Circle of Deception 2

by Skye, M.

  “I don’t know anyone here. That crazy woman swore I knew her, but I...” When Maria approached, he stopped in midsentence. She looked at him and her eyes began to twitch. He placed his hand to his head as all the memories flooded into his brain. He closed his eyes tightly and stood stumbling with each step. When he reached out and touched Maria’s face, he sighed in relief. “Maria.”

  She shivered at his touch. “Richard.”

  “Richard?” both Alex and Emilio said in unison.

  “Yes, Richard,” Maria replied and fainted.

  “Aw, hell,” Alex replied, looking between the expressions on both Meg and Emilio’s faces.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Matt paced around in the living room as he waited for Melia to get home from work. They had been living under the same roof for days now, and had yet to discuss anything as far as their future. He knew he still loved her, but their problems were very real. The baby had come at an awkward time in their lives, but he was all set to be there for her no matter what. He needed her to know he was going to be the best father to their new baby no matter what the circumstances were.

  When she walked in, he smiled and motioned for her to join him after taking a seat on the couch. He looked her over, she looked tired, but her beauty still shone through. He watched as she slipped her jacket off and waited as she got settled. When she looked and saw his intent gaze, she looked nervous all of a sudden, and he tried to offer her a genuine smile to put her at ease. Before she could comment, he moved his hand to her stomach.

  “How do you feel today?”

  “The baby has had me running back and forth to the bathroom, but other than that I’m okay.”

  “That’s good, I mean about you feeling okay, not the running to the bathroom,” he laughed nervously.

  “Thank you,” she smiled at him adoringly. “What about you? How has your day been?”

  Matt sat back and looked at her with a huge grin. “It was fine, I hope you don’t mind, but I prepared dinner for us. I thought we should talk about everything. We’ve been avoiding this conversation.”

  Melia looked down and stood from the couch. If she was going to get her heart broken, she didn’t want to do it over a long drawn out dinner. She wanted to go ahead and rip the band aid off and climb into her bed. When Matt saw her defensive stance, he rushed to pull her to him. “Sweetie, don’t think that way. I just want to talk to you, I swear. I just need you to hear me out.”

  When she looked in his eyes, she saw the sincerity and dropped her guard. She knew he was genuine in his offer, but she had to protect her feelings. Where he was concerned, they were all over the place. When he placed his hands on her shoulders, she allowed herself to fall into his embrace. “I’m sorry, I just have a lot on my mind. We can sit down if you still want to.”

  “I would love to, sweetheart.”

  When she reached the table, he pulled her chair out and she sat down. After securing her in a seat, he emerged from the kitchen with two plates. She grinned at his attempt and was appreciative of the gesture. He had prepared them steak and potatoes, her favorite. Her mouth began to water, and she giggled to herself. The baby had really increased her appetite, and before he even got to his seat, she had her fork and knife in hand. When he saw her he laughed as well. “You’re hungry, aren’t you?”

  “Yeah,” she chuckled. “This baby makes me greedy.”

  “Sweetie, you were always greedy.”

  “Shut up,” she tossed her napkin at him. He continued to watch her as she ate and enjoyed the sight. They were happy in that moment, it almost felt like it did in the beginning. She watched him watching her and couldn’t tear her eyes away. He was amazing, and she couldn’t bring herself to think about the possibility of saying goodbye. After the talks she had with both her parents, she saw how stupid she was being. They were all right about her, she was spoiled and ungrateful in the past. Now, faced with having to give Matt up, she was ready to be any and everything he needed. Men like him didn’t come easily.

  She was submerged in her thoughts and when she looked down into her empty plate, she knew it was time to face the music. When she looked over, she saw him reaching for a file and shuddered. When he put it on the table, she reached for it slowly, holding her breath the entire time. “What’s this?”

