Second Chance (A Secret Baby Romance Novel)

by Carter, Charity

  “I ain’t no rat, but since you won’t cut me a break, I’ll tell you. There’s this kid named Cole Maxwell at my school. He doesn’t like me very much, and he decided to do something about it after school.”

  “And,” I said, standing up out of my chair. “What else happened?”

  “Well, he came up behind me and shoved me down in the parking lot. I wasn’t going to be some punk so I jumped up and let him know he messed with the wrong guy.”

  There was something inside of me that was proud to have a son who wasn’t afraid to stick up for himself. Hearing the words come out of his mouth reminded me of something I would have said when I was his age. I’d lost count of the times when my brothers or I came home with bloodied lips and bruised bodies. Eventually, everyone in school learned not to mess with us. Things seemed different with CJ, though. My brothers and I never actively went looking for trouble, but if someone started it, we knew how to finish things.

  “CJ, you shouldn’t be fighting. That doesn’t solve any of your problems.”

  “You don’t think so?” he asked sarcastically while he shrugged his shoulders. “I think it did. I don’t think Cole will be talking smack about me or trying to pick on me anymore. It’s been happening since I got here and I wasn’t going to deal with it anymore.”

  “This has been happening since you got here? Your mom didn’t mention anything like that to me.”

  “That’s because she didn’t know. I already told you I ain’t no snitch. I don’t need my momma fighting my battles for me anyway.”

  “I’m sure you don’t, but there’s a right way to handle things and a wrong way to handle things. If you decide you’re going to fight again, and I find out, I’ll come straight to the school and haul both of your asses in here. Not only will I have you in here after school, but I’ll put you to work on the weekends also. I won’t stand for kids in my community acting like fools.”

  I wanted to say that I wasn’t going to stand for my son acting like a fool, but chose to bite my tongue, even though it was harder than I thought it would be.

  “Yeah, whatever you say. So what am I supposed to do today?”

  “Since you enjoyed it so much last time, I need you to get these bathrooms cleaned. When you’re done with that, meet me back out here, and I’ll have some paperwork for you to file.”

  He grumbled as he went off to gather the cleaning materials from the janitor’s closet, but he didn’t say anything else to me. Once he was out of the room, I noticed Officer McKade shooting me a questioning look.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “That kid, where do we know him from?”

  “We don’t.”

  “We don’t? There sure is something incredibly familiar about him, don’t you think?”

  I knew exactly what he was saying. I also knew that he’d probably had a look at CJ’s file before I came into the station. I’d known him for a long time. We were friends before either of us decided to get into law enforcement. In his mind, he may have already put everything together and was looking for me to confirm his suspicion. I wasn’t about to let that cat out of the bag; I’d already told most of my family, though I should have probably waited until CJ knew.

  “You only think that because he was just in here yesterday.”

  I really wanted that to be the end of the conversation, but I knew that wouldn’t be the case when he started laughing under his breath.

  “You know damn good and well that I’m not saying that because he was here yesterday. I’m talking about how much he looks like your family. He looks quite a bit like your brothers, but he really resembles you quite a bit. You got anything you want to tell me?”

  I tried to prevent my lips from curling into a smile, but that proved unsuccessful. The thing was, I didn’t need to tell Officer McKade a thing. He’d already figured out plenty by himself.

  “Nope, I can’t think of anything that I need to get off my chest.”

  McKade starting laughing. “Do I need to remind you that nobody in this town can keep a secret? It’s not like it’s going to be hard to figure out that kid’s yours. As soon as people figure it out, that kid’s gonna know about it.”

  “That’s exactly what I’m hoping for.”

  Not wanting to explain what I meant to McKade, I left the room so I could go and check on CJ. He had a pair of ear buds in, listening to music while he mopped the bathroom. Surprisingly, the kid was a hard worker and a pretty damn good one. I hadn’t planned to make him stay very long, especially on the first day, but I had a feeling that he was actually enjoying the fact that he had a job to do. It was like he took pride in what he was doing, even though there was no way he’d ever admit it. It made me wonder if he had any responsibilities at home. I’d have to ask Latrice because I had a strong feeling that if he had something to keep him busy, he wouldn’t be able to get into as much trouble.

  “All done here. Did you say you had some filing for me to do?”

  “I did, but I’ll have the receptionist take care of that. You did a good job today,” I told him as he began to wheel the mop bucket out of the bathroom. “You can go ahead and head home and I’ll see you back tomorrow. I expect you to arrive on time.”

  “Yeah, okay. I just want you to know that I think it’s stupid that I have to come here after school. I don’t like it,” he scowled as he grabbed his backpack and flung it over his shoulder.

  “That’s unfortunate. Just think, if you had been in school instead of going out and getting into trouble, you wouldn’t have to come here at all.”

  He glared at me, this time not being afraid to lock eyes with me. I could see the anger in his eyes and could feel that he was dying to be defiant the first chance he got.

  “Whatever you say. How long do I have to do this for?”

  “How long do you think it will take before you learn your lesson?”

