Delilah swallowed hard. Her heart beat faster at his words, but she knew he was right. It was time. “Will you be there?”
“I’m always there for you, Delilah, always. Don’t you ever forget that.”
She leaned into him. “I love you,” she whispered.
He gave her a tight clasp and then stepped away. “I’m going to meet Alisha in the studio. I’ll keep her busy until dinnertime. That’ll give you and Morgan time to figure out what you’re going to say to her and how.”
“You’re not going to strategize with us?”
He smiled, and she knew her choice of words was the cause. “Not this time. You and Morgan need to do this together, for Alisha’s sake. She needs to know that you two are on the same page and that your only concern is for her. It’s been a long time since you and Morgan have seen each other, talked to each other. You need this time to develop some familiarity with each other.” He turned back to Morgan. “I’m trusting you with my lady, Morgan,” he said. “Don’t make me regret it.”
“I won’t,” Morgan said. “I appreciate all you’ve done for me, Tommy, now and in the past.” Then he said to Delilah, “I didn’t mean to break my promise to you and Rocky, Delilah, but cancer has a way of making a man change his mind.”
Delilah stepped out of Tommy’s embrace and walked over to Morgan. A bit of the warmth she’d felt for him years ago returned, coupled with her sympathy for his condition. “I’m sorry you’re sick, Morgan. I always wanted the best for you and your family.”
“I know,” he said. “And I wanted the same for you and Rocky. And Alisha. But you have to know that I never forgot about her, Delilah. We did the right thing back then; I’m sure of it. But I never forgot my little girl.”
His words pierced Delilah’s heart, and she broke down in tears. She expected Tommy’s arms to enclose around her, but she was wrong. As Morgan pulled her into his embrace, she saw Tommy ease toward the door and out of the room. In that moment, she realized again the depth of his love for her. He wanted her to do the right thing, and he knew Morgan would help her to do it.
She and Morgan stood close. She felt his tears, and she knew he felt hers. Tommy had made the right decision to bring them together again after all these years. The circle was now complete.
When she composed herself, she pulled back. “Well, I didn’t expect that,” she said. “Did you?”
He tilted his head. “I didn’t know what to expect. I’m serious, Delilah. I never meant to come back and disrupt your life or Alisha’s.”
“I know,” she said, taking a seat and waving him back to his. “Were we naive to think we could keep this secret from Alisha forever?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “I only know that when I found out I was dying, I had to let her know that I always loved her. You and Rocky did a great job with her, Delilah. She’s a wonderful young woman and a talented artist.”
“Music is in her genes,” she said. “There’s no getting around that.”
“It may be wrong of me,” he said, “but I’m glad she’s a writer like me.”
“It’s something Rocky and I never discussed, but we both saw that part of you in her. It was never a burden to us, though. She was still our Alisha, Rocky’s Alisha. It’s going to break her heart to know that Rocky wasn’t her father, to know that we lied to her all these years.”
“Maybe not,” Morgan said. “She strikes me as a mature young woman. Of course, it’ll be hard news for her to hear, but I have to believe that she’ll come around in time.”
“How much time?” she asked softly.
“The doctors are saying months. I just want it to be enough for Alisha to get to know me and open the door for her to have a relationship with her brother and her other sister. I’m believing God will give me enough time for that.”
Delilah reached out and squeezed his hand. “He will,” she said. “But first we have to tell our little girl that we’ve lied to her all her life.”
Chapter 40
Alisha was giddy as she helped her mother clear the dessert plates. “I can’t believe Morgan Sampson is in our house, that he ate dinner with us. This is unbelievable. I wish Roxanne was here. She needs to meet him. This could be exactly what she needs to lift her blues and get her excited again about the demo and Delilah’s Daughters. What did she say when you talked to her? You’ve been pretty tight-lipped about it.”
Delilah only wished that what Alisha said were true. But she knew her daughter’s joy and excitement over Morgan’s presence in their home would be short-lived. It was probably best that Roxanne wasn’t here. Alisha deserved to hear the news first. “Roxanne needs her privacy. She’ll tell you what’s going on with her when she’s ready.”