  Matt sighed and flipped it open. “It’s an agreement. I had Alex draw it up. It covers all your hospital costs after insurance and I’ve set up trusts for the children. If you keep reading, you will see that I’m giving you six of my ten million dollar trust and splitting everything else with you down the middle. You can keep all the cars except the one I drive and the house is yours. I hope this works for you, I just want you and the kids to be taken care of.”

  She looked over his generous offer and pushed the folder up. Looking at it in black and white made it all so real to her, and she couldn’t hold herself together. Instead of letting him see her tears, she stood to walk away. When she started for the stairs, he watched, wanting to reach for her, but sat frozen in his fears. He thought he was doing the right thing by showing her that he had a plan, but he had miscalculated her feelings. He knew this was going to be a hard process, but he didn’t want to keep holding her back. She deserved to be happy, and he wouldn’t be the reason she wasn’t.

  Matt hit the top of the stairs and was heartbroken to hear her sobbing in her room. He gently pushed the door open, but she didn’t turn to face him, she just kept her head buried in the pillow she was laying on. When he ran his hand down her back, she cried louder. “Mel, I know it’s hard, but it’s for the best. We need to move on, you know I love you, but I can’t make you stay with me if you’re not happy. If you’re not content with the agreement, then we can adjust it. I’ll give you whatever you need to make sure our children have the best life.”

  “Where is Cici?” she whimpered.

  “With Alli. Meg said it was okay for her to spend the night.”

  “Matt, if you don’t mind, I would like to just lay down. I don’t feel well.”

  “Do you need something?”

  “No, just rest.”

  “Okay, let me know if you need me,” he replied and stroked her hair as he stood to leave.

  She sat up and watched as he vacated the room. She wanted to call out to him, but her words were muted. As she watched him walk away, her mother’s words rang in her mind. Fight for what you want, fight for what you need. She stood from the bed with new determination and walked to the door. When she pulled it open, she took a deep breath and walked down the hall towards the guest room Matt was sleeping in.

  He was lying in the bed looking out of the window when she laid down next to him, taking his hand in hers. He was surprised to see her, but when she touched him, he just held her tight and sighed. “It’s going to be okay, I promise. One day we will look back at this and know we did the right thing. It’s not healthy to stay in something that doesn’t work. I love you enough to let you be free.”

  “None of it works, we will have to make some changes to the agreement.”

  “Just tell me what you need, I’ll make it happen.”

  “I need it all to go away. I don’t want any of it.”

  He turned to face her and positioned his hands on her cheeks. “Sweetheart, you have to take something, you are the mother of my children. I’m going to make sure you’re taken care of. I won’t accept no for an answer.”

  “I don’t want your money. I have money, I need you, and I want you.”

  “Baby, we’ve been over this, I won’t make you stay.”

  “And you can’t make me go either. I love you, I want you, I miss you,” she touched his face. “You’re the only man for me, and I’ve been stupid all this time. I don’t want any of this without you. I want us to raise our children together as a family.”

  “You don’t have to worry, Mel, I’m going to be here for you. You don’t have to stay with me for the kids. We will still be a family, I promise you.”

  “M
att,” she huffed. “Stop being so damn noble. You’re not leaving me, I won’t let you. I’ll never agree to anything that means us being apart. You’re not splitting up our family.” When he remained silent, she stood from the bed and walked out of the room briskly.

  When he finally came to grips with the situation, he jumped up and raced after her. He reached the bottom of the stairs to find her with the folder he presented and a bottle of vodka in her hands. Before he could reach her, she walked out their side door and tossed the folder on the pavement, dousing it with the vodka and lighting it on fire.

  “Mel, are you crazy?” he yelled, looking at the large flame flickering. “Put the bottle down, let’s talk about this.”

  “No!” she screamed busting the bottle in the fire. “Not until you listen to me. Every time you send me papers, this is what’s going to happen to them. I won’t sign a damn thing. You’re my husband dammit! I’m not giving you up.”

