“There’s a lot going on right now. I’ve been dealing with some major issues,” he explained.
“Major issues? Like what?” Avery asked. “For how long?”
“Things have been crazy for a few weeks at least,” Carlton said. “The drama never ends.”
“Are you okay? Do you want to talk about it? Is it something going on at church?”
“I guess you can say that the church could be brought into it. I expect some things are probably going to come out in the media soon.” Carlton rubbed his head and shook his head.
“What is it, baby?” Avery asked. “You know you can talk to me about anything.”
“Yeah, I know. That’s one of the reasons I’m so crazy about you. You’re a good listener. A man of God needs someone that he can confide in and lean on sometimes. You know what I mean?”
“Yes, I do.” Avery nodded.
“I’ve found that in you. I can’t thank you enough for being the wonderful person that you are, Avery, which is why I have to come clean with you about what’s going on in my life.”
Carlton told Avery everything that was going on. When he finished, Avery sat in silence. She couldn’t believe it. Liam was his son? Hearing this rattled her somewhat, but it didn’t change what she felt for Carlton. As crazy as it sounded, Avery believed that everything would somehow work out. She encouraged Carlton not to cave under the pressure, to keep his focus and faith on God, and to remember that he had her by his side.
“See that’s why I fell in love with you. You make being with you so easy. You don’t judge me. You accept me for who I am. I’m a man of God, but I’m an average man first,” he told her. “And this average man has something he wants to give to you.”
“Give me? What is it?” Avery asked, looking surprised.
Carlton smiled warmly, reached inside the left pocket of his jacket, and pulled out a small blue velvet box. He placed it gently on the table and eased it in front of Avery.
Looking stunned, Avery’s eyes widened, and her mouth upturned. “What is this?
“It’s for you. Open it,” Carlton told her.
With trembling hands, she proceeded to open it. Her mouth opened wider than her eyes as she surveyed the diamond Tiffany line bracelet.
“Oh, my God, it’s beautiful, Carlton.”
She removed the bracelet from the box and studied it with pleasure as it sparkled brightly.
Carlton removed the bracelet from her hands and placed it on her dainty wrist.
“So you like it, huh?”
“Do I like it? I love it. But…I mean, why? What’s it for?”
“What’s it for? I’ll tell you what it’s for.” First Carlton leaned in and kissed her, not caring who might recognize them. “It’s for the woman I love. Every time you put this on I want it to remind you of how much you mean to me.”
“Oh, Carlton, I love you, babe. I love you so much.”
“Why don’t we hurry up and eat so we can get out of here. I can think of something better the two of us can spend our time doing. What do you say?” Carlton winked.
“I have a better idea. Let’s get the server to prepare our food to go.” Avery smiled seductively.
After they got their food packed in to-go boxes, Avery followed Carlton to the elevator leading to the room he had reserved at the five-star luxury hotel. For the next few hours, the couple made love. As she lay in his arms, she tried to reassure him again that she would do whatever she could to help him through the ordeal with Breyonna, with Meesha, and with Peyton. She may have had her own set of problems, but the problems she was going through with Ryker were nothing compared to what was unraveling in her lover’s life. She would definitely have to stay on her knees on behalf of Carlton Porter.
●
At home, after she returned from being with Carlton most of the afternoon, she prepared dinner, helped the girls with their homework, and finally got the chance to relax. Ryker was still at the office so she had time to bathe in the memories she had made with Carlton. She placed her hands on her tummy as she laid on her back across the bed. When they were together earlier, she started to tell Carlton the news but decided that she would wait a little longer before telling him. She wanted everything to be perfect, just right, before she let him know that she was carrying his love child. She toyed with the bracelet he had brought her as her smile broadened.
Later that evening, when Ryker came home, for some weird reason, he wanted to talk. Avery didn’t care to hear anything he had to say, but he insisted.
“We’re both to blame for our shaky relationship,” Ryker told her as he sat on the bed next to her. “But at the end of the day, I want you to know that I do love you. I really do. And I’ve been praying every day that you would forgive me.”
“I do forgive you, and I’ve been reevaluating my life, too, Ryker. Thanks to Pastor Porter and his powerful messages, I’ve come to realize and understand that we have to let go of the past and live for today. Tomorrow is not promised and neither of us should want to live a life that’s predicated on past failures and mess-ups.”
“That’s exactly what I wanted to hear. I think we can make this work, Avery. I want us to get married.”
Avery sat in silence. Ryker wanted to give their relationship another chance. Avery smiled within herself.
“What do you have to say?” he asked her.
Avery looked at him head on and without so much as a flinch, she said, “I want out.”
Chapter 33
“Deception may give us what we want for the present, but it will always take it away in the end.” Richard Hawthorne
Eva was both nervous and excited at the same time. Her period was over a week late. She hadn’t told Harper that she had stopped taking the pill. He would be upset if he knew, but if she was pregnant, Harper would be just fine. She believed that with all of her heart. After a little less than three minutes, the word PREGNANT appeared in the test strip window.
