Chapter Eighteen

 

They enjoyed a light breakfast. Deidra only had unsweetened yogurt and watched as Marcus wolfed down a protein shake. His rented place was sterile, and still had that new smell that she hated.

"Do you even stay here?" She asked him, looking around.

Marcus shrugged. "Hardly. In the first weeks, I spent a lot of time in the rehab pool."

"It shows." Deidra ran her eyes over him appreciatively. "I am happy you are getting back into a groove."

"I am happy that you are talking to me again," Marcus said, heading for the kitchen sink with his glass, "even though I have a memory issue at the moment."

"Remember my birthday?" Deidra asked Marcus, twisting her spoon in the yogurt bowl. "When you had those guys sing “Africa” for me? I honestly thought we would be together when you got back. I stupidly thought that you would have left Tiffany. It hurt me deeply when she said she was pregnant."

Marcus hunched his shoulders and looked down into his sink. "I honestly don't know what to say."

Deidra got up and hugged him from behind. "I love you."

Marcus turned around and hugged her back. "I love you too. I am sorry. If I could just remember why I made such a stupid..."

Deidra placed her finger on his lips, "I don't think you have anything much to be sorry about," she said cryptically.

"Hold on; you forgive me?" Marcus looked down at her. Her head reached him at his chin. "I am very happy that you have forgiven me. I wish I could forgive myself."

Deidra kissed him on his lips, a slow kiss that soon turned into a fiery surge of hunger, moaning low in her throat at the sweet sensation of them being together after a long time.

He lifted his head to survey her stunned expression. "No more kissing." His heart was thundering in his ear. "What we have is a bit too explosive for that. You and I are not going to live together." He gently pushed a tendril of hair from her face, "We are getting married."

Deidra gasped. "Marcus."

"Life is too short, anything can happen. I love you; you love me. Why wait? I already have the ring."

"You bought me a ring?" Deidra gasped. "We weren't even talking."

"I bought it in Zurich," Marcus grinned. "It's a purple diamond."

Deidra opened her mouth in shock. "That's when you were in Europe. You bought me a ring from the time you were in Europe. You, oh you." She hugged him tightly. "My Daddy will not allow me to get married without fanfare."

"Neither will my Mommy," Marcus said laughing. "Let's elope."

"When?" Deidra glanced at the clock. It was 9:30, she was supposed to meet Natasha at Neil's.

"Today?" Marcus said eagerly.

"Nope, not today," Deidra said moving out of his arms. "Today we have a mystery to solve."

"What mystery?" Marcus asked, puzzled.

The mystery of the lying pregnant woman, Deidra said in her mind. Out loud she said, "Come on, you will enjoy this."

 

*****

 

When they drove up to Neil's, Natasha was already there. She was leaning on her car and talking animatedly to a tall handsome guy who was in full black combat police regalia. He had on dark glasses and looked like he meant business.

"What's going on?" Marcus asked puzzled. "That's Taj's girlfriend."

"I know," Deidra said. "She said we were to meet her here. That guy with her is her friend, Jamal."

After introductions were made and they started entering the store, Tiffany drove up.

Natasha looked at Deidra, her eyebrows raised. "What's she doing here?"

"I sort of called her. I impersonated Neil's clerk, Georgia." Deidra chuckled, "I want her here."

Natasha nodded. "I can see why. Let's go."

Natasha knocked on Neil's office door.

"Come in," he said gruffly.

He got up from his desk when he saw that Natasha walked in with a police officer in full combat fatigue. His eyes widened in fright when he saw Deidra and Marcus walk in behind them.

He sat down abruptly, but was further shocked when a heavily pregnant Tiffany rushed into his office.

Everyone was silent looking at each other.

"Let's begin," Natasha said, closing the door behind a trembling Tiffany. She was leaning on the wall for support. She didn't know where to look. Marcus was looking at her, confused. Neil looked so guilty that she feared that he would spill the beans before the police even started. Why did Neil call her here? Her hands were trembling so badly that her handbag slipped from her grasp and made a soft thud on Neil's carpeted floor.

