“I understand,” Trey said. “Last month, I would have told you that I don’t think I want to have children, either. But being around Matthew is starting to change my opinion.”
Kiara’s heart broke a little, even though it shouldn’t have. She and Trey had just met, so why did it matter that he wanted children and she didn’t? You know why it matters. You just don’t want to admit it to yourself. If there was anything she’d learned in her past relationships, it was that a couple had to be on the same page about important life-changing decisions. If they weren’t, it could ruin the relationship.
Trey leaned back in his chair and continued to observe her. After a few moments, she couldn’t sit still anymore. “You know it’s not polite to stare, right?”
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I hope I don’t offend you by what I’m about to say, but you are one of the warmest and most nurturing women I’ve ever met. And although we haven’t known one another for long, something tells me that you’d love to be a mother and would make a great one.”
Kiara glanced back down at her plate and sucked in a much-needed breath. “Thanks for the compliment, but I’m better off spending my time caring for the children of others, rather than my own.”
Trey watched her for a few more seconds, then resumed eating. “Well, if it’s any consolation,” he said. “If you ever change your mind about having children, I think you’d make an amazing mother.”
Kiara smiled, her heart breaking a little more. How do I respond to that? He didn’t know her story. He didn’t know her past. She’d barely known Trey for a week, yet when they were together, all she wanted to do was pour out her heart and soul to him.
How can I tell him my deepest, darkest fears and expect him to understand what others haven’t? More important, how would she ever be able to let him go at the end of all this? No matter what happened between them, it would end. It always did. There was no way around it, and Kiara was fooling herself if she let her hopes convince her that Trey was different from the others.
“Thank you,” she finally said, pushing through the tears that were lodged in the back of her throat. Trey was seeing her through rose-colored glasses, so all he saw was the good in her. The potential in her. The Kiara who was great with kids and ran her own day-care center and preschool. The Kiara who would no doubt have kids of her own because, logically, who would surround themselves each day with the one thing they didn’t want?
Kiara had been around enough men to know when one was genuinely interested in the possibility of a future with her. However, when Trey found out the truth, he would leave her just like others had before him.
Kiara had rehearsed her I-never-want-to-have-kids speech more times than she could count, yet each time she said the words, it didn’t get any easier. She doubted it would ever be possible to lie to someone you could see a future with by telling him that you never wanted to have kids of your own, when the hard truth was, she physically couldn’t have kids of her own. Her truth wasn’t the truth Trey wanted to hear, but it was her burden to bear.
* * *
Trey nodded his head to the classic R & B hit that filled the speakers of his sports car. He’d just dropped off Matthew at LA Little Ones and was headed to Prescott George’s LA chapter headquarters to meet with a few members regarding an inner school program that Trey was hoping to get off the ground to help ensure that all students had a gift for the holidays.
He’d hoped to get his program running way before October, but the six-month suspension had really pushed them back. At least his screenplay was going much better than expected. He was almost finished and Trey had actually been happy when Carmen asked him if he could keep Matthew for longer. He wanted to spend all the time he could with the little dude.
As Trey neared the Fine Arts Building, his phone rang. “Hey, Kendrick,” Trey said, accepting his friend’s call through his car’s Bluetooth.
“Hey, Trey. Do you have a couple minutes to spare?”
“Sure. What’s up?”
“I just wanted to tell you that tonight, Nicole and Kyra are hosting a congratulations party at the Bare Sophistication boutique since our production company is officially booked solid for the next twelve months with projects.”
Trey smiled. He’d known Kendrick’s production company would be a success. “Congrats, man. I’m happy for you. I can try and make it tonight, but I would have my nephew with me. Would that be okay?”
“That’s fine,” Kendrick said. “There will be a few kids there. My mom and a couple other women agreed to babysit during the party, so Matthew will be in good hands. Unless you want to carry him around like you did at the bachelor event.”
