Sugar

by S. L. Jennings

  If this was a snippet of what motherhood was like, Cadence could picture herself doing this full-time. How could she pull it off without her career suffering?

  Jackson was sitting on the front steps when they returned, wearing a sour expression.

  “Look what Cadence bought me,” Jackie squealed, hopping out of the car yanking the bags out of the backseat.

  “Why so grim?” Cadence walked the brick path to the house.

  “Where have you been?” he practically growled. “Braelyn’s been calling all day to talk to Jackie, and you don’t answer any of my calls. She’s threatening to call the police and tell them you kidnapped her daughter.”

  I wish she would. “Sorry about that.” Cadence pulled out her cell and unblocked his number. “You were sleep, and she was hungry. We just made a day out of it,” Cadence explained.

  “We need to talk once we get settled.”

  Cadence woke up Sunday morning before daybreak, cradled in Jackson’s arms, fully clothed. The Netflix home screen was displayed across the television. He moaned as she licked her dry lips that were ly plastered to his collarbone. The salty flavor of his skin awakened her taste buds. Her nose was pressed into the groove of his neck, twitching every time she inhaled his alluring scent. Every move created that familiar twinge between her thighs. She ached for him.

  Something firm pressed against her inner thigh that wasn’t there a few moments ago. She adjusted, and Jackson pulled her into him, and whispered, “I want you,” as he nuzzled her ear through her hair.

  Her body trembled with anticipation. There were no pertinent concerns other than the immediate need to feel her husband inside of her. She slid her hand under his shirt, then with a soft touch, strategically massaged and raked his chest with her nails. Jackson released a low guttural sound, then kissed Cadence to the point that moisture answered the call.

  Jackson slipped his hands inside of her shorts, rolled them down under the fleshy part of her rear, palming her ass while grinding against her. She returned the motion tit for tat, only stopping to unzip his jeans.

  “Wait,” Cadence whispered, panting as she stroked his erection. “Jackie’s in the other room.”

  He grumbled something incoherent, and she was feeling him on that.

  Cadence pulled up her shorts and sighed, her erogenous zones pulsated.

  “Birds and bees. She’s gon’ learn today.” He sat upright on the couch with his erection pointing purposefully toward the ceiling. Jackson pulled Cadence on top of him, moving her shorts and panties to the side, placing the throw pillow on each side of them.

  Her breath caught as she eased down on him, allowing it to fill her up. Squeezing her pelvic muscles for heightened sensation, she covered his mouth with her hand and rode that black stallion all the way to the ranch.

  Chapter 10

  Cadence slid into the passenger’s seat and prayed she wouldn’t regret the decision to tag along to take Jackie home. Jackson had posed the question after that all-consuming quickie which left her mind swooning.

  He could’ve asked for almost anything, and she would’ve agreed in that moment.

  Three weeks had passed since she’d been touched in that way and she needed what he had to offer. After all, he was still her husband.

  They drove two miles east of Jackson’s school before the car slowed. The scenery changed from modest homes with manicured lawns to a string of dilapidated row houses, literally in the same neighborhood with the main street separating the demographics. Now Cadence understood how Braelyn got Jackie enrolled in Whistler. She lived in the district.

  “That’s my house,” Jackie shouted from the backseat.

  Cadence tried to tamp down the bile that crept into the back of her throat.

  Torn mini blinds, broken concrete steps, scattered trash, and the shiftless inhabitants who occupied the sidewalk were enough to elicit concern.

  “Is Braelyn coming out?” Cadence asked, hoping the answer was yes. No way did she want to walk past the group posted up in front of the gate. “Wow. I wasn’t expecting this.”

  Now Cadence was presented with a dilemma. She didn’t want to go into that house nor did she want to sit out in the car alone.

  Jackson pulled out his cell. “I’ll text her.”

  A minute later, Braelyn, in her blonde glory, stepped onto the stoop in floral leggings and a matching sports bra. The vagrants whistled and gawked like uncivilized heathens until a man stepped out on the porch behind her. Even the more muscular ones scattered faster than cockroaches when the light came on.

