The Object of His Obsession (The Alexanders Book 4) (7 page)

Tyson opened the
refrigerator and handed his father a bottle of water. “Yeah, Padma
loves Gabrielle. She thinks the world of her.”

“Come to think about it,
Padma didn’t have any girls...just all boys. I guess Gabrielle is
the daughter she never had, huh?”

“She certainly is.” Tyson
walked back over to the counter, leaned against it and took a swig
of water.

“She’s a special lil’ thang
isn’t she? Gabrielle, that is.”

A smile grew on Tyson’s
face. “Yes. She’s very special.”

“You know, I still can’t
believe what she did for your Uncle Colin.” John turned the water
bottle up to his mouth.

“I can’t
either.”

“If she hadn’t donated that
bone marrow, my brother would probably be dead. She saved his
life.”

“How is Uncle Colin by the
way? You seen him lately?”

“Nah, not lately. I did
speak with him on the phone about a week ago. He was doing well.
You know he’s in New York.”

“Yeah. Padma mentioned it
to me.”

“I told him he needed to
slow down a lil’ bit, sit back and relax off of those millions he
made.”

“I don’t think it’s about
the money for Colin,” Tyson said. “I think he’s afraid that if he
sits down, he won’t get back up. He likes to stay
active.”

John nodded. “Yes he
does.” He took another sip of water. “So, tell me, Tyson...are you
ready to have your own son? He’ll be here very soon.”

Tyson smiled. “I’m ready,
Dad.”

“You know, when you were
born, it was, by far, the happiest day of my life. To have a
son...there’s no feeling like it.”

“Wow,” Tamera said, walking
in the kitchen. “So how did you feel when I came along, Dad?” she
quipped.

John chuckled. “I was so
happy to have a little princess,” he said standing with open
arms.

Tamera walked into his
embrace and wrapped her arms around her father. “Good to see you,
Daddy.”

“You too, baby girl. I hear
you’re helping out around here.”

“Yep,” Tamera said happily.
“Gabrielle didn’t want someone she didn’t know, and I don’t blame
her not one bit. Plus, I don’t mind. I want to be here when my
little peanut is born.”

“I’m just happy that your
mom and I finally get a grandbaby. And speaking of grandbabies,
when are you going to give us one, Tamera?”

Tamera’s mouth fell open.
“On that note, I’m going back in here with Gabrielle and mom.
Goodbye.”

Tyson and his father
chuckled.

“You want to get rid of
Tamera, say something about her having a baby and watch her
disappear,” John said laughing more.

“I think the whole deal
with Mark left a bad taste in her mouth. Tamera’s not prepared for
marriage and a child just yet, especially after what Mark did to
her. It’ll be hard for her to trust again, just like it was hard
for me.”

“But you did
it.”

“Yes, I did, but Tamera and
I are as different as night and day, Dad.”

John blew a breath. “You
don’t have to tell me that. I raised both of you
knuckleheads.”

Tyson smirked. “She’ll
come around. It’s just going to take the right man to make her
change her mind. I already told her that the next man she dated had
to be approved by me first.”

John smiled. “That’s my
boy.”

* * *

“May I touch?” Rena asked
Gabrielle, her hands already in position. They were sitting on the
couch in the living room and Tamera was in a chair next to them.
The last time Rena saw Gabrielle, she was barely showing. Now, not
only was she showing – she looked like she could go in labor at any
moment.

“Sure, you can
touch.”

Rena rubbed her hands all
around the globe of Gabrielle’s belly. “Let me guess...he’s going
to be around seven pounds, huh?”

“Well, the doctor thinks
he’ll be about six pounds.”

“That’s good, girl,” Tamera
said, crossing her legs. She had on a pair of white skinny jeans
and a red T-shirt. “You don’t want to be trying to push a monster
out of there.”

Gabrielle
giggled.

“Boy was your brother a big
one,” Rena said to Tamera.

