Kendell
THE DOORBELL RANG AND MY heart leapt into my throat. I was dreading this dinner. I looked out the peephole and standing on my front porch was the only man I knew loved me, but I wasn’t sure if I could marry him.
I opened the door and put on my best plastic smile. “Hey, Honey.” I leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. No response. I stepped to the side and he walked past me. He took his jacket off and placed it on the back of the chair, still silent. “Dinner’s almost ready.”
He stood at the corner of the island, silent. I placed the meatloaf on the table along with the bowl of beans and potatoes. The silence was deafening.
“Excuse me.”
He finally said something. I turned around and he was gone. A few seconds later, I heard the toilet flush and the water running.
He came back and we sat down. He blessed the food, and we sat in silence eating. I looked at him, and he was looking everywhere but at me. How are we supposed to talk, if he won’t look at me? I swallowed the food I was chewing, dabbed the sides of my mouth, and asked the one question I knew would lead to a crap storm. “So you wanted to talk?”
He finally looked at me, pushed his plate to the side, wiped his mouth, and placed his napkin on the table. “Since we got back, I’ve been trying to figure out how to bring this up.”
“Bring what up?” I asked.
“Do you want to get married?” I opened my mouth and he stopped me. “I ask because every time I bring up the subject, you get a little crazy.”
“I don’t get crazy.”
“Yes, you do. Look, we aren’t going to argue, I just want an answer to my question. Do you want to get married?”
“I’m not sure.”
He nodded. “I see.” He stood up and I grabbed his wrist. “Let go of me.”
“Where are you going?”
“Anywhere but here.”
“I don’t understand.”
“It’s simple. I want to get married, and you don’t.”
“That’s not what I said.”
“Not sure is the same as no.”
“No, it isn’t.”
“Fine.” He sat down and folded his arms in front of his chest. “So, tell me how I misunderstood you.” In that brief moment, he went from being warm and kind to cold and distant.
“Just because I didn’t say yes, doesn’t mean I don’t want to get married.” I looked at those beautiful, hypnotic green eyes, searching for the right words. “I…I’m not…maybe I just need…”
He stood up. “I thought you wanted to get married.”
“I do.”
“Just not to me.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to. It’s written all over your face.”
“That’s not true.”
“If it wasn’t, you wouldn’t be trying to convince yourself otherwise.”
“That’s what you think I’m doing?”
“Yes. I’m a good man and if you can’t see that, then you’re right, I’m not the one for you.” He picked up his jacket and left.
Alex
“HONEY, CAN YOU GET THE door? I’m finishing dinner.”
“Okay,” Moses yelled back.
A few moments later, I heard a familiar voice. I wiped my hands and hurried to the foyer. Standing there clad in a black Missoni dress and an orange Dior coat, was Chloe.
“Where’s Alex?”
“I don’t know who you are, but…”
“You must be the husband? Where’d she find you?”
“Excuse me?”
“Listen here,” she had her finger in Moses’ face. “I don’t know who you think you are, but there is no way, I’m…”
“Chloe…”
She turned to face me. “Alex.”
I walked over and stood next to Moses. He slipped his hand around my waist and I leaned into his side. “Why are you yelling at my husband?”
“So, it’s true. I heard you went and did something insane.”
“What the—” Moses stepped toward her.
I jumped in front of him and patted his chest. “Calm down, Baby. I’ll handle this. You go back to work while Chloe and I talk.” He kissed me and went back to his office. “Chloe.” I pointed to the kitchen.
She waddled into the kitchen and stopped next to the counter, and I followed her. “Are you insane? Who is that man? Honestly, Alex, if you were feeling frisky you could have just hired an escort.”
“Chloe!”
“What? He’s not even your type.”
“Are you finished?”
“I have to pee.” She disappeared to the powder room and came back with more commentary. “I mean, if it was all about…”
“Shut up!”
“Excuse me?”
“I said, shut up or leave.” Her mouth dropped open. She was silent for the first time since she got here. “Now, is there something you want to ask me?”
“Who is that man?”
“That is my husband.”
“Geez Alex, when I told you to be more like me, I didn’t mean to go do what I did.”
“I didn’t.”
“My bad, instead of only knowing him a couple of days, it’s been what, a couple of weeks?”
“More like sixteen months.”
“What the crap! You’ve known this man over a year…who knows…because Kendell didn’t.”
I nodded. “So that’s who told you.”
“Yes, she did. Imagine my surprise, when I heard my best friend of over twenty years married some strange man who lives with his grandmother.”
“What else did she say?”
“She said he wrote a play and his grandmother supports him.”
“Anything else?”
She patted her chest. “Can I have some water?”
I went to the refrigerator, got a bottle of water and placed it on the counter in front of her. “Here .” When I let go of the bottle she grabbed my hand.
“What the crap is that on your finger?” She held up my left hand eyeing my rings.
“This is my engagement ring and the diamond bands are the wedding rings.”
“I see.” She reached inside her bag and pulled out her jeweler’s loop and started examining the stones. “Alex, do you have any idea how much money is on your finger?”
“Not exactly, but I know…”
“That stone is approximately ten-carats. And it looks like the bands are three carats each, all set in platinum.” She put the loop down. “Honey, that ring cost more than this house.”
“Really.”
“Why don’t you look surprised? And he’s a writer?”
“Yes.”
“Very few writers make that kind of money. Where did you meet him?”
“Taylor’s party.”
“Is that the guy Taylor used to date?”
“Yes.”
“The ring isn’t real.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Taylor only dates rich men and if he’s that rich, she wouldn’t have let him go.” She declared. “Forget what I said, you better hope the ring doesn’t turn your finger green.”
“I didn’t marry him for his money.”
