by M. Skye
“A concern?”
“Yeah. You remember all those suspicions I had about Richmond after Helen’s and Janelle’s deaths? Well, I might just be on to something as far as it all not being on the up and up.”
“What brought this on? I thought you decided they were all accidents.”
“I thought so, but something was wearing on me last night, and I went and found all the old papers. While I was looking them over, Mia walked in and added more pieces to the puzzle. I didn’t want to tell her, but I no longer think any of it was an accident. I want you to look into it, but keep it quiet. I don’t want Mia knowing until I have something more.”
“Are you sure? You just got back with the woman, and you know all those secrets ended things the first time.”
“Mia understands, and I won’t keep anything from her if it gets too crazy. I just don’t want her to worry for no reason. My suspicions could be unfounded, and she has enough to deal with.”
“As long as you know what you’re doing.” He shrugged. “I’m happy for you and hope you can iron out all the details, and you know I got you on the info tip. If there is anything to find, I’ll find it.”
“Thanks, little brother.”
“It’ll be fun having little man around all the time. You know, for me, it’s almost as good as having my own.”
With crossed arms and a huge smirk, Tyree looked at his little brother, now seeing the softer side. “You thinking about a family someday?”
“Nawh. I’ll just have to settle for spending time with my nephew. You know he’s my little mini me.”
Tyree chuckled, thinking about how much Kyan really did favor Miguel. They had the same shade of brown eyes, he looked just like Miguel did when he was younger, and Kyan acted like Miguel in the sense of being extremely goofy. It was like seeing Miguel as a kid all over again.
“You know me and Mia had a thing, right? You sure he’s yours?” Miguel insinuated that he was Kyan’s father, causing Tyree to almost fall out his chair, laughing hysterically.
“You wish, little brother. You wish you had the swag it takes to pull a woman like Mia.”
“So I take it Jake has swag, huh? You know he hit that, right?” Miguel was hitting a touchy subject, but he always liked to see how far he could go teasing his sickeningly happy brother; Tyree knew this.
Tyree’s smile never faltered. “He caught her in a weak moment, but only a real man can hold down a woman like that. He couldn’t even get a yes to his repeated proposals. She’s home to stay now. I’m never giving her up again.”
“That’s the attitude. Never let anyone take anything from you. Mia is yours.” The room was quiet for a second. “Now that I’m done.” Miguel snickered, seemingly pleased with himself until he heard the door open.
Tyree stood quickly. He knew by witnessing the look on his face that Miguel could tell who it was without turning.
“Hey, Mia.”
“Hey, Miguel.” Her voice was light and pleasant. Tyree could smell the breakfast she brought, and he felt his senses taking over.
“I see you haven’t lost your touch, Mama Mia. I hope you brought enough for your favorite brother-in-law.” Miguel was already licking his lips as he eyed the basket of food she entered with.
“Yes, I did. I have enough here for everyone: me, you, Ty, Kyan, and Asha. Where is she, by the way?”
“She had some business to attend to,” Tyree stepped in, deflecting the question. He pulled Mia’s lips to his. Kissing her this way reminded him of how they were in the beginning. Tyree could tell Miguel was really happy for them, watching how they interacted, until he heard a booming little voice.
“Daddy, why are you kissing Mama? I thought you had a girlfriend and Mama has Jake.”
Miguel swooped Kyan into his arms and shook him up a little. “Which do you like better, little man? Your daddy kissing your mom or Jake?”
Sighing and squinting his eyes, Kyan gave Miguel a look. “I like Daddy better. Jake is nice, but he’s not my daddy.”
The look on Miguel’s face said he was loving this. Kyan was so much like him: always straight to the point. “What about Renee?”
“She’s not like Mama, so that’s why Daddy doesn’t like her that much.”
“What do you mean, little man?”
“She doesn’t do anything. She sits in the house all day, and Aunt Cassie says all she does is spend Daddy’s money. Mama has her own money.”
Miguel shook his head and gave Kyan a high-five. “That’s right. Your mama is one hell of a woman.”
“All right, boys,” Mia interjected. “Let’s just eat. Enough about Renee.” Tyree could tell she was so over the whole subject.
Tyree watched as Mia pulled out plates and handed them around. She was great. No, pretty much amazing. Yeah, amazing was the word. Leaning over, he kissed her cheek. “Kitten, how you doing?”
“I’m great, babe.”
“With the whole Richmond thing, I mean? I know it has to be hard.”
“We’ll talk later.” Her grin was contagious. He couldn’t hide his either. She was making him forget his problems.
“Okay. Thank you for coming here and bringing Kyan. I needed to see you two.”
Her fingers found their way to his hair, stroking his scalp, sending tingles through his body. “I couldn’t wait until lunch. With everything going on, I needed to see your face. You always make everything better.”
“That’s why I’m your man.”
“My man. I like that.”
“I love it.”
Chapter Eighteen
Terence watched as Asha paced the living room and she knew he was confused. She had called him a few hours back, saying she needed to talk, but he got held up at work. His assistant had delivered all of her messages. She wasn’t trying to get him worked up, but what she had to say was major to her.
