Chapter 38 #2
We also want to limit the information we share about him. Those are our hard limits for this. I guess we both got a little too comfortable talking to each other.
I wink at Bentley to let him know I’m okay. We’ll just have to be more careful in the future. Bentley nods and returns the wink.
“Right now, he’s still so young and gets fussy when we travel. Going with Bent to away games is a huge challenge. His dad is usually focused on the game and doing his job anyway.
“Besides, he loves watching the game from home with his aunts and uncles. He doesn’t quite understand what all the excitement is about, but he loves being a part of it,” I reply.
Bentley mouths thank you. I smile and we finish the call with Haydon and Litia. Bentley signals to Erica that we’ll take one more call.
“We have GM,” she says as she queues the next call.
“Hey, GM,” I say and make a face at Bentley.
He shrugs his shoulders and sits back in his chair. I grab my water bottle to take a sip as we wait for GM to reply. I’m not expecting the voice that comes through.
“Zah, Coswell. I find your little podcast to be so funny. Aren’t you a cute little family now. Why not tell your new listeners and viewers all about how you two just got back together since Zah was already engaged to another man last year?”
Bentley holds his hand up as I go to reply. My nostrils flare as I feel like steam is coming out of my ears. I can’t believe Gilbert is doing this.
“Ah, Gilbert. I thought you were smarter than this. Do you really want to have this out over a recorded medium?”
“I only want the truth to be out there.”
“The truth? Whose truth? The actual truth or your delusion. I’m only asking so I know where we’re going here? I want to make sure my lawyers hit you for the right offense.”
“You can’t come for me for the truth. Zahirah was engaged. In fact, you showed up the day before her wedding and crashed her wedding rehearsal dinner.”
“Bro, you trapped her into a fake engagement to help you secure your inheritance. She thought she was helping a friend,” Bentley explodes.
“So you admit it. That’s all I needed.”
“Fuck you.”
“We should talk sometime, Zah. I have a lot more I’d like to say. I’d also love to see Aaron. I miss him.”
“Stay. The. Fuck. Away. From my family. I’m warning you, Manning,” Bentley growls.
Erica cuts the call. I feel like I’m going to be sick. What the fuck just happened?
“So that was a fun episode,” I joke.
“I’m sorry, guys. I don’t play about my woman or my family. I will go through the proper channels to deal with that asshole.
“Zah is an amazing mother and partner. She has a huge heart and tried to help someone she thought was a friend. He took advantage and now we’re here.”
“I’m sorry, guys. I’ll do better at screening the calls,” Erica says.
“It’s not your fault. Thank you, everyone, for listening and watching. We hope you come back and join us in the future.
“Hug your loved ones and be good to them. From Zah and me, y’all be blessed,” Bentley says, ending the podcast.
I sit with my palms flat against the table as I try to wrap my head around what just happened. That’s exactly what I didn’t want. That asshole even said my son’s name, which I know he did on purpose.
I have no idea what his endgame is. I don’t want him and never did. He’s acting like we were in a real relationship.
“I tried to drop him; the controls locked up on me. Sorry, guys,” Erica says, breaking into my spiraling thoughts.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of him.”
“Yeah, but what did that just do to our podcast? Erica and I put in so much work to do this,” I say as I snap out of shock.
“I’ll work on damage control,” Garret says as he enters the studio we’re in.
“I’m not going to lie. He might have done you guys a favor,” Erica says. “People love drama.”
I groan. “Ugh, that’s not what we wanted. That’s exactly what we didn’t want.”
Bentley stands and comes to pull me up from my chair. He hugs me tight and kisses the top of my head. I wrap my arms around him and melt into the comfort of his embrace.
“Babe, we did good. That might have been a tiny setback, but we’ll roll with it, together. I’m here, you’re here.
“We’re going to make this awesome. A few tweaks and we’ve got this. Just remember how much I love you and that I’ve always got you, promise.”
Gilbert
At this point, I don’t give a fuck anymore. Coswell doesn’t get to have a happily ever after with my woman and start a fucking podcast about it. I probably shouldn’t have called in, but fuck it.
At least everyone will know what kind of woman she is. Let’s see how everyone feels about their fiancé-stealing golden boy now. I hope he’s canceled and gets benched before the big game.
“Hello,” I answer my phone as it rings on my desk.
“We need to talk,” my uncle growls on the other end.
“What about?”
“Have you lost your mind? What the fuck are you thinking? If your grandmother finds out what I just heard, you’re finished. She isn’t going to give you shit.
“She liked that girl and was devastated that you two didn’t get married. She’s been talking about putting a trust in the kid’s name. Is he even yours, Gilbert?”
“I appreciate your concern, Uncle Theo. Grandmother isn’t going to be a problem. She’s not going to find out,” I say dryly.
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that. You’re fucking up, Gil. There are some people who have been asking around about you. They want to know what happened between you and Hamilton. Where’s Hamilton, Gilbert?”
I work my jaw as I can’t answer that question even if I wanted to. The news never reported the discovery of his body. I’ve been waiting, yet nothing has come to light. I refuse to return to the scene of the crime.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I grumble.
“Yeah, sure. Listen, I don’t care if you receive your inheritance or not. My brother would have wanted you to, so I’m trying to look out for you here.
“I’m warning you, you’re about to fuck it all up. Fix your shit.” He hangs up without another word.
I drop the phone on the desk and glare at it. Hamilton said he didn’t mention me. Why the fuck are people looking for me and asking about him?
Better yet, where the fuck is Hamilton’s body? Why didn’t the housekeeper report finding him? I don’t have time for this bullshit.
“Maybe it’s time I get grandmother to take another trip,” I muse.
I’m not against her leaving Aaron a trust. My boy will be my ticket one way or another. This might work out in my favor after all.
“Now this I can work with,” I say and nod at my thoughts.