  Matt looked at the desperation in her eyes and began to laugh. When she heard him, her eyes grew darker and she swung at him with all her might. “How dare you laugh at me? I’m fighting for you, and you’re laughing. I told you I love you, and you’re laughing? You insensitive asshole!” Matt continued to laugh as he pulled her closer to him. When he finally contained the wild swinging, he placed a heart-stopping kiss on her lips. She caved and allowed herself to melt into him, savoring the moment. When he finally pulled back, he smiled with his forehead against hers.

  “Mel, shut up. I love you.”

  “I know you love me Matt, but that doesn’t answer...” he pulled her into another kiss and grabbed her hair holding her tightly against him. When he released her, she was out of breath. “Matt, you can’t keep...” he grabbed her again, this time lifting her into his arms wrapping her legs around his waist. When he pulled back enough to look into her eyes, he ran his forefinger down her swollen lips.

  “Mel, stop talking. We have forever to talk, now I just want to make love to you.”

  “So this means you’re staying?”

  “Try and get me out of here. I’m not going anywhere until I have to be at work on Monday, and even then I might not leave. If you’re sure this is what you want, then I’ll never leave you again.”

  “I’m sure. I love you so much,” she said with tears in her eyes.

  He reached over to wipe her weeping eyes. “You don’t have to cry, not anymore. You have me and you always will.”

  “And you’ll always have us,” she said, placing a hand on her stomach.

  “Well, baby, that’s more than I could ever ask for. You just promise me that we won’t lose who we are again because the man that I am is crazy in love with you.”

  “I promise you that the kids will be first, but you will be a strong number two. I always want you to know what you mean to me.”

  “What do I mean to you?”

  “You make my heart flutter when you walk into a room, you make me smile when I’m feeling like my world is about to crumble, and you just happen to be one of the sexiest men I ever laid eyes on. God, you make my body want things I think should be outlawed,” she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed it. “Do you remember the last time I was pregnant?”

  “Oh yeah,” he smirked. “Let me get you upstairs.” They lost themselves in their room for the rest of the weekend, only coming out for food. Matt was so happy to be home, he never wanted to leave. They spent the entire weekend reaffirming their love to one another. Melia surprised him with breakfast each morning. He didn’t even know she could cook. He saw then and there that she was serious, and he knew as long as she was trying, he would never go anywhere.

  ***

  Meg threw the pile of folded clothes on the floor and Jordan squealed in delight. He had been sitting on the bed watching his mother as she dismantled the room unintentionally. Jordan was way advanced for his age, he was already trying to form words, and she swore she could make out the word yes, everytime something new hit the floor. When Alex walked in and saw the most recent mess, he began picking it up with no hesitation. He knew her mind was all over the place with the discovery that her real father was still alive and now wanted to get to know her.

  It had been two weeks since the whole ordeal. When they arrived home from rescuing Allison, everyone was on edge. Gio, Marco, and Lexie were gone, but the remaining people had a million and one questions for Richard. The first being where in the hell had he been for almost thirty years. Richard explained that Ben had, in fact, shot him and the last breath, Ben remembered, was just him losing consciousness. He was near death when a homeless man stumbled upon him to take his wallet. When the man learned he was still alive, he got help, but not before stealing everything he had worth something.

  The gunshot wound to his head was very extensive. They had to go in and remove the bullet and when they did so, the part of his brain that helps to remember was damaged, and since he had no property, he couldn’t be identified. With no knowledge of who he was and no one looking for him, he just started over developing a new identity. For twenty-seven years, he had been living as Melvin Franklin. When Maria heard this, she was in shock, but then started laughing. When they asked what was funny, she explained that Melvin Franklin “blue” was always his favorite temptation, and he too began to laugh, saying even without his memory, he still kept some of himself.

  When they asked Richard how he ended up getting mixed up with Amanda again, he explained what made him come to California in the first place. He had been living in New York, for years, and when the news coverage about the case aired, he had been watching and saw Bianca and Sean’s pictures. Nothing about Bianca rang familiar, but Sean’s picture looked just like him. The resemblance was so strong, he decided to come and follow any lead he could to his old life.

