Chapter 18
The bottom had fallen out of Shomari’s world. He didn’t have space to think, process, and recover. That was likely a part of Christy’s plan. If she bombarded him enough, then maybe he would cave and see her for a face-to-face chat, which didn’t make sense.
Why she would even bother puzzled him. How he felt about Natanya hadn’t changed. In his head, she was still his daughter, but he didn’t have a single clue how the situation would pan out.
This was week two, and he’d gone through it on automatic.
The kids kept him busy, and he was grateful for that.
Lizette was another matter. They spoke about the assessments and how he was doing, but he wouldn’t allow her to breach the wall he’d built.
He didn’t know how to let her in, so he didn’t try.
Her reproachful stare whenever they spoke told him she was disappointed with his withdrawal, but he didn’t have the bandwidth for a proper conversation about where they were as a couple. Christy had taken a hammer to his life and smashed everything good and wholesome.
Earl tapped the horn, turned a corner, and pulled up to the curb outside Mother’s house.
Shomari did a double-take when he recognized Chelle’s Kia in the yard.
Mother had asked him to come over, which was a surprise.
Since he had no reason to refuse, having declined Zack’s invitation to spend the evening with the Winters, he came straight from work.
The grille was open, so he walked straight through the open front door.
Christy was in the room, seated on his mother’s sofa.
The air whooshed out of his chest, and heat flooded his face. If he hadn’t seen her immediately, the flowery scent she wore would have given away her presence.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
“Well, you wouldn’t speak with me, so you left me no choice.”
“This is some …” He stopped, then asked, “Where is Natanya?”
“With my sister.”
“Oh, so you only exercise your options when it suits you.”
She smoothed her crisp cotton shirt and wouldn’t meet his gaze. “I’m not here to quarrel with you.”
“I should think not. Why did you come?”
“You’re just going to give up on Natanya after everything?”
He reminded himself not to raise his blood pressure over someone who no longer held a significant place in his life. Still, her arrogant assumption made him mad all over again.
The clatter of cutlery interrupted words better left unsaid, and he stalked to the kitchen.
His mother had transformed the place where they shared family dinners into a hub filled with chrome appliances, including the fridge and oven.
A nice upgrade, but he was too incensed to appreciate the renovation.
Pointing over his shoulder, he snapped, “What is she doing here?”
Mother and Chelle jumped at his harsh tone and turned from the counter to face him.
“Mari.” Chelle hurried to where he stood and hugged him around the waist.
He didn’t reciprocate, so she stepped back to study him. “I’d ask if you’re all right, but I can tell you’re not.”
“You’re ignoring my question.” His gaze slid to Mother. “Why is Christy in this house?”
Hand to her chest, Chelle said, “We thought … well, you can’t …”
Mother stepped in closer. “What she’s trying to say is that you can ignore a problem, but it won’t go away.”
“I didn’t think it would, but the two of you have no right to interfere.” He glared at Chelle and tipped his chin toward Mother. “Is there anything you don’t tell her?”
She wouldn’t meet his gaze, but admitted, “You sounded so out of it when we spoke, I was worried about you.”
He huffed and dragged one hand over his beard. “For heaven’s sake, I’m thirty-six.”
Mother quirked her lips, as if to say he wasn’t handling his business at that ripe age.
Standing taller, Shomari focused on her. “Even if my life doesn’t look like it should, this is out of order. The two of you overstepped your boundaries. I would have dealt with it in my own time.”
“Like the way you allowed her to rob you?” Mother folded both arms across her stomach. “I told you from the beginning, that child …”
His deepening frown was enough to stop her words.
“That’s right. I don’t want to hear it.” Pointing at her, he added, “When I needed your support, you never gave it, so now is not the time to butt into a situation that doesn’t concern you.”
“With all due respect, Shomari.” Chelle placed both hands on her hips. “This is our mother.”
“Did you hear me speak any lies?” he asked in a measured tone.
Chelle lowered her chin, but cut him with a vicious look.
“I didn’t think so.” His gaze went to their mother. “Like that Marley song says, the truth might offend, but it’s not a sin.”
Her eyes shot fire at him, and she opened her mouth.
Shomari stopped her with one finger. “Don’t. Let me finish with Christy, then I’ll come back and deal with you two.”
He left them, seething.
Before financial troubles hit his family, he’d always been soft.
Admittedly, Mother had spoiled him in his early years.
Then with the split and his parents’ subsequent divorce, he withdrew into himself and became a lone wolf.
He’d had partners before Christy but by the time they met, he was thinking about a family.
Too bad he hadn’t seen from the outset that they weren’t meant to be a couple.