  “That must be Lester,” Cadence mumbled to Jackson, taking in the man’s rugged, bad boy stance. He could’ve been fresh out the joint with raggedy cornrows and khakis hanging off of his brawny hips.

  “That’s him,” Jackie replied, her low, shaky voice caught Cadence off guard.

  Jackson popped the trunk, then left the car.

  “It was nice spending time with you,” Cadence said, shifting in the seat to face Jackie.

  Cadence peeped Braelyn approaching the passenger side and didn’t want to get barricaded in and be at a disadvantage just in case Braelyn tried something. She was out of the car before Braelyn made it to the sidewalk.

  Jackie threw her body against Cadence’s and wrapped her arms around her middle. “Can I come back again? We had so much fun,” she squealed, squeezing her tighter.

  “As long as it’s alright with your mom.” Cadence smiled at the affectionate little girl, watching Braelyn from the corner of her eye who frowned up from the exchange. So evidently, she was expecting daddy to step up but didn’t want step mommy in the picture.

  “Are you gonna save some of those hugs for me?” Braelyn asked, standing behind Jackie with a hand on her hip.

  “Mommy.” Jackie left Cadence and jumped into her arms. “I missed you. Cadence bought me clothes and I got my nails done like you,” she rambled, wiggling her fingers. “Seeeeee.”

  “They’re beautiful,” her mother complimented, but her tone said she was far from ecstatic.

  Cadence made her way to the trunk to put some distance between them. She didn’t trust Braelyn, even more so because she knew from all the info that had filtered in, that Braelyn was a longtime plotter and planner. The therapist, her home, the school, her job, and who knew how many other places she’d been lurking. Plus, Cadence was leaning more toward trying to figure out how Jackson was telling the truth, not if. How.

  Braelyn grabbed Cadence by the arm, nails biting into her skin. “Don’t take my daughter anywhere without me knowing ever again.”

  Cadence snatched free. “Don’t fuc–––” She glanced down at Jackie whose eyes bore into her. “Keep your paws off of me, or you–––”

  “Don’t you ever touch my wife,” Jackson advised, shoving Jackie’s bags into Braelyn’s arms, pushing her away.

  Lester descended two stairs. “Get your ass in here, Braelyn,” he barked. She practically sprinted to the house, leaving Jackie behind.

  Cadence shot a glance at Jackson and shook her head.

  Jackson embraced his daughter. “I’ll see you later.”

  Jackie planted a kiss on the crouch of his pants. “Bye, daddy.”

  “Don’t do that,” he scolded, pushing her away, then knelt and clasped her shoulders to keep her from falling. “I didn’t mean to shove you. That’s not a place to kiss anyone–––”

  “You better keep your hands off of my daughter,” Braelyn shouted, causing faces to appear in the windows and some of the neighbors to come outside.

  “Wait a minute,” Cadence interjected. “I know you saw what she just did?”

  Braelyn had the nerve to wave her off.

  “What’s wrong?” Jackie whined, “You don’t like it?” she asked, with an innocent stare. “Lester likes it.”

  The bags fell from Braelyn’s arms. “What did you just say?” she asked Jackie, moving Jackson out of the way. She reached out and placed a hand under Jackie’s chin, lifting her fac
e upward.

  “This muthafucka’s molesting my daughter?” Jackson growled, pushing past Braelyn and charging toward the porch.

  “Jackson no,” Cadence screamed, her heart racing faster than a galloping horse.

  “Don’t try it,” Lester threatened, lifting his shirt to expose the pistol in the front waistband of his pants.

  “Stop,” Cadence yelled holding onto Jackson’s waist, tripping over her feet as he pulled her small frame along.

  “You must be stupid,” Lester smirked. “This ain’t what you want,” he said drawing the handle of the gun upward.

  “Jackson. Listen to me,” Cadence pleaded, gripping his arm. “You can’t help Jackie if you’re dead.”

  He froze, his chest heaved, then he glanced down at her. She tugged on his arm, and Jackson reluctantly trudged in the opposite direction.

