Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Z ion remained in the library long after Raven went upstairs to the babies, his mind unable to settle on one thought. What had started as a typical day had turned into one of the strangest nights filled with one too many surprises.
A dad.
He might actually have kids, and he wasn’t sure what to do with that knowledge. He had already texted a friend who’d help get them in for a paternity test appointment first thing in the morning. Raven had agreed she and the babies would meet him there, and he was sure that she wanted this part over with as fast as he did. Considering how adamant she was regarding him being the father, uncertainty had settled in his mind.
What the hell was he going to do with two babies? They might’ve been the cutest kids he’d ever laid eyes on, but it still didn’t seem real that they could be his. Sure, he had planned to one day get married and start a family, but that wasn’t on his current agenda for his life. As a matter of fact, it barely showed up on his ten-year plan. Yet here he was with the possibility that his life plan had just been shot to hell.
He stood and headed for the kitchen, determined to give his brain a break for a few minutes. He was starving, but he wasn’t sure if he could eat, his stomach a bit unsettled. Thankfully, as he went through the lower level of the B & B, he didn’t encounter any guests. The place wasn’t at capacity this week, but that would change next month with spring break. Though things around the bed and breakfast slowed down during the winter, it was a popular destination place during April through December. With tons of return guests, there were rarely any vacancies.
“Well, well, well. If it isn’t my baby brother,” Dorian said, a wicked gleam in her eyes.
Her long braids were gathered in a high ponytail on top of her head, which brought attention to her flawless, makeup-free chestnut skin. His gaze took in one of her trendy aprons that she loved which read, Queen of not just the kitchen but of everything.
“Or should I call you Raven’s babies’ daddy?” She smirked.
A low growl started from the pit of his stomach, and Zion suddenly wanted to put his sister in one of his famous headlocks. Something he often did to her and their sister Nyla. Mainly because the three of them were closest in age, and they were both petite. He and Dorian were two years apart while Nyla was four years older than him. He might’ve been the baby in the family, but he was taller and outweighed his four sisters.
“Don’t start,” Zion said and looked into the refrigerator for a covered dish that had his name on it. Instead, there were several with his name, and he pulled them out. When he turned, Dorian had a shopping bag waiting for him.
Dorian currently was the only one of the siblings who worked at the B & B. Her background was in marketing, but she’d left that career to help out their parents and would probably one day take over the business.
“I want details,” she whispered as she helped put the food in the bag. “Is it possible that those cutie-pies are yours?”
Zion nodded reluctantly. “Once I know for sure, I’ll fill you in.”
She frowned at him. “Come on, Zee. Tell me what happened. Did you know she was coming here?”
“No, and she had no idea I lived in Chicago. It’s a long story, Dee, and I’m too tired to go into it.” He wrapped an arm around her, then placed a kiss against her temple. “By the way, Lynix asked about you. I think he said something about being madly in love with you,” he lied, then grinned.
Now she was the one growling. He had only said that last part to get a rise out of her and to get her off his back. She might’ve been fighting her attraction to Lynix, but Zion wasn’t blind. He’d seen the way the two of them looked at each other whenever they were in the same room. Yet, he hoped like hell nothing would ever become of them. He loved them both, and if the two of them got together and things didn’t work out, he didn’t want to be in the middle of it. He didn’t want to see either of them hurt, but more than that, it would be too weird to see Lynix hooked up with Dorian.
He cringed at the thought.
Nope. Not going to let that happen.
After promising to talk to her soon, Zion left Dorian to finish cleaning up the kitchen. He grabbed his jacket from the front closet, then walked around the building to his parents’ cottage.
Years ago, after leaving their corporate America jobs, they had purchased the Italian architectural style Greystone and turned it into a B & B. It was several stories high and had seven-bedroom suites, a huge eat-in kitchen, dining room, living room, and a library. His mother and father resided in the two-bedroom, two-bathroom cottage located behind the main building.
Instead of just walking into their place, Zion rang the doorbell. He needed to set a few things straight with his mother, but what he really wanted to do was talk to his dad. Israel Priestly was the best man, and the best listener Zion knew, and he rarely exerted an opinion unless asked. Even then, he’d ask enough questions to make a person come to their own conclusion before they realized he hadn’t answered their question.
Zion had the best parents in the world, who absolutely adored their family. They made a great team. While his mother was loving, kind, and always had a hug for them, his father could be best described as the strong, silent type. Still, his dad’s presence was always seen and felt especially when Zion and his sisters were growing up. His father attended practically every soccer, basketball, and football game. As well as recitals, swim meets, and a host of other activities they participated in.
