Was she having an easy pregnancy? Was she happy? Was she eating properly? Did she have Ricky's support?
This was not how he imagined things would be when he actually got his first child. First, he had wanted to be married and in a committed relationship. Second, he would not be so distant from the whole process because the mother of his baby was married to someone else, his childhood friend.
No wonder his father was so angry with him. This situation was far from ideal.
Amoy exited her townhouse with a garment bag in one hand and a stylish overnight bag in the other.
She was dressed casually in a multicolored summer dress that swung with each movement of her tiny frame. She was pretty. Seriously pretty. Her wavy hair whipped around her face and she casually raked it back from her eyes. Her face lit up when she saw him and she opened the back of the car. She hung up her garment bag and then looked at his.
"You have black. I thought the dress code was all white."
"I thought about it," Yuri shrugged, "and I thought I would flout the dress code in truly rebellious style. I decided that it’s time that I stopped doing whatever Ricky wants me to do."
"Ooh." Amoy grinned. "I brought my camera, which does excellent video. If pistols are drawn at dawn I want to record it."
Yuri grinned. "For a gatekeeper of the law, jungle justice seems to excite you too much."
Amoy laughed. "Please don't be mad if I sleep on you. I barely slept last night—had a ton load of briefs to look through for an upcoming international case."
"Ah, no problem." Yuri glanced at her. "If I didn't know that you were a lawyer, I would have had you pegged as a model."
"I used to model," Amoy said ruefully, "when I was a toddler. But I got older and to my mother's chagrin I grew to hate girlie stuff and wanted to be one of the boys. I hung out with my brother and his friends. Went bug hunting and dirt bike riding and played volleyball."
Yuri chuckled. "I can't imagine that."
"True though." Amoy rested back in her seat as Yuri drove out of the apartment complex. "It was fun growing up in Kingston. Now I know you country bumpkins have something else to say..."
"This country bumpkin thinks he had the best time in the country." Yuri laughed. "I think I had the best childhood there was. Our swimming pool was the ocean, lunch from the fruit trees around—we had some pretty good times."
Amoy looked at him solemnly. "I worry about that."
"Why?" Yuri asked.
"Whenever you talk about your childhood its always we. You have all of these memories with Marla. It’s scary how close you two were and now she is having your baby...married or not...she must have feelings for you. I just wonder where I fit into this equation..."
Feelings for him? Yuri wondered what Marla felt for him. Maybe she had used him to scratch an itch. He wasn't a starry-eyed innocent who equated sex with love.
He didn't know how Marla felt, or what she thought. Maybe he had used her too. He had always wanted to make love to her, the opportunity presented itself and he did it. Was it as basic as that? What were the feelings involved on either side really?
He felt a terrible, stormy sense of confusion when he tried to pin down his feelings. There was probably too much anger and disappointment and negative feelings wrapped around his feelings for Marla these days to differentiate what they were.
"The only thing that I know," he said to Amoy, "is that I want my baby."
"And at this stage you can't get the baby without the mother, I get it," Amoy said, weariness heavy in her voice. "Wake me up when we get near anywhere interesting."
Yuri nodded but he didn't trouble her. He needed his thoughts to himself for a while.
Chapter Sixteen
Marla looked at herself in the mirror and inhaled noisily. So she had to go to the stupid party and act as if she was happy when inside she felt defeated and downtrodden. Her father had slid away in his sleep just last night and she was feeling melancholy, although not exactly sad, because she was expecting it. She was adrift in her emotions.
She kept having flashbacks of her childhood, searching for good memories of the two of them. She could barely come up with any. That more than anything sent her into a funk.
She wished she had something, anything to hang on to, but she didn't. He had wasted away his life, imprisoned by his addictions. She had no intention of being imprisoned like he was.
She would bury her dad in three days’ time and then she was out from under Ricky's thumb. He could do his worst in threatening her and the Scarletts too. These past couple of days she had come to the realization that the Scarletts could fight their own battles, and they should.