“What happened? Did she do something stupid and get fired? I bet that’s what it is. I knew Roxanne would never quit that job. What did she do?” Alisha asked.
“That’s a conversation for you and her to have. I’m sure she’ll tell you when she’s ready. Until then, you have to give her time.”
Alisha opened the door to the dishwasher and began placing the dishes inside. “Well, I’m going to get to the bottom of this. There is no reason for Roxanne to be down in the mouth about some job, especially when we have this awesome opportunity with Morgan Sampson. You know, she should have been more excited about the news than she was. It’s perfect timing for her as well. I’m going to kill that girl. Just wait until she gets home.”
Delilah shook her head, meeting her daughter’s eyes. “Not this time, Alisha. Let her come to you. Sometimes people have their reasons for keeping secrets. You have to love them enough to leave them alone until they’re ready to share.”
“What is it, Momma?” Alisha asked, turning away from the dishwasher. “Now you’ve got me worried. Roxanne’s not sick or anything, is she?”
Delilah placed coffee cups and saucers on the serving tray with the coffee pot. “No, nothing like that. It’s something that she specifically asked me not to share with you because she wants to do it herself. You have to trust that she knows what she’s doing.”
“Okay,” Alisha said, “but I don’t like it. There’s no reason for Roxanne to keep a secret from me. She should know that.”
“She does,” Delilah said. “Just give her time.” She took a deep breath. “Now we’d better get back to our guests.”
Tommy and Morgan were still seated at the dinner table when the women returned. “More coffee?” Delilah asked, placing the serving tray on the table.
Both men shook their heads.
“I can’t eat or drink another thing,” Morgan said. “It was a great dinner, Delilah.”
“It sure was,” Tommy added.
“Thank you both,” Delilah said.
“We’re glad to have you here, Mr. Sampson,” Alisha said, taking her seat. “I know I’ve told you before, but you’ve been such an encouragement to us. I can’t wait for you to hear our demo.”
“And I can’t wait to hear it,” Morgan said. “I didn’t tell you this before,” he said, “but I knew your father, Rocky. We were friends back in the day.”
Alisha’s eyes widened in surprise. “I didn’t know that,” she said. She turned to her mother. “Isn’t that something? Talk about a small world.”
“It’s smaller than you think,” Delilah added. “I knew Morgan back in the day as well.”
“What?” Alisha sank back in her chair. “You never let on that you knew Mr. Sampson. Did you think he wouldn’t remember you? Is that why you didn’t tell me?” Without giving her mother time to answer, she turned to Morgan. “When did you figure out I was Rocky’s daughter? Did you know when you saw Delilah’s Daughters on television?”
Morgan nodded. “Yes, I knew then.”
“Well, I’m glad you didn’t tell me when we first met. I’m sure I would have thought you were just being nice to me, to us, because of my dad.”
“Not that,” Morgan said.
Delilah cleared her throat. “Alisha, there is
no easy way to tell you this, so I’m just going to come right out and tell you. Your father and Morgan were good friends years ago before you were born. Back then, your dad’s music kept him on the road more than at home. Morgan was good enough to step in to help out when your dad was away. He was a good friend to both me and your dad.”
“I don’t understand,” Alisha said, looking from her mom to Morgan and back to her mom. “You were good friends? What happened? Why did you pretend you didn’t know each other? Why the secrecy?”
Delilah took a deep breath. “Before you were born, we promised your father we would never see each other again. And we kept that promise.”
“I still don’t understand,” Alisha said. “Why would Dad not want you and Mr. Sampson to see each other again?”
Instead of answering, Delilah looked first at Tommy and then at Morgan for help.
“It was because of me,” Morgan said. “Your father didn’t want me around your mother because of my feelings for her.”
Alisha slumped back in her chair. “You were in love with Momma?”
He nodded.
