Rapture 2: a BWWM, Alpha Male Romance (13 page)

NINETEEN

Rush

“So, Janae, how’s it going?” I asked, reentering the living room, wearing a huge smile.

I had just come from giving Michaela a huge hug, then leaving her to watch
Rio 2
.

“It’s going
good
, Rush. Did you get a chance to get that situation fixed at that magazine?”

I sighed an exasperated sigh. “Yep, there actually wasn’t that much to do because when I got there the T. McKinney person had already been handed his walking papers. I was looking forward to seeing that clown in person. I guess that wasn’t in the cards. But that’s okay because I got what I needed.”

“You got what, exactly?” she asked.

“Oh, it was basic. I just made them give what he had been given which was basically an email. Nothing more. And it came from some generic ass email account. It’s a fucked up world when you can have technology in prison now. Jacob should be focused on preparing for his trial and less concerned about throwing his own sister and niece under the bus.”

“I agree,” Janae responded, solemnly. “So, what did the email look like, exactly?”

“Kinda irrelevant at this point, Janae. That shit is old news. You know it was Jacob and I know it was Jacob,” I shrugged. “So we can move on now to the important stuff. Like how we’re gonna work out these logistics for me seeing Michaela and making her a significant part of my life.”

“Well…” she started. “I’ve already made arrangements to move back in the next month or two. I just have to finalize a few things first. And I was hoping to let Michaela stay up until Christmas break.”

I couldn’t help the smile that formed across my lips. “Is Michaela okay with that? Not that I don’t want her here, but I don’t want her mad at me for having to uproot.”

“Oh please. She’s too excited about you to be mad. Her dad has a mansion with a pool and a theater room. She’s elated. I’ve already run it by her. She and I talk about pretty much everything.”

“Nice.”

“Yeah, she’s a little withdrawn when she first meets people so of course she would be too shy to tell you how excited she is, but when I tell you that she’s excited,
she is
. That might even be putting it mildly.”

“Really?” I asked, proudly stroking my beard. I was totally surprised.

“Yep. So, in answer to your question, I just figure maybe on the weekends you get her as well as on major holidays. Then maybe Christmas we alternate. Or we could even do them together. That’s up to you. She’s got a slew of cousins that all come together at my mom’s so we can cross that bridge when we get to it.”

“Sounds…awesome. I’m ready.”

“And speaking of my mom, she said to tell you hi. She said that she would be calling you and that she misses you.”

“Miss Glenda,” I said, smiling. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen her. I can’t wait to talk to her. Tell her that I miss her too. It’s good to know that she’s aware that none of what she
thought
is true. That means a lot. I really love your mother. She was a major part of my adolescence and I’ve never forgotten that.”

I released a deep sigh of relief. It seemed that everything was falling into place perfectly.

Janae started to giggle. “Yeah, she’s ecstatic. Wanted all the details, and was throwing questions at me in bulk! It was like Costco up in there!” she joked.

“I can imagine. I mean, who would’ve thought we’d be
here
…as parents! To the same child?!”

“Isn’t that something, Rush? Growing up together pretty much, and then ending up sharing a child.”

“Life is crazy, right? But looks like we done good.”

“Definitely did,” she said, her voice fading slightly. “Look, Rush, before Michaela comes back, tell me about Alika. Is she your woman?”

I was taken aback by her question. What Alika and I had was nobody’s business.

“Yeah. Why you ask?”

“Well, I just think it might be a little early to introduce yet another person into the picture so early when this should be Michaela’s time to get to know you.”

“That’s why it won’t be a random person. It’ll be a person that I love. You probably shouldn’t be telling me how to handle things with my woman, Janae.”

“I’m not. I’m telling you how to handle things with our daughter.”

“Janae. Please don’t tell me we are already going to reach the point of involving the courts. Because trust me, paternity has been established and in California custody is fifty-fifty unless established otherwise. And even if you’d done that, it’d be overturned because I never knew I had a child. You don’t really want to go there, do you? Because I’m sure the courts would even award me more than weekends and major holidays. The only reason I’m not fighting you on that is because I think that while we’re still in the early stages, a gradual transition is good. So, don’t come up into my world throwing around orders. I’m not that guy, okay?”

I watched as she shifted in her seat uncomfortably. She appeared to be searching for something to say, so I sat and waited for what that might be, never taking my eyes off of her. She lowered her eyes from mine, and then spoke.

“I’m sorry, Rush. You’re right. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

“You
did
mean something by it, Janae. Women aren’t new to me. I know how it goes. But you and I will be getting along really well as long as we co-parent within our boundaries. Meaning that anything that has to do with my personal life…is none of your business. Anything having to do with our daughter…hundred percent, you have full access. Alika’s respectful. She loves me, and she’s a good person, so Michaela will always be treated with the utmost respect. Okay? Alika understands that nothing is more important than me getting to know my daughter. So, now
your part
is to not insult me by insinuating anything other than that.”

The look that Janae gave me wasn’t exactly the friendliest, but I didn’t care. My only concern was that she understood where I was coming from.

“Okay, I understand.”

“Good. Now, let’s join Michaela in the media room so I can give her the first of many gifts from her dad.”

TWENTY

Rush

I held Alika in a long, drawn out hug before I pulled out her chair.

“What’s that for?” she asked, taking her place in the seat before her. “Not that I mind one single bit.”

“It’s for you. It’s because you’re beautiful, because you’re understanding, and because I’m the luckiest man I know to have a woman like you in my life…in my arms…in my bed. Just damn lucky.
That’s
what that was for.”

