stared at Shane. “I need a favor.” He spoke to the woman for a while explaining everything that Shane told him.
“Wow,” Janice said. “John, send me all the information he has, and the name of the CPS worker. I have a feeling they will remove him from his mother’s home. Shane, was this the first time anything like this has happened?”
“They can’t put him in foster care, I’m his father.” Shane raised his voice.
“Shane, has anything like this happened before?” Now it was John that repeated the question.
“Yes, his mother left him home alone a few times, and he had a black eye once,” Shane swallowed. “Liza swore she didn’t do it. She claimed that the neighbors were lying.”
“Was CPS called?” Janice asked.
“Yes, but I wasn’t aware of it, his mother told them I wasn’t in his life, so I didn’t find out until today.” Shane sighed. “I should’ve protected my son.”
“Shane, you are,” Janice added. “I will petition for temporary custody of the child to be granted to his father,” she spoke to John, “and you will have to handle the rest. Because I have a feeling she will be accusing him of domestic violence. You owe me.”
“I’ll handle the charges against him, thank you.”
“Whom do I send my bill to?” Janice laughed.
John shook his head. “Bill me. Talk to you tomorrow, Mrs. O’Neal.” John pushed the button on the phone. “She’s the best of the best.”
“I can pay her,” Shane responded. “I didn’t come here for a handout, I don’t trust those court appointed lawyers.”
“We have more in common than you think,” John smiled. “This isn’t a handout, this is what family does.”
Shane couldn’t believe how well John was taking the news that he had a brother. All these years he assumed if he revealed himself, they would reject him, and now here he was having a conversation with his big brother. John was going to help him keep his son safe from that bitch. Shane couldn’t help but smile. “The only family I have are my son, Deborah, and my fiancée.”
John watched him closely. “You have a bigger family now, wait until I tell our sisters about you. We are a crazy bunch when we are together. Olivia has always acted like she was the mom instead of the older sister. Abby, well she’s stuck-up, anti-social,” he reared back. Shane assumed he was remembering something. “Diana is the sweetheart, she’s like my mom she sees the best in everyone, and then there is Vickie she’s the craziest of all. I was the baby, now you are,” John chuckled. “Hope you don’t mind me sharing.”
“No, I don’t mind,” Shane was intrigued with everything his brother had to say. He wanted everything he had to offer.
“You have,” John started counting his fingers, “eight and two halves nieces and nephews.”
“Two halves?” Shane raised his eyebrows.
“Vickie is about to have a baby, and…” John picked up the picture frame off his desk, “Sophia was pregnant when she got shot and went into hiding.”
Shane’s eyes widened in surprise, he didn’t know that bit of information. “She was pregnant?”
“Yes,” John placed the frame back.
“Is the baby okay?” Shane asked concern.
“Yes, he’s fine,” John cleared his throat. “You know everything about me, now tell me about you.” He entwined his fingers and gave him all his attention.
“There’s nothing much to say,” Shane scratched his head.
“You’re a Morgan, you have a lot to say. You said you have a fiancée, when are you getting married?”
“Next Friday.”
“Next Friday, a week from now?”
“Yes,” Shane now glanced at the picture of Sophia. “Larissa showed me what it meant to be loved. I never experienced this feeling before, I would lay my life down for her.”
“I know the feeling.”
“We have the same taste in women.”
John smiled, “Mixed family.”
“That’s what started it all, the mother of my child has a problem with my fiancée’s race.”
“Fuck her,” John replied. “Diana and Abby used to h
ave an issue with the color of Sophia’s skin, until they got to know her. Now Morgan’s don’t see color. Vickie is married to an Asian dude.”
They both laughed.
Shane felt like he could share everything with the man sitting in front of him. This was easier than he thought. Why didn’t he do this before? Because you were a coward, that’s why. “James was a racist pig.” Shane added, remembering when he brought a Hispanic kid over to the house. His father kicked him out, and yelled that he didn’t want any immigrants in his house. He sighed, now thinking of his son, and how he must’ve felt when Liza beat him. “As a child all I received was beatings instead of love.”
