Chapter 9
Jameela
As I sped away from the precinct, the folder Hale made sure to shove in my hands before I left burned a hole in my passenger seat. He took a sick joy in toying with me, but this was my life. This was a man I thought could possibly be the one meant for me.
Just a few weeks ago, I let Nicholas into my world. I’d let him charm me and convince me that he was genuine in everything he said. For the first time in a long time, I felt good. I knew I didn’t need a man to bring me happiness, but Nicholas made me happy.
Now everything we’d shared was tainted. Every laugh and kiss we shared was poisoned by reality.
Now he was a suspect. My search had turned up fruitless, but obviously, he was raising red flags somewhere.
Meanwhile, each red flag that I’d encountered was explained away.
I gripped the steering wheel until my knuckles hurt.
Tremaine had threatened to take my baby away from me. He didn’t give a damn about Bella, but now all of a sudden, he wanted to use her in endless quests to manipulate and control me. Refusing the job wasn’t an option. I could already see how that would go.
Tears stung my eyes, but I blinked them away. There was no time for tears. I had a job to do. I knew the nature of the job when I signed up for it. A dull ache sat in my chest as I finally picked up my phone to reply to his message.
Me: Can’t wait.
Hours later, I was in awe as I drove to a gorgeous house so far up in the Lula Hills that my ears popped on the way up.
As much as I wanted to believe Nicholas was innocent, I had to admit that such a lavish lifestyle reeked of criminal activity.
It was possible that my simple background check had come back clean because he had never been prosecuted.
No record didn’t automatically equal innocence.
I halfway expected to find a bachelor’s pad. Instead, there was this gigantic mansion that made me feel small just standing outside. As my car rolled to a stop, I admired the floor-to-ceiling picture windows that overlooked a garden.
Even if I wanted to bail on our plans, I didn’t have a chance to throw my car in reverse before Nicholas opened the door and stepped outside to greet me. It was unnerving how sexy he was in a pair of dark gray sweats, but I loved seeing him dressed down.
I took a deep breath as I prepared to pretend as if everything was OK when, in reality, it wasn't. The man I thought just might be the one was now a target.
It would be different if I had gone in with the intentions of launching an investigation.
I had gotten to know Nicholas on a personal level and actually liked him.
When I was begging to go back to work, this was not what I had in mind. My mama always said be careful what you asked for, but did I listen? It felt stupid to be hopeful about our evening, but I couldn't help it. Nicholas made me hopeful. Fuck him for making me hopeful.
I managed to smile as I parked out front and climbed out of the car.
Hurriedly, I moved to the back seat to get Bella out of her car seat.
I felt different about having my daughter meet a suspect, but pulling back would have likely sent up red flags.
This was exactly what I was trying to avoid, yet I found myself in an impossible situation anyway.
When I stood to my full height, I was staring right into Nicholas’s handsome face. He stepped closer and placed his hand on my waist as he kissed my cheek.
“You look beautiful today, Jameela.”
His simple compliment made me blush. “Thank you.”
“I’m glad you came. Do you need me to grab anything?”
“No, I was just getting Bella out of her seat.”
“Let me see her,” he said, stepping back to give me a little space.
When I turned to face him, I introduced them. “Bella, this is Nicholas.”
“Hey, Bella. She’s beautiful, baby. She looks just like you.”
“Everyone says that.”
“Can I hold her? I miss Amira being so small.”
“Uh, . . . sure. If she’ll go to you. She’s finicky sometimes.” I warned him.
It was priceless to watch Nicholas extend his arms and wait to see if Bella would go to him. She was tricky with strangers, so I was curious as to what she would do.
“Ven a mí, linda,” he urged.
I had no clue what he’d said. Bella, on the other hand, reached out to him, almost stunning me into silence. Nicholas didn’t even flinch when she grabbed his finger and allowed him to pull her into his arms. He kissed the top of her head as he looked up, returning his attention to me.
“Come inside, baby. Amira is excited to meet y’all in person. She’s about to worry me to death.”
Although my nerves were shot with thoughts of officially starting my new assignment, I was in awe watching Bella lay her head on Nicholas’s chest as he headed for the house. I followed a step behind him as he led the way inside.
“Ven al salón, princesa. Ellos están aquí.”
