by Tina Martin
“I know what I said.”
“Then why are you so curious as to whether or not I’m pregnant?”
“Look at me,” Desmond told her.
When she looked at him, she studied his face, feeling her heart yearn for him. If only he could love her the way she loved him. They could be a happy family, but she knew Desmond wasn’t a family man.
“Are you pregnant?” he asked again.
Sherita nodded.
“Is that a yes?” Desmond asked.
“Yes, Desmond. I’m pregnant.”
Desmond swallowed hard. He glanced at her stomach and for the moment, he was at a loss for words, feeling joy settle in his heart. “Do you know the gender?”
“Yes. I just found out this morning, actually. It’s a girl.”
Desmond smiled. “A girl.”
“Yes. And a boy.”
“A girl and a boy?” he asked, seeking clarification.
“Yes.”
“We’re having twins?”
Sherita nodded silently, watching his eyes roll down to her stomach.
When his eyes connected with hers again, he asked, “May I touch?”
She nodded again. When she felt Desmond lift her blouse, she nearly fainted. The sensation of his warm hand against her stomach had all of the nerves in her body in chaos. Her stomach quivered. So did her legs. And then she gasped. She hadn’t felt his touch in a long time, and she missed it. Missed him.
“There are two babies here?” he asked. When he did so, he thought about what Dante had told him, how that picture of himself, Sherita, Grace and Ezra had foreshadowed his life. Now he knew exactly what he meant.
“Yes.”
“But your stomach is so flat,” he said, still touching her there.
“It won’t be in another month or so.”
A smile touched his lips.
“And since you seem to want to be a part of their lives, I guess we need to discuss how we’re going to co-parent.”
He frowned. “Co-parent?”
“Yes. I’m moving to South Carolina and—”
“No, Sherita,” Desmond said, sitting on the sofa again. “I want to watch my children grow up.”
“And you’ll be able to do so. I won’t keep them away from you.”
“I mean starting right now, Sherita. Not after they’re born, but now. I want to watch your stomach grow. I have that right, don’t I? I want to be at the appointments. I want my children to know me…to know my voice. Packing your bags and leaving right now is not the best thing for our family.”
“Then—”
“I want you here. With me,” Desmond said. “You and my children belong with me.”
Sherita shook her head. She knew he was right. She couldn’t argue that point. After all, they were his babies, too. But since she also knew he had been anti-children since they met, she didn’t think he would care that she wanted to leave. And who told him she was pregnant?
“Sherita.”
Sherita came out of a blank stare and looked at him. “Yes?”
“Have you heard anything I’ve said?”
“Yes, but—”
“Then you know you can’t take my family away from me, don’t you?”
“Yes, Desmond,” she responded. It was the way he had wanted her to respond, so she did. It didn’t matter how she felt anymore. Now, there were children to consider and whether he was using them as another way to have power over her wasn’t for her to say.
“So you’ll stay?” he asked.
“I guess I have no choice. But I’m only doing this for the babies, Desmond. There is no more us.”
“I know that, Sherita. You’ve made that perfectly clear when you told my entire family you didn’t love me. I’m not doing this for us. I’m doing this for my children.” It was a lie. He was doing this for his children, but also for her. He had every intent on winning her heart again. It would take a lot of convincing on his part but when he was done with her, she’d be his forever.
“If I’m staying here, I’m changing the locks on the apartment door.”
Shaking his head, Desmond said, “No.”
“Des—”
“You don’t need the locks changed because that’s not where you’re going to be sleeping.”
“It is where—”
“No.”
“Will you stop interrupting me? I would like to finish a sentence for once,” Sherita said.
He stared at her then the said, “Sorry. You have the floor.”
“What I was trying to say is, I’m not sharing a bed with you. You and I are done. Now, I would like the locks changed.”
He silently stared at her for a few moments then asked, “Can I speak now?”
Sherita blew a breath.
Desmond continued, “What I was trying to say was, there’s no need to have the locks changed because you will not be sleeping there. You’ll be in the bedroom down the hallway from mine. That way, I can assist you when it becomes necessary, and you’ll have full access to the house.”
“Oh, now I’m good enough to have full access…”
“You had it before, Sherita.”
“Yeah, well…”
Exhaling sharply, he said, “I’m going to move your things from there to your new bedroom. And if you have ultrasound pictures, I want to see them.”
Sherita stood up. “I have to get some things from my car. If you can tell me where you would like me, I can move my stuff.”
“I’ll show you the room, and don’t worry about getting the things from your car. I’ll take care of it.”
CHAPTER 39
Desmond drove back to the office after moving all of her things from her car and the basement to her new bedroom upstairs. The time was after six, but he knew Dante would still be there. Tapping on his opened office door to get his attention, he stepped in and said, “Now I know what you meant by that picture.”
Dante dropped an ink pen and gave his brother his full attention. “She told you.”
“She did.”
“So, now what?”
Desmond sighed. “Well, I’ve convinced her to stay with me for now but—” Desmond rubbed his hand across his head.
