Secrets On Lake Drive (38 page)

“Will you bring me a glass of juice?”

“Sure, baby.”

After Sean ran downstairs, I slipped on my black,
silk robe and went to the bathroom to brush my wild hair back
down.

“Here you go.” Sean handed me the glass, then sat
down next to me on the bed.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

He kept staring at me while I drank my orange juice.
“I didn’t think you would want me back after I told you the truth.
I thought I was going to lose you.”

“We have too much history just to walk away from
each other forever.”

“I know, but that night I confessed everything and
you were packing your bag, I thought it was over.”

“I love you way too much to just leave you and never
look back. I didn’t answer the phone because I didn’t know what to
say to you. I was still trying to understand why you did what you
did.”

“So you understand now?”

“Yes.”

“And you still love me regardless?”

“Sean, I will love you forever. You, Roman, Mama V,
Warren, Derrick, Dallas, Damarion, Nikki, and our new baby.”

“New baby?”

“Yes.” I didn’t know how else to tell him. I figured
then was just as good as any other time I could’ve chosen.

“You’re pregnant?”

“Yes…I think I’m about two months.”

Sean pulled me up off of the bed so he could engulf
me with a hug. Then he took my robe off before I sat down so he
could put his face up against my stomach in the same manner he did
when I told him that I was pregnant with Roman.

Epilogue

Sean was overcome with joy when I told him that I
was pregnant. He almost cried he was so happy. Being the wonderful
husband that he was, he made time to come to all of my doctor
appointments. He completely catered to me. He massaged my swollen
feet, ran my baths, and cooked dinner – he spoiled me rotten.
Sometimes, he would sit and stare at my belly in complete awe. I
couldn’t fault him for that, though. He didn’t get to enjoy my
pregnancy with Roman, so I guess he was making up for lost time.
And boy was Roman excited to know that he was going to be a big
brother.

Sean’s family forgave him after he confessed that
Roman was his real son, our son. I forgave him, too. I think the
family knew Roman was Sean’s biological son anyway. He looked too
much like Sean for them not to be related. And like Sean said,
Roman had his looks but my personality.

Warren kept coming over to our house as he usually
did. He kept his life simple and remained single. He said he didn’t
want a woman driving him crazy. I laughed at him. He was right. I
sure did drive Sean crazy. Some days I don’t know how he put up
with me.

Derrick switched girlfriends, or shall I say
shawties. He changed girlfriends like he changed clothes. We never
knew who he would show up with when he and the boys came over. I
guess some men don’t realize how empty a life that can be.

Nikki told me that she met the most amazing guy when
she went to Chicago. She said they were steppin’ all night. He was
about seven years younger than her, but that’s cool. I was eight
years younger than Sean and we were doing just fine. I could tell
she really liked this mystery guy. I’ve never seen the girl smile
so much.

Victoria was as happy as she could be when she
learned I was with child. Every time she came by the house, she
would run up to me and say, “Let me give my grandbaby some sugar.”
I’m sure she was ready to do more spoiling as she’d done with
Roman.

My girl Keisha got engaged to her Brian McKnight
look-a-like. Daryl was the perfect man for her. They were planning
on getting married June of next year. By then, I would be back in
shape so I could be her matron of honor.

Over the months, I also came to know Kevin more and
more, realizing how much we were alike. He also liked to take
pictures, and he was thinking about joining me when I returned to
college next year.

Ciara and Roman were pretty much inseparable, and
Chandra had become one of my best friends. We spent many nights
watching chic flicks with Keisha and Nikki in the family room.

Sean encouraged me to develop a relationship with my
mother. He said he didn’t want me under any stress while I was
carrying. So, for the past few months, I told Deborah to come by
the house as often as she liked. She would check on me and make
sure I was taking my prenatal vitamins and eating right, but Sean
was already making sure of that.

I finished out the spring semester of photography
classes, but I skipped the fall semester. It was hard enough being
pregnant, but it was even harder trying to get up at the crack of
dawn to go to classes while carrying twins. I didn’t want to wear
myself out.

Sean and I grew closer than ever before. I give the
credit to him for that. Since he confessed he was indeed the
Cornelius that I had fell in love with back in the day, it felt
like our relationship had come full circle. Sean was my fairytale,
my happy ending that I thought I would never realize.

I gave birth to our twin daughters in December. One
of them weighed four pounds, seven ounces and the other was four
pounds, nine ounces. They both were eighteen inches long. Being
that they were a couple of weeks premature, they had to stay in the
hospital for a few days before we were able to take them home.

We named our first one Mikayla,
after my sister that passed away. My mother cried when she found
out I did that. She was so happy. It was Sean’s idea. We named our
other baby girl Mackenzie, a name Victoria chose. My little
light-skinned princesses were so precious. They both had full heads
of curly black hair like Sean and those same dazzling green eyes.
Keisha said they looked so much like Sean that it seemed
like
he
carried
them for the better part of nine months instead of me.

Sean had the bedroom across the hall from our
bedroom converted into a nursery for the girls. He had an interior
decorator come in to do the whole design. It was a beautiful sky
theme of powder blue walls and clouds, with glow-in-the-dark stars
painted on the ceiling above. Flowers were painted on the wall
closer to the floor. The room fit my beautiful little ladies
well.

IT SURE WAS strange the way we turned out, but the
ups and downs were all a part of life. And that second chance that
I longed for came to me in disguise. My first love was with me all
along, and he was still very much in love with me, too. I got that
second chance I wanted so desperately, and I was never going to
take our love for granted. Never.

Next summer, after Keisha’s wedding, we’re all going
to Haiti on vacation for a couple of weeks. Sean said he wanted me
to see where he grew up and to experience Haiti firsthand – the
food, art, culture, and beautiful beaches. I couldn’t wait to get
there. It would be the experience of a lifetime that I would get to
spend with my family and the man I loved more than I loved
life.

They say if something is too good to be
true, it probably is. I say if something is too good to be true,
hop on the ride to see where it takes you. Mine took me straight to
marital bliss and back into the arms of the only man that I ever
loved…Sean.

The End

###

Discover other books by
Tina Martin at
www.tinamartin.net
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