“He was?” Gabrielle
asked.

“Sure was. Tyson was a
nine-pounder.”

“Ouch,” Gabrielle said,
closing her legs tight.

“Double ouch,” Tamera said,
twisting her legs together as tightly as she could. “And you’re
having his baby, so that means, that baby gon’ be about the same
size Tyson was. I don’t know who your doctor is, but you need to
fire her.”

Rena grinned. “Gabrielle,
don’t pay any attention to Tamera.”

“What? I’m just being real.
You have to think about all the possibilities.”

“Wait...let me get this
straight,” Gabrielle said. “Tyson was nine pounds when he was
born.”

Rena nodded. “Sure
was.”

“But you had a cesarean
section, right?” Gabrielle asked.

“Honey, I wish I
did.”

“But...but I thought when
the baby was big like that, the doctor recommended
cesarean.”

“Under normal circumstances
they might’ve, but I was too far along, meaning he’d already
dropped in the birth canal, so I had to go with it.”

“Wow.”

“Honey, I had to get
stitches and all.”

Tamera shook her head.
“Ain’t no way I’m having one now. That’s too much pain for
me.”

“Stop scaring Gabrielle,
Tamera,” Rena said.

“Tell the truth, mom...it
wasn’t painful?”

“It was, but when you see
that beautiful baby, all the pain you suffered instantly goes
away.”

“It goes away because they
have you hopped up on pain meds,” Tamera said, then
laughed.

“No. It goes away because
you appreciate the beautiful life that you helped to create.
There’s no feeling like it, and I promise you this, Gabrielle, you
will never forget it and you will cherish it for the rest of your
life, just like I cherish Tyson and Tamera with her silly
self.”

“Aw, you cherish me, mom?”
Tamera asked, standing up from the chair and sitting next to her
mother on the couch, wrapping her arms around her.

“I do, and I’ll cherish you
even more when you give me a grandbaby.”

“Well, that’s my cue...time
for me to go to bed,” Tamera said, quickly standing back up again.
“Goodnight, y’all.”

Gabrielle and Rena
giggled.

“Goodnight, Tamera.” Rena
said.

Chapter 11

Tyson’s parents settled in
comfortably at Padma’s. She’d showed them to an elegant guest
master, equipped with a seating area, flat screen TV mounted on the
wall and its own private bathroom with Jacuzzi. There wasn’t a
hotel that could top those amenities.

While John caught up on
sleep, since he drove from Chesapeake to Southern Shores, Padma and
Rena were in the kitchen discussing the seating arrangements for
the baby shower, especially after determining that it was going to
be outside on the deck. There was no rain in the forecast. Only
sunny skies. Fair weather. Not too hot. Not too cold. Conditions
would be perfect for a party:

~~~~~ * ~~~~~

Welcoming Their New
Little Man
!

Tyson and Gabrielle are
having a baby boy.

PLEASE JOIN US FOR A BABY
SHOWER

The Home of Colin &
Padma Alexander

Saturday @ 2:00
p.m.

Hosted by Padma Alexander
and Rena Alexander

~~~~~ * ~~~~~

“So the jazz band will set
up in the back left corner on the deck.”

With raised brows, Rena
asked, “You got a jazz band coming, Padma?”

She smiled. “Yes...it’s
just three guys. I thought it will be a nice touch.”

“In the corner directly
opposite of them will be a drink bar. Non-alcoholic of
course.”

Rena nodded. “I was
thinking...I know there will only be a handful of kids, but I think
we should make a kiddie table for the children,” Rena suggested. “I
think that will make them feel special.”

“That’s a good idea,
Rena.”

“What about the gift table?
Where do we want to put that?”

“Hmm...” Padma said,
thinking, but her thought process was interrupted by her ringing
cell phone. “You think on that,” she told Rena. “I have to take
this call. Be right back.”

Padma stepped out onto the
deck and said, “Hello, Beatrice. How are you?”