“What is it, man?” Dante asked.
“I don’t want her to stay because she feels obligated…because she thinks I will try to take the kids away from her.”
“Is that how she feels?”
“I don’t know. That’s what I’m guessing. I can read her so well. Most times I know what she’s thinking before she opens her mouth.”
“So what is she thinking, Des?”
“That I don’t love her, and the only reason I want her around is because she’s pregnant.”
“Is that the only reason you want her around?”
Desmond stuffed his hands inside of his pockets. “No. I love her. I told you that.”
Dante smirked.
“I’m glad you find this humorous,” Desmond said angrily.
“I don’t find it funny, Des. I just never thought I’d see the day when my little brother fell so hard for someone. And you have two children on the way, man. Two.”
Desmond smiled at the thought of two children running around the house.
“Handling Sherita is easy. All you have to do is show her that you love her like you say you do. Don’t tell her. Show her. I know this is new territory for you but just look at it this way – the woman you love is having your children. She’s using her body as a vessel to increase the size of the Champion family. Show her you appreciate that. It was hard enough for Emily to carry one baby. Your wife has two growing inside of her.”
Your wife…
Desmond thought quietly.
“Yes, she’s going to be moody and irascible at times,” Dante continued. “She’s pregnant, and on top of that she has to deal with you.”
Dante grinned. When his cell phone buzzed, he looked at the display and said, “It’s Emily…I have to take this.”
“Yep�
�I’m going to be in my office for a few.”
CHAPTER 40
“Hey, just got off of the phone with Dante,” Emily said, holding her cell phone to her ear with her left shoulder while changing Ezra’s diaper. “He’ll be here in an hour. I’ll come pick you up, okay?”
“Okay,” Sherita said. “Just call me when you’re outside.”
“Will do. Hey, is Desmond there, by the way?”
“No. He left about an hour ago. Why?”
“Just curious. Anyway, I’ll call you when I pull up.”
“I’ll be waiting.
* * *
“So that’s why I decided to stay,” Sherita said.
She was sitting across from Emily at a restaurant, had just finished a salad and was filling Emily in on the events of the day.
“Okay, first of all, they’re your babies, too. You don’t have to cater to Desmond. Don’t get me wrong…I don’t want you to leave but if that’s what you want to do—”
“I’ve already made up my mind, Emily. And I don’t feel like he bullied me into this. I just think it’s the right thing to do. I had both of my parents in my life, and I want the same for my children.”
Emily nodded.
“I’m just not sure if living with him is a good idea. He wants me to sleep in the bedroom that’s closest to his room like he wanted me to be near him in case anything happened. In case of an emergency. I just…” Sherita shook her head. “It baffles me how he can go from not wanting children to wanting to see my stomach grow.”
“Aw,” Emily said, covering her heart with her right hand. “Desmond said that?”
“Yes.”
Leaning forward, Emily asked, “Desmond Champion said that?”
Sherita giggled. “Yes, he did.”
“I knew it. I knew he wanted children of his own. Men are crazy, girl.”
Sherita laughed. “Some more so than others.”
“But he loves you, though,” Emily said.
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because he said he did. Like I told you before…that’s probably the first time he’s ever said those words to a woman, and you shot him down cold.”
“I only did to him what he did to me.”
“But two wrongs don’t make a right, you know,” Emily said.
“I know, Emily.”
Emily took a sip of water. “I’m just happy he wants to be a part of their lives.”
“Honestly, I am too…just wish it was under better circumstances.”
“Girl, everything is going to be fine. You just focus on staying healthy, getting your rest and making sure those babies are well fed.”
Sherita smiled. “I will.”
* * *
Emily pulled up into the driveway at her house and saw Desmond’s motorcycle parked out front. “Oh snap…looks like your man is here, Sherita.”
Sherita looked up and saw Desmond’s motorcycle, feeling her heartbeats become rapid. She stepped out of the car and walking inside the foyer, she followed Emily to the kitchen where the men looked to be in deep conversation.
Desmond broke away from his conversation with Dante briefly to lock eyes with Sherita the moment she came into view. Earlier, when he returned home and didn’t find Sherita there, panic set in. He searched the entire house from – from her new bedroom to her old basement apartment. Then he called her phone, only to find that she’d left it on her nightstand. He was worried.
Pacing her bedroom floor, he finally dialed Dante and found out that Sherita was with Emily. He felt relieved. Seeing her now brought him even more relief.
“Sherita,” he said, hopping off of a barstool, walking closer to her.
“Yes?”
“I need you to keep your phone with you.” He took her phone from his pocket and handed it to her. “I had no idea where you were when I arrived home and when I dialed your number, I heard your cell phone ringing from your bedroom.”
Was that worry in his eyes? Sherita held his vision and said, “Sorry, I meant to grab it. It just slipped my mind.”
He stared at her for a moment, aching to touch her, stroke her hair, make some sort of contact before asking, “So what are your plans now?”
“Emily is going to drop me off at home. She just had to stop by here for a second.”