Eva squealed and jumped up and down in the bathroom. She couldn’t wait to share the news, so she decided to call Avery. As for Harper, she wanted to make her announcement special. She would have their personal chef to prepare his favorite dish and serve it over candlelight.
She called Avery but she didn’t answer so she left a voicemail. “Avery, call me. I have something to tell you.” After she ended the call, she then followed up with a text. Next, she contacted her mom via Skype to tell her the news. Harper had purchased her parents a computer so they could keep in touch with their daughter. Her mother was illiterate but Eva had a younger brother who showed her parents how to communicate using the computer.
When Eva told her mother that she was pregnant, she was happy for Eva, but she questioned about whether or not Harper would feel the same. Eva tried to reassure her that he would be just fine, especially after the baby arrived. Everything would be perfect. It had to be.
“I don’t know if my father is going to be overly joyous about having another kid.”
Startled, Eva quickly turned and faced Seth. “What are you doing in this house? I told you not to come in here when Harper isn’t home.”
“Hey, look, I only came to tell you that I’m out of here. I’m headed back home.”
“Oh, good for you. Well, have a safe trip.” Eva looked and sounded awkward. Seth made her a little nervous. It wasn’t that she was frightened of him or anything like that, it was because she would only admit to herself that she felt an attraction towards him whenever he was around.
“Look, I think you’ve made a mistake getting pregnant. I know my father, and having a kid is not something he wants.”
“What were you doing? Eavesdropping? You have some nerve. But let me say this. I think I know better than you what my husband does and doesn’t want. I don’t need you, or anyone else, to tell me anything. And I would appreciate it if you would keep your mouth shut. I’m Harper’s wife, and I’ll be the one to let him know that he’s going to be a father.”
“What di
d you say?”
Eva stumbled backwards at the sound of Harper’s voice booming like rolling claps of thunder as he suddenly appeared inside the open entrance of the family room.
“Harper? What are you doing home?”
“I live here.”
“I know that. I mean, you’re home early.”
“I came to see my son off.” Harper looked over at Seth who was standing in front of Eva, slightly to the right.
Eva looked at Seth. He shook his head in slow motion, and positioned his lips in a way that revealed he actually felt bad for his stepmother, but Seth knew his father and understood all too well that what he said, Harper Stenberg meant. And if his father told Eva that he did not want children, then nothing or no one was going to make him feel differently.
“Oh, of course,” Eva stated.
“What did I hear you say?”
Eva smiled, looked down, and placed her hand over her belly. Looking back up and at Harper, she said while continuing to smile, “We’re going to have a baby.” She ran to Harper and fell against his chest.
Harper, almost violently, pushed her off him. With eyes that seemed to have turned from bright white to blood red, he glared at her.
Frightened, Eva took an extra step backwards, but kept her eyes glued on Harper. She had never seen him look or sound like this and it terrified her.
“Pack your stuff.” His voice was scary calm.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“On second thought, don’t bother. I’ll make sure all of your things are properly packed and delivered.”
Eva smiled. “Oh, baby, I knew you would be happy. Where are you taking me?”
Harper said nothing and neither did Seth. The two men kept staring at Eva.
After he didn’t respond but kept staring, Eva spoke up again. “Harper, you’re scaring me. I don’t understand.”
“Well, let me see if I can help you understand more clearly.” He spoke sternly. “I told you from the beginning my feelings about having more children. I made it clear that I did not want another kid.”
“I know, Harper,” Eva said pitifully, “but you know how much I wanted a baby. I love you, honey. And I know you’ll love our child more than life itself.” She massaged her belly in a circular motion.
“I want you out of here. And I want you out now.” His voice turned calm again, but cold. “You can use the credit card to get yourself a hotel room. I don’t care what you do as long as you leave and don’t you ever show your face around here again,” he fumed.
“Harper. Please. I don’t think you know what you’re saying.” She began to cry.
“Oh, I know exactly what I’m saying; you’re going to get out of my house. I don’t care where you go. Go to the father of that baby you’re carrying.”
“What? I can’t believe you. I know you can’t be trying to say that this baby isn’t yours.” Eva held her stomach.
“I’m not trying to say anything, I said it!” snapped Harper. “That kid in your belly is not mine.”
“Why are you saying these things? You know I wouldn’t mess around on you. I love you, Harper.” Eva continued to cry.
Seth stood to the side quietly, looking like he felt sorry for her.
“You’re a lying slut,” Harper accused.
“No I’m not. Please stop this crazy talk.”
“That kid is not mine,” Harper said again.
“But it is, Harper,” Eva insisted.
Harper yelled. “I’m sterile, Eva. I had a vasectomy five years ago.”
Eva swooned as lightheadedness came over her. Her eyes locked with Seth’s as she steadied herself to keep from falling.
●
Seeing the look on Eva’s face had told Harper everything he needed to know. It hurt him to the core to know that the woman he loved had betrayed him, cheated on him, and was now carrying another man’s seed. It was over between them. If she wanted him to, he would send her back to Bolivia. He didn’t care anymore. There was nothing further for them to build on. She didn’t love him, no matter how many times she said that she did. After all, the best proof of love is trust.
