The Last Little Secret

by Zuri Day

  For the next few hours, Sam focused on the home’s furnishings—double-checking that shipments were still on schedule; confirming contractor appointments and speaking with the landscaping crew. Finally, she took a long shower and rather than heating up one of the meals left by the chef, decided to take the yacht into Charleston for a proper meal.

  Thirty minutes later, she was at the boat’s stern, watching the Atlantic churn beneath the sleek yacht’s powerful motor. People often dreamed of a rich, carefree life where having a job or not was an option. Sam had lived that life, and until now didn’t realize how much she’d missed her career. She was thankful for the tight timeline, and the plethora of problems to solve it presented. Doing so gave her less time to think about her own. And just like that, the sense of foreboding came back.

  She knew just the person to help lighten her mood, reached over and picked up her phone. “Hey, Danni.”

  “Cousin! I was just thinking about you. It’s about time you called. How’s it going?”

  “Okay, for the most part.”

  “I hope you’re calling to say you told Nick about Trey.”

  “I’m going to. Soon. How was the birthday party?”

  “Loud. Scott bought Jaylen a drum set. I wanted to take those sticks and beat him with them!”

  Sam laughed. “I bet Trey was happy. I miss him.”

  “Hmm, I see. Do you miss his father?”

  “Next question.”

  Danielle laughed. “Where are you?”

  “Off the coast of South Carolina, heading into Charleston.”

  “From the island?”

  “Yes, the island where the homes are located. They’re super secure, super private and available only by boat.”

  There was a slight pause, and then, “How do you do it?”

  “Do what?”

  “Land these dream situations in your life. First, the marriage to a prince—”

  “You had a hand in that.”

  “And now designing island homes for a rich guy? I’m doing something wrong.”

  “You’re doing everything right. You’ve got a good man, a great kid and an amazing nephew.”

  “Ha! I can’t argue with that. Hey, speaking of my nephew, he just ran down the hall. You want to speak with him?”

  “In a minute. How are you?”

  “Rested. That angel named Gloria who calls herself a childcare specialist is just the type of person I need in my life. She volunteered to help with the party and a few times since then, and made me wonder how I worked and ran this household without her.”

  “Frankly, I don’t know either. Working full-time, taking care of a family and helping with Trey? I swear there’s an S on your chest.”

  “Ha! I’m not your superwoman,” Danielle sang. “Seriously, the workers at the day care are like family and my boss is a gem. As a single mother, she’s well aware of the struggle in balancing family and work.”

  Sam looked out over the water, rippling and glowing in the sunny afternoon. Her cousin was right. She was blessed. Even with the design problems she’d encountered and her recent divorce, all the trouble she’d left behind in Africa and the secret she kept, life was good. She was on a yacht sailing in the Atlantic, having scored a contract any designer would want, one that would boost her résumé to the point she could be picky about clients and name her price. Her son was healthy and her dad was glad she was back on his side of the world. There was no room for complaints. At least, that should have been the case. But...that feeling.

  “Sam.”

  “Hmm?”

  “You got quiet all of a sudden. What’s going on?”

  “I don’t know. I woke up with an eerie feeling that I’ve had all day.”

  “Was it a dream about Oba?”

  “No. But something happened over the weekend that I didn’t tell you about.” Sam told Danielle about the run-in with Joi.

  “And you’re just telling me now?”

  “I didn’t want to even think about it, much less talk about what happened.”

  “Sam, you need to tell Nick about Trey. Today. The last thing you want is for him to find out about it from someone other than you.”

  “You’re right. I know. I almost did that this weekend, too, right before Joi walked up and interrupted. And something else happened that day.”

  “What?”

  “Nick and I slept together.”

  Danielle sucked in a breath. “No!”

  “Yes.” She painted the picture of them out riding, the spooked horse, sharing the saddle with Nick, and the inevitable conclusion from such close proximity.

  “It was just that one time?”

  “No.”

  “Twice?”

  Sam sighed.

  “You guys are working and dating?”

  “Not officially dating, no.”

  “Friends with benefits?”

  “You might say he’s now a part of my compensation package.” Sam’s attempt to lighten the mood was an epic fail.

  “You’ve got Nick hanging out with a child he doesn’t know is his, and sleeping with him, too? Sam. You’ve got to tell that man the truth.”

  Sam’s screen lit up. Her stomach flopped. “Well, Danni, looks like we talked him up.”

  “Who, Nick?”

  “He’s calling. I’ve got to take it. Look, I’ll call you back.”

  “Tell him!” Sam heard Danni yell before disconnecting the call.

  “Hey, Nick.”

  “Sam.”

  Uh-oh. Was it paranoia about her secret or was there an ominous tone in Nick’s voice? It had to be her freaking out. There was no way that he knew.

  “The one and only,” she said with a forced cheerfulness. “If you’re calling about the drawings, that’ll have to wait until I get back to the island. I’m on my way into Charleston. Wish you were here to join me for dinner.”

