Page 17 of Almost Christmas in Paradise

“You guys want to come?” Nia asks. “Since when?”

“You don’t think your mother and I deserve a vacation too?” her dad asks. “We like the Bahamas. We went there on our honeymoon.”

“Papa and Grandma are coming?” Mason asks. When they nod, he says, “Yes!” He runs to tell Kyle and Carter.

Chapter 15

Drake

Instead of sitting at my desk, I turn my camera off and mute my mic. I get up and lie on the couch while listening to the boring meeting about last quarter. I already know how we did, and it’s the best quarter we’ve had in almost a decade. That’s because of my leadership, but instead of feeling pride in my work, all I want to do is close my eyes and sleep for a few hours.

I don’t intend to fall asleep, but I don’t fight it when my eyes get heavy, and I close them. Then I hear my office door open and close.

“What?” I say much sharper than I ever speak to anyone at work. I know whoever it is, it’s not Nia. She’s at a meeting with my mother about the Paradise Foundation. She’s also coordinating a toys and clothes drive for kids this Christmas. She won’t be in this building for at least another two hours, and she’s only coming here today to check on me.

“I never thought I’d see the day. Someone by the name of Paradise slacking at ten o’clock in the morning on a Monday,” my best friend and legal counsel says. I don’t tell him that’s because I barely slept last night. Knowing my plans on sleeping the morning away are a distant memory now that he’s here, I stand and groan like a man fifty years my senior. “Well?” he asks.

I know exactly what he’s asking, but I’m not in the mood to think about that mess, much less discuss it. “I’d rather not talk about it.” I gesture at my computer and the meeting that’s still going on. “I’m tired of thinking and talking about it,” is all I say. I open my mouth to kick him out of my office, but the meeting ends, and Wyatt sits down and waits.

“I wish he’d never left anything.” I groan again and rub my hands over my face. “I feel like shit. My father was shit. His letter was shit. His video was shit. Do you see a pattern?”

“Well, shit,” he says with a smug grin.

“There’s nothing to say. You know why he did it. At first, he said it was because of class,” I begin, and Wyatt snorts at that. “Then later he admitted the truth. That it was all about race. Worse than that, he kind of made it about him and how muchhemissed out on Carter’s life. He had her followed for the first two years after his birth. There were dozens of pictures included in the file. Nia was pissed, but she tried to hide it to not upset me. It was a shitty weekend. Now I have to dust myself off and make sure my wife and kids have a wonderful holiday. And get this. I must have looked so pathetic yesterday that Nia’s father noticed. He interrogated me, and I guess what I said made him feel so sorry for me that he invited me to have beers with him and Ray.”

“Well, that’s not all bad. Maybe he’s willing to fully accept you now.” I would be happy if that were the truth, but I never know with Nia’s father. What I do know is that he’ll doanything for his daughter, and I thought being courteous to me was the best it would ever be between us.

“Wouldn’t that be grand?” I ask with a bit of a sarcastic bite. “And now I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with this letter and video. Do I tell my mom and siblings? Do I show it to them? My gut says no, especially after he said that if this had happened to Langley, he could accept it, but not me. He’s already caused enough problems between me and Langley with his favoritism.” My brother and I are finally in a good place and the last thing I want is to upset that. I like having him in my life again, and I’m not going to let my father upset that from beyond the grave.

“You know what I think you should do?” he asks.

“You’re going to tell me whether I want you to or not. Go ahead so I can go back to feeling sorry for myself.” I gesture for him to hurry.

“I think if your father wanted them to know, he would have left a letter for them too. I also think you should have a great Christmas with your wife, kids, and extended family. And since you’re so against seeing a shrink—”

“You’re damn right I am. Besides, I don’t have time for that shit.”

“You should focus on what you have, which is all. You have itall. Stop feeling sorry for yourself or I’m going to kick your ass all over this building.”

“You’re so wise,” I say, sarcasm oozing out of me.

“You know? Your beautiful wife who adores you even after you pulled that stunt. Your son and daughter. The love of your mom and siblings. Your nephews. The respect and admiration of everyone in this building because—"

“Because I sign theirpaychecks, dumb ass,” I finish for him.

“Because you’re a great leader. You were smart enough to hire me.” When I roll my eyes at him, he says, “Go home and kiss your daughter. Make love to your wife if you need to.” I look at him and shake my head.

“That’s the only decent idea you’ve ever had in your entire pathetic life.” Wyatt stands and goes to my window. I’m still getting used to being in my father’s office, but I’ve made it my own. There are pictures of my family throughout, and I changed all the furniture. “Oh, God. What now?” I ask when he remains quiet for far too long. He’s never quiet.

“I got a call from Howard Banks this morning.” I sigh. “He said he heard from Dan Foley and that Scarlett was attacked a few days ago in prison.”

I shake my head, unsure of how I’m supposed to feel about this. She helped my dad perpetuate this lie. She kidnapped Carter and set fire to a daycare. I don’t have it in me to feel much empathy.

“Is she okay?” I ask only because I feel like I should.

“Her face was slashed and she sustained three broken ribs. She’s in the prison infirmary for now. Her father intimated to Howard that your father-in-law might have had something to do with it.”

At that, I throw my head back and laugh.

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