“Your mother beat you too?” John’s cocked his eyebrow.
Shane clenched his jaw, thinking of how his parents took turns treating him like a punching bag. “They both took turns,” he got emotional. “If it wasn’t for your monthly checks, I probably would be dead now.”
John stared at him, “I wondered who cashed those checks, because James told me he didn’t want my money, but I assumed he was just talking shit and still cashed them. Now I know. I’m glad that those checks helped you out.”
“They did. You practically paid for my college degree.”
“Good, instead of letting life get you down, you took another route. I commend you. If it weren’t for my mother’s strength I wouldn’t be where I am now. It took her a few years, but she got us out of that house. Believe me our childhood wasn’t easy,” John’s eyes shined for a moment, and then he continued. “I know what you went through, and I don’t wish those beatings on anyone.”
Shane just listened to John, and then he added. “There was only one day of peace in our house.”
“Let me guess, Sundays.” His brother pointed out the same routine his father had with him. “That bastard would beat and cuss us on Saturday and go to church like nothing ever happened the next day.”
“I prayed for Sunday, every Monday,” they both laughed and found humor in their childhood.
“Me too,” John stared at him for a moment, opened his mouth to say something and Shane assumed he thought about for a second. “Were you there when he died?”
“No,” Shane remembered the phone call from his mother, telling him that his father was in the hospital, and then that he’d died. “My mother was by his side. He didn’t die alone,” he gazed at his brother. “I gave the hospital the number to call Olivia after he died.”
“Your mother is still alive?”
“Yes,” he smirked. “Martha doesn’t want anything to do with me and the feeling is mutual. She felt like I abandoned them, and unlike you I wouldn’t give them a dime of my hard earn money. Just because she gave birth to me doesn’t mean I owe her shit.”
“You don’t owe them shit.” John gazed at Shane; he could see the pity in his eyes. “Why didn’t you reach out to us?”
“I was afraid of rejection,” Shane admitted. “All my childhood I was told, I wasn’t good enough, I was nothing, that no one would ever love a bad boy like me. I couldn’t handle any more disappointments.”
John stood, and walked in front of him. “I went through what you did, but I had a strong mother. She would interject as he was beating us, receiving the worst of his anger,” John opened his mouth to say something and sighed. “I only wish, I knew about you, Shane. However, you didn’t let what happened to you as a kid define you. We are survivors, we made it,” he smiled leaning against his desk. “Never in a million years,” he stared at him, “would I have thought that James fathered another child, not after what he did to us. Do you know if we have any other siblings?”
“We don’t, after I was born he had a vasectomy. He hated kids, especially me.” Shane stood.
“He hated all his kids, but he kept having us,” John said with disgust. “Where is your wedding taking place?”
“At the courthouse.”
“Is this your first marriage?”
“Yes.”
“You’re not getting married at no courthouse,” John moved around his desk, and picked up his cell phone, and dialed. “Olivia, do you think you can plan a wedding in a week?”
“A week.” He could hear his sister ask, “For who?”
“Are you sitting down?” John chuckled looking at Shane. “Our baby bother.”
Olivia gasped and then screamed, “Baby brother?”
“Yes… James had another son. I’ll tell you all about it after you pull this off.” John laughed louder, Olivia was asking him a million questions at once.
“How do you know?”
“Believe me I know,” He picked up the envelope, and watched him. “Shane’s our brother, he’s standing right in front of me.”
“Shane!” She squealed. “Put him on the phone.”
John handed the phone to Shane, “Your older sister.”
Shane nervously grabbed the cell, “Hello…”
“Oh my God! A brother. Where have you been?” Olivia asked him so many questions his head was spinning. He chuckled at her antics; this is how it felt to have siblings.
Two hours later, John and Shane walked out of the building, “I’ll call you as soon as I hear anything,” and out of the blue his brother gave him a bear hug. “I got your back,” he pulled back. “Like you stated I’m good at what I do, and Janice is too. Go home and prepare for your upcoming wedding. Tell your fiancée I said welcome to the family.”