  “In a way, I wish I were there, too. But I’m not sure I’d have much of an appetite.”

  “Why? What’s the matter?”

  “Earlier today I hung out with my brother, who’d heard a crazy rumor, that your ex is not Trey’s father.”

  Sam felt nauseous and she wasn’t seasick.

  “Who told him that?”

  “Lauren heard it last weekend, from a client she met.”

  Sam sighed. “That is not a rumor. Trey is not Oba’s biological child.”

  “Whose child is it? Do I know the father?”

  Sam closed her eyes, unaware of how tightly she squeezed the phone. “You don’t want kids,” she said, in what hopefully sounded like a teasing tone. “Why this sudden interest in Trey’s dad?”

  Nick paused for so long Sam thought they may have gotten disconnected. She glimpsed her phone’s face. He was still on the line.

  “Nick?”

  “Am I Trey’s father?”

  There was a lump as big as the future in her throat. She swallowed past it. “Yes.”

  Silence.

  “Nick? Hello?”

  She looked at the phone again. Nick was no longer on the line. Danni’s words had proven prophetic. The secret was out and pierced her like an arrow. Straight through the heart.

  Fourteen

  Nick didn’t think it possible to feel so many different emotions at once—shock, anger, bewilderment, confusion. He was Trey’s father? Impossible. He went through all of the reasons that could not have been true. All but a sliver in the back of his brain was convinced that there was no way. But that 1 percent chance kept him from sleeping. The next morning, the sun had barely announced its presence when he walked through the front doors of the estate. Helen the housekeeper greeted him. She whispered, a nod to the early hour.

  “Nick, is everything okay?”

  “No, Helen, it’s not. I ne
ed to see my parents.”

  “They’re sleeping.”

  “I figured as much. They won’t be for long.”

  Something in his voice must have warned her against making a fuss. Instead she asked, “Can I get you something? Coffee or tea?”

  A shot of whiskey, Nick thought, but shook his head. One shot wouldn’t be enough. This situation called for an entire bottle.

  He reached his parents’ suite and tapped on the door. “Mom. Dad. It’s Nick.”

  “Nick?”

  He heard the grogginess of his mother’s voice, accompanied by shuffling noises, and felt a twinge of guilt, but only for a second. There were times when even a grown man still needed parental counsel. Now was one of those times.

  “Just a moment, son.”

  Victoria opened the door wearing a floral lavender robe with a matching silk cap and heeled house shoes, the epitome of style even in sleepwear.

  “Good morning, darling.” She touched his face. “What’s the matter, son?”

  Nick hugged her and walked into the room, past the sitting area and into where his dad was leaning up against the headboard.

  “Son?”

  Victoria came in behind him and joined her husband on his side of the bed. “Nick, what’s wrong? You’ve got me very concerned.”

  “You know Sam, the woman who’s working with me?”

  “Of course. You don’t forget a woman like her.”

  Nick snorted. “You don’t know how right that statement might be. After confronting her about a rumor, she blindsided me with the news that Trey is my son.”

  He watched his parents exchange a look.

  “What do you have to say about that?” Victoria asked.

  Nick began to pace. “I say it’s impossible!”

  His father, Nicholas, raised a brow. “Is it?”

  Nick turned to look at him. “Yes!”

  “You two have never been intimate?”

  “A long time ago but—”

  “How long ago, son?” Victoria asked.

  Nick frowned as he did the mental calculations. Around the time Sam got pregnant, a thought he didn’t share.

  “He’s not my kid.”

  Victoria moved from the bed to sit on the antique bench beyond it. “You’re sure? You always used protection?”

  “There’s no doubt about that,” Nicholas interrupted, confidently crossing his arms. “That’s how I taught all my boys. To use protection every single time.”

  “And you did?” Victoria pushed.

  Nick ran a frustrated hand through his curls. “There may have been one time...”

  “Then there’s only one thing to do. Have a paternity test taken and then go from there.”

  “Go where from there? I don’t have time to be a father. I told her that these island homes are my babies right now.”

  “So you two have discussed this?”

  “No. We talked about kids once and I let her know then as I’ve told every woman before her that having a child wasn’t a part of my plans and still isn’t...not for at least another ten years.”

  Nicholas eased out of bed, straightening his pin-striped designer pajamas. “Was that before or after the unprotected sex, son?”

  “How old is her son?” Victoria asked.

  “Four.”

  “Yet you’re only now learning that he might be your child? Why?”

  “I don’t know!”

  “Well, you need to find out. If the child is yours, you’ve lost four formative years of his life. He’s missed out on being a Breedlove and we may have someone with our DNA that we don’t know. All of that is reason enough for a conversation with Samantha. That girl’s got some explaining to do.”

