Page 28 of Almost Christmas in Paradise

“Well, she did kidnap my son,” Nia says. “Remember that?”

“He wasn’t hurt, and you got him back the same day. She had a mental break. She needs therapy, not prison. She did a terrible thing, but this is punitive.”

“She also set a fire,” Nia reminds him. “How about that? In a daycare full of innocent children and babies. Or do those kids not matter to you, Mr. Banks? Because all I hear is how poor Scarlett needs help, but I don’t hear any words of sympathy for the kids she traumatized or the property she destroyed. But why am I not surprised by that?”

He looks down, and says, “If it’s easier for you to paint me as a monster then—”

“I’m talking about Scarlett and how she set a fire to a house full of children and babies but all your sympathy goes toward the criminal and not the innocent children. How can you stand here and defend that? You expect us to have sympathy for thewoman who not only deceived my husband for years but took my son.”

I wait to hear what he will say to refute her words, but all he does is shake his head. “Dan Foley asked me to come here as a personal favor, and I did that.”

“What a great and loyal person you are,” I say. “I suggest you remind Dan Foley that I don’t owe him or his daughter any favors.”

“Please leave my house now,” my mom says. “And never return. We’re not friends, and you’re no longer welcome here. You’ve done enough to my children.”

He looks and just stares into my mother’s eyes, but she doesn’t waver. Howard and his wife spent countless times here with our family. They were a part of every party, every major event, and every holiday, so my mother’s betrayal is real.

“Again, I’m sorry,” he says before he turns to head to the door.

I manage to pull my hand away from Nia’s and follow Howard out.

“Drake,” Nia yells behind me.

She runs to me, but I turn to face her and put a calming hand on her shoulder. “I’ll be right back, baby girl. I promise I won’t do anything other than talk to him, and I’ll tell you all about it. Okay?”

She looks into my eyes, and I see the trepidation in them. Another strike against Howard for upsetting my wife during her favorite holiday season.

“Okay,” she says. “Do what you need to do.”

I nod and quickly run outside. Howard is approaching his sedan in the circular driveway. He stops when he sees me. The late November wind hits me in the face, and I regret notbringing a jacket. Howard holds my stare until I come to a stop a few feet away from him.

“What makes you think you can show up here to plead Scarlett’s case in front of my wife and family? Do you think I’ve gone soft because I didn’t crush your sons like I threatened? The irony of that is you have my wife to thank. She said it was unfair to punish them for your sins.”

“Don’t act like you didn’t do anything to them. One lost his job, and the other has lost most of his business because of you,” he says.

“I was just getting warmed up, Howard. Trust me, I can continue because I don’t know what the fuck you were thinking.”

“I thought I could talk to your mother alone. I had no idea you were here.”

“And what? Give her a guilt trip? Scarlett is in prison because of Scarlett. Because of her actions. As much of a piece of scum as you are, you didn’t put her there, so why are you playing savior?” It took me some time to come to terms with that. It took Nia and the rest of the family to convince me that Scarlett’s circumstances were not my doing.

Howard looks away and then inches closer. “You’ve won, Drake. Isn’t that enough? No one told you to get involved with Scarlett or give her a ring when you had no intention of marrying her. You’re no victim in that regard, Son,” he says.

“I’m not your son.”

He nods sadly and opens the driver’s side door.

“You have a family. Don’t you think you owe it to Scarlett to give her a chance to one day have her own?”

“I don’t owe her shit. Are you out of your mind, Howard? Scarlett is not my victim. She was my father’s pawn, just like you. She’s a liar. She’s delusional and dangerous. Just like you. Now,she’s a convicted felon, and I’m going to make sure she serves her entire sentence. Do you want her out so she can terrorize my family? If she does, I’ll make sure she regrets it for the rest of her life. That prison sentence she’s serving will look like a day at the amusement park if she comes anywhere near my family. But since you seem to be the Foley family lapdog, give them a message for me. Tell Scarlett to stop writing to my mother, and you tell Foley that if he so much as mentions Nathanial Nash’s name, I will come for him.”

“I really am sorry,” he says. “You’ve won, Drake, and I’m happy for you. I’m only trying to help Scarlett because I feel partly responsible for this. I begged your father not to involve her, but—”

“You could have ended all of this by coming to me.”

“You’re right. I could have,” he says. “I should have.”

“I don’t want to hear about your regret. Just stay away from my family before you find out what regret really is.” I give him my back and return to the house.

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