Delicious Destiny

by Yahrah St. John

  When she arrived at the Drayson estate in Glenville Heights, the majority of the family was already there. Shari tried to postpone the inevitable for as long as she could by staying in the car. When the clock struck noon, she finally exited her vehicle.

  She’d let Andre play at a friend’s house in the hopes that she would find the words to tell him that his father was alive and well. She’d never told Andre his father was dead, just that he wasn’t a part of their lives, but she knew that’s what he thought. It was going to come as a shock when she did tell him the truth.

  “Congratulations, baby girl.” Her father came forward and pulled his eldest child into a warm hug as soon as she entered the living room.

  Her eyes immediately connected with Grant’s green ones from across the room. He was making sure that if she had any doubts about backing out of their deal, he wasn’t having it. “I’m so sorry, my darling,” Grant said, walking toward her, “but I just couldn’t resist spilling the beans.”

  When he reached her, he leaned down. “Where have you been?” he asked. “And where’s Andre?”

  Shari was momentarily struck by how handsome Grant was in his dress trousers and navy silk shirt. The shirt was unbuttoned at the nape and Shari knew what lay underneath because she’d felt his hard muscular body when he’d kissed her at his penthouse.

  “At a friend’s,” Shari whispered breathlessly. Clearly, his loving and affectionate tone was only for her family’s benefit.

  “Even now you’re trying to keep me from him,” Grant said, so that she alone could hear.

  Shari smiled blandly since everyone in the family was watching their interaction. “I wanted to keep him out of this charade for as long as possible.”

  “My son doesn’t need protection from me.”

  Shari didn’t get to answer because Carter came toward them. “You sure know how to keep things under wraps, cuz,” he said, hugging her warmly. “I knew you two knew each other, but marriage?”

  “It’s a shock.” Belinda was instantly at Carter’s side. Her eyes were sharp and assessing as she tried to read Shari’s expression and body language.

  “Not really,” Grant replied. “When you consider how long Shari and I have known each other. And given that we share a son.” He said the words loud enough for everyone to hear. “I think our marriage is long overdue.”

  Boom. Grant had dropped the bombshell. Shari sucked in a breath and waited for all hell to break loose in her family.

  “What?” Her mother looked at her imploringly from the couch. “Shari, what is he talking about?”

  “I knew it!” Carter snapped his fingers. “I knew Andre looked like you,” he told Grant.

  Shari felt all eyes in the room on her at once. She glanced around and saw Grandma Lillian staring at her with sad eyes. She’d lied to them all. Of course, she hadn’t seen it that way. She’d actually never told them Thomas was the father. They’d just assumed he was and she’d let them.

  Shari glanced up at Grant and he shrugged. He was going to let her ride this rough patch out on her own. She cleared her throat before saying, “Grant is Andre’s father.”

  “How long have you known?” her father asked. “How long have you kept the truth from us?”

  The hurt and betrayal she heard in her father’s voice pulled at Shari’s heartstrings and made her feel terrible. Her eyes began to water and a stray tear fell to her cheek, which she wiped away with the back of her hand. “I...I’ve always known.”

  “But you allowed us to condemn Thomas, an innocent man,” her uncle Devon said harshly. “Typical woman!” he snorted.

  Shari wasn’t surprised by his comment. Her uncle had always had an aversion to committing to a woman, let alone marrying one. He’d never married Carter’s mother, Marion Daniels, which was probably why Carter always felt like an outcast in the family.

  “And you?” her father asked Grant. “How long have you known?”

  “Does it really matter?” Shari asked. She didn’t want to get into the particulars of her past with her entire family. “Suffice it to say that once I told Grant, the connection we shared since before Dina came into the picture, resurfaced.”

  The name caused commotion in the room and had the desired effect. Her family was more concerned with Dina and less about when Grant knew the truth.

  “And now we’re just two long-lost lovebirds reconnecting, and we don’t want to waste another minute. And we want to become a family for Andre,” Shari said, circling her arms around Grant’s waist. “Isn’t that right, sweetie?” She looked up at him and gave him a loving smile.

  Grant took the bait and went along. “I admit, it was difficult finding out about a son I never knew, but Shari is so special to me.” He tucked a wayward strand of hair out of her face and then bent to brush his lips across hers. “I couldn’t bear to let her go again.” He kissed her and despite it all, Shari felt her inner resistance surrender. No, she told herself, it was simply a convincing performance.

  “This is so surreal,” her sister Monica said from across the room. Shari had never confided in her about having had a crush on Grant back in college. In fact, she’d always kept mum when it came to talking about Andre’s father.

  “Has anyone told Andre?” her mother asked.

  Shari shook her head.

  “But we will,” Grant answered immediately. “I want him to be a part of the wedding in a couple of weeks.”

  “Excuse me?” her mother replied. “Did you say a couple of weeks?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Grant nodded and pulled Shari closer. She knew he had to make their sudden marriage believable to her family. “We don’t want to wait.”

  “Why the rush?” Grandma Lillian finally spoke up.

  Shari was surprised she’d been quiet this long. The family matriarch wasn’t known for being bashful.