While his dad was mostly responsible for getting them around until Zion’s sister, Essence, was old enough to drive, their mother took care of the house. Despite working a full-time job, there was always a home cooked meal for them every day during the week. Sometimes that included leftovers, but she always made sure there was food on the table. She loved cooking and baking, especially for her family. Opening a bed and breakfast seemed like a natural fit for her and his dad.
The door swung open, and his mother stood there with her hand on her hip watching him. She had changed out of her work clothes and into lounging pajamas that were still dressy enough to wear out in public.
Normally, she had a smile and a hug for everyone she met, but right now, she wasn’t smiling and made no move to hug him. Zion couldn’t read her expression, but she wasn’t one for keeping her thoughts to herself for long.
Maybe I should’ve gone home to eat . With Onyx at the neighbors’ house, Zion didn’t have to rush home, but now he wished he had.
“Are you going to let me in?” Zion asked.
“Are you going to tell me what’s going on or what happened between you and Raven?” she countered.
“Virginia, let the boy in,” Zion’s father said from somewhere nearby, but his mother didn’t move.
“Mom,” Zion said when she didn’t open the door wider.
When she finally did, he gave her a wide berth, not wanting her to pop him upside the head. Something that happened often enough when he was growing up, and she made no apologies for it. Tonight wouldn’t be any different, especially since she was clearly pissed.
His mother might’ve wanted more grandkids, but she was old school. You dated. Got married. And then you started a family. If the twins were his, that meant he’d passed those first two criterions and leaped headfirst into the third.
Don’t get ahead of yourself , he told himself. It wasn’t a definite that they were his.
“Hey, Dad,” he said when he entered the house.
Israel Priestly was a big man. They were close in height, but his dad had at least twenty pounds on him, and much of it was still muscle. He was fit considering he was in his late sixties, and it helped he did some form of working out daily. He could easily pass for ten years younger, especially since his hair and goatee still had more black than gray.
They exchanged fist bumps before Zion headed to the kitchen to heat up some of the food. He had no doubt that they’d follow him in there, especially his mother.
“Wash your hands before you do anything,” his mother said, leaning a hip against the long center island.
Zion sighed. “I know the rules.” He set the bag down and rinsed his hands in the kitchen sink.
“Do you?” his mother snapped. “Because I taught all my kids to wait until marriage before sex, but I think it’s safe to say you didn’t.”
Yes, she had, and his dad had given him his first box of condoms—just in case. But Zion kept that information to himself.
His dad sighed loudly and pulled out a chair at the small kitchen table. “Have a seat, Virginia.”
Zion hid his smirk as he shoved one of the food containers into the microwave. His mom was a force to be reckoned with on any given day, but in his parents’ home, Israel was the boss. Except for when he wasn’t because his mother wasn’t one of those weak women who did everything her man said to do.
“Tell us what’s going on, son,” his father said when they were all seated. “Is it true you might be the father of that young lady’s kids?”
Zion huffed out a breath. Yep, he should’ve gone home to eat.
“If you saw those babies, especially Andrew, you wouldn’t have to ask. Look at this photo,” Zion’s mother said, pulling a picture from a pocket in her lounging pants. She handed it to his dad, and Zion glanced at it and swallowed hard.
If he didn’t know the baby in the photo was him, he’d swear it was Andrew.
Damn. Damn. Damn.
He could try to deny the facts if he wanted to, but it was getting useless. Still, he wasn’t admitting to anything or taking responsibility until he knew for sure.
Instead of answering his father’s question, he said, “Tomorrow, Raven and I agreed to get the ball rolling on the paternity tests.” There’d have to be two done, one for each baby since they were fraternal twins.
“How long will that take? Because Raven will only be here for a week, and after that, I’m not sure where she’s going.”
His mother explained how Raven had ended up at the B & B in the first place. A friend of Raven’s had gifted her with a certificate that would cover seven nights at the bed and breakfast. Raven had also mentioned she had an aunt in town that she planned to visit, especially since she hadn’t met the babies yet.
The original plan was that her aunt and her cousin would watch the kids one or two days while in town, so Raven could get a little R & R, but those plans had changed. She found out her aunt wasn’t in the best health, and the cousin wasn’t dependable. Raven wasn’t comfortable leaving the twins with either of them.