“Well, you could ride home with me…save her the trip.”
“But you drove the motorcycle.”
He smiled wide. “I did.”
“Then I’m not riding with you. I don’t even have a helmet.”
“You can use mine.”
“How? My head is not as big as yours.” Sherita grinned.
Desmond did too. “It’ll fit just fine, Sherita.”
“And what will you wear?” Sherita asked.
“Nothing. I’ll be fine until we get home.”
“Des, you don’t have to do that,” Dante told him.
“Yeah,” Emily agreed. “It’s not a problem. I had already planned on dropping her off anyway.”
“It’s okay guys,” Sherita said. “I’ll be okay with Des. Plus, I’ve never ridden a motorcycle before, and in a few months, I won’t be able to, so why not?”
Desmond’s lips slowly curled into a smile.
“Desmond, you better take care of her,” Emily ordered.
“I’ll protect her with my life,” Desmond replied.
Sherita followed him to the foyer. Before securing the helmet on her head, she said softly, “I’ll help you on the motorcycle, and I need you to hold on tight to me, you know, like you do when we make love, Sherita.”
If she was made of glass, she would’ve shattered. Desmond always knew what to say to make her lose her senses and apparently her footing as she stumbled to stand up straight again.
“Are you all right?” he asked her.
“Yes. I’m fine.”
“You sure?”
“Yes, Desmond. I’m sure.”
He secured the helmet on her head and, outside now, he helped her onto the bike, then straddled onto it, gripping the handle bars. He reached back for her hands, pulling her arms around his torso, then said, “Hold on,” loud enough for her to hear him.
Sherita leaned forward, resting her head against him, closing her eyes while the current of him, the manliness of him took over her senses along with the rumbling of the motorcycle. And while she held on to him, feeling his hard abs with her hands and the thick muscles of his back against her chest while smelling his scent – one in which she had grown to love – she wondered how she would ever love another man. He’d ruined her chances of that.
Desmond slowed to round a curve, and she squeezed him tighter, her thighs pressing firmly against his. And then came a flashback – the first time they made love. She’d willingly given him her innocence. He, in turn, had given her a part of him that he’d never given another woman, his seed, his babies, and after she gave birth to them, their relationship, their marriage would be no more.
Turning into his driveway, Desmond drove the motorcycle inside of the garage. He helped Sherita off of it then watched as she pulled the helmet off of her head.
“How was it?” he asked her.
“It was okay,” she said, sadly. “I’m tired. I’m going to bed.”
“Sherita,” Desmond said, but she kept on walking.
In the kitchen now, Sherita took a bottle of water from the refrigerator then pushed it shut.
“Sherita,” Desmond said, stepping into the kitchen.
“Yes?”
“Are you okay?”
No, I’m not okay! “Yes. I’m just tired. See you in the morning.”
“Can I have a hug first?” he asked.
Sherita walked over to him and wrapped her arms tight around him, same as she had done on the motorcycle.
“Thank you for trusting me,” he told her, his chin resting on top of her head as he held her in his loving embrace.
“Thank you for the ride,” she said, pulling away from his embrace and contin
uing on to her bedroom.
CHAPTER 41
“You’re up early,” Desmond said, sauntering into the kitchen seeing Sherita sitting at the breakfast nook, eating oatmeal and strawberries. Even the simple act of watching her eat had him thinking about the last time he kissed her lips. It had been two weeks. To say he longed to taste them again was an understatement. He would devour them if he could.
Sherita looked up at him, watching him walk closer to her. Shirtless. He was wearing a pair of gray cotton shorts, looking as tasty as her breakfast. The sight of him sent a shiver down her spine. She didn’t know what it was about Desmond that affected her so deeply. Did the man have some sort of a spell on her, or was it the fact that she was carrying his babies that left her like putty in his hands?
Finally, she cleared her throat and said, “Uh, umm…yeah I have a full day planned, so—”
“A full day.” Desmond pulled out a chair, sitting directly across from her.
She felt her breathing quicken. Why did he have to sit there? Surely he knew what his presence did to her. “Yes. I have to go by the storage to pick up my photo albums.”
“Oh, yes. The photos. I still want to see those, by the way.”
“Well, you’ll get a chance to once I bring them back here.”
“Maybe we can look at them together. Tonight.”
She shrugged. “Maybe.” She bit into a strawberry.
Desmond watched as her lips wrapped around the fruit, thinking all kinds of thoughts. He wanted to kiss her then and there. He wanted to taste the strawberry juice on her lips and in her mouth. “Sherita.”
“Yes?” she said, looking up at him while tossing the rest of the strawberry inside of her mouth.
His eyes rolled down to her lips then back up to her eyes. “What happened last night?”
“What do you mean?”
“After the motorcycle ride, you seemed upset. Did it make you queasy? Did it hurt? I don’t know exactly what to ask, but I know something wasn’t right.”
After she’d finished chewing, she said, “Honestly, it was the first time we’d been that close in a long time, and I just had a moment.”