Chapter Thirty-One
Marcus
I followed my mother to the back of the house to the screened-in porch, where we sat on the wicker chairs at one of the tables. I was hesitant to speak, but I had questions.
“What is it, son? You can ask me anything. I’d never lie to you, so ask me whatever you need to ask,” she said, opening the line of communication.
I lowered my head in an effort to get myself all the way together. The entire situation was emotional, and I hoped my mother wasn’t scheming with a woman whom I thought she didn’t care for much at all.
“Marcus, son, talk to me.”
“Did you know Eliana was cheating on me?” I finally asked.
She paused and then answered, “Yes, I knew.”
“For how long?” I asked between clenched teeth as I lowered my gaze to the ground.
“Not long. Friday night, to be exact––when Angelica, DeSoto’s wife, called me. It was late that evening. She said she had to tell me something DeSoto told her not to, but she stressed that she didn’t misunderstand what she saw.”
“I don’t follow,” I said, finally lifting my head to look at her.
I wanted…no, I needed to hear the truth.
“Well, Angelica said she was with DeSoto at a tattoo shop in the city. She was sitting on the sofa in the waiting room with a huge picture window that overlooked the floor where the artists worked. A woman walked into the shop, and one of the tattooists paused from working on DeSoto’s tattoo to stand and greet her with a kiss. Not thinking anything of it, Angelica turned away, but a few moments later, the woman entered the waiting room and went to a bar that was set up in a corner. She said the woman poured herself a drink and then hung around the doorway, leaning on the frame while watching Rush work. After drinking a couple of cocktails, the woman cranked the volume up on the music and started dancing by herself. That’s when Angelica focused on her face. She said the woman looked familiar, but she couldn’t figure out where she had seen her. Then it hit her, and she called out her name. That’s when things got crazy. Eliana tried to say she was there to get your name tattooed on her, but when Angelica asked her why she was lip-locking with Rush when she first walked in, she had no answer. Angelica tried to go into her bag for her phone to snap a pic of her, but Eliana ran out of the shop.”
I looked at my mother intently as she continued.
“Angelica said Rush tried to cover for Eliana as they were leaving, but she didn’t buy it, and when she questioned DeSoto about what she had seen, he told her to stay out of it. Well, after Angelica called me, I made some phone calls of my own. You know, to my secret crusade, and I got answers within hours. She and Rush are con artists, son, and I gave her twenty-four hours to tell you. Her name is real, but the parents are fake. Her boutique is legal, but she is buried in debt, and her credit score is embarrassing. I confronted her and advised her of the other things Rush had going on right under her simple nose while she thought she was his number one. I even gave her an opportunity to come clean to you first before I did it for her. So, I’m assuming that’s what she did since you showed up here with Zee today.”
“Not exactly. I got a call from her mother, or whoever Olivia is, saying Eliana was in the hospital. After I saw Rush leaving her place that morning, I planned to break things off with her, but I was concerned about her. So, I went to the hospital, and that’s when I learned from the nurse that Eliana’s pregnant,” I told my mother, whose mouth dropped open.
“She’s having your baby?” she questioned, her brows knitted together.
I immediately knew she didn’t view that as good news, so I quickly clarified for her.
“Mom, relax. Yes, she’s pregnant, but it’s not mine. Although she tried to convince me otherwise, I knew she was lying.”
“How can you be so sure, Marcus? Are you one hundred percent certain? If she is carrying my grandchild, we have to help her. I don’t want my grandchild growing up around people like Rush,” she said, sounding panicky. “We have to get sole custody.”
“Whoa, Mom. Please calm down and trust me. I know for sure it’s not,” I said, taking her hands in mine.
She relaxed a bit before asking again, “Are you positive?”
“I am,” I assured her.
“You wouldn’t want a test?”
“No. And if she insists the child is mine, I will be willing to get a paternity test done then. But I think she knows the truth, and I don’t think I’ll be hearing from her again. I made it clear that I never wanted to see her again. I even told her to keep the ring.”
“You didn’t!” she said, her eyes bulging.
“I did. Why would I want it back? I’d never give Zee a ring I gave to another woman.”
“I know, but Eliana doesn’t deserve to keep it.”
“Maybe she doesn’t, Mom, but I don’t give a damn about her, the ring, or the bogus relationship we had. All I care about is Zamora and starting over with her.”
She smiled. “I know, and I’m happy you two finally found your way back to each other. She’s always been the one.”
“I know,” I agreed.
“And you better not fuck this up. You’re my only child, and I want grandkids.”
“Let us get to the altar first, Mom. Dang!” I joked.
We stood, and she pulled me into her arms to give me a motherly hug. I knew she would never do anything to hurt me, and I knew she always looked out for me and had my back.
“Well, this is cause for a mini celebration. I’m going to call your aunt and tell her to ring the alarm. The bitch is gone, and my son is back with the right one. The entire Diaz clan will be here in a couple of hours, so go and get ice and beer. Oh, and tell your papi to set the tables up in the basement.”
“I got you,” I said, then proceeded to go back in the house.
“Son,” my mother called out.
I paused and turned back to her. “Yes?”
“I love you, and I know I don’t say it enough, but I am super proud of the man you have become. I’ll always support you, even if I don’t like it, hijo. Tú eres mi corazón.”
I smiled at my mother. Lord knows she was my heart, too.
“Gracias, Mama, y yo también te amo,” I said and went inside.
Eliana was now out of the picture, and I was happy that I told my parents how I truly felt. The only thing left for me to focus on now was making Zamora happy for the rest of our days.