Twenty minutes later, Layla said from the back seat of Lewis’s truck, “Daddy, are you okay?”
Things weren’t perfect, but Lewis said, “I’m better now.” He was driving home from the bank, where he had deposited the money he had taken back from Nate. Turning the corner to the block where he lived, he thought how surprised he was that Monica had not called his cell phone. He was sure Nate had called her, told her everything that had happened. The entire ride home, Lewis had been trying to decide what it was he was going to tell Monica. Would it be lies, a portion of the truth, or the entire thing? He wasn’t sure, but just like the last time he’d gotten caught up in a situation with Nate, Lewis realized that the truth would probably be the best way to go.
Monica would understand, Lewis told himself. Hell, she was his fiancé, they were on the verge of getting married. This would be something they would just have to get past.
When Lewis pulled the truck to a stop and parked in front of the house, he was surprised to see Monica sitting on the front steps, her face in her hands.
Lewis got out of the truck, staring at her as he opened the back door and pulled Layla from her car seat. Walking toward Monica, he could not read a single emotion on her face. She stood, called for Layla, extending her arms.
Lewis set Layla down on the grass and watched his daughter run to her.
Reaching the stairs, Lewis braced himself, and said, “What’s going on?”
Hugging Layla, Monica looked up sadly at Lewis and said, “You love your daughter, don’t you?”
“What kind of question is that? Of course I do.”
“Then why were you going to give her up for adoption?”
Lewis almost stumbled backward after hearing the question. He wondered how Monica could have found out about this, and then Bertrice came to mind. “That was almost a year ago. Before—”
“Before I came back into your life?”
“Right,” Lewis admitted.
“I know. I had to think about it, and I figured I’m the reason you changed your mind at the last minute. I figured you thought since I couldn’t have children, not having Layla would probably lessen your chances of me wanting to be with you.”
“Monica, not in front of Layla. Let’s talk about this inside.”
“No! It makes me wonder just how much you love her, if you were going to give her away but only decided to keep her because I came back into the picture.”
“Do you know how we were living?” Lewis said, getting angry. “I couldn’t take care of her. I could barely buy food and pay the bills. You think I wanted to give her up? I wasn’t doing it because I didn’t love her enough. I was doing it because I love her as much as I do! But you came along, and I knew you would love her, treat her like your own, and then I wouldn’t have to be without my child. I was only trying to do what was best for her…what was best for us.”
“And where does stealing fifty thousand dollars from Nate fall? Is that doing what’s best for us, too?”
And so she did know, Lewis thought. “Monica, you have to know what was going on. The man was blackmailing Freddy.”
“And that’s why you and Freddy damn near beat him half to death in front of his three-year-old son?”
“Monica, he was trying to take you from me.”
“And sending him those pictures of us having sex—that video that I never wanted to make in the first place—what, that was supposed to stop him?”
“Monica, you don’t understand what kind of man he is.”
“I know exactly who he is. I was married to him for four years. And I don’t believe a thing you’re saying to me.”
“I’m telling you. He did all those things. You think I’d lie to you?”
“You’ve stolen from me. There’s fifty thousand dollars missing from my account.”
“I put it back.”
“You stole it from Nate so you could put it back. You were trying to cover your tracks, thinking I would never find out. But I have, and now—”
“And now what?” Lewis said, taking a step closer to her. “There’s more to this than you know. But we can talk about it, get through it, and still have our life.”
“Lewis, I don’t think so,” Monica said, standing, pulling Layla close to her.
Lewis slapped his palms to his face, threw his head back, and cried, “No, no, no!” When he pulled down his hands, there were tears running over his cheeks. “Monica, I would never do anything to hurt you.”
“But you threatened to shoot Nate.”
“I would never lie to you,” Lewis said, stepping just in front of Monica and his daughter. “All I want is for us to love each other, get married, and raise my little girl.”
“Lewis, too much has happened.”
Lewis quickly closed the gap between him and Monica, put his arms around her and his child, and kissed Monica softly on the cheek, his tears clinging to her face. “Don’t you know I love you? Don’t you know that?”
“Yes.”
“Then say we can be together. Say you won’t leave me.”
“Lewis—”
“Say it!” Lewis said, squeezing Monica tighter.
“Daddy,” Layla said, “you’re scaring me.”
“Daddy’s fine,” Lewis said. “Monica’s fine, and everything’s going to be alright, right Monica?”
“That’s right,” Monica said, seeming scared as well.
“Good. Now all we have to do is decide when we’re going to get married and everything will be perfect. Right, baby?” Lewis said, kissing Monica’s cheek again.
“Right,” Monica said.
Just then Lewis heard police sirens screaming in the distance. He hoped they were for someone else, but something deep inside him knew they weren’t. A moment later, he saw two cars screech to a halt in front of the house.
The doors opened. “Lewis Waters,” a metallic sounding voice said through a bullhorn. “Step away from the woman and child.”
Lewis smiled sadly at Monica. “If you only knew how much I love you.”
“Lewis Waters,” the police requested again, “step away from the woman and child.”
Lewis took Monica’s face in his palms and kissed her lips softly. He then reached down to his daughter and said, “Baby, Daddy has to go with the police officers, but Monica will take care of you until I come back, okay?”
“Okay, Daddy,” Layla said, about to cry.
“You know how much Daddy loves you, right?”
“I know, Daddy.”
“Good.” Lewis hugged his daughter tight, as though he never wanted to let her go, then stood, turned to the police, and raised his arms over his head.
“If you are armed, remove the weapon from your person,” the police said.
Lewis slowly reached behind him, under his shirt, pulled out his gun, and dropped it to the ground beside him. A tear raced from Monica’s eye as she grabbed Layla and pulled her close. Three police officers rushed from their vehicles, hurried across the lawn, grabbed Lewis, pushed him to the ground, and then handcuffed his wrists behind his back.
“Good-bye, Lewis,” Monica said softly to herself.