  “I think I’ve learned it.”

  “Good, but I know you’re full of it, and you’re not getting off that easy.”

  “I don’t like coming here!” he shouted.

  “I know. You’ve already mentioned that to me. You’re spinning your wheels, kid. There’s no need to repeat things. Since you got in trouble, what you like and don’t like aren’t really my concern. You broke the law, and now you’re dealing with your punishment. For now, I think you need to be getting home before your mom begins to worry.”

  “My mom’s going to worry no matter what. That’s what she does.”

  I saw that statement as my opening. It was my first chance to show CJ that we were more alike than he thought and take my first step towards bonding with him.

  “That’s what all mothers do, buddy. Hell, I have four brothers, and I know we had our mother in a constant state of worry when we were growing up.”

  “Four brothers? That’s a lot,” he replied as though that was the most amazing thing he’d ever heard.

  “Yep. I’ve got a sister too, so there are six of us in total. I’m the oldest of all the kids.”

  “It must be cool to have brothers. At my house, it’s just my momma and me.”

  “Sometimes it was nice, but having a big family wasn’t always what it’s cracked up to be. We’re all a lot closer now that we’re older, though. Anyway, to answer your question, I’ll have you come in for a week. I think that’ll be enough to make you think twice before trying to throw things at cars again.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Of course, if I find out you’ve been fighting again, the deal is off. I can’t stand for something like that.”

  “That’s fine. I’ll make sure word doesn’t get back to you,” he smirked.

  Before I could say another word to him, he raced out the door, jumped on his bike and disappeared.

  * * *

  Latrice

  “Take it easy, momma!”

  “Does that hurt?”

  “Yeah, it hurts like hell!”

  “Good! Maybe that’ll teach you not to be fighting,” I t
old my hard-headed son as I leaned over him angrily and worked on cleaning up the abrasions that covered his face. He had a small gash above his eye and a few scratches on his cheek. “And don’t use that language in front of me.”

  “Sorry, Momma.”

  “You’re going to be sorry if I find out you’ve been fighting again. If you think going down to juvenile is a bad punishment, it’ll look like a walk in the park by the time I get done with you.”

  “It wasn’t my fault, though. He started it.”

  “Then you should have shown you were the better person and walked away from the situation.”

  “You don’t get it, momma. That’s not how things work. If I don’t fight, everybody will think I’m a punk and things will get worse. God, why did we have to come here, momma? I told you I didn’t want to come. I told you I’d hate it here. At least I had friends back home.”

  “Baby, those people were not your friends. They were just there to take advantage of you and talk you into doing things you knew you shouldn’t be doing. And so what if somebody thinks you’re a punk. Are you a punk?”

  “No, I ain’t no punk,” he straightened his shirt before throwing his hands onto his knees.

  “As long as you know you’re not a punk, that’s all that matters. Let everyone else think what they want. I know better and you know better. Hell, you’ve been the man of the house since you’ve been born.”

  “It’s not like that, though. Things are different when I’m home with you. I don’t have everyone attempting to try me and talk smack to me.”

  “CJ, you’re ten years old. Why are you even talking about people trying you?”

  “That’s what they do. If they think you’re a punk, they’ll always be trying to get one over on you. I don’t need the other kids at school thinking I’ll put up with that.”

  “I can guarantee you that you don’t have any punk in you at all. You’re way too much like your daddy to be a punk,” I told him as I walked into the bathroom to put away the peroxide and bandages.

  The trap had been set, and all that was left to do was see how long it would take CJ to take the bait. I stood there waiting, and sure enough, he was right behind me within seconds.

  “What did you mean by that?”

  “What did I mean by what?”

  “Why did you say that I’m like my daddy?”

  “Because you are.”

  “Okay, but why did you bring him up?”

  “What do you mean? Am I never supposed to bring him up?”

  “No, I didn’t say that. It’s just that it’s been a long time since you’ve done it.”

  “The only reason I haven’t brought him up is because you haven’t asked about him in a long time. Tonight, you were talking about being a punk, and it reminded me of him.”

  “It did? Why?”

  “Honestly? Your dad was probably one of the strongest, bravest men I’d ever met.”

  Right then, I saw something I hadn’t seen in a long time. CJ smiled. Hearing that his daddy wasn’t just some loser I used to know may have been a relief. It seemed to make him happy to know that his dad wasn’t some kind of a pushover.

  “He’s brave? Was he in the army or something?”

  I smiled right along with him. My son had an amazing fascination with anything having to do with the military.

  “No, he wasn’t in the military. Do you ever wonder about your daddy?’

  “Not really. I mean, sometimes I do, but it’s not like I can miss someone I’ve never known.”

  “That’s true, but I think you and I should have a talk about him.”

  “About what?”

  “Well, I’ve been thinking a lot about him since we moved back here, and I’m trying to make a decision about something. I don’t want to make the decision on my own, though. I’d like you to help me.”

  CJ lifted his head, seemingly surprised that I was asking his opinion on something. “What do you need me to help you make a decision about?”