“If there was no one here to watch her babies, why’d she still come?”
“Don’t you mean your babies?” his mother asked as she shot daggers at him.
“I said what I said,” Zion mumbled, but straightened when his father told him to watch his mouth. “Mom, why are you mad at me? If the kids are mine, then you’ll have the grandkids you’ve been hounding all of us for.”
His mother had been on a mission to get more grandkids and had gone as far as guilt tripping them. With his sisters, she’d even tried matchmaking, stating that all of them were taking too long to find mates. The one grandchild she had, thanks to his oldest sister Essence, was seventeen and planning on leaving for college in the fall.
Virginia smacked her lips, and her frown disappeared. “I know they are my grandkids despite what you’re telling yourself. And I’m mad, not necessarily at you, but at the situation. Raven is a sweetheart, and she’s had to raise Zanaya and Andrew on her own for the last three months. When all the while, we’ve been here.
“Do you have any idea how hard these months have been for her, especially with twins? If she’d known about us, or if we’d known about her, we could’ve helped. Alone and pregnant is scary enough, but once they were born, I don’t know how she managed two babies on her own.”
Zion felt like a jerk. He didn’t know anything about Raven’s situation. Was her aunt and cousin her only family? Where were her parents? Did she have any siblings? Who helped her when the kids were first born? Hell, how did she deal with being pregnant with twins… and possibly on her own?
He had more questions than answers. Instead of insisting he wasn’t her kids’ father, he should’ve been trying to learn as much as possible about her and the kids. The babies looked healthy, but what if they weren’t? What if they were healthy on the outside but had some health issues?
“What else do you know?” Zion asked.
His mother was a talker and could get anything out of anybody. She was the kind of person to make you feel comfortable with her from the minute you met her. And she was nosy as hell.
“Not a lot,” she said. “She drove here from Houston, and it sounds like she’s thinking about moving here. Which I hope she does, but she’s still figuring it out. I think she might be running from someone.”
A wave of protectiveness gripped Zion. His family often said he was a protector by nature, but this? This was different. He and Raven might’ve only had that one night together, but they’d had a connection like nothing he had ever experienced. Even today, as shocked as he was by everything he’d learned, he still felt a pull between the two of them.
“What do you mean she’s running from someone?”
His mother lifted her hands out in front of her. “I don’t know for sure, but it was something she’d slipped and said.”
“Which was?” Zion’s father asked.
“Gwendolyn helped her unload her SUV. Well, most of it. Just a couple of suitcases and a portable baby bed, but there was still a lot of stuff left in the vehicle. It looked as if she had brought half her house with her.
“So I asked if she had just moved to town, and she said maybe. Then, flustered, she said she wasn’t sure, and she was still figuring things out. After she warmed up to me, she said she needed to get out of Houston for a while because of her ex. I asked if she was in trouble and if the guy was abusive. She said not physically. They broke up a year and a half ago, but it sounds like he hadn’t come to terms with it. He was still trying to insert himself in her life, even with the kids, and Raven said she needed space.”
Zion almost said that maybe the kids were her ex’s, but he kept that thought to himself. He would know in a few days if the kids were his, and if they were, he and Raven could go from there. But whether they were or weren’t, he wanted them and their mother safe.
“How long will it take with the paternity test?” his father asked, probably thinking similar thoughts as he was.
“Maybe a few days. A week at most,” Zion said. His friend already knew that he wanted the tests expedited.
His father nodded. “Okay, and if it takes longer, we’ll make sure Raven knows she’ll have a place to stay.”
Zion wasn’t surprised. Despite them heading into a busy season with spring breakers, his parents were extremely generous. No doubt they were booked, but they wouldn’t put Raven and the kids out on the street. And if he was honest with himself, Zion knew he wouldn’t either. He had a three-bedroom, two-bathroom house, and they could stay with him if it came to that.
“I know we don’t have to tell you this,” his father started, “but if those children are yours, I expect you to step up like the man we raised.” The steal in his father’s tone left no room for an argument. In this case, his words were final, but they were also unnecessary.
“I will,” Zion said, meaning it. Despite the way he treated her earlier, he cared about Raven. No way would he turn his back on her and the kids. Then he met his father’s gaze. “And even if Zanaya and Andrew aren’t mine, I’ll do whatever I can for them and Raven.”
Raven Shepard.
Now that she’d stumbled back into his life, Zion had no intention of ever letting her walk away.