Page 63 of Almost Paradise

Carter shakes his head no. “And he doesn’t like it when I jump on his bed.” I’d laugh if I wasn’t in a den full of lions. Ray’s always fussing with Carter and Kyle about jumping on his bed.

“You can jump on mine whenever you want,” Langley says.

“Really?” Carter asks, awed.

“And me, your grandma, and Aunt Hannah got you some presents. Come on.” Langley extends his hands, and Carter nearly jumps into his arms. We follow them through a formal living room and then down a long hallway. We’re led into an informal living room that seems to also be a family room. I roll my eyes. How many living rooms does one family need? Drake catches me, but I look away.

There’s a pile of presents in the corner, but before Carter can get to them, Langley points to the sliding glass door.

“Wow!” Carter runs to the door and stares at a Spiderman car that’s sitting on the deck with a big red bow on it. I look to the ceiling and ask myself why these people would get this child a car like this when it’s still cold out.

A server comes out carrying a tray of drinks. He’s a black man likely in his late twenties or early thirties. His steps almost falter when he sees me. He looks away and looks right back. It’s as if he’s trying to make sure he saw what he thought he saw. He offers me a tentative smile, which I return. He looks at Carter and then back at me as if he’s waiting for me to confirm he’s why I’m here. I shrug and he tilts his head knowingly.

Drake must notice because he looks from me to him, not at all pleased. He takes two drinks from the tray and offers me one.

“For you, wife,” he says loud enough for the server to hear.

The server’s eyes land on mine and he raises his eyebrows. I nod.

“Girl,” he says, elongating the word. He doesn’t even try to be quiet. “Now I’ve seen it all,” he says to me on his way out of the room.

“I’m not thirsty,” is all I say to Drake when he offers me the drink for the second time. I walk away and go to my son who is opening packages like it’s Christmas morning.

Chapter 35

Drake

“Who is that?” I whisper to my mother and discreetly point at the server who had the nerve to smile at and talk to my wife.

“That’s Solomon,” she says. That’s all she says. Carter jumps up and waves a Spiderman action figure. Then he hugs Langley and Hannah. Nia watches. There’s no expression on her face. She’s just blank, and I hate that more than her anger. “He’s just perfect, Drake.” Mom wraps her arm around mine. “Your father would have been so happy to—”

“Not now, Mom,” I tell her. The last thing I want is for Nia to hear my mother talking about how much my father would have loved his grandson. She’s already looking for an excuse to take Carter and bolt. Mom opens her mouth to say something else, but I speak first. “No Dad talk right now. Please.” I stare into her eyes, imploring her.

“I’m going to get to know my grandson.” She kisses my cheek and walks to Carter and his pile of gifts.

He jumps in Hannah’s arms and she spins him around. When he gets down, Langley hands him a cookie. Nia huffs at that, but she doesn’t say a word.

“Cool kid,” Langley says minutes later. I’m leaning on the wall on the other side of the room watching my son and his mother. “You sure he’s yours?” If I wasn’t holding a flute of champagne, I would have punched him in the face. He senses my mood because his smile dips. “Oh, I didn’t mean it like that. I just mean he’s cool and you’re not.” I inch closer to him and sniff. I sent him a text last night asking him to stay away if he gets drunk before lunchtime. He didn’t reply. When I don’t smell alcohol, I step back. “Fuck off,” he whispers.

“There he is,” I say. “Asshole.”

“You’re sniffing me and I’m the asshole? I’m not an alcoholic, Drake. Get off your high horse. You think I’d be drunk meeting my nephew for the first time? Great kid, even though his mother hates you and us by extension.”

I look past his shoulder and stare at Nia. She’s still as stoic as ever. Hannah tries to engage her in conversation. She answers. She’s not rude, but she’s cold. She’s not the happy woman from years ago, and I’m responsible for that.

“By the way, congratulations on your marriage. Thought I’d be saying that to you about Scarlett.” I expect to see smugness or judgment from him, but there’s none. “Your blushing bride looks like she’d rather face an execution squad.” Langley is not wrong. He’s an annoying pain in the ass but has always been astute.

“She can’t seem to stand you, which begs the following question. How on earth did you convince her to marry you?” Another server comes in with a tray of drinks. He offers one to Nia, and she shakes her head no. When he reaches me and Langley, I put my glass down on the tray. Langley takes a glass of water.

“That’s our business, but what are you getting at, Langley?”

“You can’t stop looking at her, but she’s going out of her way to avoid looking at you. I’m no genius, but the vibe I’m getting from her is that she’s looking for an excuse to take the kid and run out of here.”

“Well, she can’t run.” She can, but I know she won’t go any further than her old house. Even if she did try to go somewhere else, I’d find her in a matter of minutes.

“You made sure of it, huh? Has anyone ever told you that you’re just like Dad? And that’s not the compliment you think it is.”

We lock eyes, and I can tell he wants to say more, but Carter runs over to us and pulls on Langley’s pant leg.

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