  “She’s coming with us,” Jackson informed Braelyn as they picked up the clothing strewn over the barely-there grass and concrete. “Get in the car, Jackie.”

  “You can’t take my daughter,” Braelyn screeched slapping his chest.

  Jackie’s gaze darted from one parent to the other.

  He narrowed his eyes. “She can’t stay here.”

  “You’ve got to the count of three,” Lester warned, holding the firearm at his side.

  “Either she comes home with us, or we call the police,” Cadence said, ushering Jackie into the backseat, then closing the door. The little girl pressed her face to the glass. “You can’t protect her.”

  “I didn’t know,” she whispered, her face was devoid of all color.

  “You knew he shouldn’t be around your daughter,” Cadence said through gritted teeth. “As long as you’re here with him.” Cadence nodded in Lester’s direction. “Jackie will be with us.”

  “You’re not her mother,” Braelyn scoffed.

  “No, I’m not,” she snapped, sliding into the passenger seat. “But she’d be safer with me than you.”

  Chapter 11

  What have I done?

  Cadence settled on the floor in her bedroom with her knees pulled to her chest. She hadn’t thought things through. Removing Jackie from imminent danger was paramount. Now what? Her life didn’t have room for a child on a 24/7 basis.

  Jackson knocked on the door. “May I come in?”

  “Where’s Jackie?”

  “Watching Super Why in the guest bedroom,” he answered, extending a hand to help her up.

  “I’m not sure where any of this is going,” Cadence admitted, as they perched on the bed side by side. “My heart tells me you’re telling the truth.” She huffed. “I believe you haven’t cheated on me, but–––”

  “Shouldn’t that be enough. Your gut’s telling you that I haven’t been with anyone. You’re my wife,” he said clearing his throat. “And I need you now more than ever. I’ll sleep on the floor if I have to. I want––– I need to come home. Jackie needs both of us.”

  “That’s the other part. I know I could grow to love her. Three days in and she already has me wrapped around her little finger. But when would I have the time?” she asked with a shrug. “I have less than a week to let Mike know my final decision about Germany. This is a lot to deal with at once.”

  “Germany?”

  Cadence sucked her teeth. “I meant to say something, but–––” She paused, thinking about the gravity of her next words. “I was offered a position the day after the Global Reveal,” she confessed staring into his eyes. “You weren’t on my list of things to consider at the time.”

  Jackson stood. “You were going to just up and leave without telling me?”

  “I don’t know what I was going to do,” she admitted shifting to pull her feet under her, again. “I still don’t. I have until Wednesday.”

  “Wow, three whole days,” Jackson said biting his lip, plopping down on the mattress. “This thing is bigger than us now. I’m going to have to accept it, but I’m uneasy because I have unanswered questions.”

  Silence weighed down the vibe in the room. She glanced at Jackson and witnessed a tear slither down his cheek. He was right, Jackie was part of the equation whether they were prepared or not.

  “I’ll schedule Jackie a doctor’s appointment in the morning,” Cadence said. “We need to see if she’s been violated.”

  “I’ll get some of my cousins who are ‘bout that life, and we’ll take his ass out.” Jackson’s eyebrows furrowed. “Lester’s not the only one carrying heat.”

  “I’m praying it doesn’t come to that,” Cadence commented, offering Jackson a tissue, but seeing a side of him she’d never seen.

  “Drama. So much easier to give a child to an anonymous woman who actually wants one, rather than one who’s using her to get–––”

  “Wait. What do you mean give a child?”

  “I donated sperm in college. Low on funds and all that. They love intelligent men.”

  Cadence pondered that a moment. “Does Braelyn know that?” she asked, her voice cracking.

  “We talked about that one night,” Jackson recalled, “We were swapping broke ass college student stories to see who struggled the most. Braelyn told me she used to donate blood every other month to cover bus fare. What does that …”

  “Does she know where…”

  “At the same hospital. That was the most logical choice since it was near campus.”

  “I’ll be damned.”