Trey laughed. “I’ll bring the carrier just in case. If I can make it, what time should I be there?”
“Probably around 6:00 p.m. should be fine,” Kendrick said. “And it was also my job to make sure you knew that Kiara had also been invited and had confirmed she was coming.”
“Oh, did she, now. In that case, I’ll definitely be there.”
“I figured,” Kendrick said with a laugh. “How are things going between you two? Keeping it friendly or do you think there’s potential for more?”
Trey thought back to last night, when Kiara had come over. She’d pulled a fast one on him by renting him to teach him how to care for Matthew versus a date like he’d originally thought, but he’d still had a good time with her. Dinner had been a little more tense than he’d liked, but after dinner, Kiara had gone through her bag of tricks. By the end of the night, they’d both discussed more about their careers and families and even laughed over some of the things Trey had done wrong since Carmen had left Matthew in his care.
“It depends,” Trey said. “Are you asking man-to-man? Or are you asking for Nicole and Kyra?”
“A little bit of both,” Kendrick said. “I was curious myself since the chemistry between you both was evident during the Rent-a-Bachelor event. But Nicole and Kyra also told me that I had to ask next time I talked to you. I figured that if I tell them what you say before you get here tonight, they won’t bother you as much.”
Trey laughed and Kendrick joined in. They both knew that wasn’t true. “If you must know, I would be interested in a relationship with Kiara, but I’m not sure how she feels about it. We haven’t really discussed it yet. Just playing it day by day.”
“I get that,” Kendrick said. “And I’m glad you’re coming tonight.”
“Me, too. See you then.”
Once inside the Fine Arts Building, Trey took the elevator to the penthouse, his mind still on Kiara. He was almost to the meeting room when he heard his name called.
“Hey, Mr. Davis,” Trey said. “It’s good to see you.”
“It’s good to see you, too, son. I’ve been meaning to check on you and your brothers to see how you are doing.”
Trey hoped his eyes hadn’t widened at the statement. He couldn’t recall anyone ever referring to him and his brothers in the same sentence. “We’re doing as good as can be expected,” Trey said. He’d barely finished with his statement before Demetrius Davis began talking about things Trey was less than interested in.
Demetrius was one of Reginald’s best friends, and being a part of Prescott George, Trey always found it a bit awkward when any of Reginald’s friends approached him as if he and his father were on the best of terms. At times, Trey almost wanted to stop them from talking to ask if they were sure they were speaking to the right son, because Max was the only one close to Reginald.
“You’ll let me know then, right, Trey?”
Trey shook his head in an attempt to hide his glazed-over eyes. “Sorry. What did you say?”
“I was just saying that Reginald called and told me that you and your brothers are trying to prove his innocence. Therefore, I’d like to offer my services in any way I can. Since I’m a higher-ranking member of Prescott George, I may ha
ve access to some files and data that you don’t have access to.”
“That would be great,” Trey said. “We have a couple leads, but nothing solid.”
Demetrius glanced to his left at a young woman whom Trey had seen a few times in the LA headquarters.
“Trey, have you met my personal assistant, Christina North?”
“No, I haven’t,” Trey said as he outstretched his hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Moore.”
“Christina will also be able to assist you and your brothers with the investigation if you need our help.”
“We appreciate it.” Trey glanced over his shoulder at the meeting room. “I’ll follow up with you both on how you can help after I speak with my brothers. However, right now, I hate to be rude, but I have a meeting that’s about to start.”
“Oh, yes,” Demetrius said, waving his hands toward the room. “The inner-city holiday program meeting. I forgot. Go right ahead.”
“You both have a good day.”
Before he walked into the meeting room, he shot Max and Derek a quick text message about Demetrius’s offer to help. Trey wasn’t too fond of Reginald’s friends—mainly because he wasn’t too fond of Reginald himself—but at this point, they needed all the help they could get if they were going to prove Reginald’s innocence.