“Well, I accept it all, baby. I’m just as lucky to have you—if not luckier. This life that I live in, I’m sure is one-of-a-kind.”

“Crazy family and all, huh?”

“I take it all, as long as you’re there,” she said. “There’s nothing I can’t handle or won’t handle as long as you’re by my side.”

“I swear you should be on the menu,” I told her. “You just whet my appetite with any damn thing that comes out of your mouth.”

She smiled a huge dimpled smile in my direction.

“I love your hair. I see you took yourself a pamper day, huh? Looks beautiful. Do you miss your braids at all?”

“Not really. But kinda…sorta…only because you do the most damage to my hair with all that seducing you keep me a victim of. But you promised that if I needed to go to the shop every day or get someone to come out, you’d be up for it, right? I hope you didn’t forget saying that.”

“Absolutely. I can’t give up the obsession I have with your body, so whatever your beauty needs are, you got it.”

“Stop trying to turn me on in this damn restaurant, Rush. That’s unfair to the highest degree. You hear me? Stop it,” I blushed.

“Alright, alright. Topic change. So, how do you feel about us getting to unwind since life has been so busy lately?”

“Look at this restaurant. Need you ask? This is so romantic, I can’t even think straight,” she confessed.

We had driven over to Chantilly’s in Redwood City, to have a nice dinner. We ended up in one of the private rooms sitting in front of the fireplace, soft music playing in the background, and in full relaxation mode. I loved spending time with Alika and couldn’t wait until I could bring my two girls together to hang out.

“How was earlier today for you, baby? You didn’t feel dismissed or anything like that did you?”

Alika was quiet momentarily, then looked over at me and smiled. “You want the truth?” she queried.

“Nothing but…” I responded, nervously.

“Well, in that case. I have to be honest.”

I put my fork down atop my Wine Braised Short ribs, eagerly anticipating what it was she was about to say. “Okay. Let’s have it,” I said.

“I absolutely did not feel dismissed. Not at all. And Michaela…she’s adorable. Absolutely adorable. It’s all I can say about her.”

“You know you had me nervous, right?” I chuckled.

“I know. I was just playing around with you. It doesn’t surprise me in the least that you helped produce such a beauty.”

“Thank you. She is kinda special, isn’t she?”

“She’s got her daddy blushing, that’s for sure. I’d say that makes her damn special.”

“And I’d say that
you’re
special, Alika. I know this is a lot for you, and I appreciate you taking it all in stride. I really do.”

“Oh, there’s no other way to take it, baby. I mean that. Whatever comes with the package, I’m for that. This happened way before me. It would’ve been the same had I come into your life and she was already there. I’d have to take it or leave it. And leaving is not an option. As long as the mama didn’t come with the package…”

I wondered when she would bring up the Janae issue. It made me think back to Janae’s bold intrusion earlier:

Is that your woman
?
I think it’s a little too early for you to be introducing yet another person into the picture so early when this should be Michaela’s time to get to know you
…

“It’s my daughter and her only. There’s no lingering interest in Janae that you have to be worried about. It’s all about Michaela. Okay?”

“Okay,” she responded. She took a sip of her white wine, then announced: “But I wouldn’t have given you up without a fight if the package did include your daughter’s mother,” she said, smiling. “I’m just saying.”

“You better not ever give up without a fight. I know I’d fight to the death for you, so it’s good to know that we’re on the same page…in the same paragraph…in the same sentence,” I kidded.

“
I get it
!” she laughed.

“As long as you do…
get it
, that is.”

“Okay, boss,” she responded, placing her glass down, and cutting into her salad. “I won’t lie though. Janae isn’t bad-looking, so there was
slight
intimidation. Not a lot, but just a little. And I don’t think it had anything to do with how pretty she was, but more about the fact that you share something with her that will forever bond you.”

“Baby, that’s not something you even have to worry about. I’m thankful to Janae for blessing me with such a beautiful little girl, but there’s nothing romantic between the two of us. And I don’t have any kind of feelings like that for her. She’s the mother of my child. Without her I wouldn’t have Michaela, but that’s it.”

“I know, babe. And please don’t think that I’m gonna be that girl who you always have to reassure. I’m not her. And I won’t turn into her. I just really wanted to be up front with you about how I was feeling. It’s minimal. I actually hope to get to know Janae as well as Michaela when the time is right.”

“See and that is just one of many reasons that this man is all the way crazy about you.”

She smiled at me flashing those dimples that I loved, and went back to tearing through her salad.

“You know Michaela asked me who you were after you had left.”

“Really? she asked, excitedly. “Wow, what’d you tell her?”

“Well…” I started, reaching across the table. “I told her that your name is Alika, and that it means,
most beautiful
in Swahili. I told her that you make me very happy and that one day, when she got to know me better that maybe the three of us could go to Disneyland.”

I watched Alika’s eyes light up at the mention of Disneyland and almost laughed aloud. I thought it was the cutest thing ever that she loved that place so much.

“What’d she say?”

“She said that we needed to get to know each other really quickly then because she wanted to go. Oh! And guess what? I can’t believe I forgot to tell you this part before now.”

“What?”

“You guys share the same birthday. How ironic is that?”

“You’re not serious?”

“All the way serious.”

“Nice. So I can use my birthday as an excuse to get down to Anaheim even when I’m deemed too old to still care about Mickey and Fantasmic!?”

I laughed out loud because I knew she was dead ass serious. “Yep, I guess so.”

“So, I can’t wait for this formal introduction to take place between all of us so that I can ease into the fold and get to know the little beauty.”