  Jackson stared at Cadence, and the realization kicked in. “You don’t think she …”

  “What else could it be?” Cadence said gazing at her wedding ring. “If what you proclaim is true, that you’ve never slept with her, yet your DNA supposedly runs through Jackie’s veins …” Cadence grew silent, committing her next move to her mental Rolodex.

  “Jackie needs to see a therapist,” Cadence said, putting her focus back on the main issue. “She did that so comfortably in front of everyone that I don’t think she even realizes it’s wrong.” Cadence swept her fingertips across Jackson’s knuckles. “I’ll help with her as much as I can, while I can.”

  He moved closer and pulled Cadence into his arms. “Thank you.”

  Even in the despairing moment, Jackson felt good against her body. She’d always been a sucker for his touch. His breath moistened the flesh on her neck as she returned his embrace.

  “You should call Braelyn,” Cadence suggested. “She needs to know what we’re doing with Jackie.”

  “I want to strangle her right now. Putting herself in danger is one thing, but a child, is unacceptable,” Jackson said, pulling the cell from his pocket. He held it out to Cadence.

  “Braelyn’s the kind of baggage you pray gets lost and never found,” she said pushing the phone toward his chest. “I’m sure she’d rather hear from you than me.”

  Chapter 12

  “Good morning, Mike,” Cadence greeted over the phone while sitting in the car with her husband and Jackie outside of the pediatrician’s office. “I’m taking a personal day. I’ll be in early tomorrow to prep for our Skype meeting with Canada.”

  “Do you feel alright?” Mike asked. “In the seven years you’ve been here, I’ve never known you to call-in.”

  “Yes,” she responded, lifting an index finger to her lips to silence Jackie who’d been tapping her shoulder. “I have some business that must be tended to, today.”

  “This deal with Canada should be your main focus, right now,” he reminded her.

  “It is,” she countered. “I’ll see you first thing in the morning.”

  Cadence ended the call, then turned to Jackie.

  “My mommy’s here.” She pointed as Braelyn approached the car.

  They agreed to let Braelyn schedule the appointment for Jackie’s physical. Fewer questions would be raised. They lied and said Jackie had a urinary tract infection and had passed blood when she urinated, ensuring the doctor would examine the outside of her vagina for any cuts or scrapes. Braelyn and Jackson would be in the room the entire time.r />
  Cadence gestured for Jackson to take Jackie to the side.

  “Braelyn, have a seat,” Cadence said nodding to the passenger side. “I need some answers. We’re about to step into serious shit, and I’m not putting my ass on the line for a lie.”

  “What’s the question?” she asked closing the door.

  “How was Jackie conceived?”

  “I–––”

  “Don’t lie to me,” Cadence snapped. “You’re willing to destroy my marriage because he chose me. He can’t undo that. Lester could get all up in his feelings and kill every last one of us if we don’t have our shit together.”

  “I … I um.”

  “Yes?”

  “I was artificially inseminated with his sperm.”

  Cadence’s head fell back into the headrest. “How did you know it was his?”

  “I paid extra,” Braelyn admitted, gazing out of the window at Jackie. “The intake nurse helped me. All of it cost so much, paying her––– paying for the treatments. I ran out of money, and then my family disowned me.” Braelyn sighed. “I thought getting pregnant would keep him from marrying you since he wanted kids and you didn’t.

  Yet he married me anyway.

  “Let’s go,” Jackson said, tapping on the glass. “We’re going to be late.”

  Cadence stayed in the car while the trio went inside. She’d be lying if she said it didn’t make her hair follicles weak watching them stroll off like a happy family. She took the alone time to absorb what Braelyn told her and to weigh her options.

  She dialed the office.

  “Mike.”

  “Ah, you changed your mind,” he said with a pep in his voice.

  “No,” she corrected. “I’m declining the job offer.”

  After a long pause, Mike asked, “Are you certain?”

  Cadence closed her eyes and gripped the steering wheel. “Yes.”

  Although she hadn’t signed up to be Jackie’s stepmom, she was invested in her well-being. Cadence plucked her checkbook from her purse and wrote a check to Braelyn for twenty-thousand dollars.