“I will,” Shane said before they waved their final goodbyes. He finally found what he was missing, family. He waved at his brother again as they drove off.
Chapter Sixteen
Larissa was worried out of her mind, it was after one a.m. and Shane still hadn’t contacted her. She called him several times, leaving him voicemails, and he didn’t reply. She wanted to share the good news, that he had been granted temporary custody of his son. Where was he? She heard a car pull up and a few minutes later the jingling of keys, and she rushed over to the front door. But then thought about it, what if it wasn’t Shane, what if it was Liza’s brother back for revenge? She backed away and the door swung open, and Shane stepped in.
“Oh God!” Larissa didn’t know she was holding her breath until he entered. She ran over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Thank God you’re okay,” she got on her tiptoes and kissed his lips, and then looked behind him. “Where’s Grayson?”
“Safe,” he gazed at her through hooded eyes. “I like this welcoming.”
“Stop playing,” she reared back, and smacked him on his chest. “Why didn’t you call me? I was worried sick.”
“Sorry about that, my phone is dead.” He pulled his cell out of his pocket, showing her, and placed it on the side table. “I took care of something I should’ve years ago,” he threw his book bag to the side of the door and placed a small gift bag on the side table. “Grayson’s with my cousin.”
“Deborah?”
“Yes, until I know for sure, he’s safe from that bitch,” and then he smiled. “Today started out awful, but ended on a positive note.”
“Why are you smiling?” Larissa watched him closely, something was up with him, he seemed happy. “Did you hear the good news?”
“What good news?” He slipped off his shoes, and pushed them to the side with his foot. “What?” Shane’s eyes widened in surprise. Larissa stared at him. If he didn’t know that information why was he blissful?
“I was at the police station when a CPS worker walked in and informed us that Grayson couldn’t stay with Liza until they conducted their investigation, so, he would be staying with you.”
“She really said that? Because I just took him with me without her consent. There was no way I was leaving him,” He grabbed the gift bag, strolled over to the couch, and sat.
“And then I received a call from your lawyer,” She observed him closely. “Janice O’Neal said she tried to contact you but your phone went straight to voicemail, and she said you gave her my number just in case. You have temporary custody of Grayson.”
Shane chuckled, “Damn she’s good and fast. I didn’t know the courthouse was open at night,” he said being sarcastic. “She must have pulled some strings.”
“I didn’t know you had a lawyer.”
“I told you I was securing our future,” Shane closed his eyes for a few seconds and then shot her a look of confusion. “Wait, what were you doing at the police station?”
She pointed at her lip, he didn’t even notice. “Filing charges.”
“Who the fuck hit you?” He raised his voice, forcefully leaning forward.
“Liza, after you left we got into a confrontation, it was a long time coming,” she sat next to him. “I’m okay, you should see her. She stormed in to the police station also, and they told her she is to stay away from Grayson until the courts make a decision.”
“Are you okay?” he lovingly stared at her, “Do you still want to marry me?”
“Now, more than ever,” she took his hand in hers and she entwined their fingers. “Shane, I’m in this for the long run, you know I’m no pushover.”
“I know…”
“If that’s not the reason you’re smiling, then why?”
“I have something unbelievable to tell you.” Shane placed his elbow on his legs and leaned forward. “I met my brother.”
“Brother?” Larissa raised an eyebrow in confusion. “You have a brother?”
“Yes,” he reared back into the couch. “Babe, please don’t think I’m keeping shit from you. I’ve never mentioned this to no one but Deborah. It was a part of me that I kept hidden, afraid I guess.”
Larissa caressed his arm, “You afraid? I doubt that.”
He gave her half of a smile, “I was afraid of rejection. You know how my childhood was, I didn’t think I would be good enough for them.”
“You are good enough,” Larissa cupped his face. “No matter what anyone thinks, you are enough.”
Shane moved forward, “I finally can say I am. After pulling a gun on me, John believed me after reading the paperwork I handed him and hearing what I had to say. He accepted me.”