"I guess we all know each other," Natasha said briskly, "I questioned Mr. Kennedy here a few months ago, about his connection with one Levaughn Hartley, who he is sponsoring through university, who so happened to run into Marcus and Deidra with a car."

Neil cleared his throat. "I had nothing to do with that." His moustache twitched.

"Your phone call says otherwise," Natasha said boldly. They didn't have access to recordings of his phone conversations, just the numbers that Levaughn had called, but Neil was not to know that. "You told him to stalk Deidra Durkheim."

Neil swallowed and without blinking said, "Tiffany asked me to do it!"

Deidra gasped.

Marcus snapped his head up and looked at Tiffany.

"I did no such thing!" Tiffany said, sweating profusely. She rubbed her belly. "Please do not stress me out, I'm pregnant. Why did you ask me here today, Neil? Was it to tell lies on me?"

"I didn't ask you here," Neil said, "and I am not telling lies."

He looked at the police. "I didn't want to hurt Deidra. She did." He hooked his thumb at Tiffany.

He looked at Deidra beseechingly. "Please believe me. Tiffany was jealous of you and Marcus so for a spot of fun I agreed to spook you a little. That guy, Levaughn, went too far." He shook his head in indignation.

Marcus' head gave him a jab, and he rubbed his temples. Neil and Tiffany. He saw Neil's Porsche beside Tiffany's car in the parking lot at his building. He remembered turning to Howard and commanding him to take him to Mount Faith. It was after Africa! Howard had confessed that he slept with Tiffany before.

He exhaled raggedly. He had his memory back. Everything. The lingering headache made him squint as he tuned into Natasha telling Neil that he was under arrest for conspiracy to commit a crime.

"Hold on this is not fair," Neil said, "She made me do it. She promised me sex in return for it."

Jamal went over to Tiffany. "Well, she is under arrest too."

"No!" Tiffany squealed, "Marcus! Don't just stand there. Do something! I'm the mother of your unborn child. Don't let them manhandle me like this."

Jamal hadn't even touched Tiffany yet. He quirked his brow and looked at her as if she was crazy.

Marcus rubbed his head hoping that the sudden headache would go away. "No, you are not my unborn child's mother. I don't know who you are pregnant for, but it's not me. It couldn't be."

Tiffany gasped. "You got back your memory? Or is it that Deidra is telling you things? You are my baby's father."

Marcus looked at her sadly. "Got back my memory. I want you out of my place by tomorrow."

"How can I get out of your place?" Tiffany wailed, "I am going to jail."

Neil was looking at Tiffany's belly, and it dawned on him that he might be the one responsible.

"Don't pin this brat on me, Tiffany. You were loose with your favors; you slept with anybody who would. I don't want children."

Natasha led him outside.

"Call my lawyer," Neil said to Gillian, who was looking on from her seat at the cash register.

"What about me?" Tiffany asked, tears streaming down her face.

Neil pretended that he didn't hear her.

Deidra, who had not said a word from her place by the corner, looked over at Marcus.

"You okay?"

Marcus smiled weakly. "Got a slight headache. I was almost the victim of paternity fraud, and was almost killed. My God! She must have been crazy to go through with this deception."

Deidra went over and hugged him.

"We have the rest of the day, what do we do now?"

"We get married," Marcus said solemnly.

Deidra giggled. "Nah. I like the idea of our families being around. My Dad has four ex wives. They would be disappointed if they didn't come."

"Four ex-wives?" Marcus asked incredulously.

"Yup," Deidra kissed him on his cheek, "but if you marry me, I think you should know that I want to marry for life. Oh, and I don't mind following rules."

Marcus kissed her back. "That's fine; I don't mind following rules now neither."

"Rule number one," Deidra murmured on his neck, "thou shalt love Deidra with all your heart and mind."

"Already done," Marcus whispered. "Already done."

 

 

THE END