She turned to her mother. “And were you in love with him?”
“I thought I was,” Delilah said. “The truth is, I was lonely because your dad was away so much. I had two babies, Roxanne and Veronica, and I was lonely for adult companionship.”
“And you found that companionship in Mr. Sampson?”
Delilah nodded. She sensed that Alisha was figuring out what had happened.
Alisha looked from Mr. Sampson to her mother and back again. “Did you two have an affair? Is that why Dad made you promise not to see each other again?”
Delilah wished for another answer, one that wouldn’t break her daughter’s heart, but she had none. Drawing strength from the forgiveness Rocky had granted to her all those years ago, she slowly nodded her head.
“I loved your mother, Alisha,” Morgan said, before Alisha could respond, “and I convinced myself that your dad didn’t deserve her. I took advantage of her loneliness.”
“And Dad found out?”
“He did,” Delilah said. “And he forgave me. Our marriage was stronger than ever. I will never say that the affair made our marriage stronger, but it made both me and Rocky realize how hard we had to work to hold on to and nurture the love and the family we shared. After he forgave me, we never looked back. He never held it against me, never threw it in my face.”
Alisha accepted her words with a nod. “That sounds like Dad. He was a good man. All he asked was that you two not see each other again.” She turned to Morgan. “Do you feel you’re breaking your promise to my dad by being my mentor? Is that why you’re here?”
Morgan shook his head. “That’s not the reason.”
Alisha turned to her mother. “Is it you, Momma? Do you feel guilty because Mr. Sampson is helping us?”
“I feel guilty,” Delilah said, “but that’s not the reason.”
“What is it then?” Alisha asked, her growing frustration obvious in the clenched fingers she rested on the table.
Delilah cleared her throat. “I became pregnant as a result of my affair with Morgan,” she said.
“What?” Alisha said, her hands now clenching and unclenching. “You got pregnant? You have a baby out there somewhere? I can’t believe this, Momma. It was hard enough to digest that you had an affair, but a baby? How could you do that to Dad? I can’t believe this,” she repeated. “So what happened to the baby?”
“I had the baby, and Rocky and I raised her along with her two sisters.”
Alisha sat for a couple of moments as enlightenment dawned. “You raised the baby?”
Delilah’s heart ached for her daughter, but she could only nod.
Alisha stared at Morgan. “It can’t be,” she said. “You’re not my father. Rocky was my father.”
“You’re right, Alisha,” Morgan said. “Rocky was your father in all ways that mattered, but I’m your biological parent.”
Alisha began shaking her head left and right. “No, no, no. This can’t be true. There has to be some mistake. Rocky is my biological father.” She shot pleading eyes to her mother. “Tell him, Momma.”
“I’m so sorry, sweetheart,” Delilah said. “Rocky never wanted you to know. He couldn’t have loved you more had you been his biological daughter. He loved you. You know he loved you.”
Alisha couldn’t seem to get her mind around what she’d heard. “You and Morgan had an affair,” she spat out. “You got pregnant, and I’m the result.”
Delilah’s heart broke at her daughter’s words as she and Morgan could only nod.
“So you’ve been lying to me all these years?”
Though Delilah expected the condemnation and knew it was deserved, she felt the pain of her daughter’s question deeply. “It was the only way, Alisha,” she tried to explain. “Rocky and I didn’t want there to be any difference in you three girls.”
Alisha let out a hysterical laugh. “Is that why the group’s name is Delilah’s Daughters rather than Rocky’s Daughters? Did Dad name us that because I wasn’t his real daughter?”
“Don’t you ever think that,” Delilah said. “It would break Rocky’s heart to even think that you doubted his love for you, that you doubted how much he considered you his daughter, that you doubted how much you were his daughter.”
Alisha turned red eyes to Morgan. “But I’m not Rocky’s daughter,” she said. “I’m your daughter.”
“That’s right,” Morgan said. “You’re my daughter, but you’re also Rocky’s daughter. I couldn’t have stayed away all these years if I thought he didn’t love you. You were his daughter in all the ways that mattered.”