She had no intention of being the sacrifice for anyone anymore.
So this party was her last assignment as Ricky's puppet and she had no intention of acting like she was a loving wife either. Nope. That sick lie would end today. She had had enough. Enough pretending, enough of everything.
She walked closer to the mirror and pulled up her gown just a little bit over her new generous breasts. Contrary to how she felt, she had to admit that she had never looked better. Her skin was glowing; her hair was thick and shiny, like it had gone through a growth spurt in the past couple of months; and the white Grecian dress fit her bump in an attractive way. The gold lining on the bust area matched her shoes to perfection.
She wondered how long Ricky would hold her at the party. She took one last swirl in the mirror and headed toward the stairs. She just wanted the whole thing over and done with.
"You look gorg," Leandro said from behind her. "Really lush and exotic, like a fertility goddess."
Marla nodded. "Thank you, Leandro."
"Really gorgeous." He continued and licked his lips. "Like a pocket-sized doll."
"A pocket-sized pregnant doll." Marla continued down the stairs and shook her head. His marriage with Francine was not going to last.
"Ready?" Ricky was downstairs leaning on a walking stick. He was dressed in an all-white linen suit and she had to grudgingly admit that he looked handsome. It was just too bad about his attitude.
"Yup, I am ready," Marla said.
"You look nice," Ricky said, smiling. "Pregnancy really suits you. Maybe we should try for one of our own after this one."
Marla stiffened. "Are you crazy?"
"Think about it," Ricky said gleefully. "It would be like having a Yuri and Ricky in the house. Being an only child was not fun for me."
Marla inhaled and closed her eyes.
"Think about it, Marla. My doctor said that it will take time but soon I will be a whole man again. We can finally be man and wife."
Marla visibly shuddered. "No thanks."
"We'll see." Ricky laughed. He was in high spirits, seemingly unaffected by her obvious distaste at the prospect of being with him.
"You know," Ricky said as he made his way slowly down the steps of the verandah, "I heard Yuri is in town. I think he may actually be coming to my party this year."
Marla nearly stumbled. She had to hold on to the railing.
"Ah." Ricky glanced at her with a wicked gleam in his eye. "Looking forward to seeing him, are you?"
Marla swallowed.
"Don't think for a minute that I would allow you to have full access to him tonight." Ricky laughed. "No, it is not going to be like that. But wouldn't it be nice if my 'best' friend actually shows up to my party?"
*****
The all-white party had all-white decorations; white lanterns could be seen all the way down to the beach, where white settees were set up under intimate little tents, and it seemed as if everybody had stuck to the dress code, except him.
Yuri smiled faintly, though he had butterflies in his stomach. The first thing he did was look around for Marla but in a sea of white he couldn't distinguish her from anyone else, not in the half-light.
"Wow," Amoy said beside him. "I am impressed. I mean, really."
Yuri nodded grudgingly. "It is decorated nicely."
&nbs
p; "Yuri Scarlett! My, my…" A tall female in a filmy white dress floated toward them. When she came closer Yuri saw that it was Francine.
"I have not seen you in years." She hugged him a little bit too tightly. "You have grown up and outward."
Yuri endured the hug, trying not to touch her naked back and then pulled away, "Hi Francine. You haven't changed a bit. This is my friend, Amoy."
Francine glanced at Amoy and smiled. "Friend-friend or girlfriend?"
"Girlfriend," Amoy said, smiling and holding out her hand. "Nice to meet you."
Francine took Amoy's hand and then turned to Yuri, a gleam of interest in her eyes. "Well, well. Finally fighting back, I see, Yuri."
She smiled and looked around. "Ricky will be pleased that you are here. Oh, there he is."
Yuri didn't respond to Francine. His focus was on Ricky. His spine was so taut he figured that a small shove could snap it. Amoy pressed her side closer into his for support. He expected to see Ricky in a wheelchair but he was dumbfounded when he saw him making his way toward them on his feet with the aid of a walking stick.