Chapter 34
“Bad is never good until worse happens.” Unknown
“I am not going to do it,” Peyton told Breyonna, while she sat in the front and Breyonna sat fidgeting around in the back seat of Carlton’s silver Tesla. “You can go to the media, do whatever you want to do, I don’t care. I’ve made up my mind, and you are not going to disrupt Liam’s life. You will not see my son!”
“Calm down, Peyton.” Carlton reached over and squeezed her hand gently.
“And you think going to the tabloids won’t disrupt his life, you big dummy,” retorted Breyonna. “You must not love the boy like you pretend that you do.”
“Look, Breyonna, no need for name calling. Here, take this and leave. Leave me alone. Leave Peyton alone and go back to Memphis or wherever. There’s twenty-five thousand dollars in there, enough for you to go and get yourself a decent place to live and get your life back on track.”
Breyonna snatched the leather pouch that had the money tucked away inside. “Y’all are more desperate than I thought,” she said, laughing wickedly. “But I ain’t complaining. You better be glad I changed my mind and decided to take this money.”
“Yeah, we’re both glad you decided to accept our help,” Carlton said, hoping his calm demeanor would pacify her and she would leave him and Peyton alone.
“I’ll go.” She proceeded to open the back door. “But you know what, one day the truth is going to come out, and Peyton, you’re going to be sorry that you didn’t tell Liam about me. The same goes for you, Carlton. No secret stays hidden forever. Just you wait and see.”
“You just keep your mouth shut,” Peyton said angrily. “Let me worry about my future.”
Carlton continued his stoical demeanor. “Look at it this way, Breyonna. Probably for the first time, you’re thinking about someone other than yourself. In this instance it’s your son you’re thinking about, and that’s a good thing. He’s a good kid. We don’t need to mess that up. Like they say, let sleeping dogs lie.”
“Yeah, whateva. I’m outta here,” Breyonna said and jumped out of the car, leaving the door open.
Carlton got out, shut the door and watched Breyonna and her friend speed off the parking lot of the restaurant where they’d met up.
“Do you think she’s out of our lives for good?” Peyton asked.
“I don’t know, all I can do is pray that she is. She doesn’t want Liam, not after all this time. All she ever wanted was what I gave her – money.”
Peyton started crying.
“Why are you crying?” Carlton asked.
“I want this whole thing to be over, Carlton. I just want to go on with my life. My son means everything to me, and if he ever finds out that I kept the truth from him, he’ll hate me. Oh, God, how could I mess up my life like this?”
“Look,” Carlton said, stroking her shoulder. “Everything is going to be fine. She’s gone. We have to have faith that she’s gone for good. Look how long it took her to show up anyway. I’m telling you, all she ever wanted was the money, not Liam. Now pull yourself together, and go home to your son and your husband. Okay?”
Peyton looked at Carlton, and managed a forced smile as he began to wipe her tears away.
He leaned in and kissed her lightly and quickly on the lips. “Thank you for being such a good mother to my kid. I owe you. I owe you big time,” Carlton said.
Peyton went inside her handbag, pulled out some tissue, and wiped her remaining tears away. Carlton was right. Breyonna got what she came for and now she was gone. Finally, she could exhale, go home, and make herself a good strong drink.
●
“How’d it go?” Breyonna’s boyfriend asked, as she sat in the car.
Overjoyed, she responded, “We’re in the money, baby. Let’s get outta here and go back home to Memphis unless you wanna hang around here for a m
inute.”
“I do kinda like it here,” he told her. “This is good living. Now that you got a little something, we can do some thangs.”
“Yeah, we can do a lot of thangs,” Breyonna agreed. “I think you might have a point. I agree we stay here, at least for a while. That way I’ll be close by my kid, and some more of this.” She giggled and made it rain with money inside the car.
“I like the sound of that. So where to now?” he asked, steering the Malibu out into the street.
“The news station,” Breyonna said. “You know what they say, one should always have multiple streams of income.”
Chapter 35
"Beware of keeping secrets, because surely what's done in the dark will eventually come to the light.” D. Smith
Meesha’s cell phone rang, then rang again. Next, her text notifier chimed. “What is going on?” she said aloud to herself. Stopping at the traffic light, she put the phone on Drive Mode and proceeded to M. E. Porter Independent School. The school, named after her, had been a dream of hers for many years, so when Carlton told her that he was going to start the school three years prior, she was enthralled. She spent countless hours helping with the interior layout and design of the school whose grades ranged from kindergarten through grade eight. Meesha also assisted with a school curriculum that focused on providing the students with a world-class education in both Creative and Performing Arts and Enriched Academics. The tuition to attend the private school was steep but the school offered a number of scholarships to children of members of Perfecting Your Faith.
This was the first school year that the new state of the art building was open, housing grades six through eight.
She arrived at the school, there to pick up the boys. She parked her car in the space reserved for her, and strutted inside the newly constructed school building. Meesha smiled as she walked along the corridor, peering briefly inside some of the classrooms as she made her way to her oldest son’s classroom first.
The Real Housewives of Adverse City Page 16