Page 65 of Cherish

“Dupree.”

“Dr. Dupree. I will see you and my daughter tomorrow at five.” He bypasses me and hugs Alex, kissing her on the forehead as if he’s been doing it his whole life. Tina hugs us both, but she hugs Alex long and tight.

CHAPTER 41

ALEX

“You’re not lifting a finger.” Jason doesn’t even turn around to bark that order.

Mellie places a drink in my hand and orders me to go change, but I’m too comfortable in the silk robe Jason got for me. It’s been surreal since yesterday. So surreal that I can’t bring myself to fully process what happened. When I woke up in the middle of the night, alone in Jason’s bed, I convinced myself it was a dream. Tina didn’t know I was her half-sister. My biological father did not figure out who I was and track me down at home. I didn’t have a family. The only thing that was real was the ring of my finger and the man who has occupied my heart since the very beginning. His plan on going to the courthouse and getting married on his next day off is sounding better and better.

For days, I thought I had lost him. The pain was so unbearable, I could hardly reconcile with it. Despite the hurt, I wasn’t surprised. The one other person I loved left me too. The family I thought I was getting was gone, but then I realized it didn’t have to be that way. I wouldn’t not date a man because he had a child, so why should I give up the man I love for a child he might have created before we met? I want the man, and if he has a child, I will want the child too.

I roll my neck as I watch my fiancé, his sister, and Ananda prepare for the barbeque we’re having. There are too many chefs in this kitchen, but whoever made this drink, did a great job.

I laugh when Jason and Mellie get into an argument in the kitchen over the way he’s preparing the meat he’s getting ready to grill. The fight is over soon enough when he hands her a list of things he needs from the grocery store. Mellie grabs Ananda, and a few minutes later, I’m alone with my man.

I admire his tall, hard body from my spot across the kitchen. Unable to stay away a minute longer, I walk up behind him and wrap my arms around his waist and kiss the spot between his shoulder blades.

“Do you know how sexy you look standing in this kitchen?”

He turns around, lifts me, and sits me on the counter. I pucker my lips, but he doesn’t kiss me. His eyes probe mine instead.

“How long have you known?” I break our gaze and look down as I think about his question. I’m surprised it took him this long to ask, but then, we haven’t been alone all day. He came in in the middle of the night, and when we both woke up this morning, he sexed me so good, we both fell back to sleep.

“I found a letter he wrote to my mother from before I was born. All I had was a name, so I hired a private investigator. It took him one day to find him. And what I said yesterday was true. I wasn’t sure about the circumstances of my birth until I found that letter. And when the investigator found him, I didn’t know how he would feel about me. Like, what if he knew about me and didn’t want me? He already had a family, and I didn’t want to mess that up.” I grab him by the waist, pull him closer, and wrap my arms and legs around him. “I was scared. He might not want me, but what if he did, and his kids hated me? Things like that.”

“Is that why you started going into Tina’s café? To get to know her?”

“Yeah. I was curious. Then I really liked her, and she liked me too, but I didn’t want to risk losing her friendship by telling her.”

“But why didn’t you tell me, angel?” He pulls back and grabs my face.

“I never said it out loud, Jay. Never. I never told anyone, not even Ananda. I was going to tell you yesterday. Then he knocked on my door before I could say the words.” I hold him to me again, neither one of us speaking. “It feels weird. I don’t even know what to call him.”

Before he can answer, there’s a loud knock on the door, but whoever it is doesn’t wait to be let in. The door opens and footsteps vibrate throughout the apartment.

“I swear to God, you’d forget your head if it wasn’t screwed on, Mellie,” Jason says with his head in the crook of my neck. I close my eyes and hold him close, my hand stroking the back of his neck as I wait for Mellie’s smart comeback, but the only sound I hear is a loud throat clearing.

I open my eyes to meet the stare of my birth father’s blue eyes.

“Oh, you’re early! I haven’t even texted Tina with the address yet. I was going to ask her to tell you where we live.” I push Jason away and jump off the counter, pulling the robe to cover as much as my bare legs as possible.

“I thought I’d come over early so we could talk in private.” He finally comes to a stop in front of us but doesn’t comment on the fact that nobody gave him our address. Jason’s standing between us, inadvertently keeping us apart. “Your sister will be here soon. Your brother too.” He doesn’t look at me when he speaks; his eyes are on Jason. “Do you mind if I speak with my daughter, Jason?”

Jason turns to face me, still blocking us, but giving his back to Alexander.

“Do you want to do this? You don’t have to do this right now. This is your party. You decide what you want to do.” It’s a do over from my last party. Even though I told him no, he insisted and called Sandy and Jake to invite them over tonight.

“It’s fine. Let me go change first.” Jason stares into my eyes. I know he’s seeing the uncertainty in them. When he doesn’t make a move, I gently rub his shoulders. He relaxes a bit and nods.

“Everyone will be here soon, so I’m going to start grilling the meat.” He kisses me gently and whispers words of love before walking out the sliding door. I offer Alexander a seat and run into the bedroom to change. While I’m in there, I text Tina the address and let her know our father is already here. She texts back immediately, saying that the only surprise is that her father waited this long to barge in.

When I make my way back to the kitchen a few minutes later, we stand there, my arms swinging awkwardly as we look at each other. The similarities are more apparent today. Though I didn’t inherit his height, our chins are similar too.

“I thought we could talk, just the two of us.” He pulls me in for a hug. Unsure of what to do, I pat his back a few times before stepping away from him.

“Why don’t you sit down, and I’ll grab you something to drink.” He nods and takes a seat at the table while I rummage through the fridge for Jason’s fancy beers. When I return to the table with our drinks, I notice the box he has placed on the table.

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