Chapter 8
“Jackpot!” Kiara said as she parked a few stores down from Bare Sophistication and got out of her vehicle. Finding parking in LA was always a toss-up. Kiara was proud of herself for agreeing to attend a party on a weekday. Especially since she’d spent last night at Trey’s, so she hadn’t gotten much sleep.
If only the lack of sleep had been for a much more intimate reason. She paused on the sidewalk and shook her head. “Talk like that won’t get you anywhere,” she said to herself. “You can’t decide to be friends with the man and then change your mind.”
Kiara had never been the indecisive type, but with Trey, she wasn’t confident in any decision she made about him. Friends? Not friends? More than friends? If she kept this up, she was going to drive herself crazy.
When Kiara approached the door to the boutique, she noticed the Closed sign on the door. She glanced inside and rang the doorbell, smoothing down her royal blue cocktail dress. What if Trey is here? As she’d learned at Rent-a-Bachelor, they seemed to know some of the same people. Kyra had called and invited her to this party to celebrate the success of her friends’ production company. Kiara had met Nicole and Kendrick at the bachelor event, and now that she remembered, the couple had been talking to Trey when Kyra had dragged her over to approach them.
Please tell me he won’t be here tonight. Every morning that he dropped off Matthew, Kiara managed to be conveniently unavailable. This morning had been no different. Seeing that man two days in a row had sent her lady parts into a frenzy, so the less Trey time she had, the better.
It didn’t take long for Kyra to reach the door. “Hey, Kiara,” Kyra said, welcoming her into the party. “So glad you could make it.”
“Thanks for inviting me.” Kiara handed her a bottle of wine. “Where is everyone?”
“We closed the store early, but the party is upstairs in the loft. Nothing major. Only about twenty people or so. Nicole and Kendrick plan on having something bigger after the holidays.”
“Well, considering my idea of a party has been Netflix and a glass of wine, I’d say twenty people is a lot,” she said with a laugh. And if Trey is in that twenty, then that’s not nearly enough people to distract me from him. It was on the tip of her tongue to ask, but she didn’t.
Kyra led her to the stairs. “You’ve never been to our boudoir studio, right?”
“Nope, I’ve only been in the boutique part.”
“That’s what I thought. We turned the loft into our studio and it’s much more spacious up there. I’ll introduce you to some folks and give you a tour.” When they reached the top of the stairs, Nicole came over to greet Kiara.
“Thanks for coming, Kiara.” Kiara returned Nicole’s hug.
“Thanks for having me.” She handed Nicole a card. “Congrats on all your success.”
Kiara glanced around the room, noticing that it appeared to be more than twenty people there. More like thirty plus. Luckily, she didn’t see Trey.
“How about I show you around first,” Kyra said. She motioned around the spacious main room that served as the boudoir lounge. She took Kiara to the makeup and hair station, which was Nicole’s domain when she wasn’t working at the business she and her husband had opened. Then Kyra led her to two different rooms that had a variety of boudoir props, including a beautiful Victorian-style bed and a plush chaise lounge. The parlor and powder room walls adorned with black-and-white boudoir photos were Kiara’s favorite.
“Everything is beautiful,” she said as they walked back to the main room. “I can see why you’ve been so successful.”
“Thanks! I really enjoy managing Bare Sophistication. We try to make this space one that would allow a woman to be herself and feel comfortable. Come on. I’ll introduce you to a few people.”
“Sure,” Kiara said, turning to follow Kyra to a group of people standing in the corner. As they approached the group, movement in the corner of Kiara’s eye caught her attention. She turned to her left, noticing a large balcony for the first time. The sight on the balcony made her pause.
“Oh,” Kyra said, noticing that she’d stopped. “Did I forget to tell you that Trey is here?”
Kiara glanced at Kyra. “Yeah, friend. You sort of forgot to tell me that. And you conveniently didn’t give me a tour of the balcony where he is currently standing.”