  Grant was quick to answer—a little too quick for Shari’s liking—and said, “Well, Shari and I haven’t been able to keep our hands off each other...” He let the words dangle in the air.

  Shari blushed a thousand shades of red. Grant’s implication was they’d been intimate again and the chance of another Andre was possible.

  “Well, I for one think it’s great that you’re going to make an honest woman out of my daughter,” Dwight replied and came forward to shake Grant’s hand. “Given the circumstances.”

  “I don’t know,” Grandma Lillian said with a stern expression. “This is all moving so fast. How is my great-grandson going to handle a new father and the two of you getting married? It might be too much.”

  “Or it might be exactly what my son needs,” Grant countered in a respectful tone. “Stability.”

  Grandma Lillian was silent. It was one of the few times that someone spoke up to her. Shari liked that Grant wasn’t afraid to his speak his mind.

  “Well, if this is going to happen,” her mother said, “then what can we do? There’s not much time to put together a wedding.”

  Shari turned to Grant. She’d told him to tell her where and when and she’d show up. She hadn’t considered her family might want to play a role.

  Before she knew it, she was sitting down in the kitchen with her mother, Monica, Aunt Daisy and Belinda discussing wedding plans.

  “Of course, the cake has to be made by Lillian’s,” Grandma Lillian said, joining them in the kitchen with her book of cake ideas. Shari could tell she was more than hesitant about their marrying, but despite her reservations, she was ready to pitch in. They all began flipping through her grandmother’s book. Meanwhile, the menfolk were in the living room discussing venues, DJ and the photographer. All except her uncle Devon who had departed, wanting no part of the rushed nuptials.

  “This is all so sudden,” her mother said, reaching across and grabbing Shari’s hand. “I mean, I’ve barely had time t
o digest that Grant is Andre’s father, let alone that you’re getting married in a couple of weeks.”

  “Well, we love each other,” Shari added. She had to continue to spin the web of lies, otherwise her family would never believe this sudden union.

  “But you never talked about him,” her sister Monica said from across the table.

  “Not to you,” Belinda responded.

  “What do you mean?” Grandma Lillian immediately zeroed in on her favorite grandchild.

  “I remember Shari mentioning Grant while they were in college,” Belinda said. “She used to gush about him to me and Dina.”

  “Don’t speak that woman’s name in this house,” Shari hissed.

  Belinda held up her hands. “Sorry. I’m just saying that you were crazy about Grant back then, but I wasn’t sure your feelings were reciprocated.”

  “Well, clearly they were,” Shari replied harshly. “Or I wouldn’t have conceived Andre.”

  “I know. I’m just surprised that you’re getting married before me,” Belinda replied huffily.

  “All right, all right,” Grandma Lillian said. “No need to bicker. Andre is the light of our lives and we are happy to have Grant join our family if that’s what you truly want.” Her grandmother gave Shari a truth-beseeching look.

  Shari wanted to tell her grandmother the truth that although she loved Grant, the feeling was not mutual, but she couldn’t. “Of course it’s what I want.” She plastered a smile on her face. “Grant is everything I’ve ever wanted.”

  “Then you’re going to need a dress,” her mother said, which made Aunt Daisy jump up to find a measuring tape. “And we don’t have much time.”

  Shari sat at the kitchen table in a bewildered state as the women in her family shuffled around her.

  Grant had to despise her for keeping the truth about Andre from him. Even though she knew logically that children fared better in a two-parent household, she couldn’t figure out for the life of her why Grant would want to shackle himself to her for the rest of his life. Or maybe he was using this marriage as a tactic. Maybe to show she was an unfit mother so he could eventually sue for custody. Or perhaps she was overthinking it, and he truly wanted to do right by Andre. Shari didn’t know what to believe or what to expect from Grant out of this marriage.

  Grant was unprepared for the onslaught of the Drayson family when they put their minds to something. Once he’d said they were getting married in a couple of weeks, the Drayson clan sprang into action. The thought about planning the wedding himself quickly went out the window.

  The men had decided to take a divide and conquer approach and had divvied up the tasks. Shari’s father had quickly called their pastor, who’d agreed to perform the ceremony in the family’s church. Carter was calling a DJ friend that he knew, while Drake, thanks to his marketing connections, was lining up a videographer.

  He’d recalled back in the day that Shari said her family was a force of nature. Now he was seeing them in action. While the men were on the phone haggling, Grant took a moment to step away. He left the living room and strolled through the family estate. He wanted, no needed to find Shari to make sure she wasn’t about to renege on their agreement. He’d sprung this marriage thing on her and then reinforced it by beating her to the punch and telling her family. Given the speed of the situation, she could be having second thoughts.

  He found her with the rest of the Drayson women sitting at the kitchen table, which was covered with wedding books. Apparently, Belinda and Carter were both on the marriage track so the family had them readily available. Grant watched Shari from the doorway. She sat quietly listening as the rest of her family was bustling about her. That’s what he remembered about Shari in college, the quiet ease he’d felt whenever he was around her.

