Ace was fuming as he gripped the steering wheel. There was no way he was going to let another man bring up his child—period. And nobody was going to marry Talise—but him—-period.
“So how long do you plan to keep driving home?” Kidd asked, as they began their road trip.
“As long as it takes. I’ll be able to fly soon—Hallelujah.”
“You do know there’s an easier way to handle this?” He waited for Ace to bite, but he didn’t.
“Your solution is in Hebrews 11:6. You’ve got to have faith in God’s abilities. Meaning, instead of taking matters into your own hands, give it to God. He’s the One who has control over everything. Trust Him to give you what you need.”
“How come I have a feeling this talk was planned?”
“Because I’ve butted out long enough. We could tell Talise still loves you, but if she’s anything like the Jamieson women, including my wife, she’s not going to make it easy to earn her trust.”
“You tell me to trust God, but if a man was trying to take Eva from you, you wouldn’t sit back, kick up your heels, and wait,” Ace challenged his brother.
Kidd took a long time to answer. “There’s no way another man would have come close to her, not even in that nursing home where a man tried to attack her. But since God saved me—and I do go to church and read my Bible—I’ve learned to kick up my heels, as you say.”
Ace didn’t want to hear that. “That night, months ago, I was prepared to tell Talise how much I loved her. She just threw me for a loop when she hinted there may be a baby involved.”
“You’ve been coming to church with Eva and me off and on for a few months, but you haven’t committed.” Kidd grunted. “I held out to the end too with God, but it’s not worth it. Save yourself some grief. Go all the way with God. If you’ve really repented, then you need to get those sins off your plate.
Silently, Kidd was praying that he would get through to his brother. “Jesus won’t clean you up without giving you the gifts to help you live a righteous and victorious life until He comes back. All you’ve been doing is chasing after a woman, instead of God.”
It was going to be a long ride to Boston. Ace was already hoping God was working in his favor, but God didn’t expect for him to just sit around and wait. He had to make things right.
After a twenty-two hour journey, Kidd rolled into the condo complex and parked next to their mother’s car. It was a family reunion, of sorts. The two brothers greeted their mom with hearty hugs and kisses. Sandra embraced them and returned their heartfelt feelings.
Ace hoped Talise would be there again, but she wasn’t. Still without her new phone number, he had to convince his mother to call on his behalf.
“Hey sweetie, how are you feeling?” Sandra paused for Talise’s response then continued with her task. “Well, Ace is here. Yes, again. He wants to know if he can stop by.” Sandra nodded and listened. “I understand. I agree.” Sandra hung up and turned to Ace. “She said ‘sure.’”
“Sure? You two had more than a ‘sure’ conversation.”
She walked up to her son and grabbed his arms. “I love you, Aaron. I always will, but I see myself in Talise. I also want a better life for her. I’m on her side. If you aren’t prepared to stay and make her happy, then walk away. Let her be loved by someone else.”
“Aaron Jamieson is back, and I’m playing to win.” Shaking his head, Ace made his statement with conviction. He grabbed some fresh clothes from his bag and headed off to shower and change.
“Didn’t we resolve this last weekend in St. Louis?” Talise asked Ace when she let him into her apartment. She couldn’t believe her ears when Sandra called her. “You’re wasting your time.”
“If I have to drive every weekend until I can fly here to make this right, I will, Tay.”
Glad that finally she could sit in her favorite living room chair again, Talise made herself comfortable and said, “Look, I’m twenty-eight weeks pregnant and it’s taken me this long to find peace. I had to really seek God to get to this point. You need Jesus too.”
“I know. That gives me twelve weeks before the baby comes.” Folding his arms, Ace leaned against the wall. “That minister man will never fit my shoes in loving you.”
“You’re right,” she agreed, shifting her body in the oversized chair. “Richard has a different shoe size. Listen, Ace, I promise there won’t be any baby mama drama, custody concerns, or problems about your name on the baby’s birth cer—”
“Don’t go there, Tay.” He clenched his fists and squeezed his lips shut.
She was having second thoughts about the baby’s last name. Maybe she shouldn’t have taunted him about omitting his name on the birth certificate. After attending family game night, she recognized the pride they all had in the Jamieson name. Yet Talise was undecided because, if she married Richard, she didn’t want her child to have a different last name from hers.
Talise still hadn’t given Minister Thomas an answer. Her lips wanted to say yes, but her heart was saying, hold up.
Ace sat on the sofa across from her and looked directly into her eyes. “I’m not bluffing, baby. If you marry another man, you’re going to have to buy every house on the block. Otherwise, I’ll move next door and, whether you like it or not, we’ll be joined at the hip. I’ll sue for joint custody and be around every day to bathe my child and read him bedtime stories. I’ll pray constantly for God to help make me a better father than the one I had.”
Ace stood and began to pace the floor. “God knows I’m putting in the effort, but I’m not making any headway.”
He stuffed his hands in his pockets. “I love you, Tay, and I’m sorry I hurt and deserted you. That’s a guilt trip I’ve put on myself.” He paused and took a deep breath. “If I walk out that door, will you ever open it again for me?”
“It’s barely cracked now. Ace, I appreciate you paying my rent, but I didn’t ask you to. I want nothing from you. I’ve told you that.”
“But I want everything from you,” he said with all the passion in his heart. Ace then walked out the door and closed it softly behind him.
Talise didn’t move. She was numb. Grabbing a throw blanket, she wrapped herself in it and cried herself to sleep.
The next day at the salon, Priscilla picked up on Talise’s somber mood. “What’s the matter?”
Shrugging, Talise really didn’t want to talk about it.
“I’m a good listener,” she continued to coax.
“Ace is in town.”
“Again?”
“Yeah. He drove up with his brother this time …”
Just then, a hush around the salon made Talise turn around to see what was happening. Talk about timing. To her utter surprise, in all of God’s glorious creation, Ace stood with balloons tied to a vase of flowers and a boxed lunch like he used to bring her.
He walked up to her station without an invitation, politely spoke to her client, and then handed her his offering. When he noticed the flowers already on her counter, he picked up the vase, flowers and all, and dumped it in her wastebasket.
Stunned, Talise’s mouth dropped open. So did Priscilla’s.
“I thought you might be hungry. It’s your favorite,” Ace said without blinking.
As he turned to walk away, out of nowhere Priscilla whipped the belt out of her purse and popped Ace on his behind. He yelped and twirled around, rubbing his backside. “What’s your problem, lady?” He scowled.
“Blame it on Tammy.”