Kyra shrugged. “I hadn’t gotten that far yet. Why? Is there an issue with Trey being here?”
Kiara sighed, deciding to be honest. “I never know how to act around that man. Do I avoid him? Keep things friendly? Push for more? And then that kiss...”
“Wait a minute!” Kyra said, a little louder than Kiara would have liked. “You and Trey kissed?”
“Yeah.” Kiara scanned the room. “Why don’t you say it a little louder. I don’t think he heard you on the balcony.”
“Sorry.” Kyra dropped her voice lower. “You guys kissed? When? Where? How was it? How was he? Did you like it? Did he like it?”
Kiara’s eyes widened as she tried to answer. “Yes. A day after we met. At his home. It was amazing. He was amazing. I liked it. And I’m pretty sure he liked it.”
Kyra frowned. “Liked it? You liked it and you think he just liked it? Not loved it or any other word that would better describe a kiss with a man like that?” Kiara followed Kyra’s outreached hand that pointed toward the balcony. She wasn’t sure if Trey sensed she was there or if he just happened to glance back into the loft, but their eyes collided before she could catch her next breath.
As it always did, his intense gaze froze her in her spot. You’d think I’d be used to those almost-black eyes by now. It didn’t matter how many times she saw him, or how frequently she saw him, that look in his eyes still caught her off guard.
He nodded in her direction, and in return, she smiled back. When his appreciative eyes openly looked her up and down before meeting her eyes again, she shuffled from one foot to the other.
“Do you want to tell me the truth now?” Kyra asked, regaining her attention. Kiara kept her eyes focused on Trey as she spoke.
“I loved the kiss, probably more than I should.” Kiara’s eyes dropped to his lips. “And I’m pretty sure he enjoyed it just as much.” She finally turned to face Kyra. “I was thinking we could keep things friendly between us, but I’m not sure Trey and I even know how to do friendly. True, we’re building a friendship. But platonic isn’t exactly the word that comes to mind when we get together.”
“I already knew it would be like this,” Kyra said. “The way you both
were staring at each other from across the room the first time you met was a dead giveaway. The only thing I don’t understand is why you’re trying to keep things platonic between you and Trey. Girl, have you looked at that man? Every woman at that bachelor event was trying to get in his pants, but he only had eyes for you.”
Kiara looked back in Trey’s direction only to find him still staring at her. She recognized the man that was on the balcony with him as Nicole’s husband, Kendrick. In her peripheral vision, she noticed Kyra wave her hand at Kendrick, and seconds later, he stepped back into the loft, leaving Trey alone on the balcony.
“What are you doing?” Kiara asked.
Kyra lifted an eyebrow. “Helping you out, girlfriend, because clearly, the two of you would stand here and stare at each other all night. Now that Kendrick is back inside, you’ll have privacy. So, go out there and greet your man.” Kyra gave her a nudge, pushing her closer to the door that led to the balcony.
Kiara had probably walked only a few steps, but it felt like much longer as she made her way to where Trey stood, still watching her.
Just breathe, she said to herself when her hand touched the handle. You’ve spent plenty of alone time with him. As a matter of fact, you just saw him last night. Having a casual conversation is fine. Just be yourself.
Her pep talk sounded easy in theory, but once she stepped onto the balcony and felt the door close behind her, she forgot everything she’d convinced herself to do.
Trey smiled. “You look beautiful, as always.”
“Thank you,” she said breathlessly. “You look handsome as well. How long have you been here?”
“Only about an hour.”
She looked around the spacious balcony. “Where is Matthew?”
“He’s with Kendrick’s mom. She’s watching a few other kids as well.”
Kiara nodded. “That’s nice of her.”
“It is.”
The balcony grew quiet again. Come on, Kiara! Say something! The sexual tension was so strong she could barely focus on anything else. She couldn’t place what made tonight feel different from other times they’d spent together, but everything felt more heightened. Intensified.
A Los Angeles Passion Page 7