Whatever he said caused a scurry of little feet to patter on the floor until I was met with the sweetest smile. When Amira appeared in the living room, she was so focused on me that she ran right past her dad.
“Are you Miss Jameela? You look just the same as you do on the phone. Your hair is pretty. Did you bring your little baby?”
“Despacio. Slow down, princesa. Say hello to Miss Jameela first, then come over here and say hello to Bella,” Nicholas instructed.
“Oh, hi, Miss Jameela.” She waved.
“Hi, Amira,” I greeted, returning her infectious smile.
“Your baby is so pretty. Can I play with her? I’m painting on this water thing. It’s not real paint. It’s pretend.”
“Sure. She loves to make a mess.”
Nicholas walked over and placed Bella on the mat where Amira joined her and tried to teach her how it worked. Bella wasn’t interested in the rules and just wanted to play, but it was cute to watch Amira try to show her what to do anyway.
“Dinner is almost ready. I decided I would do dinner and a movie this time.”
“Oh, that sounds good. What did you order?”
Apparently, my question made him chuckle. Nicholas asked about our allergies before we got off the phone last night. Still, I had no idea what to expect. Hearing him mention dinner and a movie made me even more curious.
“What do you mean what did I order, habibti? You don’t think your man can cook?”
“Actually, I hadn’t thought about it until now, but no, I actually don’t.” I laughed.
“Well, I can show you better than I can tell you. Let’s get started. I have an appetizer ready. Can you set up those little pink chairs for the girls? Amira, show Miss Jameela where I put the chairs.”
“OK,” she said, popping to her feet in an instant. “My daddy got a chair for Bella just like mine. She’s little, but that’s OK. I will help her.”
I picked Bella up from the mat, then followed Amira further into the living area while Nicholas headed for the kitchen.
When we made it to our destination, I found two child-sized recliners with cup holders built into the arms. I didn’t have to tell Amira to get in her chair, because once I set them up in front of the gigantic TV, she plopped down in one of them.
“See, Miss Jameela. Bella has a chair too. Can she be my little sister? I asked my daddy if I can have a baby sister, and he keeps saying maybe one day, princess.”
I could easily see why Amira had Nicholas wrapped around her tiny, little fingers.
Seeing her pout about wanting a baby sister was probably the most adorable thing I had seen all day.
As an only child, I understood her desire to have a companion.
On the other hand, she just didn’t know she had it made, getting to be her daddy’s only princess.
“Bella can be your sister. Your dad wants to let you be his favorite girl for a while.”
“My mama said he’s getting old, though. Soon, he can’t give me a baby sister.”
“In that case, he might need to hurry up,” I told her, unable to stop myself from laughing.
“Can you put Bella next to me?” Amira requested once she was comfortable in her chair.
“Yes, I can. I don’t know how long she will sit down though.”
“My dad made Harry Potter food and snacks for us tonight,” Amira informed me.
“Oh really?”
“Yep. We have raven claws and huffle puffs. They’re not real huffle puffs.”
“Wow, huffle puffs, huh?”
I wasn’t sure what that meant, but her excitement made me push for more.
“It’s really just Bugles and cheese puffs, but I like cheese puffs. Does Bella like cheese puffs?”
“She loves them.”
“Good. I want my baby sister to have fun. I will help her with them, Miss Jameela. I’m a big girl.”
“Why thank you, Amira. You’re really sweet.”
“Thank you. We’re not going to eat them yet. We are going to save the snacks for the movie. First, we get to eat dragon eggs.”
“Dragon eggs?”
“Yes, ma’am. Listen, I don’t want to hear nothing about you thinking I ordered takeout after you taste these,” Nicholas announced as he entered the room.
“Dragon eggs?” I asked again before a smile spread my lips when I saw four small plates with deviled eggs on them.
The yolks were dyed green, and there was some kind of chunky red sauce dolloped on top of them. The black sesame seeds sprinkled on top went along with the dragon egg thing.
Nicholas put the platter of eggs on the table before setting up attachable trays on each of the girl’s chairs.
“Can I help you with anything?”
“You can go ahead and start the movie. I’m going to give the girls their eggs and grab our drinks. The Cornish pasties are ready. I will bring them in once the girl’s plates are cool enough.”
“Color me impressed, Nicholas.”
“I aim to please.”
“What is a Cornish pasty?”
“It’s so good, Miss Jameela. Tell her how you make it, Daddy.”