  The conversation moved from his parents’ master suite to the breakfast nook where over coffee they talked for more than an hour. Victoria worked her mother magic. Nick left the house feeling infinitely better than when he arrived. He was angry with Sam, beyond disappointed in her actions, but because of the people who raised him, he would try to follow their advice and not judge her too harshly or prematurely. A hard ask, but he’d try.

  Nick was in no shape to go to work. He called Anita and rearranged his schedule to work from home. Once there, he retreated to his home office but still couldn’t work very much. His thoughts kept drifting to the possibility that he was a father. He could close his eyes and see’s Trey’s face, searched his memory for any sign of himself in it. He went back to the day that he met him, how he’d actually told Sam the adventurous child reminded him of himself at that age. He went over every detail of the day they went horseback riding. He replayed the showdown between Sam and Joi. Sam’s behavior now made much more sense, as did Joi’s comment.

  Which one is yours?

  She knew. Sam knew. Yet kept him in the dark.

  And there was one more thing. Those anonymous calls he’d been getting from the blocked number and the person who never spoke. Did that have something to do with the secret that Sam had been keeping?

  Nick spun around angrily, determined to focus on work. He fired up his laptop, gritted his teeth against the myriad of emotions and opened his email. His eyes were instantly drawn to one from Sam. Something about the build, he thought.

  But it wasn’t.

  Nick,

  I’m sorry. I wanted to tell you. I should have told you. I was afraid of your reaction. I didn’t know how. Please give me the chance to explain why at the time I thought what I did was best for everyone. I’m not saying it was right. In hindsight, I realize it was a horrible decision, one not fair to you, Trey or me. Please forgive me. For everything.

  Sam.

  Nick didn’t respond right away. He didn’t trust himself to write an appropriate answer. Later that morning, his reply was succinct.

  The only thing we need to talk about, besides work, is a paternity test. I’ll schedule it and forward the details. N.

  To say they talked that week would have been generous. While she was in the Carolinas Nick communicated through email and text. Dr. Lucas, a longtime family friend who could be trusted to operate in confidence, orchestrated the testing. It was he, not Nick, who contacted Sam, who swabbed herself and Trey in the privacy of her condo when they returned from the Carolinas. After swabbing Nick, Dr. Lucas personally delivered the tests to the lab and ordered the results be rushed.

  Twenty-four hours later, all doubt was removed. Nick was a father. Trey was his child.

  Fifteen

  Sam had never been this nervous. Even while pregnant, while facing an uncertain future with a man she’d just met and carrying the child of another, her nerves had been less traumatized. Nick had agreed to come over to the condo so that they could speak in private. Trey was with Danielle. It was what needed to happen, and what she wanted. But that didn’t stop another part of her from being scared to death.

  She’d gone through her closet and changed several times. Finally, already mentally exhausted with frayed nerves, she pulled on a pair of jeans and a cropped tee. Her locs were pulled to the top of her head. She wore no makeup. She expected him. But when the doorbell rang she jumped from the couch, then paused for a deep breath. Was he angry? Hurt? Shocked? Resigned? The only way to find out which Nick was on the other side of the door was to open it.

  “Hi, Nick.”

  “Sam.”

  The look on his face made her mouth dry. A combination of anger and sadness, disappointment and fear. That handsome face that was usually smiling was now almost ashen in its somberness.

  She stepped back. “Please, come in.”

  He took a couple steps inside and stopped, his back to her.

  “Let’s, um, sit...at the table.” Sam walked into the dining room and took a seat. Nick silently complied, barely meeting her eyes.

  “Can I get you anything—”r />
  “Let’s get one thing straight. This is not a social visit. This is the opportunity you asked for, a chance to explain why almost five years later I’m finding out about someone out there with my blood in his veins.”

  He hadn’t raised his voice, but Sam felt the restraint it had taken to not do so, could almost feel the heat on his words. Tears burned the back of her eyes. She dug fingernails into palms and dared herself to cry. She was not the victim here. She’d perpetrated a problem that now needed to be fixed.

  “When getting dressed to go out that night, I had no idea how that party would change my life. Like you I was single and loving it, living life like it was golden, totally carefree. I think that’s one of the reasons we gravitated to each other. We had the same energy, the same thought about living our lives.

  “Discovering that I was pregnant sent me straight into shock, and panic. I’d recently ended a relationship with a guy in LA, had come here to get him out of my system. Boy, did you ever help me do that! As soon as the home test I took came back positive, I knew it was you. But I didn’t know you—I mean, we’d seen each other in passing what, maybe five or six times? Then I followed up with a doctor’s visit and his timeline further confirmed it.”

  “But you still didn’t tell me, Sam.”

  “I couldn’t.”

  “Why not?”

  “You didn’t want kids! I’d gone online to find out more about you and the first article I read was about how dedicated you were to your family’s business, how you were happily single with no time for a family of your own. Then, as fate would have it, shortly after that Danni got talking with Joi and found out about Oba’s dilemma.”

  Nick’s head shot up. “What dilemma?”