“Baby, what’s up? I got your messages.”
“What did you find out about Renee? I know you were digging into her past. What did you find?”
“Not much. Nothing more than what the background check provided; but what is this all about?”
Raking her hand through her hair, Asha turned to him with tears glistening in her eyes. “I think she and Dad are up to something. I need to know anything that can connect the two of them before she met Tyree.”
“Anything like what? This is your dad we’re talking about. He’s like the father of the year to you. What is it that you think they’re doing?”
Trembling, her hands went back to her hair. It was a nervous habit she had. “I don’t know. I just . . . I just know he’s lying to us. I didn’t want to believe it, but how else do you explain all this? I . . . I need to know.”
Hot tears streaked her cheeks, and Terence reached out to cup her chin. A tender kiss followed, and she felt her body relaxing against him. “Calm down, sweet girl. Everything will be fine. I’ll fix it. I’ll get you whatever it is you need.”
Stuttering, she laid her head against his shoulder. “What if you can’t? What if I can’t? I don’t know what to do. Telling Tyree could cause some serious problems and not telling him means I have to let them get away with whatever they’re doing.”
“How about we figure out exactly what that is and go from there? You don’t have to worry. I got you.” Kissing her head, he pressed her against him exhaling into the air. “I know it’s rough, but how about we do something that’s very obvious?”
Asha’s head lifted, and she felt a glimmer of hope resonate in her. “What?”
“You should call him. John may be a lot of things, but can you really think he would deliberately hurt Tyree? I know they have their differences, but I believe he loves his children. There has to be an explanation.”
Taking Terence’s advice, Asha fished her cell out of her purse and dialed the number, while he placed his hand over her chest. Her heart was racing against his palm with each ring; and when she got the voicemail, she turned to Terence, who was looking on anxiously
with a shrug. He smiled at her reassuringly, and she ended the call feeling as defeated as she had when he first walked in.
“Plan B?” she huffed.
He nodded. “Plan B.”
* * *
After the ringing had silenced, John slammed his phone down on the bed, hissing quietly. He had seen Asha calling, but he had more pressing matters in front of him. He had to get a handle on his life. He was quickly losing control of everything around him. He needed stability.
“What’s wrong, Johnny boy? Things not going your way?” a woman’s voice called out from the bathroom.
In the manner of a caveman, he marched to the bathroom and pulled her out, tossing her on the bed.
Renee was stunned, blinking her eyes rapidly.
“If you would have done what I asked I wouldn’t be having these asinine problems. You had one purpose, and you’re blowing it. All my hard work is going down the drain.”
“Your hard work? Just what in the hell have you done? I think I’m the one who has done everything!”
“Yeah, about that ‘everything’: that needs to end. You were supposed to take him on a few dates, get him to come to the company, and disappear. You were not supposed to be fucking my son!” He grabbed her chin and held it firmly. “When we get home, you’re done with him. I want you out.”
Sliding a finger across her chin, Renee let out a wicked laugh and lay back down on the bed. “That might be a little hard to do, seeing that we’re engaged and all. I can’t think of a single reason to give up such a sweet deal.”
“With the money I’ve paid you, you should have been gone long ago. What he has is chump change compared to me.”
“Actually, he has more than he thinks. He just doesn’t know what we do.”
With a deep, heavy sigh, John ran his hands over his face. “I’m working on things. It should have been done by now, but I just got Tyree on board with the company. I needed to be sure it was for the long haul before I switched everything up.”
“Whatever you say,” she hissed. “You’ve been making promises for over two years, and I’m tired of waiting. Tyree is ready to take me places while you’re still playing house with the shrew.”
“You’re the one fucking my son. It was never supposed to go that far between you. You were only supposed to do some light flirting and get him to take the business.”
Sitting up, running her hands down his chest, she caressed it through the open shirt. “You promised you would leave Karen, and I’m still waiting.” She nibbled his ear. “I wanted you. You were the one, but he can give me what I need right now.”
“You will stop this. I mean it, Renee. This thing between the two of you needs to be over. I won’t have you with him when I serve Karen with divorce papers.”
A smile appeared on her face, and she slid into his arms. “Are you really going to do it this time? What about all the other times you promised?”
“I have all I need now. Tyree is committed to the company, and Richmond has their company in so much turmoil they won’t even see my next move coming. I know everyone has high hopes since Mia came home but, that girl, she won’t be a problem. She hates him, we saw to that. She won’t be able to convince him to turn his back on the family again.”
“You’re sure this is going to work?”
“It’s going to work. I have faith in this. Everything we’ve done so far has gone perfectly well. Everything besides you shacking up with Tyree.”
“That could have all been avoided if you would have told me what I meant to you. It’s all I wanted, and you couldn’t deliver.”
He ran his fingers down her cheek and laid his head against hers. “I love you, baby. I always have, ever since I saw you standing in the rain that day. Thank goodness for your car breaking down, or I never would have laid eyes on you. I just wish things would have gone differently.”
“Things just got so messed up. I don’t know how we fell so far.”
“I had to do something when Karen got suspicious. The timing was off, and Tyree wasn’t ready.”