  When he arrived in Los Angeles, he unknowingly ended up bumping into Amanda while inquiring about Sean and Bianca, and she accosted him from there. She held him for months trying to make him remember their past life together, and he realized quickly that Amanda was severely unhinged. She wanted desperately for him to remember when they used to be in love, but nothing she said or did triggered his memory. When all she did failed, she cooked up the plan to bring Allison to him to start over with a new family. He tried to plead with her to let him and Allison go, but she refused, saying that he would remember her if he just tried.

  Alex could see the discomfort on Meg’s face as she watched the man talk. She hadn’t said two words to him since they left the warehouse. She just sat watching him taking in what he was saying while clutching Alex’s hand tightly. It wasn’t until Alli walked in the room, that he finally saw a smile from her. As soon as she came in, Meg stood and took her in a firm embrace.

  “Mommy, you’re crushing me,” she giggled.

  “I’m sorry. I’m just happy to see you. I missed you today.”

  “I’m sorry I went with Ms. Pierre. I told her that my mommy said to never leave with strangers, but she said she wasn’t a stranger and you wouldn’t care because you had Jordan now.”

  Meg grabbed her face and forced her to look in her eyes. “Listen to me, I love you, and I was so upset when I couldn’t find you. Daddy and I were going crazy.”

  “Ms. Pierre was a bad lady, wasn’t she?”

  “Yes, baby, but don’t worry about that now, you’re safe.”

  Allison looked over to Richard and then back to Meg. “Mommy, is he my grandpa too? Ms. Pierre said he is. She said we were going to be a family, just us and her.”

  When Meg realized what Amanda had planned for them, she began to weep. “I’m sorry, mommy,” Allison wiped the tears from her face.

  When Meg saw the concern on her daughter’s face, she straightened her expression and stroked her cheek. “Don’t be sorry, sweetie. You make me so happy. I love you so much my big girl.”

  Allison smiled and hugged her tight. “I love you too, I’m glad you’re my mommy.” Allison replied and walked away leaving her with a feeling of wholeness. She
watched as her little girl ran up the stairs happy and free and looked back at Richard. She wondered if he really wanted to know her, or if he was just going to be around until the novelty wore off. Whatever his reasoning was for wanting to be in her life, she wasn’t sure if she should trust him.

  As Meg’s mind floated back to the present, Alex had picked up the clothes and had them put away. Jordan was still on the bed babbling to himself and Allison had run in and was babbling to him. She had no choice but to smile when she saw her two beautiful children together. They looked so happy, and that’s all she ever wanted. Things had gotten better for them after bringing Allison back home. She finally communicated everything Amanda had told her on the playground, and they explained to her how much they loved her, and that the woman was a bad person not to be believed.

  Allison seemed to understand everything, but she had one question. If she was a bad woman, then how did she get into the school? It was the same question, they had been asking each other. Alex launched a formal complaint and lawsuit against the school, and with further investigation, they discovered one of the janitors had been letting her in the gate. When questioned about how no one seemed to notice her with the kids, Principal Wilkes replied that there are six thousand children in that school and hundreds of teachers and aides. That was a comment that cost her, she was removed from the school and Alex was pushing for endangerment charges. It was a long shot that she would get convicted, but he wanted to make an example out of her for her incompetence and arrogance.

  With order finally being restored in their house, Meg was pleased, but now she had other things to deal with, like the two dads she seemed to have now. Although Richard hadn’t done anything wrong except being a deadbeat husband in the past, she couldn’t bring herself to view him as anything more than a biological parent. Emilio was the father she knew, and as far as she was concerned, she didn’t need another. She had been all out of sorts for the past two weeks, and Alex was being supportive, but she could tell his patience was wearing thin with her snappy mood swings.