"How did that happen?" he asked out loud.
Francine laughed. "So he didn't tell you? He has been in therapy for years. It is working. He'll soon be walking without a stick and then he'll be as good as new. Have fun tonight. I am going to find Leandro, my newest hubby. See you later." She walked away before Yuri could say another word.
And then Ricky was standing before him, the two of them almost on the same height. Ricky's smirk was firmly in place. "So you finally made it to one of my annual parties?"
"Yes." Yuri nodded. "I finally did."
Ricky's eyes flicked to Amoy and then back to Yuri. "Welcome to you and er..."
"This is Amoy, my girlfriend." Yuri said it deliberately. He saw how Ricky tensed up but he recovered quickly. He greeted Amoy warmly, pouring on the charm.
"What have you been up to in Kingston, Yuri, dating supermodels now?" Ricky asked cheekily.
"Amoy is a lawyer." Yuri's voice was abrupt, dismissive, and a bit angry.
"That's lovely." Ricky was watching him with an expectancy that Yuri ignored. He was hoping that Yuri would ask for Marla.
And Yuri really wanted to but he refrained from doing so.
Ricky turned to Amoy instead. "My wife is somewhere around here.” He looked behind him and then turned around. "The four of us should have a drink. Well, nothing hard for her. She is pregnant."
Ricky announced the last bit and looked at Yuri for his reaction.
Yuri kept his face bland.
Amoy cleared her throat. "Well, er, congratulations."
"Thank you," Ricky said, a smile around his lips, "I am very much looking forward to being a father."
Yuri clenched his teeth so hard he didn't know if he would be able to pry his mouth open again.
"No congratulations from you, Yuri?" Ricky raised his eyebrows. "I thought you would be happy for me."
Marla chose that moment to come into their line of vision and Yuri tensed up even more. She looked simply stunning. And she was obviously pregnant. He couldn't pull his eyes from her as she made her way toward them, and for the life of him he could no longer pretend that he didn't care.
He wanted to untangle himself from Amoy and meet her halfway across the sand and forcefully take her away from here.
She paused when she saw him looking at her, possession clearly stamped on his face. She continued walking after a beat until she was close to them. Ricky dragged her toward him and placed his hand across her shoulders.
"Honey, meet Amoy, Yuri's girlfriend, and of course you know Yuri."
Amoy didn't smile. Marla didn't smile either. The four of them just stood there like they were frozen statues.
Ricky was the only one who seemed to be enjoying this tableau. "Come on, let’s go get a drink and settle down under one of the tents. I don't want Marla on her feet for long."
He was playing the solicitous husband.
Yuri couldn't take it anymore. "No. I shouldn't have come to this party. Marla, we have to talk."
"You are not going to be talking to my wife privately," Ricky said, his eyes flashing. "Sorry, whatever you have to say to Marla you say to me."
"Okay then," Yuri's voice had a slight tremor, "why didn't you tell me about the baby, Marla? I heard from my parents."
Marla swallowed. "Yuri, this is not the place..."
"So you are in agreement with him to keep my child away from me? That is not going to happen."
They were attracting a crowd. Francine drifted closer, a young guy on her arm. She was frowning.
"Yuri!" Amoy whispered. "She's right." She was squeezing his arm.
"No!" Yuri inhaled. "Ricky has always wanted this showdown. Let’s give Ricky what he wants. Isn't that so, Ricky? You want to teach me a lesson? You want to rub your relationship with Marla in my face; you want to see me bleed. Well sorry, I am not in the mood to be a martyr tonight."
Yuri raised his voice. "The baby that Marla is carrying is mine. Not Ricky's."
There was a collective gasp around the venue.
"And I am not going to sit back and watch while Ricardo Mills tries to taunt me from afar with this child. No Ricky, the fight is on. That baby will be a Scarlett, whether you or Marla like it or not."
Marla didn't move. He saw tears in her eyes and he briefly wondered if they were tears of sadness that he had dared to confront Ricky the way he had. He spun around with Amoy clinging to his hand and walked out of the venue.