  Was that why he’d behaved rashly? When she’d come over to his penthouse after he’d confronted her with the truth, he certainly hadn’t planned on proposing marriage. But when she’d been so logical and reasonable about sharing custody after keeping his son from him, something in him just snapped. He’d refused to be swept under the rug as if his feelings weren’t important. He deserved a place in Andre’s life and would not be a “see you on the weekend” kind of father.

  The marriage idea had sprung in his head and he’d acted on it impulsively. The more Shari dug her heels in, the more he wanted it. Why was she acting as if the idea was so repugnant to her, when he knew for a fact that at the very least she still desired him? He’d known that night after taking her to his restaurant that she’d wanted him. He’d felt her nipples pucker underneath the flimsy material of the dress she was wearing. And she’d certainly responded to his kiss to seal the deal at his penthouse. As had he.

  Where was all this lust coming from now? He’d always wanted her, but he could never have predicted she’d been holding on to such a monumental secret. He was livid with her, and his mind told him to keep their marriage one of convenience—for the time being, anyway. But then again, his body yearned to taste her again, to feel her against him. Just how long would he be able to hold out from taking his soon-to-be wife to bed?

  * * *

  As if she sensed him, Shari raised her eyes to find Grant watching her from the doorway. The women in her family were so preoccupied that they barely noticed her scooting out of her chair and leaving the room.

  “Can we talk?” Grant asked in a low and smooth voice. “Privately.”

  “Let’s go outside,” Shari said.

  Grant followed her out the side entrance into a beautifully landscaped garden.

  Once they’d gone a safe distance, she turned to face him. “What’s so important? Do you have something else to blindside me with?” she asked curtly, folding her arms across her chest. She didn’t appreciate his sucker punch in telling her family about their marriage.

  Grant looked shocked by her haughty attitude. “Are you serious? You’re the one that kept my son away from me.”

  “And you’re the one who’s forcing me into marrying you.”

  “I don’t see any shackles around you.” Grant’s lips thinned with irritation as he looked down at her delicate wrists. “You’re free to do as you like. Because for some, marrying me wouldn’t be that bad of a prospect.”

  “Not without consequences,” Shari retorted.

  “Ah, yes.” Grant walked toward her until he was inches away from her. “That nasty little thing called consequences. But let’s not forget why we’re here, Shari. We’re here because you couldn’t be honest with me.”

  “I know, Grant, I know.” Shari threw her arms up in self-defense. “What I did was wrong, but what you’re doing is no better.”

  “I’m doing what’s best for my son.”

  “My son,” Shari countered.

  Grant glared at her, frowning. “Our son.”

  His statement caused Shari to sigh heavily and she lowered her head. For four years, she’d only thought of Andre as her son. Though she knew he and Grant shared DNA, she’d buried it in the dark recesses of her mind, and now he was forcing her to deal with the cold, hard truth. Decisions regarding Andre were not hers alone to make anymore.

  When she looked back up, tears were shimmering in her eyes. One fell down her cheek and Grant reached and caught the teardrop with his thumb. Why was he trying to be kind now? It made Shari feel even worse. “I’m sorry, okay? I don’t know what more I can say. I’ve agreed to fix this by marrying you. Isn’t that enough?”

  “So you won’t back out?” Grant asked.

  Shari shook her head.

  “Good,” Grant said. “Since its official, you’d better wear this.” He fished in his pants pocket and produced a black box.

  Shari had no time to react because Grant was sliding a platinum, six-carat diamond engagement ring on her left hand. An emerald-cut diamond was in the center with small
diamonds encrusted on the band. The ring felt cool between her fingers, but she felt warm because having Grant’s hands on her caused a jolt of awareness to shoot through her.

  He was staring at her again with those stunning green eyes of his, and Shari felt like he wanted to kiss her again like he’d done in his penthouse, but this time he didn’t. Grant stepped away from her.

  “Now the women in your family will have something to gush over.”

  Shari swallowed, trying to remove the lump in her throat, but it seemed permanently lodged there whenever Grant was around.

  Shari held up her hand and admired the diamond. “It’s beautiful. How did you get it so fast?”

  “I have my ways,” Grant replied. “Get used to it because things are about to change once you become Mrs. Robinson.”

  That’s exactly what Shari was afraid of.

  Chapter 6

  The two weeks before their marriage went by in a blur, except for the moment when she and Grant sat down with Andre and told him Grant was his father.

  She’d never seen such joy in her son at finally being able to see himself in another man. She hadn’t known Andre had been wanting, missing and needing a father until he’d rushed into Grant’s embrace, accepting him with open arms. All this time, she’d thought she’d been enough. How wrong she’d been! A tiny piece of her heart broke because she could have given Andre a father much sooner if it hadn’t been for her stupid pride.

  The love that was etched across Grant’s face at holding Andre in his arms was indescribable. Shari doubted she’d ever forget it. It was as if he’d come home. And so, she rose from the couch to leave the room to give father and son their privacy.

  “Thank you,” Grant mouthed to her as she left.

  Nearly half an hour later, Grant and Andre found her in the kitchen and asked her to go a Cubs game. Grant had scored three tickets next to the dugout. Andre was so excited; he was jumping up and down.