So Elliott asks for a divorce and you call Derrick."
Serena didn't mean to sound cynical, but Erika's reaction to the greeting card and note she had received from Elliott last week raised some concerns. Erika lived in a battered women's shelter for a year to get away from this man. Now she was trying to make him jealous?
"This must mean that you still care about Elliott, to do something so impulsive."
Erika glared at Serena. "You're on a roll today, girlfriend. I'm not the twins, remember?"
Serena grabbed more toys to take to the backyard and walked over to her friend.
"Don't try that reverse psychology on me, Erika," she said, eyeing Erika's back as Erika retrieved an Elmo sprinkler from a corner of the garage. "It's just that you've been so cautious these past couple of years, so focused on how you want to move forward and with whom, I don't recall any talk about reuniting with Elliott. You told Derrick you needed your space until you worked everything out.
"Now that Elliott seems to finally be ending his fixation with you, you're playing high school games. You know if he had been at church today and had seen Derrick sitting next to you, holding his son, he probably would have flipped. Forget anger management training."
Erika led the way out of the garage, toting folding chairs under each arm. They were almost as big as she was, Serena noted. And now that Serena carried an extra thirty pounds on her frame that she couldn't seem to shed, she towered over her best friend like the Jolly Green Giant.
"How many more chairs do we need?" Erika asked between heavy breaths.
"Enough for my crew; yours; Ian, Bethany, and Victoria; and Melvin's family, in case they stop by on the way out of town."
Serena hoped they would. Jacob and Jaden loved their grandpop more than anything. One fast twirl on Melvin's shoulders and a try at guessing how he magically moved a quarter from one hand to the other would be the biggest thrill of their day.
The two women worked side by side, positioning chairs under the folding tables Micah had placed in the shadiest area of the large, fenced backyard. The property wasn't as spacious as what Serena and Micah had owned when they lived in Cobblestone Creek, one of Chesterfield County's well-regarded communities, but Serena was content.
She struggled with motherhood these days, but she hadn't forgotten the pain of the miscarriages and the deep longing for a baby that she'd experienced while she lived in the mini-mansion. She knew what mattered.
The women slowly crossed the yard on their way back to the kitchen. Erika finally filled the silence.
"I don't know, Serena. I'm just torn." She looked toward the patio, where Derrick leaned against the brick wall of the house and talked to Micah, who was basting chicken and ribs.
"Elliott's cards come so often now that I usually just toss them aside," she said. "But Gabrielle was there that evening, and curiosity got the better of us. Part of me thinks he's just calling my bluff, to see what I will do."
Erika turned toward Serena. "I mean, has he been sending me cards all this time and secretly dating someone else? Who is she?"
They walked through the garage to enter the kitchen.
"I'll say it again," Serena said, a little less sternly this time. "Seems to me like you care a little too much."
Erika busied herself with removing cans of soda from the refrigerator and sticking them in the large cooler that Micah had already filled with ice. Once finished, she closed the lid and sat on top of it. Her petite frame barely covered half of the cooler.
"Part of me is always going to love him, Serena," Erika said of Elliott. "He was my first love. And even though Aaron wasn't conceived in the best of circumstances, Elliott is still his father. Every time I kiss my son and look into his beautiful eyes, I see part of Elliott.
"I guess that's what I'm struggling with. If he's really getting married to someone else, then that means there really is no chance for us to make our family work."
Serena turned away from the sink, where she had dumped a bag of frozen jumbo shrimp to thaw.
"E, come on," she said softly. "Didn't that dream die a long time ago? What have the past three years been about?
Playing head games to see how long Elliott would play along? He's been on his best behavior, but do you really believe he's changed?"
"Maybe so," Erika answered softly. "He comes to church just about every Sunday, he plays well with Aaron during their supervised visits, and he's never raised his voice at me since I moved back to Richmond. People do change, you know, Serena."
Both women jumped when the side kitchen door creaked open. Derrick stood there with a pan of just-off-the-grill chicken. His eyes told them he'd heard enough.
"And some people don't," he said calmly. Derrick placed the chicken on a counter near the oven and grabbed a paper towel from the stainless steel holder near Serena.
After drying his hands, he rested them on Serena's shoulders and kissed her cheek. Sadness swam in his deep brown eyes.
"Thanks for having me, lady. I think it's time I get back to Northern Virginia before the holiday weekend traffic on 1-95 gets worse."
When he turned to leave, Erika stood and grabbed his arm. "Derrick, wait!"
He paused and studied her.
Tawana, who was outside with Jaden, Jacob, and Aaron, yelled for Serena, as if on cue. "I need your help with one of the twins!"
Thank you, Daddy, Serena silently uttered. She trotted outside, but not before she heard the anger and hurt in Derrick's voice.
"You're using me, Erika."