“So why are you here now after all these years?” she asked, her pain making her words clipped. “Did you suddenly become overwhelmed with guilt?”
Morgan’s anguish shone in his eyes. “No,” he said simply. “I have cancer and I’m dying. You’re named in my will, so you were going to find out who I was to you at some point. I wanted you to find out from me and your mother. I wanted you to understand and to forgive us. I also wanted you to know that you have another sister and a brother.”
Alisha squeezed her now-damp eyes shut. “This is too much,” she said. “It’s too much.” She opened her eyes, and they were filled with tears. She looked at her mom and Morgan. “I need to get out for a while, clear my head. This is too much.” With those words, Alisha slid out of her chair, grabbed her purse on the table by the door, and headed out.
When Delilah got up to follow her, Tommy pulled her back. “Let her go, Delilah. She needs time.”
Chapter 41
Delilah sat alone in the dark in her living room, with all manner of negative thoughts going through her mind. Since she had forced Tommy and Morgan to leave, she was left to sit by herself waiting for Alisha to return home. She could only guess at the thoughts that were going through her baby girl’s mind. Her only consolation was that Alisha hadn’t left in a rage. She’d been upset, but she hadn’t been out of her mind with anger. Delilah just wished her daughter would call.
When she saw the lights from a car shine through the windows, she said a quick “Thank you, Lord” and rushed to the door. “Alisha,” she called out.
“Sorry,” came Roxanne’s voice, “it’s only me, the wayward daughter.”
“Not now, Roxanne,” Delilah said, heading back to her perch on a chair in the living room.
“Why are you waiting up for Alisha?” Roxanne asked, following her mother to the living room. “It’s been a long time since you’ve had to do that.”
Delilah looked up at her oldest child. “Come and sit with me,” she said.
Roxanne did as she was told. “What is it, Momma?” she asked. “Is Alisha all right?”
“She heard some news tonight that was difficult for her to hear and understand.”
Roxanne’s eyes widened in alarm. “You told her about me, didn’t you?” she accused. “I asked you not to tell h
er, Momma. Why couldn’t you do as I asked?”
“The news wasn’t about you, Roxanne, so you can calm down. Your secret is still your secret. Alisha is worried about you, though, so you need to tell her what’s going on.”
“I’ll tell her when I’m ready.”
Delilah laughed a dry laugh.
“And why is that funny?” Roxanne asked.
“It’s not funny, Roxanne,” she said. “It’s sad.”
“I’m going to tell her. Just give me some time. You can do that for me, can’t you?”
Delilah looked at her daughter and saw the defiance in her eyes. “You’re so much like me,” she said. “You always prided yourself on being like Rocky, but you’re more like me than you know.”
“What?” Roxanne asked, with a sour smile. “Did you have an affair with a married man? Somehow I doubt it.”
“I’m not perfect, Roxanne, and neither was your father.”
“Did Dad have an affair?”
Delilah shook her head.
“Then what are we talking about?”
“We’re talking about me. I had an affair.”
“I don’t believe it,” Roxanne said, shaking her head. “Not you, unless you’re talking about you and Mr. Tommy. That’s not considered an affair, Momma, since Dad is long dead.” She paused for a minute. “Did you have something going with Mr. Tommy before Daddy died? Please tell me you and Mr. Tommy weren’t carrying on behind Daddy’s back. That would be some foul stuff, Momma. Mr. Tommy was supposed to be Daddy’s friend.”
“Don’t get all wound up,” Delilah said. “Tommy and I didn’t have an affair. Our relationship is new. There was never anything between us when Rocky was alive.”
“Good,” Roxanne said. “That would be low, especially given the way you lit into me when I told you about me and Gavin.”
Delilah met her daughter’s eyes. “I lit into you, as you say, because Rocky and I raised you better. But kids don’t always do what they’re brought up to do. Boy, do I know that.”
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