“What’s so important about Tyree taking the company? I mean, you already had Asha and Miguel.”
“He has to for this all to work. It was always my dream to have all of them alongside me at Johnston Incorporated. And with my new queen bee, we can run Atlanta.”
“And don’t you think Tyree will have a problem with all this? The guy did propose to me.”
“Don’t flatter yourself, doll. He doesn’t love you. He’s just passing the time with you. He loves Mia. He will always love Mia but, as long as she thinks he screwed her over, she will never forgive him. He was never going to marry you.”
“You think so, huh?”
“Yes. Now, go get dressed. We have dinner plans.”
Watching her retreat, John pulled out his cell phone and dialed Asha back. When she answered, he felt a smile creep across his face. No matter what lie he was telling, the voice of his daughter made him feel like he was doing the right thing; she helped him drown out his demons.
Chapter Nineteen
Rick sat in his study, looking over the documents, and then sighing as he tossed them across the room. For days, he had been trying to figure out how Richmond was able to outsmart him and Mia. He had challenged their positions at the company and managed to get them both suspended until the issue was resolved. He used that addendum to Janelle’s and Helen’s share appropriations, voided the agreement they signed when they voted him out, and exploited it, leaving him with more votes than Mia and Rick combined. They blocked him from the company, but the 2 percent they left him with was their downfall. He combined everything he had to oust them. He had also managed to sway the board in his favor. Now, both he and Mia were out of Livingston until terms were reached.
While Rick was livid, Mia seemed to be relieved. This meant she didn’t have to return to Paris and face the problems there. She had all but moved Tyree back into the house, but she hadn’t told Jake they were over. He knew she didn’t want to be with him, but she didn’t have the heart to break up with him over the phone. She thought he deserved more. He was there for her in a very challenging time, but he just wasn’t the one. Deep down, he always knew it.
As elated as he was for Mia, Rick only wished he could share in her relief. They both had been working so hard to fix the reputation of Livingston, and he was fulfilled. He loved running the company, and although Mia was in Paris, they talked all the time, somewhat bridging the gap between them. The company had helped bring them closer together, and he didn’t want to lose that.
Rick and Mia didn’t always have the best relationship. When they were younger, and Janelle was still living, they were practically inseparable. Outside of being with Tyree, Mia was glued to her big brother and so was Janelle. They both looked up to him. He was more of a father than Richmond was. Rick had assumed so many of the responsibilities with the family Richmond had skipped out on. Rick was their rock until things started to take a turn for the worse with Helen.
When Helen began to falter, so did Rick. In a time when he usually would have been the biggest support for his little sisters, he closed himself off, only letting Cassandra in, driving a wedge between the siblings. While Mia found comfort in Tyree, Janelle found comfort in men and alcohol.
Janelle had never been a drinker before, but it was like once she started, it was a habit that took over her mind. She struggled with the addiction and, ultimately, it was Tyree and Miguel who made her see what it was doing and how it made her someone else. After six months of fighting the urges, she found herself coping without it. She was moving in the right direction and was starting a romance with Miguel.
Miguel and Janelle had always flirted around with each other as children, but as adults, they had something more than their families ever imagined. Janelle had taken the reluctant bachelor and given him love he never thought himself capable of. She etched her name in his heart without even trying.
While Rick drifted down memory lane, Cassan
dra stood in the doorway, watching him. He smiled at the thoughts of his beautiful sisters and then scowled at the memories of the hardships they had endured all because they were the children of Richmond Livingston. People often envied them because of all the money and material things, but he would have traded it all in to give them a normal family. They could have been so happy.
Seeing the turmoil Richmond’s decisions plunged his sisters into, Rick vowed never to let his daughter suffer the consequences of any of his actions. Picking up her picture, he grinned, thinking of the beautiful girl he raised. Whitney, his daughter, was away at Oxford, and although he missed her, he was glad she was far from the madness. He needed to protect her the way he felt he didn’t do for Mia and Janelle.
“She misses you.” Casandra walked into the room, running her hands along the picture of her daughter. “She called this morning, but you were out. She sends her love, and she wanted to tell you about her grades this term. She made the dean’s list.”
A smile spread across his face as she found a place in his lap. “Our girl is something, isn’t she? So young, and already making us proud. She’s damn near perfect.”
“She’s great, but I hate that she is so far away. I miss my little girl. She was my Barbie doll. Now, I have no one to dress up.”
“Cassie, she’s our daughter, not a toy.” Laughing, he kissed her hand.
“I know. I just like shopping with my doll. Now I have no one but Kyan. He’s so cute and adorable, but he hates to shop. He argues with me until I cave and take him to a game shop. I’m such a pushover for him.”
Her head found a resting place against his neck, and he stroked her hair. “He is like Mia. He can get us to do anything, but you have that persuasion yourself.”
“Meaning?”
“You got Mia here, didn’t you? You’re such a sneak, but I’m glad you went for it. They’re so much better now.”
“Yeah, but it’s not over. They might be over there in the honeymoon phase right now, but they haven’t faced reality. They still have to dump the leeches.”