  “I’m trying to decide whether or not it’s a good idea to tell your dad about you.”

  His eyes widened with surprise. “What a minute. Do you know where my dad is?”

  “Yes, I’ve never not known where he was. I’ve never tried to tell you any different. Don’t you remember how I’ve always told you that if you wanted me to reach out to your father for you, all you needed to do was tell me?”

  “I know you’ve always said that, but I figured you were just telling me what you thought I wanted to hear. I didn’t think you’d ever actually do it,” he said softly, in a voice barely above a whisper. He looked at me with uncertainty in his eyes.

  “Is that why it’s been so long since you’ve said anything about him?” I questioned, reaching out, barely touching his arm. “You’ve thought I’ve just been lying to you all this time?”

  “I didn’t think you were lying to hurt me, I just figured maybe you thought I was too young to understand or something.”

  “Oh no, baby. When it comes to something like this, I would never tell you anything that wasn’t true. Why don’t we go have a seat at the kitchen table and have a talk?”

  CJ paused at first, looking unsure as to whether or not this was something he wanted to do. “A talk about my dad?”

  “Yes, a talk about your dad. There’s a lot of things that I’d like for you to know about him.”

  He followed me into the kitchen, sitting down at the opposite side of the table.

  “I just want to start by telling you that everything I’ve ever said about your daddy has been the absolute truth. I dated him when we were younger, and we kept dating all through high school, here in Kansas City. I always thought I was going to marry him, but he had other ideas that I couldn’t compete with.”

  “Like what?”

  “This is what I wanted to talk to you about. I’ve always wanted to be honest with you about your dad, and I want to be honest about why we didn’t work out. Your daddy was known to get into quite a bit of trouble when he was younger. He wasn’t in a gang exactly, but there was a group of guys that he always hung around, and they always got into trouble. I begged him for years to stop doing what he was doing, but he always chose his boys over me. On the night when I was going to tell him about you, he ditched me and ended up getting arrested. He didn’t get out of juvenile for a while, and I wanted a better life for you than what he was into. I left before he got out so he never got to find out about you.”

  So far, I’d been able to keep my promise. Everything I’d told him up until that point had been true. Unfortunately, the honesty was going to have to end there. The next thing I told him was going to be a lie, but it was going to be a lie that Chance had convinced me that CJ needed to believe.

  “Up until now, your dad still doesn’t know anything about you. That’s why I need you to help me.”

  He looked up at me, confused as ever. “I don’t understand. What am I supposed to help you with?”

  “I need your help figuring out what I should. I just found out that your dad still lives here.”

  “He’s here? In Kansas City?” His voice was shaky like he was scared, yet I could also sense the excitement in his voice.

  “Yes, he is. It turns out that while he was in juvenile, he made a decision that he was going to change his life and be a better person. From what I can tell, he’s completely turned his life around. I want to make sure that I’m being fair to everyone involved. You’re getting old enough to understand things, and he is also older and more mature. I’ve been thinking that maybe I should tell him about you.”

  “I guess that’s all right,” he told me, his body language changing quickly. He had a look I didn’t normally see in his eyes. It was a look of fear. “But what if you tell him about me, and he doesn’t want to have anything to do with me?”

  “He would be stupid to not want anything to do with you, but if he happened to say something like that, I don’t think he’d be the type of person we wanted in our lives an
yway. I’m more worried what he’s going to say to me when he finds out I’ve kept you a secret for so long. He was always close to his family, so I can’t imagine he’s going to be very happy with me.”

  “Do you think things would have been different if you would have been able to tell him about me?”

  “That’s a hard question to answer. I’d like to think that it would have. Knowing that he’s turned his life around, I could see him changing earlier if he knew you were coming. There’s no point in thinking about any of that, though. It’s not like he and I could ever have a life together now. It’s been too long since we’ve been together. That’s not true for you, though. I’m sure once I tell him about you, he’ll want to be in your life. Before I do that, I need to know what you think.”

  “I don’t know. Won’t it be weird for you, momma?”

  “This isn’t about what’s weird for me. It’s about doing what’s best for you.”

  “I’m fine with it if you are.”

  “I’m definitely fine with it.”

  We sat in silence for a few minutes. I’m sure he was trying to process our conversation. “So how long do you think it would take before I could meet him?” he finally asked.

  The question caught me off guard, and I decided I didn’t want to put it off any longer.

  “You’ve already met him, son.”

  “Huh? What do you mean I’ve already met him?”

  “You met him yesterday at the juvenile office. Officer Sparks is your dad.”

  Chapter Five

  Latrice

  “Officer Sparks?” CJ yelled as he pushed himself up out of his chair and stood right in front of me, inches from my face. “There is no way that man can be my dad. It’s not possible.”

  “I know this might be a little shocking now, but I promise you that he’s your father.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “It’s him, baby. I would know better than anybody.”

  “Please tell me you’re kidding. This has to be a prank like I see on YouTube. I don’t want that man to be my dad,” he huffed.