She was staring through the front window when he walked back into the room. Turning, she tipped her head higher. As if bolstering her defenses, or daring him to call her out for her dishonesty.
It occurred to him how different Lizette was, and now, because of this mess, he was back at ground zero. He couldn’t see the forest for the trees, and was uncertain he’d get past this additional mess he was in. He shut Lizette out of his mind and concentrated on the woman in front of him.
Christy licked her bottom lip, but before she could speak, Shomari said, “Don’t.”
While filling his lungs with air, his gaze swept over her.
She was pretty, fit, and intelligent. Yet, too late, he understood that she lacked substance.
Christy wanted what she wanted, and she had to have it now.
His modus operandi was different. Everything for him was a long game—saving, working toward his goals, creating a better future one day at a time.
Setting aside his thoughts, he said, “This is how things will go. One. For now, I will continue to support your daughter, but my eyes still work, and we both know what they told me was accurate. Two. Despite all of this, you will do a DNA test, which I will pay to have done.” He swallowed hard and slowed his breathing because this was the critical part of what he had to say.
“What you tell Natanya is up to you. Your actions haven’t changed my feelings about her.
I suppose you’ll eventually let her know that man from the park is her father. ”
She didn’t answer, but he understood her silence. If she said anything, she’d be admitting what they both knew to be true—or lying to save face.
“I’ll call you when I make the appointment for the test,” he continued.
She nodded and went past him to pick up her purse. At the doorway, she asked, “So, this is it then?”
“We were over the moment I found out you scammed me. You have some nerve to ask that, especially since you were seeing two of us at the same time. Haven’t you hurt me enough?”
After opening and closing her mouth several times without releasing a sound, she walked through the door.
The moment she left, he collapsed on the sofa. When he didn’t hear an engine, he wondered how Christy made it to the house without transportation. Mother and Chelle had been slick, because if he’d seen the SUV, he’d have turned around and left.
He didn’t know how long he crashed there before they came in and sat together on the large sofa. Ready to tag-team him, he thought. They said nothing, and the moment he finally connected with them, his irritation melted.
Mother’s brows were furrowed, and her lips turned down at the corners.
For the first time in years, Shomari believed she gave a whit about him.
Chelle peered at him as though afraid he’d snap at her if she uttered a word.
Eventually, she said, “I’m sorry, but I didn’t know what else to do.
You’re my favorite brother, so I had no choice. ”
That pulled a half-hearted smile from him. She’d always teased him with that silly phrase. The fact that she cared meant everything, but he was still upset that she’d shared his business with their mother.
“I’m sorry, too.”
Mother’s voice startled him, and he stared into her eyes. “What?”
“You heard me.” She pressed her lips together and fiddled with the ring on her finger. “Rochelle made me understand some facts.”
Shomari’s gaze shot to his sister, who raised both hands. “I didn’t say anything you wouldn’t want me to.”
“Right. I don’t know how you can say that when twice now, you’ve let me down.”
“Actually.” Mother shifted forward to the edge of the seat. “Chelle made me face a few truths I’ve refused to acknowledge. One of those things is that I’ve been extremely hard on you.”
He blinked and angled his ear toward her, certain he’d heard wrong.
“That’s because I didn’t want you to end up like your father.”
“And what’s wrong with him? He put his life back together. Married again. He has nothing to be ashamed of, but you made it seem as if his misfortunes made him less of a man. Something to be thrown on the garbage heap because he didn’t measure up to your expectations.”
She closed her eyes and flinched, as if he’d struck her. “I didn’t realize you felt that way.”
The emotions he’d suppressed left him in a tide of bitter words. “How could I not when you put all of your disappointment and that pressure on my shoulders? When things with you and Dad went sideways, it’s as if you turned against me.”
Mother folded trembling hands together on her thighs and cleared her throat. “I won’t ask you to forgive me because I know it will take time, but I want you to know I’m proud of you.”
He raised both eyebrows and leaned back. His gaze shot to Chelle, whom he wanted to ask what she’d done with their mother. His sister shrugged and held in a smile.
Mother gave him one of the approving nods she’d reserved for Chelle over the years, and topped it off with a tentative smile. “You’ve achieved all you have without my help, and I know you’ll be okay despite what happened with that … Christy.”
He thanked her and stood. This turnaround was sudden and should have made him feel better, but he needed to clear his head, and he couldn’t do it around them. He scanned the crystal angels and the other decorations around the living room. This would be one weird Christmas.
With Lizette in the picture, he’d gained something, then lost it again because he couldn’t move any further with her while dealing with his family issues.
The parts of him that needed fixing were another urgent matter.
Lizette was definitely off his radar until he could present himself as a man she deserved.
How long that would take, he didn’t know.