“I’m okay, Mrs. Padma. How
‘bout yourself?”

“I’m okay. How’s that son
of mine?”

“That’s the reason for my
call, Padma. I’m a lil’ worried ‘bout Dilvan.”

You ain’t the only one
worried about Dilvan
. “What has you
worried, Beatrice? You don’t need to be stressing yourself out over
there, hun.”

“I know, but Dilvan has
been trying really hard to be a better man. I see it. But he
continues to struggle with Gabrielle and I just don’t want to see
him throw all of his hard work down the drain.”

“What makes you think he’s
struggling with Gabrielle?”

“’
Cause
he said something that didn’t sit well with me at dinner last
night. Now, Mrs. Padma, you know I don’t like being caught up in no
mess.”

“Yes, I know.”

“But I couldn’t keep this
to myself. First off, he seems to be a lil’ upset that he didn’t
get an invite to the baby shower, and I’m thinking to myself...why
would this man want an invite to a baby shower, knowing full well
he ain’t got no business there.”

Padma sighed. “Oh,
Beatrice, you have got to be kidding me.”

“I wish I was,
Padma.”

“Is he there
now?”

“Sho is... got his self
shut up real nice and snug in that there office of his. That’s
where he spends most of his days. Personally, I don’t know how he
can stand it.”

Padma threaded her fingers
through her hair. “Well, he’s definitely not getting an invite to
the baby shower. I’m like you...I don’t even understand why he
would want to come.”

“Well—”

“What is it,
Beatrice?”

“I think I might have an
idea why he wants to come.”

“And that is...”

“He tried to tell me
that...” Beatrice struggled to say the words. “He tried to tell me
that the baby could be his.”

Padma put her hand over
her heart and felt like her feet were about to come out from
underneath her. Suddenly, she could feel the earth spinning and she
was so dizzy, she had to walk over to a patio table to catch her
balance. Lalita had mentioned that Dilvan had possibly drugged
Gabrielle and now Beatrice was telling her what Dilvan had admitted
to over dinner – that Gabrielle’s baby could be his. Padma knew she
had to try and dispel any inkling that this may be true. Colin
didn’t want this getting out prematurely.

“Ms. Bea, don’t put much
stock in what Dilvan says. He’ll say anything to get Gabrielle
back, obviously.”

“Yeah, you’re right about
that, Padma. I’m confused ‘bout all of this.”

“I am too, Beatrice, so for
now, let’s keep this quiet. I’ll be over there Sunday evening and
we can all sit down and talk about this.”

“Okay, Padma. I’ll see you
at the baby shower then.”

“Alright. Talk to you
soon.”

Padma inhaled deeply and
squeezed the phone in the fist that she’d balled up. How could she
plan a baby shower amidst so much controversy; knowing that the
baby could he Dilvan’s. Things weren’t right and once again, it was
Dilvan’s fault.

She wanted to put the baby
shower on hold until she could get matters settled with Dilvan, but
caterers had already been called. The jazz band was booked. Tyson’s
parents were in town and Gabrielle’s family was due tomorrow.
Invites were sent out a month and a half ago. Over fifty people had
R.S.V.P.’d with
yes
. The party had to go on. Dilvan wouldn’t take the spotlight
away from Tyson and Gabrielle. He was probably lying anyway, his
way of retaliating against Tyson for, what he calls,
stealing
Gabrielle away
from him. He wouldn’t win this time.

Chapter 12

Tyson was busy in the
kitchen cooking a Friday-night dinner for the family. Gabrielle’s
father, Henry, and her sisters, Carmen and Destiny were in town,
having just arrived a few hours ago. Rena and John, came over from
Padma’s so they could get acquainted with Gabrielle’s family and
share dinner together. Heshan also came by and was in the kitchen
playing cards with Henry and John.

The ladies were in the
master bedroom, helping Gabrielle decide what to wear to the baby
shower.