Page 63 of Cherish

That’s not a complete lie. I want to be her husband as soon as possible, but I also want to have her committed to me for life in case the baby is mine. There will be no opportunities for her to change her mind and end things.

“Think honeymoon. The world is yours. Wherever you want to go.”

I pull her out of the chair and put her on my lap.

“Hmm. I’ve always wanted to go to Prague. I love their architecture. Or Amsterdam. I love the idea of riding a bike through the city or taking a boat tour. But we might have a baby. We can’t take off to Europe. Maybe we can go to Montreal for a weekend?”

“You’re getting a honeymoon. No arguments.”

“Okay then, future husband. I want a honeymoon. I’ve only been out of the country once, and that was a high school trip to the Bahamas.” I give her a kiss filled with relief and gratitude. Relieved to have my playful, happy girl back, and so fucking grateful she mentioned the possibility of the baby without any anger or regret. I’m willing to give her the world.

“Jay, baby, I have something to tell you.” She pulls back from my lips, uncertainty marring her features.

“You can’t change your mind about marrying me.” I play it off as a joke, but my heart is beating out of my chest.

“Never. It’s nothing to do with you or us.” I let out the breath I didn’t know I was holding.

“What is it?”

Before she can tell me anything, and before I can tell her I’m going to take her to Prague and Amsterdam, there’s a quiet knock on the door. It’s so quiet that it’s only when there’s a louder more insistent knock that I realize someone wants to get in.

“To be continued.” She leaves my lap and walks to the door. When the knocking continues, more insistent than before, I get up and walk after her. I grab her wrist and pull her behind me.

I open the door and come face-to-face with the same older white man I saw earlier. He looks confused when he sees me standing there. He doesn’t acknowledge me, but I hear Alex gasp when she sees who it is. The hair on the back of my neck stands up and I block the door with my body.

“Can I help you?” He’s tall, but not as tall as I am. He steps back when he sees me and raises both hands.

“My name is Alexander Reilly. I’m here to speak with Alex Malone.” He’s talking to me, but his eyes are on her. There’s something familiar about him, but I’m positive I’ve never seen him before.

I look him up and down. He looks alert. He’s well-dressed in khaki pants and a black polo shirt. He’s wearing a Boston Red Sox baseball cap. He’s not threatening, but there’s something about him I can’t put my finger on. He’s not looking at me though. His eyes are on my girl, taking her in. If I thought he was a pervert, I would have kicked his ass already, but he’s looking at her as if he’s trying to memorize every part of her.

“Do you know this man, Alex?” I look down at her, and she’s studying him the same way he’s studying her. Her eyes are glazed over. It’s as if they will fill with tears and fall at any moment.

“Tell him who I am, Alex?” Alexander says. “Tell your boyfriend why our names are almost identical. Tell him why I have the other piece of that necklace you’re wearing. The same one I gave to your mother almost twenty-seven years ago.”

Understanding dawns. I take the stranger in again and realize why he looks so familiar. It’s not obvious, but it’s there. His profile and hers are identical. His nose looks like it’s been broken a few times, but it’s the same nose as the woman I’m going to marry.

“Angel. Do you want me to make him leave?”

“I’m not leaving.” The stranger doesn’t even look at me to make that declaration.

“You will leave if she doesn’t want you here,” I tell him. He looks at me up and down. I don’t back down. I take a step closer to him, ready to physically put him out if necessary.

“No. I don’t want him to leave. Please come in, Mr. Reilly.” Alex grabs my arm and I wrap my arm around her for support. With my hand around her waist, we step aside, and he walks in. He turns to face us, and his eyes go right back to Alex. This time he takes a step closer to her and reaches for her face. He holds it in both hands, caressing her face as he gazes into her eyes.

Her tears start to fall, and so do his.

“I didn’t know you existed until this morning.” His voice is hoarse and hard to understand. His body shakes, but he doesn’t let go of her face. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.” He hugs her to him, both of them weeping. I massage Alex’s shoulders, and she relaxes at my touch.

He pulls away, grabs her face again as he looks at her.

“You look just like her. I knew who you were the moment I laid eyes on you, but this,” he says, touching the necklace. “This gave it away. I had this made for her for her birthday.” He flips the half heart pendant over and reads the inscription. “You’ll always have my heart.” He finally lets her go, but gestures to the couch, asking if we can all sit. I get water for us while they get comfortable on the couch.

“I gave this to your mother a couple of years into our relationship. I couldn’t put my name on it, so I had them put my initials. I fell in love with her while I was investigating a murder downtown. She worked in the building next door, and I saw her one afternoon. We were having lunch at the same place. I fell in love with her on sight, but I was married.” He looks down when he says that. His shoulders sag, and he rubs a hand over his face. “Your mother, she was so much younger than me. Fifteen years younger. We couldn’t get enough of each other. It was the best years of my life. I was going to leave my wife. I told Connie it was over, but the worst thing happened. Our twelve-year-old son, your brother Bruce, was diagnosed with leukemia.” He puts his face in his hands and rubs. The bridge of his nose is as red as his eyes when he looks at us again. Tortured. “I thought I was going to lose my boy. He needed me, and Connie gave me an ultimatum. If I chose your mother, she would make it difficult for me to see my son. Her uncle was a family court judge, and she had connections. She threatened to go for full custody, and with her family connections, it was a real possibility. I’m ashamed to say this, but the fact that your mother was black made her anger so much worse. She said horrible things, things I won’t repeat. So, for the sake of my son, I ended things with Mariah. We were both devastated. She asked me to never contact her again because as much as she loved me, this situation was killing her. She said if I ever loved her, I’d let her go and focus on my son.”

Alex’s eyes are wide. I know she’s hearing this for the first time, absorbing every word, probably cross checking it with whatever little crumbs of information she was able to glean over the years. It’s her turn to study him now. She lifts his hand and runs her finger over a birthmark between his left thumb and index finger, the same birthmark she has.

“She never told you about me?” His voice is so strained, it’s as if it hurts to ask the words.

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