“Then you’re fine, because he probably doesn’t have any or very little. I can’t believe I came home for this. Kendell made it seem like you’d lost your mind, and we needed an emergency Girlfriend Truth Session. I told her to let me talk to you first.”
“What?”
She took a couple of sips of water. “I heard the wedding was small?”
“You know everything, so why are you asking me?”
“I still don’t know why you married him.”
“I married him because I love him. He’s everything Terry and Jonathan weren’t.”
“You’ve always had good taste in men.” She sipped more water. “I have to admit though, if I had an itch that needed to be scratched, I’d go against type as well.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Your back or…,”she smirked, “or whatever you want to call it, I mean, him, your scratcher.”
“Don’t be vulgar.”
“I’m not. I’m being honest. You had an itch that needed to be scratched so you found someone that would…”
“Stop it.”
“Hey, I’m just being truthful. This guy is nothing more than…he’s not even your type.”
“Yes, he is.”
She sipped more water. “No, he isn’t. You’ve always dated the honey colored brother. Not the fine, dark chocolate brother.”
“That’s absurd. Jonathon was…”
“Average height, brown skinned and didn’t have the body your scratcher has.” She sipped more water. “You’re insane.”
“No, I’m real. So, what if you wanted a plaything. I say, enjoy yourself. Personally, I did the Sugar Mommy thing and look what happened.” She pointed to her swollen belly.
“Where do you come up with this stuff?”
“C’mon Alex, do you really expect anyone to believe this marriage is anything more than an impulsive second marriage to distract you from the crap you went through with Terry?”
“Shut up or leave.”
“Fine. Enough about your gigolo. But don’t come crying to me when he drains your bank account. Trust me this is going to come back and bite you on the butt. Unless of course, you’re into that kind of thing.” She smirked.
“Do you hear yourself?”
“I gotta pee.” She went back to the powder room, came back and picked up her ranting. “I give it six months.”
I looked at my watch. It was getting late, and I’d had all I could take of her ranting. “Honey,” I called. “Would you come here?” A few moments later, I heard Moses footsteps coming into the kitchen. He walked past Chloe and stood next to me.
“Is everything all right?” Moses asked.
“Everything’s fine, Baby,” I replied.
Chloe looked at him squinting. “Have we met?” she asked.
“I don’t think so,” Moses replied.
“You look very familiar,” she said.
“Baby, Chloe says I should be careful because my rings could turn my finger green.” I held up my diamond heavy hand. “And I’m a Sugar Mommy.”
Moses laughed. “I’m going back to work. You two keep talking, I’m sure you have a lot to catch up on.” He kissed me and went back to his office.
“Where have I seen him?” Chloe said.
“Don’t hurt yourself.”
“Damn pregnancy brain. It’s hard retaining thoughts. I know I’ve seen him before, but I just can’t place him.”
“Are you hungry?”
“No, nothing stays down. Wait a minute. You said he’s a writer?”
“Yes.”
Moses walked back into the kitchen. “I forgot my glasses.” He walked around the counter and picked up his glasses.
“Sweetheart, Chloe thinks she knows you, but she also thinks you’re an unemployed writer who married me for my money.” He laughed.
“We’ve never met. But maybe you’ve read one of my books?”
“Books? You write books? I thought you were a playwright?”
“I do currently have a play on Broadway. But my main writing is books.”
“I doubt I’ve read anything you’ve written.” She boldly announced.
“Excuse me.” He walked out and came back with a stack of books and placed them on the counter in front of her. She read the name of the author out loud. When she reached the third book, she looked at Moses.
“Oh, my God.” She opened the book, looked at the picture on the flap and looked at Moses again. “This is you? He’s him. Your husband is Darryl Moses?” She covered her mouth with her hand.
“No, my husband’s name is Moses Adair.”
“Adair…any relation to Eli Adair?”
“He’s my father.”
“That’s why you look familiar. Adair Holdings. You walked away from it all. But you didn’t, did you?”
“What are you talking about, Chloe?” I asked.
“You’re the one responsible for a couple of their high yield hedge funds. I’ve heard about you. What’s with the books?”
“Yes, I do a little consulting for my dad, but writing is my passion.”
“No one told me you, were Alex’s husband. I was told she married some wanna be writer. No one mentioned the books or your last name. I’m so sorry about the ring and money comments. Please forgive me for being rude?”
“That’s okay. Alex says you’re normally a nice person.”
“It’s the hormones. I’m so sorry. I just get a little protective when it comes to Alex.”
“I understand. Baby, I have to get back to work.” He kissed me on the cheek and patted Chloe on the back as he went back to his office.
“Alex--” Chloe started to speak.
“Finding it a little difficult to talk with your foot in your mouth?”
“I’m so embarrassed.”
“It’s getting late and I wanna have dinner with my husband. Call me tomorrow and we’ll talk. Come on let me help you out to the car. Do you need to pee again?”
“No, smarty.” I helped her stand up and we headed toward the front door and stopped at Moses office. “Moses, I’m so sorry. Welcome to the family.”
“Thank you. Here, Baby I’ll walk her out.” I grabbed her bag and Moses helped her waddle to the car.
We walked back inside and sat down to eat. “Is Chloe normally like that?”
“Normally, she’s a little bossy and opinionated. Men are attracted to her because she’s beautiful and smart. Being rich hasn’t always helped.”
“And the baby’s father?”
“Her ex-husband, but he doesn’t want to be involved.”
“How could he not want to be in his child’s life?”
“He said he didn’t want children.”
“So she’s having a baby by herself?”
“Not really, we all agreed to help her.”
“What about her family?”
“It’s just her parents and her grandmother.”
“So that means I met everyone?”
“Yep. And you still want to stay married to me?”
“I married you, not your friends.” He kissed me.