"Yuri!" Marla called out.
He stopped but Ricky was holding her by the hand and another big guy was on her other side, preventing her from moving. He figured if he didn't want to play tug the pregnant woman he would have to leave. There must be another time when he could do this without the chance of harming Marla.
He headed to his car with Amoy in tow. When he sat down he realized that his hand was trembling.
He inhaled raggedly, trying to calm his racing heart.
Amoy came into the car and looked at him in the half dark. "That is the shortest time I have ever spent at a party."
Yuri laughed, more in relief than anything else. "I finally told them."
"That you did," Amoy said. "Now what?"
"Now, I don't know." Yuri sighed. "I have to get to Marla somehow."
"We have my office party tomorrow," Amoy said softly. "I have to go back to Kingston."
"I know. I'll drop you back home, but I have to come back to sort this out. Sorry that I can't be your date."
"I'll live. You've got to do what you've got to do. Is there any place around here to eat? I am starving."
Chapter Seventeen
"Slept well?" Francine peered at Marla over the newspaper the following morning.
"Yes, I did." Marla nodded. "Surprisingly, wondrously well."
Francine lowered the paper and folded it neatly. Heather was busying herself around the kitchen and she waited until she left before she said anything else to Marla.
"What's going on here, Marla?" Francine asked.
Marla looked into her concerned eyes. Even at this time of the morning she was made up to the hilt and dressed in an expensive-looking dress that highlighted her slim shape.
"Why don't you ask Ricky?" Marla helped herself to some tea and sat down.
"I did. He told me some ridiculous story about Yuri being jealous and making things up. I somehow think it's the other way around, though."
"It is." Marla sighed. "Ricky blackmailed me into this marriage. My father killed someone and he caught it on tape. I helped to dispose of the body and Ricky has that over me."
Francine's mouth was opened into a huge o. "Blackmail?" she whispered. "But...I can't believe that...not Ricky! He is not the kind of person to do something like this."
"Francine, you have no idea what kind of person Ricky is," Marla countered quickly. "He is obsessed with Yuri; he only married me because Yuri loved me."
"I am going to have to tal
k to him," Francine said softly. "I can't believe that this obsession issue has not been cleared up."
"So you knew about it?" Marla asked.
"Yes, I knew about it," Francine snapped. "I wasn't that bad of a mother, you know. I had him sent to therapy in Switzerland. The therapist said that his fixation on Yuri would clear itself up."
Marla raised an eyebrow. "The therapist was wrong. Could you pass the paper, please?"
Francine handed over the paper and Marla turned to the death section. The announcement for her father's funeral was supposed to be today. She scrolled through and found it.
John Roundtree, late of Great Bay, Treasure Beach...funeral on Wednesday, December 15 at the Peaceful Vale Cemetery…
She didn't have a good picture of her father, so the one she sent in for the death announcement was one of his younger self. She looked at the picture for a while. Even then you could see the ravages of torment around his watery, drunken eyes. He had slowly drank himself to death. He had committed suicide.
She closed the paper and looked at Francine, who was slowly eating an orange and looked contemplative, as if she was in a different and unfamiliar world.
She looked up at Marla. "And the baby, it's really Yuri's?"
"Yes." Marla nodded. "No other candidate."
Francine grimaced. "This whole situation is worthy of a soap opera."
Marla got up for some peppermint tea and while she was sitting down she saw the newspaper headline.
Marriage Officer Scam. The registrar department and the police are warning the public that a ring of unlicensed marriage officers are going about marrying people when they do not have the right to do so.
For the past seven years, fourteen men posing as pastors have been marrying people. They were also working with an insider in the RGD who would administer counterfeit certificates. If you were married in the past seven years by the following men, your marriage is not legal.
Marla shook her head; people would do anything for money. She was casually scanning through the list when she saw Burnham Cole, Pedro Plain. She had to rub her eyes again.
Scarlett Baby (The Scarletts Page 12