Chapter Twenty-Eight

 

Melissa put her feet on the sofa and pulled the blanket over her legs. Turbo jumped up next to her and buried his head in her lap. Being back in her condo lifted her spirits even though most of the furniture hadn’t arrived yet.

She didn’t want to talk to anyone. Especially Darius. He had a way of drawing her into his web. Until she figured out her own path, she needed to stay away from him. Once, she would have dropped everything to follow his dream, but not again. The gamble was much too high. To do the same thing again could be her destruction.

“How long do you expect me to lie to that man?” Dakota dropped her phone on the table and glared at her. “He’s been calling every day.”

“Your alliance is to me, not Darius. So, I hope you’ll keep my confidence for as long as I need you to.” She rubbed the top of the dog’s head.

Dakota lifted a brow. “He just wants to talk to you. You’re carrying his child for God’s sake.”

Melissa sat up straighter and huffed. “I was in San Francisco for months waiting for him to call me so we could talk. I left him so many messages my fingers were dialing in my sleep. He doesn’t like situations he can’t control. He wants to march in and make all the decisions. But, I’m not the same person anymore.”

“But this is different, Melissa,” she begged.

“I know, Dakota. And I’m sure we’ll have everything all figured out before the baby gets here. I promise.”

“You know what the problem is? Both of you want to be the boss all the time. You need to learn the fine art of compromise.”

“We have some problems, but I don’t think they are caused by a lack of compromise.” She shook her head and aimed the remote at the television.

“Do you want to talk? I’m here,” Dakota offered.

“I don’t feel like talking right now. I need quiet time to figure out some stuff.”

“You’ve had a week.”

Melissa was happy to have her sister around, but Dakota’s marriage was perfect. What did she know about irreconcilable differences?

Dakota hopped up and started toward the kitchen. “I saw you roll your eyes at me. But, since you’re in the family way, I’m going to let it slide. Let me fix you some lunch.”

“Never mind, Dakota. Asa is bringing something later today when she comes back. I need more than hummus and crackers.” Melissa frowned.

“Very funny, but you need to eat several small meals—.”

The doorbell rang before Dakota could finish her sentence. Turbo bounded off the sofa and charged to the door. Another habit she’d have to break.

“I’m not expecting anyone. If it’s not Pam, send whoever it is away. I just want to be alone.” Melissa drew the blanket tighter.

The sound on the television was muted, but the picture was all she needed anyway. There was enough chatter in her head already. She watched Sunny Kincaid strut on stage, looking just as perky as the day before. Whose life would be on display today?

Dakota strolled back in the room with a dubious expression on her face. She was followed by Darius and Turbo. Instead of the hip-hop image he usually portrayed, he sported corporate executive attire. His shirt looked starched and stiff. The black onyx cufflinks matched his black slacks and shoes. Compared to her cutoff shorts and oversized T-shirt, they weren’t dressed for the same occasion.

“How did you get my address?” she demanded as she struggled to sit up with her feet entangled in the blanket. She gave Dakota the once-over.

“Don’t look at me. I didn’t give it to him.” Dakota hurried around the corner into the kitchen.

Darius parked his butt in the only chair in the room and crossed his ankle over his knee. The stormy expression on his face caused her shoulders to tense. He scratched the dog’s chin without taking his eyes off her.

“Okay, you found me. Now what?” she huffed.

“Was your little stunt, payback?” He sounded like he could have been talking about the weather.

“How did you find out where I live?” she asked again.

“It wasn’t hard. Several people know about the gallery, and Dan sometimes walks on the shady side of life. How long did you plan to hide from me?” His voice was even.

“I’m not hiding. I’ve been thinking.” She folded the blanket and placed it beside her on the sofa. “I’ve never been divorced before and I’ve never been pregnant before, so I’ve got a lot of stuff to figure out.”

“Since both involve me, shouldn’t we try to figure it out together?” He remained in the same position, and the level edge in his voice indicated he was trying to stay calm.

She glanced around for Dakota to rescue her.

“You can’t keep me away from the baby, Melissa.”

“Keeping you away from the baby wasn’t my intention.”

“And what about the divorce?”

“Nothing’s changed there. Just because we’re having a baby doesn’t mean we need to remain married.”

“You sound pretty flippant. Don’t you want what’s best for our child?”

The heat started at her feet and climbed up her legs. He’d only been here a few minutes and already he wanted to control the situation.

She cleared her throat as the heat consumed her whole body. “Since I found out I was pregnant, I have done nothing but think about this baby. I’m not out talking to a group of artists right now because the doctor wants me to take it easy for a few more days. Please don’t march in here and pretend you know or care about what’s best for me. You haven’t talked to me in over four months, so whatever you’ve got to say isn’t important to me.”

He leaned forward, and the menacing flecks in his eyes disappeared. “I’m not trying to upset you. I just want you to talk to me. I want to experience being an expectant father. I want to feel the baby kicking in your stomach. I don’t want to just show up at the hospital after you deliver or on weekends designated to me by a judge who doesn’t know me.”

Darius wasn’t the enemy or the bad guy. His request stroked her heart, erasing the bitterness surrounding it. “So, what do you suggest?”

“I’d planned to fly back to San Francisco and settle some stuff. But now…”

“Oh, since your tour is over, you were going to San Francisco because you just knew I’d be sitting there waiting on you.” She held her breath to control the roar building in her stomach.

He looked away for several moments. His back teeth clenched. “I was coming home to sign the divorce papers you drew up.”

She rocked from side to side. “I see.”

All the divorces she’d seen were ugly matters fueled by resentment. She didn’t want her and Darius to take those steps, but if he thought she would pick up her life and follow him back to San Francisco, then they just might become the next famous couple on the front pages of the tabloids.

“Spit it out, Darius. What’s on your mind?”

He pushed off the chair and strolled to the balcony doors. Whatever was on his mind made her palms sweat.

“I don’t want to be on the west coast and you, here on the east coast. It’s just too far. You’re going to think this is crazy, but promise to give it some thought.”

“What?”

“How about I move in here until the baby is born? If I do, we’ll have time to make some plans and I can help set up the nursery and participate in the doctor visits.”

Her mouth flopped open. “Are you serious? We’re getting divorced, why would you want to live here? You could find a place of your own. A much bigger place.” She shook her head. “Not going to happen. I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

He moved to the edge of the chair. A sparkle danced in his eyes. “It’s a perfect solution, and it will only be for a few months. We can handle this split like two adults. I think we need to get all our old baggage behind us before the baby gets here. We don’t want to scar our child the way we’ve been scarred by the battles of our parents.”

She shook her head. “Nope. I can only see things going badly for me. Nope.” She continued to shake her head.

He returned to the chair in front of her. With his elbows on his knees, he clasped his hands and leveled his gaze on her. “Melissa, think about it.” His voice was soft, almost pleading.

“I’ve only got two bedrooms and two baths. Even though the rooms are large, we’d still be tripping over each other.” She paused to make sure she used the right words. “The last thing I want to do is to have our child face life and choosing paths based on the things we did or didn’t do. Just the thought makes me cringe.” She searched his face, hoping he’d understand. He made his plan sound so easy, but stuff like this only worked on sitcoms.

“What have we got to lose, Melissa? If it doesn’t work, I can always find another place. Besides, I don’t think we ever agreed on who gets custody of my dog.”

“Turbo is my dog now. You walked out on him, too.” She patted the sofa and Turbo jumped up beside her.

“I might be able to win him over. So, what do you say about my proposal?”

Uncertainty buzzed in her head like thousands of killer bees. “I can’t. We’re too broken.”